Prog 1796: Normal to the Max

[JUDGE BURNS]

yet another cracking prog this week.

lenny zero still my top fav at the moment.

[A.Cow]

Cover!  Lovely.  Ben Willsher is perfect for Lenny Zero.

Dredd!  I agree with CFM.  Mr. Carroll has truly jumped in at number 2*, edging above Al Ewing.  This story should have been the one to run immediately after the DoC finale.  Maybe we can go back and adjust history, George Lucas style.

However, I must say that I think the cartoony art style didn't suit this particular story -- especially this last part -- and has undermined the storytelling somewhat.  It's been difficult telling where things are (especially the block toppling a prog-or-so back and the "up-the-tubes" bit this week) and that's a bad thing when you're juggling half-a-dozen characters in three different locations.

Aquila!  Going well.

Red Seas!  I stopped bothering with this some time ago.  Wasn't the Canary Wharf 'pyramid power' thing done to death in the 1990s?

Ichabod Azrael!  Nope.  Haven't got the foggiest.

Lenny Zero!  Great stuff, especially the graffiti and in-jokes.  Can somebody explain to me how each page is packed with stuff and yet Andy Diggle's never-ending thing in the Meg has had practically nothing happen for six months?  I'm presuming that the Meg thing was written for the US market and that Mr. Diggle knows exactly how to milk them for every penny...


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* (Of course, Gordon Rennie always has a seat reserved just below John Wagner ... but I'm guessing he's unlikely to park his posterior there again.)

[Proudhuff]

Yeah.... we'll get him back, the bastard!!   

subtle shoutout to the Megacast girls on the same page as well

Hope They aren't offended, especially ti......  ahem

[Proudhuff]

Loving having Max Normal back and looking so good! Nice one Mr D and the Willsher droid.

Great finish to a great Dredd, the action seemed a wee bit muddled towards the end, but no so much it spoiled the tale.

Enjoyed the Red Seas a couple of nice twists there and the Yeowell droid working well on this strip.

Aqulia, nicely done and I liked the 300 nod and the statue nod too

Ichabod seems a wee bit disjointed this week but will no doubt read well when collected

And Lenny Zero is a dream, hopefully there a few new twists awaiting us on the standard hiest movie theme.

Overall a cracking Prog for me, aided by the Buttman free letters page 

[James Stacey]

My main issue with Lenny Zero is [spoiler]why would they want to employ a known nark? His association to Dredd would be well known I'd have thought, especially by an ex judge.[/spoiler]

[Proudhuff]

My main issue with Lenny Zero is [spoiler]why would they want to employ a known nark? His association to Dredd would be well known I'd have thought, especially by an ex judge.[/spoiler]

Isn't that the point? he does grass to Judge Pal.

[James Stacey]

I appreciate that, but what's to stop him tipping the nod to the dept. about the heist. [spoiler]I appreciate he's their 'in' to get the cred note inside, but does that make him any more trustworthy  [/spoiler]?
I'm sure Mr Diggle has all bases covered however.

[Steve Green]

Could be that the whole Pal thing has basically undermined him, and he's reduced to using that compared to when he had the ear of Dredd.

[Cactus]

Could be that the whole Pal thing has basically undermined him, and he's reduced to using that compared to when he had the ear of Dredd.

When did Max last speak to Dredd? Twenty years ago?

[Spaceghost]

Just noticed another cameo in the poker game as well.

Good spot of [spoiler]Citizen Snork[/spoiler]!

I reckon it's [spoiler]Herbivore Bung, the man with the second biggest schnozz in the Meg[/spoiler]. We've seen [spoiler]Citizen Snork quite recently and he didn't have any obvious stitching on his beak[/spoiler]. Also, he was being interviewed on a TV talk show (I can't remember the story but it was in the last couple of years) and didn't look down and out.

This is [spoiler]Bung[/spoiler], bitter and desperate, trying to win his fortune.

Did I need all those spoiler tags I wonder...

[Proudhuff]

[spoiler]     no    [/spoiler]

[Steve Green]

Could be that the whole Pal thing has basically undermined him, and he's reduced to using that compared to when he had the ear of Dredd.

When did Max last speak to Dredd? Twenty years ago?

Can't remember, suspect it's been longer than that since he was seen - there were a couple of stories just after the apocalypse war, no idea if he appeared after that.

[Greg M.]

I think he may have last appeared in 'The Art of Geomancy' - the one where a female assassin takes revenge on Dredd for his humiliation of Stan Lee. Max is blackmailed into setting Dredd up to be captured. That or the Megazine 'Middenface McNulty' story: in fact, a quick check of Barney gives the latter - May 1992. I also remember a really good text story in one of the annuals around the time - think it was written by Pete Milligan.

[Proudhuff]

Didn't he have a Whatever happened to...story in the Megazine more recently?

[a chosen rider]

Cover - Love it.  Great to see Max's return celebrated, and he's looking pretty good as a distinguished older gentleman.  Top stuff.

Judge Dredd - Dredd without his shoulder pads and badge is disconcerting: on him, that looks half-dressed.  This comes to a good conclusion, though I must admit I found the action a bit confusing towards the end.  I hope Dolman doesn't rejoin the Judges, or at least not permanently - it seems like a real shame to waste the concept of a Dredd clone escaping the system.  Would be glad to see him stick around in some other capacity, though.  Dolman for Mayor!

Red Seas - Well, I didn't have much idea what was going on, but that probably has to do with me having missed the entirety of Red Seas before this point.  I felt like the art stepped up for these last two weeks and there were some good lines, so I can't complain.

Aquila - Expositiony!  But well done.  This is ticking along nicely, I just don't have much to say about this episode that I haven't said in previous weeks.

Ichabod Azrael - "Mind the giant demon dragon" is a great line.  Very cinematic episode with some great imagery.

Lenny Zero - This continues great, although Buell sounds oddly formal and polished compared to the Buell that I'm used to.  Maybe it's an effect of the brainwashing?  Some interesting bathroom graffiti there.

To be honest, not much to say this time around because everything continues very much like last week.  But considering last week's prog was great, no problems with that!