Prog 1716 - Ampney Crucis Investigates...

[COMMANDO FORCES]

Bought all 6 progs in Smiths, read Dredd (obviously) and shall read the rest at work tonight. I have to agree with all the previous comments about Mike's Dredd strips that have been published, as they are spot.

Now I need to get in touch with that Willsher droid 

[AlexF]

Dredd: very neat, clever story and clever ending.
Shakara and Kingdom: ticking along nicely, not up there with the heights of these fine series past but episode 3s are rarely classics.
Ampney Crucis: much preferring this story to the previous outings. I like a good whodunnit st in a cionfined space, even if we've already learned who it was that dunnit. You can't go wrong with a Zeppelin, frankly.

Necrophim: no change from the last series, really. But you know, the more I read it the more I think it might be an incredibly genius piece of comics formalism. The premise being that God has created a variety of angels, fallen or otherwise, who are all predestined to perpetually try to overthrow him, each other and generally form fake alliances and backstab each other - without ever being in control of their own actions, or ever actually changing anything.
None of the characters realise this, and genuinely think they're crafting a way to be top dog in Heaven/Hell/Purgatory. The series just goes round and round in circles, and the whole thing is a metaphor for us 2000AD readers who think we're a bit cleverer and darker than your average superhero comics reader, but in fact we aren't. Or something. I was never that good at spotting metaphors.

But then I think it's probably just a not-very-well-written strip in which Uriel really is the hero and he's going to 'win' in the end. With a few good fights.
I'm not going to lay all the blame on Tony Lee for this. Carter's designs and atmosphere continue to impress, but he needs to have a chat with John Davis-Hunt about the importance of not just drawing every single dialogue scene from the same angle showing heads and torso from side on.

[Proudhuff]

Just got it yesterday 

Nice cover -
can't see it getting many newbies on board

Dredd - nice one, maybe a few too many pages? minor gripe aside well worthy of the prog
 

Shakara! - Loving this, do you think he could draw the adventures of Betty Page for me? 

Ampney Crucius - Never been a fan of the Miss Marples Country house who dunnits, mind you that last panel fairly spices it up


Necrophim - skipped it I'm afriad, straining the old peeper with little reward, anyway I've never liked the indie rocker in a top hat look.

Kingdom - yeah we knew the gate would open eventually,but that last panel is a nice cliffhanger...roll on next week!


Back on form, now just sort out the deliveries!!!

[SmallBlueThing]

Yeah, I'm not going to review the whole prog- largely because I have nothing to moan about! Everything is doing it for me at the moment- even (and I mean no disrespect Tony) Necrophim, which has in previous books underwhelmed me a bit. I love all the machinations, and the art is absolutely fantastic.

I just wanted to echo what everyone else has said about Michael's recent Dredds. With this one especially, he proves he's "got" the strip. I could read a whole year of these one-off "bizarre crime" stories or character pieces focusing on aspects of Dredd and the city. Michael's stories are like Dredd was "back in the 80s", but filtered through a more modern sensibility. This makes I happy.

SBT

[staticgirl]

Necrophim - skipped it I'm afriad, straining the old peeper with little reward, anyway I've never liked the indie rocker in a top hat look.

Take that back! Lucifer is pure ageing stadium rocker in a top hat. Indie boys don't go for hats too much as it flattens the artfully spiked wispy bits and doesn't go with bowl cuts.

Re the comic - am liking it. Necrophim confuses me because I wasn't there at the beginning but Tony's backgrounding on the prog threads have helped me immeasurably. I love the art myself.

[Rook]

Another great prog - I really enjoyed this.

Dredd: I like Mike Carroll's last story, but this beats it by a country mile - probably the best Dredd one-off since I've been reading the prog. Very slick, plenty of twists to keep us guessing, and an amusing basic idea. The art is amazing too, right up there with Karl Richardson and Patrick Goddard.

Shakara: As a first time reader I'm finding this a little... alienating, because in the first three episodes almost nothing has recurred or begun to crystalize into anything that makes any sense to me. But I'm confident it will, and I've got to credit the imagination of it.

Ampney Crucis: I'm still finding that this leaves me a bit cold... it feels a tad hackneyed to me and the murder mystery scenario is not something which appeals, personally.

Necrophim: I really like the art and the writing, but the grand sweep of the narrative evades me. Ah the perils of being new to 2000 AD!

Kingdom: After Dredd, my second favourite thing in the prog and a great close to it. At first glance this might seem to be all art and little writing, but whilst the Elson/Ryder combo is phenomenal, credit is surely due to Dan Abnett for giving them what they have to work with. A wonderfully ominous last panel - looking forward to seeing how this pans out.

[Proudhuff]

Necrophim - skipped it I'm afriad, straining the old peeper with little reward, anyway I've never liked the indie rocker in a top hat look.

Take that back! Lucifer is pure ageing stadium rocker in a top hat. Indie boys don't go for hats too much as it flattens the artfully spiked wispy bits and doesn't go with bowl cuts.

I bow to your superior knowledge on these things...

[Loaded sumo]

I'm in love with this Line-up, and an excellent start to the year!
Dredd: Carroll is going to be the one to watch methinks, two weeks running he's produced mighty fine scripts, and he's a newbie to Dredd, some fresh new talent I spy.
Shakara: Appropriately epic, although not quite as excellent as the first installment.
Ampney Crucis: I love the art in this, and the story is rather good too, the worst thing in the line-up for me, but still quality reading.
Necrophim: Simply brilliant, love the art, love the story, probably my favourite in the line-up.
Kingdom: The final panel made this amazing, although the rest wasn't of the same standard, but this is good.

Great Prog, 8/10

[Martin Howe]

Judge Dredd: Amusing little filler, bit like how Dredd was back in the (hey)day.

Shakara: Oh dear. Not the series, but this episode; after the previous one of the Shakaran AI rising from a single speck ("even from debris, you fools" ), I kinda expected more of it building the asteroid again or whatever, plotting the campaign against Brennekka, that sort of thing. The Blake's Seven pastiche didn't tell us that much Being fair, I guess it had to happen, in order to keep us informed as to critical events - I'd have thought the doc would have been exed - but it was not as dramatic as the series usually is; I mean, the doc was the only true innocent and who cares about the fate of a bunch of crooks? Here's hoping next week is more exiting (Though the Sentence: Eternity bit was clever )

Necrophim: I really like the Lucifer of late; he's portrayed as a credible leader with psychiatric problems and some intelligent thought, not as a 2D nutjob.

Ampney Crucis: Done well enough if you like that sort of thing, but not my cup of tea.

Kingdom: Getting interesting a bit; perhaps this will pick up after all...?

[willthemightyW]

Hopefully getting the prog today, can't wait! Mike, congrats on getting a story publised again! That's what, three stories published in the space of a few weeks!? (including the meg)
Well done that man!

[Zarjazzer]

Another enjoyable prog. Good Dreddy and Shakara the star for me again.

[Hoagy]

Yes, I'll add, after soaking it up from Thursday; that it was good to see some more Mike. Nice little insertion of Dredd's visor as the perp's attempted escape is reflected in it.
Shakara leads us around the mulberry bush. Unfolding well.
As near to a Dr Who story as it can get, Ampney Crucis indeed, investigates.
As near to a heavy rock score it can get, Necrophim connives and conspires in its consitant dread filled halls of a dark domain. The volume title's a bit weak though. Civil Warlord? I don't get it.
Kingdom keeps the levelling up intensive and pulse pounding.

[House of Usher]

As near to a heavy rock score it can get, Necrophim...

That's odd. When I put it on the thrill-player all I got was George Formby singing 'With My Little Stick of Blackpool Rock.'

[Hoagy]

As near to a heavy rock score it can get, Necrophim...

That's odd. When I put it on the thrill-player all I got was George Formby singing 'With My Little Stick of Blackpool Rock.'

That is as appropriately dark. I'm playing Bioshock 2 at the moment. The skies outside are constantly overcast unchanging and indifferent. And the blood-curdling giggle in George's manifestation is adding to its bleakness. I need some Darkness to lighten the mood.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sRYNYb30nxU

[Colin YNWA]

IT'S ARRIVED, IT'S ARRIVED.

Ok so I'm a week late to the party but just wanted to say. Bloody loved that Necrophim. Double Bloody loved that Dredd. Triple bloody loved that Kingdom and Shakara... read Ampney Crucis.

Great Prog