(https://2000ad.files.wordpress.com/2015/02/1917.jpg?w=627&h=825)
I'll leave the reviews to the rest of you.
I think the image you've posted has had the brightness turned up, my copy is a lot darker. I think its the darkess cover ever .
Love the artwork on Orlok but doesn't the fact its a prequel ruin any tension? I'm not really interested in young Anderson or any prequels in general unless they directly relate to an ongoing story like Origins.
Now that is a real badassed cover. Cheers Eamonn. Lets have some reviews lads and lassies. Z
Quote from: janus stark on 07 February, 2015, 12:46:14 PM
I think the image you've posted has had the brightness turned up, my copy is a lot darker. I think its the darkess cover ever .
Mine is not only darker but missing the Moiré pattern (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moir%C3%A9_pattern) too. I demand a refund! ;)
I don't recognise the art style - is that Jake Lynch's work (doesn't quite match up to his black and white work in my mind, but use of paints / colour CG may have made the difference).
Quote from: robert_ellis on 07 February, 2015, 01:56:02 PM
Love the artwork on Orlok but doesn't the fact its a prequel ruin any tension?
Not for me no. I don't need to know a character could die or need to think some world changing event could happen to enjoy the story.
For example I liked the Strontium Dog stories that were set as flashbacks and knowing Johnny wouldn't die (in those stories) didn't matter. It becomes more about how they resolve the current situation than any "world changing events".
Also I find when I re-read stories I still enjoy them even, when knowing the outcome and just enjoy them for what they are.
I think you've just got to enjoy the resolution of how a character gets out of situation, not whether they will.
I loved the flashback Stront stories, it didn't matter to me that we knew the two leads were doomed (at the time)
Yeah to be honest you almost always know the hero is going to survive in a story - the exceptions are of course thrilling, but rare - so the tension is in the how. The not knowing is more often than not an illusion (though I guess its an easier an illusion if its possible).
Anyway on the cover Eamnonn's thread grab version is much brighter and I have to say much better for it. Its a little too dark to have impact on the actual comic, shame as the digital version is very nice.
Inside (at last) I really enjoyed that Prog. Which is a little surprising as Dredd takes a little down turn. The burst into action stripping away the very thing that built the story over the last couple of weeks, that being the tension. The for all the attempts at bold page design Ulysses Sweet kinda plods to a weak punchline of a conclusion. This has been okay at best this time round.
So things are left to the last three to turn around and boy do they. Orlok gets the conclusion its been building to and everything falls into place. Possibly this hasn't been well structured for the episodic format of 2000ad but when seen as a whole its come together very nicely.
The other two The Order and Savage have particularly great episodes in already great series, whats not to like. Love that everyone is playing Savage, the man isolated and alone without the war that made him. Patrick Goddard though has been dropping in those lovely looks from our man to hint that he might be more aware of whats going to happen and be more in control. Those little touches really add to the intrigue and tension. Just what does he know, what has he got planned... keep tuned same Prog time same Prog channel. The Order is just classic 2000ad Kek-W and John Burns as a team just seem to have a golden 2000ad formula between them, love the two stories this pair have done. So three crackers, pretty good Dredd and the obligatory middle of the road duffer and we have good 2000ad.
I wondered whether Savage was lip-reading what the Americans were saying and knows what they're up to.
I suspect he was pretending it was on mute and that he heard every word.
Nice letters page with one voice crying out for more letters - and it wasn't me! No familiar faces at all - wonder if all the forum-ites have stopped writing or whether the letters are just rotten? In Tom's case both may apply.
Quote from: Buttonman on 08 February, 2015, 03:29:22 PM
Nice letters page with one voice crying out for more letters - and it wasn't me! No familiar faces at all - wonder if all the forum-ites have stopped writing or whether the letters are just rotten? In Tom's case both may apply.
As soon as I read that I figured it must be you using a pseudonym or some local weegie that you've bribed to write in.
Quote from: Steve Green on 07 February, 2015, 07:09:21 PM.
I loved the flashback Stront stories, it didn't matter to me that we knew the two leads were doomed (at the time)
I agree, I got over Johnny's death and loved the flash back stories for what they were, great SD tales. They had a credibility that stood them well in their place. I'm just not warming to the whole ressurection thing, it leaves me cold. Its all a bit Pet Cemartary for my liking...
Cover: Dark and moody.....with the emphasis on dark. I like it.
Dredd: And so we begin with the countdown. The art is brilliant as always, but I feel it was a bit 'wham, bam' in dealing with Fear and Fire. 1 down...3 to go.....
Sweet: Brilliant. It's ended.
Orlock: Ah yes, a twist on the twist. Thought yer man Zhukov was going to ruin the mission for revenge...but no. The mission had a hidden agenda. Cool.
The Order: Still confused to where we're going, but happy to participate in the journey.
Savage: Clunk, clunk, clunk, we stomp towards the next plot point.
Orlok steps up. Dredd on the mark. Letters too ;)
Quote from: Ghost MacRoth on 09 February, 2015, 01:56:13 PM
The Order: Still confused to where we're going, but happy to participate in the journey.
I must admit I got a bit of a shock this week watching an old Doctor Who --
The Ribos Operation -- which featured a very familiar-looking soldier:
(http://oi59.tinypic.com/wksfm0.jpg)
Mind you, I presume that the cylindrical helmet was pretty common during a particular Medieval period.
Lol, well, we all get influenced by something or other I guess!
The Order is turning out to be ine of those thrills I will look back in X-number of years and say "Damn that was a good story". I'd snap up a collection in a heart beat.
Yeah I agree and I think it is actually the time travel which adds the extra little twist for me.
The secret order fighting hidden enemies down the ages, plus misfit old warriors, plus long-lived cursed/gifted quest seeking girl, plus supernatural/insane insight plus incongruous technology, plus freaky monster enemies = awesome.
But add the rusty old time travelling a.i. trying to do just enough to combat the baddies, but not so much as to disrupt the time stream = zarjaz!
Quote from: Dandontdare on 08 February, 2015, 06:08:32 PM
Quote from: Buttonman on 08 February, 2015, 03:29:22 PM
Nice letters page with one voice crying out for more letters - and it wasn't me! No familiar faces at all - wonder if all the forum-ites have stopped writing or whether the letters are just rotten? In Tom's case both may apply.
As soon as I read that I figured it must be you using a pseudonym or some local weegie that you've bribed to write in.
Oi, ain't nobody calls me a weegie but me in a self-deprecating mood. Yeah, I dunno, it may just have been my imagination but there seemed to be very few letter pages in 2014 when I was sure there was room for some, and I only realised that doing my big catching up of all the Progs I missed. Just thought it was a shame, since they are always great to see.
Ah young Padowan don't strike out in anger for they have few letters between them. Soak up this mighty thread : http://forums.2000adonline.com/index.php/topic,36119.0/topicseen.html (http://forums.2000adonline.com/index.php/topic,36119.0/topicseen.html) and engage with like minded people. You may have only 4 Letters (Progs 1507, 1884, M352 and 1971 - unless you lived in Tyne and Wear in 1988?) but there are a lot better than those of the dark (well, silver) letter writer Tom of Proudfoot.
While I'm on I'd also say that the central premise of your letter was bang wrong as 2013 and 2014 both had 14 letters pages spread across the Prog and Meg. 2012 did have 21 so you are technically correct that the number has lessened but the lessening was stabilised in the last two completed years. 2015 has seen 3 to date.
Is it me, or is it always [spoiler]Judge Fear that gets walloped first?[/spoiler]. Is there a Wagnerian rule that states that [spoiler]he's gotta be the first to go?[/spoiler] We've never really seen the full extent of his powers, have we?
The digital copy is on my iPad today and the cover looks the same as the image I've posted.
Maybe a little darker on the paper copy in the newsagent but I can see the moire pattern ( I think that's what it's called)
Quote from: DrRocka on 11 February, 2015, 01:13:17 PM
Is it me, or is it always [spoiler]Judge Fear that gets walloped first?[/spoiler]. Is there a Wagnerian rule that states that [spoiler]he's gotta be the first to go?[/spoiler] We've never really seen the full extent of his powers, have we?
Can he broadcast fear through the tv?
Quote from: Skullmo on 11 February, 2015, 01:42:14 PM
Quote from: DrRocka on 11 February, 2015, 01:13:17 PM
Is it me, or is it always [spoiler]Judge Fear that gets walloped first?[/spoiler]. Is there a Wagnerian rule that states that [spoiler]he's gotta be the first to go?[/spoiler] We've never really seen the full extent of his powers, have we?
Can he broadcast fear through the tv?
If Sky News can, I'm sure he's up to it.
orlok was ok but pointless
the order gets better by each week
ulysses was fun
savage was canny
two musings about dark justice, judge fire seemed to be holding back considering he could have easily toasted the group .
Dredd yelling you "sick bastard" , seemed uncharacteristically emotional.
Enjoyed it.
Orlok is about to get a detailed re-read because that resolution looked like it wasworth more attention than I have paid the strip thus far. (The Order will get one as well - more because it's just such fun stuff).
Quote from: Judge Nutmeg on 11 February, 2015, 10:12:39 PM
Dredd yelling you "sick bastard" , seemed uncharacteristically emotional.
That was jarring as heck. I read it in the
Frank Miller Batman voice. Honestly I can't blame Dredd for being emotional occasionally, but this felt like an extreme.
Quote from: Hawkmonger on 12 February, 2015, 12:41:07 PM
Quote from: Judge Nutmeg on 11 February, 2015, 10:12:39 PM
Dredd yelling you "sick bastard" , seemed uncharacteristically emotional.
That was jarring as heck. I read it in the Frank Miller Batman voice. Honestly I can't blame Dredd for being emotional occasionally, but this felt like an extreme.
Exactly , the amount of death Dredd has seen in the past and barely passed comment, and Judge Death was just doing what he always does if the victim was a character Dredd cared for or a young child I could understand but seemed odd.
Maybe she was Dredd's bird? They have been in space for a while.
Anyway, definitely enjoyed Orlok more in the reread. Dare I say that it may even have been more effective as a ten parter? Lots of things turn up in page 2 panel 3 and are disposed of in page 2 panel 5. It needed a bit more room to breathe I think.
Quote from: Hawkmonger on 12 February, 2015, 12:41:07 PM
Quote from: Judge Nutmeg on 11 February, 2015, 10:12:39 PM
Dredd yelling you "sick bastard" , seemed uncharacteristically emotional.
That was jarring as heck. I read it in the Frank Miller Batman voice. Honestly I can't blame Dredd for being emotional occasionally, but this felt like an extreme.
I thought so too - it's a bit rich from a man who once forced someone with a phobia of blood to give a pint a week for the rest of his life.
Still, nobody knows Dredd like his own dad, I suppose. it's still a belter of a story and John Wagner is immeasurably talented (while Frank's talents measure a decade and a bit in length).
I suppose twelve days was a long time to be following the Mayflower, wondering what they would find at the end, whether they would be in time to save anyone, whether any of them would make it back home alive. That's got to wear on the nerves a bit.
Quote from: Tiplodocus on 12 February, 2015, 09:24:00 PM
Maybe she was Dredd's bird? They have been in space for a while.
Anyway, definitely enjoyed Orlok more in the reread. Dare I say that it may even have been more effective as a ten parter? Lots of things turn up in page 2 panel 3 and are disposed of in page 2 panel 5. It needed a bit more room to breathe I think.
50 shades of dredd , OMG She was having his baby!
Quote from: Judge Nutmeg on 11 February, 2015, 10:12:39 PM
Dredd yelling you "sick bastard" , seemed uncharacteristically emotional.
Sick! He's worse than that, he's dead!
Glorious images aside, Dark Justice lost me again this week. The Mk III jamming was the last straw - 8 parts in it still feels mechanical and contrived, every single element there solely so Death and Dredd can go chin-to-chin without interruption.
Luckily the rest of the prog was fully to my taste. Orlok ended strong, while Sweet was great fun, if still finding its feet after two runs. Savage was daft as a brush, and none the worse for it, while The Order is still a breath of fresh wurm-infested air.
Great Prog!
I'm hoping we'll see more of Ulysses Sweet in the future. The panel layout in this episode was particularly well done, I thought.
Cheers
I can enjoy daft laff strips like Ullysses Sweet a bit more when the rest of the prog is satisfying my hunger for full on Thrill Power, which it isn't at the moment, unfortunately.
Orlok drifted by without making any impression whatsoever, like the smell of a Quorn sausage on the grill. I just read it and it went out of my brain again immediately. I did really like the art though. Give Jake Lynch something more consequential to draw.
Savage is starting to lose it's way and flounder a bit in my opinion. The little kid saying "I hate it when you come round Jack!" in one panel, then 3 panels later saying "I love it when you come round Jack!", or words to that effect, seemed a bit silly.
The Order is nice, but the story doesn't seem to be moving very much. We're 10 parts in and still practically none the wiser about the nature of the wyrms or the time travel. Unless I've not been paying close enough attention, which is a distinct possibility.
And Dredd, i am enjoying, but as a gorgeous looking creature feature B-movie version of the character. I'm surprised Dredd didn't throw his jammed gun at Death.
Without wishing to be overly unkind, let's just say I eagerly await a new line up of strips.
Cover: one of the more dark and disturbing to have graced the prog.
Dredd: The eye fest continues. The art just staggers me at times. The shift from the dark tones of page 2 to the incandesce of the third page is a a joy. The plot is the old haunted house in space but done well. Dredd's out burst is understandable in the context of all he has seen in the past 3 years. His city has essentially died through a sensless revenge attack and I suppose seeing another citizen being murdered by a creature with a moral void within is just too much.
Ulysses Sweet: I have thoroughly enjoyed the demented escapades of this inter-planetary head bin and am keen to see his ideas on good governance being implemented.
Orlok: fine artwork and a well paced tale. The story was a wee bit predictable; but this writer art team have some good future work in them.
The Order: a good, rollicking tale. John Burns is always a delight.
Savage: :(
This is a continuation of the past few weeks of really a good suite of stories. It is an anthology and some of the material I will like; some I won't. Tharg has found a good balance. Z
Quote from: Professor Cardigan on 13 February, 2015, 04:11:24 AM
Dark Justice... 8 parts in...
7 parts.
Quote from: Spaceghost on 13 February, 2015, 08:57:55 AM
The Order... We're 10 parts in...
Er, also 7 parts, unless I've managed to miss a few progs!
7 inc prog 2015. Z
Quote from: Dark Jimbo on 13 February, 2015, 11:55:13 AM
Quote from: Professor Cardigan on 13 February, 2015, 04:11:24 AM
Dark Justice... 8 parts in...
7 parts.
Quote from: Spaceghost on 13 February, 2015, 08:57:55 AM
The Order... We're 10 parts in...
Er, also 7 parts, unless I've managed to miss a few progs!
Ah, right. It was a guess crossed with an estimate. If only there were a word for that...
Anyway, my point still stands.
Very much in that 'ticking along' phase of the line-up now, aren't we?
Dredd, Savage and The Order continue much the same as previous weeks. Enjoying them all but not a lot new to say, except that I was annoyed that Fear was made to look crap again with yet another early exit. I suppose the powers of Mortis and Fire mean they offer more story oppurtunities, and Death obv. has to stick around for the endgame each time.
I wasn't sad to see either of the other two finish. Ulysess Sweet was not quite as fun as the first run but did pull it around with a chucklesome ending. I stil can't see the point of the Orlok prequel, really, although it didn't actually do anything wrong per se. I've only read the character's apperances in Block Mania and Sin City, and I always intended to seek out the bits I missed in the middle. To be honest, Orlok made so little impression in his own story that I don't really feel the urge now.
Disclaimer: I'm not a fan of any of these prequel series - Cadet Anderson, Durham Red, Spurrier's Angel Gang stuff, etc... they add astonishingly little to what we know about the characters and ultimately feel fairly empty. Those Orlok episodes could have been spent establishing a great new villian to the Dreddverse, opening plenty of interesting avenues to take in future. Aren't these prequels a bit of a closed loop?
Quote from: Dark Jimbo on 13 February, 2015, 12:40:58 PM
Disclaimer: I'm not a fan of any of these prequel series - Cadet Anderson, Durham Red, Spurrier's Angel Gang stuff, etc... they add astonishingly little to what we know about the characters and ultimately feel fairly empty. Those Orlok episodes could have been spent establishing a great new villian to the Dreddverse, opening plenty of interesting avenues to take in future. Aren't these prequels a bit of a closed loop?
It depends how they are used. Anderson has been used to plant plot threads for a future 'present timeline' story so not so much. Having said that I'm not really sure that offers much when there are so many hundreds of other loose threads left dangling in the Dredd-verse.
Right with you on the prequels Jimbo. Waste of time in my opinion. Orlok by the nature of what (I purposely don't say who) he is wouldn't have an impact in terms of his personality; in that he is an infiltration and assination construct and would be anodyne and ellusive if not to say banal accordingly. Z
Quote from: Dark Jimbo on 13 February, 2015, 12:40:58 PM
Aren't these prequels a bit of a closed loop?
That's my view, yes.
Anderson is different as, James Stacey says, her flashback stories are written by the writer of her modern day adventures, and are often used to foreshadow story elements that crop up later. Kind of like a quick fix cheat to emulate how John Wagner has recurring plot elements that actually did happen in the story 20 years ago.
Orlok is so completely devoid of personality and defining traits, it could really have been a story about anyone, and I probably would have enjoyed it more if it had been a brand new character.
I agree completely about Cadet Anderson (probably my least favourite strip of recent years) and Li'l Red (probably my second), but Orlok is a different kettle of flashback, since he's never had a solo run and otherwise never will - and I'm interested in who and what he was before Block Mania. Thought the current story was rough around the edges, and a bit too similar to the superior Jaegir, but I ended up actually really enjoying it.
Nah! One story is space Russians and the other is Space Germans!
I enjoyed it on the reread and would be happy to see more.
Dark Justice - still loving this. Only problem for me is that it doesn't have many more episodes.
Really liking Savage - seems like a real return to form to me. With this and the Simple Killing last year Mr Mills is providing some great stuff. (And just because some one is bound to mention it if I don't - I don't mind AR either!).
As I said earlier I don't have a problem with prequels as such - but where the Orlock strip is a bit of a shame, in my opinion, is in demystifying Orlock. In Block Mania all we needed to know was he was super efficient, super ruthless East Meg One Agent - there was simply no need for any more than that.
The Stront flash backs were giving us something else - a way to continue the story of a much loved character without resorting to a technobabble resurrection (but clearly not everyone thought that was good enough).
I Loved Dark Justice! Also if I recalled, I don't see Dredd fist fight with Death? And what a shit Lawgiver MK 3 is! haha!
I know if I were going to encounter 4 hard to kill supervillans, I'd be leaving the untried weapon in the arms locker and bringing along the MII. Z
Quote from: Goaty on 13 February, 2015, 07:27:51 PM
I Loved Dark Justice! Also if I recalled, I don't see Dredd fist fight with Death? And what a shit Lawgiver MK 3 is! haha!
It's traditional, the MK2 blew the hands off thousands of Judges when it was first introduced.
Still waiting for Greg Staples too announce that he's so good that all the hype was lies he finds painting to incredible detail simple and that Dark Justice is actually 25 episodes.
Quote from: ZenArcade on 13 February, 2015, 08:05:23 PM
I know if I were going to encounter 4 hard to kill supervillans, I'd be leaving the untried weapon in the arms locker and bringing along the MII. Z
Or given the fact that you have to riddle the dastards with hi-ex, a sevond weapon with a bit more stopping power. A Widowmaker or something. Anything but relying on a single untried handgun.
Are you a drokking mind reader along with everything else. I was going to post on that. The widomaker or that Law Rod he used on them muties in 'Firepower'.
Ps when does sneaky little PJ show his hand? Z
We're obviously not going to see PJ again in this story. He'll get his own.
We can but hope. Z
Pjs not in Dark Justice.He's giving Dredd the run about for years so the stooges are hardly going to trouble him.PJ is Probably mayor again.
Quote from: Magnetica on 13 February, 2015, 07:21:44 PM
The Stront flash backs were giving us something else - a way to continue the story of a much loved character without resorting to a technobabble resurrection (but clearly not everyone thought that was good enough).
I agree with you 100%. We're in a minority though
A cracking cover this week by Mr Lynch. Dark, and full of menace. Loverly!
Dark Justice is a so-so episode for me again. Still not clicking with me, this tale.
Orlok, and The Order are the aces in the pile this week. Ulysses can be hit and miss, but overall ive enjoyed this helping, and the final serving is cartoon bonkers fun. And a slowish Savage, but a pretty good one rounds off the prog. Nice!
Just wish Dark Justice was working for me...