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Topics - Barrington Boots

#1
Prog / Prog 2369 - Turning the World Upside Down
12 February, 2024, 10:18:07 AM
Saturday Prog!

Dredd still absolutely rules, I am hugely invested in this story. The Domo stuff looks to be more or less wrapped up, but I don't think it is for a second, especially with boyd-controlling snuffbots being highlighted last week. Meanwhile Maitland really shines this week. Instead of being a passive character whilst the story awaits for Dredd to either save her or meet her end, as soon as she gets suspicious of Hernandez she basically works it all out straight away and takes steps to resolve. I think Hernandez is in trouble, and it looks like there's still a reveal to come.

The English Astronaut wraps. This felt a bit slight overall, accentuated by the art with its large panels and open backgrounds, but also an easy and enjoyable read. Not 100% sure I followed the ending but that doesn't matter.

Full Tilt Boogie also felt like a slight read this week with a lot of big, sprawling panels and light dialogue, but some terrific scenery on display and I'm still digging this.

Enemy Earth finale. I'm not unhappy this is done, but at the same time the ending did feel a bit quick - not Black Hole or Meltdown Man rushed, but I think it could have paced itself better? I hated this series when it started and although I never got into the art, on a reread I ended up finding it a decent, breathless read with soem good ideas, so the last couple of pages definitely worked for me.

Thistlebone remains fantastic. Callum looks doomed. That last panel- magnificently creepy! Can't get enough of this.

#2
Books & Comics / AI Generated Books
22 January, 2024, 01:50:46 PM
I got a book for Christmas that is so awkwardly written that it reads like it was either generated by AI, or has been fed through a translation programme that's made it come out all weird.

Not naming names and edited slightly in case I'm making a terrible accusation againts a legit author, but here's an extract from literally a random page in the book:

"Behind the second army the <snipped> forces arrived. Horses both tamed and wild aided their speed. Like the many animals to follow us, they drew to their plight. Knowing forests, they swifted the warriors beyond path and road, eliminating countless miles. They galloped forth with a frightful torrent."

The whole book is like this - every single paragraph doesn't quite make sense. Dialogue is awkward, sentances poorly built (and there's tons of grammatical errors)

It may be that the author simply has a style that I don't like but I'm suspicious I'm reading my first AI-generated book. Last I experimented using an AI programme to write a couple of dialogue scenes for me that I wasn't feeling that I could then edit into something decent, and it churned out stuff a bit like this.

Anyone else come across anything like this?
#3
Classifieds / Strip Comic Issues 1 - 12
03 January, 2024, 12:08:56 PM
I've ended up with an extra incomplete run of Marvel's Strip comics from 1990: I have issues 1 - 12 going spare which contains the entirety of the first (and best) Marshal Law tale and the excellently surreal Man from Cancer as well as stuff like Ghengis Grimtoad, Storm and other 90s stuff.

The comics are pretty musty smelling, but otherwise in decent nick. If anyone is interested and planning to go to Lawless, then you can have them free. Otherwise £10 plus postage.
#4
Books & Comics / Pirate Comic Suggestions?
16 November, 2023, 12:00:59 PM
Wise forum users, can anyone suggest a good comic series about pirates? Can have fantastical elements but not super hero or space themed, and not manga.

I know of Red Seas obviously, Cinebooks Barracuda series & Neil Camerons Pirates of Pangea but beyond that everything I can find seems to be either secifically aimed at children, or manga - neither of which are suitable.

Cheers, me hearties!
#5
Prog / Prog 2355 - Dad of Night!
23 October, 2023, 12:31:58 PM
Super grim and cool looking cover but what a terrible strapline!

Dredd - another really good episode. This is a strong investigative story, packing a lot in, never dragging, and I'm digging the characterisation of Dredd. Looks great. I still think PJ is a misdirection.

Helium - Superb again. It's still very dialogue heavy but its really interesting stuff. It seems to be going in completly different directions to how I thought it would and its great. On a side note, big fan of all these chunky jumpers.

Devils Railroad - Not enjoying this: feels tonally weird, the characters plight is engaging but they aren't.

Deadworld - Hmm. I've really enjoyed previous Deadworld runs and this one seems to be revisiting / tying together various threads but this time around the story seems to be very unfocused and its frustrating, and I'm not really interested in Casey and feel he's slowed up the story somewhat. Some interesting revalations here and some truly grotesque imagery especially that last page but I feel overall this is losing me a bit.

Feral and Foe - More action, less daftness this week. Bit of a 'middle episode' feel, enjoying this a lot still. The art remains fantastic.

Next week: Lowborn High returns! Gaaaah

 
#6
Other Reviews / Smash! 2023 Miniseries
23 October, 2023, 09:57:56 AM
Got this Saturday. I didn't enjoy it as much as I'd hoped - the Tom Foster Janus Stark stuff was great but I didn't find the main story too easy to follow at times, art-wise. That said it's an interesting concept and from what I've read in the Meg about it I'm looking forward to the next issue.

The decision to reprint the Steel Claw story from the dire 1992 Action Special was a baffling and unwelcome surprise - if space filler was needed surely some classic Steel Claw reprint would have been better. It was as cynically 90s as I remembered and sits very much at odds with the cheerful action of the main strip.

#7
Books & Comics / Marvel 1977 Star Wars Comics
20 October, 2023, 11:07:19 AM
I used to read these as a kid - I think Marvel UK reprinted them after RotJ? I'd all but forgotten about them until I was gifted a bunch of the Dark Horse reprints. I'm guessing a lot of you guys must have read these too, what do you think? What are your highlights?

Some of it is really good, some of it is pretty dark, and some of it is really boring. Jo Duffy's stuff in particular gets really enaging although I felt towards the end it's starting to collapse under the weight of too many Zeltrons and dark elves. I loved the almost all the Tay Vanis stuff, Lando's Drebble character, See You in the Throne Room, the story with the Stormtrooper from Alderaan - and of course the Han Solo magnificent seven pastiche.
The worst story: possibly the one where Luke has to join a jousting tournament on lizardman world although the John Carter reskin was abysmal.
#8
News / John M Burns Retires
03 October, 2023, 01:22:22 PM

https://downthetubes.net/2000ad-and-look-in-artist-john-m-burns-announces-his-retirement-biography-in-the-works

I love John's work. He's done some incredible work over the years, both for the Prog and beyond. I always feel his 2000ad work combines action storytelling a bit of what I think of as Ladybird book style about it - lovely old school handpainted images, vividly coloured and so rich in true to life detail and 60s aesthetic - as well dynamism and a real knack for beautiful character portrayals. I'd hoped he'd be drawing something new following The Order: shame we won't see anything new from him, but a well-earned retirement.
#9
Classifieds / 21 x Battle Action Force from 1986
18 September, 2023, 05:24:21 PM
I have 21 'doubles' issues of Battle Action Force from 1986 here - not a concurrent run sadly but in great condition for their age. I know the BAF era gets a bit of stick but it's my favourite era of the comic with some lovely AF art from John Cooper & Vanyo, plus you've got some classic Battle stuff from the likes of Mike Western, Joe Colquhoun..
I have them on ebay at the moment but if anyone wants them here, they're yours for £20 plus postage.
The issues are as follows:

4th January
11th January
18th January
25th January
1st February
8th February
15th February
15th March
19th April
26th April
3rd May
10th May
24th May
31st May
7th June
12th July
30th August
20th September
27th September
4th October
18th October

Fill in some gaps in your collection, or annoy your significant other like I did by starting one!
#10
Books & Comics / Storm Force
03 August, 2023, 05:07:24 PM
With all the Battle / Action stuff cropping back up lately, I've been re-reading this in old Battles and I'd love to see it reprinted, or even rebooted.

Not the main strip, which was pretty terrible stuff about a rip-off Action Force with a more sci-fi edge (they include a strongman in an exo-skeleton - if he's so strong why does he need this? - a man in a suit made of knives, a computer expert who never uses any computers, and a single token woman who uses her stiletto heels as throwing knives) who are all bland as hell without any personality features whatsoever: knife suit guy I think is set up early on to be an antagonistic Wolverine type, but never does or says anything much after that.

I'm after the backup strip about the main villain Tarantula, which rules. Tarantula and his 'web masters' (not early adopters of the internet) look absolutely ridiculous but the story is sheer grand guignol, loaded with horrific spider-themed deaths, corpses webbed to chairs and piles of bodies swarming with arachnids, all depicted in gritty detail by John Cooper. Tarantula, who was 'raised by spiders' in the jungle,  keeps his rich brother alive in a giant web, torturing him and using his cash to fund his terrorist empire.

Too nasty for me to really appreciate as a kid, I am enthralled by this now. It's mainly the art, but its nightmare stuff and so well done. I know the main strip eventually went into Eagle - I'd dropped the comic by then - but I do remember Tarantula's guys being all but wiped out in a couple of panels: not by Storm Force, who don't bother to make an appearance as the webmasters are massacring hundreds of people on a Spanish island, but by a couple of normal dudes (earlier one web master is gunned down by a vengeful fisherman!).

Taken out of context it would basically be a horror strip with an abrupt, brutal ending and I'm pretty sure there are four, maybe even five other people who would enjoy reading this. Lets see it Rebellion!
#11
Prog / Prog 2342 - Urban Renewal!
22 July, 2023, 01:14:31 PM
On a run of Saturday progs!
Love this cover from Tazio Bettin.

Dredd is already starting to heat up. We know Asher is a decent guy (considering, anyway) and the tension here is who is going to get him first. Great gag with the corpse in the car - funny, but also heartlessly horrible stuff from Dredd.
Portals is winning me round - the monster stuff is good, Dain's overblown dialogue is excellent althiugh the vampire stuff less so. I'm less sure on the racism analogy: I think I know what it's aiming for but it seems clumsy when Kroy is literally trying to avoid being killed by monsters. If the monsters are literal flesh-eating monsters, is fearing and hating them a sensible reaction? Anyway, it's enjoyable stuff on the whole.
Void Runners has won me over - and then it finishes. Argh! Glad to read it's coming back as I feel like it's only just started to get really good. The three subjugators are definitely the highlight.
Absolute belter of an episode of Hershey - the last two pages are sheer, sheer horror. Incredible art and the red against the muted colours is a masterstroke. Nightmarish.
Finally Azimuth - SPOILERS - is what we thought, a straight up continuation of Dexter. Its a standard Dex episode where he shoots people with funny names. Ho hum. At least it looks good.
#12
Off Topic / Irrational Fears
18 July, 2023, 12:16:19 PM
Anyone got anything they're needlessly terrified of? I am really scared of sharks for absolutely no reason, to the extent that walking through Birmingham this morning I was given a start by an electronic billboard switching to a poster for The Meg (the shark film obviously, not the Megazine)

I've never had a bad experience with a shark but I can't even bring myself to get in the sea just in case.
#13
General / Best / Worst Strip Endings
21 April, 2023, 03:29:32 PM
With The Order wrapping up a bit quicker than some of us thought it would, what's the worst endings to 2000ad strips we've seen?

The 80s had a few rubbish sudden wrap ups, with Harlem Heroes and Meltdown Man being the two I always best remember and Meltdown Man being possibly the ultimate turkey. Mean Team was a bit sudden but wonderful art aside, the whole plot had been rubbish for ages so it kind of worked.

I've not read it for a while, but I always felt The Black Hole wrapped up a bit suddenly - the big bad is beaten in a few panels and Biz couldn't even be bothered to finish all the pictures.

To balance it out, which strips ended perfectly?
#14
Other Reviews / Johnny Red - The Hurricane
17 April, 2023, 11:47:17 AM
This has been out a while but I've only just picked it up. I'm re-reading some old 1986 Battle Action Force stuff at the moment and whilst that period isn't peak Johnny Red, it prompted me to go out and seek more.

Great artwork from Keith Burns - the aerial scenes are superb and the grounded stuff portrays and grimy, bloody, desperate existence. The story is a little bit of a stretch, but as perfectly researched as you'd expect from a Garth Ennis WWII tale and containing the well written dialogue, pathos and violence you'd expect along with it.

What really shone through for me though was the love for the original that practically radiates off the story. Nina, Yakob, Rudi and the like are lovingly potrayed and the ending - which these characters never got in the original run - did leave me a bit misty eyed. I'm not sure how this would work for someone less familiar with the strip, but for someone who grew up with it, pure magic.
#15
Prog / Prog 2326 - Rogue's Return
03 April, 2023, 11:29:29 AM
Delighted to get a Monday Prog and whipped through it on my tea break. Based off a first reading, one that promised much but for me, but didn't really deliver.
All kicks off with a glorious cover from Cliff Robinson. I'm a real fan of cover art that incorporates the logo in new ways and this is a great striking image.

We get the cold and cruel authoritarian depection of Dredd from Niemand and Dyer. Great little story, I especially liked the last page which is almost dialogue free. Bleak stuff, in a good way.

Durham Red is a setup episode. I'm afraid the last series soured me hugely on this character. I guess we'll see where it goes. Some terrific art - page 3 and 4 with the static shots of red, and then the savage armbreaking scene - are ace.

The Order is another all action episode. This does feel like it's buidling to a conclusion, and its a shame that it seems to be ending with a giant robot battle - one of the less good aspects of the strip. Usually I'm all in favour of a giant robot battle but the stuff with the worms, and the various historical personages being in secret societies has long vanished and this was the more enjoyable incarnation of the strip for me. It's all still quite pulpy and fun, even though I don't care for Berg and have long forgotten the names of the other two guys with him and Clara.

I didn't realise Enemy Earth was back. I didn't enjoy the last series so unsurprisingly I didn't enjoy this episode either sadly.

Finally Rogue Trooper. I feel Rogue is one of those characters who is pretty much used up in terms of story and has been a case of diminishing returns for a good while now. However Ennis and Goddard seem to be the perfect team to change this. The Rogue / Biochip chatter is handled really well, and it looks fantastic, but this goes in a direction I really did not see coming and am not a fan of. Still got faith in the creative team so we'll see where this goes too.
#16
Prog / Prog 2324 - The Law Enforcer
20 March, 2023, 12:33:24 PM
Monday Prog! I eagerly went through it on my tea break. I wasn't a fan of the cover when I saw it on FB last week, but it's got some cool details and has really grown on me, aside from the font on the tagline.

Dredd Wraps up neatly. I wasn't hugely into this Dredd story and the ending didn't change that. Neatly done with the spin on execs having 'killer instinct' and all that corporate jargon but it wasn't really a funny or exciting tale overall.
That said, the end reveal did feel very old school and I didn't think this was a bad Dredd, just not one I was into.
As various forumites have commented each week, the art is both good and a bit jarring with it's contemporary depictions of things (this week, the manor house). I did like the little medi-droids. Also was the axe guy using Slaines axe?

The Out provides a very wordy and very excellent episode. Stuff is revealed. The art is incredible. The Cheerio bit fell a bit flat, as he was a pretty unlikeable character, but the rest is tremendous.

I enjoyed this Future Shock - it was concise, snappy and had a suitably grim twist at the end, even though thinking about it now the whole thing doesn't really stand up: I'm not actually 100% sure what the deal was with the pheromones or why Hans or Zoe would act as they did. Great art, shows a little of Dave Roach in places? Promising stuff from two new Droids anyway.

The Order is... alright. It manages to be all action and a bit of a muddle all at once - it definitely feels like it's cramming stuff into each episode as it strives to reach a conclusion. "H-How's this possible?" says Clara at one point before saying something pseudo-nonsensical and I'm right there with her: This isn't the best series of the The Order and I find myself hoping it's got a bit more in it after this. You can tell Burns doesn't like drawing the big robots.

Vex ends in a crazy, apocalyptic and very dramatic manner. Tharg seems to imply this isn't the end of the series as a whole, which is good as for me this has been one of the finest things in the Prog for a while. I'm looking forward to going back and reading this as a whole - it's been an epic storyline brilliantly realised.

Regened next week, ho hum.
#17
I'm clearing some space at the moment and have a small handful of graphic novels that need new homes, but really aren't worth me listing on ebay.
The below then are FREE if collected from me (near Worcester) or I can meet in Birmingham or Worcester itself. Or, if you're going to Lawless, I can save them and hand them over there!
If anybody further abroad badly wants them and there's no local takers I'll post them but would need postage + a nominal fee for packaging and stuff:

Immortal Hulk Omnibus 1
Complete Ace Trucking Co Vol 2
Complete Indigo Prime
Captain Britain: Before Excalibur
Mach 1 Close Encounters

(not GNs but I've also got a load of Steven Erkison's Malazan books, same applies)

Not going free I have

Dreadnoughts (webshop hardback) - £10 + £4 if posted
Megatropolis (webshop hardback) - £10 + £4 if posted
I've also got a spare copy of Dave Roach's excellent A Very British Affair: The Best of Classic Romance Comics - £20 + £6 postage (it's heavy!)
#18
Announcements / Battle Action mini-series coming in May
15 February, 2023, 09:53:37 AM
We suspected it from the link in the shop, but here it is: Garth Ennis, John Wagner, this looks bloody amazing.


https://comicbook.com/comics/news/battle-action-garth-ennis-2023-rebellion/#7
#19
Prog / Prog 2309 - Cold Snap!
21 November, 2022, 10:00:34 AM
Cunning work by Royal Mail, delivering a Prog on a Saturday just as my subscription commitment was wavering, and reminding me how awesome that is.

Lengthy final episodes for a couple of Thrills this week which means no Hope stodging up the middle of the Prog and makes it a much better reading experience. All behind a fantastic, eye-catching Simon Fraser cover! There's also a Kevin O'Neill obituary :(

Dredd - Wraps up. I enjoyed the first couple of parts of this tale but it went quickly off the rails for me - the ending is a bit of a mess ([spoiler]if the clone insta-kills all the Sov psychics, why is Anderson still here?[/spoiler]) and it all feels a bit pointless but the last couple of pages are great with Dredd at his hardline horrible best. Henry Flint's art is the business though - I do like the design on Vasilisa, Dredd's insane, staring mechanical eye is the creepiest thing here, and whilst technically not into a return to youthful Anderson, she's got an ethereal, almost fey look in this story.

Enemy Earth - I read this this week. It's ok. I don't like the artwork but I just figure this tale isn't for me. For a Regened tale it's pretty dark, which is what we've all been asking for, so it's a shame it hasn't really hit it off with the bulk of the commentators.

Chimpsky - Takes a dark turn with it's conclusion. This Chimpsky story has been terrific. Chimpsky having a secret psi-dampening prison room feels a bit of a stretch in a story about a super-intelligent ape in a future city but the story is great so it's easy to accept. Having been desperate to see these kids get their comeuppance, Chimpsky's decision - and his self-admonishment - is 100% in line with his character and a wider arc is set up. Really enjoyed everything about this.

Hershey - Really enjoyed this too. I keep saying this story is quite cinematic and I think it has been - the chase, the fights have all been done perfectly. The page this week where the spider-plant things come through the wall / window is brilliant. The story has been simpler than the boxing one and it's worked better for it.

Not a brilliant, but perfectly enjoyable Prog.
#20
Film & TV / Guillermo del Toro's Cabinet of Curiosities
16 November, 2022, 02:43:01 PM
Been watching these on Netflix and halfway through the series so far. There's some good names involved and overall a bit of a Masters of Horror vibe and generally pretty good: Episode 2 was a bit slapstick but suitably creepy at the end, whilst Episode 3 (Autopsy) is especially excellent, as you'd hope from something based off a Michael Shea short story. I then skipped ahead to watch Pickmans Model, which was alright but suffered a lot from being padded out to an hours runtime. Anyone else checked these out?