SPOILERS SPOILERS!!
A decent cover by Tom Foster introduces the first episode of A Fallen Man, which has plenty of action. I enjoyed the last two stories with Asher so I gave high hopes for this one.
And then we come to Azimuth. I have been enjoying this story so far, but my fears have been confirmed: this is indeed a Sinister Dexter spin-off, and it didn't need to be; it could have been its own thing. Oh well. We'll see how it develops.
Not started Portals and Black Goo yet, because I want to get on to the Megazine now.
Void Runners is another action-packed episode, and it's pretty fun.
Hershey returns, continuing where it left off last time, and there's an enjoyable flashback to one of her earliest appearances.
There is also a Droid Life.
All in all, a good prog this week.
Mm. The Azimuth twist feels like a waste of a great premise. Oh well.
Dredd does look like an eighty year old on that cover. Not so much in the episode though. Good start from the reliable Kenny Who? (an AI?), Foster, Blythe and Parkhouse droids. Did Chris Blythe colour the previous stories in this series?
Azimuth, I did feel a tingle at first with the reveal but in all I am a bit disappointed that it's falling back to an existing series. I was all up for the John Smith meets Moebius virtual reality technobabble premise but now... well, we'll see.
Black Goo is carrying on nicely. More characters introduced. The lift part reminding me of the 13th Floor. Art terrific.
Void Runners - as others have said, great fit for Boo Cook, who's art I sometimes struggle with a bit, in this case it all looks terrific and story barrelling along.
Hershey looks great as usual and plenty of action. Will Frank get (yet) another life?
All in all a good prog - just Azimuth for me jumping the shark a bit. Let's give it a chance though!
QuoteDid Chris Blythe colour the previous stories in this series?
Yes.
Very exciting to get a Saturday Prog but also very deflated by the Azimuth reveal.
I've not given up on it but it seemed liked something fresh and fun and SinDex has been, on the whole, pants for ages so it's gone from a must read thrill to ho-hum in a couple of pages.
I am wondering (hoping) the sinister Dexter thing is a double bluff. We've seen a bunch of characters from other franchises in the background during Azimuth so far....
Void Runners still my top thrill.
We have? I must have been very unobservant. Will dig out the Progs again tomorrow!
The court of the Cray-Cray Twins (in part 2) had (at least) a skaven, Dream of the Endless, General Grievous and a couple of Brutal Exterminators from the movie Zardoz.
So let's talk about the rest of the Prog before we get to the main event. Its a curious holding Prog in many ways, almost as if its keeping everything else quiet so we can all focus on the Azimuth reveal, which I will spoil below as its already well and truly spoiled already so be aware and beware.
Anyway Dredd a solid, but nothing more opener, which given its a Niemand and Foster Asher story is disappointing, but I have faith we will build on this scene setter.
Portals and Black Goo set out a very clear stall with its opener. Alas things start to get a little messer here as more gets throw in. Its decent but I sniff the danger of this losing focus the way Tomlinson's Future Shocks have. Still I hold out hope and the ending is good.
Void Runners is of course the story that couldn't give too hoots about what's happening elsewhere and just explodes the ideas across its pages. Brilliant.
Hershey, I mean I needed a recap. I'm sure this is very good but we just get dropped straight into ongoing story with limited orientation it lacked the momentum to really pull me in. I'm sure I'll get there and if I had time and energy re-read the last story again (which I loved at the time) I'm sure it'd be fine BUT I'd have like a gentler re-entry.
And the we get to that main event and SPOILERS around Azimuth.
So I called this in my review for episode 1, all be it hedging my bets massively as I so often get these things wrong. So I kinda love this.
However I totally get the points raised here that its a shame that a series that felt as fresh as Azimuth was just [well I'll get back to whether just is a valid term in a sec] a faint for the return of Sinister Dexter and not its own thing. I mean it had been a new series that would be great BUT I'm also really pleased if its what it seems to be. Let me explain.
See Azimuth was great comics and assuming this isn't a double bluff, and you know it could be, but assuming its not, this is still great comics. Now while its not new if it does fully wrap into Sinister Dexter its great comics and Sinister Dexter is great comics. The latest run was pretty good once Bulletopia found its feet again and so Dabnett finding new ways to play with an old classic, so it can be fresh and exciting is just sublime.
I would have been happy if its was it own thing.
I'm just as happy if it proves that the old thing can be astonishingly vital and exciting still.
It would be so 2000ad to take the cliche of strips like Spidey, Batman etc not having anything new and the mainstream of comics just recycling old ideas again and again and spin it on its head and take something new and use it to prove you can take an old, much loved, some have said tired, strip and fire it up with new life, while keeping it routed in what its always been.
Let's see. After all if it stays good comics who cares if the masthead says 'Azimuth', 'Sinister Dexter' or whatever. Its good comics and this remains GREAT comics.
AND just imagine this. What if Azimuth pulls of both. Turns out to be its own thing, set in the World of Sinister Dexter, fires S&D back up to continues its plot threads. Now that would be double amazing. Let's see.
To me it's as if The Out had had Durham Red show up in it in book one.
Cover by Tom Foster:
(https://previewsworld.com/SiteImage/MainImage/STL273221.jpg)
Cover and Logo:
(https://dyn.media.forbiddenplanet.com/zMeBOjGhWTHSd4QAsmVXoxWfhTk=/trim/fit-in/779x1024/filters:format(webp)/https://media.forbiddenplanet.com/products/75/56/8c9dbe388e4357e84bd080a8733af6d86224.jpeg)
I wish I had Colins optimism re. Azimuth! The worry was there from the beginning - the joke names, the possible connection to the AI plot - and I don't think it's going to be bad from now on, but the story didn't need to be a SinDex spinoff imo - interesting concept and character and setting, which is all the things SinDex has pretty much played out. I guess we'll see where it goes.
The rest of the Prog I enjoyed. Good opening episode on Dredd - we know Asher likes to take responsibility for others and I have a feeling this lady could be the death of him. Portals a bit less promising: it does seem a bit unfocused and the vegetarian vampire was a bit cliche but it looks great - all the dark, nasty urban backgrounds.
Really enjoyed Void Runners this week, the story is absolutely belting along, and finally Hershey is an odd opening episode but some fantastic, atmospheric work from Simon Fraser especially on facial expressions both subtle and less so.
What's the Romita Snr. cover that Foster is aping here?
"Dentsists hate him, learn how you too can have a glowing grimace by using these gingivitis hacks."
How many times have we had this trope now – surprise! It's a different strip?
- The Dead Man – blew my mind as a youngling, and still has a solid set-up when read today
- Dead Eyes – start way to reboot Indigo Prime that worked pretty well
- The Vort – lovely art, and a quite good way to bring back Lobster Random
- Malone – the one quite a few folks clocked early on, and didn't do anything for me
And now Azimuth. Am I missing any?
Honestly, Azmimuth annoys me on multiple levels. I don't really like Sin/Dex anyway. It's rarely done anything for me throughout its entire length and I kind of wish it would go away. But Azmimuth felt different from everything else I'd seen in 2000 AD, bar the puns/names (which in hindsight... yeah).
I hope Colin's right and this can somehow work. But I fear what we'll end up with is ultimately lots of Sin/Dex shooty bang bang taking the strip back to something resembling a status quo, with all that great worldbuilding tossed out of the window. I hope I'm wrong.
On the Prog itself, Droid Life might have become in this case a little too convoluted for its own good. Dredd starts well, but Asher's dead, isn't he? Azimuth... I mean, it's still good, but...
Portals has something going on, although it feels quite messy from a storytelling perspective. They'd best not kill the vamp to make the lead all fired up.
Void Runners continues to blaze along at breakneck speed, and Hershey nicely heads back in time before returning to an equally intense present for the protagonist.
A solid prog in all, I thought, and even if nothing quite hits a dizzy high, everything was at least good this week. Dredd > Hershey > Azimuth > Void > Portals
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.
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/89/Plan_9_Criswell.jpg)
I PREDICT! they will either disappear after next week or just fade into the background as the story goes on.
I doubt that. Firstly, what would be the point of doing that? And secondly, in an interview someone posted on the forum when the series started, Dan Abnett implied that Tazio Bettin might have not been credited as a co-creator of Azimuth for some reason (but for Dan insisting that he should be), and if the reason isn't that it's a SinDex spin-off then what else could it be?
I was grinning from ear to ear when I turned the page on Azimuth, even if it had always been a possibility. Even if it's not yet clear what's going on, having an AI world in the context of SinDex's ongoing storyline makes complete sense. Plus I worry about Dabnett having too many stories on the go at once (not that he ever compromises on quality) so I'm happy to see this as a SD interlude rather than yet another long running serial that might crowd out more Out, Brink, Kingdom (we can dream!), Grey Area etc.
Let me get this straight; you thought that a new strip written by Dan Abnett, drawn by the current artist on Sinister Dexter and full of groan inducing puns was going to be it's own series?
For me, the most interesting thing about the appearance of Sinister and Dexter is that they're not from where the Bulletopia story is now up to, so it's not like Azimuth is in a straightforward parallel timeline, or is a continuation of the current plot. Can I ask you long-term Squaxx, is it possible to work out where it fits into their history? And if it is from their past (maybe it's from their future!) then it seems like a weird way to drop in a new SinDex storyline. I can't help thinking that the appearance of a plethora of other characters from sci-fi/fantasy universes is telling us this isn't just a SinDex spin-off. It's certainly intriguing - I wonder if we've missed any other clues..?
Felt the storytelling was great throughout the prog this week, which really kept me engaged. Love the jug-themed decor in Asher's apartment and the incongruous rubber duck. Good bit of double jeopardy in Black Goo. The Subjugator task force are the real stars of Void Runners. And come on, it's impossible not to like a strip which includes the line "The joy spiders... they're heading for Antarctic City".
Quote from: Link Prime on 19 July, 2023, 11:53:29 AMLet me get this straight; you thought that a new strip written by Dan Abnett, drawn by the current artist on Sinister Dexter and full of groan inducing puns was going to be it's own series?
As others have mentioned, it almost seemed
too obvious!
Quote from: norton canes on 19 July, 2023, 12:01:23 PMQuote from: Link Prime on 19 July, 2023, 11:53:29 AMLet me get this straight; you thought that a new strip written by Dan Abnett, drawn by the current artist on Sinister Dexter and full of groan inducing puns was going to be it's own series?
As others have mentioned, it almost seemed too obvious!
To be fair we didn't assume The Out wasn't its own thing and not a spin off from Grey Area (there's probably obvious reasons why it wasn't but hey that'd undermine my point so I'm not looking for those!)
Quote from: Tomwe on 17 July, 2023, 11:23:32 AMWhat's the Romita Snr. cover that Foster is aping here?
Anyone interested in the answer to this, I asked Foster on IG:
QuoteIt's his Amazing Spider-Man 55 cover. It's not a 1/1 homage, but it was probably the biggest influence on the idea.
(https://img.gocollect.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJnb2NvbGxlY3QuaW1hZ2VzLnB1YiIsImtleSI6ImNmMWMzOTllLWQxZTktNDFjNi1iMGVlLTA0NmRmOTdlODdkZi5qcGciLCJlZGl0cyI6W119)(https://dyn.media.forbiddenplanet.com/zMeBOjGhWTHSd4QAsmVXoxWfhTk=/trim/fit-in/779x1024/filters:format(webp)/https://media.forbiddenplanet.com/products/75/56/8c9dbe388e4357e84bd080a8733af6d86224.jpeg)
B/W Cover:
(https://2000ad.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/3-738x1024.jpg)
Quote from: Colin YNWA on 19 July, 2023, 12:08:52 PMQuote from: norton canes on 19 July, 2023, 12:01:23 PMQuote from: Link Prime on 19 July, 2023, 11:53:29 AMLet me get this straight; you thought that a new strip written by Dan Abnett, drawn by the current artist on Sinister Dexter and full of groan inducing puns was going to be it's own series?
As others have mentioned, it almost seemed too obvious!
To be fair we didn't assume The Out wasn't its own thing and not a spin off from Grey Area (there's probably obvious reasons why it wasn't but hey that'd undermine my point so I'm not looking for those!)
When I first saw the promo piece for Azimuth a few months ago I Googled the word.
Quote from Wiki; "It originates from medieval Arabic السموت (al-sumūt, pronounced as-sumūt), meaning "the directions" (plural of Arabic السمت al-samt = "the direction")".
Directions as in "Right" and "Left"? I smirked, as I slumped back into my office chair like an overweight Ozymandias.
Regardless - your point stands Col!
Quote from: Tomwe on 19 July, 2023, 01:47:40 PMQuote from: Tomwe on 17 July, 2023, 11:23:32 AMWhat's the Romita Snr. cover that Foster is aping here?
Anyone interested in the answer to this, I asked Foster on IG:
QuoteIt's his Amazing Spider-Man 55 cover. It's not a 1/1 homage, but it was probably the biggest influence on the idea.
(https://img.gocollect.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJnb2NvbGxlY3QuaW1hZ2VzLnB1YiIsImtleSI6ImNmMWMzOTllLWQxZTktNDFjNi1iMGVlLTA0NmRmOTdlODdkZi5qcGciLCJlZGl0cyI6W119)(https://dyn.media.forbiddenplanet.com/zMeBOjGhWTHSd4QAsmVXoxWfhTk=/trim/fit-in/779x1024/filters:format(webp)/https://media.forbiddenplanet.com/products/75/56/8c9dbe388e4357e84bd080a8733af6d86224.jpeg)
Thanks for posting that, poignant timing and all.
Quote from: Link Prime on 19 July, 2023, 11:53:29 AMLet me get this straight; you thought that a new strip written by Dan Abnett, drawn by the current artist on Sinister Dexter and full of groan inducing puns was going to be it's own series?
About an assassin in a futuristic, geographically indeterminate city. I always figured it was set in the same universe, but wasn't expecting Finny and Ramone to show up quite so early.
Quote from: IndigoPrime on 17 July, 2023, 03:58:22 PMHow many times have we had this trope now – surprise! It's a different strip?
- The Dead Man – blew my mind as a youngling, and still has a solid set-up when read today
- Dead Eyes – start way to reboot Indigo Prime that worked pretty well
- The Vort – lovely art, and a quite good way to bring back Lobster Random
- Malone – the one quite a few folks clocked early on, and didn't do anything for me
And now Azimuth. Am I missing any?
I think you got them all. I suppose what sets these apart from a crossover-surprise (like Mek-Quake suddenly showing up in Book III of Nemesis) is that the rug gets pulled entirely, and the stealth thrill gets pushed to one side in favor of the original. With Dead Man, Vort and Malone, there's no story to continue - because the main character was in disguise.
Dead Eyes is *slightly* different, in that the main character now comes with us into a wider universe. And perhaps Azimuth will follow that path - with Suzi Nine surviving into a larger world. Or perhaps Sin & Dex are only visiting hers?
---
By the way, this episode of Azimith also features The Mean Machine (Dick Dastardly and Muttley's car from Wacky Races), and an Akira-motorbike.
---
Where are we in continuity? Well, Ramone says "creepfakes", which is a reference to the AI-controlled clones with tattoos that are difficult to kill. (A bit like Suzi Nine.) Thing is, I don't recognize the car - they always drive that black one. Maybe these are digitized versions of Sin and Dex that will fit back into the regular continuity with a bit of "how they got here". Maybe they're just wearing Sin and Dex skins, and aren't them at all.
---
Azimuth got me back into reading 2000 AD - I've been off my prog since last Autumn and have only caught up to the most recent Xmas issue. Amazing art, and a creative setting. It's good comics.
Quote from: IndigoPrime on 17 July, 2023, 03:58:22 PMHow many times have we had this trope now – surprise! It's a different strip?
- The Dead Man – blew my mind as a youngling, and still has a solid set-up when read today
- Dead Eyes – start way to reboot Indigo Prime that worked pretty well
- The Vort – lovely art, and a quite good way to bring back Lobster Random
- Malone – the one quite a few folks clocked early on, and didn't do anything for me
And now Azimuth. Am I missing any?
Honestly, Azmimuth annoys me on multiple levels. I don't really like Sin/Dex anyway. It's rarely done anything for me throughout its entire length and I kind of wish it would go away. But Azmimuth felt different from everything else I'd seen in 2000 AD, bar the puns/names (which in hindsight... yeah).
I hope Colin's right and this can somehow work. But I fear what we'll end up with is ultimately lots of Sin/Dex shooty bang bang taking the strip back to something resembling a status quo, with all that great worldbuilding tossed out of the window. I hope I'm wrong.
Anyone who has received the recent Thrill-mail will by now know that judging from next week's cover reveal, Azimuth will be similar to the likes of The Dead Man, The Vort & Malone, in that it appears to be a one-shot spinoff story
QuoteWhere are we in continuity? ... Maybe these are digitized versions of Sin and Dex that will fit back into the regular continuity with a bit of "how they got here".
Why would we be anywhere else but just after where we left off?
Of course they are digitised, the whole Azimuth series is set in a virtual reality world. So the car can be any colour they like.
Quote from: Richard on 19 July, 2023, 10:45:12 PMWhy would we be anywhere else but just after where we left off?
Because where we left off (in the series "Dexter") was Sinister is now a creepfake that's trying to kill Dexter. Unless that's not actually Sinister there in the Ferrati, but is actually Lilith in her last disguise from the End of the Pier Show.
And, well, if Azimuth is some kind of VR-sim, there is a question of how Dexter is manifest within it. Last we saw, he was on a real pier.
It may all be terribly obvious to everyone else, but I've still got questions.
Oh yeah. I'd completely forgotten!
Quote from: Funt Solo [R] on 19 July, 2023, 11:15:13 PMBecause where we left off (in the series "Dexter") was Sinister is now a creepfake that's trying to kill Dexter. Unless that's not actually Sinister there in the Ferrati, but is actually Lilith in her last disguise from the End of the Pier Show.
And, well, if Azimuth is some kind of VR-sim, there is a question of how Dexter is manifest within it. Last we saw, he was on a real pier.
It may all be terribly obvious to everyone else, but I've still got questions.
I haven't read anywhere near enough Sinister Dexter to even understand what your questions mean, which is why I'm disappointed that Azimuth isn't a brand new thrill that I can enjoy without puzzling over what has gone before.
Ah well, I still have the excellent Voidrunners (until it turns out to be a spin off from Ace Trucking).
Quote from: Barrington Boots on 15 July, 2023, 10:49:13 PMVery exciting to get a Saturday Prog but also very deflated by the Azimuth reveal.
I've not given up on it but it seemed liked something fresh and fun and SinDex has been, on the whole, pants for ages so it's gone from a must read thrill to ho-hum in a couple of pages.
There have been a few good SinDexes in recent years but the long, melodramatic, po-faced ones generally aren't my thing. I was re-reading some of the very old ones recently and realised they were more in the vein of
D.R. and Quinch - witty, chaotic, violent, fast-moving and fun. Maybe it's just a touch of prostalgia. Still interested to see where this one goes.
Hey let's face it even if this isn't working for some folks look at this thread. At least we're all talking excitedly about Sinister Dexter again, for good all ill. For a long time many folks seem to have lost interest - no me I've almost always loved it.
That at least has got to be worth something, a strip, that's what almost 30 years old now, Dadnett and collaboraters have found a way to fire up the interest again.
30 years old... ruddy heck. I still think of it as one of the newer straps. Which leads me to ponder, how old do you think Sinister and Dexter are now? I seem to remember they were 28 around the time Dexter was at the shrink talking about his childhood.
I know it doesn't move in real time like Dredd, but a lot has happened in the meantime - even Billi Octavo must be pushing middle age by now.
Quote from: JayzusB.Christ on 20 July, 2023, 08:15:43 AMI know it doesn't move in real time like Dredd, but a lot has happened in the meantime - even Billi Octavo must be pushing middle age by now.
Well, they had that dimension/timeline hopping storyline a few years back, which ended with a reset...
I'm not sure we're all talking excitedly about Sinister Dexter again, that's the problem - I'm pretty sure a collective groan / eye-roll from a lot of the board wasn't the reaction Abnett and Bettin were hoping for here.
It's not that SinDex is rubbish, although it rarely holds any interest for me now (totally agree with Jayzus above) but more that we thought we had a new thrill that was unlike anything we'd had in the Prog, and looked pretty special, and it turned out to be something that was neither.
There's the potential for further mystery and development, I know, and it still looks great..
Quote from: IndigoPrime on 17 July, 2023, 03:58:22 PMHow many times have we had this trope now – surprise! It's a different strip?
- The Dead Man – blew my mind as a youngling, and still has a solid set-up when read today
- Dead Eyes – start way to reboot Indigo Prime that worked pretty well
- The Vort – lovely art, and a quite good way to bring back Lobster Random
- Malone – the one quite a few folks clocked early on, and didn't do anything for me
And now Azimuth. Am I missing any?
Trifecta?
(^ or elements of it, anyway)
Quote from: Barrington Boots on 20 July, 2023, 08:59:26 AMI'm pretty sure a collective groan / eye-roll from a lot of the board wasn't the reaction Abnett and Bettin were hoping for here.
Yeah. The board is its own thing. I imagine the wider market won't care. But for me, it just felt like an opportunity squandered. Here was something that felt and looked like nothing else in the Prog, and it's effectively now nothing more than sleight of hand. A trick. I mean, fine. If Sin/Dex needs kickstarting
again, OK. And perhaps there's another twist here. I really hope so.
I am nots sure that I like the fact that Azimuth is a "spin-off" off Sin/Dex (I actually enjoyed the last mega-epic Bulletopia). I always like new things. But then again I am not surprised that is happening in an interview with Dabnnet and Tazio they stated they are working on a new different arc of Sin/Dex. I also feel like Dan has "earned" the right to do what ever he wants.
Quote from: Jim_Campbell on 20 July, 2023, 08:19:23 AMQuote from: JayzusB.Christ on 20 July, 2023, 08:15:43 AMI know it doesn't move in real time like Dredd, but a lot has happened in the meantime - even Billi Octavo must be pushing middle age by now.
Well, they had that dimension/timeline hopping storyline a few years back, which ended with a reset...
I thought it was the universe(s) around them that reset, while they stayed the same. Admittedly I can't quite remember what exactly happened there.
Quote from: JayzusB.Christ on 20 July, 2023, 02:12:41 PMQuote from: Jim_Campbell on 20 July, 2023, 08:19:23 AMQuote from: JayzusB.Christ on 20 July, 2023, 08:15:43 AMI know it doesn't move in real time like Dredd, but a lot has happened in the meantime - even Billi Octavo must be pushing middle age by now.
Well, they had that dimension/timeline hopping storyline a few years back, which ended with a reset...
I thought it was the universe(s) around them that reset, while they stayed the same. Admittedly I can't quite remember what exactly happened there.
It was the end of "The Taking of the Michael" (2015) - they wiped Moses Tanenbaum from reality - but it was the Moses from
another reality. If they didn't kill him, reality itself would collapse. (Comics, huh?) When Moses 2.0 was killed, something weird happened and it was as if Sin & Dex had no criminal record anymore, and none of the Downlode people knew who they were.
They stayed the same, they didn't time travel - nobody de-aged.
Presumably, the lads got backed up into this particular VR prison around about the time they got stuck in that video game level.
Quote from: Barrington Boots on 17 July, 2023, 09:30:24 AMI wish I had Colins optimism re. Azimuth! The worry was there from the beginning - the joke names, the possible connection to the AI plot - and I don't think it's going to be bad from now on, but the story didn't need to be a SinDex spinoff imo - interesting concept and character and setting, which is all the things SinDex has pretty much played out. I guess we'll see where it goes.
The rest of the Prog I enjoyed. Good opening episode on Dredd - we know Asher likes to take responsibility for others and I have a feeling this lady could be the death of him. Portals a bit less promising: it does seem a bit unfocused and the vegetarian vampire was a bit cliche but it looks great - all the dark, nasty urban backgrounds.
Really enjoyed Void Runners this week, the story is absolutely belting along, and finally Hershey is an odd opening episode but some fantastic, atmospheric work from Simon Fraser especially on facial expressions both subtle and less so.
This^^^^ from me too. My heart sank when I saw SinDex, they were a one-off jape in the wake of Pulp Fiction but somehow got flogged on and on, then rebooted and resuited with diminishing returns each time, starnge how they haven't been showhorned into the Regened issues, I wonder why?
Quote from: Funt Solo [R] on 20 July, 2023, 05:01:24 PMQuote from: JayzusB.Christ on 20 July, 2023, 02:12:41 PMQuote from: Jim_Campbell on 20 July, 2023, 08:19:23 AMQuote from: JayzusB.Christ on 20 July, 2023, 08:15:43 AMI know it doesn't move in real time like Dredd, but a lot has happened in the meantime - even Billi Octavo must be pushing middle age by now.
Well, they had that dimension/timeline hopping storyline a few years back, which ended with a reset...
I thought it was the universe(s) around them that reset, while they stayed the same. Admittedly I can't quite remember what exactly happened there.
It was the end of "The Taking of the Michael" (2015) - they wiped Moses Tanenbaum from reality - but it was the Moses from another reality. If they didn't kill him, reality itself would collapse. (Comics, huh?) When Moses 2.0 was killed, something weird happened and it was as if Sin & Dex had no criminal record anymore, and none of the Downlode people knew who they were.
They stayed the same, they didn't time travel - nobody de-aged.
THanks, that's kind of how I remember it. Since then I haven't been paying too much attention to the details. The last time I remember being hugely engaged was when it seemed Sinister would have to kill a paralysed Dexter, and I'd also thought that Dickensian Christmas one where they were skeletons was some kind of dark and portentous vision of their future, dripping with symbolism.
Turned out Sinister's actual rescue of Dexter was just as daft as the fantasy one he'd dreamed up to escape from his sense of desperation, and the prophetic story only happened because Simon had asked Dan if he could draw them as skeletons for one story.
I'll go against the grain a bit here.
I still enjoy Sinister Dexter. And I'm enjoying this. And I love the reveal, even though it's out of sync with known timelines.
So there!
Quote from: I, Cosh on 20 July, 2023, 05:09:10 PMPresumably, the lads got backed up into this particular VR prison around about the time they got stuck in that video game level.
That I don't remember. Can you recall which story?
---
I'm understanding some folk's disappointment (although - that's only a portion of "the board" - we're not actually a hive mind) that Azimuth isn't it's own thing, but looking on the positive side of things - you still have a hugely inventive set of new characters in a new setting. Suzi Nine is still with us.
I've had my moments of ennui with Sin Dex, but was interested to read how much fondness Dabnett has for the characters. That altered my outlook a bit, and then when it rolls high, you get some great output. The Gangbusters is a good example. Or Killer Serial in the last SFS.
Anyway - I just wanted to voice my support for the project. At the very least, it has my everlasting respect for helping 2000AD out of the dark days of the mid-90s.
Quote from: Funt Solo [R] on 20 July, 2023, 06:51:08 PMQuote from: I, Cosh on 20 July, 2023, 05:09:10 PMPresumably, the lads got backed up into this particular VR prison around about the time they got stuck in that video game level.
That I don't remember. Can you recall which story?
I wish I could! I might be misremembering but I'm thinking of the one with the biplanes which ended with Ray having visible thought bubbles.
Think the story in question is 'Gangbusters' Prog 2079 (https://www.2000ad.org/?zone=prog&page=profiles&choice=2079)-2081 with glorious Steve Yeowell art.
Happy to be corrected if that's wrong.
Quote from: scrotnig on 20 July, 2023, 06:39:09 PMI'll go against the grain a bit here.
I still enjoy Sinister Dexter. And I'm enjoying this. And I love the reveal, even though it's out of sync with known timelines.
So there!
A differing opinion? Get out.
Quote from: JayzusB.Christ on 22 July, 2023, 09:05:03 AMQuote from: scrotnig on 20 July, 2023, 06:39:09 PMI'll go against the grain a bit here.
I still enjoy Sinister Dexter. And I'm enjoying this. And I love the reveal, even though it's out of sync with known timelines.
So there!
A differing opinion? Get out.
I know. Edgy eh?
Quote from: Funt Solo [R] on 20 July, 2023, 05:01:24 PMThey stayed the same, they didn't time travel - nobody de-aged.
Fair enough... I clearly didn't recall the specifics, beyond the series getting something of a reset.
I should've said - I didn't have a good recall either - and had to check my back progs to see what had happened. (It's not as if it makes much sense for two people to exist - even to the extent that they have an address known to the police - but have no history. Timey-wimey stuff.)
Put me in the camp of being pleased to see SinDex back, but also hoping that the Azimuth setting may indeed get used again for its own, SinDex tangential stories. The whole evil vs good AI storyline was one that intrigued me but it was hard to work out where it could go unless one or other ended up taking over the world...
...and I guess that's what's happened!
Simon Fraser's art on this latest Hershey is unreal.
In all honesty I was undecided about Azimuth from the get-go. Aside from the amazing artwork, too much of it read like a poor Cyber-punk novel. I was hoping that it was going to turn into something interesting and confound initial expectations.
So the latest twist (regularly used, as has been observed) that ties into what has been a disappointing run of stories in Sin/Dex is not exactly helping. How exactly it fits into the overarching narrative remains to be seen. Will it turn all this around? Not sure yet.
Where is Niemand taking us with Fallen Man? It feels a little like he's playing into the inevitability of Asher's situation. It has been noted elsewhere that there is a sort of predictability when it comes to any tale about the citizens of MC1. Anyone that tries to 'beat the system' ends up crushed by it. Asher has foes on all sides, not least Dredd. So it is hard to see any other outcome really.
That said, you can't fault much else, especially not Foster's artwork...
Portals & Black Goo on the other hand, well if it weren't for Coveney this would be less appealing than it is. Can't quite see how this is working, what the core concept is or why we should actually care about the lead character. Sorry, not a fan I'm afraid.
Void Runners on the other hand, I most definitely am. A nicely paced one-and-done (possibly) with Boo Cook allowed to let rip in his inimitable style? What is not to love.
I would also have to agree with comments about Fraser's work on Hershey. The man has always been amazing and he is keeping up that standard. As the tale rattles on to (presumably) its conclusion we have a touching moment between Frank and Hershey before the fit hits the Shan ...
Overall a reasonable prog. The flaws are minor, definitely outweighed by so much quality elsewhere. As always at its weakest Tooth leaves too many competitors in the shade.
We;=ll, I was ready to give up on Azimuth, it was so up it's own arse and smug with the over abundance of punny shite.
Now I'm back in.
I have been several weeks behind on my Prog reading and was doing a catch up. Unfortunately I saw next week's cover before reading Azimuth and so the reveal was spoiled for me.
But following Colin's earlier guess, that this was a SinDex spin off, I have been reading it with that in the back of my mind anyway.
It wouldn't surprise me if Dan Abnett had done it deliberately, along the line of "a load of you say you don't like Sinister Dexter, so let's put out a new thrill that people will rave about, only to reveal it's actually Sinister Dexter!".
Quote from: IndigoPrime on 17 July, 2023, 03:58:22 PMHow many times have we had this trope now – surprise! It's a different strip?
- The Dead Man – blew my mind as a youngling, and still has a solid set-up when read today
- Dead Eyes – start way to reboot Indigo Prime that worked pretty well
- The Vort – lovely art, and a quite good way to bring back Lobster Random
- Malone – the one quite a few folks clocked early on, and didn't do anything for me
And now Azimuth. Am I missing any?
Perhaps Zancudo - sort of a stealth-sequel.
Quote from: Funt Solo [R] on 27 July, 2023, 04:57:15 PMQuote from: IndigoPrime on 17 July, 2023, 03:58:22 PMHow many times have we had this trope now – surprise! It's a different strip?
- The Dead Man – blew my mind as a youngling, and still has a solid set-up when read today
- Dead Eyes – start way to reboot Indigo Prime that worked pretty well
- The Vort – lovely art, and a quite good way to bring back Lobster Random
- Malone – the one quite a few folks clocked early on, and didn't do anything for me
And now Azimuth. Am I missing any?
Perhaps Zancudo - sort of a stealth-sequel.
Oh - and Lawless.