1924 - New readers Start Here!

[Ghost MacRoth]

Cover:  It's Bolland....n'uff said really.

Dredd: mmm....where we going?   Cracking art as al;ways from the Flint, tale....well  we need to see I guess, but a nice start.

Slaine: I love Davis' work.  I have always been a fan od Slaine.  So why does this suck so many donkey balls already???  I think it's me.  Last run of the big fella I REALLY did not like...was utterly dull......I think a new artist would have 're-set' my filters....but this immediately feels like the extra features of the extended walk he took last time.  I gotta move on, and not expect tales to be the same as they were....times change.

Grey Area: Flip the script....nice!  A welcome return in my opinion.

Orlok: A welcome return of Lynch's art....but I'm not quite sure about the storytelling.....some random panels chucked in....guess they will make sense later on. 

Strontium Dog: I don't feel so bad wishing he'd stayed dead now I know he feels the same!  Nice art from some new guy, Charlie Esquire or summit....clearly has a lot to learn, but off to a good start.

Thicker cover...heavier paper?  Does mean I now have to actively flatten the prog after it's been through the process of Royal Fail.....but hey, it does look the tits!

[Mattofthespurs]

Brilliant prog.
Stunning cover.
Superb art.
Marvelous writing.
Thicker than normal cover paper.
Just missing a letters page for a 10/10.
So a 9.5 out of ten from me.

Loved it.

[ZenArcade]

Who shrunk Old Joe? Z

[Colin YNWA]

Mr Bolland does some stunning, innovative covers, elsewhere and while this one just plain oozes with the technical skills the fella has in almost unequaled spades its a bit flat innit. Its a great set of portraits, but its just not that interesting. Come on Tharg let the man off his reins next time will ya.

Inside we have that old problem however good the line-up a launch Prog is gonna be full 'o set-up. Now this is mighty fine set up,  it really is but there are varying degrees of success on punch and immediate impact here.

I think Dredd does it pretty well, bit of intrigue on Titan, then back to the Big Meg for some normal Dredd punch... well except, whats this, what's eattin' Joe... more intrigue. Nice job people. Oh and it looks stunning., so very stunning.

Slaine felt a bit lumbering, we got, it built on what had gone before, but didn't really push it. I figure Mr Mills always kinda knows this will work a treat when in a lush hardback, but I don't know it seems to stumble around so nice character stuff without really giving us owt, bit like that non-warp at the end. Oh and it looks stunning., so very stunning.

Grey Area similarly seems to enjoy wondering to it location, it potters casually to its destination, now its destination was pretty good and I liked the set-up but it was kinda like it had to drag the journey out to fill the space. For once Dan Abnett the master of using his space perfectly stuttered a bit And it looked close to stunning but I do think Mark Harrison needs to turn down the lights a little so its stops distracting from the storytelling.

Orlok sets things up in a very funcational fashion, it does its job, nowt more, until the last panel when it just seems to panic and throw in something, God knows what, its not so much intriguing as, a "Huh? what the hell, oh well they'll explain that next week". Oh and it looks pretty stunning.

Strontium Dog has the master show us how its done. A fearsome blast to start, a pause for atomsphere and change of pace, some superb insight to get us not only up to date with events but also with where our led is at, then a hook at the end. All this and he has space to have couple dialogue (almost in one case) free pages used brilliantly. Oh and it looks pretty stunning.

This line-up is going to be fine, damned fine, this Prog makes that clear, its just its an opening salvo letting us know there's more to come.

[Grant Goggans]

I really like the recap pages.  Let's have these with every launch prog, I say.

[Dark Jimbo]

My very first prog had recap pages just like these and it made the world of difference.

[ThryllSeekyr]

Come 2000AD Online Store I have 4 dollars AUD left until tomorrow to pay for a digital download I hope......

I get payed in about 6-8 hours anyway.

After then I don't know, but I to read some more [b[Slaine[/b] now!

So, when will the shop the this Prog ready?

I suppose I can wait a few more hours without getting any more uncomfortable.....

Not sure if 4 Aussie dollars will cover the 2 pound fee.

How does our currency compare before I look tat up as well?

Won't matter by tomorrow morning, I will be able to pay for both the digital and paper copy.

As well as another couple of digital Slaine.

I been buying those as well, in chronological order and the Horned God was the last one I brought.

On the subject of digital downloads, the previous ones I have brought, (The earlier Simple Killing digital Progs) have gone missing form the folder where I keep them (Maybe it's a hack or some one else has excess to my files!) and the online shop told me I cannot download those ones gain. (As far I know the last time I checked some time earlier this week!)

So, is this normal, because I think I can still download those Slaine novels I've been buying within the last month. I have them on the two computers I use and would like to evenly put them on one of those reading tablets. I haven't been sharing them with anybody. That's why I have multiple copies of paperback versions. SO, I can lend those out to friends and slightly known strangers who want to read them. On the sole condition they return them so I can lend them out again. Not that I have, but the very first two The Horned God graphic novel printed by Titan went missing. Either lost or stolen. I have replaced them thanks to Ebay[/b. Although those two graphic novels certainly were not mint and had visable signs of ware n tare. The corner were bent and one of them looked like it had been rolled up at some stage. Not that I cared at the time, I was just happy to get my hands on them to sample the new back then colourise Slaine. I think it was the second one I brought first and I had managed to find the other two in the same imported comic book store (Dailey Planet in Brisbane!) on later excusions into the city. I only found them one at a time and then read the whole thing without really following the story, but just enjoying the bright colours at the time.

[JamesC]

As other have said, it was a solid set-up prog. Look forward to seeing where all these thrills go over the next few weeks.
My favourite strip was Grey Area. It made me laugh and I'm really curious to see what happens.

[ThryllSeekyr]

Come on...still waiting.... for it...... .

[Skullmo]

A great cover even if Johnny does look a bit odd.

Dredd - A nice start - I am not sure about this Dredd flipping out story arc though - Dredd has been through a lot worse than Titan before and I would expect that if he thought his judgement was impaired in any way he would ask to be put on the bench. I know other people love it though. Lovely art though.

Slaine - I really like Simon's art on this new Slaine series. An interesting start.

Grey Area - I really didn't like the voices of the new characters, but it was a clever start and looking forward to see where this goes.

Orlok - I am not that thrilled by Orlok's return, I thought he was an ok character but I would have preferred a new character was created. Having said that I'm sure the team will do a good job on this one. I will read it when it is complete.

Strontium Dog - My favourite of the Prog. John Wagner takes a story that has been running for decades and in one episode makes it exciting still. Lovely art too! Really looking forward to see where this goes.


A great relaunch prog, well done guys!

[Dark Jimbo]

Dredd was a good low-key mood-setter. Loved the tension of Dredd standing silently over the perp for just a heartbeat too long...

I'm not overly keen on fights where the characters have these lengthy conversations while swinging their swords, but otherwise Slaine was likewise a good start. The little glimpse of a Simon Davis warp-spasm was a joy!

I find it hard to believe anything that happens in Grey Area is going to make any long-term difference to the status quo whatsoever - it's just that kind of strip - but as knockabout fun it has its place in the prog, and Mark Harrison's art is the most dynamic this strip has had so far.

Hmm. And so to Orlok, which I can't say I was desperate to see back in the prog. This seemed a step backwards if anything; the last outing had a really concise, confident opener but the storytelling this week (both visual and script-based) left me flummoxed, and I had absolutely no idea what I was looking at in the last panel. As Colin said, the episode seemed to panic and rush for a cliffhanger. Lynch can pull off some great panel and characer designs, but if there's a real flaw in his sequential art it's keeping character models consistent - we only see Orlok's face properly in two panels this week (pages two and five) and he looks completely different in each one!

Strontium Dog takes the crown for 'best in show' this week. Poor Johnny heads down an ever darker path and it's heartbreaking to see him brought suicidally low - but finally it feels like this strip matters once more. No more retcons, reboots or flashbacks, things are actually happening!

Great start to the new line-up, but sad to say I'm already counting the weeks until Orlok's over. Just not for me. Grey Area doesn't blow me away either but at least it's doing something with new characters and settings.

[IndigoPrime]

I really enjoyed this issue. It's always great to have that thicker paper stock for the cover, and while Bolland's figures might be a touch stiff, the cover as a whole is eye-catching. As for the insides, the new-story pages are a smart idea for newcomers. I don't mind them anyway, but getting an extra four pages specifically for them was a really nice touch. Everyone wins.

Dredd starts well. I'm not sure why he went a bit odd, but the strip as a whole's already got me more excited than during the entire Death run. (And I'm loving Flint's art, which seems a touch scratchy than before.)

Sláine will undoubtedly read better collected, but I'm still considering this something of a comeback for the character. When done well, it's my favourite Mills strip, and the art is great.

Grey Area goes into new territory. The naming of the characters is a bit... well... and I'm sure this is a temporary shift before we're back to the status quo, but it's keeping things interesting. (And if it isn't temporary, that would be really interesting.)

Orlok to me feels like decent filler, which is no bad thing. As others have said, the art was a bit hard to follow at times, but it has an energy about it that works pretty well.

Truth be told, I was kind of dreading Strontium Dog, given that the last couple of 'books' were really not my thing at all. But these six pages did the job, potentially reframing the series and making things interesting once again.

So, yeah, good stuff all round, even if it's teased me on the back cover with a book I likely won't see until May.

[Geoff]

Jim Jing Jong what a cracking prog!

Bolland Dredd, Bolland Alpha and Bolland Slaine - on luxury paper - I think I might buy 2 copies this week!

Dredd - great opener. Real tension here (what is Dredd sweating about..?) Art, writing - faultless.

Slaine - beautiful, beautiful art but the story lacks momentum.  More needs to happen in each episode to move the story along.

Grey Area - Been a bit ambivalent about this strip in the past but I really enjoyed this opener.

Orlok - I like this strip, a good old fashioned black and white thriller.  I was, however, rather confused by this week's episode and I agree with Jimbo, it would help if Orlok looked like the same person from frame to frame.  I find it hard not to warm to a story with 'caper' in the title...which brings me to..

Strontium Dog - Really strong opener with some classic Wagner piss-taking. I parted company with the prog around the time Jonny died and he was up there, along with DR & Quinch, rivalling Dredd for my affections, so I was a bit unsure when I started reading again some years ago, and he was alive again. I've found it hard to re-connect with him.  Despite the rather grim overtones of Jonny's despair, this story seems to have all the hallmarks of a classic Stronty caper.  Can't wait for next week.

Anyone have any ideas what those funny little pellets are in Dredd's Lawgiver, as shown on the cover...?

[ZenArcade]

You know the two prog purchase isnt a bad idea, someone will be looking this a year down the line. I'll do it as well. Z

[Frank]

I am not sure about this Dredd flipping out story arc though - Dredd has been through a lot worse than Titan before and I would expect that if he thought his judgement was impaired in any way he would ask to be put on the bench.

Is there a kid around? It's usually a letter from a dead moppet that sets Dredd off doubting himself or the system. Sometimes a lecture from a talking cat. As it isn't 1997 anymore, Wikipedia is probably more helpful to a (rare & hypothetical) first time reader than a one page summary, but maybe the nineties is long ago enough for nods to the Bishop era to have become charmingly retro again.