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Prog 2230 - Takin' Care Of Business

Started by NapalmKev, 01 May, 2021, 07:13:43 PM

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NapalmKev

Eye catching Intestinauts cover by Pye Parr. I love the designs of these plucky little Gut-Scrubbers.

There's a Droid Life and Tharg touts the next Regened Prog - 2233, featuring Pandora Perfect. I liked the first one-off, it was a fun tale.

Dredd - A Penitent Man, Part 6. Final episode in what has been a very good run. Things end in a way I wasn't expecting and it looks like we'll be seeing more of Kyle in the future. Maybe this is all leading to a The Pit style Mega-Epic with Dredd doing a stint in the SJS to root out some of the shit. I'm probably wrong.

Thistlebone - Poisoned Roots, Part 10. I love this strip but for those who are finding it a bit slow this episode ramps it up a touch. Malcom and Seema meet for a drink and things take a bit of a turn. I'm wondering if Seema allowed herself to get captured and her friend who was coming to pick her up is actually following them from a safe distance. I'm probably wrong.

Deadworld - Transpolar, Part 2. Again, I was surprised by how this ended. Not only was it fairly optimistic but it looks like Death and Co. have a surprise coming.

"It's raining Nukes. Hallelujah - It's raining Nukes... You Pukes!" I dare say it'll all end in tears. This strip is pure Gold!

Tharg's 3riiler - Symbiotic Love Triangle. The Intestinauts return and things are a bit different as one of them seems to be heading out to the wider world. With a little help from his friend... This is a fun opener and acts as a good counter-point to the darker strips in the Prog.

Feral and Foe II, Part 7. Another great episode. Krod continues to steal the show until the end when the others seem to have come to grips with their bodies. The WoodGod Emissary is a sight to behold!

There's a Letters page.

Outstanding Prog!

Cheers
"Where once you fought to stop the trap from closing...Now you lay the bait!"

broodblik

When I die, I want to die like my grandfather who died peacefully in his sleep. Not screaming like all the passengers in his car.

Old age is the Lord's way of telling us to step aside for something new. Death's in case we didn't take the hint.

broodblik

When I die, I want to die like my grandfather who died peacefully in his sleep. Not screaming like all the passengers in his car.

Old age is the Lord's way of telling us to step aside for something new. Death's in case we didn't take the hint.

Woolly

Aw man :o
Pye Parr is definitely one of Tharg's droids to keep an eye on. That cover is jaw-droppingly good!

low down dirty drokker

Cover 2230: cracking piece of art, however that being said, it would have been better employed as a re-gened cover.
                       A cunning way to corrupt young fresh mind's to the greatness that is 2000ad.

broodblik

A real goody prog, enjoying the ride

Dredd – Luckily my initial disappointment was sort lived as Niemand delivers a stellar ending. We have now two paths to explore: the fall of the SJS and what is our Penitent Man's real plan.

Thistlebone – The story picks up in its pace and ends with an interesting cliff-hanger. One thing I want to add about Thistlebone is that over the last few weeks and even running over from the previous series we still do not know if Thistlebone is real or not maybe it will be revealed the next two instalments.

Visions – Not as dark and twisted as previous incarnations but still enough core and blood to keep the average Halloweener graving for me. This round it looks like it is at least a point for team good. Keep score its like team evil gazillion and team good two.

Intestinauts – Good to see the nano units back in action. We have a new player in this round so let us see have our little friends handle the action.

Feral & Foe – Disaster averted, friends happily united (almost) and off we go to the next phase of the misadventure. Great read, enjoying this and may it continue.
When I die, I want to die like my grandfather who died peacefully in his sleep. Not screaming like all the passengers in his car.

Old age is the Lord's way of telling us to step aside for something new. Death's in case we didn't take the hint.

TordelBack

Thistlebone is Star Baker for me this week. Malcolm's web is wider than we suspected (except Wednesday) and his face here is some of the best character work we've ever seen in the Prog. The pattern of shadows from the leaded window on Seema's face echoes the wicker cages of previous weeks, but when she is injected, the cage is gone... An involving treat.

Not far behind is a hugely enthusiastic Intestinauts, looking even more lurid and visceral than before, and given fibre by typically superb design and typography, plus and an unexpected guest peanut in Venom. Now if I were Joko-Jargo this scatological romp would be where I'd set out my stall: all kids love poo and robots (exhibit A: Ro-Jaws), and here's an interesting SF world being built from the, errr, bottom up.

I found Dredd very frustrating. Fine, there's more to Asher than meets the eye, but seriously, Buell can't investigate a conspiracy in the SJS because Copper made a confession? No interrogation whatsoever if you take the fall? Let's reflect on the SJS's glorious history, shall we?  Cal. McGruder. Pin. Maybe taking a bent judge's word that there's no secret plot isn't such a great approach to organisational reform. Beyond that, a good run lifted by terrific work from Foster.

Feral & Foe is glorious fun, but when did Bode and Wraith become such caring chums?

Deadworld does its excellent thing, but I thought the corny dialogue in the final panels delivered a weak ending to a strong story.

TordelBack

Quote(except Wednesday)

This auto-correct is so arcane I can't even work out what it was supposed to  be.  GIVE US AN EDITING WINDOW, PLEASE.

Jim_Campbell

Quote from: TordelBack on 05 May, 2021, 08:30:06 AM
This auto-correct is so arcane I can't even work out what it was supposed to  be.

Half day closing, obvs. You know what these rural towns are like.
Stupidly Busy Letterer: Samples. | Blog
Less-Awesome-Artist: Scribbles.

Leigh S

Tordelback beat me to it,  - this Dredd has been great if you imagine it happening in 2101, but totally agree the ending was a nonsense - it's even brought up on the first page that the SJS interrogation is a thing of horror, but Copper just confesses and despite them pretty much knowing there's a wider conspiracy, they arent going to do anyhting to get the real story?

I don't think the final panel was designed to say Asher has any other motive than fixing what he did wrong, Brodblik? Much prefer that to be the case.


Jim_Campbell

Quote from: Leigh S on 05 May, 2021, 09:13:34 AM
they arent going to do anyhting to get the real story?

Given that this story clearly isn't entirely done, I have no problem inferring that Dredd and Buell may have decided that now is not the time for this fight. If that doesn't turn out to be the case, I think the criticism is fair, but I'm happy to reserve judgement* for now.

*You see what I did there?
Stupidly Busy Letterer: Samples. | Blog
Less-Awesome-Artist: Scribbles.

broodblik

Quote from: Leigh S on 05 May, 2021, 09:13:34 AM
I don't think the final panel was designed to say Asher has any other motive than fixing what he did wrong, Brodblik? Much prefer that to be the case.

That last panel can imply multiple possibilities, "fixing the wrong he did", revenge or just to get out of the dump of a job he had. Lets see what the future holds
When I die, I want to die like my grandfather who died peacefully in his sleep. Not screaming like all the passengers in his car.

Old age is the Lord's way of telling us to step aside for something new. Death's in case we didn't take the hint.

The Enigmatic Dr X

The last panel clearly implies a motive.

He now has "the chance to make good on what he came back here to do."

So he came back from Titan to do something. Now the SJS welcome wagon is out his hear, he has the chance to do it.
Lock up your spoons!

The Enigmatic Dr X

Lock up your spoons!

TordelBack

Quote from: Jim_Campbell on 05 May, 2021, 09:22:47 AM
Given that this story clearly isn't entirely done, I have no problem inferring that Dredd and Buell may have decided that now is not the time for this fight.

Jim makes a very fair point, but my frustration is that the way into this conspiracy is right there in the person of Copper but instead of being derailed by a clever blocking move by the SJS, the opening just gets ignored seemingly in the cause of leaving a dangling thread. I can see that this drab post-Garcia Buell has almost given up,  but given that Dredd has just recently survived the attentions of a rogue SJS judge that saw his ex-SJS buddy killed, I'd think he might push harder.

Every now and again I'd like a story that happens, rather than one that may or may not hint at future events. Penitent Man was 6 parts, and was well written and drawn throughout - perhaps it could have been a weighty piece in its own right, instead of just an enjoyable one.

None of this is to say that I don't look forward to the future adventures of Asher, and what it is he is really up to. That part works fine for me.