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General / Dredd Epics Ranked - Better! Round 5

« on: Today at 06:11:54 AM »

Look at the list of 8 Dredd stories below and tell me your top three:

1 (your favourite of the 8) will get 3 points
2 (your 2nd fav) will get 2 points
3 (your 3rd fav) will get 1 point

Advanced from the previous rounds:

The Chief Judge's Man - Progs 1244-1247, 1263-1266, 1342-1349

City of the Damned - Progs 393-406

Mechanismo - Megs 2.12-2.17; 2.22-2.26; 2.37-2.43

Sin City - Progs Progs 1289-1299

Next four from Dredd Epics Ranked:

Die Laughing - OGN

Helter Skelter - Progs 1250-1261

Trifecta - Progs 1804-1812

Wilderlands - Progs 904-918 and Megs 2.63-2.68

Voting will close on the morning of Wednesday 8th March and the 4 Epics with the most votes will progress to the next round.

All links go through to AlexF’s simply brilliant Dredd Epics Ranked blog. You may need to scroll to find his write up of a particular story - but I’d suggest just reading the whole thing anyway - it's fantastic stuff.

Baffled by what’s going on here - well we have a a thread for that - though that might leave you more confused than anything.

Rules for what they are worth.

Not sure about anything just ask and I’ll blag it.

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General / Dredd Epics Ranked - Better! Vote for positions 44 - 37

« on: Today at 06:09:25 AM »

Here's the next 8 Epics (well there's a whole thread about that with some fascinating thoughts there) to be slotted into their final positions. Let's see how things land and while I appreciate votes have been made many times for some of the thrills here, just one more time gives us our precise (well as much as this format will allow) positions. One more time my friends.

Look at the list of 8 Dredd stories below and tell me your top three:

1 (your favourite of the 8) will get 3 points
2 (your 2nd fav) will get 2 points
3 (your 3rd fav) will get 1 point

34 Blood Trails - Progs 1440-1449

35 The Ecstasy - Progs 1617-1626

36 Judgement Day - Progs 786-799; Megs 2.04-2.08

37 Cold War [The Adventures of Judge Dredd in the Land of the Soviets] - Progs 2055-2069

38 Darkside - Progs 1017-1028

39 Mandroid 2 - Instrument of War - Progs 1555-1566

41 The Hunting Party - Progs 1033-1049

42 Doomsday - Progs 1141-1164; Megs 3.52-3.59

Voting will close on the morning of Friday 12th March and we’ll have our next 8 positions sorted

All links go through to AlexF’s simply brilliant Dredd Epics Ranked blog. You may need to scroll to find his write up of a particular story - but I’d suggest just reading the whole thing anyway - it's fantastic stuff.

Baffled by what’s going on here - well we have a a thread for that - though that might leave you more confused than anything.

Rules for what they are worth.

Not sure about anything just ask and I’ll blag it.

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

« on: 07 March, 2021, 09:14:50 PM »

Prog 1909 - Explosive Endings

I was curious on rereading 1909 with its two very different endings, both with BIG explosions what I'd have thougth of those two read in real time. Not that I'd have changed that much, rather the experience of reading them week to week, rather in the compressed manner of a re-read.

To be honest I had no concerns about the ending to Kingdom 'Aux Drift' it was just classic, big hard, thrilling action. The explosion engulfing all, casting Gene aside just enough to save him as a giant Them was shattered. I won't say it was big dumb fun, but it offered all the thrillpower it was going to on first reading. I say that not as a slight its what Kingdom does very, very well. Its an absolute classic thrill and I loved this then and now.

It was the end to Dredd - Block Judge that I feared would throw me. While it was clearly and wonderfully foreshadowed it still blow what had gone before away and fired out of leftfield to end the strip abruptly and suddenly while ending nothing. I shouldn't have doubted Self Absorbed YNWA he got it fine. Well in fact I shouldn't have doubted the masters John Wagner and Carlos Ezquerra. They give us all we need week to week and in re-read.

Here's what I said 6 (and a bit) years ago now.

What a stonking Prog. Two endings so brilliantly contrasting in one particular way, what they foretell. Kingdom reachs an explosive conclusion and while the episode is all bang the ending promises... well an ending. I wonder if the next story will be the last, what with Rich Elson being so busy elsewhere. It certainly makes a significent change and I personally can't wait for this superb strip to return... or more likely will have to but will do so willingly knowing it will be back.

Dredd too reaches its explosive conclusion and its quite, quite brilliant. The contrast though is that Dredd makes it clear it will never end, his struggle goes on and he does too. His reaction to the dramatic conclusion throw me a little I have to say. He took it all so matter of fact, too matter of fact maybe. Has he seen so much that even that, after all that work begs no reaction, just turn round and get to work. Have events of the last few years hardened him so much? Am I just expecting too much from it all and he reacted exactly as he should... that's how I think it goes to be honest but I found it fascinating and loved the whole thing.

Spot on old boy (well younger boy).

What's great is on this read I got the more explicit point I missed, or at least failed to comment on before. Wagner and Ezquerra don't give us one thing they layer it and so unlike the brlliant Kingdom and I got another point. That's not to say it was sutly tucked away. Far from it. Rather its exposed more clearly when Block Judge is read as one. The endless fight against crime, sure. But the point its making really is for all of Dredd and co's relentless battle against organised crime, their rigourous persecution of crimelords, to the extent it even stretched Hershey's - then Chief Judge - patience and brought early signs of tension between the two coming back to the fore. Anyway yeah for all that - for all the brutal twisted war against brutal twisted men and women in Mega City One it isn't enough. They'd won, they'd beated the crimelords, but this is Mega City One all it takes is one deluded crazy and all that is undone.

Its quite, quite brilliant. Then and now.

Oh and while we're at it I said this as well

So much so in fact that it gets thrill of the week even over Ichabod and his title of blarh blarh blarh lots and lots of words blarh blarh blarh blarh. Which was quite brilliant too... as was Greysuit heck even Sticklebrick which I've struggled with again, was superb this week, quite an eye openner.

Possibly Prog of the year that... which I can't back up or haven't thought about, but boy if it wasn't...

Yep 1909 as explosive thrilling then as it is now.

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Film & TV / Re: Current TV Boxset Addiction

« on: 07 March, 2021, 05:13:17 PM »

Struggling with The Expanse Season 4. There's been moments, but there have also been moments when its been pretty bad. The moustache twirling villian, the stand off between Inners and Belters in the settlement, Bobbie's arc hasn't been great and boundaries on cliche. Only half way through so plenty of time for it to pick up, but man this has been a come down after Season 3!

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General / Stunning Tharg Bust shown on Facebook

« on: 07 March, 2021, 04:59:32 PM »

If you've on Facebook pop over to the 2000ad 77-2000ad Group were you can see the most AMAZING bust of Tharg.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/4727793513/permalink/10159988698963514/

For those of you not on Facebook here's a sample.

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General / Re: 2000AD Forum Sketch Competition #2: ENTRIES THREAD

« on: 07 March, 2021, 04:50:54 PM »

Why change a winning formula!



That says 'Evil Grandmaster Penguin' at the bottom - yes I was running out of taime badly for the lettering!

Another Phoenix rip off - this time the fantastic Laura Ellen Anderson's 'Evil Empire Penguin'. Four books available now.

https://www.thephoenixcomic.co.uk/Shop/Item/EEP1

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Books & Comics / Re: Rok the God Kickstarter

« on: 07 March, 2021, 03:22:17 PM »

I went back to the Dan well and picked up two Max Normal and two more Rok pages. First up that footie page I was after...



Some comments I added on my Comicartfans page

"Well I said (somewhere maybe here?) that I wanted A Rok of the Reds piece that featured football action and when Dan catelogued all the art he had for sale this one really jumped out at me. Sure I could have gone for a page featuring exclusively football action, but this one says so much more 'cos footie is about so much more. The endless TV shows, the local paper with the local insights and gossip (love the Kebab Shop competition) and of course the fans. This one has it all in a freeze frame movie montage. Just brilliant.

I don't think Dan will be well known to comic fans outside the UK (???) but really check his work out his is quite brilliant."

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General / Re: 2000AD Original Art Thread

« on: 07 March, 2021, 03:13:23 PM »

Jez - lockdown is turning me into an original art junkie. Not, one, not 2 but 4 new pages from Dan Cornwell. Two from Rok so they'll go elsewhere, but damn if he keeps putting his glorious art under my nose I'll just keep buying it I know!

First up a fantastic page (one of two) from the recent Max Normal series no one knew they wanted nor needed until it arrived. A series I just loved and didn't get a page from until...



Again from my Comicartfans pages cos I'm lazy...

"Last time I snapped up some Dan Cornwell pages I did get one from Max Normal, well I've made up for it this time. Just look at the 'acting' on this one - just so expressive and brilliant. Vito's (the chimp) range as he tells a tale of rage and breaks into hilarity and Max's softer, but no less revealing reaction.

Just brilliant. If you've not become familar with Dan Cornwell's art yet do yourself a favour and do so. He's surely destined for great things."

more soon...

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General / Re: What Defines a Dredd Epic?

« on: 06 March, 2021, 09:03:08 PM »

Its funny in my head there's a clear defined list - though for the life of me I can't begin to think what that comes from - maybe its when something was announced as a Mega-Epic in the Nerve Centre. Up to a point it was the stories collected in seperate named volmes by Titan - with The Robot Wars as the accepted (???) precursor so as I've said elsewhere in my head cannon its

Now I know the actual list of Dredd Epics is just; Robot Wars; The Cursed Earth; The Day the Law Died; Judge Child; Apocalypse War; City of the Damned; Oz; Necropolis; Judgement Day; Purgatory / Inferno; Wilderlands; The Pit; Doomsday; Origins, Tour of Duty and Day of Chaos. The rest are just long Dredd stories.

But there's no rythm and reason for that so the simple anwser is it doesn't matter and we work with what we decide for ourselves I guess. It was stories over 20 part (and The Robot War as the first long form and City of the Damned which was planned to be more than 20 parts, which we all know.... errrr... cos.).

I really admire AlexF (and Broodblik lest we forget) for just placing a proper definition on it and sticking with that... except The Robot Wars, we all makes exception for The Robot Wars!

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General / Re: 2000AD Forum Sketch Competition #2: ENTRIES THREAD

« on: 06 March, 2021, 02:02:58 PM »

Wow folks - that's quite the opening salvo.

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General / Re: Dredd Epics Ranked - Better! Round 4

« on: 06 March, 2021, 11:53:21 AM »

Am still a bit iffy about mechanismo being considered in this competition. It’s more a constant theme in Dredd rather than an epic. You could equally argue the stand alone PJ maybe stuff is all a mega-epic or the Letter From / Democracy stuff or argue Harvey is part of the mechanismo epic.

While I don't necessarily disagree in AlexF we abide. He took the time to work his magic and while I'm doing my upmost to unpick that, we must work with his madness engine.

The answer remains if you're not sure don't vote for it and the majority will win the day...

...but you are clearly right!

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General / Re: Dredd Epics Ranked - Better! Round 4

« on: 06 March, 2021, 08:07:26 AM »

We need more epics (micro epics?) where the stakes are based on character jeopardy rather than THOUSANDS WILL DIE! threats that we've seen so many times before.

Yeah that's the factor that really makes this one work for me. Its tight and personal which is fascinating for a character like Dredd.

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General / Re: Dredd Epics Ranked - Better! Round 4

« on: 06 March, 2021, 06:35:37 AM »

VOTING CLOSED

Well well well some Epics just can't be stopped. All we can hope for is that other Epics migth join them in their seemingly relentless march to the top.

Progressing to the next round:

Mechanismo - 51 points
City of the Damned - 26 points
Sin City - 25 points
The Chief Judge's Man - 13 points

Going into the 44 - 37 position play off:

Judgement Day - 6 points
Doomsday - 5 points
The Ecstasy - 1 point
Blood Trials - well I really like it at least....

For one of our unstoppable troop the march seems to be slowing, the other however is rallying. Mechanismo shows its form makes it a real one to watch and Sin City puts in a good opening performance.

But come on folks what's wrong with Blood Trails?

Come back Monday when some very interesting choices join the fray!

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General / Re: Dredd Epics Ranked - Better! Vote for positions 52 - 45

« on: 05 March, 2021, 09:17:06 AM »

Yeah I thought Robot Wars would do better. Its place in the pantheon of Epics is assured for so many. Its the original and AlexF was right to have made an exception to give it a place. That said it is early Dredd and early Dredd isn't that good.

Similarly I agree that we will see some stories caught between being quite good - or very good, but not really being an Epic in a lot of folks minds and Mega Rackets is a prime example of that.

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General / Re: Dredd Epics Ranked - Better! Round 4

« on: 05 March, 2021, 06:32:12 AM »

Last call for Round 4. Closing in the morning for our weekend break from all this. Votes on the last day have had a significent impact so far so get your votes in today and we'll see how things line. This one seems to be stirring up some real movement.