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2000 AD Regened: Reviews of FCBD 2018

Started by Richard, 06 May, 2018, 12:02:59 AM

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Richard

(Hope nobody minds if I start a new thread for reviews, since the other one is called previews.)

This was really good this year. I wasn't expecting to like it much because it was said to be aimed at younger readers (which I don't object to in itself -- we need new readers -- but the rather basic cover art made me assume that it was going to condescend to them by being infantile) but thank goodness I was wrong.

It opens with a Cadet Dredd story, which was pretty fun, mostly because of one particular panel which I won't spoil here. (Bottom of page 5, but don't look until you get there.) I was put off by the Cadet thing at first, because I remembered that as a child I didn't want to read about comics about children, I wanted to read stories about grown-ups -- but I needn't have worried, it was a fun little story.

Strontium Dog by Alec Worley and Ben Willsher tells of how a young Johnny Alpha became a Search/Destroy agent. Again, I had low expectations for this premise but the story got better than it sounds, with some strong supporting characters and in one crucial bit of the story a good callback to something that had been mentioned earlier but which didn't seem important at the time, which I thought was a good bit of story-telling. I don't want to see non-Wagner SD very often, but this one time was alright by me.

A one-page comedy by Arthur Wyatt called Intestinauts was good.

The highlight of the whole issue for me was, very unexpectedly, not even a story but a puzzle! Now I normally would never want to see a puzzle in a comic, and I think that having pages of puzzles in children's comics instead of pages of comic story is an abomination. But Chet Jetsworth: Hell Island was great! It's not credited but I'm guessing Al Ewing? (Would like to know.) It was funny and very, very difficult. I'd like to see something else like this, and that is something I never thought I'd say. I might have to go and have a lie down now.

There's a decent Future Shock from (I think) some new people. I don't normally like this cartoonish style of art, but it fits the tone of this story well. And finally there's a D.R. & Quinch story by some new people (I think). Not as good as Alan Moore but then that's a very high bar and possibly not a fair one. It was fine taken on its own merits.

No damp squibs here.

DrRocka

The whole thing's just FUN, innit? Surprisingly quite a lot in it too, for its size. Dredd was my highlight, just a joy.
Gonna leave it out for Tiny Rocka to discover and see if she digs it...
Never ever bloody anything ever

Frank

Quote from: Richard on 06 May, 2018, 12:02:59 AM
The highlight of the whole issue for me was, very unexpectedly, not even a story but a puzzle! Now I normally would never want to see a puzzle in a comic, and I think that having pages of puzzles in children's comics instead of pages of comic story is an abomination. But Chet Jetsworth: Hell Island was great! It's not credited but I'm guessing Al Ewing? (Would like to know.)

As far as I can tell, like Zombo, Chet Jetsworth sprang fully formed from the head of Henry Flint:

https://2000ad.com/post/3389



Frank


Richard

Thanks Frank. I'm going to have to re-read that Intestinauts story in prog 1822 too.

Dash Decent

DR & Quinch was the only misfire, I think.  The Strontium Dog art reminded me of a post some years back where someone had proposed an SD cartoon in the style of Batman: The Animated Series, with some really good character portraits.  I have to go back to the Spot the Difference to see if I can spot the last few.  (Love the evolutionary one!*)



* The "Missing Link".
- By Appointment -
Hero to Michael Carroll

"... rank amateurism and bad jokes." - JohnW.

TordelBack

Really enjoyed the comic, Tharg puts so much more effort into FCBD than anyone else in the kids' voluminous haul that I feel a bit embarrassed for him. I mean c'mon, greenbonce, just slap a few episodes of Space Girls under a reused cover and take the weekend off. Instead we get something as good as a Summer Special...

Cadet Dredd is spot on, and there'should something about Googe and O'Grady's art that just instantly makes me happy. Lovely uniform tweaks in this one. Would read more!

Strontium Pup is another strong, cohesive story, with a great style shift from Willsher. Not sure there's much more mileage here than Alec extracts, Johnny's early days are well served already.

Intestinauts was fun, and with a tiny bit more polish Humancraft could have been a top-rank Future Shock: as it is, it's just clever.

DR & Quinch Begin dont really sound, like, themselves, but amazingly the meta nature of the story means that it all works really well. Cos-player Quinch and Young Slough Feg (in the wrong cave, admittedly) had me laughing out loud.

Best bit was undoubtedly the puzzle. Spent ages on it this morning!

All in all, a shockingly good freebie.

The Enigmatic Dr X

Sigh. Another FCBD issue that I will never see.
Lock up your spoons!

Woolly

Quote from: The Enigmatic Dr X on 06 May, 2018, 12:29:26 PM
Sigh. Another FCBD issue that I will never see.

I feel your pain. Never managed to make it in time for a FCBD copy after work, and refuse to pay anyone other than Rebellion for one.

Guess i'll just have to imagine how good they are 😢

broodblik

I am in the same boat only my problem is distance
When I die, I want to die like my grandfather who died peacefully in his sleep. Not screaming like all the passengers in his car.

Old age is the Lord's way of telling us to step aside for something new. Death's in case we didn't take the hint.

Mattofthespurs

Quote from: The Enigmatic Dr X on 06 May, 2018, 12:29:26 PM
Sigh. Another FCBD issue that I will never see.


I have asked my LCBS to put one in my pull list if they have one available but I buckled before getting a reply and snagged one off eBay for £3.00. Can't not let the collection be complete.

Richard

Forbidden Planet in London always has a surplus of them which you can pick up later.

If you don't live in London, you can organise a bank holiday weekend holiday for the family in London as an excuse to go.

If that's too expensive, you can tell your wife that you're going to visit your mistress in London for the day.

So there's no excuse for missing out on FCBD, especially this year.

Jim_Campbell

Quote from: Richard on 06 May, 2018, 03:39:30 PM
If you don't live in London, you can organise a bank holiday weekend holiday for the family in London as an excuse to go.

What are these things you call "bank holidays"...? </freelancer>
Stupidly Busy Letterer: Samples. | Blog
Less-Awesome-Artist: Scribbles.

Colin YNWA

Well have to say that was magnificent. I loved it all. Dredd, tick, Strontium Sprog Tick, Future Shock Tick Tick, Dr and Quinch Tick. But its the puzzle pages and extra bits in the middle that are the real boon of this comic. Well all the extra stuff from Joko-Jargo replacing Green bounce, to Intestinauts (if a little cramped on the page). The absolute highlight was the glory that was Chet Jetstream - Escape Hell Island, just brilliant, absolutely, makes me miss Zombo something rotten!

Anyway what was particularly interesting is being a big fan of the Phoenix how this underlined what 2000ad offers that's so much more. I mean I do love the Phoenix, more importantly my kids love the Phoenix, but it is all just a little safe and middle class. This had the same vibe, the same clean art, the same packed fun, but of course it had that 2000ad edge, that sense of anarchy and irreverance. The almight mischief in its twinkling eye.

Christ alive I wish this could be a regular thing!

Fantastic experiment Tharg and well done for making such a wonderous product, which stands out a mile on FCBD.

broodblik

Sounds like the Regened was a success. Just wish that they make it available digitally as well for our poor folk who does not have access to this.

When I die, I want to die like my grandfather who died peacefully in his sleep. Not screaming like all the passengers in his car.

Old age is the Lord's way of telling us to step aside for something new. Death's in case we didn't take the hint.