Amazed no one else has started this thread yet! Postal problems?
I won't spoil this one, but there's a very interesting cameo in this week's Dredd, one which I think will please a lot of people. Will be fascinating to see how this story ends.
We finally find out what happened to the missing kid in Hope, and it's brilliantly done. I'll definitely re-read this one as soon as it finishes. My only gripe is that the second and third pages were clearly designed to face each other, and yet they don't. Hopefully this will be fixed if there's a graphic novel one day (there certainly deserves to be, this story is good enough to be included in the new Hachette collection).
The Alienist is storming towards a conclusion. It's been a good story, but it's supposedly lead character, Vespertine, hasn't really done anything and has been upstaged by her supporting cast throughout, much like Dredd in the recent Paradox Vega story. I've enjoyed it though.
Greysuit: my favourite bit was the line about [spoiler]not winning the lottery[/spoiler].
I liked the Future Shock. Keep them coming, Tharg.
Quote from: Richard on 12 September, 2017, 10:12:30 AM
I won't spoil this one, but there's a very interesting cameo in this week's Dredd, one which I think will please a lot of people. Will be fascinating to see how this story ends.
That was a nice surprise, and explained Dredd's motivation well. I was surprised that it took up so many pages, though. Flashbacks, yes, but re-telling most of a story...?
It was less than two pages, so it didn't exactly hog the episode.
Quote from: A.Cow on 12 September, 2017, 06:57:27 PM
Flashbacks, yes, but re-telling most of a story...?
*coughcoughcoughpatmillscoughcough*
Bloomin' heck the Prog didn't half shift up a gear this week. In part the charge was led by Greysuit which just cranked it up a notch or two and went into fullblown mad mental crazy action. Its like all the elements it played with before exploded into one orgy of violent unsubtle satire. It was so unashamed, so unabashed, SO MUCH FUN!
Alienist also let loose the hounds of Tharg as it charges to its fun filled conclusion, its been a good story, but it seems to be heading towards a great ending. Hope provides its own turn with a lovely reveal but as I've said to get the best of this I need to read it as one I think. It is just so Vertigo its untrue as well!
All of that was good, in a couple of cases very good but there are two other stars this week. The show is very nearly stolen by a lovely Future Shock. Its a great ghoulishly delicous story but the star of this show is art by a talent I'm not aware of is Tilen Javornik new to the Prog, certainly new to me and bloomin' heck there's a star in the making surely? Beautiful stuff.
Alas much as I'd like that to get top honours the award surely has to go to Dredd. So full of character, so full of action as we once again trip down memory lane and wish for a future we know can't be. Its just so beautifully crafted, so tense and so full of glorious insight into our Joe. Masterful by a grand master and a new master. Top thrill in a top Prog.
Spoilers for my thoughts on Dredd-[spoiler] I reckon Wagner has played a dummy on us- It'll be std execution for all of them. McGruder went like a Judge, these perps mean well, but they crossed a line.[/spoiler]
This ^^^ :D
Quote from: Colin YNWA on 12 September, 2017, 09:13:31 PM
Bloomin' heck the Prog didn't half shift up a gear this week. In part the charge was led by Greysuit which just cranked it up a notch or two and went into fullblown mad mental crazy action. Its like all the elements it played with before exploded into one orgy of violent unsubtle satire. It was so unashamed, so unabashed, SO MUCH FUN!
Alienist also let loose the hounds of Tharg as it charges to its fun filled conclusion, its been a good story, but it seems to be heading towards a great ending. Hope provides its own turn with a lovely reveal but as I've said to get the best of this I need to read it as one I think. It is just so Vertigo its untrue as well!
All of that was good, in a couple of cases very good but there are two other stars this week. The show is very nearly stolen by a lovely Future Shock. Its a great ghoulishly delicous story but the star of this show is art by a talent I'm not aware of is Tilen Javornik new to the Prog, certainly new to me and bloomin' heck there's a star in the making surely? Beautiful stuff.
Alas much as I'd like that to get top honours the award surely has to go to Dredd. So full of character, so full of action as we once again trip down memory lane and wish for a future we know can't be. Its just so beautifully crafted, so tense and so full of glorious insight into our Joe. Masterful by a grand master and a new master. Top thrill in a top Prog.
and This ^^^
Quote from: Richard on 12 September, 2017, 10:12:30 AM
The Alienist (has) been a good story, but it's supposedly lead character, Vespertine, hasn't really done anything and has been upstaged by her supporting cast throughout
Which is ironic, since the premise of the first series was that she's the one really pulling the strings. Maybe this will prove to be an Aimee Nixon<Dirty Frank scenario.*
"THE INDOOR GUN RANGE, THE OUTDOOR GUN RANGE! THE SNOOKER HALL! NO! NOT THE SNOOKER HALL!"... and yet some of us still insist on reading
Greysuit as straight drama. More action splashes like the two guns blazing impressionistic shapes, textures and contrasting
Of
York and
Battle
In
Vain sections of the colour wheel, please.
Richard makes a good point about the celluloid strip (non)double page spread in
Hope. Pity, as it's almost as canny storytelling as Broxton Picture's similarly cinematic reuse of panels - this episode features an average of just 3 original panels per page. **
* That panel of Reggie swigging from his flask then thrusting one finger in the air reminds me of the doctor from Cannonball Run: "In my line of work, I seldom need more than this" (waves middle finger ominously)
** How did he manage to fall behind when so many pages are slow creep zooms and recapitulation of previous shots? I'm not moaning - I love Broxton Pictures and the cinematic storytelling is thematically appropriate.
What a lovely little Future Shock that was!
Top Dreddage too.
Rather good prog all round in fact.
I'm not sure we need to spoiler speculation that things might not end well for the Apocalypse Squad when the next prog caption on Dredd reads NO REWARD FOR HEROES.
The isometric (Attic Attack) view of the ack-ack gun turrets on the awesome South Wall were enough to sell me on the art *, but it was the storytelling in the following action scene that blew me away. 12 months of drawing 4-4-2 formations and offside traps have blessed Cornwell with an uncommon facility for conveying motion while retaining a clear sense of the relative positions of everyone in play.
I'm an utter moron when it comes to following action scenes in cinema or on the page, but Cornwell's deft storytelling choices mean I have a 360° ** understanding of how Kwan used the oil tanker as cover to prevent the artillery gunner finding his range.
It's a scene that would have tripped up many of Tharg's more experienced art droids, so the fact Cornwell's choice of angles and knack with perspective mean the car chase is also exciting and beautifully drawn is all the more impressive. Boy's got a future in storyboarding for film.
Cornwell's trademark vertical line shading really works here too. In the bar scenes of the first episode, they were a mixed blessing, sometimes reducing the depth of field and taking the narrative focus away from the excellent character acting. Here, they contrast the thrilling speed and lateral motion of the chase with the solid, vertical fastness of the South wall.
Real talent for vehicle design too. The variety of chassis choking the arteries of MC1's transport infrastructure demonstrate the depth of thought that's been devoted to the world and how it works, but that H Wagon design is really something else. Unlike Cam Kennedy holding back his best ship designs from George Lucas, Cornwell's sharing the contents of his top drawer with Tharg.
* Even if I did wonder when Justice Department decided to build four lane highways leading out of and into a city they want to keep citizens in and keep migrants out of with equal, fanatical zeal. It's always looked like the rubble and desert of the Cursed Earth goes right up to the wall in previous depictions. Although top marks to Cornwell for attention to detail - the on-ramp merges into the highway from the right, which is the kind of cultural difference that usually foxes UK artists.
** Like the bullet time segments of The Matrix
Quote from: Frank on 13 September, 2017, 10:14:56 PM
The isometric (Attic Attack) view of the ack-ack gun turrets
Ant Attack.
Quote from: norton canes on 14 September, 2017, 09:36:04 AM
Quote from: Frank on 13 September, 2017, 10:14:56 PM
The isometric (Attic Attack) view of the ack-ack gun turrets.
Ant Attack.
Indeed. Atic Atac was a top down view. Although, to be fair to our man, the publisher Ultimate did make a big splash with their later isometric adventures Knight Lore and Batman.
Quote from: I, Cosh on 14 September, 2017, 10:44:18 AM
Indeed. Atic Atac was a top down view. Although, to be fair to our man, the publisher Ultimate did make a big splash with their later isometric adventures Knight Lore and Batman.
Batman was a Jon Ritman game (who went on to do Head over Heels), and published by Ocean.
Ultimate's later isometric games were Alien 8 and Pentagram.
Nice cover, which really stands out. Lovely colours and background design.
Dredd: I echo the sentiments about the 'direction' of the art. Although I like Cornwell's work in general, it's his scene design and linework that really stands out. There's a nice sense of movement, too, even if Dredd goes a bit Jimmy Hill.
Alienist: I wasn't sure what to make of this at first, but I'm enjoying the run so far. It feels like it'll be one of those strips where I won't clamour for its return, but will nonetheless be happy enough if it does. Nice last scene.
Greysuit: I'm still reading it. I'm not sure why. It falls short of satire, and is so ridiculously heavy handed. It feels a like like Big Dave Does Conspiracy Theory. I'll be happy when this one's done and gone.
Terminal: Nice art and story, but hasn't Edgar also doomed the poor sods who find the bodies to the same fate?
Hope: Or, rather, no hope. One of the grimmest strips in 2000 AD's recent history, for sure. It feels very different from everything else, but for me deserves its place in the Prog. Needs a full re-read, though – I suspect this will work particularly nicely in collected form.
Letters: Good to see some people wrestling with world events. And I very much sympathise with Dean from Scotland right now...
Quote from: Frank on 13 September, 2017, 10:14:56 PM
* Even if I did wonder when Justice Department decided to build four lane highways leading out of and into a city they want to keep citizens in and keep migrants out of with equal, fanatical zeal. It's always looked like the rubble and desert of the Cursed Earth goes right up to the wall in previous depictions. Although top marks to Cornwell for attention to detail - the on-ramp merges into the highway from the right, which is the kind of cultural difference that usually foxes UK artists.
I think they've improved the road infrastructure following the building of all of the Mutant Camps in The Cursed Earth that MC1 now has responsibility for maintaining and policing. I'd assume that means more traffic in an out on a daily basis than previously?
Quote from: I, Cosh on 14 September, 2017, 10:44:18 AM
Atic Atac was a top down view.
This will be my last post anywhere on the internet.
It's taken me a while to catch up since my hols so you can take this as a review of the recent run.
Dredd: good solid fun. Whilst I like Dan Cornwell's art and would definitely like to see more, it is engendering a certain "cartoony" feel to the whole thing.
The Alienist: my view is perfectly summed up by IP -
Quote from: IndigoPrime on 14 September, 2017, 11:24:52 AM
Alienist: I wasn't sure what to make of this at first, but I'm enjoying the run so far. It feels like it'll be one of those strips where I won't clamour for its return, but will nonetheless be happy enough if it does.
Greysuit: possibly not a popular view but I really like this. Best thing from Uncle Pat in years? (Actually that was probably the last series of Defoe).
Hope: the break has proved far more disruptive than I thought. Will re-read in one go once complete.
Quote from: Frank on 14 September, 2017, 12:30:28 PM
Quote from: I, Cosh on 14 September, 2017, 10:44:18 AM
Atic Atac was a top down view.
This will be my last post anywhere on the internet.
Think I'll try to out on 8888.
Cover: Good. Well... interesting. Nice helmet, but the weirdly skinny Dredd-head beneath doesn't really fill it out. Great skin texturing through. And bike - the bike is great, but it is of course utterly different to the one we see Dredd riding on the very next page. I mean I'm sure Justice Department has plenty of different Lawmaster models but it is a bit jarring.
Dredd: Very touching. It seems like it needs at least three more episodes to properly conclude the story though.
The Alienist: Still managing the feat of getting better every week. The carpenter's tools attack was the highlight this time.
Greysuit: So glad M.A.C.H.1 was never like this.
Future Shock: Gruesome, but a bit of a weak pay-off. Would have preferred to see a properly graphic SPLAT in the denouement.
Hope: More Hope... for the Future for the future, I hope.
:D
Quote from: norton canes on 14 September, 2017, 03:17:13 PM
And bike - the bike is great, but it is of course utterly different to the one we see Dredd riding on the very next page. I mean I'm sure Justice Department has plenty of different Lawmaster models but it is a bit jarring.
I think it's this that he's drawn...
(http://news.toyark.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2014/10/Judge-Dredd-on-Lawmaster-Diorama-014.jpg)
It's one of the old-school 'P-TOO' ones, with the laser cannon on the front.
And you're right - Justice Dept
do have a lot of Lawmaster models... ;)
Quote from: Frank on 13 September, 2017, 10:14:56 PM
The isometric (Attic Attack) view of the ack-ack gun turrets on the awesome South Wall were enough to sell me on the art
Another vote for that panel - standout image from this prog.
QuoteEven if I did wonder when Justice Department decided to build four lane highways leading out of and into a city they want to keep citizens in and keep migrants out of with equal, fanatical zeal. It's always looked like the rubble and desert of the Cursed Earth goes right up to the wall in previous depictions.
Previous depictions were before MC1 was dependant on all those Cursed Earth farms (and had increased ties with TC). I assumed those megways were headed straight to the city of big hats.
Quote from: norton canes on 14 September, 2017, 03:17:13 PM
Cover: Good. Well... interesting. Nice helmet, but the weirdly skinny Dredd-head beneath doesn't really fill it out. Great skin texturing through. And bike - the bike is great, but it is of course utterly different to the one we see Dredd riding on the very next page. I mean I'm sure Justice Department has plenty of different Lawmaster models but it is a bit jarring.
Not understanding this at all - I see two bike designs, one in the present the other in flashback. Events taking place in each of the time periods are consistent.
The flashback is to 21 years ago. It's not inconceivable that they start using a different model in the meantime. There are some early Dredd stories where we see different versions of the Lawmaster in the same panel.
Quote from: sheridan on 14 September, 2017, 09:03:39 PM
Not understanding this at all - I see two bike designs, one in the present the other in flashback. Events taking place in each of the time periods are consistent
Yeah sorry, I'd missed the fact that the Lawmasters seen in the flashback sequence are of course the classic design, which is therefore featured on the cover.
(https://i.imgur.com/bptWRny.jpg)
Better late than never?
I still haven't received this prog, despite receiving prog 2049 yesterday. Anyone else the same?
Big improvement in proggage this week.
Cover is a very strong Dredd image, but the rather uncomfortable repurposing of generic inventory is emphasised clumsy speech balloon and ugly tagline font. Also, the straight statue swipe rumbled by Woolly lets it down a bit.
Dredd: Really fab action and nice call-back to another classic. There's been a constant stream of traffic into/out of the Cursed Earth for years now, with multi-lane highways shown* crossing at least the Apocalypse War wastelands of the north-west and southern sectors. A formal land-link to TC makes sense, matching the undersea one with Brit-Cit and (I think) the overland route to Canadia.
Have I missed something, or is absolutely no-one mentioning Ocks at all? Could this be because he was in the original script until Tharg pointed out that Rennie had killed him off in Gulag? As the squad member with the most page-time after the Big Three, it seems a bit odd otherwise.
Greysuit: Goddamnit Mills, goddamnit. You take by far the most turgidly hopeless of your recent creations and turn it into a rip-roaring Big Dave romp that's probably the most fun thing in the prog. Mutatis mutandi: "never give up on the Gaffer". (Quick Tharg, cancel Slaine - a final series like this and I wouldn't think it too many!).
Future Shock: A fine and visually memorable tale, skilfully told. More from these two, please.
The Alienist: Continues to be a great read, with genuinely interesting characters, and I still haven't a clue which is actually the baddest baddie. Hope there's lots more of this in the works.
Hope: Woah, there's noir and then there's dark. Excellent stuff, and the panel recycling does actually serve the story, even if it's most likely a worrying function of how in demand Broxton is.
*As recently as Day of Chaos, where the skysurfer agent comes in along a raised roadway.
Quote from: TordelBack on 17 September, 2017, 03:16:55 PM
A formal land-link to TC makes sense
Crystal and Alexis Carrington agree,
in principle:'Barbara, I'm thinking we need a highway linking our cities. What do you say? It'll make things a lot simpler - and cheaper.'
'It's worth considering, certainly, but any feasible route will cut through a lot of mutant territories. The highway would have to be elevated to avoid -'
'Nonsense. I'm sure we'll be able to negotiate fa fair settlement with them.'The Lion's Den, Carroll & Holden, prog 1982
Of course, if you cited a Carroll Dredd story in support of an observation you made, I'd be quick to say the forbidden thing -
the thing that insults all the other very talented Dredd writers and all the good work they do - so that makes me a
massive hypocrite.
Even so, when Rico led a Fury Road of vehicles from the mutie settlements in
Day Of Chaos (1789), Henry Flint must have forgotten to draw them using the massive highways some folks (above) seem to think are necessary for those farms and towns to function.
It's unlikely that everyone -- especially people living in the Cursed Earth -- can afford flying cars.
Quote from: Frank on 17 September, 2017, 07:26:56 PM
'Barbara, I'm thinking we need a highway linking our cities. What do you say? It'll make things a lot simpler - and cheaper.'
'It's worth considering, certainly, but any feasible route will cut through a lot of mutant territories. The highway would have to be elevated to avoid -'
'Nonsense. I'm sure we'll be able to negotiate fa fair settlement with them.'
The Lion's Den, Carroll & Holden, prog 1982
Good catch, Frank! And yeah, I think it's a vastly different thing for a highway link between two mega-cities and between MC-1 and its various Cursed Earth outposts. Worth noting that Dredd used a H-Wagon (I think) every time he went to and from either the workcamps or the townships: although he has visited farms and ranches on a lawmaster.
Quote from: TordelBack on 17 September, 2017, 11:30:45 PM
Worth noting that Dredd used a H-Wagon (I think) every time he went to and from either the workcamps or the townships: although he has visited farms and ranches on a lawmaster.
Um ... doesn't MC-1 have a border about 1000 miles long?
Surely there would be roads at
some gates and dirt at others, depending on usage. Not sure why this is confusing everybody.
Quote from: A.Cow on 18 September, 2017, 07:39:59 AM
Not sure why this is confusing everybody.
It's not confusing, outraging, or dividing anyone.
It's an
observation. Until now, a voyage into the Cursed Earth has been depicted as a bumpy ride across wasteland that requires a Tonka truck.
Now it isn't. That is the full extent of the observation.
Think that's the point being made, A. Cow: there are dirt routes, and there are highway routes, depending on where you are going.
Without others' facility for throwing up the relevant panels, here's a quote from
Day of Chaos: Eve of Destruction:
QuoteHe'd flown to Canadia, intending to enter the city along the highway that snaked down through the barren wasteland to the North-West Hab Zone
. The road depicted in the story is multi-lane, and elevated. We've seen such roads before, traversing the Rad Zones created by the Apocalypse War, most notably the one that links the North-West Hab Zone to the rest of the city: to see them in the Cursed Earth is only an extension of the idea.
It's been 40 years since Dredd crossed the Cursed Earth, 70 years since the war itself. It'd be crazy if links between the surviving cities hadn't changed, even improved, especially with the last decade's emphasis on exploitation of the wasteland for settlement and production. An ongoing process, as the exchange Frank cites from The Lion's Den indicates.
Quote from: Frank on 17 September, 2017, 07:26:56 PM
Even so, when Rico led a Fury Road of vehicles from the mutie settlements in Day Of Chaos (1789), Henry Flint must have forgotten to draw them using the massive highways some folks (above) seem to think are necessary for those farms and towns to function.
Yet when the same artist drew the road leading to the city in Dead Zone, it was as a massive, cleared space through waste and rubble.
Oh, well played.
This is why I love this forum!