Which On The Bog Back Prog?

[Jacqusie]

When I started reading 2000AD at prog 589, I remember that the next 50 or so well worn progs became the staple reads for a trip to the lavatory for a while until my collection grew upwards, backwards & outwards.

These days on a 'prog a day' regime and after liberating 4 boxes worth of back progs from me Mum's attic, it's amazing to recall some of the crap that the house of Tharg put out as well, of course, recollect some of the wonder stuff that we have been blessed with.

So for me at the moment, I'm on Prog 1200, which some of you may recall was the new look - jumping on prog -in July 2000, with the NEW errr...  forgettable logo that was frankly rubbish.

Inside we have:

Dredd: SABS by Wagner & Kennedy - great stuff - maybe the latter's last Dredd?

Sinister Dexter: Feeding Frenzy by Abnett & Davis - Billi thinks there is a monster at her new docklands apt. Yawn.

Red Fang: by Steve's Moore & Yeowell... try and remember what this one was all about!?

Dante: Morrison & Burns - Tsar Wars Pt II - forgotten just how epic this was. A masterpiece really.

All that and the prog shrunk then in size (width) as well as a price rise!

Anyway, be good to know where you guys are in the realms of back prog-dem and what's filling tha boots & what's bobbins?!

Cheers

Si

[Timothy]

Progs from the mid-90s are much more absorbent. The cushelle of comics.

[Eamonn Clarke]

You should write up these retro reviews for the ECBT2000AD site,
Oh wait, you already do don't you?

[Jacqusie]

So no one reads back progs on here?

wow...

[The Enigmatic Dr X]

So no one reads back progs on here?

wow...

No, we're just too busy reading them to post about it between 11.30pm and 3.30am in a Sunday night.

[AlexF]

I'm reading through the Progs that have Missionary Man in them (I'm assuming it'll be quite a while yet before they get reprinted, although it should happen some day). Rest-of-Prog quality for 1085-1100 has been pretty high (Oola Blint in Dredd!); Steve's Tappin's Slaine is a high point. But it also includes the finale of BLAIR-1, which I've re-read for the first time, and it really is terrible. Simon Davis's art is fine, and perfectly appropriate to the material, but for the life of me I can't even see much connection from panel to panel, let alone an overall story here.

I guess Bishop and Grant were making a point that Blair (and all politicians) are lying bastards who say they want to do good but either don't know how to or are more interested in lining their pockets. Which is, for 1998 (when the strip ran) arguably a pretty decent summing up of Tony Blair as we know and love him today, but the lack of actual jokes or even vaguely expressed political points is kind of odd. Cracking 'Button Man' homage cover on 1098, mind.

[Fungus]

So, as far as the bog prog slog...

Reached prog 837 yesterday ('93), for me it's a *first* reading, I continued to buy & bag the prog for 3/4 years before conceding that buying it was getting ridiculous. Making up for that now.

Prog 837 is not shabby, and all 5 thrills are decent. Which is a bit of a surprise given popular opinion. Thinking about it, I can see the art is responsible for that. Dermot Power (Dredd), Simon Jacob (Armoured Gideon), Paul Marshall (Firekind), Ezquerra (Purgatory) and Ewins/McCarthy (Bad Company: Kano) all look great. With the exception of Milligan on Bad Company, none of the stories feel worthy of their art...  Lots of work for Ennis & Millar at the time, it seems. Firekind is the weird kid in the group, I like the ambition of it but John Smith's writing is a bit precious for my tastes.

[ZenArcade]

Weird Fungus, I'm reading a lot of Ennis and Millars one offs from round then as well. Firekind is somethingelse....my opinion obviously. Z,

[Fungus]

Weird Fungus, I'm reading a lot of Ennis and Millars one offs from round then as well. Firekind is somethingelse....my opinion obviously. Z,

Well your opinion and most people's
Know I'm in a confuddled minority.

[Jacqusie]

So no one reads back progs on here?

wow...

No, we're just too busy reading them to post about it between 11.30pm and 3.30am in a Sunday night.

But not too busy to post that nonsensical piece of nonsensicalness?

[Colin YNWA]

Don't get tripped up by the episode's being in the wrong order around parts  8 and 9 (I think?) of Firekind.

[Fungus]

Don't get tripped up by the episode's being in the wrong order around parts  8 and 9 (I think?) of Firekind.

Sure, was ready for prog 834's switcheroo. Read it in daft order anyway. Since the lead character basically died (or near as damnit) it was fun to see him running around the jungle next week, no explanations. Nicely jarring 

[Jacqusie]

I used to enjoy just trying to keep up with a John Smith story around the Firekind / Revere time and wasn't too fussed if non of it made much sense. When the Firekind botch happened I don't think I barely blinked... it just seemed all part of the madness!

[o1s1n]

My parents recently cleared out their attic, which meant me having to take down all my old progs which I haven't seen for about 10 years. From about prog 400 to 1300 or so.

Nearly broke my spine carrying them all down the attic ladder. You think you're done and then you find another box of them, and then another!

I haven't started a reread, but did have great fun flipping back through many of them. Thankfully I'd had the foresight to put the older, bog roll based ones in plastic comic bags, so they weren't eaten by the damp 

[Jacqusie]

I've just changed tack on the back progs after the Dredd/Aliens crossover... So decided to go back a bit & started with prog 888.

This saw the end of;

Luke Kirby - Sympathy for the Devil
Babe Race 2000

<<shudder>>

But also The Clown by Goldkind & Greg Staples, which I'd forgot was really really good!

Prog 889 was the one with the 2000 ADvert on the telly which you can find on Utube, way back in 1994...

...not the progs best years, but some gems amongst the poop...