Messages

1

Prog / Re: Prog 2293 - Leave no trace!

« on: 01 August, 2022, 09:38:28 PM »

Interview here about Special Relationship with Rob and Patrick:


https://2000ad.com/news/interview-exploring-the-special-relationship-with-rob-williams-and-patrick-goddard/


It's interesting Rob says:

For my sins, I thought it’d be fun, and more dramatically compelling, to tell this story out of sequence. Sometimes you need your head seeing to, as it makes for a bit of a headtwist as a writer making sure you have the timeline correct.

A major head twist for the reader too!

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Prog / Re: Prog 2291 - Heart of Darkness

« on: 23 July, 2022, 08:54:04 AM »

Yeah, don't know if my thrill interpretation circuits have been scrambled by the recent heatwave but 'Special Relationship' has been a real effort to follow, with the time frames constantly shifting, Brit-Cit characters I'm sure I should know more about, and events to remember from 'The Hard Way'. I feel the Williams droid is just trying a little too hard to obfuscate the storyline in an attempt to generate mystery, and there's in fact a simpler and much more enjoyable tale lurking there.

I'm glad it's not just me!

I do so love Rob Williams stories and his writing, but you summed it up well about how trying to read this is hard work and the enjoyment factor wanes slightly due to that.

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Prog / Re: Prog 2291 - Heart of Darkness

« on: 20 July, 2022, 08:17:39 PM »

Cover and Logo:

What a great cover and really pleased Jagir is back with the bio-wire

Whilst Rob Williams back on Dredd is very much welcome, I do feel I am missing chunks of this story, which is a shame as it's a good premise.

It's got no rhythm, dances with two left feet and it's like listening to that bloke who used to pretend his microphone was broken and you'd only hear every other word, like a bad connection on a zoom meeting where you're not sure who anyone is, or indeed if you are in the right meeting...

4

Megazine / Re: Meg 445 - Case of Questions

« on: 09 July, 2022, 11:53:49 AM »

Yes I was reading the Special Relationship today and, oh yeah confused!

Looks nice, but I have enough in my life to confound and addle my brain without the need for flashbacks and huge gaps in the story missing.

Can't we just have a proper story to enjoy rather then endure, y'know prologue, middle and epilogue all in the same place please?

5

Megazine / Re: Meg 445 - Case of Questions

« on: 08 July, 2022, 07:27:49 PM »

Actually the Red Queen series started and ran mostly in the meg. It was only the  story "The Hard Way" which ran in the prog (2250-2255)

I suppose the question still stands, why the switch back and forth?

Why bother putting the "The Hard Way", in the prog? If like me you read this and probably wonder why there is no sequel to the Atlantis saga...

...which is happening back over at the Meg

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Megazine / Re: Meg 445 - Case of Questions

« on: 06 July, 2022, 10:00:34 PM »

Judge Dredd: Regicide
This manages to sneak fourth place by dint of having a Battle Royale plot that's quite fun to watch. Beyond that, I'm just not a fan of the Red Queen arc at all. This plot has taken a great character that existed sensibly in Dredd's world (Orlok) and (by endlessly cloning him) made him a joke of a threat. Whack-A-Mole Orlok. And the Red Queen isn't even a character - she's just a super-villain template. Having Dredd be in exactly the place required by the story just as Maitland launches her sting feels contrived. Can't we have a villain with an actual name? And have it not be Orlok? Why is an Acc-Div Judge launching all-out military assaults anyway? Quimby wouldn't approve etc.

Can I ask why they switched the story to the Meg halfway through? Some people who only read the prog won't ever get to read this and the conclusion of a story arc which started there.

If it's a cynical ploy to get people buying both in these cash strapped times, it's in pretty bad taste

7

Prog / Re: Prog 2287: Grinders Keepers!

« on: 22 June, 2022, 07:55:20 PM »

I'm sticking up for the likes of Hope and Fiends that have both had a bit of flack. So if I had a choice of Regened in the shiny happy kids club and Hope, I think I know which I'd choose.

Not many comment on the art in Hope and I think it's what's needed in the prog, a gritty, textured black and white noir gumshoe which admittedly hasn't hit the heights of previous, but looks fabulous. I suppose there will be those who want Pandora Perfect level of giggles and easy to follow chunky lines, colours and script, but I don't particually buy 2000AD for a regened Minnie the Minx.

I don't mind Brink, I just don't think it's the amazing, wonderous peice of work that others do and I have to wonder with a good script editor, does it really need to be 24 episodes? It's quite repetitive and not the tightest thing that's ever appeared in the prog.

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Prog / Re: Prog 2284: Inter*sect*ions

« on: 04 June, 2022, 12:24:48 PM »

Fiends is a fight scene and as such it delivers the goods but again I’ve lost the actual plot line here. New baddies keep turning up and fighting Costanta but I can’t remember why? Would be good seeing him do some Cold War spy stuff with a vampiric twist.

From the first episode, that's where I thought this run of Fiends was going and it's taken a very different turn from the set up. Big Things fighting Big Things has never really done it for me, I think quickly got bored of Godzilla back in the 80's and never recovered from Slaine's multiple fighty / talky scenes.

Shame as this era of the saga had some really decent potential with ipcress file / spycatcher plot twists, but at least the evergreen Tiernen Trevallion's art has been a delight, even though I'm still not to sure about the Crocodile bear-bat chap, I bet he has a few issues with his sense of self...

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Prog / Re: Prog 2281 - Guilt Trip

« on: 11 May, 2022, 07:58:13 PM »

B/W Cover:

Does that B&W cover make anyone else want to see this story in glorious monochrome? I have seen some other snippets of this story in black and white which shows off the wonderful linework of Tom Foster, the colours for me don't really do it justice and muddy it all a bit sadly

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Prog / Re: Prog 2280 - High-Octane Sci-Fi Action!

« on: 07 May, 2022, 10:06:17 PM »

Another vote for "no more Chopper" though ... definitely not working.

Young Chopper had a kinda Muppet Babies vibe going on. Now I would be interested in a young Absalom, Nemesis or Grobbendonk, that would be rather different...

11

Prog / Re: Prog 2280 - High-Octane Sci-Fi Action!

« on: 07 May, 2022, 12:16:43 PM »

I know I'll get hammered for this, but I still think in these days of needing every galactic groat and all that, I'm paying £5 for something that I don't want and won't read.

This issue is great... for kids. The stories are aimed at this audience (7-12 year olds?) and fair play 2000AD for supplying a comic for them that's bright and zany and wacky like the Beano or Whizzer & Chips.

I would just like to opt out of them please.

So are you a subbie or completist? Otherwise there's always the option to just say no.

I'm a subbie, so I don't think there is the option to say no, is there now?

I don't think the regend progs are a bad thing per-se, but I don't want to spend £20 on them each year really.

When renewing our subscriptions and there was the option to have a subscription without the Regened progs, it would be interesting to see how many went for it. I suppose there are many that would want to keep it and that would be great for them too.

I'm just not sure about the model as it is. I get the stories are for a much younger audeince, The Chopper story this issue is a case in point. I don't have kids to give my progs to and would just rather my 20 quid go on my gas bill, or bus ticket thanks Thrag.

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Prog / Re: Prog 2280 - High-Octane Sci-Fi Action!

« on: 04 May, 2022, 07:49:55 PM »

I know I'll get hammered for this, but I still think in these days of needing every galactic groat and all that, I'm paying £5 for something that I don't want and won't read.

This issue is great... for kids. The stories are aimed at this audience (7-12 year olds?) and fair play 2000AD for supplying a comic for them that's bright and zany and wacky like the Beano or Whizzer & Chips.

I would just like to opt out of them please.

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General / Re: Forthcoming Thrills - 2022

« on: 26 March, 2022, 11:16:04 AM »

From the Interview with Ian Edginton:

"The maestro who is Disraeli and I are finally embarking on the next series of Helium! It’s true, don’t faint!"


So there you go, it's been a while with THAT cliffhanger.


The full skinny on the new Fiends:

https://2000ad.com/news/interview-ian-edginton-talks-cold-war-fiends/?mc_cid=f4aaa55119&mc_eid=731f76366f

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Prog / Re: Prog 2273 - The Coldest War

« on: 19 March, 2022, 09:50:31 AM »

Fiends' ...this 'protect queen and country from dark forces' is all a bit Absalom, dare I say?

Now that would be some very interesting linage...

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Prog / Re: Prog 2273 - The Coldest War

« on: 16 March, 2022, 08:40:17 PM »

Is that a 'Zenith' reference in Fiends of the Eastern Front?

It would be interesting if it was, or it might just be a reference to Himmler and the Nazi Occultists, but you never know if Masterman / Maximan Serum gets banded about

Such a Great Cover by Tiernen Trevallion, as much as I liked his colour work, I think it's the greyscale where he excels and this is looking wonderful so far in the prog