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High Rise of the Robots! -- Megazine 261

Started by The Amstor Computer, 23 July, 2007, 06:39:46 PM

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The Amstor Computer

Cover -- Lovely stuff

Dredd -- Gorgeous art & a great surprise (or it should have been - more in a mo')

Anderson -- Plodding along, this hasn't really engaged me yet & the strip art lacks something that the cover has

Satanus -- Mental art & mental script. There's little point complaining about it, so I'm just enjoying the lunatic ride & treating it as fan-fic from some obscure indy comic

Reapermen -- Still great, and one of the great 2K missed opportunities IMO

The Angel Gang -- Fun, but beginning to lose me a little in spite of some clever moments & some gorgeous art from Roberts

Text Features -- Molcher & Berridge hit the mark while  the film articles miss as usual

Small Press -- Meh.

Letters -- I must admit I did have a little snigger at Matt's skewering in the last letter. Sorry!

...and back to my Dredd complaint:

What idiot thought it would be a good idea to ruin the surprise in this month's Dredd by plastering it on the cover of the Meg? Thanks a bundle, whoever you are.

COMMANDO FORCES

I didn't read the cover, so it was a suprise to me!

Trout

I was annoyed by the cover spoiler, too, but then I realised Maybe's involvement was hardly treated as a big revelation in the story. He simply turns up on the third page.

I think this is a bloody good Meg. The lead Dredd is second-to-none. The continuing adventures of PJ Maybe are some of the best parts of Dredd over the years. MORE!

I'm enjoying Anderson a bit more, but mainly due to the art. I think it's one of those occasional stories to suffer from the Meg's frequency. It would've been better in the weekly, perhaps, given its action-heavy and text-light make-up.

The reprint's very interesting. It's a half-decent story and, although it's recognisably Jock, it's obviously his early work! Is that a Dean Ormston influence there?

Lastly, the Angel Gang story roars along at a blistering pace. I'm loving every page.
Somehow, Si Spurrier's developing these much-loved characters in interesting ways, but staying true to a long-term reader's familiarity with them.
That's bloody difficult to do, and I am deeply impressed.
At the same time the story's really entertaining and the art's a delight.
Give these buggers a pay rise, Meg-Tharg.

Blood of Satan's Arse, as the editor himself has dubbed it, remains unreadable. I made only a half-hearted effort. Life's too short and you're a long time dead.

I also enjoyed the small press story and Revenge of the 1970s, although it could've been given a bit more room. Strong stuff.

I'm looking forward to Mike Molcher's article on Pat Mills. I've skimmed it and it looks good.

Overall verdict: much-improved. The Meg's getting there...

- Trout

Rob Spalding

I'm with Trout over Anderson, there's just not enough each month to keep up the pace.
It feels like a story paced for 2000ad ended up in the Meg.

Still avoiding Blood of Satanus, I just can't look at the art.

Dredd was top notch.  Always nice to see PJ in the pikshure.


The Enigmatic Dr X

I maintain we are due an apology over Blood of Pat's Anus.
Lock up your spoons!

The Enigmatic Dr X

I maintain we are due an apology over Blood of Pat's Anus.
Lock up your spoons!

Buttonman

At the bottom of the fifth page of the Dredd it says 'Profits go to the Baron Ambrosemission' rather than the Byron Ambrose mission. I hope someone gets fired over that howler!

thinky

as much as i enjoyed mr molcher's article, for me the timing was a bit unfortunate due to it's proximity to the release of TPO

i'm very much aware of Pat Mills' standing and his massive contribution to the direction and survival of 2thou, but i'm all Millsed out due to (para)phrases such as "they knew if i created it, it was a guaranteed success... if someone else created it, it would be a massive failure"

this could be due to his massive ego or - as is equally likely - his continued and prolonged resentment at his treatement (perceived or otherwise) at the hands of various bosses, and the continual struggle for creator rights

either way, he's been a bit too much "in your face" recently.

thinky
you think this isn't me? that's so sweet...
//http://www.adverseCamber.co.uk

thinky

you think this isn't me? that's so sweet...
//http://www.adverseCamber.co.uk

DavidXBrunt

The spoiler is okay with me because it's such an incidental revelation. If it were a cliff-hanger I'd be cross. This may tempt lapsed readers back. I can see the Beardsley influence on the art, Flint wasn't joking,

adwah

"I just can't look at the artwork."

Why is that? Does it scare you?

It really shouldn't, not now that you're a fully grown man who's left home and everything...

JOE SOAP

Did anybody read the bit in the Mills article about that lost, banned 2000AD comic strip by Ken Reid (Faceache, Roger the Dodger etc.) about a nuclear survivor who tries to kill himself every week but a growth on his back turns into something new and saves him?

I'd give anything to see it, pity it can't be found.

Captain Patriot

"Did anybody read the bit in the Mills article about that lost, banned 2000AD comic strip by Ken Reid (Faceache, Roger the Dodger etc.) about a nuclear survivor who tries to kill himself every week but a growth on his back turns into something new and saves him?"

Yeah I liked the sound of that as well, would have been interesting to see.

paulvonscott

Definitely the best Meg for a while.

Dredd, very good.

Pat Mills article, very good.  

Britcom article good (if too short).

Torture Porn article, pretty relevant and something I've given a lot of thought to recently.  I saw Wolf Creek and I thought it was a really enjoyable well made horror film, but I found the realistic scenes of degradation and suffering all but unbearable.  I just don't want to watch people in that much pain and distress.  Maybe I'm just getting old and squeemish, but it doesn't seem right to me.  I would never watch a Saw or a Hostel, and felt I'd been tricked into Wolf Creek.  Shouldn't they show the true horrors of violence that do happen in the real world?  Maybe, just not to me.

Thought the small press was enjoyable and original this week.  A locked room mystery horror.  Nice ideas and storytelling.  Both writing and art need more polish but I thought it was a commendable effort.  If only this was the standard for all of them.

Werepire

"this could be due to his massive ego or - as is equally likely - his continued and prolonged resentment at his treatement (perceived or otherwise) at the hands of various bosses, and the continual struggle for creator rights

either way, he's been a bit too much "in your face" recently"

In YOUR face?  That's rich after the self righteous vitriol and outright spite I've seen flung around by some of the pasty faced no lifers in this chat room.  Maybe you should get out of HIS face. Or even just out of the house for a while.

Get a life and some positive energy.