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Spoilers => Prog => Topic started by: broodblik on 05 January, 2022, 03:38:24 AM

Title: Prog 2263 - The Galaxy's Gunning for Proteus Vex
Post by: broodblik on 05 January, 2022, 03:38:24 AM
A very good start to the year with some great thrills, the only letdown is the cover which just do not work for me. So, the start of year we have a 5-star line-up.

Dredd – Mr. Niemand has steadily created a vast array of supporting characters in the Dredd-verse, this round we get the Surfer Girl from prog 2219.  Another good opener as the episode ends in a Supersurf vibe. Let the surf continue........

Porteus Vex – The second part and we are now with Vex as he continues to rescue of the "Spectrums". Carroll and Lynch has built an intriguing world for us to explore and the weird continue but in a good way. Just a note to Vex please rescue Midnight.

The Order – The fanatic, insane ride into the fantastic as our compatriot's battle "ghost" from different time periods. As always keep on your hat as the team of Kek and Burns deliver another good episode.

Kingmaker – As our heroes decide what to do next the focus change to our real enemy in space. Edginton gives us a more talkative episode after the full out action of the opener. Good stuff.

The Out – [spoiler]So now we know what the contamination (Marabunda) is as poor Cyd is consumed and assimilated and becomes part of the dreaded Tankinar.[/spoiler] A very good episode from Abnett but I did find Harrison's art just a little too much muddy.

Title: Re: Prog 2263 - The Galaxy's Gunning for Proteus Vex
Post by: broodblik on 05 January, 2022, 03:38:51 AM
Cover by Cliff Robinson & Dylan Teague:

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FH2VqwEXsAAfLrl?format=jpg&name=large)
Title: Re: Prog 2263 - The Galaxy's Gunning for Proteus Vex
Post by: broodblik on 05 January, 2022, 03:39:15 AM
Cover and Logo:

(https://dyn.media.forbiddenplanet.com/_GyUTQW0lmlw5XERrfqgCNbicsY=/trim/fit-in/779x1024/filters:format(webp)/https://media.forbiddenplanet.com/products/b0/77/15f19dd6b43fe006b2e8ce2b9cbeaf1b3d01.jpeg)
Title: Re: Prog 2263 - The Galaxy's Gunning for Proteus Vex
Post by: Bad City Blue on 05 January, 2022, 02:31:03 PM
Don't read much of the current line up, but Dredd and The Out were both excellent.
Title: Re: Prog 2263 - The Galaxy's Gunning for Proteus Vex
Post by: Timothy on 05 January, 2022, 06:03:21 PM
The Out. - [spoiler]called it[/spoiler]
Title: Re: Prog 2263 - The Galaxy's Gunning for Proteus Vex
Post by: Colin YNWA on 05 January, 2022, 09:03:52 PM
Well unlike Bad City Blue for me this is a top notch line-up. Lovely mix of strips and all are strong. That said I completely agree both Dredd and The Out are first class.

Dredd its nice to see Mona Plankhurst the skysurfering delivery person back - according to Twitter Ken Niemand he's surprised its so soon - its glorious drawn (by Patrick Goddard) funny and then bursts into action. Top notch stuff.

Proteus Vex - fun it episode with pertainent undertone

QuoteThey tend to disregard any evidence that challenges what they already believe.
Contentment comes from a brain full of answers, Ko, not questions
The people of Ysan Tertiary don't care if those answers are demonstrably wrong

Great stuff.

The Order throws the host straight at us and then takes is to Island of the Dead in this voyage through the time waste. Fun.

Kingmaker - settles things down after the blistering opener and has a nice character piece, well before we cut to the villians and war beckons. Brilliant stuff.

Then finally The Out is heartbreaking. The Out is often at its best when it deals with the close and personal bits while the bigger mysteries lurk and grow in the back ground. Here though the creators brilliantly explode things up in such a big way but still manage to make it close and personal. Just superb stuff.

Wonderful Prog.
Title: Re: Prog 2263 - The Galaxy's Gunning for Proteus Vex
Post by: JayzusB.Christ on 06 January, 2022, 01:50:29 AM
Only read the Dredd so far (excellent stuff, even when running concurrent to Wagner's brilliant surfing story in the Megazine) and The Out, which is breathtaking.  The Halo Jones vibe is stronger than ever, [spoiler] with the happy-go-lucky everywoman realising she has unwittingly become a mass killer[/spoiler].  Beautiful and tragic, but I'd like the art to be a tiny bit clearer.
Title: Re: Prog 2263 - The Galaxy's Gunning for Proteus Vex
Post by: Funt Solo on 06 January, 2022, 04:10:22 AM
I bought the prog, but I'll be damned if I stoop so low as to actually read the stories contained therein. I'm not a fucking communist, you know!




Except to continue my ongoing review of back cover adverts for the 2000 AD Ultimate Collection. This prog we have Cradlegrave featured in issue 113: an anthropological study of the life of the Greater Spotted Ned. Pedants will enjoy greatly the fact that the featured spine incorrectly has the number 121 on it. Hopefully the offending droid will be torn limb from limb by Mek-Quake before being melted down for slag!
Title: Re: Prog 2263 - The Galaxy's Gunning for Proteus Vex
Post by: norton canes on 06 January, 2022, 10:30:24 AM
Got to start with Proteus Vex, because those clones are utter genius. They're like something out of a nightmare version of Wallace and Grommit! The whole scene with them and the little purple aliens is wonderful; in fact the entire episode is excellent, and if it continues in this vein then perhaps our newly-crowned third-best strip of 2021 (non-Dredd) could move further up the podium in 2022. 

And the cover's cool too! I love when the Robinson droid takes on characters from a strip where the artist has a completely different style.

Elsewhere 'Working Girl' is a definite win - I'm actually feeling for Mona as the supervisor droid metes out its feeble sanctions, and by the last panel I'm super pumped to see how the chase unfolds. Great to see more exploding head gore too. Read it and weep, Joko-Jargo!

(Did I just use the phrase 'super pumped'? Sorry.)

Kingmaker continues to impress - the silent moment is lovely and there are some fantastic panels from the Gallagher droid, particularly the gaping faces of the docking bays. The Order kind of treads (under) water with an all-action instalment, hopefully there'll be more substance next prog.

Finally The Out shows just why it's the board's current runaway favourite, with a horrendous twist and some absolutely berserk art from Mark Harrison.

They're totally going all-out on the anniversary stuff, aren't they. So much so in fact that it makes me wonder how they're going to top it for the really big one in five years' time.
Title: Re: Prog 2263 - The Galaxy's Gunning for Proteus Vex
Post by: IndigoPrime on 06 January, 2022, 02:57:46 PM
The Out. You keep seeing comparisons with Halo Jones, and there's another echo here, of a sorts, but this was much more harrowing. Honestly, I think The Out is the better series—better than Halo Jones. I just wish we would get a HC (ideally an Image-style oversized volume that would do justice to the art).
Title: Re: Prog 2263 - The Galaxy's Gunning for Proteus Vex
Post by: broodblik on 06 January, 2022, 03:14:25 PM
The only criticism I have against The Out is that sometimes Harrison's art I struggle to comprehend what is going on especially the last two pages (if you compare that with the opening page which is just brilliant). Overall his art is great and works with the strip.
Title: Re: Prog 2263 - The Galaxy's Gunning for Proteus Vex
Post by: Funt Solo on 06 January, 2022, 07:15:02 PM
QuoteDon't know if its me or what but I used to love the prog for its social commentary hidden in witty action-packed sci-fi stories. Now I think it is high-blown space opera for the sake of being space-opera, but with no relation to our times or lives.

---

I thought this online comment was ironic (not deliberately, but from my perspective) given the actual contents of this prog.

Working Girl (co-starring Dredd) features Mona Plankhurst - a single mother trying her best to make ends meet, but employed by a hegemonistic corporate edifice that doesn't care for her needs. So, I mean, if you're looking for social commentary and you're not actually seeing it here ... is the blindness wilful? Because it's also witty, and also action-packed and also sci-fi. It checks all the boxes that the writer seeks, and yet they're not seeing it.

Proteus Vex and his female co-protagonist are battling against a galactic hegemony who are trying to wipe out a sentient species in order to maintain control and hide their past crimes of genocide. More social commentary, action, wit and sci-fi. Another home run that's somehow not seen by our blinkered friend.

The Order
... uhm. Okay. Well - maybe the exception that proves the rule? But wait: a multi-racial crew led by two women that are battling a robotic inter-dimensional hegemony. Bingo!

Kingmaker - an Orc and a Dryad fight together against - wait for it - a galactic hegemony! Fuck me - if you had a complaint, wouldn't it be that too many of the stories feature social commentary, action, sci-fi & wit? They're all bloody well at it.

Okay, last chance - The Out. Lone female protagonist. Actually, that's three out of five stories with female lead protagonists - see how we've moved on from the 80s? Can I call this meta-social commentary? Is the particular issue at stake in this prog a reflection of how we feel when our governments go to war against the will of the people?

---

Great prog, scoring 4 : 1 against the Thrill-Suckers and in the pipe, five-by-five for "social commentary hidden in witty action-packed sci-fi stories".
Title: Re: Prog 2263 - The Galaxy's Gunning for Proteus Vex
Post by: geronimo on 06 January, 2022, 09:32:45 PM
 
Quote from: Funt Solo on 06 January, 2022, 07:15:02 PM
QuoteDon't know if its me or what but I used to love the prog for its social commentary hidden in witty action-packed sci-fi stories. Now I think it is high-blown space opera for the sake of being space-opera, but with no relation to our times or lives.

---

I thought this online comment was ironic (not deliberately, but from my perspective) given the actual contents of this prog.

Working Girl (co-starring Dredd) features Mona Plankhurst - a single mother trying her best to make ends meet, but employed by a hegemonistic corporate edifice that doesn't care for her needs. So, I mean, if you're looking for social commentary and you're not actually seeing it here ... is the blindness wilful? Because it's also witty, and also action-packed and also sci-fi. It checks all the boxes that the writer seeks, and yet they're not seeing it.

Proteus Vex and his female co-protagonist are battling against a galactic hegemony who are trying to wipe out a sentient species in order to maintain control and hide their past crimes of genocide. More social commentary, action, wit and sci-fi. Another home run that's somehow not seen by our blinkered friend.

The Order
... uhm. Okay. Well - maybe the exception that proves the rule? But wait: a multi-racial crew led by two women that are battling a robotic inter-dimensional hegemony. Bingo!

Kingmaker - an Orc and a Dryad fight together against - wait for it - a galactic hegemony! Fuck me - if you had a complaint, wouldn't it be that too many of the stories feature social commentary, action, sci-fi & wit? They're all bloody well at it.

Okay, last chance - The Out. Lone female protagonist. Actually, that's three out of five stories with female lead protagonists - see how we've moved on from the 80s? Can I call this meta-social commentary? Is the particular issue at stake in this prog a reflection of how we feel when our governments go to war against the will of the people?

---

Great prog, scoring 4 : 1 against the Thrill-Suckers and in the pipe, five-by-five for "social commentary hidden in witty action-packed sci-fi stories".

5 x Women fighting the Hegemony = Just following the recent trends really.
Title: Re: Prog 2263 - The Galaxy's Gunning for Proteus Vex
Post by: Jim_Campbell on 06 January, 2022, 11:15:11 PM
QuoteDon't know if its me or what but I used to love the prog for its social commentary hidden in witty action-packed sci-fi stories. Now I think it is high-blown space opera for the sake of being space-opera, but with no relation to our times or lives.


(https://i.imgur.com/UC9Be5a.jpg)
Title: Re: Prog 2263 - The Galaxy's Gunning for Proteus Vex
Post by: IndigoPrime on 07 January, 2022, 09:09:26 AM
Yeah, but it's no longer mostly white men being really violent against/rude to foreigners and getting to shag hot women. That is the kind of 'social commentary' that would totally resonate with a modern audience!

*cough choke etc*
Title: Re: Prog 2263 - The Galaxy's Gunning for Proteus Vex
Post by: Link Prime on 07 January, 2022, 01:36:18 PM
Quote from: broodblik on 05 January, 2022, 03:38:51 AM
Cover by Cliff Robinson & Dylan Teague:

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FH2VqwEXsAAfLrl?format=jpg&name=large)

Phallic symbol xenomorph smokes cigar / Proteus Vex assumes knees-forward position.

Good run of stories to kick off the new year.  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: Prog 2263 - The Galaxy's Gunning for Proteus Vex
Post by: SmallBlueThing(Reborn) on 07 January, 2022, 02:09:53 PM
Do we know yet what is replacing The Out in a couple of weeks? Because currently I'm skipping The Order and Kingmaker, and if it were to be replaced by something like The Alienist or Counterfeit Girl, it might be time for even this prog oner to wave bye bye.

I was pleased to see the inside back page given over to the kind of feature sorely lacking from the end-of-year prog, and I admit that did leave me with a slightly higher opinion of #2263 than I might have had otherwise.

We will have to see what transpires over the coming weeks, but I do feel like I might be coming to an end. 2000AD just seems so consistently samey these days. Nothing ever changes, it never leaps off the shelves and excites me- with the exception of The Out, which yes, as said above is probably better than Halo Jones and is the standout of the Rebellion years for me. Other than that, everything is always the same- it looks the same, it feels the same, it's the same kind of strips endlessly repeated, the same writers and artists, the same editorial approach, the same (oh grud, the same) design style always. .

I just want the thrills back.

SBT
Title: Re: Prog 2263 - The Galaxy's Gunning for Proteus Vex
Post by: norton canes on 07 January, 2022, 03:13:48 PM
Just out of interest, what's "something like" The Alienist or Counterfeit Girl? They seem pretty radically different kinds of strip to me.
Title: Re: Prog 2263 - The Galaxy's Gunning for Proteus Vex
Post by: Funt Solo on 07 January, 2022, 03:29:46 PM
I assume he just means he didn't like them.

There's the whole anthology aspect to consider - because I would like another series of The Alienist - I was intrigued as to where it was leading. And I love Kingmaker to absolute bits. So, you know, different strokes for different folks, and all that.

As for not reading strips - it's just not something I do. For better or for worse, I've read every single story published in 2000AD and the Megazine at least once. I did take an eight year haitus, so when I was catching up I was reading chunks of progs.

Other people on another thread have advised chunk-reading for Squaxx suffering from prog ennui. My wife has a theory about people who've grown out of love with the prog and keep harking back to a fresher, more exciting time: she thinks maybe they're just getting older and more jaded. You know: been there, seen it, got the t-shirt. So, it may be that the prog's just as exciting and vibrant as it always was - for a new reader, or a younger reader.

Given that I want more of 4 out of the 5 thrills in the current line up, I'd say the prog's in rude health. From that perspective (is it me or you?), it's YOU. But that doesn't help keep a squaxx in the fold. Perhaps some thrill-counseling? I hear that Mek-Quake has recently been trained up as a conflict resolution counselor...
Title: Re: Prog 2263 - The Galaxy's Gunning for Proteus Vex
Post by: broodblik on 08 January, 2022, 12:09:12 PM
Quote from: SmallBlueThing(Reborn) on 07 January, 2022, 02:09:53 PM
Do we know yet what is replacing The Out in a couple of weeks?

Saphir will be replacing The Out. The original was a 3riller running in prog 2197-2199. So it will be most likely be another 3riller rather than a full series.
Title: Re: Prog 2263 - The Galaxy's Gunning for Proteus Vex
Post by: Beaker on 11 January, 2022, 06:36:04 PM
No sign of mine yet. Didn't realise until 2264 dropped through the door today....might have to go cap in hand to subs.
Title: Re: Prog 2263 - The Galaxy's Gunning for Proteus Vex
Post by: Southstreeter on 11 January, 2022, 08:54:22 PM
Quote from: Beaker on 11 January, 2022, 06:36:04 PM
No sign of mine yet. Didn't realise until 2264 dropped through the door today....might have to go cap in hand to subs.

Likewise
Title: Re: Prog 2263 - The Galaxy's Gunning for Proteus Vex
Post by: sintec on 12 January, 2022, 12:21:17 PM
Quote from: broodblik on 08 January, 2022, 12:09:12 PM
Saphir will be replacing The Out. The original was a 3riller running in prog 2197-2199. So it will be most likely be another 3riller rather than a full series.

Was that the one with Rees Mogg in it?  Seem to remember it was quite good as 3rillers go.
Title: Re: Prog 2263 - The Galaxy's Gunning for Proteus Vex
Post by: broodblik on 12 January, 2022, 01:44:08 PM
Quote from: sintec on 12 January, 2022, 12:21:17 PM
Quote from: broodblik on 08 January, 2022, 12:09:12 PM
Saphir will be replacing The Out. The original was a 3riller running in prog 2197-2199. So it will be most likely be another 3riller rather than a full series.

Was that the one with Rees Mogg in it?  Seem to remember it was quite good as 3rillers go.

Hopefully this will refresh everyone's memory:

(https://2000ad.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Annotation-2020-09-01-171206.jpg)
Title: Re: Prog 2263 - The Galaxy's Gunning for Proteus Vex
Post by: Beaker on 15 January, 2022, 08:21:00 AM
Quote from: Southstreeter on 11 January, 2022, 08:54:22 PM
Quote from: Beaker on 11 January, 2022, 06:36:04 PM
No sign of mine yet. Didn't realise until 2264 dropped through the door today....might have to go cap in hand to subs.

Likewise

Mine finally turned up yesterday. The mind boggles as to where it's been.