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Spoilers => Megazine => Topic started by: Proudhuff on 15 August, 2018, 12:08:18 PM

Title: Megazine 399- War on the Law!
Post by: Proudhuff on 15 August, 2018, 12:08:18 PM
So a cover of Dredd doing his Zumba class also...
smart-drug addiction on a university campus in "Brain Drain"; Devlin Waugh's in "Kiss of Death"; "The Returners" will be; Chopper battles to save Oz in "Wandering Soul", and there's the climax of the special Strange Brigade story that is the highlight of the Meg.  and in the bagged supplement this month, Judge Dredd: The Lost Cases, untold tales from the lawman's greatest adventures, scripted by Alan Grant, and featuring the art of David Roach, Anthony Williams, PJ Holden,

All well and good, total oppsite APU of the current Prog.

Updated the title to include the strapline.
Title: Re: Meg 399.
Post by: sheridan on 15 August, 2018, 12:42:03 PM
You missed out the strapline and cover artist!  War on the Law! by Adam Brown
Title: Re: Meg 399.
Post by: SmallBlueThing(Reborn) on 15 August, 2018, 01:25:29 PM
Just picked this up, and have noticed the next floppy (in #400) is another Dredd one. Thought it was supposed to be Return To Armageddon?
And, #400 is to be perfect bound. Whoop!
Rest of the Meg looks splendid this month too.

SBT
Title: Re: Meg 399.
Post by: sheridan on 15 August, 2018, 01:57:30 PM
Quote from: SmallBlueThing(Reborn) on 15 August, 2018, 01:25:29 PM
Just picked this up, and have noticed the next floppy (in #400) is another Dredd one. Thought it was supposed to be Return To Armageddon?
And, #400 is to be perfect bound. Whoop!
Rest of the Meg looks splendid this month too.

SBT

I thought it was supposed to be Mind Wars?  Another great Redondo strip.
Title: Re: Meg 399.
Post by: SmallBlueThing(Reborn) on 15 August, 2018, 01:58:45 PM
That too! I have a bad leg and have had to walk to town and back, so apologies.

SBT
Title: Re: Meg 399.
Post by: Proudhuff on 15 August, 2018, 02:16:03 PM
Quote from: sheridan on 15 August, 2018, 12:42:03 PM
You missed out the strapline and cover artist!  War on the Law! by Adam Brown

yeah, sorry about that I read it Monday night and that info escaped me  :-\

(https://images.rebellion.co.uk/productVersion/7e/67/00.default.jpg)

I'm torn between thinking Dredd is doing a fully fledged Dusty impersonation and or a Disco Diva dance to 'I am what I am'

Title: Re: Meg 399.
Post by: Proudhuff on 15 August, 2018, 02:16:34 PM
Mods!!

Please add the strap online
Title: Re: Meg 399.
Post by: broodblik on 15 August, 2018, 02:59:31 PM
Another great Meg with Strange Brigade and The Returners the highlights.

Quote from: sheridan on 15 August, 2018, 01:57:30 PM
Quote from: SmallBlueThing(Reborn) on 15 August, 2018, 01:25:29 PM
Just picked this up, and have noticed the next floppy (in #400) is another Dredd one. Thought it was supposed to be Return To Armageddon?
And, #400 is to be perfect bound. Whoop!
Rest of the Meg looks splendid this month too.

SBT

I thought it was supposed to be Mind Wars?  Another great Redondo strip.

That was also my understanding and I was looking forward to Mind Wars. I never read this strip so little bit disappointed with the floppy next month.
Title: Re: Meg 399.
Post by: IndigoPrime on 15 August, 2018, 03:22:03 PM
"perfect bound"

Bah. I used to love the perfect-bound Meg, but now rather like the stapled version, because it seems better for comics. (Easier to open; less chance of damage in transit.) All the Marvel reprints have gone perfect bound, and I'm not keen.

I wonder if the price-rise is a one-off? (I'd assume so, to cater for the extra pages.)
Title: Re: Meg 399.
Post by: SIP on 15 August, 2018, 03:48:59 PM
Quote from: broodblik on 15 August, 2018, 02:59:31 PM
Another great Meg with Strange Brigade and The Returners the highlights.

Quote from: sheridan on 15 August, 2018, 01:57:30 PM
Quote from: SmallBlueThing(Reborn) on 15 August, 2018, 01:25:29 PM
Just picked this up, and have noticed the next floppy (in #400) is another Dredd one. Thought it was supposed to be Return To Armageddon?
And, #400 is to be perfect bound. Whoop!
Rest of the Meg looks splendid this month too.

SBT

I thought it was supposed to be Mind Wars?  Another great Redondo strip.

That was also my understanding and I was looking forward to Mind Wars. I never read this strip so little bit disappointed with the floppy next month.

Makes sense for it to be a Dredd floppy in the 400th issue.....maximum Dredd I guess.

Having recently sorted out all of my megs, does the Megazine win any awards for most convoluted issue numbering in a comic? I ended up having to use the dates on the front to work out what was happening at one point.
Title: Re: Meg 399.
Post by: broodblik on 15 August, 2018, 04:15:27 PM
Question for the guys that do not have a digital subscription: I noticed that the 3rd page of the Dredd story the scan quality is quite poor and very hazy is this the  same for the printed version ?

Quote from: SIP on 15 August, 2018, 03:48:59 PM
Makes sense for it to be a Dredd floppy in the 400th issue.....maximum Dredd I guess.

Yes, it makes sense (it is not called Judge Dredd Megazine for nothing) but I was really looking forward to Mind Wars. So hopefully #401 will contain this
Title: Re: Meg 399.
Post by: sheridan on 15 August, 2018, 05:37:05 PM
Quote from: SIP on 15 August, 2018, 03:48:59 PM
Quote from: broodblik on 15 August, 2018, 02:59:31 PM
Another great Meg with Strange Brigade and The Returners the highlights.

Quote from: sheridan on 15 August, 2018, 01:57:30 PM
Quote from: SmallBlueThing(Reborn) on 15 August, 2018, 01:25:29 PM
Just picked this up, and have noticed the next floppy (in #400) is another Dredd one. Thought it was supposed to be Return To Armageddon?
And, #400 is to be perfect bound. Whoop!
Rest of the Meg looks splendid this month too.

SBT

I thought it was supposed to be Mind Wars?  Another great Redondo strip.

That was also my understanding and I was looking forward to Mind Wars. I never read this strip so little bit disappointed with the floppy next month.

Makes sense for it to be a Dredd floppy in the 400th issue.....maximum Dredd I guess.

Having recently sorted out all of my megs, does the Megazine win any awards for most convoluted issue numbering in a comic? I ended up having to use the dates on the front to work out what was happening at one point.

At least there isn't a period of over a decade where one issue a year has an entirely different numbering system, which is then replicated in weekly succession...
Title: Re: Meg 399.
Post by: SIP on 15 August, 2018, 05:39:12 PM
Ha, yes I had that issue when sorting out the prog.
Title: Re: Meg 399.
Post by: I, Cosh on 16 August, 2018, 08:40:00 AM
Quote from: SIP on 15 August, 2018, 03:48:59 PM
Having recently sorted out all of my megs, does the Megazine win any awards for most convoluted issue numbering in a comic? I ended up having to use the dates on the front to work out what was happening at one point.
Volume 2 & 3 were a complete pain in the hoop when I inherited a collection.
Title: Re: Meg 399.
Post by: sheridan on 16 August, 2018, 01:09:01 PM
Quote from: I, Cosh on 16 August, 2018, 08:40:00 AM
Quote from: SIP on 15 August, 2018, 03:48:59 PM
Having recently sorted out all of my megs, does the Megazine win any awards for most convoluted issue numbering in a comic? I ended up having to use the dates on the front to work out what was happening at one point.
Volume 2 & 3 were a complete pain in the hoop when I inherited a collection.

I've lived in a variety of places over the past few decades, and the megs have been split up into different boxes over that time.  The last couple of months is the first time this century that I'll have the chance to get all the comics out at one time and try to put them back in order (never mind actually read the things) so I have all that to look forward to!
Title: Re: Megazine 399- War on the Law!
Post by: Colin YNWA on 18 August, 2018, 09:51:35 PM
Well a Meg issue #99 is always going to be about the landings isn't it... well that and any one offs needed to fill the space. Which alas in the case of the Dredd here isn't done that well. The normally relible McConville has a mis-step here. He has the kernal of a story, a decent idea, but doesn't seem to be able to settle on the best way to expliot it and so throws it all in and hopes it gells... alas it doesn't.

and so to the landing and by George most of these are planeted with barely a back step insight.

The Returners
will be returning WAYHEY. What felt like it was destine to be a done in one has turned out to be an origin story and a delightful one at that so can't wait for this to ret... come back...

Devlin Waugh ends really nicely. I've enjoyed the way this in has leap about with abandon.

Chopper was just glorious Kirbyesque fun and I just loved it.

Strange Brigade was okay. It didn't have space to really engage with so much going on. Harmless fun.

Looks like functional text pieces (not yet read) and the floppie content looks really good given its stuff I don't own so well into that - though would have LOVED Mind Wars, hopefully coming.
Title: Re: Megazine 399- War on the Law!
Post by: TordelBack on 20 August, 2018, 05:42:09 PM
My second Meg of recent years, and another astonishingly solid content-heavy issue.  Annoyingly, I now want to go back and get the last few issues so I can read the Devlin, Returners and Chopper stories.  On the basis of the two parts I did read, this is the best post-mortem Chopper we've had yet, and The Returners is justplain intriguing.  Another good McConville craze-focused Dredd this week too, supported by the ever-evolving ever-improving Johnson.  Liking the look of that Block Mania card game too!

But I didn't come here to heap deserved praise! No, I came here to complain about the floppy.  yes, Grant's stories are the definition of unnecessary, but for some reason they read a lot better in a chunk than I remember, and the B&W art is just fantastic (special-shout outs to PJH, Dyer and an almost unrecognisable Williams), BUT.  This is one issue where episode titles really should have been included, or if there was an issue with that, some simple new ones added.  Also, it might have have been a fun experiment to see these shuffled into chronological order.
Title: Re: Megazine 399- War on the Law!
Post by: Richard on 20 August, 2018, 06:01:11 PM
The titles are on the inside front cover.
Title: Re: Megazine 399- War on the Law!
Post by: Frank on 20 August, 2018, 06:10:22 PM

Nice to see Mo Malik, from the Sons Of Booth storyline, is still presenting the (fake) news.

(https://i.imgur.com/7aoWNWL.png?2) (https://i.imgur.com/l7xtezn.png?2)


Title: Re: Megazine 399- War on the Law!
Post by: TordelBack on 20 August, 2018, 10:36:35 PM
Quote from: Richard on 20 August, 2018, 06:01:11 PM
The titles are on the inside front cover.

I know, I'm not functionally blind quite yet, plus I've read them all before: but there is a serious case of "Oh, the art has changed, has it been 6 pages already?  Ah, this must be an entirely different story" afoot in this volume, the same sort of thing as bedevils certain volumes of the Casefiles. Just a simple title at the top of the first page of each new story, is that really such an unreasonable request?
Title: Re: Megazine 399- War on the Law!
Post by: Richard on 21 August, 2018, 12:25:31 AM
Well you have to admit that the art changing is a bit of a clue. Plus if you've been reading the story then you ought to recognise the ending for what it is.
Title: Re: Megazine 399- War on the Law!
Post by: TordelBack on 21 August, 2018, 12:52:34 AM
Sorry Richard, I don't agree. I think it's a pretty universal convention to signal the end of one story and the start of another by some explicit editorial means, rather than expecting the reader to play art detective.  Every other anthology I've ever read in any medium, including of course the Meg itself, seems to manage it. It's not a big deal, but I do think it takes away slightly from what is otherwise a surprisingly enjoyable collection.
Title: Re: Megazine 399- War on the Law!
Post by: Proudhuff on 21 August, 2018, 04:50:50 PM
Quote from: Frank on 20 August, 2018, 06:10:22 PM

Nice to see Mo Malik, from the Sons Of Booth storyline, is still presenting the (fake) news.

(https://i.imgur.com/7aoWNWL.png?2) (https://i.imgur.com/l7xtezn.png?2)

Strangely these are the Easter eggs that I love in Tooth.
Title: Re: Megazine 399- War on the Law!
Post by: Colin YNWA on 23 August, 2018, 08:46:09 PM
Quote from: TordelBack on 20 August, 2018, 05:42:09 PM

But I didn't come here to heap deserved praise! No, I came here to complain about the floppy.  yes, Grant's stories are the definition of unnecessary, but for some reason they read a lot better in a chunk than I remember, and the B&W art is just fantastic (special-shout outs to PJH, Dyer and an almost unrecognisable Williams), BUT.  This is one issue where episode titles really should have been included, or if there was an issue with that, some simple new ones added.  Also, it might have have been a fun experiment to see these shuffled into chronological order.

Yeah completely agree with this. Finally got around to Da Floppie and its a bit frustrating that they weren't shuffled into chronological order, then the no titles would have read really nicely.

Also yeah unnecessary sure, but such fun and have to have say 'Collaborators' was absolutely fantastic, really really well done.

Oh and Thurston Moore and Sonic Youth - my fav band get a good chunky reference! Cool. Also I now know where PJs avatar comes from. Really enjoyed these, niggles as mentioned above aside.
Title: Re: Megazine 399- War on the Law!
Post by: TordelBack on 23 August, 2018, 09:31:29 PM
Quote from: Colin YNWA on 23 August, 2018, 08:46:09 PMReally enjoyed these, niggles as mentioned above aside.

Yup, wasn't complaining about the content at all: I had memories of this being a lacklustre series of largely pointless tales (Book of Scars, Dreddstyle) but there really was some good stuff in there. And the art was universally fantastic - PJ's animated Block Mania pages were a particular treat, especially the partially successful transition into Ron Smith at the end.  Williams does a splendid job of evoking very early Gibson and McMahon, and maybe a hint of Ron Turner, while Dyer's Chopper plays to his naturally Cam Kennedyish strengths.  All of those are decent stories as well, as is the first of two Roche entries, Collaborators, which is a pretty strong story. 

The last three are where the format begins to look a bit strained, with a very tangential nod to Letter From a Democrat, an entirely random tie-in to The Graveyard Shift through the medium of 59Cs which seems to exist mainly to permit Roche to draw ladies' pants (which he does very well), and an Oz epilogue which more or less just reprises the panel where surviving Judda teleport back into the inferno beneath Uluru. 

Even so, it's a lot more hit than miss, and the art is genuinely great throughout,  it's a great example of what the floppy can do, pulling together this kind of series and giving it another shot.
Title: Re: Megazine 399- War on the Law!
Post by: TordelBack on 23 August, 2018, 09:32:33 PM
"Roche"="Roach".  Never get that right.
Title: Re: Megazine 399- War on the Law!
Post by: DrJomster on 27 August, 2018, 11:02:45 PM
What a good Meg and Praise Be To Tharg!

Special shout outs for:
- those poor students in Dredd
- that two page splash in The Returners
- Devlin, which has been just great!

Tbh, it was all good. Roll on 400!
Title: Re: Megazine 399- War on the Law!
Post by: athorist on 29 August, 2018, 02:21:40 AM
Should we start a hype thread for Megazine 400?