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Prog 1861 - Warning! Risk of Meltdown

Started by pictsy, 30 November, 2013, 11:09:25 AM

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pictsy

A prog of conclusions ending most the stories started way back in the jumping on prog, 1850.

A striking cover by Henry Flint.

The conclusion to Dredd was satisfying.  Emma Beeby presented a good story well told that thoroughly entertained.  John Burns' artwork is always nice to see in the prog.  Beeby's writing on this strip has had the feel of a Wagner strip and I hope we see more contributions from her.  She captured the feel Dredd perfectly for me.

Flesh appears to get a double length feature in the prog for it's finale.  Can't say I have been bedazzled by Flesh, but I have been enjoying the artwork at least.  I would honestly prefer to see Mill's working on more Savage and Defoe.

Brass Sun is fantastic.  Ian Edginton is fast becoming my favourite writer amongst the current roster at 2000 AD.  Brass Sun is pure epic and I hope we see plenty more from it in the future.  The story telling has been exciting and this conclusion leaves me wanting more.  Inj Culbard's artwork is wonderful and entirely appropriate.  Of the stories that started back in prog 1850, this has been my favourite.

Damnation Station's first run didn't leave a huge impression on me.  This sequel may leave more of a mark if only for Mark Harrison's artwork.  I think that I would have to read the first series and the second series together another time to draw any clear conclusions about the story.  I found it entertaining, but difficult to follow considering I couldn't remember what came before.

(my first prog review)

Darren Stephens

Covers a stunner! Like everything, really, but looking forward to the number end of year Prog next week! ;)
https://www.dscomiccolours.com
                                       CLICK^^

The Enigmatic Dr X

American Reaper was bad enough in the Meg without hitting the prog.
Lock up your spoons!

IndigoPrime

Quite-nice eye-catching cover, leading into the final part of this Dredd run. Again, it's a solid tale, and although there's a hint of Robbie Morrison Dredd creeping through, Dredd's decision on the place makes sense from a resources standpoint and also as punishment for the villain. All your work—now it'll be for them, creep! Anyway, it's good to know there's another Dredd writer capable of filling Wagnerless moments, of which there are many these days.

Flesh. Oh good grief. A double-part finale? More student-level politics? More iffy art? Yet another 'ending' that's in fact a set-up. I'd have at least been happy had this been a conclusion, but it appears we're in for yet more awfulness in the not-too-distant.

Brass Sun was again lovely, and the only bad thing is that it's not continuing next week, and there's no telling when it'll be back. Soon, I hope. Damnation Station never really clicked with me this run, and the art didn't really help. Still, it ended well.

Looking forward to the end of year spectacular and the clearing of the decks.

The Amstor Computer

Popping in for a (very) infrequent post, but:

That was an interesting "tweak" to Earl Reagan from Mills.

JUDGE BURNS

My prog was a NO-SHOW this weekend   >:(

That's the first in a few months it's not arrived on time.    >:(

Did anyone in CAL-HAB sector get their copy at all yesterday?????

Richard

I really liked the last page of Damnation Station.

(Think I'll re-read the whole series (from prog 1677) in one go now and see if it makes more sense. I get the feeling that the ending was planned from the beginning.)

oshii

Loved the end of Damnation Station.  Most "2000AD end" to a series in a while.  I actually gave a little cheer as I read it at how unnecessary it was.  Excellent.

Hoping Brass Sun won't be away for too long, but Flesh has lost me if I'm honest.

Dandontdare

I was a little confused by the typeface on the cover at first - I read it as AISH OF MELTDOWN - which admittedly, makes no kind of sense. Good striking image though.

This week sees a clearing out of stories that haven't really been blowing my socks off, mainly due to the choice of artists. A lot has been said about Flesh, and I won't repeat it but I've not been hugely keen on the art on this run of Damnation Station either - the actual drawing is great, but I don't like the flare-heavy backgrounds at all. Similarly with Bras Sun, I'm really enjoying the story but I find Culbard';s art, particularly faces, a little simplistic. And although I'm a huge John Burns fan, I don't think his style is best suited to Dredd.

So for me, the last few weeks have been enough to keep my thrill-receptors ticking over but with no risk of TPO.

Looking forward to a tasty line up for Prog 2014

Dan Banks

Would love to see Brass Sun back as soon as possible. But only if Culbard is involved. Wonderful work from the whole Brass Sun team so far!

Tjm86

Quote from: JUDGE BURNS on 01 December, 2013, 08:29:21 PM
My prog was a NO-SHOW this weekend   >:(

That's the first in a few months it's not arrived on time.    >:(

Did anyone in CAL-HAB sector get their copy at all yesterday?????

still waiting and it's now Monday.  Becoming a common occurrence.  :o

Dark Jimbo

Quote from: Dandontdare on 02 December, 2013, 01:42:43 PM
So for me, the last few weeks have been enough to keep my thrill-receptors ticking over but with no risk of TPO.

Likewise. The prog's been worse but it's certainly been a lot better.

Dredd ends in fine style. Beeby-Dredd sits somewhere between Rennie-Dredd and RobbieM-Dredd, which is actually a damn fine mix - Rennie Dredd can be a bit too bad-tempered and aware of his own legend, while Robbie's tends to be too bleeding-heart, so it's nice to have one that compliments them both. Overall I've found this much the same as Mike Carrol's Dredds, in that it's fine and does the job but doesn't set my world on fire. Really hoping for some more Wagner or Ewing soon.

When it comes to Flesh it's hard to do better than Gordon Rennie's recent facebook status - 'Bravo to 2000AD for encouraging raw young talent by publishing 12 pages of fanzine material this prog. It's good to see-- Wait.....it's WHAT? Seriously?'. Whatever way you cut it this is just sub-par. It's arguably not professional standard and it makes me cringe to think people might pick up this prog and think 'This is the flagship comic of the British comic industry?'
I understand there were some behind-the-scenes problems regarding the art deadlines, but it's not even made up for by a good script. I've been a Pat Mills apologist for years now but even I can't bring myself to defend this. Clunky exposition, subtle-as-a-sledgehammer angry-Leftie politics, and as Indigoprime says an ending that's just yet more set-up. The last books of Savage, ABC Warriors, and Defoe have all been the same thinly-disguised political rants, and I dearly wish Pat would just remember how to have fun with comics. Big corporations are bad, banks are bad, the Republican party is bad, we get it, we get it, we get it.

Brass Sun ends nicely. It's good solid adventure stuff with Edginton's usual overripe dialogue but some cracking sci-fi concepts. It adds a distinct and welcome flavour to the prog, but I don't quite see what has so many people declaring it the greatest thing since Halo Jones week after week.

Damnation Station was the best thing this prog by quite a way. It's hard to see how it could have ended any other way but all the same the wrap-up did seem a bit too brief. Such a leap in quality from the first Book, which I didn't really enjoy. I think the art's had a lot to do with that - Mark Harrison seems much better suited to this sort of material and his style's come on leaps and bounds across the course of this strip. I really think he's nailed the marriage of digital and ink now (earlier episodes were not quite so sucsessful). I mean, just look at that first page! Beautiful stuff. And a classically downbeat '2000AD' last page.
@jamesfeistdraws

JUDGE BURNS

My prog arrived today....MONDAY !    :D

Didn't like the cover much at all.  But at least it may stand out on the shelf at the newsagents.

Dredd finishes nicely and I can possibly see the 2 juves, Roman and Tilly, maybe returning in the future, who knows.  Lovely art work by a fellow BURNS   :D

Flesh.  What has happend to this?  The artwork has been looking a bit rushed as if to meet a deadline, the last few weeks. Very dissapointed as this was my favourite way back in the early progs.

Brass Sun  I have re-read the whole story , but it's the art that puts me off . Dreadful art. This story was not to my taste at all.   :(

Damnation Station  Beautiful art throughout, but the storyline itself , again,was a bit confusing. :-*

Thrills of the future
:  Jaegir  by Gordon Rennie and art by Simon Coleby.  Looks like the Norts are coming back !

Top Story  : DREDD

Looking forward to a new set of thrills next issue....2014    :D

IndigoPrime

Quote from: Dark Jimbo on 02 December, 2013, 04:48:19 PMIt's arguably not professional standard and it makes me cringe to think people might pick up this prog and think 'This is the flagship comic of the British comic industry?'
I genuinely wonder what would happen if someone wrote a script like that and their name was not Pat Mills. I imagine Tharg would 'return to sender' with a bunch of Rigellian hotshots attached. At the very least, it's most interesting to read that chap who does the weekly 2000 AD blog over at Forbidden Planet. He first picked up the Prog a couple of years back as an experiment, and has written about it almost every week since. He hates Flesh. He thinks it's utter crap. Just one person's opinion, but I do wonder how many others who lack the nostalgia for Mills and/or Flesh feel the same. Anyway, it's gone (for now) at least.

Jim_Campbell

Quote from: JUDGE BURNS on 02 December, 2013, 05:56:37 PM
Thrills of the future:  Jaegir  by Gordon Rennie and art by Simon Coleby.  Looks like the Norts are coming back !

I'm quite keen to see this. Gordon's been a long-time fan of WWII fiction and I know he's wanted to find a way to bring that sensibility to Nu Earth. I love the idea of doing something like Cross of Iron in the Rogue Trooper universe.

Cheers

Jim
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