Round 1: 4 - Al Ewing or Dan Abnett - Ultimate Not Wagner Tourney

[Colin YNWA]

There's always a temptation when looking at the draw to tweak it so you don't lose some big hitters early. But I stayed strong and kept it as was. There was no tie though that tempted me more than this one. Luckily all I do is throw these puzzles out there, its you poor beggers that have to decide between two very different titans. With no more a do...

Live from The Nerve Centre Statium we present one of the votes of the round, as two of Tharg's greats collide. Only you can decide who is your favourite writer for Tharg

Al Ewing - http://www.2000ad.org/?zone=droid&page=profiles&choice=ALE

OR

Dan Adnett - http://www.2000ad.org/?zone=droid&page=profiles&choice=DANA

What is all this nonsense you ask well we're finding out whose 2000ad (Meg and associated items) writing do you prefer? Voting - just add a comment here with whose work you prefer (and anything else you might wish to say to discuss their work). This vote closes some time early Tuesday 2nd June?

Want to know more https://forums.2000ad.com/index.php?topic=46461.0

Two more Round 1 votes off start tomorrow.

[Bolt-01]

Oh man.

Dan Abnett.

Darn you.

[abelardsnazz]

Al Ewing, just, for some great Dredds, Zombo and Tempest. I could just as easily have voted for Abnett though.

[broodblik]

I am on the brink of a decision so it must go with Dan "the Man" Abnett

[sintec]

Ewing's done some great Dredd plus Damnation Station, Zaucer and Zombo but for me this one has to go to Abnett.  Kingdom and Brink are both always highlights when they're in the Prog and Lawless was the main reason I started subscribing to the Meg. Plus all that fantastic word play in Sinister Dexter. Yep Abnett.

[Buttonman]

Al for me - we had a nice chat once about the depressions left in carpet by furniture. He seemed genuinely taken with my tip of leaving an ice cube on top of them. I also like Zombo although Dan does well with his Insurrection stuff.

[TordelBack]

Oh FFS Colin!  My two favourite writers of the Second Half in the First Round!

Ewing is as close to Big Hairy Alan Moore as it's possible for a writer to be and still have his own voice.  His work is hilarious, dense, dark, eloquent: and he can write great Dredd. I want him back in me comic ASAP. 

But Abnett has been the Klingon-emergency-backup-spine of the comic for so long that it's ridiculous, and against at all odds his current work is his best yet. Implausibly productive, incredibly consistent, always clever,  always witty.  It has to be Dan Abnett for me.

[Richard]

Another tough one! I'm a huge fan of Kingdom and Brink. Looking at Abnett's list of stories, he's written nearly 300 for the prog. But I really like Al Ewing's writing too, and for me his take on Judge Dredd is better than anyone's except Wagner. I'll vote for Ewing.

[Funt Solo]

For Al Ewing, I really enjoyed The Zaucer of Zilk. Like, only in 2000 AD could I ever get that. And Zombo: the same thing. I preferred Zombo, though, in small doses. Probably reading it weekly would've helped, but I was on my catch-up read, and read in a compressed format it's asking me to stay high for too long, if that makes sense. There aren't many comedy comic writers that can have you laughing out loud with such consistency.

But up against Dan Abnett? Nah.

Reasons:
- Kingdom (right there, that clinches the argument, but, sure, keep reading the list)
- Insurrection (which could also have topped this list)
- Lawless (ditto)
- Badlands
- Brink (despite the patronizing exposition/precious research bubbles)
- Durham Red (for making her do something interesting)
- Grey Area (for the Harmonious Free)
- Sinister Dexter (but you can stop now)
- new V.C.s

[The Mind of Wolfie Smith]

Dan Abnett.

I know the comparison is lazy, but having just binged The Expanse, I simply could not banish the thought that Brink is so infinitely superior.

[IndigoPrime]

Urgh. Abnett by a whisker. Although I suspect Ewing would be my pick through every round of the same thing on Dredd writers.

[rogue69]

Al Ewing just

[Dark Jimbo]

Love Zombo, and Ewing's Dredd is second only to Wagner - which I do not say flippantly - but Abnett just has so many more strings to his bow. For reasons that others have already said better, Abnett.

[maryanddavid]

Dan Abnett

[AlexF]

Dan Abnett, and it wasn't even a hard decision.
Perhaps treasonous to admit it but I prefer Ewing's work for Marvel compared to his 2000AD stuff, whereas with Abnett it's the opposite. I guess a sign that both writers are getting better with age!