Messages

1

Off Topic / Re: Marriage guidance for collectors of tat

« on: Today at 08:04:22 pm »

Comics I get away with no problem.In fact I have a nerd card off the back of our garage as some here might recall.

I tend to avoid 'toys' and figures and what not. On the odd occasions when I've asked if £400 on a Lego Death Star, or would £200 for a two foot tall T-Tex be okay she has this curious ability to say

"Well its your money spend it on what you like"

In a way that means "Are you insane do that and you'll be filling the car on your budget for the rest of our days." and I never vear off the straight and narrow!

2

Books & Comics / Re: Walt Simonson's Ragnarok

« on: 20 July, 2019, 10:37:57 pm »

Tangent: I discovered via Twitter the other day that Simonson abandoned a career in palaeontology to pursue his artistic ambitions, which makes his signature suddenly make a lot more sense…!

Ha! I never knew that. The signature does make a lot of sense.

Oh yes but what set up. And that summary of Ragnarok was quite something.

3

Books & Comics / Re: Walt Simonson's Ragnarok

« on: 20 July, 2019, 08:49:35 pm »

Have you read it yet. Its just superb!

4

Prog / Re: Prog 2141 - Pincer movement

« on: 20 July, 2019, 08:49:00 pm »

Loved the nod in Dredd to one of the earliest Dredd covers.  Really brought back prog 18 for me!

Yeah that was brilliant.

5

Prog / Re: Prog 2141 - Pincer movement

« on: 20 July, 2019, 08:23:24 pm »

There's some cracking stuff in the Prog this week.

Dredd Rob Williams is already cooking up a storm, one episode in and as Eammon says this has all the marks of being a blinder. Everything about it oozes class and Chris Weston's art delievers the tale with art of the same quality. Its also amazing how much is packed into these six pages. Delightful.

As is Indigo Prime. Never has a boardroom meeting been so delightfully entertaining, I'm sure many have been as chilling. Then the explosion of  chaos and mystery. I hang onto the tale, barely by my fingers tips, but boy is it worth the effort.

Anderson is frustrating and the three panels of ...chappie whose name I can't remember... close up as he watches Karyn save him on the first page kinda some it up. See they're okay, they convey what's needed, I can work it out... its just its not convincing, its lacks conviction, you see what Aneke's going for, but it looks flat and unconvincing. The story is getting much the same alas. I think this one will read better in one and its all such a shame as its so close.

Absalom on the other hand carries its tale with absolute conviction. The betryal by Guv'nor is no surprise, its juts done with such grim and bitter glory. Majestic.

Thistlebone continues its level of creepy horror also with absolute conviction, it cast doubt on what you think you know, on what you assume to be correct with precision leaving you unsettled and uneasy. A bit of a masterclass this one.

So yeah four very contrasting pieces of brilliance and one duffer that's always going to be a big win.

6

Film & TV / Re: The Trailer Thread

« on: 20 July, 2019, 07:00:06 am »

The Irish Times gives a viewpoint on the Cats trailer...

Not that I'm about to hand any money to Andrew Lloyd-Webber anyway...

That's hilarious!

Both the commentary and the trailer.

Oh my God what were they thinking???

7

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

« on: 19 July, 2019, 09:31:11 pm »

Diggle in New Blood

I can give Andy Diggle's time as editor a hard time, and I do think it has many miss steps, fueled by shot glasses or not (I think this book deal thingie Jim has mentioned a couple of times explains a lot), anyway what is undenible is in these early days quite what he does to boost the artist roster - the following could all be wrong by the way so I stand to be corrected.

Prog 1205 - FraZer (aways get the S and the Z wrong so I looked it up!) Irving springs on the scene and elevates to a Dredd by Prog 1206

Prog 1207 we get D'Israeli's debute as an artist - he's been colouring for a wee while but I think this is his first pictures?

Prog 1208 Diggle somehow cranks up the pace even more. Boo Cook appears - all be it looking more like Phillip Bond or Glyn Dillon that Boo Cook I think of. AND Richard Elson ... doesn't make his debut... but since his art has changed so much since Shadows and a cameo in Deus Ex Machina it might as well be.

I might have missed some as well before I started to notice his turn around.

DAMN that's impressive and these folks will grow immensely as artists over the coming year its really testament to some talenting spoting that so early in his time as Tharg's little helper Andy D has found so much talent.

8

Prog / Re: Thrill-Coma 2010

« on: 19 July, 2019, 08:08:26 pm »

There's a very clear clean style in all those covers! Something you get the impression Tharg likes too.

9

General / Re: When did 2000ad get good again.

« on: 18 July, 2019, 09:29:43 pm »

As for Strontium Dogs, I think it warrants a re-read at some point, when I get through the pile of doom. As I’ve said elsewhere, I’ve really grown to like Hogan’s work (Resident Alien is wonderful, for example), and suspect some of his 2000 AD output would read better to me now I’m an old git.

Yeah Hogan's Resident Alien is great. I'm also a BIG fan of his (and Rian Hughes) Robo-Hunter. Such a step up from Millar's

...I very much like what I've read so far of Brigand Doom.

Yeah its a good strip with great art. Does suffer from diminishing returns, at times, but is never less than entertaining.

10

Announcements / Re: 2000 AD - The Ultimate Collection

« on: 18 July, 2019, 09:25:03 pm »

If they extend this to 100 hope they include red seas

I doubt it will happen but I'd adore a complete hardcover Red Seas collection, in the way we're getting  a Dante one.

11

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

« on: 18 July, 2019, 09:20:46 pm »

No, no Hot Space is not acceptable on any visiting!

Anyway enough of this Queen talk lets get back to the king of thrills... all be it a king not at the height of this reign as we discuss Prog 1204.

We're well into the relaunch stories by now and in being so some problems are exposed for 2000ad in 2000 eerrr AD. See after the delights of 1999 JUST having Wagner Dredd, Dante and Sinister Dexter doesn't feel like enough. I know, we have gorged on Tharg's delights that he needs to pump more from his organ to satisfy these days and these early Diggle era comics mysteriously fail to deliver that.

I say mysteriously as we have Missionary Man, which I loved by now AND with the normally brilliant Jesus Redondo onboard.... yet Mark of the Beast, casting Caine against sub-terranian bomb worships doesn't serve as a fitting farewell in the Prog itself. It all falls a bit flat.

As does Red Fang that tries to be an intrigate sci-fi crime drama, but alas lacks characters that feel three dimensional, they too feel flat. Even worse they feel like they're really trying to be more and just failing. Makes them feel a little pretensious. Like Redando on Missionary Man, even the normally reliable Mighty Yeowell can't save this one.

So yeah Its hard to call these bad Progs, they aren't, there's wonderful Dredd, spectacular Dante, good Sinister Dexter (not sold on the art of much of this here) but 2000ad is back at full strength these days and so we demand more. Put these Progs 7, 8 even 3 years ago and they'd have been great. Here we know better.

12

Megazine / Re: Meg 410 Psilent Running

« on: 18 July, 2019, 06:22:40 am »

Hang on there Colin, the floppy is the Beeby/Dyer Anderson?  As you say, that ran all of 10 minutes ago, but I wants a collection nonetheless - may have to do one of my rare Meg purchases, the cover already had me wavering.  As I keep banging on about, the best version of Anderson since Half Life.

Well that being the case get yourself to the Meg as that's exactly what it is. If you do want it collected this is the perfect chance.

13

General / Re: When did 2000ad get good again.

« on: 17 July, 2019, 09:06:48 pm »

Like JaysuzB. I think Kola Kommandos is all sorts of fun. I wasn't expecting to like it on my recent re-read but I did. A lot.

My honest take on all this is try everything, if its not doing anything for you ditch it. I bet you'll not get any two fans to agree a list. The glory of 2000ad is the variety it offers and the variety of opinion it brings. I'd predict there's something on the list here that folks think is bobbins that you will like and vice versa.

14

Megazine / Re: Meg 410 Psilent Running

« on: 17 July, 2019, 08:49:39 pm »

Not so sure this month, nowts particularly bad but as a package didn't quite hit the heights of the Meg of late.

Dredd is action packed fun, but felt like action for no reason at this point in the story. Still Jake Lynch's art is stunning.

DeMarco just felt a bit flat on ever level. Lets see how it develops.

Diamond Dogs was pretty good, but felt like it had not connection with last time. Lets see how this one pulls togther.

The Returners, breaks the D them and is the best thing in the Meg. Last months episode felt pretty pedestrian compared to the last series as setup took centre stage. This week things feel into place, the intrgue cranked up and this is back to be a story I love.

Anderson is a decent set up. A pretty typical introduce the crew thing. I did like the reminder that Anderson is an efficent effective Judge for all her whimsy and soul and this has potential... just not got there yet.

The text stuff was pretty mundane if I'm honest.The feature on Speed the best of the bunch. The most disappointing thing was the floppie. Jez this stuff was in the prog only a couple of years ago. That's no time at all, really Tharg what's all that about. The only good thing about it (well actually the story was pretty good as I recall but since I only read it in the Prog recently I didn't bother!) is looking at Dyer's art. It reminded me how much I love his brilliant depiction of Anderson. She looks like a woman whose got all the strenght and experience of someone with 40 year experince on the streets. Just fantastic. Compared to the current depiction in both Prog and Meg its just streets ahead.

Anyway okay Meg but much room for improvement.

15

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

« on: 16 July, 2019, 08:18:22 pm »

bubstandard

Isn't that the term for describing the glut of Wolverine comics in the late 90s?

Exactly a John Smith comic that's as good as any of a bunch of contemporary Wolverine comics. I mean I could have used a word as bland as substandard but heck I am talking about purple prose Smith here*

[normalsizefont] Reckon I got away with that one and no one will notice [\normalsizefont]