Meg 456: Daughter of Darkness

[IndigoPrime]

Right then. One Dark Judge cover and we're off, into chin vs chin as Dredd goes properly timey-wimey. That all worked well for me, although I thought it was a fairly relaxed ending. But: OHO! Shock twist etc.

Spector again feels good to have Ezquerra in the Meg. The strip itself feels a bit, I dunno. Dated is too harsh a word. Classic-era, maybe? I'm enjoying it enough – it's fun. Probably no classic.

After a brief interlude where Brendan McCarthy apparently illustrates Judge Dredd having a poo, we get Death Metal Planet. Bit of a twist to this one, which livened things up a bit. Alas, I doubt the fiends will be eradicated, and so we're now awaiting the escape route to make itself known.

Next, Lawson returns with a fairly grim opening episode. It's somehow very action-packed but a bit slow burn. Great art, although Lawson appears to have a very long body on the last page.

Reprint then kicks in, and makes me wish Matt Smith had done more Anderson. This episode is really great – excellent pacing; wonderful characterisation; a fun quip ("Help the elderly, that's what I say."); and some fire from Anderson in her take-no-shit attitude with a perp.

Having not been paying attention, I had no idea Johnny Red would be the replacement reprint. I've not read this Titan run, and so I'm happy to see it, and it's started well. The eight-page 'ad' for Dort was... less interesting.

Dreadnoughts brings the mag to a close, and ends on a properly horrible cliffhanger, which I really hope gets resolved in a manner that doesn't include the judge shooting back...

In all, one of the best issues of the Meg in a long while for me. Johnny Red for the risible MC2 is a big step up, and Lawless for Waugh keeps the original content high.

Dreadnoughts > Anderson > Dredd > Johnny Red > Lawless > Spector > Dark Judges > Dort

[nxylas]

Plus there was a nice Anderson pin-up by Name Here, definitely an artist to watch 

[Colin YNWA]

Lawless is back ... I mean there is more BUT Lawless is back.

Okay, okay the rest then Dredd, well it ends okay BUT then it doesn't end at all. Nice flip and love the line to Dredd, after having met Jack "...they've got a patch for you eye software..." very cute!

Spectre I want to like this and its fine, but a robot making misunderstandings about those crazy human ways. At the moment it feels a little cliche - let's see how it goes.

Death Metal Planet this series of series is going to make sure read as Rosco's tale reaches a real dark highlight this issue leaving us dangling as to where they will go from here and what will happen.

Dreadnoughts is superb, dark, heavy and twisted.

But yes its Lawless that sets the standard, again. Its a clever, sharp, engaging way to twist the tale, introduce the main player and set up the new story. Masterful... aside from that final page where as IndigoPrime says Phil Winslade's normally exceptional work seems to slip a little .

The other stuff is a very mixed bag. If you've not read the IDW Anderson, or the Titan Johnny Red both of these are a treat. I have both so skipped alas. 10000 Disaster's of Dort. I love Jose Ortiz, and love Luis Bermejo together then... well ouch actually. I probably won't pick this up. Some GREAT Star Scans, particularly love Brendan McCarthy's take on the classic Bats imagine from Dark Knight Returns. Very good.

[Richard]

Plus there was a nice Anderson pin-up by Name Here, definitely an artist to watch 

Weird, mine says Steve Sampson. Maybe you got an early proof?

[nxylas]

Plus there was a nice Anderson pin-up by Name Here, definitely an artist to watch 

Weird, mine says Steve Sampson. Maybe you got an early proof?

Was yours a print or a digital copy?

[broodblik]

Plus there was a nice Anderson pin-up by Name Here, definitely an artist to watch 

Weird, mine says Steve Sampson. Maybe you got an early proof?

Was yours a print or a digital copy?

The digital version has "Name Here"

[Richard]

I have a print copy.

[Colin YNWA]

Gotta assume the digital file was put together before the print file was sent in and somewhere between the two the error was spotted OR they accidently used the wrong file for the digital version... I mean if I knew anything about the way the comic is put together I might have more than vage guesses!

[broodblik]

Article related to the Dredd story:

https://www.thepopverse.com/judge-dredd-race-2000ad-multiracial-black

Interesting out of the article is that we will get a spin-off:

"We're next going to be doing a Fargo & One-Eyed Jack spin-off strip, set in a skuzzy 1970s New York that references exploitation movies of the time and the feel of the surprisingly violent UK Action comic strips of that same period," Neimand revealed, referencing the controversial 1970s precursor to 2000 AD — a comic deemed to be so corruptive to the nation's youth that it became headline news.

[Colin YNWA]

Oh that's very interesting news. It will be interesting to see how they develop things beyond what's already been done.

[nxylas]

Apologies for my terrible memory, but have they said who the father of Eartha Fargo's child is yet?

[Richard]

I don't think so. But as her surname is Fargo, and her grandchild's name is also Fargo, I'm guessing that she's a single mum.

[nxylas]

I don't think so. But as her surname is Fargo, and her grandchild's name is also Fargo, I'm guessing that she's a single mum.

As I recall, her and Jack didn't really seem to know each other at the beginning of the story, when she was already in the early stages of pregnancy, so hopefully they won't do the obvious thing of making him Dredd's great-grandfather.

[Jim_Campbell]

Apologies for my terrible memory, but have they said who the father of Eartha Fargo's child is yet?

Pete Wells, hence: Wells-Fargo.

[Batman's Superior Cousin]

Apologies for my terrible memory, but have they said who the father of Eartha Fargo's child is yet?

Pete Wells, hence: Wells-Fargo.

Heh