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I think the main issue with P&BG is it's over-ambitious if anything, trying to balance multiple separate story threads simultaneously in a relatively short run, which doesn't really give any of them time to breathe. As the introduction to this series I think it would've helped to focus on one of the central characters first to establish the world for the audience, before branching off into separate plot threads all over the shop. As it is, it feels like it's tried to run before it could walk.

That said, I didn't hate it, I think the idea has some promise which could be improved with tighter story-telling. I wouldn't object to seeing this back again, as at least it was flawed in an interesting way rather than a dull, derivative Skip Tracer way.

I'm just not sure who the current lineup of Regened is actually for at the moment, as it seems to be alienating most older readers while holding little appeal for the younger ones.

Why would a reader in the YA demographic want to trudge through the mishmash of recycled genre tropes that is Lowborn High when there are so many superior alternatives available? In the the manga arena they're spoilt for choice with school based sagas which kick the arse of this in terms of characterisation, excitement and pacing. Just look at something like My Hero Academia as an example. It's baffling how much page space this has been afforded so far for something so unexceptional. The art is average to poor but at least they dropped the artist who drew every character with identical facial expressions, I suppose.

Also yet another inclusion of a Future Shock which feels like it doesn't fit the Regened brief at all. Are these Tharg's offcuts being shuffled over from the main prog to make up the page count?

Azimuth - I have a feeling there is more going on here and the Sin/Dex cameo is a bit of a...cameo. If this was intended to be a big reveal a la The Dead Man/Malone it would be weird to drop it this early, and if this version of of Finnigan and Ramone are just digital avatars of the real thing that means it doesn't have to be tied into current continuity on the actual strip, which I suspect it might not be.



I PREDICT! they will either disappear after next week or just fade into the background as the story goes on.

Has the Megazine ever done a feature or interview with John Burns? If not they really should, he's an absolute star.

Yes they did, back in Meg 224. The first of the Alan Barnes reformatted square spines era I think, a mere...19 years ago! Who'd have thought Burns would still be going strong after almost two decades?

Picked this up today from Smiths today, having not heard anything about it before. The first strip, Major Arkhana, rang a bell - then I realised I recognised the character from one of the Shift specials a couple of years back (which sadly my Smiths seem to've stopped carrying now, haven't seen a copy for months).

Timebomb were behind that "Worlds Of Gerry Anderson" comic from last year weren't they, which felt very similar to Quantum in presentation/art style - I wonder what happened with that as it only lasted one issue?

[Dredd]

Dredd - Wraps up. I enjoyed the first couple of parts of this tale but it went quickly off the rails for me - the ending is a bit of a mess ([spoiler]if the clone insta-kills all the Sov psychics, why is Anderson still here?[/spoiler]) and it all feels a bit pointless but the last couple of pages are great with Dredd at his hardline horrible best. Henry Flint's art is the business though - I do like the design on Vasilisa, Dredd's insane, staring mechanical eye is the creepiest thing here, and whilst technically not into a return to youthful Anderson, she's got an ethereal, almost fey look in this story.

The problem with this story for me was Dredd lacked agency to the point where it felt like he was a bystander in his own story. We didn't even get to see him take any decisive action in the final episode since he was being controlled by Burratino, just felt like a very damp squib of a conclusion.

NFTs are an utterly unethical scam that anyone with any scruples would have nothing to do with, it's the late capitalist equivalent of the old "selling Tower Bridge to tourists" con, but with much broader negative consequences for the environment.

So the fact Mills has whole-heartedly embraced them despite presumably knowing all this just shows exactly where his priorities lie, and it's not fucking humanitarian concerns.

So the end boss bad guy in Skip Tracer is defeated with ludicrous ease (what was even the point of him, then?)  and now the story is straining really hard to sell us on the idea of Nolan Skiptracer's noble sacrifice, except it's not clear what exactly he's sacrificing himself for or what the consequences are if he doesn't (possibly this was explained earlier in the story but I'm not invested enough to go back and check).

It just feels so contrived, like everything else about this series since day one. It wants us to feel like this is an ending on the level of The Final Solution or something, except Johnny Alpha was a beloved character that a generation had grown up reading and his death felt like it meant something. Skip Tracer ain't no Alpha that's for sure.

It'll be even worse if it turns out there's a last minute rescue and he doesn't actually die.

Oliver "Oli" Frey, best known as the cover artist for Crash & Zzap 64 magazine, has died aged 74. One of those artists you'd swear must've been a regular in 2000AD at some point, but his only contribution was a single Rogue Trooper splash page (or Rogue Tropper as this website has it). He did do a couple of episodes of Dan Dare for the eighties Eagle, however.

https://www.timeextension.com/news/2022/08/zzap64-and-crash-illustrator-oliver-frey-has-passed-away

Never knew about his side career in erotic gay art, or the fact he worked on the 1978 Superman film!

Before anyone explains how shit she is - please, you don't need to, because I've already heard the arguments. (Aside: if, in order to understand your point, I have to sit through 2.5 hours of Internet naval-gazing, then - well, you're asking too much. Start with a five-minute summary. Seriously.)

If that's criticism directed at me, I'd much rather it was directed at me rather than as an aside on an entirely different thread to the one I was posting on

I'm honestly not expecting people to watch all of those two lengthy videos I linked to but I was kind-of using them as short-hand to avoid turning that thread into a lengthy discussion of all the issues involved in what is a very complex subject. I'm fully aware if you know all this stuff already it's teaching your granny to suck eggs, but I'm thinking of those who aren't aware of the full extent of the insanity of the Gender Critical movement and can't understand why Rowling is suddenly Public Enemy No. 1 in a lot of left-leaning internet  spaces.

I do really think the infiltration of message boards by GC types is a genuine concern, obviously they're much less likely to find willing recruits in a place like this rather than, say, Mumsnet or another site where parents are likely to go looking for advice about trans issues, but it's still disturbing to see that kind of thing appearing here and it needs to be challenged.

There is something very off about Lowborn High's weirdly blatant plagiarism, especially at a time when we could do without reminding that anti-trans bigot JK Rowling still exists.

Again, I hate to be that guy, but calling Rowling a bigot is defamatory and untrue. She holds views in favour of women's rights to which some militant trans rights activists object. She has expressed these views - which are protected speech under the law and are consistent with both UK equality legislation and the broad character of public opinion - reasonably and compassionately, and for that has been targeted for threats and abuse both online and IRL.

Rowling's child fans have also been targeted for online abuse - including being exposed to sexual threats and paedophile imagery - by these same so-called activists. I find it extraordinarily depressing that so many - including you - are willing to side with such obviously evil thugs who have gone to such appalling lengths to smear, intimidate and silence women they disagree with.

So I am very happy to be reminded that she exists and refuses to be intimidated or silenced by the likes of you. The only bigotry here is yours.

Unfortunately for you I wasn't born yesterday, pal, and I know the tricks the GC mob use to provoke arguments so they can look like they're "winning" against the evil trans activists.

Let me just emphasise this - "Gender Critical" groups are a dangerous and manipulative cult, and if you've been suckered in by them I pity you, but there's nothing I can do for you, and I'm not going to play their games.

All I'll say if anyone is unclear on what the issues actually are here and why posts like the above are a problem, and also really, really concerning to see start appearing out of nowhere on a forum like this, I'd recommend investing some time into watching either of the videos below. You don't have to obviously, but it helps to be informed.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pwI6py78gsI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1pTPuoGjQsI

Anyway, sorry Indigo, if you want to shuttle this off to OT, please do.

Honestly surprised that Cadet Dredd strip is getting a pass, I felt like it was easily the weakest one yet.

The story is a bit "meh" and the explanation doesn't make much sense. Why does no-one else in the zoo notice or question the strange new "aliens" appearing? If the perp has at this for some time as it's implied, why is there only one Phearax on display, what happened to the other missing people? Why are the bars on the cages so far apart??

The art was the part I struggled with the most. I actually googled the artist to see if it was their first job or something, but I see Joel Carpenter has plenty of credits including previous Dredd and Tales From The Black Museums, and his older art looks absolutely fine. So I can only assume the colourist took it on themselves to completely ruin it for no good reason.

I also agree that the Future Shock seemed very out of place and I would lay odds it didn't originate as a Regened submission

There is something very off about Lowborn High's weirdly blatant plagiarism, especially at a time when we could do without reminding that anti-trans bigot JK Rowling still exists. The ending where our POV character is saved from actually having to make a moral choice by the intervention of someone else felt like a massive cop-out, but also felt oddly in keeping with the Potter franchise, in which the titular hero is frequently saved from having to make difficult choices by a convenient plot contrivances - could be a meta-comment on how poor the writing is in those books, I suppose...

[Skip Tracer]

Things go wrong in Skip Tracer and I realise in the final frame there's a big reveal, but I've no idea who these people are.

I recognise Anime Girl from an earlier story but goodness knows who Pointy Ears is. It says a lot that despite running to so many episodes, Skip Tracer hasn't ever really managed to build a memorable supporting cast, further cementing it's position as a bit of a non-classic.

Seems like Maura McHugh's Anderson stories would benefit from having shorter gaps between them, considering there's enough ongoing plot elements that it needs the reprints to bring the casual reader up to speed at this point. The story from Prog 2250 was completely impenetrable without that background context, I remember reading that at the time and just thinking "...eh?" Knowing now it was half-finished explains a lot.

Cathal Coughlan, frontman of Microdisney, The Fatima Mansions, Bubonique and Telefis has passed away aged 61.

https://www.theguardian.com/music/2022/may/23/cathal-coughlan-frontman-with-irish-indie-bands-microdisney-and-fatima-mansions-dies-aged-61