PROG 1344

[sindex1996]

Well anyway, I'm gonna shut up now, I don't want to get so into this that I get personal or people take things the wrong way. Thats not what I wanted.
Just imagine this (as my final point)
Lets say you enjoy reading Strontium Dog. Lets imagine that every time it came to a 200ad review 9 out of 10 posters made some sort of dispariging comment about it, ie. tired, old, supposed to be dead, should stayed that way, same old story lines, please end it now, I try to ignore it now,whatever it may be) and this went on week after week every time it was in 2k, and remember it's one of your favourites, you never see (or very rarely see) any good comments to balance that view. After months of this (on the official site remember) you start to feel maybe the editors will think about pulling the story because of the negative comments. (I think it's true, in most cases, anti people always speak louder than pro)Thats my main problem, I feel that something I enjoy and look forward to might end as the editors think its lost its appeal. How would you will if SD, or dante or wahtever your fav story is was coming upder this attack. Read the reviews again and subtitute Sin/Dex for your favorite story.

I used Strontium Dog as an example, (don't think I don't like that it's always been my 2nd fav after Dredd) and I know if someone did do that here to SD it would be shot down but I am just using that as an example. Anyway that was it.
I didn't intend to piss off anyone,insult anyone etc etc, I just get tired of hearing almost the same negative comments on a story I like and want to stay in the comic. I just wish people could enjoy what they enjoy and let other enjoy what they enjoy. If you don't like it thats fine, there are been many stories I don't like too but i know others do Slaine is one I cannot read.
I just find some reviews over agressive and out of proportion to a review of a comic strip in a antholgy comic.

[sindex1996]

Translation for people who can type on one of these new fangled computer things...

200ad = 2000ad
how would you will if SD...= how would you feel if SD...
wahtever = whatever

[Waddie]

"you never see (or very rarely see) any good comments to balance that view."

So, um, maybe you should make a few of your own?  Just telling everyone they're wrong doesn't really enlighten anyone as to what you think is great about the strip.

You might also want to consider that maybe you do have a minority view.  I thought Interceptor starting poorly but has developed well.  Most people seem to feel the opposite.  I thought Snow/Tiger was good in a "Darkie's Mob for the 21st century" sort of way, not in the mature, clever plotting way a lot of people seem to see it.

In both cases, I accept that maybe my views aren't held by most people and limit myself to saying what I liked and disliked, not attacking people for not liking the stuff I do.

Neither will I ignore a strip just because somebody disagrees with me.  If, in my opinion,  Sinister/Dexter sucks every week, I'll say so.  I can't see what's to be gained by everyone ignoring things they think are rubbish.  If there are loads of people who love Sinister/Dexter, they can comment on it favourably and balance out anyone who hates it.

[Leigh S]

As Solitaire said, the fact that most people hold an opinion on something thats contrary to yours might mean its a minority opinion.  Hard to tell really - the way Sin Dex keeps appearing, you'd hope that Tharg is basing there continuing adventures on some other than the feedback here - what that is I'm not sure, as letters to the Nerve Centre are very few and far between nowadays from what I've heard, and where else is the feedback coming from - maybe Sin Dex issues sell more, in which case, their future is assured.  Possibly Tharg is basing his opinion of Sin Dex on the initial reaction - I was there flag waving for Sin Dex at the start to.  The fact is there are a good number of readers who could post here, but dont  - Is it a case of needing the lurkers to come out and tell us why they like Sin Dex?  Or  should Tharg be looking to retire the strip?  Tharg has ditched stuff that I liked, presumably because I was in the minority or the strip had run its course.  

As toi why we are so vocal: "its only a comic" isn't that much of an argument - I know its only a comic -if i took that attitude, I wouldnt be arsed to comment on anything, good or bad.  I pay my ?1.40, I'm entitled to like or dislike what I want - I can speak my mind here and see if I'm a lone voice or a growing choir.  What we need is more Sin Dex fans here - that is, if this board is truly out of synch with the average reader.

[Oddboy]

I was thinking this morning (before I'd read any of the posts on this thread) that for someone who's just won a Best Comics Writer award, Dan Abnett's Sinister Dexter stories are just quiet frankly not up to scratch.
I don't hate them, but they certainly don't deserve the writer awards.

I'm a floating voter when it comes to Sin Dex, which in itself is pretty damning for the story; as I'm a great fan of pretty much every story over the last year (Bison excluded).
And I'm not jumping the bandwagon, and I can take the abuse of all you out there who like Ron Smith's art (which I think sucks) and who dislike Dead Meat (which I think is actually pretty good really).
Sinister Dexter was one of the stories that got me back into 2000AD in 1997 after my 'sabatical' with the Murder 101 story, but now it's (on the whole) lame.

[Smiley]

Whoo, got the prog today. One of the joys of not subscribing is watching the reactions in shops of small children to the cover. Last time, some swine reduced a small boy to tears with Moloch. On this occasion the four year old niece of the newsagent went "Ooh, fuzzy spider!" and "Tranch-lu-aar! Grrarrgh!". Bless.

IMO Dredd was best, then Lobster, Rogue, Interceptor, Invasions and Sin Dex in that order.

Now... who wants a fight?

[Waddie]

"I was thinking this morning (before I'd read any of the posts on this thread) that for someone who's just won a Best Comics Writer award, Dan Abnett's Sinister Dexter stories are just quiet frankly not up to scratch."

My feeling is that good characters will often rescue what might otherwise be a poor story.  Sinister and Dexter are simply too shallow and uncharismatic to ever do this.  So when Abnett's off his game (and I should stress I really like a lot of his stuff - I even enjoyed his Games Workshop novels, and there're few writers I can say that about), it really stands out quite horribly.

There have been some great Sin/Dex stories.  Big Game just wasn't, for my money, one of them.  Give them a good story and I'll sing their praises as loud as the next shouty fanboy.

[W. R. Logan]

>Thats my main problem, I feel that something I enjoy and look forward to might end as the editors think its lost its appeal.

I wouldnt worry about any editor taking anything we say seriously.

La Placa Rifa,
W. R. Logan.

[Trout]

LOL! He's right, y'know.

I'm pretty horrified, by the way, that we're doing this argument yet again.

Mr 1996, if you are pro-SinDex, just argue for it. Resorting to personal attacks on boarders/ the board itself is losing you the argument.

This week I was quite kind to SinDex, because I thought it was okay, but if it gets as bad again as it was before, I reserve the right to get well stuck in.

- Trout

[Oddboy]

Meanwhile...

I've read the other half of the prog now, so I'll review:

Dredd: Well I liked the artwork, story's a good'un too.

Interceptor: still simply lovin' this sheer silly sci-fi soap*

Sinister Dexter; see comments above.

Lobster Random: Getting gooder, and I liked it to start with

Rogue Trooper: not so keen on ol' RT myself, to be honest I feel the dead horse has been flogged enough already, but we'll see.  As long as Gordon can keep a good story going I won't object to Rogue's appearence in the prog, but it's never going to be my 'best thing in the prog' (which is probably Lobster or maybe Interceptor right now)

Tharg's Alien Invasions: Great stuff, witty, nice art - Mr Flint shines again!


That's all folks.


( * ) please appreciate the alliteration, thankyou