A glorious Higgins cover adorns this month's as Dreadnoughts closes out the current story arc. I have to be honest, there are times when Mr Carroll's work leaves me feeling a little flat when it comes to conclusions but this series has really engaged. Of course having such a master on art duties doesn't hurt. I may well be tempted to have a look at some of his early years novelisations as this seems to be a real strength of his.
As the editorial notes, the series has garnered accolades from across the pond so something seems to be going right. The same editorial notes that Wagner and Higgins will be delivering a Dredd 6-parter in the summer! :thumbsup:
In all honesty the meg is doing more for me than the prog right now. We've been here before where some of the stronger material is showing up in the monthly. The Niemand / Coleby (who's been a busy boy this month?) Dredd one-and-done is an interesting 'whatever happened to ...' tale. I'll leave it to readers to discover the connection to early Dredd lore.
Returners is the one strip I'm not getting on with although the last few episodes have shifted that a little. Assirelli's artwork is stunning but I'm just not gelling with it overall. Possibly since it is sandwiched between Deliverance and Dreadnoughts, a hell of a pair to fight for attention with.
... and of course in addition to the past of Dredd-world, Niemand gives us a fascinating alternate take on this world in Megatropolis, just one more challenge faced by Returners. Taylor's art is superb right now and the latest twists of the tale raise some fascinating questions around where this is heading.
This is what really gets me though. I mean, the Megazine was supposed to explore all the different dimensions of Dredd's world and for a long time it never really seemed to get that right. What we have right now is the present, past and alternative dimensions of that world. In addition we have distant realms of that world both physically and spiritually.
The quality of artwork would put the major American players to shame. The quality of writing is similarly impressive. Even at its weakest it fires on all cylinders. How many other titles can say that?
All round I have to say, I can forgive (almost) the absence of the prog. This month's meg is such a distraction.
Cover by John Higgins:
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Et8hPDJXYAMQnn0?format=jpg&name=large)
Cover and Logo:
(https://dyn.media.forbiddenplanet.com/BlxoslnjJs7hiczC_roCxHy8Bq4=/trim/fit-in/779x1024/filters:format(webp)/https://media.forbiddenplanet.com/products/44/a0/37e3e670c100ef8565492a0319bc2de7f2fd.jpg)
Absolutely agree with Tjm86
The Meg is indeed firing on all cylinders.
Was thrilled to see more Simon Colby Dredd. A similar tone to the recent prog story he drew, but a much more satisfying story.
Megatropolis, Dreadnoughts and Deliverance all continue to be brilliant with their alternative/past/cosmic horror takes on the Dredd's universe, and despite not really understanding the premise of Returners, I do love the artwork and like the magical/horror side of the world it explores. Unfortunately, its not as obviously "Dreddverse" (or even alt-Dreddverse) as the other strips, and I think that makes it feel a little out of place with the rest of the Meg's offerings.
Good floppy this month too. Nice to have Traumatown as an all-in-one, and I've never read The Gyre so that was a welcome bonus.
It's a strong line-up, but, man, that Niemand Dredd packed a punch. A really deeply sad tale that left me thinking "well... shit". Quite the contrast to his strip in 2000 AD this week, which was smart satire but with a lightness of touch that made it at least slightly hopeful.
Elsewhere, Dreadnoughts continues to excel and is far too close to home, even now the orange buffoon is gone from the White House. You can see the way things are heading. And the manner in which the UK is shifting its laws far more quietly means this kind of warning is now increasingly important.
Things don't hit the same highs for me in the other strips. I need to re-read Returners, and the Death tale feels quite by-the-numbers but looks nice, as they so often do these days. Megatropolis is intriguing, though, and a nice shift from the usual content in the mag.
Not got my comp copies yet - Does the floppy reprint all of Trauma Town and The Gyre as well? Thought it was just Trauma Town? Anything else in it also? Cheers... :)
Nick: the floppy has Traumatown (2000 AD #1883–1887) and The Gyre (Meg #368–370), along with the cover from Meg #368, all with art by one Mr. N. Percival.
Quote from: IndigoPrime on 15 February, 2021, 01:35:10 PM
Nick: the floppy has Traumatown (2000 AD #1883–1887) and The Gyre (Meg #368–370), along with the cover from Meg #368, all with art by one Mr. N. Percival.
Thanks - little bonus comic from Mike & me then...
Quote from: Nick Percival on 15 February, 2021, 02:19:53 PM
Quote from: IndigoPrime on 15 February, 2021, 01:35:10 PM
Nick: the floppy has Traumatown (2000 AD #1883–1887) and The Gyre (Meg #368–370), along with the cover from Meg #368, all with art by one Mr. N. Percival.
Thanks - little bonus comic from Mike & me then...
Great art in the Meg Nick, hopefully you can give us more Dredd in the prog
Quote from: broodblik on 15 February, 2021, 02:24:02 PM
Quote from: Nick Percival on 15 February, 2021, 02:19:53 PM
Quote from: IndigoPrime on 15 February, 2021, 01:35:10 PM
Nick: the floppy has Traumatown (2000 AD #1883–1887) and The Gyre (Meg #368–370), along with the cover from Meg #368, all with art by one Mr. N. Percival.
Thanks - little bonus comic from Mike & me then...
Great art in the Meg Nick, hopefully you can give us more Dredd in the prog
Cheers - I am looking to see what's next...
Really enjoyed The Gyre. Now I want a series of Barney's backpacking adventures around the world. I feel it would serve as a great Dredd-world "Lonely Planet" whilst also allowing for comedy highjinx!
Another good meg, this run has proven to be a solid entertaining run. Special mention must go to John Higgins great cover, impressive stuff.
Dredd – Yet again we have a good script by Niemand and great pictures provided by Simon Coleby. This is one of those stories about another citizen that feels that she has a connection to Dredd and tells her sad tale over to course of time.
Megatropolis – The story has now taken an interesting change of direction. Now I have even more question related to the vigilante. Great script and Taylor's art are prime to support the story.
Dreadnoughts – This is great new addition to the Dredd-verse. The world before Dredd is a fascinating new take on how the world of Dredd was formed. Carroll script is excellent, and the artwork of Higgins is top-notch. Glad to see that this will return.
The Returners – This story for me is purely carried with the art of Assirelli. I feel sometimes a little lost in the plot and direction of the story.
Deliverance – Nick Percival art is grotesque distributing awesomeness. The arty works exellenty with the whole storyline. That last panel advertise to return of the Dark Judges. Good stuff. For all the Percival fans we have an excellent Dredd floppie featuring his work.
Great news on a new Dredd tale by Wagner and 6 episodes to boot.
I was wondering whether Megatropolis was some kind of alt-reality thing where actual Dredd was the vigilante. I've no idea what the reveal is going to be now. (Still presumably Joe Dredd in some form, I imagine, but what?)
Quote from: IndigoPrime on 17 February, 2021, 09:44:22 AM
I was wondering whether Megatropolis was some kind of alt-reality thing where actual Dredd was the vigilante. I've no idea what the reveal is going to be now. (Still presumably Joe Dredd in some form, I imagine, but what?)
It was too obviously going to be (Joe) Dredd from the get-go.
Has to be a further twist.
I dunno, Kraken?
Isn't the Vigilante just a robot? (Much like Dredd himself is sometimes portrayed)
Loving it either way!
Quote from: JimmyNailz on 17 February, 2021, 12:33:02 PM
Isn't the Vigilante just a robot? (Much like Dredd himself is sometimes portrayed)
Loving it either way!
More like RoboCop!!
Its kinda hard to have an objective view on the meg tonight. Its a good Meg, a very good Meg with all thrill firing on all cylinders. With the passing of Si Spencer however my thoughts were with The Returners, which has another fantastic episode after last months really hit its stride. But I'm not sure I can give my proper thoughts on that tonight after the news, I'm not sure I'm being objective.
Dredd is another wonderful one by Neimand with commanding art by Simon Coleby. There a wonderful moment when Dredd does something so atypical, and yet it doesn't feel out of character. I love the different ways he's sidelined Joe in both the Mega and The Prog and focused elsewhere, but done so in such different and effecting ways. Neimand is amongst the very best on Dredd, if not the best of modern Dredd writers.
He does a bag up job on Megatropolis too and Dave Taylor's art of course sings. Just astonishing stuff as we get closer to this worlds faceless dispenser of justice and learn of their links to Fargo.
Dreadnoughts probably wins top thrill this month as it just damn well sticks the landing so very, very well. Absolute superb way to end this first story with the good news that its back and Mike Carroll has written the next story already.
Deliverance wraps things up - the issue that is - horribly, as in the way horrible should be for this story, which is magnificently horrible.
Good text pieces and the only let down is the floppie content I'm about to get to in my Prog-Slog, which does sound so bad but its almost bloomin' over! Still if folks ain't read it this would be a good read I'm sure.
Overall though a wonderful issue and just a same that its read in such sad times and The Returners serves as a reminder of the talent that has left us.
Great Meg issue. Top form at the moment. Best edition of the floppy for ages (Love Percival's Dredd) which got me thinking that hopefully at some point we will see the Dark Judges face off against Dredd sometime in the future with Percival on art duties.
I'm going to re-read all of the Returners again from scratch. Tribute to Si Spencer. :(
I've been a bit behind in my Meg reading lately. Did a complete read of both Megatroplis and Dreadnoughts over the last two nights.
Both are absolutely superb.
Just wanted to re-iterate what others have said, that the Meg is absolutely cracking at the mo, although that joy is obviously tempered by the very sad news of Si Spencer.
I don't normally get too affected by stuff I read, emotionally I mean, but for some reason the crowded prison in Dreadnoughtswith inmates chained up in one big room really disturbed me and I keep thinking about it. In general this series triggered me a lot in that regard, probably because of its near future setting, as how with recent events you could really see the world going this way, or at least America. A great new entry in the Deadworld though, and I'll be reading it all through in one big go probably later in the week.
The article on Future Shock Radio made me stop reading it and listen to Future Shock Radio instead, which I had no idea existed before I read about it in the Meg. I was really impressed! - high production values, biggish name comics like Al Murray, and whoever's doing the voice of Tharg is doing a stand-up job. One potential criticism is that the Future Shocks come over more as stories from Creep Show - ie horror, where somebody bad gets their comeuppance and the narrator (Tharg) is more like the Creep Show ghoul who presents it and takes joy from the nasty ending of the protagonist. But I rather liked it this way. It's much better than I was expecting for a subscriber freebie, really professionally done. Very much looking forward to the rest of them.
Destiny's Child -- A resonant tale that humanizes Dredd ever so slightly, whilst reinforcing how densely overpopulated Mega City-One has proven to be. As a citizen, you are only one of many, and your voice is often lost in the disparate cries of many more. It's a great example of Niemand's range.
Megatropolis -- Wow! This story goes from strength to strength. The plot is carefully unravelling itself, and Niemand is embracing his inner-Alan Moore with some clever juxtaposition of multiple narratives. Taylor's art is especially important in conveying this, with some captivating fiery tones contrasting cooler blues. I also greatly appreciate the application of cinematic techniques here, predominantly the framing and lighting of panels. Unbelievable craftsmanship at work here.
Dreadnoughts --No one illustrates rain like John Higgins. What a badass. There's a lightness of touch that makes this story more personal than anticipated, as Glover is revealed to be a mother, tying the childhood undertones together. Very excited to see the follow-up to this.
The Returners -- A bittersweet tale after the passing of Si Spencer. His storytelling is dialogue-driven with an emphasis on atmosphere, which this story has in spades. The shift in panels to a muted WW1 color scheme is understated.
Deliverance -- The Dark Judges are back in town! Everything else is pretty good, too.
Meg Rating -- 5/5
My Top 3 for Meg 428
1st - Dreadnoughts - the Carroll droid wins the Niemand/Carroll trophy this week.
2nd - Megatropolis - the art (chefs kiss)
3rd - Dredd
Strong Meg again, loved the floppy too. Had read The Gyre before but not the other story.
Wow. Just re-read Dreadnoughts from start to finish, and what an exceptional story. Very tightly plotted, with hardly a wasted panel, and a profound meditation on the way our society may be heading (or America's at any rate), all the while acting as an excellent origin story for the Judge system, and an excellent police procedural in its own right. And on top of that, wonderfully evocative art from Higgins and Hurst. One of the very best things I've read in Dreddworld.
Quote from: MumboJimbo on 02 March, 2021, 10:31:08 PM
Wow. Just re-read Dreadnoughts from start to finish, and what an exceptional story. Very tightly plotted, with hardly a wasted panel, and a profound meditation on the way our society may be heading (or America's at any rate), all the while acting as an excellent origin story for the Judge system, and an excellent police procedural in its own right. And on top of that, wonderfully evocative art from Higgins and Hurst. One of the very best things I've read in Dreddworld.
Seconded.
One of the very best things I have read by Carroll and Higgins respectively too, which is saying something.
Like a doofus I stopped buying the Meg at the end of the last Lawless run. Sounds like I missed a trick in Dreadnoughts.. if there's a collected edition I'll be right on it.
Quote from: Barrington Boots on 04 March, 2021, 03:09:37 PM
Like a doofus I stopped buying the Meg at the end of the last Lawless run. Sounds like I missed a trick in Dreadnoughts.. if there's a collected edition I'll be right on it.
Also Megatropolis, almost literally the series Dave Taylor was born to draw. There's definitely a collection coming of that — possibly an oversize hardcover, although I may have imagined that...
Megatropolis vol. 1 is indeed slated as a HC. Dreadnoughts is out in paperback in November.
https://2000ad.com/news/a-thrill-powered-year-unveiling-2000-ads-collections-schedule-for-2021/
Quote from: Jim_Campbell on 04 March, 2021, 03:47:43 PM
Quote from: Barrington Boots on 04 March, 2021, 03:09:37 PM
Like a doofus I stopped buying the Meg at the end of the last Lawless run. Sounds like I missed a trick in Dreadnoughts.. if there's a collected edition I'll be right on it.
Also Megatropolis, almost literally the series Dave Taylor was born to draw. There's definitely a collection coming of that — possibly an oversize hardcover, although I may have imagined that...
Megatropolis is also excellent - but Dreadnoughts pips it for me.
This Meg run, including the 3 issues of Wagner Dredd, was maybe the strongest in years.
Quote from: IndigoPrime on 04 March, 2021, 04:11:54 PM
Megatropolis vol. 1 is indeed slated as a HC. Dreadnoughts is out in paperback in November.
https://2000ad.com/news/a-thrill-powered-year-unveiling-2000-ads-collections-schedule-for-2021/
Marvellous! Take my money!