Meg 241 - Enter the Dragon!

[Floyd-the-k]

It DOES have an invisible cover. Intangible too.

[Waddie]

Then he faces off against Shimura - who voices my frustration as he says "Are you going to talk me to death?" Well, yes, apparently.
Lee replies by shouting "hai", doesn't he?  That's "yes" in both Cantonese and Japanese. ;)

[Bico]

Quick brain teaser:

Robbie Morrison strip, published by Rebellion, seven letters, starts with 'S' and ends with 'RA', and it's about a futuristic main character who's tough as old boots, who faces a motley assortment of super-villians led by someone described as "the greatest assassin" - the first story ran its course, and the strip has been treading water ever since.  The art's still good, but there's still that rubbish dialogue that Frank Miller would be proud of to let the side down.

Any guesses?

[Tordelbach]

SHAKARA!

[Bico]

At this point, I'm not sure meself.

Nor, apparantly, is Robbie Morrison.

[Proudhuff]

Jings, I'll keep it brief.
I felt this Meg was a bit flat, I really didn't like that cover. out of all the 'action bits' of this issue that isn't the best, and the foreshorting is like something I would draw( thats bad!)

Dredd, Much as I was looking forward to Mandriod after the story in the Prog, this wasn't what i hoped for, none of these guys are anything like the couple who came back for the off-world wars and the art doesn't seem right for the story sorry guys but this hasn't worked.
On a pedent's note: why would Dredd get off a bike with BF cannons to fight on foot? if he's even wanted info before he normally drives by and knock the perp over, I know petty stuff, as for his self destruction speech, I'm sure he's thought about it given the number of races he's helped destroy ;)

Simura: Now i remember why I detest yankee comics, how bloody silly is this/ Please Matt no more of this kind of tosh. Silly silly silly.

Enjoyed the BB interview, I find the background details to why things I liked disappeared/stopped/reappeared or limply staggered on interesting, no doubt the reasons behind decisions about current stories start/stop are the same?

Anderson: Poor anderson different hair cut same story over and over again, how many times can this one story be rehashed with only slight differences? Maybe she's still stuck in the BONG having a recurring nightmare?

Middenpus: Great stuff, funny, moving, pathos, action, nice references to current culture well developed story and characters, Micthy me!How can this be written by the same driod as Anderson? (and the art is top notch as well!)

15 years Creep! Perhaps we are too close to the subject to be objective about some of this eh? Give it ten years and maybe we can revist it.

Charleys War: excellect as ever, one day all war stories will be like this, hopefully showing the horrors in the current conflict.

Heat seekers: nothing caught my eye/interest here move along please, not a lot to see.

Major Easy: great stuff looking forward to the face off, hopefully a bit o background next month

over all top notch Middenpus and Koburn the rest kinda , well flat.

Huff the leveler

[House of Usher]

For me, the main problem with Shimura was that here you've got a gang of bad guys, any of whom individually would present a challenge to Dredd or Shimura, but get them all together in a group and they go down like skittles.

As it happens, I enjoyed it more than the average Shimura strip because it had superheroes and lots of killing in it. Generally I don't like Shimura because it takes for granted that anything with a Japanese setting *must* necessarily be more cool than anything set in the west, and I always, always hate the plot. At least this one didn't have a plot - that's something to be thankful for.

[DavidXBrunt]

I've got to say I'm a little dissapointed that the cover for True Brit wasn't reprinted in the Bolland article, for obvious reasons of vanity.

Speaking of Bolland covers would a special be feasable reprinting them in all their glory. I don't know about anybody else but I'd gladly spend ?3 for a collection of images like that. Doubt it'd be cost effective though.

I may even review the Meg eventually but the fact that apart from Koburn nothing much lingers in the memory is probably more telling than anything else.

[SmallBlueThing]

I have to de-lurk here and say my ha'penny worth. Grumbly old sod that I am, I'm deeply unimpressed with the Meg at the moment- about the only thing that I like (other than Charley's War, which is saved for last and for reading in the bath, because it is fabulous and, despite my suspicion that it'll be dumped soon, deserves to stay exactly where it is until it is completed) is Koburn. especially this particular Koburn episode, which had every single element of strippage that i have come to desire from Tharg's stable after nearly 30 years of devotion. Marvellous.

But- Anderson? Bleuh. Nothing to say and ugly art. Dredd? meh-ish art, dull storyline. Ludicrous Dredd pictures in which he looks like he's got elephantiasis of the face. Shimura? Am I the only one who can't stand the art? Colin Thingie (i've temporarily forgotten his name, would you believe! Excellent- maybe the part of my brain that held that piece of info is now storing the more interesting items off the 'Hot Potato's menu and their wine list) was good back in the days of 'America', but now... Horrible. Stilted, puffed up figures, interchangeable faces, copy/paste, copy/paste. Horrible. And the cover was appalling. As for Young Middie- well, I like the art, and I'm sure if I had an interest in contemporary Scots politics I'd get more out of it, but as it is, no.

As for the features- I learned nothing, was interested in nothing and felt, not for the first time, they were a cheap filler.

And since I'm moaning- Is the highlight of the Meg, Charley's War, now being printed at a *slower* rate than it's original publication? I don't have my copy to hand, but weren't there only 3 episodes? I had been hoping that they'd give us an xmas pressie, a collection of CW- like that Fiends collection a year or so back- that would bolster it along a bit, but no. I can see why people may want it gone- but really, it's the one thing of constant quality in an otherwise extremely dodgy package. How the meg has slipped since a few years ago, when the future looked so rosy. Once again, I'm fearing for its future.

Again, deep apologies for being so negative- but that's honestly how I feel and after supporting the comic for so, so, so many years- I feel my voice should at least try to make itself heard.

Steev (wearing a WW1 helmet and awaiting the inevitable flaming barrage- with my mate Charley and the gang)

[Funt Solo]

A little bit of hive-mindedness going on:  I had exactly the same thought about printing a large chunk of Charley's War as a supplement.  I don't want to see it go - but it is a very long-running strip - and variety is the spice of thrillage.  It did get a break recently for a 5-issue stretch, and maybe that's what's called for:  Charley's War in chunks.  (Of course, it's tough to call, because that extends it's run even more.)

I think Anderson Psi is suffering from over-exposure:  it's been in 24 out of the last 28 Megs - and all the tales are directly linked to Deadworld - all by Ranson.  I don't think that they're not good as stand-alone tales, just too much of the same schtick for too long.  It's gone stale.  Also, as much as I love Ranson's artwork (easily forgiving what I consider awkward posing), his work in this month's Meg seemed below par.

Young Middenface: 14 out of the last 24 Megs.  More over-exposure, despite the gorgeous artwork.  And where's the character going, anyway?  As a series of classic novels converted to comic fiction, it's an interesting thing to do, and I loved Midnapped, but the constant modern Scottish analogy is beginning to really grate as contrived and clumsy, or perhaps even twee.  If I'm reading a story about a bunch of people being burnt alive in a giant wicker man, shouldn't I feel some kind of emotion beyond ennui?

Shimura never really went anywhere after the initial run, with it's astounding artwork.  The characters seem stuck in limbo.  I did really enjoy the reinvigoration of the strip with Executioner and Deus X about a year ago, but this recent run has taken it from the sublime to the ridiculous without passing go.  What happens when you stick as many characters as you can in one story:  Helter Skelter.  It's a huge disappointment.

Judge Dredd is suffering from bad timing - after the sublime art and plotting of Mandroid, the promise of "a whole platoon of mandroids" sounded too good to be true in terms of how good it would be.  That kind of hype has bitten back, unfortunately.  Another disappointment - despite being a pretty good take in it's own right.  Still, we recently had a new PJ Maybe adventure - and that was utter class.  Dredd's obviously not going anywhere, so I guess we have to accept it will be hit and miss.

And yes, what's saving the Meg is also what's been the real shining light of the last year and a bit: the new thrills of Cursed Earth Koburn and The Simping Detective - both astoundingly entertaining and beautifully crafted.  (I'd include Zancudo in this, because I loved it, but I realise it received a somewhat mixed response.  Others might include Johnny Woo, but I found that a bit of a damp squib, alongside the misfiring Bendatti Vendetta, The Bogie Man and Darren Dead.)

In terms of the articles, that's another mixed bag for me:  I love the creator interviews with the likes of Morrison and Bolland, and I also get a kick out of 15 Years, Creep, but the British Icons series left me cold, and I simply never read Heatseekers, because I have no desire to.  To be honest, I'd rather more strip, even reprint, than what I see as filler text - but I know there's people who disagree, so I happily leave that aside as swings and roundabouts.

Personally, I think we need more variety, and slightly less reliance on the established creative old guard.

[Endjinn]

Quick brain teaser:

Robbie Morrison strip, published by Rebellion, seven letters, starts with 'S' and ends with 'RA', and it's about a futuristic main character who's tough as old boots, who faces a motley assortment of super-villians led by someone described as "the greatest assassin" - the first story ran its course, and the strip has been treading water ever since. The art's still good, but there's still that rubbish dialogue that Frank Miller would be proud of to let the side down.

Any guesses?

Link: http://www.2000adreview.co.uk/reviews/megazine/2005/judge_dredd_megazine_239review.shtml#shimura" target="_blank">Funny you should say that...

[[YT-2]]

I'd have to disagree with you spooky as In my own opinion the Megs the best its ever been.

I'd quite happily keep it as it is as I like the page count and don't mind the cover price but the only way its going to pull in new readers is to drop the page count, get rid of half the text, bury Charley's War and reduce the cover price.

[House of Usher]

Whilst I wouldn't go so far as to say the best it's ever been, I would say it's the best it's been in months, largely due the the variety currently on offer. Get rid of Anderson and we'll have more variety still.

Month after month of Shimura, the Simping Detective, Anderson and Devlin Waugh was doing my head in.

And I think this Megazine was the first in months that the new material was actually stronger and more entertaining than Charley's War.

[Oddboy]

Shimura is a very mixed-bag series... when it's good, it's great.  But when it sucks, it sucks donkeys. And this tale is a donkey.

Dredd- just can't get into this tale. What's Dredd supposed to be out there for? Why send Dredd, surely he'd be better used on the MC1 streets?

McNulty's picking up again, Anderson's dropping...

Koburn was great.
Charley's War is quite great, but It does seem to go on forever...

[Funt Solo]

"when it sucks, it sucks donkeys. And this tale is a donkey"

I had this brief mental image of a ronin donkey sucking itself off.