Prog 1801 Green Death On The Red Planet

[Mudcrab]

...if Pat is ret-conning the whole of the Robusters era into something completely different (deep cover mission? Betray all robotkind?) I won't be a happy bunny.

Maybe not Ro-Busters itself, but it's got to be something to do with the Rise and Fall storyline. I'm long overdue a re-read of that. Quartz will surely be involved in some fashion I'd expect.

[IndigoPrime]

If? Hasn't ABC Warriors been ret-con-a-go-go for some time now?

[Dark Jimbo]

Oh, I was going to say; besides the aforementioned confusion about page 5 of Dredd (no real idea what's meant to be happening in panels 4 and 5) I was a bit nonplussed by page 2 as well. Page 1 ends with the three chaps in/on the bus pointing and looking at something; page 2 then starts with a load of skysurfers facing down a couple of random guys. For a start, who are these two in the foreground? The brown cowl and tonsure haircut makes the first one look like a monk, but I'm sure that's not meant to be the case. Is the guy with earrings supposed to be a Judge? Anyway, then Dredd tools up and shoots up the surfers (I think, but it's a bit confused as to who's shooting at who). I'm not really sure if any of this is meant to be related to the three guys on page 1 or if it's a different event entirely and we'll go back to those three next week. Anyone?

[Definitely Not Mister Pops]

Just picked up my prog from the newsagents. The pixellation in Dredd hasn't been sorted. Every page of Dredd looks like a jpeg that hasn't properly loaded. For aaminute I thought 'shoulda gone to specsavers'*.

*Other optometrists are available

[Banners]

...page 2 then starts with a load of skysurfers facing down a couple of random guys. For a start, who are these two in the foreground? The brown cowl and tonsure haircut makes the first one look like a monk, but I'm sure that's not meant to be the case. Is the guy with earrings supposed to be a Judge?

They're clearly the guys at the bus, but I think the guy on the right of the panel has been coloured wrong. He should be the white bloke on the board, not the black guy on top of the bus who is the monk you refer to.

[Dark Jimbo]

AHHHHHHHH. That makes much more sense. So I guess what follows is a battle between rival gangs of scroungers - the guys on the bus and the skysurfer gang? Yeah, the colouring on that panel didn't help.

[Spaceghost]

Just picked up my prog from the newsagents. The pixellation in Dredd hasn't been sorted. Every page of Dredd looks like a jpeg that hasn't properly loaded.

Oh dear. That's not good.

Sorry if I sound like a grouch amongst all the 'Hey, it's just a little mistake!' comments but if I'd bought a DVD and a fifth of it was pixellated, or I'd bought an album and a fifth of it was spoiled with distortion, I'd take it back to the shop. So would everybody else on this forum.

I know it's only happened once but still...

[Professor Bear]

I found out about the pixellation when PJ mentioned it on Twitter (several times), and he seemed bummed about it.  If he was being snotty and dismissive of fans/consumers I might think it was worth poking the bear a bit, but those concerned seem as pissed it happened as their customers do, so I'd let it slide as a one-off.

I have worked in print and can back up Banners' "accidents happen, let it go" attitude, as customers who got back to us because we delivered sub-par work for the money they paid us were just the worst and we viewed them with nothing but contempt to the point it overshadowed our remorse for doing shitty work.

[Spaceghost]

Alright, I'll stop being a whingeing twat about it. The damage is already done.

It was a good Dredd despite the printing problems and the rest of the prog was really good too. Brass Sun is the show stopper at the moment.

[Spaceghost]

Jeezus, I wish I'd never said anything now. Some grexnix is lambasting poor Molch-R about the printing error on Facebook and he's using my film/album analogy. I hope it's not a forumite.

[TheMightyOne]

It is not that bigger problem to me but hopefully it is sorted out when I pick up my copy tommorow. It could always be a problem with a batch(s).

[a chosen rider]

Cover - It's Langley doing what Langley does; the composition doesn't massively grab me, but I know this art style is really striking to people who aren't familiar with it, so always a good choice for a cover.

Dredd - Rejoice, digital readers, for we get to see the art in all its original non-pixellated glory!  Having peeked at the paper copy in Smiths, it wasn't quite as bad as I was expecting given the dire wailings in this thread, but it's definitely a shame, because I feel like the art on this has visibly leapt forward since "Debris".  Seems much stronger and cleaner here, and with a greater sense of depth.  Story-wise it's an intriguing start; I'm really glad the Dolman thread is being followed up, but nervous about where it's going - I want him to stick around, but I really don't want to see him go back to the Judges.

Brass Sun - Ooh, pretty.  Love the atmosphere of the opening panel with the snow and the lighting inside the dolmen.  And that reindeer.  Some fascinating worldbuilding going on as well.  Top stuff.

ABC Warriors - You know, I see all the things that are objectively flaws with this, and yet I enjoy the ride anyway.  This must be how other people felt about Flesh.

Terror Tales - Now this looks nice.  Love the muted colour scheme.  A neat little tale, although I feel like the ending doesn't quite have the right impact: took a re-read for it to properly sink in for me.

Grey Area - I completely forgot what the fifth story was in this prog until I reached it, which is maybe not the best sign.  I really want this series to find its feet, and I feel like the art has been getting steadily, but this story so far seems to have involved a great many panels of people standing around talking to each other.  Would be nice to see a bit more action and vairety next week.

Overall, a very strong prog this week, with just Grey Area not really reaching its potential.

[Daveycandlish]

I only ever read this thread after I've bought and read the prog (spoilers sweetie!) by which time everyone has said what I think. So, to reiterate; cool cover, but should have been Dredd. Dredd story marred by repro.  Brass Sun is the highlight for me this week. I can't wait for the next episode, or indeed the collection. I don't know the backstory on ABC and don't feel the urge to buy the collecteds but Langley seems well suited to this, it's just not grabbing me. Nice Terror Tale (if that's not a contradiction!). Grey Area does what it does and does it well - I understand what was said earlier about the art being static but this week was mainly standing around talking so no need for dynamism. Overall 7/10 (loses a mark for not cashing in with a Dredd cover, another for pixellated story and another for one story not being my thing)

[SmallBlueThing]

No proper review from me this week as I am far too ill. Just some random musings:

1. Dredd pixellatin wasn't as bad as I'd feared- certainly didn't leap out and ruin the strip for me. What was far more important was how much the post-DoC strip was moved along within the pages. A new approach by the Justice Department, no killings, work details, Dolman, repercussions following the introduction of the space judges- oh my! This should've happened weeks ago. Brilliant stuff.

2. Terror Tales. Quite possibly my favourite thing in the prog this year. I love John Smith for this- a truly magnificent bit of Ramsey Campbell-esque horror. If Tharg were to get Smith and Bagwell to produce a series of twelve or so of these shorts, he'd have an immensely saleable book at the end of it, as well as three months of guaranteed top thrills.

3. Brass Sun. Yep, glorious. I want to buy the trade already. Like, now.

4. ABCs. Widescreen loveliness and 2000AD at its best. Though I'd remind Tharg that he owes us two books from the previous series in paperback. Ahem ahem.

5. Grey Area. While it dribbles at the end of the prog, and isn't perhaps as loved as it should be, I'm very much enjoying this series as a whole. The dialogue as they investigated the car was very nicely done, and the payoff alien suitably nasty-looking to ensure I remember it next week.

The prog definately feels as if it's upped the ante in the light of the movie release, and while the cover was surprisingly unrelated it's good to see Tharg carrying on as normal in that respect. Perhaps the comic's future is not as reliant on the film as some doomsayers may have thought.

Anyway- back to the sick bed!

SBT

[Jim_Campbell]

If Tharg were to get Smith and Bagwell to produce a series of twelve or so of these shorts, he'd have an immensely saleable book at the end of it, as well as three months of guaranteed top thrills.

This is a suggestion of unspeakable brilliance.

Cheers

Jim