Prog 1778 : Thief, Scoundrel...Tsar

Aonghus · 13 April, 2012, 07:29:57 PM

Quote from: radiator on 13 April, 2012, 07:14:43 PM
The cover was weird this week - agree with all the comments about the awkwardness, and the fact that it looks like Dante is having a stroke more so than winking. Forehead looks bloody massive too.

The forehead seemed ok for the perspective to me, but my sister pointed out that the entire thing gave Dante the impression of being a Jersey Shore cast member.

maryanddavid · 13 April, 2012, 11:32:02 PM

Weird cover,
Dredd Dante and Zilk on fire.
Wolfie, as I have said I feel as if I should be enjoying this more, mayby when read together, might be better.
Flesh, I dunno, great Dino action?

David

maryanddavid · 14 April, 2012, 12:06:05 AM

The Brass sun thing reminded me of this.

The Prodigal · 14 April, 2012, 07:44:06 AM

Quote from: maryanddavid on 14 April, 2012, 12:06:05 AM
The Brass sun thing reminded me of this.

Now there's a few memories evoked. The Valiant book of mystery and magic is currently awaiting a re-visit by my favourite chair.

Zarjazzer · 14 April, 2012, 10:21:10 AM

Cover a bit odd. Dredd great and Age of Wolfie was fun but Zilk is losing my interest a bit.Dante was okay and Flesh was a grand b&w ride.

Mardroid · 15 April, 2012, 03:27:39 PM

Cover- Well done, but it makes Dante look a bit girlie.
Dredd- Good continuation but I hope things get more exciting.
Zaucer of Zilk - I've been a bit undecided about this. A bit too wacky for my taste, maybe... but this episode was very funny and comedy goes a long way with me. And it says something about how exposed to American terminology I've become that it only occurred to me today they used the word 'pants' for 'outer garments rather than undergarments! Still 'fancy trousers' doesn't quite work.

Age of the Wolf: I'm enjoying this. It went to a real nasty place this week, but that's a good thing for the strip. ([spoiler]And I'm kinda glad the ex-boyfriend is out of it, although I was rather shocked when it happened. I'm not too keen on romantic sub-plots, so now there's no chance of that.[/spoiler]) I was wondering about the wolf-trap on Rowan's arm too, although it vaguely rang a bell, as in, I remember seeing it before, but can't quite remember where.

Dante- Good as always.

Goaty · 15 April, 2012, 05:29:37 PM

Quote from: Mardroid on 15 April, 2012, 03:27:39 PM
I was wondering about the wolf-trap on Rowan's arm too, although it vaguely rang a bell, as in, I remember seeing it before, but can't quite remember where.

Fallout New Vegas?

metcalfecarr · 16 April, 2012, 09:06:55 AM

Liked everything bar Flesh. Again nothing happens and the art is so confusing. The dinosaurs, when I can make then out are good, but James McKay's humans are terrible, Carter looks like either a Nuts model or something drawn in the 1992 small press. No story, no plot no decent dialogue and bad incoherent art.

I wondered about the cover, but it's grown on me a lillte. Shame it's identical to the last Paul Marshall cover, the wanted PJ Maybe one. Just a goofy portrait and nothing else of any interest

IndigoPrime · 16 April, 2012, 11:11:33 AM

Quote from: metcalfecarr on 16 April, 2012, 09:06:55 AMJames McKay's humans are terrible, Carter looks like either a Nuts model or something drawn in the 1992 small press.

Mm. It's always a bit... weird to see artists draw women in comics who inexplicably get tops that are several sizes too small, showing bras and cleavage, when they're not, say, out on the town. It just strikes me as a bit naff... and she has a tough-as-nails job in the distant past, too; but hey-ho—at least the dinosaurs are good. I'll be quite happy to see the back of this strip though, which certainly isn't the case with anything else in 2000 AD right now.

TordelBack · 16 April, 2012, 11:49:09 AM

Quote from: metcalfecarr on 16 April, 2012, 09:06:55 AM
Liked everything bar Flesh. Again nothing happens and the art is so confusing. The dinosaurs, when I can make then out are good, but James McKay's humans are terrible, Carter looks like either a Nuts model or something drawn in the 1992 small press. No story, no plot no decent dialogue and bad incoherent art.

I completely disagree on all counts! I think Carter is beautifully drawn (and while I agree about the impractical costume, I am partial to a frilly bra so even that gets a pass), and I think the humans look fine, and the dinosaurs absolutely unashamedly magnificent: I have literally never seen anything better in the long history of dinosaur comics, in terms of movement, mass and characterisation, not even Steve Bissette's late lamented Tyrant (if I had one quibble it'd be that they're occasionally a bit too big). I also don't understand the accusation that nothing happens or there's no plot: they're taking the dinosaurs from the defunct Base 3 in Montana to Base 6 in Texas. Meanwhile Carter (secretly Claw Carver's daughter) is working to bring down Trans-Time by sending Gorehead to the future, which her trail-boss McGuire (a devotee of Earl Regan) is beginning to suspect. Pastor Sunday is a serial killer who killed Carter's mother and knows her secret, and all the while they're being followed by the Midnight Cowboys who I suspect are from an alternate future somehow created by this Time-Change that Carter's backers are worried about. The key question underlying all this is: will fucking about in the Late Cretaceous screw the future?

The series develops the situations and concepts from the original in new directions, plus: look, dinosaurs fighting each other and eating people!

I can see how this isn't everyone's cup of tea, but AFAIC it's 6 pages of old-school 2000AD done right.

Although I could live without Woody Allen making an appearance. That never ends well.

W. R. Logan · 16 April, 2012, 11:58:06 AM

In no way does Flesh compare to Tyrant.
Whilst tyrant wasnt perfect you could make out what everything was.

TordelBack · 16 April, 2012, 12:02:50 PM

Quote from: W. R. Logan on 16 April, 2012, 11:58:06 AM
In no way does Flesh compare to Tyrant.
Whilst tyrant wasnt perfect you could make out what everything was.

I suspect we'll have to agree to disagree here - I don't have any problem seeing what everything is. And while Tyrant is certainly more beautiful than Flesh and has far, far better backgrounds, it lacks the sheer insane energy and quantity of McKay's work.

Dark Jimbo · 16 April, 2012, 12:35:50 PM

Quote from: TordelBack on 16 April, 2012, 11:49:09 AM
I have literally never seen anything better in the long history of dinosaur comics, in terms of movement, mass and characterisation, not even Steve Bissette's late lamented Tyrant (if I had one quibble it'd be that they're occasionally a bit too big).

I'm fightin' with Richard Delgado block:

TordelBack · 16 April, 2012, 12:48:09 PM

Don't get me wrong, I love Delgado (although sometimes his dinos can be a bit anthropomorphised) - and Bissette even more so - but there's something about the sense of mass and movement in McKay's work that I just love. Dino comics as opposed to dino illustrations.

SmallBlueThing · 16 April, 2012, 05:44:09 PM

Yeah, i'd agree this is the best dino-comics ive ever seen. The art reminds me of the feeling i used to get when id open a comic and see eric bradbury had drawn something- that was 'messy' too. But id rather have 'messy' and this kinetic and characterful, than much of what was printed back in the nineties.

And i look forward to buying the trade when it's released- what's that you say? Book one's already been published, and so they'll have to either reprint and expand the dino files, or make us buy it again solo? Surely not!

SBT