1875 Blood Work

[Frank]

Any Sláine story that's a good introduction to the character?

I should be hardcore and tell you that it's all been downhill since Angie Mills left after episode one, but the Slaine story that has the broadest appeal and has certainly had the greatest influence on the last twenty years of the strip is Mills and Bisley's The Horned God. It was basically a partial series reboot (or maybe a final, big sending off), so it should provide a decent jumping on point for new readers.

Someone's bound to point out that it's not the best Sláine story, Bisley isn't the best artist to work on the series, and that the visuals take the strip perilously close to the Frazetta/Conan territory to which Mills always insisted the character stood in opposition, but the truth is that many thousands of folk who couldn't give a toss about 2000ad lost their shit over how good it was and bought it like crack.

It's never a good idea to tell other folk why they think the things they think, but it's difficult to imagine that the bum rap Bisley's Sláine sometimes gets is because of the overweening and deleterious influence that strip had on the artwork which surfed the wake of The Horned God's deluge. Not just Sláine, but most of the comic became a showcase for less able and inventive artists churning out murky pages which aped Bisley's Motley Crue in Hyperborea aesthetic.

[Magnetica]

Personally I would start at the beginning. Those early tails of Slaine and Ukko making their way back to his tribe set everything up. The art is great too - Belardinelli and McMahon. The early stories are collected in Warriors Dawn.

I would not miss out Time Killer or Slaine the King either. For me Glenn Fabry is the definitive Slaine artist.

The was a recent thread on this called "Getting into Strontium Dog and Slaine" - you should check out the opinions on there.

I am, BTW re-reading The Horned God right now. I have the original 3 book Fleetway edition - I bought them because the printing was a bit dark in the Prog - so defo seek out a good quality TPB for the Horned God.

[Frank]

It's never a good idea to tell other folk why they think the things they think, but it's difficult (EDIT) NOT (EDIT) to imagine that the bum rap Bisley's Sláine sometimes gets is because of the overweening and deleterious influence that strip had on the artwork which surfed the wake of The Horned God's deluge. Not just Sláine, but most of the comic became a showcase for less able and inventive artists churning out murky pages which aped Bisley's Motley Crue in Hyperborea aesthetic.

BAH! Must proof read posts. Since I'm double posting anyway, the decade of murky anatomy sketchbook art which followed Bisley is a great example of why Davis's turn on the strip is so refreshing. He manages to work a variety of hues into the earth tones inevitably used to depict the scrub grass and roundhouse dwellings of a recognisably British setting, but subtly introduces some surprising colour choices of vivid blue and purple into areas of shadow and the otherwise crow black of Slaine's muffler. That and his inventive layouts really add to the sense of a new beginning, which appears to have inspired Mills too.

Bisley can occasionally be a surprisingly sophisticated artist, but in the hands of some of his nineties acolytes, that scene of Sláine wordlessly mulling over how best to despatch the loquacious Karn would have been played with some honking exaggeration of both the comedy of the situation and the emotions on display. Rather than depicting Slaine biting his lip so hard his chin disappears and having exclamation marks of frustration or light bulbs of inspiration emerging from his brow, Davis treats the scene as a showcase for his character acting talents and makes it read it twice as funny by letting the inherent humour speak for itself.

[Magnetica]

Yes really like Simon Davis take on this and the layouts are amazing. I especially liked the way the background of page 1 flows into page 2 and the way Sinead and Quaslime frame page 5.

BTW his name is "Kark" not "Karn"

[Pop Culture Bandit]

Dredd - Interested to see what the big mystery surrounding Sector 7 is. Perhaps it is to do with Mega City Confidential itself - maybe the Judges have been feeding them false stories, or something along those lines? Both script and art are working fantastically together to bring forth a really paranoid vibe.

Slaine - Simon Davis continues to provide beautiful art. I echo everyone's statements about the panel layouts and the brilliant interplay between Slaine and Kark.

Outlier - A few more pieces of the Outlier puzzle are filled in. It's looking less likely to be a whodunnit and more of a whydunnit? Interested to see how Carcer will take on Caul, with his 'enhancements'.

Sinister Dexter - it feels a bit formulaic and another diversion/distraction from the main plot. This series needs to decide whether it should have a stronger serial narrative, or whether it should be a series of amusing one-offs, like it was back in the beginning. At the moment, it seems to be blending the two together, which just makes these types of stories feel like filler.

Jaegir - After a nice introduction to the character last week, we have a nice bit of exposition to set up the rest of the story-arc, as well as delving into the concept of Strigoi infected Norts. We're also introduced to the rest of Jaegir's team, who might as well have 'expendable' written on their suits.

For more detailed review of the Prog, check out our blog post here > http://www.popculturebandit.co.uk/2014/04/2000ad-prog-1875.html

[Spaceghost]

The cover is technically good but I just don't think the characters of Sinister and Dexter are very interesting visually.

Loving Dredd at the moment. After the likes of Chaos Day and Titan focusing on a Dredd who is very much a victim of circumstance, struggling against desperate situations, it's been a while since we saw just how nasty and underhanded Justice Department, and Dredd himself, can be. Wagner is back to remind us that Dredd is not always a force for good, but a brutal instrument of the law.

Even though I'm faaar from his biggest fan, Simon Davis' art on Slaine is a big improvement over the work of his predecessor. The story seems fairly straightforward at the moment but it's only 3 episodes in so that could change.

I'm beginning to think that Carcer and Caul in Outlier are the same person, or if not, more closely related than has thus far been revealed. I'm enjoying the story and the art is spot on.

Sinister Dexter isn't as unwelcome as usual with this current run. The dialogue is funny, the satire biting and the situation exciting. I predict that everyone except our protaganists will wind up dead.

How long before we get the cover strapline 'Jaegir Bomb!'? I'm enjoying this so far but I always find myself hoping that Rogue is going to turn up in these Expanded Universe stories. Don't suppose he will. Jaegir is an interesting character and it's cool to see things from the 'baddies' point of view for a change.

[amines2058]

The cover is technically good but I just don't think the characters of Sinister and Dexter are very interesting visually.

Loving Dredd at the moment. After the likes of Chaos Day and Titan focusing on a Dredd who is very much a victim of circumstance, struggling against desperate situations, it's been a while since we saw just how nasty and underhanded Justice Department, and Dredd himself, can be. Wagner is back to remind us that Dredd is not always a force for good, but a brutal instrument of the law.

Even though I'm faaar from his biggest fan, Simon Davis' art on Slaine is a big improvement over the work of his predecessor. The story seems fairly straightforward at the moment but it's only 3 episodes in so that could change.

I'm beginning to think that Carcer and Caul in Outlier are the same person, or if not, more closely related than has thus far been revealed. I'm enjoying the story and the art is spot on.

Sinister Dexter isn't as unwelcome as usual with this current run. The dialogue is funny, the satire biting and the situation exciting. I predict that everyone except our protaganists will wind up dead.

How long before we get the cover strapline 'Jaegir Bomb!'? I'm enjoying this so far but I always find myself hoping that Rogue is going to turn up in these Expanded Universe stories. Don't suppose he will. Jaegir is an interesting character and it's cool to see things from the 'baddies' point of view for a change.

Spaceghost you may want to spoiler your entire review as I think you have posted in the wrong thread. This is the 1875 thread not 1876?? I saw the 3 episodes in comment on Slaine and quickly averted my eyes to hide any other spoilers!

[Recrewt]

Going by what we have seen so far - 2014 looks like it is going to be a very good year for the Prog.

I am enjoying all the strips at the moment and I'm not sure if it's all down to Tharg or more of a team effort, but the matching of artists to strips at the moment is inspired.

Colin MacNeil's style matches the tone of the current Dredd tale perfectly.  Simon Davis has breathed new life into Slaine.  Karl Richardson is doing great stuff with Outlier - particularly liking the multi-limbed baddie.  Smudge has created a great B&W style for SinDex.  And finally - Simon Coleby is just stunning in Jaegir.   

There are many US comics that fail to match the correct artist to a single story so I am in awe of all those involved who have done it with five concurrent stories.

[Spaceghost]

Spaceghost you may want to spoiler your entire review as I think you have posted in the wrong thread. This is the 1875 thread not 1876?? I saw the 3 episodes in comment on Slaine and quickly averted my eyes to hide any other spoilers!

Ooops! There's no edit feature any more so I can't 'spoiler' it now.

Luckily, I haven't said anything particularly specific to this week's episodes (except the comments about the cover), more of a general observation of how the stories are going.

Sorry!

[TordelBack]

What a tasty stew this week's prog is!

Slaine: probably my favourite episode of Slaine since The Swan Children.  Davis' landscapes are as beautifully observed and as characterful as his faces, and Pat's dialogue is pleasantly restrained.  As others have said, Slaine for me has lacked any real sense of place for decades now, with everything from Tara to Nottingham to Carcasonne essentially having the same pseudo-medieval feel: Davis gives us back the grounded fantastic that was such a huge part of the strip's appeal for me, with an evocative reworking of the Machars of Galloway and their standing stones and circles.  Just love it.

Dredd is the kind of low-key but horrifically-tense thing that Wagner does better than anyone.  I half hoped Ramage was going to be one the original Dem March names, but alas. 

Sin Dex: One for the '...Over My Head' thread, but I've just this moment copped that 'Generica' is America to Downlode's Europe, albeit offworld: I'd just taken the 'generic' part of the name as evoking a noirish anyplace when a hardboiled killer might go to hide, and had overlooked the '-erica' part.  Henceforth I'll be thinking of this sequence as Generican Gothic, as our heroes make their roadtrip from suburbia out across a familiar dusty heartland.

Anyway, my own stupidity aside, I loved this sidetrip into Breaking Bad territory, Smudge's art suiting the story perfectly.

Outlier is holding my interest, even if I can never quite gel with Richardson's art.

Jaegir looks fab, and while atmopsheric and crisply told it is perhaps not entirely my thing. 

[ThryllSeekyr]

I really need to re-read this one, as I have only downloaded it on my other computer which is getting fixed right now.

I may download it here again right now.....

As for Quagslime being killed.......I don't think he ever was......thumbing through the pages of Slaine - The Wanderer now......there is only a picture of a close up of it's face in one the caption underneath a warping Slaine and it's never seen again until this issue.

Strange thing, is that I had always thought Quaglslime was the one who Slaine had stuck his arm down it's throat and ripped out it's heart.

Killing it instantly....

That was just another Formorian, some of them look much the same to me.

[ThryllSeekyr]

Strange thing, is that I had always thought Quaglslime was the one who Slaine had stuck his arm down it's throat and ripped out it's heart.

Killing it instantly....

That was just another Formorian, some of them look much the same to me.

The thing about Slaine reaching down a formorian's throat and pulling out it's heart.....you know that time when Slaine had returned to his tribe with the cauldron as the formorians had started to invade his homeland, collecting crops and the nose tax in Slaine the King.

[Magnetica]

Quagslime was definitely alive at the end of Slaine the King. That was the story that introduced the Formorians. They then had a big battle in the Horned God but there was no mention of Quagslime in that. I can't remember what happen later on though.

[Magnetica]

Correction the Formorians were briefly pictured in Dragon Heist, but it was Slaine the King which first featured them as the main baddies. But anyway the point was, what happened later on.