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Other Reviews / Re: The completely self absorbed 2000ad re-read thread

« on: 13 December, 2019, 09:23:47 pm »

The No house style of Tharg - Prog 1365

Okay I'm going to struggle to express myself clearly here, but since this has never troubled me before why should it now, so here we go. Something that struck me about Prog 1365 was how stylised the art was and yet no singular style runs through which has always been one 2000ad's great strengths. Its lack of house style means you get a really glorious mix with the art. Not to say I like it all, it fact far from it, but it can never be said to be boring. I think in this issue its really stands out, though to be fair I reckon I could have picked any Prog from this end of 2003 run.

Anyway this Prog we get.

Siku's sharp, cutting art, all high contrast colours and dangerous angles on Dredd.

Next to that in 'Dead men walking' with have the popping colour of Boo Cook with smoother scruffy lines. Populating his world with cute yet ugly life forms.

In the middle with the wonderfully stark black and white stylings of Dom Reardon on 'Caballistic Inc' doing so much with so little.

There is a real contrast in the next thrill as Laurence Campbell and Lee Townsend provide muted colours almost clashing with their smooth and clean characters slickly filling dramatic hyper-realised action poses and spaces.

Finally we get the tight claustrophic art of Mark Harrison on 'Durham Red' all drama and bright light, explosions, ugly grimaces and mean snarls.

I'd give you a fiver bet you could put five Squaxx dek Thargo in a room and they'd each pick a favourite style from this Prog - but one thing that all of these talents have is style so much STYLE and purpose to the art they produce and that makes 2000ad such a visual thrill - even if sometimes the ride can leave you a little disorientated.

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Prog / Re: Thrill-Coma 2010

« on: 13 December, 2019, 08:56:02 pm »

I believe there is a new series in the works with Tiernan Trevallion on art duties. Looking forward to seeing it.

Even that's been a while coming though now. Seem to remember that was first mentioned maybe a couple of years ago now... certainly over a year. Would love to get it back some time. ...

...actually know I'm getting  a bit ahead of myself when was the last time we had any Brass Sun, feels like a while.

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Off Topic / Re: The Progmuda Triangle

« on: 13 December, 2019, 08:49:24 pm »

Mini-G currently in a strop and “sad” because her Phoenix didn’t arrive today. I really hope this Royal Mail mess all goes away after the holidays.

The boy child has come to expect it. I used its absense as an opportunity to explain why privitisation is a bad thing. If we've learnt anything recently we must take ever chance to make the next generation not a bunch of fuckwits like the current voting population.

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General / Re: The 2000 AD Messageboard Advent Calendar COMMENTS Thread 2019!

« on: 13 December, 2019, 08:47:04 pm »

Yep have to say Gail Nedrey's Hershey today was quite superb.

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General / Re: I am the law in Murphyville

« on: 13 December, 2019, 08:45:26 pm »

He past by here today (or yesterday), maybe he'll pass by and confirm... Seems likely either way.

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Website and Forum / Re: Shiny New Website?

« on: 12 December, 2019, 09:17:07 pm »

By and large the site looks great. Love the direct links to the Podcasts. The one thing I'd say is that while there is a draw to scroll down for the first few sections each one is a little too different and by the end its a bit of a chore with no sense of 'narrative' to pull you down. So by the time you get to the last two its all been a bit of a chore and they feel tacked on. Compacting things and giving a more consistant structure to the different sections (tricky in some case I must admit) might make it work better.

So a menu at the top as 'short cuts' might work better as well - do folks still do those?

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Books & Comics / Re: Whats everyone reading?

« on: 12 December, 2019, 09:05:16 pm »

You say you have the sequel, and I expect you to be gushing about it tomorrow, but did you know that there is a third part too? Do yourself a favour and add that to the reading pile.

Well you weren't wrong Timothy. I've just had a mighty gush having just read Enemy Within. Just brilliant, simply brilliant... when its not throwing heart crushing events at you that is. Man will be getting hold of series three very soon, just as soon as I sort this hardcover (or not issue).

One of Dabnett's very best and INJ is on top form. Wild's End is something I can recommend to absolutely anyone of this forum who hasn't read it yet.

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General / Dabnett and ...errr... Pinslade talk Lawless

« on: 12 December, 2019, 01:34:16 pm »

https://2000ad.com/news/interview-dan-abnett-and-phil-winslade-talk-lawless/?fbclid=IwAR2Lqrm8qMLrjbwj1OG2BCmiZq24s5Y8b-3NTJW-LpXwXg-LGVgadhMgOls

There's some great stuff in this interview. Most important of all they have no plans to end this series anytime soon!

WAYHEY!!!!

I could hug them tightly while weepin' with joy... but then the police would get involved again wouldn't they. One of my... if not my absolute ... favourite thingsTharg is pumping out at the moment.

When do we get lush oversized hardcover collections is the only thing I have left to care about.

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Books & Comics / Re: Whats everyone reading?

« on: 12 December, 2019, 01:17:54 pm »

Can defo see the third series but for the life of me can't find hardbacks???

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Books & Comics / Re: Whats everyone reading?

« on: 12 December, 2019, 01:12:32 pm »

You say you have the sequel, and I expect you to be gushing about it tomorrow, but did you know that there is a third part too? Do yourself a favour and add that to the reading pile.

I did not know this I will defo investigate.

There are some nice hardback editions of these, its all great stuff.

I did not know this I will defo investigate.

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General / Re: The 2000 AD Messageboard Advent Calendar COMMENTS Thread 2019!

« on: 11 December, 2019, 10:05:52 pm »

Yeah the calendar continues to be a daily delight. Thanks to all who are contributing and otherwise supporting.

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Books & Comics / Re: Whats everyone reading?

« on: 11 December, 2019, 09:32:32 pm »

Thought there was a thread about Dabnett and INJ Culbard's Wild's End - First Light but couldn't find it if so. Either way if  you've not read this you really should. Its a lazy elevator pitch to say this is War of the World's meet Wind in the Willows... but its War of the World's meets Wind in the Willows.

Its quite magnificence the use of anthropomorphic characters adds to the wimpsy that places it in a simpler time and place and by doing so heightens the stark drama as our heroic - and oh the lead characters are so gloriously heroic without being cardboard cut outs - protagonists struggle against an alien horror.

Jez Dabnett and a host of artists including INJ have been doing such fantastic comics in the Prog of late. Thi sis so good it stands side by side with them. I have the sequal digitally expect me back tomorrow evening to rave some more. My latest comics haul can wait!

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Other Reviews / Re: Devlin Waugh: Red Tide collection

« on: 10 December, 2019, 09:08:06 pm »

NECRO - beat this NECRO if you can.

Anyway just finished the new edition of Devlin Waugh - Red Tide. Its a very different collection to this one I suspect including stories from a good number of Megazine's in the 200s. Red Tide is joined by Bite Fight, Vile Bodies, All Hell and Innocence and Experience. All the stories are delight and brutal in equal measure, the light and dark shades of our leading man just a breezy joy as he takes up down dark paths, both his own and those of the world's he inhabits.

Red Tide is a tense action thriller in the mode of a zombie movie and when you read it you know the stories aren't going to top it. The you get to All Hell and realise you were wrong as Waugh journeys into hell in quite fantastic style. So that's going to be the best ... until you get to the history lesson and origin story that is Innocence and Experience which is sublime...(actually I didn't enjoy it as much as All Hell but that would have spoiled what I was after.) John Smith just finds ways to keep the stories thrilling and yet astonishing smart and engaging. The character is an absolute joy to read and while his adventures are brutal and horrific he grants them and idefinible quality of pomp.

All this and art of Colin MacNeil, John Burns, Peter Doherty and some pages from Jock's aborted Red Tide which I didn't know about and while the previous package might have been a diappointment this is one of the best 2000ad collections I can remember reading.

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Prog / Re: Prog 2161 - Organ Malfunction!

« on: 10 December, 2019, 08:52:34 pm »

As you were. Dredd solid and entertaining. Maybe not Mike Carroll's best but its a good story.

Defoe ends and I've really not got much to say the series has never really worked of me and this one is no different. Mind the art as improved in the second half and I look forward to seeing how S K Moore's work continues to develop.

The back end of the Prog is just dreamy. Brink continues to be a procedural delight. Its sharp, clean with art to match - yet under it all its so full of human life and drama.

Hope Under Fire sticks its landing to perfection. Again the art perfectly matches the story and its gruesome fitting ending. This series has been superb.

As has The Fall of Deadworld Mortis echoing Dredd's strike back in a suitably gloriously morbid way. This is world building in its most apocalypic form. Just superb ending.

Nice cover next time too and looks like we'll get more Deadworld - I assume a one off and a pretty nice line up to see the year out.

So Tharg's final line-up of the year has been great, not perfect but bloomin' close at times and the end of year Prog suggests we'll be entering the new year in equal good spirits.

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Off Topic / Re: The Progmuda Triangle

« on: 10 December, 2019, 04:55:20 pm »

No prog, but joy of joys my subs pin arrived!

And a 'luvverley' thing it is, too!

Thanks Tharg.

Yeah its really nice isn't it. Much chunkier than expected. The question remains do I replace the Concrete pin I currently have on my beanie (funnily enough I think bought off Bolt-01) with it???

Anyway Prog has landed in windsweep Sheffield.