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Oh - thank Grud - Oddboy said it first, so now I can have a go - why does the Megazine play around at being a Cult TV magazine?  There already is a magazine called Cult TV, isn't there?  Or did it fold because of it's limited niche appeal?  Even if it did, there's always SFX.

It's like Empire magazine devoting a couple of pages at the back to computer games.  They know fuck all about computer games - they're a FILM magazine, and should stick to what they know.  Let the specialist games magazines talk about games.

Which brings me to the Megazine - a sci-fi & fantasy (p'raps) comic anthology.  Let's stick to that, and leave yet another nostalgiac limp down the path of The Avengers et al to the professionals.  Just because it was turned into a comic at one point, doesn't mean it's fair game.

Interview the creators of 2000AD and the Megazine.  Have an indepth article about the process from conception to script to scribble to finished page - let's hear from the unsung heroes, those lettering droids.  How about a feature on the history of the small press.

Just keep it comics.

"So let it out - how could the Meg best fill your Christmas stocking?"

The new editor could contact Barnes before making any decisions.

...there on the stair, a little mouse with clogs on...

(Sorry)

I love that the guy on the right is completely ashamed of his friend.

Sir Alex Nestor's apparent female companion (or whatever her capacity is) has very pointy teeth, though.

Not that it matters, I suppose.  She turned up in the background of a single frame.

And, from The Amstor Computer's copious annotations:

"The word scrawled in blood, "Nyarlahotep" is a mis-spelling of "Nyarlathotep", the name of a deity in the Cthulhu mythos. One of the few of the old gods who could take on human form."

++ Possible Prog 2006 S P O I L E R S ++


Here's what I've gleaned from the strips regarding who or what Ethan Kostabi is:


Emmanuel Konterman
- Worked only occasionally with Sir Alex of Department Q.
- Dropped out of sight shortly after the end of the war.
- 1960, London: Some kind of spirit leaves his mummified body & enters Ethan Kostabi.


Ethan Kostabi
- DOB falsely publicised as 01/12/47 (day of Aleister Crowley's death)
1960: As a boy, possessed (as described above).
1970: his pregnant girlfriend apparently commits suicide. Written in her blood on the wall of the crime scene was the name "Nyarlahotep".
2003: Described by William McKenzie as "mair auld than ye can believe".


And now we know that whatever is inside Ethan Kostabi has previously met Michelangelo and is known and feared by the Vatican.

The priest in Strange Bedfellows says "Figlio del Diavolo!", which I think means "Son of the Devil!", to which Ethan replies "Not quite."

You might find this a useful resource: http://www.2000ad.org/caballistics/index.html" target="_blank">Cabs fan-site.

Then again, you might find it raises more questions than it answers.

It's going to be relaunched with a slightly new interface in a couple of weeks, hopefully to coincide with the next prog and the start of 'Changelings'.  The relaunch will also include the information presented in 'Strange Bedfellows'.


Here are where my reading differs from your reading:

"-Ethan Kostabi all but runs the Vatican due to info on JC himself that would drastically screw up the entire New Testament."

I read it more as he's blackmailing them so that they don't send another angel to assassinate Demon Jenny.  

"-An incredibly powerful psychic is being kept on an obscure island under 24-hour guard. He has tried to make trouble for our heroes once already."

That's Michael Magister, previously a member of Department Q, circa WWII.

"-Department Q, where Brand used to work is staffed, at some level, by vampires."

Department Q no longer exists, but it did appear as if Sir Alex Nestor has a female vampire as a personal assistant.  In 'Strange Bedfellows', however, Hannah discounts the very existence of vampires.

"-Ethan Kostabi, a Bowie-esque rock legend, has hinted that he knew Jesus Christ personally, meaning that he too is amazingly old."

I read this as him hinting that he knew Michelangelo, not Jesus Christ.  I could be wrong.

"-Lawrence Verse is under Holy Orders to kick demon butt (Not really a significant thread, but it might be more significant as Kostabi might choose to exercise more power over the Vatican)."

Lawrence Verse is under Holy Orders, which means that he can't kill humans.  Demons are fair game.

It's too late now, but Clash of the Titans was on yesterday.

Ta for the heads-up on the US version of The Office - I must try and catch that.

In related news, I bought the Extras DVD because I'd missed all but one episode on tele.  I love it.  It's painful comedy - but where else do you get an exploration of the issues surrounding taboo subjects in social situations and the difficulties associated with a sort of politically correct doublethink society.  

You can see now who his Office sidekick (blonde bowl-cut man) was based on:  his writing partner and agent in Extras.  

The Megazine is cheaper than the weekly:

2000AD: ?0.055 per page
JD Meg: ?0.054 per page

Whatever you think about the page cut, the editor explained his reasons for not advertising it.

For people who haven't read Charley's War, it's new material.

Many people enjoy the articles, and it's obvious that no small amount of effort goes into writing them, so to describe them as pointless is harshly dismissive (especially coming from someone for whom grammar, punctuation and spelling appear to be things that happen to other people).

Also, I'm not sure how 44 pages of new material (Meg 240) can be described as roughly the same as 26 pages (prog 1468).  Unless 170% is roughly the same as 100%.  

Quite aside from all of that irritating logic, it's a corking read.

++ SPOILERS ++

++ GAMEPLAY CHEAT ++

On the last level, when you're getting attacked by those rocket-firing goons all over the radar dish crator, plus a couple of those highly accurate zebedee-types, I found it pretty difficult to get anywhere.

The solution?  Hide in the nook in the doorway you enter by, wait for the big goons to climb up to you.  They're too big to get inside the doorway, but you can see their big gun arm - which you can shoot from complete safety.

That still leaves you 1 goon and 2 zebedees to take out - but that's a walk in the park.

The loading times are pretty nifty on my PC (which is not an uber-souped up graphics bonanza affair or anything like it).  Maybe 10-20 seconds per level.

I did have to turn all the graphics settings down to low to get it to run  - the alternative was glacial like Treebeard.  Still, it looks just fine and is totally playable.  The only time I got freeze-up was when there were plenty many enemies and I switched on my IR goggs.

Slight bummer that you can't skip the cut scenes - as once you've seen 'em once, who cares?  However, there is no promotional trailer a la wot Xmas Bear describes.

Having completed it, I'm now toying with the difficulty settings.

++SPOILERS++
The game is slightly too controlling in places.  When you are on the ship that you blow up before you get attacked by the accurate wankoid in the copter, you're forced into that scenario.  I tried setting it up so I had an escape boat ready to get to a safer location but the game kept blowing my boat up for no reason (other than to stop me using it).  On another occasion, I buggered off and got a dinghy (which didn't blow up) but by the time I got back, the ship had disappeared, but it's netting remained.  You could climb up the netting, and then down the other side of it - but the invisible, intangible ship meant that a restart to a previous save location was needed to proceed.

Nutsacks!  I just bought it earlier this week for ?12.50.

Oh, the consumer horror!

Caption: "This shaving lark's not as easy as it looks."

Has anyone mentioned Yeowell yet?  That podgy, fair-haired bloke with the worried expression looks a bit Yeowellesque.