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Meg 448: Graveyard Shift

Started by IndigoPrime, 20 September, 2022, 10:06:35 PM

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IndigoPrime

Well, that was fun. I enjoyed the 2000 AD zompocalypse and this Meg stuck the landing. It is perhaps more serious in nature. It's certainly more coherent as the random strips give way to a story thread. But I thought as a one-off it was rather good.

Also, the floppy was really something special: a book of Robin Smith cover roughs, with various notes, printed alongside the final art. The only down side was my cover appeared to be on back to front (which confused me for a bit). I'm very tempted to take the mag apart and carefully thread it back through the staples.

Anyway, good work, everyone. This breezy silliness was just what I needed this evening.

broodblik

When I die, I want to die like my grandfather who died peacefully in his sleep. Not screaming like all the passengers in his car.

Old age is the Lord's way of telling us to step aside for something new. Death's in case we didn't take the hint.

broodblik

Indigo summed it up nicely. I enjoyed the meg segment more than the prog one.

Leigh Gallagher's art was pure joy to watch.
When I die, I want to die like my grandfather who died peacefully in his sleep. Not screaming like all the passengers in his car.

Old age is the Lord's way of telling us to step aside for something new. Death's in case we didn't take the hint.

The Monarch

[spoiler]I know a lot of people are gonna say noooo they killed halo and dr and quinch....but i just say....canon fodder noooooooo[/spoiler]

IndigoPrime

[spoiler]Funny seeing zombie Manic 5's head on a pole, mind.[/spoiler]

broodblik

[spoiler]We now that in the alternative universe the prog/meg will also stop to exists since Tharg's head is also on a pole or maybe only regen issues will be available [/spoiler]
When I die, I want to die like my grandfather who died peacefully in his sleep. Not screaming like all the passengers in his car.

Old age is the Lord's way of telling us to step aside for something new. Death's in case we didn't take the hint.

Dandontdare

Quote from: IndigoPrime on 20 September, 2022, 10:06:35 PM
Also, the floppy was really something special: a book of Robin Smith cover roughs, with various notes, printed alongside the final art.

It really was - best floppy for a while, really interesting how he even roughs the covers in the artist's distinctive style and the changes that are made between the stages. Some of the placeholder word balloons were hilarious

Jim_Campbell

Quote from: Dandontdare on 21 September, 2022, 02:50:16 PM
It really was - best floppy for a while, really interesting how he even roughs the covers in the artist's distinctive style and the changes that are made between the stages. Some of the placeholder word balloons were hilarious

Just adding to the chorus here: yes, that was great and a fantastic insight into Robin's contribution to (arguably) 2000AD's most iconic period.
Stupidly Busy Letterer: Samples. | Blog
Less-Awesome-Artist: Scribbles.

Richard

Worth noting that we've had more pages of comic strip in this issue than in any other recent issue.

Colin YNWA

Well all in all that was enourmous fun. It was interest to note the way the Meg played things very differently and went for a different tone to the Prog. In some ways that worked better, in some ways not. Overall though the zombie story was a fun and worthwhile experiment, one that I hope isn't used again for a while - well unless there really is a story to justify it.

As it is the fact that the Meg used the anthology nature of the comic to tell different aspects of the main story across all its epsiodes really worked. To one extent its a shame it didn't get to have the all out, no holds barred rampaging fun of 2000ad, which just allowed folks to run riot. One the other it made for a much more satisfying piece as a whole.

I mean the overall story was utter poppycock if you looked too close. And 2000ad's take felt more honest of pocking fun at the whole thing. Be to be far the Meg was a real rollercoaster and while in the surface took itself too seriously clearly had its tongue in its cheel throughout. By not looking to closely the whole thing was just great fun.

The art is absolutely great on the whole. I mean no one is Henry Flint in the Prog but it looks superb and I think we need to make special note of Conor Boyle - ex of these pastures on Delvin Waugh absolutely knocking it out the park. Just brilliant work and I hope Tharg gets him in the Prog or Meg again soon. I'll also notice another new (to me) artist doing a great job on Shimura, Kei Zama and Dan Cornwell shows that its not just Henry Flint that gets better and better each time you see his work. AMAZING stuff.

So yeah pretty happy with this playful experiment BUT looking forward to getting the Prog and Meg back proper next week and month.

As for the floppie, as others have said AMAZING and I'll be buying myself a physical copy of this one which I've pretty much never done before since going digital BUT for this one well worth it. JUST BRILLIANT and same we have something this good just as apparently we're about to lose the floppie. Nice, almost, send off.

Leigh S

My Robin SMith thing is also back to front, but I#m not compaiing as its a glorious thing - another one next month you say?  Great!

Shame the floppies are presumably a thing of the past, as a Bolland drafts for the Eagle Comics would have been great - there are loads out there (though many I only caught on eBay and have long since lost that hard drive!)

Southstreeter

I'm not normally a Meg reader. Do I take it this issue is similar to the prog ie a one off set of zombie stories with no other continuing stories? If so I may buy it.

Timothy

Quote from: Southstreeter on 22 September, 2022, 05:25:42 PM
I'm not normally a Meg reader. Do I take it this issue is similar to the prog ie a one off set of zombie stories with no other continuing stories? If so I may buy it.

Yes. It's more of the same.

Dark Jimbo

More of the same, but concludes the whole shebang.
@jamesfeistdraws

Richard

I think the Meg worked better than the prog actually. The prog's stories had nothing to do with each other really. The Meg, while it's still an anthology of different stories, held together as a coherent whole storyline.

The whole thing worked much better than the attempt to do something similar in last year's Sci-Fi Special.