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Film & TV / Twin Peaks - question from someone trying to avoid spoilers

« on: 16 September, 2017, 04:08:06 pm »

Sorry to start a new thread but I'm avoiding the 'Gum Style' thread so as to avoid spoilers for the the new Twin Peaks. Suspect my question is well covered there but hope you understand.

Anyway very much looking forward to the DVD release of the new Twin Peaks, but been trying to stay away from too much info to be spoiler free. Very much been thinking about watching the old stuff in prep. Then as luck would have it when pottering with the boy today stumbles across the Gold Edition of the complete old stuff for less than a tenner in a charity shop. Snapped it up, after all I'm sure Mrs YNWA will be up for a re-watch.

So my question - it doesn't contain 'Fire Walk With Me' as I hoped it might (really like that movie, though I've not seen it for a while). So folks who've seen season three am I right in suspecting, as I've heard vague mumbling, that a re-watch if FWWM is a good idea as well as walking the first two seasons?

Is there a viewing order to Twin Peaks... might investigate that!

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Prog / Prog 2043 - Signs of the Times

« on: 05 August, 2017, 01:49:33 pm »

Man that cover, while I LOVE Jake Lynch's Dredd that cover is WAY too busy and all the signs (which are clearly the point) are a bit much for this old man's etes. Still Jake Lynch draws the heck out of Dredd...

Speaking of loving Dredd man this story is fantastic. The interaction between Vega and Dredd reminds me of his early exchanges with Anderson. Vega is such a fun character "Can I come in and warm myself on the glow of your righteous fury?" one of my favourite lines for a while! On top of that the chase is fun, the action compelling. Seriously whats not to love about this. Top Dreddage.

Speaking of top thrills Grey Area is blindin' this Prog. The satire is pretty Millians is so on the nose but the delivery is fresh and exciting and I wonder whether the Grell story will come to a head here. Superb stuff.

Speaking of superb stuff I'm enjoying this new Alienist story more than its predecessors. Its immense fun and has a nice ending to boot.

Speaking of ending to boot in Grey Suits Blake delivers his attack and Uncle Pat deliever his typical on the nose commentry. Its a little in your face without the unabashed violence to hide behind but the punchline, after a family murder, makes it all worth it.

Speaking of family murder Hunted ends this week and as an episode its pretty good, if a little cackling made man shows us quite how evil he is by... well I'll let you read it. Pretty weak thrill over all but feels set up for more so lets see what happens next time hey.

Speaking if next time hey, yes I have been listening to way too many Space Spinner 2000 episodes laterly and the quality of this Prog reminds me that good as it was back in the day 2000ad still provides a sign of the times and I can't wait for next week.

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Prog / Prog 2041 - Rumble in the Jungle

« on: 22 July, 2017, 01:40:55 pm »

Solid, solid prog, full of action.

Dredd has a nice welcome return from Mike Carroll - who prefers his full name these days it would seem - one of the things that I've really enjoyed about his Dredd's is he's building quite the supporting cast and with Paul Marshal (who does a brilliant job but makes Dredd's badge look like an emoticon on page 4!) is returns a character I've been looking forward to him bringing back since their first appearance.

Grey Area brings on the action, always feels like he's stronger on the less energetic episodes where his skill on character, dialogie and story really shine,  but he does a good job here and while Mark Harrison isn't always the clearest of artists by and large he carries the pace off. Last page provides a nice epilogue and a taste of where things are going I suspect. Once again a top thrill.

As is Grey Suit. In this case Pat Mills seems stronger when he's masking his preaching with a lot of action as with last week he balances the two deftly here. A spoon full of violence helps the polemics go down, polemics go down, poolemics go down...

Nice to have a Future Shock by a new team in the Prog and while its utterly predictable and has a sizable plot hole I utterly enjoyed this one. Helped by the fact that the art was fantastic. Happy to see more from both.

Hunted should have been good, but its left me behind, its just not doing anything for me now and it feels like this is the episoe that really should have brought it all home a bag. Also too late and while in isolation it was no doubt good stuff I've stopped caring.

A post Brink Prog was always going to have an up hill struggle. But this one does as good a job as could be hoped for.

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Books & Comics / Two comics GREATS awarded Bill Finger Award

« on: 15 June, 2017, 09:57:19 pm »

This is 2000ad related (2001 related yes but not 2000) but what the heck as two of my all time favourite comic writers are being recognised with this years Bill Finger award. Read more about it here.

http://www.comicsbeat.com/bill-messner-loebs-and-jack-kirby-to-receive-2017-bill-finger-award/

Now Kirby is an easy one. His writing work after leaving Marvel for the first time is marks him on many days of the year as my absolute number 1 comic writer. From New Gods and Demon, to his return to Marvel with 2001 and Eternals (to name but a few) are just the very best there is. He just got what defines comics as a unique medium and stretches the very boundaries of the medium in an easy accessible and stunningly enjoyable way.

Messner-Loebs for many will be a less obvious choice but his work is truly the most under-rated of any in the mainstream of comics.He's brilliant and so few seem to get it. His work on the Wally West Flash is vrey possibly my favourite outside of a couple of Daredevil runs of any big two supergero comic. He did an astonishing run on Wonder Woman, for some reason over looked. BUT on top of that he's done some stunning work outside the mainstream, just check out his work as scripter on The Maxx and Journey.

The man is just a top rate writer and I'm so glad he's being so well recognised.

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Prog / Prog 2034 - Hot Rod Cop!

« on: 03 June, 2017, 08:37:36 pm »

Could have gone for three taglines from that glorious cover, Plumped for that one.

Its an odd Prog this week, its absolutely fine, but its just missing a little something compared to what's been in there lately.Even Brink has a mis-step... well not really... but we'll get to that. Instead we'll start woth something firing on all cylinders.

Dredd is a classic of old, in a good way. Even like the cope out 'We're in Mutie Country, we play it their way' or whatever the specific was, summit like that. It was a massive cope out as of course we've seen Dredd in Mutie Country before doing anything BUT play it their way, but what the heck it drives things forward and I liked what it drove so it gets a pass.

Defoe is slipped so much its boardering on skip!... not that I want anything daft like not having it in the Prog!

Scarlet Traces end excitingly enough  but strangely didn't add anything to the story to date. Felt like an ending destined for the middle of a trade. Not bad though.

Neither is Brink but in rattling things along it becomes almost normal good, rather than special good, lost some of its uniqueness for me this week. Its absolutely blistering... but this has done so well without blistering this felt a little straightforward. Still bloody excited to see what happens next mind.

Finally Hunted... kinda lost me at the end. Am I mean to know that chap? I assuming the masked fella ain't our General... is it? Am I just being daft? Nice to have this back as I enjoyed it last night but this just made me feel dumb!

So yeah nowt particularly bad (Defoe aside) but somehow the weakest Prog for some time... which just speaks to the strength of 2000ad at the minute... its 8.37 and unless someone has posted while I've been typing I've bagged the Prog thread... what's all that about?

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Other Reviews / Misty

« on: 01 June, 2017, 10:07:28 pm »

Sorry if this has a thread already but if so didn't spot it (a review thread that is). ANYWAY.

I've been looking forward to reading this but my giddy aunt (who strangely never appeared in the comic) this was good. Bloody good. Now I enjoyed Moonchild quite a bit. Sure it wore its inspiration very firmly on its sleeve, but crossing Carrie with Grange Hill is a xtroke of genius and it makes for a quite fantastic, if straightforward story and the art was pretty damned nice.

So yeah that was good. BUT The Four Faces of Eve aside from having an astonishly good title is frankly brilliant, just brilliant. The mystery, the villians, the hero so delightful the setting so evocative, the art so, so superb. Really this is first rate comics, everything about it works... well lettering aside. Its gripping from begining to end. Perfectly timed and just as long as it needs to be. Wow this was a real surprise, so impressed.

Am I right is there another volume of Misty reprints on the way?

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Film & TV / Ewok movies

« on: 01 May, 2017, 10:11:30 pm »

So I figure you lot will be able to help me with something I've been pondering.

So the two Ewok movies, are they any good? Not for me, in my head I saw Caravan of Courage back in the day (I might be wrong I also thought it got a cinema release in the country and didn't realise it was a TV movie) and hated it. I've never seen Battle for Endor.

Now my kids are getting well and truly into Star Wars in all forms, christ they love um all, what Dad thinks be damned ... which is of course as it should be, after all as George kept saying he was making movies for kids, its not his fault if adults got carried away with it all. And they both love Ewoks (look they'll grow out of it okay) and so my mind wondered back to these films, they seem to be available and that being the case are they worth showing the kids?

Any thoughts?

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Prog / Prog 2025 - The Road to Hell

« on: 01 April, 2017, 03:25:46 pm »

All relax, as you were, nothing to see here.

It may be 1st April bit Tharg ain't foolin' with the thrillpower, we continue on simply excellent form.

Dredd builds in the direction I was expecting, very, very well. Its great stuff and the question we have is were does it go from here. Its predictable, up to now but excellent.

Brink is just plain excellent, a story built quite fantastically on a conversation of the week basis and this one's just a doozy. Soomehow, almost imperspectively the tension is building and I adore this series.

Scarlet Traces is pulling a similar trick, its apparatus are more obvious but the tension its slowly building is great and there a Doctor Whoesque cliffhanger this week.

Future Shock does feel a little too familar which isn't a good thing in this type of story but its done effectively enough and ya know Steve Yeowell so this one is just about a pass.

Deadworld still continues to defy my expectations by being superb. Well done that expectation defying creative team.

Advert at the back is for the return of Defoe a strip I've never really warmed to BUT with Colin MacNeill taking over art I'm rather looking forward to seeing now he affects the feel of the strip.

All good Tharg you carry on old boy, you carry on.

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General / John Higgins on BBC Breakfast

« on: 31 March, 2017, 09:06:27 am »

He's just about to come on to discuss his exhibition in Liverpool (I think). If you use watch again its around 9.06am (random day off work well timed for me!)

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Prog / Prog 2024 - Meet Harvey

« on: 25 March, 2017, 01:58:01 pm »

That's the Prog you've been looking for.

As I suspected last week the Prog reachs almost as high as the last run. The new Dredd story Harvey has a solid and enjoyable opener. Dredd plays his cynical role and Hershay asks him to give things a try. Intrigued to see where this goes.

Brink has a blinding episode, the exchange between 'Fil' and Kurtis just sings. Its like the previous series already. Just devine comics.

A great little Future Shock, always great to see Nick Dyer in the Prog.

Scarlet Traces has a cracking and thrilling episode with more great character exchanges .

Deadworld also continues to defy my expectation by being fantastic.

This is all just great stuff. Thanks Tharg.

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General / Tales of random kindness

« on: 13 March, 2017, 04:07:49 pm »

So Mr Moffatt is the 'Buildin' Supervisor' at my sons school here in Sheffield. I've known him for a few years now as it was also my daughters school before that. Some how, and I assume it was something to do with a t-shirt I've been wearing or similar, we got to talking about 2000ad and it transpires that he's a big 2000ad fan. Full set, always got it that sort of thing. So when we see each other, if we have time we briefly chew the fat about the Galaxy's Greatest. He's a very nice man.

Anyway had one of those random end of holiday years days off today, as it was my wife's birthday yesterday. So I collected the kids. Mr Moffatt was stood by the doors as a chaos* of kids and parents tried the navigate the anarky of pick up time. We nodded hellos and he noted my 'I am Mekon' t-shirt and then said - oh I've got something for you.

'Oh really'

'Yeah you don't have the first few issues of 2000ad do you.' - we've discussed our respective collections.

'No, not yet, one day'

'Right I'll just nip home to get something, don't go before I'm back.' Mr Moffatt lives on site so no problem.

Get the maruding herbert that is my son after a day in reception and as we're collecting his coat Mr Moffatt comes back and lo and behold hands me pretty damned decent copies of issues 3 and 4. A little taken aback I stammer that I can't possibly accept them for nowt. He smiles and explains that he's just taken all his duplicates to a charity shop and missed these and remembered I'd like them.

How cool is Mr Moffatt! Very bloody cool that's how cool. So yeah just racking my noggin now to think what I can exchange. I wonder if he'd like the 40th print I have sitting around doing nowt... maybe my copy of Underbelly I have on my too sell pile... I'll think of something.

Anyway Mr Moffatt doesn't hang round these parts - I don't think - but I just wanted you all to know what a ghafflebette squaxx he is.

*I think that's the correct collective noun for this gathering

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Classifieds / 40th Anniversary Prints - possible swaps

« on: 13 February, 2017, 08:54:39 pm »

Well while the print I've got from the 40th Bash is pretty lovely I'm not sure I'll put it up and was wondering what the other ones offered where and if anyone would like to do a swap? I got this one (with thanks to Geek Press for the image)



and was wondering if anyone fancied an exchange?

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Prog / Prog 2017 - Bursting through the thrill-barrier!

« on: 04 February, 2017, 02:28:57 pm »

The Prog is just on blistering form. A fun and very effective Future Shock takes over from the weakest strip in the current run and that aside we're as you were really.

Dredd superb, Kingmaker supereme, The Order superdoper.

Kingdom get thrill of the week mind though, its such a GREAT thrill and this week shows that its still got twists and turns up its sleeve to suprise and delight. Just a great ending (to the episode).

Oh lovely cover to.

Really when the Prog is this good there's just not much to say here. Massive well done to all involved.

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Help! / Just testing

« on: 18 December, 2016, 10:26:29 am »

Hi folks,

Just testing as I'm shifting my images used here to Photobucket as previously I'd been perfectly happy using Google Photos but that's becoming increasingly difficult to post as an image here. So I'm just checking I can use Photobucket okay before my calendar entry later in the week.

If you can see the image below and fancy telling me its okay that'd be nice - otherwise nothing to see here.

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Prog / Prog 2003 - On the warpath!

« on: 15 October, 2016, 11:53:08 am »

Another nice solid Prog. Dredd ends, shame it was so brief but its a good solid story, well told so no real complaints. Really enjoyed that one. Williams continues with another story next Prog joined by Mr Flint so ABSOLUTELY NO complaints.

Flesh continues to be a little light, but entertaining. Mr Mills seems to be setting up some more anti-science stuff but at least the shelves are filled this time.

Hunted shifts focus a little this week so we still await more from the Traitor General himself but its all fun.

Savage kicks up a gear with some clumsy foreshadowing (I'm predicting) from Mills, what will Nika do by the end of the story I wonder. Bill get a rebuke and some baddies to fight. Good fun all in all.

Counterfeit Girl continues to be brilliant and a little dazzling. Loving this.

So yeah all in all a very good Prog. Liking this new line-up, might not be perfect but its got a good variety to it.