Prog 2073 - Future Visions!

[Zenith 666]

Personally I find that the artist is less of a problem than the writer.  Harrison and McNeil's (?) work on the Final Solution jarred a bit at first but has grown on me over the years (finally got the 'Shine on you Crazy Diamond' line as well).  Similarly' Dobbyn's work suited the strip well.  Some of the Tales of the Doghouse and Gronk stuff just ... well, what can I say?

Ezquerra will always be my first choice but we do have to be a little realistic.  Like too many of us, he is staring his own mortality in the face.  Let's hope its for a while yet though.

King Carlos will outlive us all.

[I, Cosh]

Praise where it's due. I really didn't enjoy the last run of stories but this Prog was an absolute belter. Pretty much every story hit the mark. If I had to pick a highpoint it would be Dylan Teague's art on that Future Shock. I think I've read somewhere before that he prefers to ink and colour other people's art. On this showing that is a crying shame.

[Jim_Campbell]

I think I've read somewhere before that he prefers to ink and colour other people's art. On this showing that is a crying shame.

I think ‘prefers’ is a bit strong. I’m constantly badgering Dyl on social media to draw more strips (see also: Doherty, P.) but like the rest of us, the man has bills to pay. If you can get, say, £50/pg colouring and can do three pages a day, or £150/pg for drawing a page but it takes you more than a day to do it, the maths is pretty simple.

(All numbers invented for illustrative purposes.)

[norton canes]

Like some kind of thrill-powered Lazarus, the prog makes a breathtaking return from the dead.

Great Dredd, wonderful work from Chris Weston, plot-wise Pin takes a surprise back seat on her return but I'm sure her murderous proclivities will soon resurface.

(All those skulls... the SJS remind me of that Mitchell and Webb sketch - "Are we... the baddies?")

Not read any Jaegir before but the way this run explodes into action makes me aegir for more (see what I did there?). Love the 'lazooka' reference.

Decent Future Shock, though I'm not sure what's so terrible about ending up in a virtual reality full of multiple copies of your gorgeous female acquaintance..?

How the funt did Dan Abnett get away with that title? Mandatory 15 in the cubes for crimes against humour, citizen.

Anderson was OK but the narrative seemed a bit disjointed - the first page was particularly awkward to understand - and some of the dialogue was a bit sluggish but, the inclusion of the haruspex (learned a new word there) was inspired, and it's nice to see David Roach's drawing style is no longer like bad erotic fantasy.

The Fear story was pretty good but the unfortunate truth is that the Deadworld stories are now indelibly wedded to Dave Kendall's art. Dan Cornwell does some sterling work but this was perhaps not the story for him. Get him back in the prog ASAP though, Tharg.

Just thinking - Strontium Dog has to be 2000AD's best loved strip, yeah? I know everyone has their favourite but SD seems to be the one people cherish the most, and desperately want to see done well. Just as well then that John and Carlos deliver the goods. John's dialogue is such a pleasure to read, it flows so well, nothing ever jars or reads awkwardly. His sly humour is never far from the surface and the grit which infuses the SD world is ever-present. An overdue return and I can't wait for the missions to begin in earnest next week.     

All this and a Star Scan too! When was the last time we had one of those?

Two words: ZAR. JAZ.

[norton canes]

Oh, I almost forgot - what's with the awful staples cover?

No, silly, not the Greg Staples cover, that's awesome. I mean the staples holding it on! Don't the bumper-size issues usually have proper book-style binding? 

[Jim_Campbell]

Don't the bumper-size issues usually have proper book-style binding?

Only the end-of-year specials. I don't recall any other 'special' issue having square binding.

[I, Cosh]

I think I've read somewhere before that he prefers to ink and colour other people's art. On this showing that is a crying shame.

I think ‘prefers’ is a bit strong. I’m constantly badgering Dyl on social media to draw more strips (see also: Doherty, P.) but like the rest of us, the man has bills to pay. If you can get, say, £50/pg colouring and can do three pages a day, or £150/pg for drawing a page but it takes you more than a day to do it, the maths is pretty simple.

(All numbers invented for illustrative purposes.)

Fair enough. I was half-remembering stuff from ancient history.

[Mardroid]

Decent Future Shock, though I'm not sure what's so terrible about ending up in a virtual reality full of multiple copies of your gorgeous female acquaintance..?

I think it’s the fact that the last time he was with her he put himself first to save his own skin and jumped into the portal. Arguably there wasn’t much he could do, without being killed or captured himself, but it still came across especially selfish.

So now he’ll spend eternity surrounded by the faces of those he betrayed. (The other face being the bloke he was with, who he also left.)

Very nice jumping on Prog.

[Taryn Tailz]

I've only had a chance to flick through the Prog so far, but already it looks so much better than the hard slog that was the previous line-up. Had the new line-up been in anyway like the previous line-up, I would have seriously considered dropping the Prog again for awhile, but this looks as though it shall restore my faith.

[Geoff]

Staples Cover

Weston on Dredd

Carlos and Wagner on Strontium Dog

Roach on Anderson

Jaegir and more

God yeah!

[Colin YNWA]

Okay so I got sick of waiting and popped to Smiths to get the Prog as my sub copy still hasn't landed - but well worth the wait. For me this just goes to show how strong 2000ad is at the moment. I enjoyed much of the last run of strips and then to spring a new set as strong as this is testament to Tharg.

As is ever the case with launch Progs a couple felt a bit too set up and the possibly the worst of these is Strontium Dog I'm afraid to say. So much packed in, something Wagner normally masters with aplomb here it all felt a bit rushed and cluttered. I've little doubt this will pick up however. Anderson also didn't quite work the way I expected and had to double back a couple of times, just didn't flow. Still enough to intrigue.

A glorious opener was given in Jaegir - wow that packed a punch. Similarly the Dredd was supreme.

Alas lush art aside the Future Shock fell entirely flat for me.

Best in show goes to a beautfully rendered, how good is Dan Cornwell quickly becoming, Judge Fear story that managed to make the most maligned Dark Judge feel genuinely terrifying and a joyous character piece in Sinister Dexter by another Master Dan.

Not quite the exemplary Prog some seem to have this down as but bloody good and a fine demonstration of quite how deep Tharg's coffers are these days.

[DrRocka]

After seriously considering jacking the prog in recently, this for me is s glorious return to form. I wasn't too keen on the Future Shock, the first two pages took several readings before I understood what was going on, and Jaegir's not my bag baby (Rogue Trooper without Rogue Trooper! Eh?).
But, unlike the last few months, the mixed bag nature of it all means it's right back to where I like it. Hell I've even come to enjoy Sinister Dexter of late (hated it for 20 years!), and unlike Slaine and ABC'S, THAT'S how you do five pages of two people talking and keep it interesting!

Thank you Tharg, I'm a satisfied squaxx again.

[sheridan]

Yeah leaving it to John and Carlos seems to be the only situation that is practical or even desirable, though if John created more strip than Carlos could cope with (is that even possible - Carlos is a monster!) I would certainly be more than happy to see Chris Weston and or Colin MacNeil Stronts - both massive Stront fans themselves.  It would give the same impression as having Gibson/McCarthy fill ins during the starlord era. 

I suspect that Chris Weston would not make a good fill-in artist - his work doesn't appear very often and what appears on the page suggests a slower work rate to me.  Colin MacNeil appears to be able to churn out linework quickly though takes longer with fully (colour) painted, though not sure how much longer.

[sheridan]

That was the best episode of Dredd in a very long time. With art like that Chris Weston has truly reached the same level as Bolland. And I never thought I would say that when reading Killing Time or Canon Fodder.

You didn't like the artwork on either of those strips?

Dan Abnett stretches out one joke to 5 pages in a way only he can on Sinister Dexter. I thought the unusual (for 2000AD) panel layout worked really well.

The thrill-cast goes in to this - trying to pull a Watchmen and giving extra kudos to Dave Gibbons for having managed to maintain it for 12 issues!

Dan Cornwell also shows progression in his art on Judge Fear. I can see shades of  McMahon, Flint, Bolland, Robinson (Cliff not Hilary ) and Lynch in this. Good story too. Who says there is no mileage left in the DJs?

I think the past year is the best DJ stuff since Necropolis - both the Tales of Deadworld and Judge Fear in 2000AD and Dominion in the Meg.

[DrJomster]

What an excellent prog!

#PraiseBeToTharg