Well, the last week before the next Regened prog and the review thread still not started so late in the day? A little surprising all things consider. I mean, we've had such consistently high quality proggage in recent weeks. That said, this week feels a little lacklustre for some reason.
I wonder if it is the Terror Tale: Quillivision? Certainly for me it was a bit of an odd beast (as was the "Amanda Alsatian" character ...). The artwork doesn't stack up well against the rest of the prog but then again that is a little unfair to the artist. I mean, when you are billed alongside Flint, Harrison, Yeowell and Burns then you are asking for trouble. Mostly though it just seemed like a non-story.
Dredd is a talking heads episode with a quick resolution to the current horseman 'problem' ready to move on to the next one. Of more interest is the hints as Azrael's place in the tale. makes me wonder if I do need to fetch back for a re-read of the old tales there.
In fact all round this seems to be a bit of an in-between prog. The Out, Sin/Dex and the Order all seem more about setting the scene for the future. Maybe that is why there is such an unsatisfying feeling? Don't get me wrong, it's still head and shoulders above anything from the big two on their best day. It's just one of those "we've been spoilt rotten recently and now we've got to eat our veg" progs, if that makes sense.
So, we get to see if the upward trajectory of Regened can continue next week before picking up all these threads.
Really can't see how we've been spoiled rotten of late, but aye... not a brilliant prog for sure.
Oddly enough, I just realised tonight what my minor issue is with Harrison's art. '2012' the terrible disaster movie was playing in the background, and I noted (again) how messy it was in the scenes of disaster, so much going on, all in very similar colour palette, resulting in an overblown confusing mess on the eye. Nicely done in individual elements, but so much lumped together it's hard to pick anything out.
So aye, Harrison is the Roland Emmerich of comics.
Is this the third Quilli story and the second Quilli cover? That's quite a strike rate.
Quote from: Timothy on 15 August, 2020, 08:58:54 PM
Is this the third Quilli story and the second Quilli cover? That's quite a strike rate.
Quilli is God, Quilli is Life, never forget!!
Quote from: Timothy on 15 August, 2020, 08:58:54 PM
Is this the third Quilli story and the second Quilli cover? That's quite a strike rate.
The previous stories ran in
prog 2134 - "The Quilli Committee"
prog 2091 - "Quilli"
The previous cover was for prog 2134
(https://images.rebellion.co.uk/productVersion/7b/85/00.default.jpg)
Hope Quilli doesn't make a play for Tharg's seat...
" just realised tonight what my minor issue is with Harrison's art. '2012' the terrible disaster movie was playing in the background, and I noted (again) how messy it was in the scenes of disaster, so much going on, all in very similar colour palette, resulting in an overblown confusing mess on the eye"
This is a problem Harrison has had for a long time, dating back to Glimmer Rats where everything was so murky green you couldnt see to tell what was going on, Durham Red was just dark pages with mucky colours, and now its a technicolour scream that confuses the eye and needs tighter linework to bring it together rathjer than his extremely loose euro style. Harrison is a very accomplished artist, but hes not a very good comics artist if it's difficult to make out what is going on storywise
Finally read my Prog this Monday night - and I enjoyed it , apart from the weak Quilli one-off
- and also THE ORDER - which is coming back for another story arc ( groan ... )
still if others like it , then fine with me ( its different , that's for sure )
I thought DREDD - End of Days set up the next part of the story not too bad , and SINISTER DREDD
was pretty good , THE OUT is going to be well worth waiting for the next part - and I think the REGENED Prog is a great idea - that will attract new , younger readers to the Comic
I also see Pat Mill's SPACEWRAP looks pretty damn good - its on sale on Amazon
I am just waiting till October for the paper issue but will buy a couple of extra issues and gift them to some young kids I know
also DELIGHTED - that Proteus Vex will come back soon is a new Ambassador story
Quote from: metcalfecarr on 17 August, 2020, 01:00:14 PMThis is a problem Harrison has had for a long time, dating back to Glimmer Rats where everything was so murky green you couldnt see to tell what was going on, Durham Red was just dark pages with mucky colours, and now its a technicolour scream that confuses the eye and needs tighter linework to bring it together rathjer than his extremely loose euro style. Harrison is a very accomplished artist, but hes not a very good comics artist if it's difficult to make out what is going on storywise
Dunno if maybe I cared less on those stories, or he's got worse, but yeah, the lack of depth puts everything in the same plane, and then everything becomes indistinguishable from everything else. I agree, like John Hicklenton, a brilliant artist, but terrible storyteller.
The cover by David Hitchcock and Matt Soffe:
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EfSmqz6XYAAQfzr?format=jpg&name=large)
The cover with logo:
(https://i2.wp.com/www.comicon.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/2000-ad-2195-1.jpg?resize=768%2C1003)
As a new(ish) reader It seems I enjoyed this prog much more than others here, although I'm missing Tee and the gang from Full Tilt Boogie already.
The Dredd - End of Days installment was a welcome and pleasantly surprising break from the frenetic pace so far, and with the additional intrigue from Azrael this all seems to be shaping up to be more than just a death and ultraviolence action spectacular. A lot of nice world building here that ties into the wider Dredd lore in a satisfying way.
The Out continues to be the best current story IMO, the writing is stellar and although it seems from the reviews above that the artwork is controversial, I personally find it incredibly evocative. In fact when convincing people to start reading 2000AD recently, Harrison's otherworldly artwork is the first thing I show them. Nothing to say that hasn't already been said about this genuinely brilliant story.
Sinister Dexter was good. Although it's not really my favourite strip, I think this part has really re-grounded the story and provides a solid jumping off point for whatever Abnett has planned next.
I thought the Quilli story was honestly brilliant. I loved the "recognisably modern Britain but satirically heightened" sense of it all, most brilliantly expressed with the cops at the start who feel incredibly real before it quickly spins off into Amanda Alsation, like something from Monkey Dust. The whole thing felt like a modernisation of classic British horror in the vein of The Wicker Man, with modern fears of media manipulation in the mix with Hammer Horror's traditional "progress is just a veil over the inescapable terrors of the past" themes. Absolutely brilliant.
The Order is, as always, completely opaque and confusing to me. Maybe one day I'll go back and try to figure out what the hell is happening, but every part I've ever read seems to be the same high stakes turned-up-to-11 melodrama. It just has no breathing room and perhaps for that reason I just can't seem to get a foothold into the story. The art is gorgeous though.
Like Tjm86, this issue fell a bit flat for me. Quilli didn't click with me, and The Order is now incomprehensible. Sin/Dex rumbles on.
End of Days is fun enough, though, even if it's hard to picture where it's heading, and right now I'd happily buy 2000 AD just for The Out, which is my favourite thing in the comic for a long time—probably my top new strip since Kingdom.
Quote from: IndigoPrime on 18 August, 2020, 02:52:09 PM
right now I'd happily buy 2000 AD just for The Out
Right now
I am buying 2000AD just for The Out.
Really haven't enjoyed End Of Days, Full Tilt Boogie or this series of The Order
(*standard 'Despite the artwork' disclaimer). Looking forward to Prog 2200 like I never have a jump-on Prog before. Even in 1995.
Quote from: metcalfecarr on 17 August, 2020, 01:00:14 PM
" just realised tonight what my minor issue is with Harrison's art. '2012' the terrible disaster movie was playing in the background, and I noted (again) how messy it was in the scenes of disaster, so much going on, all in very similar colour palette, resulting in an overblown confusing mess on the eye"
This is a problem Harrison has had for a long time, dating back to Glimmer Rats where everything was so murky green you couldnt see to tell what was going on, Durham Red was just dark pages with mucky colours, and now its a technicolour scream that confuses the eye and needs tighter linework to bring it together rathjer than his extremely loose euro style. Harrison is a very accomplished artist, but hes not a very good comics artist if it's difficult to make out what is going on storywise
Couldn't disagree more.
Quote from: levireeves on 18 August, 2020, 02:02:38 PM
The Order is, as always, completely opaque and confusing to me.
'Opaque' is exactly the right word. I have the same issue with 'Deadworld': I really want to like these stories, but for some reason they just bounce off me: I can't seem to remember who everybody is, or figure out how consecutive scenes relate to each other. Maybe one day it will just click.
Other than that, the Prog is great stuff at the moment: Dredd picking up nicely after a bit of a 'meh' start, and 'The Out' turning out to be a Grade A thrill. Plus, a Prog with 'Sinister Dexter' is always better than a Prog without 'Sinister Dexter'.
After the highs of the last few weeks the prog is a bit of a let down but maybe that is expected as most of the stories have either wrapped up or about too wrap up. We also entering a mini break with the upcoming regen prog next week.
The Dredd story is now in its full stride and it gets better with each episode. The Out is difficult to determine where it is heading but maybe that is what makes this such an interesting read. The Order ends on a cliff-hanger and we will have to wait to see where this is going. Sin/Dex just feels like it cannot lift off, too many interruptions and stoppages.
So the Angel of Death was [spoiler]Oola Blint[/spoiler] all along, eh? Didn't see that one coming and not really sure that it makes any sense or that a reread is going to do this story any favours.
After last week's closing page I was looking forward to Al Swearengen being the latest historical figure to appear in the The Order. Hopefully he'll make it into the next series.
I seem to be only not completely in awe of The Out. It's perfectly fine and better than anything else this week, but I'm not totally convinced.
Yeah it's a bit like the brakes have been slammed on this week, with the next Regened imminent. End Of Days latest chapter gets one of those "Ah, you didn't expect that!" low-key resolutions, and with Death apparently on Luna-1 that must blow the theory that it's Dredd? SinDex infuriatingly gets yet another recap instalment, and the infection seems to have spread to The Out too, which spends a lot of time reminding us what happened last week. Thankfully The Order arrives to save the prog with a touching final episode. Oh yes, and... Quilli.
You know when you see the new prog's cover tagline on the index page of the 'prog' section here and play a little guessing game (if you haven't seen the actual cover), trying to work out which story it belongs to? Let's just say Quilli was a long way down my list of guesses. Once again, Tharg, I implore you - please put this sort of stuff in the Regened prog!
Oh, one other thing... at the risk of turning this into a scene from Father Ted, am I the only one to not have realized until now that the angel's head in End Of Days is big, and far away?
Death's hardly going to be, well, [spoiler]Death[/spoiler], is he? AFAIR he's still wandering round space somewhere. Admittedly space is quite a big place, but it includes the moon.
Also, I'm not sure if anyone's commented on it before, but [spoiler]Anderson in a coma [/spoiler]again? Really? Dredd must be sick of reporting that by now.
Quote from: I, Cosh on 19 August, 2020, 05:16:31 PM
So the Angel of Death was [spoiler]Oola Blint[/spoiler] all along, eh? Didn't see that one coming and not really sure that it makes any sense or that a reread is going to do this story any favours.
Seriously?
Anderson was only in a coma for five minutes, and I think this may have been an in-joke rather than a serious plot point.
Quote from: Richard on 20 August, 2020, 03:06:38 PM
Anderson was only in a coma for five minutes, and I think this may have been an in-joke rather than a serious plot point.
Fair point.
Dredd - Ichabod has another purpse. Giant still doesn't have any #PrayForGiant.
The Out - Cyd parties hard to try and get over the trauma of finding out what had happened to her. I'm very much a fan of Harrisons art. I think when it's overwhelming, it's done with purpose and work really well. Particularly this week in "alien clubland"
Sin/Dex - part two of a big catch-up (that too be fair I required) before the roadtrip sets off. SinDex has QUITE the continuity!
Terror Tales: Qullivision - not been a fan of past Qullisodes and not won over by this one.
The Order - Whats going on with that massive arm on the second to last page? Is it a statue in the foreground?
Quite looking forward to Regened next week. Dredd and Rico looking great on what I assume is next weeks cover and intrigued by the previews we've been shown in the Nerve Centre in weeks gone by.
I have to admit to being a bit disappointed with the current run of The Order, this volume didn't really feel like a self-contained story like the others but more like it's just arbitrarily stopped in the middle of the action. I guess there may be practical reasons for that but it feels a bit cheap to resort to a cliffhanger somehow.
Also although I felt like I was up to speed with everything having done a full re-read recently, I have to admit at first I was confused as to whether the scene with Ritterstahl and Daniel arguing was taking place in their shared mind-space or in the real world, and I couldn't even remember when Daniel was wounded (it was three episodes back). Reading back it seems clearer though, Ritterstahl's consciousness was shutting down, allowing Daniel to finally die - we see him start to fade away as he leaves.
What kinda barbaric waste land have I returned to?
Just got home from a lovely holiday in North Yorkshire bounced into the house full of the joys, pretending to be happy to be home, seeing the cat etc etc secretly really just chuffed that it'd be that most wonderous of things a two Prog weekend... only to see last weeks Prog i.e. this one, hasn't landed. I'm bereft.
Life is not worth living.
At least its a Regened Prog today (hopefully - posties not come yet) so I can read that out of sequence.
Oh and see Ultimate Collection and Comic Bargains threads for my other salvations...
I noticed the Regened advert - is this back to being a special rather than a weekly prog-replacement? Only reason I ask is that the price is £4.99
Quote from: Dandontdare on 22 August, 2020, 01:51:18 PM
I noticed the Regened advert - is this back to being a special rather than a weekly prog-replacement? Only reason I ask is that the price is £4.99
The regen prog is replacing the normal run, the regen prog is prog 2196. Yes we will have to wait two weeks fro both The Out and End of Days to continue. I think we will also see the return of Diaboliks in prog 2197 as well.
Regened is more expensive because it's more pages.
[spoiler]I'm calling it now, Judge Giant is going to do something soon that saves everyone. We've had the Sovs and Ichabod both saying how useless and unnecessary he is. That's blatant foreshadowing.[/spoiler]
Sorry it anyone has said this before.
Did no-one get the cover tag line reference?
Quote from: Magnetica on 25 August, 2020, 11:47:29 AM
Did no-one get the cover tag line reference?
ummm ...no?
I just wish I could stop mis-reading this thread title as "Master of Puppies".
Quote from: Jim_Campbell on 25 August, 2020, 03:51:27 PM
I just wish I could stop mis-reading this thread title as "Master of Puppies".
Pastor of Muppets
Quote from: Magnetica on 25 August, 2020, 11:47:29 AM
Did no-one get the cover tag line reference?
I know it's a Metallica song anyway. Possibly an album too? I'm not too well up on their music. Roxilla used to like them, though - I was saddened to hear years later that all she really was was Igor Goldkind. Or was it Alan McKenzie?
It's both. Master of Puppets is generally*considered to be their best album. But really I was referring to the song, which contains the line "master of puppets, I'm pulling your strings".
* Based on comments on Metallica Facebook pages anyway.
Quote from: Magnetica on 25 August, 2020, 07:19:38 PM
It's both. Master of Puppets is generally*considered to be their best album. But really I was referring to the song, which contains the line "master of puppets, I'm pulling your strings".
* Based on comments on Metallica Facebook pages anyway.
Fair enough. My earliest memory of Metallica is of a t shirt someone had in my primary school that read 'Metallica : Metal Up your Ass'. I believe that was the original title of the Black Album. It even showed a sword coming up out of a toilet if memory serves, which it may not
Quote from: JayzusB.Christ on 25 August, 2020, 10:47:30 PM
Fair enough. My earliest memory of Metallica is of a t shirt someone had in my primary school that read 'Metallica : Metal Up your Ass'. I believe that was the original title of the Black Album. It even showed a sword coming up out of a toilet if memory serves, which it may not
'twas the original title of their first album,
Kill 'em All, but the Producer convinced them distributors might not stock the associated cover.
And I'm back in the game. This one didn't land. I was patient but didn't come so contact the shop and we're on. Does mean I've got 3 Progs to read (was able to read 2196 of course) but since todays sub copy hasn't landed at least means I've got to spread things out so should avoid TPO as I've decided to read them one a day.
Anyway to matters more important the Prog itself.
Dredd - solid transition, or bridging episode nothing more and if I'm honest wasn't too impressed with 'DEATH IS ON LUNA ONE' was kinda a shoulder shrug - so? moment.
The Out - brilliant as ever really. Not much else to say the impact of resurrection was profoundly played out.
Sinister Dexter - Arh stop chunking this story up already. This was a great episode but format is killing the momentum a little. I got the impression this was meant to be the EPIC (see caps mean I'm shouting it to show how excited I was at the prospect) Sinister Dexter so richly deserves but this served just to bridge between what's gone before and what Billi's bringing to drive us to the next part. Mind at least its not far off and stuff between Finny and Carrie was delightfully done.
Terror Tales - I little hollow on its own - though Amanda Alsatian made me snort with laughter. This again bridges between what's gone before (sooo long ago) and what might come next... in who knows how long if ever.
The Order - brilliant as ever. It was so moving in both the Daniel dying (I surely don't need spoiler tags now do I?) way and the metal boat plunging over a waterfall way. The use of white voids for both very effective and Daniel's life flashing before him was really affecting. Just fantastic stuff and with a title like 'Fantastic Voyage' I can't wait for this one to come back.
Overall though the Prog was a little disappointing. Two standouts the rest felt a little too bridging... one might say this was... ready for it... you can see this coming right... a bridge two (or three) far.