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Spoilers => Megazine => Topic started by: Richard on 16 July, 2017, 12:35:08 AM

Title: Meg 386 - Last Breath
Post by: Richard on 16 July, 2017, 12:35:08 AM
Nick Percival's art, as always, is fantastic.
Title: Re: Meg 386 - Last Breath
Post by: Eamonn Clarke on 16 July, 2017, 09:07:45 AM
(https://i.imgur.com/876UUxh.jpg)
Title: Re: Meg 386 - Last Breath
Post by: Banners on 16 July, 2017, 07:29:59 PM
Is the spaceship the Imperial Battlecruiser from Star Fleet?
Title: Re: Meg 386 - Last Breath
Post by: Max Headroom on 16 July, 2017, 07:47:34 PM
Won't be picking this up until Wednesday - could someone say how the new Dark Judges' story is shaping up?
Title: Re: Meg 386 - Last Breath
Post by: Eamonn Clarke on 16 July, 2017, 07:57:13 PM
Looks great. Starts pretty much how you would imagine it to. DJs floating in space, passing spaceship etc but it's early days yet.
Title: Re: Meg 386 - Last Breath
Post by: CalHab on 16 July, 2017, 08:02:09 PM
It starts off with a necessary, but extraordinarily improbable, event, then has a bit of scene setting. I imagine the gore will start in earnest next month. Lovely art.
Title: Re: Meg 386 - Last Breath
Post by: A.Cow on 17 July, 2017, 10:42:58 AM
Quote from: Richard on 16 July, 2017, 12:35:08 AM
Nick Percival's art, as always, is fantastic.

Nick Percival's soft-focus art is great ... but, personally, I was blown away by Jake Lynch's amazing work on this month's Dredd.  More please!
Title: Re: Meg 386 - Last Breath
Post by: Freddychopper on 17 July, 2017, 12:29:36 PM
New Dark Judges story off to a good start (only thing I've read so far!). Lovely art from Nick Percival that just oozes atmosphere and dread. Interested to see where this all goes...Off to work, enjoy the sunshine and read the rest when I get back
Title: Re: Meg 386 - Last Breath
Post by: Tjm86 on 18 July, 2017, 07:05:13 PM
To be honest this month's meg has, I would say, put the prog to shame.  I would say that Lynch has turned in some of his best art to date on Dredd.  Great to see Heston back and looks like we're going to see even more of him.  Anderson and Havn were the weaker strips for me.  I think I kinda lost what was going on at the start of Havn so it tends to be a bit WTF at times.  Another movie world Dredd and then finally getting to the start of Dominion.

I can understand why they bagged London Falling with this.  Your mind is so overloaded you don't notice how dire it is.
Title: Re: Meg 386 - Last Breath
Post by: Mardroid on 20 July, 2017, 01:03:59 AM
I really enjoyed that Meg, although I found Havn really confusing. Maybe a reread of the whole thing will make things clearer.

I loved the They Live reference in the Judge Dredd strip. So funny.

One thing that's been puzzling me about the Dark Judges: in an earlier Dark Judges story it  was established that Dark Judges had to possess someone with psi abilities if they wanted a new host.

In a lot of later stories they seem to just be able to possess anyone. Was an explanation ever given for this change, or was the original psi rule just ignored?
Title: Re: Meg 386 - Last Breath
Post by: Tjm86 on 20 July, 2017, 08:50:36 AM
Don't really recall that being the rule tbh but I am willing to be corrected.  The second story saw Death possessing a non-PSI to get Anderson released for a start.  I've a passing recollection of PJ Maybe having a brush with them as well but not sure if they did actually possess him.
Title: Re: Meg 386 - Last Breath
Post by: I, Cosh on 20 July, 2017, 08:54:14 AM
Vaguely recall they needed a psi to bridge the dimension gap from Deadworld but once they're already here anyone's fair game.
Title: Re: Meg 386 - Last Breath
Post by: I, Cosh on 20 July, 2017, 10:02:16 AM
This month's Meg sorely misses a standout strip like Lawless, but it's not all doom and gloom.

The first Harry Heston story was a decent effort and a lovely gesture from all concerned. This month's reprise is simply outstanding. Hands down the best thing Wyatt has written for Tharg and wonderful art from Lynch. The panel where Dredd eventually comes face to face with our hero is a joy: the pose, the tension, the quip, everything works.

Sadly, the Movie Dredd strip is not of the same quality. I've enjoyed previous efforts to combine the two worlds but this one, introducing the popular "Dredd is quite simply a bastard" thead falls flat. Maybe it's just that the setup is overly familiar, or that a crying child always makes me thing of Robbie Morrison's Dredd, but this felt very weak.

The two old lags both pull out the same trick of letting the artist tell large parts of the story without too much interference.

Paul Marshall is given pages of Anderson with only a couple of speech bubbles to get in the way of the action and handles it with aplomb. Pretty sure Grant has used the central joke in this episode before, only with wrestling, but it's an enjoyable installment and the ending leaves me wanting more.

On the other side of the bench, Wagner gives his man the opportunity to go wild on our initial reintroduction to Death and the lads. I dislike almost everything about Nick Percival's art style, but these opening pages where he gets to go crazy with the discorporated, demonic forms are pretty nice. That's over all too soon and it's back to business as usual as we learn about where they're going to establish their Dominion and who's going to die horribly. Wagner would have to put in some serious effort to write an actively bad story but there's a sliding scale of how interested I am and this is very close to the bottom.

Quote from: Mardroid on 20 July, 2017, 01:03:59 AM
I really enjoyed that Meg, although I found Havn really confusing. Maybe a reread of the whole thing will make things clearer.
I'll be doing the same (I always do) but I'm not sure how much this will help. Great Flint art in service of a story which seems to be leaping around in hard to understand ways. I don't mean between the real and faerie worlds - that part is clear - but the physical locations in the city of HAVN itself.

Haven't read a floppy for a while but I remember really enjoying London Falling at the time so I'll give it a look over the weekend.
Title: Re: Meg 386 - Last Breath
Post by: CalHab on 20 July, 2017, 11:29:44 AM
Has there been an explanation of why Havn has changed artists mid-story?
Title: Re: Meg 386 - Last Breath
Post by: Frank on 20 July, 2017, 12:58:33 PM
Quote from: I, Cosh on 20 July, 2017, 10:02:16 AM
I dislike almost everything about Nick Percival's art style, but these opening pages where he gets to go crazy with the discorporated, demonic forms are pretty nice ... Wagner would have to put in some serious effort to write an actively bad story but there's a sliding scale of how interested I am and this is very close to the bottom.

We are not so different, you and I.

Judge Death Lives (225) identifies Mitson as a possible host for Death because he's a psi, and Necropolis (669) shows Mortis in spirit form trying (and failing) to inhabit just any old corpse, but by The Three Amigos (Meg 2.5) Death's able to hop between anyone he fancies.

Most recently, Day Of Chaos (1789) had Death's rhythm section showing that same ability to possess random, living strangers. It's all just bollocks, made up by a man.


Title: Re: Meg 386 - Last Breath
Post by: Dark Jimbo on 20 July, 2017, 01:51:32 PM
It's all pretty consistent actually. While hinted at that Death's first two human hosts, Anderson and Mitson, might have been picked because of their psi-talents, it was never outright stated - and this was a Justice Department still learning about these creatures, hazarding guesses every step. Later we learn - as do Justice Department - that they can inhabit the bodies of pretty much anybody.

It's corpses that they've had problems with since day one - hence a need for a specially prepared body with the 'dead fluids' (though that in itself had precious little explanation, the need for it sort of makes sense when you remember that they were given their powers by witchcraft(!) which is all about ritual.)
Title: Re: Meg 386 - Last Breath
Post by: robert_ellis on 20 July, 2017, 03:19:41 PM
I really hope Dominion has a game-changer in the plot. Dark Justice was a simple tale with stunning artwork - not sure another dose of the same will work. Will they resurrect PJ Maybe? Wagner has form for pulling great ideas out of initially repetitive scenarios (Mechanismo, America) - here's hoping it's more than a stylish monster mash.
Title: Re: Meg 386 - Last Breath
Post by: Magnetica on 20 July, 2017, 08:41:44 PM
Enjoyable Meg this month.

Unlike others I liked the movie Dredd tale. It was good to see it feature a character from the film.

I also like Havn. It does pay to re-read previous episodes but once you do that it makes perfect sense.

A quick question on Dominion - where is Fear? ( I can't remember what happened to him at the end of Dark Justice.)

I note next month's floppy features a story from Tornado. Presumably we are going to see more non 2000AD stuff from now on. Hope so.
Title: Re: Meg 386 - Last Breath
Post by: Nick Percival on 20 July, 2017, 09:04:24 PM
John told me Fear was captured at the end of Dark Justice and so doesn't feature in Dominion. I did a few concept paintings of him before I knew he wasn't going to be in it but at the moment, it's Death, Fire & Mortis up to no good...
Title: Re: Meg 386 - Last Breath
Post by: Frank on 20 July, 2017, 10:23:55 PM
Quote from: Nick Percival on 20 July, 2017, 09:04:24 PM
John told me Fear was captured at the end of Dark Justice ...

Suction trap, prog 1921. Presumably, busting their buddy out of the clink will be what eventually brings the gang back to MC1.


Title: Re: Meg 386 - Last Breath
Post by: Frank on 20 July, 2017, 10:29:50 PM
Quote from: Frank on 20 July, 2017, 10:23:55 PM
Suction trap, prog 1921.

Or prog 1917, as it's increasingly being called.


Title: Re: Meg 386 - Last Breath
Post by: Colin YNWA on 21 July, 2017, 09:46:14 PM
Fair to middling Meg for me, boosted by an excellent Dredd to start us off. Jake Lynch's art is just sublime and the action and fun, all be it in a story that feels there to move piece into place, is in plenty. Just solid fun storytelling.

Anderson was fine BUT I felt completely disjointed from what I remember this story being, really enjoyed it BUT was sat here thinking HUH how did we get from A to B. I suspect that's got more to do with the fact I'm old and rubbish these days, but by George I don't normally lose the plot this much...

... Though Havn tells me otherwise. I love reading this but as much for the moment as for the prospect of reading it again in one go when I get round to it and fit it all together. At the moment it feels like well contructed moments but there so much there to reveal what I'm not getting on this read that this story excits me even as it loses me.

As opposed to Domin-world or whatever its called. See this undenibly a well told set up, providing a creepy atmospheric start but I just don't care. While it might be great all my head says is "Oh God not more Dark Judges, I thought we'd done with them"....

... so there you have it stories that lose me I enjoy, well written, clear openers leave me cold... my opinion is worth nowt!
Title: Re: Meg 386 - Last Breath
Post by: Richard on 21 July, 2017, 11:31:30 PM
Nick, is there any chance you could put those concept art pictures of Fear online somewhere?
Title: Re: Meg 386 - Last Breath
Post by: Nick Percival on 22 July, 2017, 08:30:23 AM
I'm guessing if there's a collected edition of 'Dominion' all the extra art will be in there but this is an early rough concept I did for Judge Fear...
Title: Re: Meg 386 - Last Breath
Post by: Magnetica on 22 July, 2017, 08:38:01 AM
Doesn't look that rough to me.
Title: Re: Meg 386 - Last Breath
Post by: IndigoPrime on 22 July, 2017, 02:26:37 PM
Anyone still not got their subscriber copy of #386?
Title: Re: Meg 386 - Last Breath
Post by: Daveycandlish on 22 July, 2017, 05:13:11 PM
Really looking forward to seeing The Lawless Files collected with next month's Meg. Tornado had some cracking stories so I hope this is the first of many.
Title: Re: Meg 386 - Last Breath
Post by: JoFox2108 on 22 July, 2017, 06:49:46 PM
I really enjoyed this month's Meg. 

First of all I thought Arthur Wyatt's Harry Heston Dredd story was sublime - one of the best ever!  Jake Lynch's art was perfect - really beautifully done.  Gary's colours were really good too - adding atmosphere and dynamics without having it too in your face.  The whole thing was really brilliant from start to finish.

I thought the Anderson story was generally OK.  It hasn't really grabbed me yet but it was still an enjoyable read.

I started my subscription to Meg part way into Havn so I'm not totally sure what's happening in this strip but I love the idea of Nu-Iceland and the Alfar and the domes.  I'll probably buy the Megs back to the beginning of the story so I can understand it properly.  Henry Flint's artwork is really unusual too - has me fascinated.

I came over all nostalgic when I read Karl Stock's 'Leopard of Lime Street' write up and read the pages of strip included in the article.  It reminded me so strongly of being 12 again.  I might have to pick up that collection at some point.

I quite enjoyed the movie style Dredd strip.  I enjoyed the way the story concentrated on one of the characters from the film which I really found interesting.  The art was not really a style I particularly liked but it was still well drawn and understandable.  Interestingly I didn't see the story as setting Dredd up as a bad guy, but as showing how the system in MC1 fails people.  I saw Dredd as just a cog in that system.

Nick Percival's art in Dominion was excellent - really atmospheric.  I also really liked the way Wagner set up the space ship crew as just some regular working guys.  Nothing says 'the future' to me more than seeing what we regard as 'world leading high tech' in our time becoming work-a-day in the story.  The only tiny negative I have with this one is that it's another Judge Death strip and I'm a bit Death'ed out at the moment.  That said, when it comes to good stories if any man can do something interesting weird and amazing with Death it's got to be John Wagner!

This is the best Meg I've read since I subscribed - brilliant!
Title: Re: Meg 386 - Last Breath
Post by: sheridan on 22 July, 2017, 06:59:53 PM
Quote from: Nick Percival on 22 July, 2017, 08:30:23 AM
I'm guessing if there's a collected edition of 'Dominion' all the extra art will be in there but this is an early rough concept I did for Judge Fear...
Great to see more artwork from you, Nick - here's hoping we get a Fear story in the not-too-distant future...
Title: Re: Meg 386 - Last Breath
Post by: sheridan on 22 July, 2017, 07:44:44 PM
Quote from: Frank on 20 July, 2017, 12:58:33 PM
Judge Death Lives (225) identifies Mitson as a possible host for Death because he's a psi, and Necropolis (669) shows Mortis in spirit form trying (and failing) to inhabit just any old corpse, but by The Three Amigos (Meg 2.5) Death's able to hop between anyone he fancies.

Practice makes perfect!
Title: Re: Meg 386 - Last Breath
Post by: sheridan on 22 July, 2017, 07:45:44 PM
Quote from: Dark Jimbo on 20 July, 2017, 01:51:32 PM
It's corpses that they've had problems with since day one - hence a need for a specially prepared body with the 'dead fluids' (though that in itself had precious little explanation, the need for it sort of makes sense when you remember that they were given their powers by witchcraft(!) which is all about ritual.)

I always what goes in to dead fluids, because the Dark Judges don't ever seem to have any problems finding the ingredients...
Title: Re: Meg 386 - Last Breath
Post by: Greg M. on 22 July, 2017, 07:59:52 PM
Quote from: sheridan on 22 July, 2017, 07:45:44 PM
I always what goes in to dead fluids, because the Dark Judges don't ever seem to have any problems finding the ingredients...

In 'Dead Reckoning', Death is able to buy all the necessary chemicals in a local Multi-Chem Retail store (though some of the ingredients have a Justice Dept notification order on them) so apparently making dead fluids doesn't require anything too exotic. We know five gallons of sulphuric acid is involved.
Title: Re: Meg 386 - Last Breath
Post by: Frank on 22 July, 2017, 09:11:46 PM
Quote from: Greg M. on 22 July, 2017, 07:59:52 PM
In 'Dead Reckoning', Death is able to buy all the necessary chemicals in a local Multi-Chem Retail store (though some of the ingredients have a Justice Dept notification order on them) so apparently making dead fluids doesn't require anything too exotic. We know five gallons of sulphuric acid is involved


Judge Fire has one of the few hilarious lines in Day Of Chaos *:


TEXT: They gave me a long list of poisons and noxious chemicals.

PJ MAYBE: I'VE GOT A LOT OF THIS IN STOCK ANYWAY. DO QUITE A LOT OF WORK WITH POISONS.

FIRE: REMEMBER, I NEED KEROSSSINE.




* Wot I did During The Worst Dissaster In Mega-city History (1786)
Title: Re: Meg 386 - Last Breath
Post by: A.Cow on 22 July, 2017, 11:50:25 PM
Quote from: Greg M. on 22 July, 2017, 07:59:52 PM
... apparently making dead fluids doesn't require anything too exotic. We know five gallons of sulphuric acid is involved.

I heard that other ingredients include Sunny Delight® and an Oxo cube.
Title: Re: Meg 386 - Last Breath
Post by: Richard on 25 July, 2017, 02:33:25 PM
Wow Nick, that looks brilliant!

Thanks for posting!        :)
Title: Re: Meg 386 - Last Breath
Post by: IndigoPrime on 25 July, 2017, 03:13:51 PM
Still no Meg here. Bah. Hopefully, I'll get a reply from the mothership soon.
Title: Re: Meg 386 - Last Breath
Post by: DrJomster on 26 July, 2017, 10:49:16 PM
Just read Havn 1-5 in one go. Very nice indeed! Roll on next Meg!

Going to go back and re-read everything else strip by strip from the last few months. Seems to work well!

Gorgeous dark judges art this month, btw.
Title: Re: Meg 386 - Last Breath
Post by: The Monarch on 28 July, 2017, 05:53:38 AM
really looking foward to the next floppy an actual old story i've never read
Title: Re: Meg 386 - Last Breath
Post by: DrJomster on 28 July, 2017, 10:41:15 PM
And we're bang up to date with the Meg. In the re-reads, Lawless was just great! More please, Tharg!

Ape Escape in this month's issue was rather strong too!

Haven't seen the floppy before. Must have been during a power outage or something...  Always good to see missed stuff!
Title: Re: Meg 386 - Last Breath
Post by: IndigoPrime on 02 August, 2017, 03:13:47 PM
My Meg only arrived yesterday, and I just read the Dredd. That was superb. Really fun. Excellent writing and art, and I was very happy to see the line at the end. More, please.
Title: Re: Meg 386 - Last Breath
Post by: Judge Brian on 06 August, 2017, 06:13:39 AM
I haven't gotten this yet, but I was really hoping that the next time we saw the Dark Judges he'd be facing Johnny Alpha & Co.
Title: Re: Meg 386 - Last Breath
Post by: Richard on 06 August, 2017, 11:25:51 AM
That's a brilliant idea!
Title: Re: Meg 386 - Last Breath
Post by: Link Prime on 10 August, 2017, 11:05:02 AM
Very strong Meg, packed to the literal brim with Dredd / Dredd world material.

Highlights for me;
Judge Dredd- Brilliant Harry Heston follow-up from Wyatt & Lynch. That's two months in a row where the lead strip has been a bleedin corker.
Dominion- Gorgeous artwork. I want to see more of this- 'nuff said.
Anderson- The Grant / Marshall / Teague combo has been rock solid over the past few months.

The other two strips were fine, but the further adventures of 'Clan Techie' aren't that appealing, and I'll be honest- I'm lost on Havn.






Title: Re: Meg 386 - Last Breath
Post by: dweezil2 on 10 August, 2017, 02:30:14 PM
My monthly savouring of The Meg is at an end and I agree on what a strong issue it was, one of the strongest in sometime.

I must admit that Havn has me a little lost too, but there's some lovely Henry Flint art to ogle at!

Dominion carries on the Aliens vibe from the previous 'Dark Justice' story, which is no bad thing, and Nick Percival's grotesquely gorgeous art is a revelation-good stuff!

Elsewhere, we have an excellent episode of Anderson and the first part of a Movie Dredd story that I rather enjoyed, with it successfully capturing the subtle differences from the comicbook iteration; so much so that it's easy to imagine Karl Urban uttering the dialogue written.

An excellent main Judge Dredd story, with some fantastic art from Jake Lynch-who's style is beautifully evolving!

In summary, a truly unmissable Meg and I look forward to the next issue on Wednesday!  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: Meg 386 - Last Breath
Post by: Magnetica on 10 August, 2017, 10:39:43 PM
To those finding Havn a little bit confusing, my advice is to re-read it from the start. It is worth it in my opinion. One thing worth paying special attention to is the sequence showing what happened when Abbey first entered Havn ( a couple of episodes ago ).