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Megazine 401 - Grave New World!

Started by Freddychopper, 13 October, 2018, 09:50:11 PM

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Freddychopper

Halloween comes early with a totally terrific/horrific Dark Judges wraparound cover by Nick Percival. This a great, spooky image, showcasing a spiffy new look for Death & his pals that fits in with the new storyline. It's good to see them constantly evolving - kind of like a Doctor Who regeneration after they were nearly destroyed last issue. (the free print looks great as well!)

Starting off we get a one-off Dredd by McConville and Clint Langley -  a decent enough tale but I'm really waiting for a new Dredd epic to begin and I'm not 100% convinced Langley's art works that well on Dredd. He's great on ABC Warriors but this strip looks a wee bit weird for the lawman.

Lawless is solid and reliable as always with one hell of a battle scene in there this month. A classic case I'm sure of Abnett writing a one line description and then over to the artist to nearly kill himself drawing it! Would like to sometimes see a bit more black, shadow areas though as sometimes it's a bit overwhelming to make certain things out but does keep you looking, Where's Wally style!

Storm Warning has some nice spooky ghost stuff and I really like Broxton's European style of art, that'll he'll have to stop after Brexit, of course. He does some nice colouring as well.

Articles on the new Scream/Misty special & Sniper Elite comic are perfectly fine as is the one on the new Worlds of 2000AD tabletop games. I might actually take the plunge on these.

Blunt is nice and cheerful in style but really doesn't do much for me. I'm sure it has its fans.

And finally, The Torture Garden. I love how this is developing with Hine and Percival on board. It really feels like something different with the new Dark Judges, like it's all building up to something monstrous and epic. Superb atmosphere in the art - that double page spread is sublime - and now we're also introduced (Aliens style, it has to be said!) to a strange group of super-marines tasked with travelling to Dominion to take on the judges, while Rosco seems to have gone native living in tunnels and eating weird creatures. I'm so glad this is a longer series than before.

So after issue 400, the Meg is still blazing away putting most other comics to shame and the price is back to £5.99 as well. All good!







IndigoPrime

Not read mine yet but I'm starting to question the print a bit. Mine looked like it had been repeatedly kicked around the room, due to getting a battering in transit. Not the first time. I wonder if it could be printed at a smaller size or something.



moly

That print is a thing of beauty would buy this in a larger size

Freddychopper

Yeah, the print / cover is awesome. Mine wasn't damaged but maybe they should actually put them in the Meg instead of loose, to protect it a bit more? (That cover scan is a really bad photo, by the way. Looks way  better in the flesh.)



Tjm86

Quote from: Freddychopper on 14 October, 2018, 08:54:26 AM
Mine wasn't damaged but maybe they should actually put them in the Meg instead of loose, to protect it a bit more?

This!  I think pretty much every print I've had the last few months has been ripped multiple times around the edges.  I reckon it's where they tend to bundle post together with elastic bands so anything slightly wider / less resilient gets gouged.  I'd be happier with the print slightly smaller and / or inside the meg to avoid this damage since it doesn't seem to happen with the mag itself (and let's not get started on the old 'please do not bend' issue!)

Bolt-01

As much as I'm enjoying The Torture Garden- I do wish there was more 'definition' to Nick Percivals art. Too much of it makes me think my eyesight is worse than it is, which is a shame as his storytelling is first rate and his designs are superb.

SIP

Quote from: Bolt-01 on 14 October, 2018, 04:45:51 PM
As much as I'm enjoying The Torture Garden- I do wish there was more 'definition' to Nick Percivals art. Too much of it makes me think my eyesight is worse than it is, which is a shame as his storytelling is first rate and his designs are superb.

I had that very conversation with my son yesterday morning whilst looking at it........I really like the art....but I just wish it had a sharp line in it. It's like it's always blurry and just out of focus. I know it's the style, but it personally it makes it a little harder to read as my eyes feel like they're constantly working overtime.

Freddychopper

Well then you'd also have to make the same comments about Langley's Dredd this issue as well. I know from reading stuff from a lot of artists (Percival included) have said that the paper quality isn't kind at all to painted artwork. The mainy shaes of colours and heavy blacks in fully painyed art bleed together and are absorbed by the paper when the inks are printed. You can tell a big quality difference between the digital images and the printed images and when things are on higher quality paper, they look a lot more defined. Another case for digital, I guess.

Richard

Or a case for buying the graphic novel when it comes out!

Freddychopper

Quote from: Richard on 14 October, 2018, 11:07:26 PM
Or a case for buying the graphic novel when it comes out!

Yes. Much better paper on those hardbacks! :)

Freddychopper

Decent floppy this month as well. Early Patrick Goddard Dredd / Johnny Woo stories, written by Gordon Rennie

Daveycandlish

Th art on Lawless just blows me away - absolutely outstanding and the highlight of the prog for my money
An old-school, no-bullshit, boys-own action/adventure comic reminiscent of the 2000ads and Eagles and Warlords and Battles and other glorious black-and-white comics that were so, so cool in the 70's and 80's - Buy the hardback Christmas Annual!