Prog 2368 - Fear on film

[IndigoPrime]

Heh. I remember that thread, where I brought up – maybe condemned is the better word – 883, and challenged people to find a worse Prog.

Even in 2000 AD's dark ages, there was usually something I could enjoy. More often than not, it was written by John Smith. But 883 was perhaps the first issue of the comic that for me had no redeeming strips at all. Fortunately, Luke Kirby returned in 884. But it was that May (889) before the prog for me again flipped to more good than bad.

On Dredd, that is an interesting point, Funt. One of the things I'm finding with my Big Box o' Marvel read is that it's treadmill city. The Avengers is just constant MAJOR THINGS. Spidey keeps fighting the same enemies time and time again. As dip-in comics, it's probably fun. But as an ongoing read, it's kind of boring.

Dredd never really had that. Bar a few villains/antagonists who'd creep up now and again – and often with years-long gaps between appearances, Dredd was very much villain of the week. Dredd would figure out how to win, and then we'd be on to the next one. Much like an actual police officer, really.

That said, I am loving the current Dredd story. But I'll happily admit that's got everything to do with Maitland and nothing to do with Major Domo. (I don't dislike him. But I honestly struggle to remember who/what he is, bar "bad guy".)

[broodblik]

If I'm not mistaken that cover is a homage to the poster art for Blood on Satans Claw. Fantastic stuff.

Accordingly Simon Davis:
A particular favourite of mine is The Blood on Satan's Claw (1971). It has a great poster by the genius that was Arnaldo Putzu so this absolutely had to form the basis of a cover design.


 

[JayzusB.Christ]

883 had a frikkin' awesome cover at least.

I liked The Clown too, and I preferred The Manchu Candidate to most of Garth Ennis' Dredds.  I wonder what that Sino attempt at global domination would have looked like. (Looks at reality) Oh yeah, something like that.

Back to the prog at hand - tbh I've only read Thistlebone, and I really liked it. They've stolen the name of the boozer from The Wicker Man, but why not - that film after all bis the well from which folk horror flows.

[Jim_Campbell]

They've stolen the name of the boozer from The Wicker Man, but why not - that film after all bis the well from which folk horror flows.

I spent multiple (very boring) summers as a pre-teen in the very small town of Newton Stewart, visiting my dad's parents, and only discovered many, many years later that it was used for some of The Wicker Man's location work. FWIW, the boozer in Newton Stewart had a Galaxian table game... which was literally the highlight of every visit.

[Max Headroom]

Enjoying 'Thistlebone' the most of the current line up. I really hope for a third hardcover collection of this series; maybe later in the year.

[Colin YNWA]

I did agree 883 is the worst prog EVER on my last re-read. Don't think anything in the subsequent 1200+ Progs I read after it challenged too much either!

https://forums.2000ad.com/index.php?topic=43337.msg991271#msg991271

[JayzusB.Christ]

They've stolen the name of the boozer from The Wicker Man, but why not - that film after all bis the well from which folk horror flows.

I spent multiple (very boring) summers as a pre-teen in the very small town of Newton Stewart, visiting my dad's parents, and only discovered many, many years later that it was used for some of The Wicker Man's location work. FWIW, the boozer in Newton Stewart had a Galaxian table game... which was literally the highlight of every visit.

I may possibly have been there - my last holiday with my late best mate Colin was a trip to the hotel in the Wicker Man - the interior at least, where Britt Eckland was hopping round in the nip and slapping the walls.  It was no accident, of course, it remains my favourite film ever, but it was indeed a very dull town apart from one or two Wicker Man photos in the near-empty hotel bar. Not even a single verse of The Landlord's Daughter was to be heard.

Our next port of call was Uncle Monty's house at Crow Crag - it was a fanboy holiday.

[Jim_Campbell]

A positive spin: The Manchu Candidate was intriguing. The Grudge-Father ended! A blessing, there. Babe Race 2000 had the benefit of being the first episode and having Anthony Williams on art duties. I actually really liked both series of The Clown, which is where that subjectivity thing comes in. The Robo-Hunter has Simon Jacob art, which I like.

I'll freely concede that 883 had quite a lot of nice art. The stories, however, are all terrible. Maybe it's just me, but I'd rather slog through a good story with iffy art than the reverse.

I take your point about Major Domo, but he's somewhat subsidiary to the main thrust of the current Dredd story which is, at least, interesting and relevant. We can attempt to retcon MacKenzie's attempted Sino-Cit plot-building into commentary on the rise of China as political/economic superpower, but, really, it was just lazy, racist stereotyping at the time it was written.

I stand by my assessment of 883 as objectively Not Good. "At least the art was nice" is a pretty poor defence of 883 against 2368, because the art is pretty nice in that one, too.

[Funt Solo]

Lots of love, Jim, but you're abusing the word "objective". You really mean subjective.

I agree with all your other points, with the exception that I stand by Behind the Painted Mask. I think it's good comics. You don't. That's because our subjective experiences differed.

Don't mean to needle - I am happy to have our opinions differ on a narrow front. Less so with the actual meaning of words.

[nxylas]

I may possibly have been there - my last holiday with my late best mate Colin was a trip to the hotel in the Wicker Man - the interior at least, where Britt Ekland's body double was hopping round in the nip and slapping the walls.

Fixed that for you.

[JayzusB.Christ]

I may possibly have been there - my last holiday with my late best mate Colin was a trip to the hotel in the Wicker Man - the interior at least, where Britt Ekland's body double was hopping round in the nip and slapping the walls.

Fixed that for you.

Point.

[broodblik]

By the 883 stage I already stopped reading the prog. The reality is that these things go trough cycles. It might be that the current cycle is not that great but the one around the corner is. But for me the difference is between now and then is quite simple the cycles in the 90s would be followed by the same weak stories each cycle.

[Barrington Boots]

It wasn't until reading the covers article on the site that I noticed the logo on this weeks Prog is fully painted as well. Outstanding. If I didn't already have a load of 2000ad stuff on the wall I'd consider this one as a print.

I haven't read Prog 883 but by Grud, that is a terrible lineup.

Major Domo is easily the least interesting part of the current Dredd story.

[Blue Cactus]

Having read loads of progs circa 300-500 and lots of Best Of 2000ads in the 80s when I was in primary school, I drifted away from the comic for a bit. A few years later I noticed a Best Of in the shop, reprinting The Black Hole, and it absolutely blew me away. I was so excited that 2000ad was still around and some of my favourite strips had continued all this time, I immediately placed a weekly order for the prog at my local newsagent. The first weekly issue I received was prog 883. And you know what? I was so over the moon that the comic was still around and was having my mind blown by the idea comic could be PAINTED and that Sam Slade was still going etc etc that I really didn't notice it being comparatively poor quality. And thankfully things were soon improving! I still have a soft spot for The Clown probably because it was in those first few issues when I returned to the fold, and that style of art was so new to me I couldn't quite believe what I was seeing.

[Link Prime]

I couldn't quite believe what I was seeing.

T'was pure Stapled Bliss.