Forum’s Favourite Thrill - Man from the Ministry vs Family Rd 1 Heat 62

[Colin YNWA]

Another strong week here...in week ... scchhh whatever (Week 8 keeping track fans). I mean that's all relative, but for this Round there are some great thrills coming up in this weeks tie. I mean sure the normal peppering of dross, but some really strong thrills and for me at least, interesting ties.

ANOTHER strong self contained story in Family and this one is up against.... Well another thrill...

Which most rattles your thrill-receptors:

Man from the Ministry - more info

Vs.

Family - more info

Just reply in this thread naming your favourite thrill of these two series at the beginning of your post (or use Bold tags so I can spot it easily) and say what you like about these wonderful stories after that.

Match ends early on the morning of Saturday 18th December and the winner gets a place in Round 2 (of 9!!!).

What on Earth is ALL of this?

For those that need 'um and can be bothered to follow 'um there's some simple rules

Any questions, just ask as ever - and have FUN!

[broodblik]

Family

[Magnetica]

Man from the Ministry

[abelardsnazz]

Family.

[AlexF]

Ooh two Megazine efforts battling it out. On paper this should be an easy win for Family, mostly because Simon Fraser is just about my fave artist and there are some lush moments in the story. But I HATE stories about gangsters. And Williams was not the writer then that he is now, it's really quite a tricky plot to follow.

I'm not especially keen on stories about government conspiracies either but Rennie knows how to tell you what's going on, and knows how to write hard-nosed cynical bastards while also poking fun at them (in a way that e.g. Warren Ellis never seeemed to learn). And Kev Hopgood is no slouch!

Man from the Ministry for me.

[rogue69]

Family

[Funt Solo]

Family
What if the mafia had superpowers?




The Man from the Ministry
The once well-equipped E.T. department (tasked with defeating hostile flying saucers in near space) is in the present day poorly funded and chronically understaffed (at two) and deals with only sporadic outbreaks of dangerous xenomorphic life that makes it to the surface (hinting at Invasion of the Body Snatchers or Day of the Triffids).




---

An interesting pair to decide with. Both are very interesting but have flaws - the Ministry protagonists lean too heavily into flawed caricatures (leaving us with nobody to root for). While it's nearly always interesting to have had all the big adventures happen in the past, that does rather leave us in an ennui-filled present. Family has a promising premise but tangles itself up so that we lose track of what's happening.

Almost a coin-flip - I have to go with the one that I'd like to see re-written or have a sequel or that I felt had the most promise: Family.

[Blue Cactus]

Family although I enjoyed both series.

[Link Prime]

I didn't really enjoy either, but will vote Family for Simon Fraser's engaging artwork.

[Dark Jimbo]

The Man from the Ministry Caballistics Inc
The once well-equipped E.T. Q department (tasked with defeating hostile flying saucers occult stuff) is in the present day poorly funded and chronically understaffed (at two)...

I'd accuse the author of plagiarising Rennie, but, erm...

[The Mind of Wolfie Smith]

man from the ministry

[Funt Solo]

The Man from the Ministry Caballistics Inc
The once well-equipped E.T. Q department (tasked with defeating hostile flying saucers occult stuff) is in the present day poorly funded and chronically understaffed (at two)...

I'd accuse the author of plagiarising Rennie, but, erm...

Cabs Lite

[AlexF]

See also Rennie's Dept of Monsterology, which is more or less the same thing, but involves mutiple competing groups of mystery-adventurers, crossing the globe, and with some delightful PJ Holden excess.

[Colin YNWA]

Another quiet one, but in this case both good thrills so show them their due and pop your votes in today before I count up in the morning.

[Barrington Boots]

I've read both of these but had a hard time picking one because neither are quite as good as I hoped they'd be storywise. Both look superb. I think on the balance Man from the Ministry edges it for me.