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Prog 2099 - Unleash Hell!

Started by Colin YNWA, 15 September, 2018, 10:22:50 PM

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geronimo


The spoiler tags are used extensively in film and tv threads (because they often deal with multiple films/series and someone might not have seen a specific movie/episode) but in the Prog review threads, the assumption is that you've read the prog.
[/quote]

Ok, thank you, excuse my nieveness.

Magnetica

Yes the spoiler tags are used a bit unevenly on the Prog review thread, but as Jim says it's kinda par for the course to see spoilers on a spoiler thread.

The thing is, using spoiler tags gets in the way if we want to have a decent discussion about something that happened in the Prog. And having a discussion is sort of the point.

Jim_Campbell

To be clear — I'm not trying to be a dick about this! I suppose if we had a FAQ somewhere, this should be in it. For general purpose discussion threads, spoiler tags are definitely appropriate. When the thread is specific (Prog so-and-so, GoT Series 8 Episode 5, or whatever) then the assumption is that you'll have seen/read the material under discussion.
Stupidly Busy Letterer: Samples. | Blog
Less-Awesome-Artist: Scribbles.

Dandontdare

I also had a a WTF moment at the end of Dredd, which marred a story that I was otherwise enjoying - even if he was bleeding out, Dredd would either put a bullet in him to make sure, or patch him up to serve his time (even if it ment cryogenic freezing till they could save him). The stupid gun was also a bizarre reverse-Chekov

Mechastopheles never really grabbed me - nice concepts, but I don't know which of these people I'm supposed to care about or why.

Survival Geeks continue to delight - funny script with distinct characters and references that are more than just "hey - remember this?", and absolutely gorgeous art - best humour strip for ages.

It must be so hard to come up with a new shocking future shock idea*, but this was a good 'un - hope to see more from these newcomers

I won't pretend to have a full grasp on The Order, but I really enjoy it, I could look at Burns' art all day.

yup - a very decent crop of thrills



*last year's thought bubble pitchfest  (won by the story published a month or two ago about a scientist using human fat for energy and ending with her about to use her unborn baby to continue her experiments) didn't seem to impress Matt Smith much on the day - I think he thought it was a bit near the knuckle tastewise, but it was a clear winner because it was the only pitch that elicited a genuine gasp of shock and horror from the audience when she read out the final reveal

Magnetica

Quote from: Jim_Campbell on 18 September, 2018, 11:14:54 PM
I suppose if we had a FAQ somewhere, this should be in it.

It's almost as if we need some "forum rules". Oh wait...

https://forums.2000ad.com/index.php?topic=26167.0

broodblik

Enjoyed the prog, both The Order and  Mechastopheles ended like there should be more to come. The Future Shock was ok. I also liked the way Dredd played out (maybe more Booth to come later)
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.

sheridan

Quote from: Magnetica on 18 September, 2018, 11:23:38 PM
Quote from: Jim_Campbell on 18 September, 2018, 11:14:54 PM
I suppose if we had a FAQ somewhere, this should be in it.

It's almost as if we need some "forum rules". Oh wait...

https://forums.2000ad.com/index.php?topic=26167.0


So spoilers [spoiler]should[/spoiler] be used on comics [spoiler]less than one month old[/spoiler]...

Jim_Campbell

Yeah. Sorry, but that's bollocks in relation to the prog review thread — it appears under the category of 'Spoilers', so clearly spoilers should be expected.
Stupidly Busy Letterer: Samples. | Blog
Less-Awesome-Artist: Scribbles.

Magnetica

Yes that's right; Sheridan read the rules again mate - it says [spoiler]anything in the spoiler section is exempt from the policy.[/spoiler]

wedgeski

I agree about the ending of Dredd. Leaving Booth alive AND allowing those reporters to film what went down seems like bad judgement, but maybe Dredd and Hershey are playing a longer game here.

Weekly Survival Geeks continues to be a pleasant way to spend 90 seconds or so of my life. Neil Googe's art is just incredible. The panels where Sam gets drenched in gore are amazing.

I'm not bothered about Order or Mecha, but that Future Shock was dark, man.

norton canes

Quote from: Dandontdare on 18 September, 2018, 11:15:10 PMThe stupid gun was also a bizarre reverse-Chekov

Heh.

Great prog, sometimes the ones before jumping-on editions are a bit flat and filler-ridden but no such problems here

Dredd opens with a satisfyingly meaty first couple of pages. And you know what, I'm gonna say that TC Eglington knows exactly what he's doing having Dredd leave Linus out in the Cursed Earth (and the reporters at large) - because there are further twists to come.

Look, I'm a glass-half-full kinda guy!

SG has more very welcome gore and finishes the story with a nice flourish, even though I was hoping for a bit more backstory from some of the Slashers.

And after the first one only appeared at the end of last week's installment, this time round Sam's socks gain a second stripe. Am I missing a reference..?

Mechastopheles has been a joy to read, an ingenious fusion of thrills, humour and of course great artwork. Surely this isn't the end?!

Oh that's a nasty little Future Shock, a great riff on the old theme of time-looping. I love the idea of an internment facility where the personnel can act with impunity because it's classified as 'not in our dimension'!

Finally, not the final panel that those who dislike The Order will want to see! Personally I'm up for more but I do think this book has lost a bit of focus. Perhaps the next one should bring it to a conclusion..?

Right, that's it. I am now officially in Jumping On Mode.


Magnetica


JamesC

The cover was pretty good, I thought. A nice striking image.

I really enjoyed the ending of Dredd but think there's more yet to come.
Lots of you have mentioned Dredd's odd judgement and the odd behaviour of the reporter. Could the exploding stupid gun be the cause? Some sort of low level decision hindering effect?
I thought the images of perps falling from the sky were a bit too graphic. In the old days this would have been handled with a satisfying 'SPLATT!'

Survival Geeks was fun again this week. This slasher plot was far more enjoyable than the Dr Who thing but I really don't like any of the main characters. Maybe the should develop into slightly more sympathetic leads?

Mechastopheles continues to play all the right notes just not necessarily in the right order.

The Future Shock was very good. I thought the script was a little clunky. The dialogue didn't quite flow for me. A minor niggle though, it was a strong story.

I enjoyed The Order as always, mainly because it's full of bonkers energy. Christ knows what's going on but it's still enertaining me for now.

norton canes

Quote from: norton canes on 20 September, 2018, 10:17:29 AM
SG has more very welcome gore and finishes the story with a nice flourish, even though I was hoping for a bit more backstory from some of the Slashers.

And after the first one only appeared at the end of last week's installment, this time round Sam's socks gain a second stripe. Am I missing a reference..?


In fact, by the top panel of the penultimate page they've gained a third stripe. What's going on? We want answers, drokk it!

TordelBack

The Booth Conspiracy didn't quite stick the landing, mainly because the Even Stupider Gun subplot didn't go anywhere* - we only got one panel of its effects, and really none of Linus' titular conspiracy had any pay off.  Unless of course we take the title to instead refer to Dredd's ruse, which is quite cool; mind you, that was a drokk-up to, one that left at least four judges moronified. 

OTOH Linus' punishment seems perfectly apt to me, and is in line with a long history of Dredd making stupid sentencing decisions, choosing poetic justice over a swift bullet to the head, and thus leaving Owen Krysler, P. J. Maybe, R. L. Booth and countless others free to menace him again.  As to Malik & Co, presumably they are free to go since they'd set Linus up on Dredd's instruction.  On the question of incriminating footage, well Dredd also has a history of wanting the truth to come out - after an appropriate interval. 

There are some real positives to take from this story, and the mild disappointment I felt at the end: first, I was invested in this storyline, I was busily speculating about how it would end - it was the first story I read this week, which hasn't happened with Dredd for quite a while.  This one felt well integrated into Dredd's world, it had memorable (and surviving) supporting characters that weren't Judges, ex-Judges or foreign Judges, and despite employing the over-used Baddie: The Next Generation reveal, it felt fairly momentous.  These are all good signs for the Eglington as a up-and-coming writer, and for the strip in general.  I hope we see Linus again - and definitely Malik.




*The Stupid Gun was always nonsense, even as a kid I couldn't work out why it was any better than any other gun - but expanded to a larger area of effect, and in Linus' hands, it actually had a point: not just removing lots of judges, but making Justice Dept look stupid.  Even the alternative, some kind of ironic misfire highlighting Linus' stupidity, didn't really happen.