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Prog 1801 Green Death On The Red Planet

Started by Mattofthespurs, 15 September, 2012, 08:59:56 AM

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Trout

A damned good prog. The slight pixellation on the Dredd art didn't spoil it one bit. I always enjoy PJ's art, and this was an excellent story by Mike Carroll. I'm especially happy to see [spoiler]Dolman [/spoiler]back.

Brass Sun was still great. I'm desperate to find out more about this fully-formed world - or system of worlds - that is so very fascinating right from the start.

For the first time in years, I really enjoyed ABC Warriors. To see [spoiler]Happy Shrapnel [/spoiler]again was surprisingly exciting, and I'm interested to see how Pat Mills is arranging the continuity. I had no idea that Robusters was after Mars, but I don't pay too much attention to such things, admittedly.

Grey Area continues in the same vein. I confess I find it a bit too wordy, but I'm enjoying it well enough.

But my favourite part of the prog was the Terror Tale. I'm not sure how shocking it was, but it was genuinely creepy, especially when [spoiler]they simply gave up and died[/spoiler]. Horrible stuff. John Smith rocks.

- Trout

Cthulouis

Don't normally say much on these threads, but I feel compelled to praise a particular aspect of the already otherwise awesome Brass Sun.

Last issue, it was emphasised that the story is set on the southern hemisphere of the planet. I noticed it during the zoom in, and thought it was pretty neat the way the moon was subsequently seen from the other direction.

This week, we see that this wasn't just a nice bit of artistic flare, but vital storytelling, leaving the reader entierly clear about what that splash page conveys. That's one of those examples of the comic medium being used to its fullest extent. Loved it.

Mudcrab

Il'l take back the "ho-hum" on the Terror Tale. For a start I didn't notice that it was Smith/Bagwell. Not that the fact should make it awesome in itself, but it was a great little creepy tale. Top stuff.

Grey Area however was very much ho-hum.
NEGOTIATION'S OVER!

Pete Wells

I loved the Terror Tale and will think about it every time I see one of those 'XX fatalities on this road' signs. 

There was almost exactly the same set up in the Devil May Cry computer game. You followed two beautiful shimmering faries through the majority of a level and eventually into a courtyard. Once inside you could see they were lures on an angler fish style toad that you had to kill - it was easily one of the coolest bosses ever!


Cactus

I'm sorry to say I found this week's prog pretty disappointing. No matter how exciting Clint's covers are they remind me of Mill's clumping dialogue and that takes the edge off. Why does it say "green death" when everything is orange or grey?

The pixellation on page five of Judge Dredd made it hard to follow what was happening in the crowd scene and spoiled an otherwise excellent episode. I think that guy was trying to stop a mugging but it's just too fuzzy to be clear on the first reading.

John Smith's Terror Tale fell flat at the end. I think the pacing was a bit off as re-reading just the last two pages again later it was much more chilling. Beautiful work from the Bagwell droid however. Judging by the car numberplate he's a Preston North End fan.

The ABC Warriors was as slow as I've come to expect from Pat Mills, and I'm completely lost as to the continuity, but it did look nice. I've read re-prints of the one drawn by Simon Bisley but I think I need to get hold of their earliest stories so I can fit it all together. Top marks to Annie Parkhouse for giving each character a unique design of speech bubble though. That's a nice touch that makes it easier to follow.

Brass Sun lost some of the wow factor of last week's episode but I did enjoy it and I think this will be my favourite of the current crop.

Grey Area was actually the most engaging thrill this week. I really liked Bulliet's "smart" way of running the investigation. I'll be filing that one away for use in an RPG some time.
I'm a tucker hot seat trucker and I'm voking cheerio, ten-ten!

TordelBack


Proudhuff

Beautiful wraparound A.B.C Warriors cover.

Judge Dredd. A fine story spoiled by those pesty pixels, some droid will be getting it from the mighty one! I prefer PJ work to Mr Weston's more static compositions, but that's just me  :D

Brass Sun. Great stuff hoping this will have a decent short story arc, rather than the endless roaming of Dante.

A.B.C Warriors. Enjoyed this week, the art fitting the robot story nicely, just wish someone would blue pencil the chat.


Terror Tales. Couldn't help but think, how are the bodies left people think its an road accident? 65 and no investigation, am I thinking too much about this?

Grey Area. Enjoyed that sideways questioning, just wish the colour was a bit more...er colourful? very muted.


A good prog  but my heart goes out to PJ as the B&W art is great, before the pixel pixies snafued it.
DDT did a job on me

Dandontdare

Am I the only one with deep misgivings about where this ABC tale is going? I loved the reappearance of Happy Shrapnel and the idea of re-telling the meeting with Ro-jaws, but 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.

I only noticed the muddy Dredd art once it was pointed out - that's how observant I am!

Brass Sun and Grey Area were good again this week, but the Terror Tale was a bit flat - needed some kind of twist I think.

Spaceghost

I'm pretty annoyed about the blurry Dredd to be honest. I know that we on the board love 2000 AD and are inclined to be a bit kinder towards a mistake like this but the prog costs £2.35 these days, it's not chicken feed.

I buy 2000 AD for the art and stories, if the art is ruined due to an error then it robs me of my enjoyment and, therefore, value for money.

If I'd picked up any other comic on the shelves of a comic shop and the reproduction was as shoddy as this, I'd put it straight back down again. There's no way I'd shell out for a comic that looked so bad. I really hope it's sorted out before it goes to the shops on Wednesday because otherwise, a lot of people are going to be giving it a miss.

A decent, reprinted copy for subscribers wouldn't go amiss either.
Raised in the wild by sarcastic wolves.

Previously known as L*e B*tes. Sshhh, going undercover...

mygrimmbrother

Quote from: Lee Bates on 18 September, 2012, 03:12:38 PM
A decent, reprinted copy for subscribers wouldn't go amiss either.

This I'm afraid.

Banners

Quote from: Lee Bates
If I'd picked up any other comic on the shelves of a comic shop and the reproduction was as shoddy as this, I'd put it straight back down again. There's no way I'd shell out for a comic that looked so bad. I really hope it's sorted out before it goes to the shops on Wednesday because otherwise, a lot of people are going to be giving it a miss.

Considering the huge amount of planning and logistics that goes into getting the Prog out on time every Wednesday year-in, year-out, it's surprising this something like this doesn't happen more often. Errors can happen to anyone working in print, even when you make all the proper preflight checks in your artwork and subsequent PDF. It's obviously a genuine mistake and as it's happened for the first time I can think of, it's a shame but quite forgivable.

Dark Jimbo

I'm not going to get all spluttery and outraged about the printing error. It isn't as though it was deliberate, and I'm betting nobody's more annoyed about it than Tharg's minions. Shit happens. On with the review -

Dredd quickly goes some way to taking the edge of my dissatisfaction with the Debris story, which promised much but delivered little. I'm a lot more interested in the Dolman/Easter/Corps plot now that I know it didn't have the abrupt and unsatisfying resolution I thought it did. It's just getting going so it's a bit early to call but I'm looking forward to next week.

Brass Sun doesn't really do much different from last week, so I don't really have much to say. Still very good stuff.

ABC Warriors is a joy. I was a bit nonplussed by last week's non-event of an installment but this makes up for that in spades, and introduces us to the real meat of this series. The flashback panel of [spoiler]Happy Shrapnel[/spoiler] was crackin', and Pat really pulls a blinder here; in a mere single panel he retrospectively gives the chap in question a proper backstory, a unique identity he never really had before and explains the rather bonkers name and erratic behaviour, all in a single panel! Only Pat could write an episode as decompressed as last week's and follow it with one as dense and rich as this. Say what you like about the man's comics but they read like nobody else's. We also get some lovely hints of why/how the original Mars mission ended, which has never really been addressed before, and some beautiful foreshadowing of where this series going. Joy joy joy.

Blackspot indulges in the classic John Smith dodge of a cool and mysterious monster/setting that's never actually explained (see Cradlegrave); anyone can come up with funky beasties and intriguing scenarios if they're not called on to provide any sort of explanation, and the brass neck of this should really annoy; but when it's pulled off with this much verve and style it doesn't really seem to matter (again, see Cradlegrave). And it helps that the art's a blinder (you know the drill by now... see Cradlegrave). All told, a textbook example of a Terror Tale... now get these guys back to work on more Indigo Prime!

Grey Area is Grey Area. The plot continues to take its sweet time, the supposedly grizzled soldiers continue to talk like immature teenagers and Lee Carter continues to knock it out of the park - given nothing very interesting to draw he triumphs regardless and keeps the interest all the way through. It's not that I dislike this series; it's that I struggle to feel very much about it either way since the potentially interesting xenophobe plotline just fizzled out. Ho Hum.
@jamesfeistdraws

TheMightyOne

I personally am loving grey area! I sometimes think I must be the only one :lol:

I think the whole idea is great and the art is very slick and well futuristic, it really builds up an atmosphere in my humble opinion. Also great story, an invisible killer... shocked! recommended to my friends that they buy it because of that story!

Link Prime

Quote from: Pete Wells on 16 September, 2012, 01:47:55 PM
I loved the Terror Tale and will think about it every time I see one of those 'XX fatalities on this road' signs. 

There was almost exactly the same set up in the Devil May Cry computer game. You followed two beautiful shimmering faries through the majority of a level and eventually into a courtyard. Once inside you could see they were lures on an angler fish style toad that you had to kill - it was easily one of the coolest bosses ever!



Agreed Pete, that was one of the most memorable video game moments I've had- great boss idea.

A thumbs up for ABC Warriors from fellow Khaos fanatic Dark Jimbo bodes well for some good readin tomorrow.

Zarjazzer

wow that's a great boss! Not tried DMC. Read the prog in the cinema yesterday good stuff from Dredd, ABC (tho it seemed largely a 'nam style flashback) and Brass Sun, Terror Tales was okay haven't managed to read Grey Area yet (good art though).

Cool cover with tentacled ooglies and The ABC warriors.
The Justice department has a good re-education programme-it's called five to ten in the cubes.