2000 AD Online Forum

Spoilers => Prog => Topic started by: NapalmKev on 25 January, 2020, 11:03:47 AM

Title: Prog 2166 - Active Shooters!
Post by: NapalmKev on 25 January, 2020, 11:03:47 AM
Tasty looking Brink cover by INJ Culbard.

Thrill of the Future - Deliverance, By David Hine and Nick Percival, coming to the Megazine sometime this year.

Dredd - Kill Bloopy, Part 4. The final part of this tale and it leaves me a bit cold, to be honest. Nice artwork but I'm not sold on the 'Imaginary friend stealth and weapon ops' bit at the end.

Brink - Hate Box, Part 17. Brink goes all Hardcore and Ultra-Violent in this action heavy episode. Great stuff and only Seventeen parts in!

The Zaucer of Zilk - A Zaucerful of Zecrets, Part 5. Beautiful artwork with eye-popping colours but a meandering tale lurks within. I really enjoyed the first series but I'm not really getting much from this one at the moment.

Feral & Foe - Part 5. Fantastic new series which I'm enjoying a lot. Things get a bit more serious this week for the pair and some poor monsters get burned at the stake.

Proteus Vex - Another Dawn, Part 5. This is another great new series. Totally mental in a way we haven't seen since the likes of Shakara or even the original series of Bad Company! Crazy ideas thrown into a pot and lovingly mixed with tasty pictures gives you excessive Thrillage, apparently.

Cheers
Title: Re: Prog 2166 - Active Shooters!
Post by: Eamonn Clarke on 25 January, 2020, 11:42:03 AM
(https://i.imgur.com/pqezStE.jpg)
Title: Re: Prog 2166 - Active Shooters!
Post by: broodblik on 25 January, 2020, 12:04:03 PM
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EO-C4yrXsAAOmp1?format=jpg&name=large)
Title: Re: Prog 2166 - Active Shooters!
Post by: Colin YNWA on 25 January, 2020, 02:05:01 PM
Absolutely love that cover. Quite superb. Not sure it will work the pop appeal I look for in the end of year polls but if it does it a definate contender as its just a wonderful piece of design by INJ... to whom we shall be returning.

Inside Dredd sticks the landing for me. This has been a super strong Dredd and Kenneth Neimand (I will laugh my socks off if he turns out to be Grennie as was speculated last week) is going to be demanding wonderful things of Wagner if we poll the best Dredd's again this year... only January and things are so fine I'm thinking about such things already. Dan Cornwell absolutely nails the art as well.

Zaucer of Zilk has a quieter episode. Well of course its still eye poppingly great to look at but it draws breathe and sets up the next phase of the story. Done very well for that mind.

Feral and Foe also draws breathe but in an even more effective way. As we miss Tank we gain context and emotional impact as the world is explained a little more and the story takes a darker turn.

In 97.4% of Progs Proteus Vex would have been top thrill. I mean really its brilliant. Even better than the Dredd and that is saying quite something. It adds thrilling and brutal violence to the mix and the wonder creatures we have met let rip and its brutal and enthralling. Great stuff.

Yeah 97.4% of Prog this would be thrill of the Prog the reason it isn't is 2.6% (there was no maths or even vague estimates involved in the creation of those figures) we have Brink. The genius of Brink is that I can take the highlights of all the other thrills to sum this up. In January are we seeing thrill of the year already? As a series its uses its quieter moments to mean that when we get the thrilling brutal violence it works so much more powerfully. We gain a dark and emotional impact in all this. Its the summation of all that's good about not just this Prog but 2000ad in general. Its just terrifyingly realised as a gun battle dominates. Oh and INJ uses this turn in pace to turn in some eye popping art as well. Its horrible in the best possible way.

Jesus this was a superb thrill. Its a good Prog and all the thrill shine in their own way but Brink is so titanic it almost washes the rest away.

Four Progs in and we already know 2000ad will be comic of the year. AGAIN!
Title: Re: Prog 2166 - Active Shooters!
Post by: IndigoPrime on 25 January, 2020, 09:24:49 PM
Bah. First no-show of the year here. At least mini-IP got her Beano.
Title: Re: Prog 2166 - Active Shooters!
Post by: Richard on 25 January, 2020, 10:11:04 PM
This is a very good prog. The Dredd story ended perfectly.

QuoteI'm not sold on the 'Imaginary friend stealth and weapon ops' bit at the end.

I am. Firstly, it's just a joke, it's not as if we'll actually be seeing that as a permanent new squad in Justice Dept. Secondly, it makes perfect sense in the story: that is precisely what the Judges would do next.

Brink is action-packed, and I liked the [spoiler]new use for the hate box[/spoiler].

This week's Feral & Foe is a self-contained story, and a good one. I didn't like this series at first but I've warmed to it now. I'll probably re-read the first episodes later.

Proteus Vex is eventful.

I'm saving ZZ for later.
Title: Re: Prog 2166 - Active Shooters!
Post by: 73north on 26 January, 2020, 12:46:10 PM
Recently moved to East Lothian and the postal service has been really good , but not this Saturday
so no Prog for me - hopefully it arrives on Monday ( where I have a rare day-off )
Title: Re: Prog 2166 - Active Shooters!
Post by: Leigh S on 26 January, 2020, 12:50:50 PM
Yeah, irregular service has resumed in the Birmingham Gap - no prog for me
Title: Re: Prog 2166 - Active Shooters!
Post by: Magnetica on 26 January, 2020, 03:43:45 PM
Last week there were some comments about the lack of backstory for Vex and replies that said that may we don't need to know everything about the protagonist from episode one and we should let the creators tell the story.

Well this week that comes to the fore. Looks like [spoiler]Vex isn't who we had been assuming.[/spoiler]

Also remember it was several episodes [spoiler]in before we saw Nemesis properly.[/spoiler]

So...things have just become more interesting.
Title: Re: Prog 2166 - Active Shooters!
Post by: broodblik on 29 January, 2020, 01:28:20 PM
Great cover. It almost calls out Cover of the Year.

The rest of the prog is on high and all stories are just great stuff.
Title: Re: Prog 2166 - Active Shooters!
Post by: Proudhuff on 29 January, 2020, 01:32:42 PM
Prog firing on all cylinders just now,  'Imaginary friend stealth and weapon ops' what could possibly go wrong?  :lol:
Title: Re: Prog 2166 - Active Shooters!
Post by: wedgeski on 29 January, 2020, 02:00:27 PM
Brink remains the strip of the century for me. I can't believe how well its creators are making this format work. 17 eps and I still want more.
Title: Re: Prog 2166 - Active Shooters!
Post by: Dandontdare on 29 January, 2020, 02:18:53 PM
Quote from: wedgeski on 29 January, 2020, 02:00:27 PM
Brink remains the strip of the century for me. I can't believe how well its creators are making this format work. 17 eps and I still want more.

Yeah, everything about Brink, if you described it to me, sounds like it shouldn't work - simplistic art style, lots of talking heads - but by God it does, it's just so well written that we can have two cops talking for four pages and it's utterly gripping.

It's the dog's <one dollar fine>
Title: Re: Prog 2166 - Active Shooters!
Post by: broodblik on 29 January, 2020, 02:39:17 PM
Brink continues to deliver and hopefully after this run it will continue for many many more books. Top thrill  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: Prog 2166 - Active Shooters!
Post by: Bolt-01 on 29 January, 2020, 03:22:02 PM
...and that's it, I've just caved and ordered books 01 - 03 from the webshop along with the new Kingdom trade. Great use of the discount voucher!

Looking forward to reading these in a single volume.
Title: Re: Prog 2166 - Active Shooters!
Post by: Proudhuff on 29 January, 2020, 04:14:14 PM
Quote from: Bolt-01 on 29 January, 2020, 03:22:02 PM
...and that's it, I've just caved and ordered books 01 - 03 from the webshop along with the new Kingdom trade. Great use of the discount voucher!

Looking forward to reading these in a single volume.

oh great idea! :P :thumbsup: :sick: that's envy
Title: Re: Prog 2166 - Active Shooters!
Post by: broodblik on 29 January, 2020, 04:18:38 PM
I have read the whole Brink before Hate Box started well worth the time spend.
Title: Re: Prog 2166 - Active Shooters!
Post by: Proudhuff on 29 January, 2020, 04:22:25 PM
<one dollar fine>
Title: Re: Prog 2166 - Active Shooters!
Post by: TordelBack on 29 January, 2020, 05:22:15 PM
Cover works really well in the flesh, a bloody Low Theta iris with Kurtis as the pupil. Zarjaz!

Dredd is a solid end to a fun story, although I think 3 parts might have been tighter - even the tireless Cornwell droid looked like he was running out of steam by the end.

Brink is why my pace quickened as I approached the newsagents this afternoon , and why I nearly caroomed off the hull of the very tall Croatian security guard as I left, nose buried in my prog. So. Good.

Zaucer. Still entirely pleasant to gaze upon, but somehow lacking even the very gentle bite of the first one.

Feral & Foe. Seems a bit early for this kind of recap episode, but very much holding my attention.  Unlike...

Proteus Rex. I'm afraid I'm slipping right off this one. I'll keep trying because I know these gents can spin a tale, but so far I can't maintain a grip.




Title: Re: Prog 2166 - Active Shooters!
Post by: TordelBack on 29 January, 2020, 05:23:16 PM
Apologies. [/b]
Title: Re: Prog 2166 - Active Shooters!
Post by: broodblik on 29 January, 2020, 06:12:31 PM
<one credit fine>
Title: Re: Prog 2166 - Active Shooters!
Post by: 73north on 30 January, 2020, 08:54:16 PM
Read the Comic on Monday ( when it arived ) and it was Bliss , sheer bliss
can say that the Prog has already hit new heights this month -
all the stories were marvellous , as stated - BRINK is just sublime
PROTEUS VEX is really hitting the spot , and ZAUCER OF ZILK is just mad-cap fun
I also greatly enjoyed JUDGE DREDD - with the art from Dan Cornwell which is a stand-out
( Rok of Reds was first occasion I spotted him in 2016 )

finally FERAL AND FOE - this is a very detailed and heartfelt story about being on the losing side
and paying for the consequences 
( all we need is the return of Jaegir , Kingmaker and ABC Warriors to cement the year )

Can I just add one dissent -
where the XXXX ( ONE CREDIT FINE ) is BRASS SUN ?

its been ages since it appeared in the Prog ( ie 2017–2018 )

also  when is "Helium" coming back in 2000AD  which was last shown in 2015 -
where is this ? - its is now 5 years ago and no word since //
Title: Re: Prog 2166 - Active Shooters!
Post by: broodblik on 31 January, 2020, 02:59:57 AM
Quote from: 73north on 30 January, 2020, 08:54:16 PM
also  when is "Helium" coming back in 2000AD  which was last shown in 2015 -
where is this ? - its is now 5 years ago and no word since //

There is a rumor floating around that it will return but art by Tiernen Trevallion. Hopefully rumor can transform into fact
Title: Re: Prog 2166 - Active Shooters!
Post by: Colin YNWA on 31 January, 2020, 06:50:42 AM
Quote from: broodblik on 31 January, 2020, 02:59:57 AM
Quote from: 73north on 30 January, 2020, 08:54:16 PM
also  when is "Helium" coming back in 2000AD  which was last shown in 2015 -
where is this ? - its is now 5 years ago and no word since //

There is a rumor floating around that it will return but art by Tiernen Trevallion. Hopefully rumor can transform into fact

It been a while since that was said though, so I wonder if something happened there? Mind might have been waiting to finish Absolam before moving onto it? Who knows, do hope it'd come back.
Title: Re: Prog 2166 - Active Shooters!
Post by: norton canes on 31 January, 2020, 10:33:07 AM
Great cover, I hadn't clocked the eyeball thing. For the majority of Hate Box I was a bit disappointed that the 'supernatural' elements of the strip had been sidelined, but now I can see they were bubbling under all along...

Kill Bloopy closes in style with a lovely understated key frame: [spoiler]"Bang."[/spoiler] I think Dan Cornwell has given us more Judge variant outfits in four weeks than we've seen over the last ten years or so. Feral & Foe is also superb, a trademark Abnett one-shot that gives us abundant insight into the minds and motivations of the protagonists. Zaucer Of Zilk continues to be a bit off my wavelength but glad to see others enjoying it.

Leaving us with P. Vex, which really picks up this week. People have said it needs character development but who would have thought the development would come from his little Matroska-faced cohort? Maybe the twist is that Midnight I.S. turns out to be the protagonist. Has a strip ever changed title halfway through?

Dolphins in exo-skeletons too, what's not to like.
Title: Re: Prog 2166 - Active Shooters!
Post by: TordelBack on 31 January, 2020, 10:47:15 AM
Closest thing I can think of to a title change was the wonderful twist in the first run of Brink, where the title stayed the same but it's apparent meaning changed.

Not sure I can count The Vort, Dead Eyes or Malone.
Title: Re: Prog 2166 - Active Shooters!
Post by: TordelBack on 31 January, 2020, 10:48:47 AM
"ITS". Madre Grod, but you would think autocorrect would leave that one alone.
Title: Re: Prog 2166 - Active Shooters!
Post by: Keef Monkey on 31 January, 2020, 11:19:47 AM
I love Brink so much, it's so my cup of tea it's unreal and continues to be my favourite thing in any prog it appears in.

It's been a brilliant Dredd tale too which wrapped up in fine style, really enjoyed that story, and I'm very into Feral & Foe and hope it continues for a while.

The other strips have lost me a little - Zilk's brand of whimsy just doesn't seem to connect with me (but I appreciate others may love it and hey, that's what anthologies are for!) and I'll admit I just haven't done a great job of getting my bearings and following what's going on in Proteus Vex. Saying that, they're both still great to look at and seems like it Vex in particular may be about to get more interesting.