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[Dredd]

Next week is a 48 pager - is that the first none Regened bumper prog? Probably not, but cant think what was in the last one

We had one earlier this year in the previous slot 'vacated' by Regened, back in April...mayyybee around then. Bit of a treat to be honest.

As for this weeks Prog its largely as you were. Both Dredd and Intesinauts are good steady episodes building to a conclusion. Intestinauts has a little more momentum behind it.

Brink and Proteus Vex remain absolutely excellent. Some said about Lind being suss last week (I think it was) and the way he gets rid of Bridget while paying with the Sect database... hmmmm.... is Bridget being played? That would be quite the turn up. Just superb. Mind Proteus Vex is the same - just at the opposite end of the action spectrum! Two strips of such different scale and both so good. Perfect 2000ad.

But this week I'm giving it to 3riller - Blue Skies over Deadwick (what a superb title!). David Baillie wrote my fav 3riller with Battleship Mathematica which had a similar structure of building episode by seperate episode and this does a similarly magnificent job. Sticks the landing and how. Now all that's left is a re-read to see how well it compares to Mathematica. Great stuff.

I've been tempted to check out the Best of - but it'd be an expensive curio for me and so never got to it. It does seem like a great bumper intro for a new reader and is probably where I'd now point folks curious about trying 2000ad out to. If they are still available or easy to find?

(NB. Just saw that Brubaker & Phillips 'Kill or Be Killed' is coming out as a Compendium in Feb 25)

If folks haven't read this its sounds like a great way to check the series out!

One of your best write ups to date, Colin.
It's been awhile since I read The O-Men but all 5 collected volumes sit comfortably on the indie shelf and are begging for a reread.
A real favourite of mine, I fact I have a feeling it might have been yourself who turned me onto it many moons ago now.

Could swear I also had the first issue (at least) of SPANDEX also but damned if I can find it among the singles box, and I sure as anything haven't read the whole thing either. Another error to correct, with haste!

Oh knew you'd read it Zac. I know a few of us talked about it back in the day. Spandex is well worth checking out. It might be worth trying to contact Martin directly. The details on his website might still be in use or go to his Zeros webcomic zeroscomic.com and try there - that actually is probably the best way to go?

Listened on my run this morning and this one is aces (not that the others aren't). Everytime I think about it I remember by its such a wonder. Looking forward to any future Mega City Film Club around this and related tales. Not having seen Avatar either I hadn't realised quite now much was 'translated' into the movie.

I thought I'd booked the first one and by some fumble on my part hadn't which I only confirmed when it was too late.

This one is therefore happily back and I'm catching up to boot!

I think I remember you posting about the O-Men years ago Colin and I really fancied trying it back then. It's back in my awareness now so it will go on my 'possibles' list for once I get through my current pile. The artwork actually quite appeals to me!

Nice one, Colin, that looks pretty cool. I suspect the art might put me off a bit, or take some getting used to at least. But your passion for it makes me want to give it a go, thanks.

Yeah the art on this one is going to split opinions and I can definately see why its not to some folks tastes to the extent it would put them off reading it. I've definately got certain artists whose style makes it much harder for me to enjoy a comic regardless of how well its written.

[Number 80 - O-Men - Part 3]

Number 80 - O-Men - Part 3


Copyright - Martin Eden

There aren't going to be many small press comics on this list, I don't think anymore will appear higher up. I did consider some others, the work of Chris Askham - once of this pasture - would have made it on a different day. I'm not sure why Chris Geary's Kora isn't (assuming that counts?). The West by Andrew Cheverton and Tim Keable, or Ally Fells work also got very close. But for me The O Men is probably the single most fantastic UK Small Press achievement (of those I read).

My relationship with small press comics is shallow. They offer too much risk for me to delve into. When you see something that interests you there is a degree of risk as to whether you will see more. Now fair to say this is true of all comics. It's a major issue with Image and other independents. Understandably if the economics don't hold up to sustain a title you may not get pay off on the emotional investment you have made. Now that investment as a reader is nothing like the investment the creators and publisher has made, but it's there and real. You get into something you want to see it to its end, to flourish and satisfy the needs you bring to it. With small press those risks are heightened, the risks and pressures on the creators mean there is a far higher chance you'll see no more when you jump in. Add to that it can be difficult to know or have awareness that there is more. There is no marketing budget for these heroes of the comics industry.

You get caught in a catch 22, do you take the risk, but if folks don't it's less likely you will see more. O Men allows you to skip that. It's there, a lot of it and it provides a risk free way to support those outliers and reward the dedication that's needed to produce the work.

It's amazing that Martin Eden managed to sustain such a high standard over such a long time to produce a superhero epic that stands up well against even the best big two superhero epics. It really does deserve more folks being aware of it and checking it out.

Where to find it

I'm not sure these are available physically anymore. Spandex is still listed on Comicsy in the great 'Complete Pack' and there is still an Ordering page on The O Men website but its been a LONG time since that was updated so I don't know if the contact details are still up to date of the physical copies still in stock?

Luckily everything is available digitally from all the normal places. This includes Zeros Martin's latest project I'm aware of. Which I can't believe I've not yet checked out. That will be getting corrected!

The digital editions are amazingly great value and if you do digital I can't recommend that highly enough.

Learn more

It'll probably be little surprise that there is no Obligatory Wikipedia page.

There is still a decent amount of material out there however. Firstly while its been an age since it was updated the official site is still there and an ace resource.

A Wordpress alternative also exists. Not sure which one is best to use, hey check them both out.

Bleeding Cool has long supported the comics and while I've linked to a summary page has had a number of interviews with Martin over the years.

As has the brilliant Downthetubes.

Good Reads has some reviews for alternative takes as well.

Have a nosey around and hopefully you'll find more too boot.

What is all this?

Conscious that this is becoming a long thread and if you're wondering what the heck you've just read and can't be arsed (quite sensibly) to search back to find out I'll link to my opening posts that try to explain all this.

What this all came from

And of course a nerd won't do a list like this without setting 'Rules' / guidelines

Some thoughts on what will not be on the list.

[Number 80 - O-Men - Part 2]

Number 80 - O-Men - Part 2


Copyright - Martin Eden

Since I've mentioned Spandex I'll spin off myself onto a quick tangent. While Spandex is a different series, featuring largely different characters who only cameo in The O-Men, it's embedded in the O-Men universe. It might use a different and very fun narrative device of each issue being a single issue from an imagined longer running ongoing series, the gaps being filled by added exposition, editorial boxes, or left to the reader. So issue 2 of Spandex might be issue 7 of the imagined complete series, issue 3 gives us issue 34 etc (please note I've made these numbers up as I'm too lazy to actually dig things out and check!). So it's very much its own thing, but I have decided to include it here rather than give it its own entry (or not... it would have got one through) it does feel so closely related I decided to roll them both together.

So that said, let's pull things back. The art on Spandex also introduces colour. Again done very simply, but effectively. It also uses computer lettering which really improves on the choppy lettering of the early issues of the original series.

Overall the art does take some getting used to and I'm not going to pretend it's anything like the best thing about the series, but it really isn't a detriment. In fact towards the end of the run it's really good and has both charm and terror really well wrapped into it. I can definitely see why a quick glance at the art might put some folks off. I'd implore folks to give it time, dig a little deeper and you'll either get past it, or like me learn to really appreciate it.


Copyright - Martin Eden

So assuming you do, get past the art that is (or start to enjoy it as I did) what are you in for? Well simply put as alluded to at the start of this entry a really good superhero epic. It has all the features you'd expect of one. A cast of exciting colourful characters. Action and adventure of the most exciting kind. Intrigue, disaster, drama, tension and excitement of the highest order. Twists and turns, surprises and reveals as characters you think you know turn out to hold secrets and surprises. Emotional punches and character relationships grow and change and sacrifices are made a plenty. Villains of the highest order haunt our heroes. The O Men has some of the most terrible, terrifying, well developed villains in comics, that genuinely feel a horrifying threat to our heroes. Legacy and a deep history that runs through the past, present and future. Fantastical dimensions and weird powers. High stakes battles, ones that inflict real damage and harm.

Compelling super soap opera.

From its very beginning The O Men wears its influences on its shelves, or sleeveless muscle tops, whichever is most appropriate. It takes the X-Men and runs them through the lens of the superhero comics of the late 80s and 90s. The Doom Patrol, Zenith, New Statesmen type superhero comics of that era, not the Wildcats / Stormwatch type. Vertigo titles clearly had an influence as well. And while it never really lets go of those influences it becomes so much more as well.

It's cliche to say while it's a superhero comic it's driven by and centred on its characters. But cliches of course only become cliche because they are so often true (is it cliche to say cliches are often cliche as they are true??? Okay, okay I'm pulling myself out of that rabbit hole straight away!). In The O Men's case this is certainly true. While the superhero operatics remain the focus of its plot and thrills, it's the characters that are at its heart.


Copyright - Martin Eden

And what a cast of characters Martin Eden gives us. The selection above is just from the first arc. Martin Eden is a great writer on many levels. His plots are fast paced and exciting. His dialogue becomes honest and truthful as the series develops. His ideas and imagination seem to have no limits. But it's his ability to present compelling and fascinating characters that make The O Men stand out in a crowded superhero field. He's not afraid to use archetypes. The series is full of characters that feel recognisable and comparable to any number of series. What he doesn't do however is feel the need to usurp them and twist them in the way so many 'deconstructed' superhero titles do (yuck, I know, I know I also hate the term deconstructed superheroes, but sometimes it has its functions!). Rather he seems to genuinely have affection for those standards and so instead of self consciously bucking the treads they hold, he pushes those character tropes naturally in interesting directions. Leads them in ways that feel genuinely character driven so that before you know it, without even realising they are something else, something new, while never quite having to shake off what they came from. It's brilliant deft stuff.

And these characters keep coming. Across The O Men, then into Spandex he just keeps creating and introducing new, fascinating creations. They are refreshingly diverse, at least in terms of gender and sexuality. Even with so many characters pulled in nothing feels cramped and even bit part players feel they have their role and individuality clearly stamped on them. His core cast develop and grow across the series in ways that feel real and have lasting impact. It's an incredible piece of work and it truly is because it's character driven.

It's Interesting that these days it seems I often I like comics developing out of the mainstream superhero stuff, using them as a starting point more than their actual source of inspiration themselves. There will be plenty of examples of both on this list to be sure. However I suspect (and I'm far too lazy to simply count!) there will be more series that build on the archetypes and tropes of Marvel and DC's mainstream than comics from that actual mainstream... actually I might check that at some point. I'm drawn to them as they offer so much of what attracted me to those superhero comics, but they also offer me as a reader now something with a little more bite, insight and value.

The O Men is certainly that. It is so rooted and filled with obvious affection for mainstream superhero stories and to be fair can simply be enjoyed on that leave. It does more though and is a fantastic character driven story that just happens to be about superpowered fisticuffs and psychic blasts. It gets the balance between the two just perfectly.

[Number 80 - O-Men - Part 1]

Number 80 - O-Men - Part 1



Number 80 - O-Men

Keywords: Small press, superheroes, X-men but better, adult

Creators:
Writer - Martin Eden
Art - Martin Eden
Colours - Black and white ... except some stuff from the 'extended Universe' when its by Martin Eden

Publisher: Self published

No. issues: So I think there's 42 issues of O-Men (or is it O Men) in total and I think I'm going to throw in 8 issues of Spandex as well... maybe... we'll come to that.
Date of Publication: 1997 - 2016

Last read: 2022

I've written a post about why Claremont's Uncanny X-Men won't make this list. Martin Eden's better, smarter, more dynamic X-Men story has. It's just that it's a small press comic called


Copyright - Martin Eden

It's an incredible feat. Over more than 20 years and 42 issues, with another 8 issues in a spin-off mini set in the same universe as The O Men, Spandex, Martin Eden created one of the best superhero sagas I've ever read. To be fair, saying it's an X-Men story is pretty unfair. It does start off as clearly very heavily influenced by Claremont's X-Men with a heavy dose of Grant Morrison's Doom Patrol thrown in for good measure, but it grows into something so much more.

The series follows the adventures of a team of British superheroes The O Men of the title. As the series starts Doctor O, a sort of Professor X crossed with The Chief (from Doom Patrol) with a dash of Magneto and no need for a wheelchair, gathers a group of heroes he worked with in the past. He had been a hero in the UK first hero team, The UK Ultra Knights who mysteriously went off grid. Doctor O set up a school for heroes and a second team, Psi-Squad, that eventually met a sad demise. He gathers the remaining members of Psi-Squad, who reluctantly agree to help him tackle some villains who've escaped. It goes as badly as they expect, but Doctor O has prepared for this and pulls in some new 'heroes' or anti-heroes, so prevalent at the time, who help salvage the situation.

So The O Men are formed and as the series progresses a host of other characters join the adventure as Doctor O prepares for battle against the one of comics great, terrifying villains Anathema.

I first came across The O Men in Comics International's review section as I picked up that trade magazine as a way to find out what was going on in comics as I got back into them in the early 2000s. Tucked away at the end of that section there always seemed to be reviews in the Small Press section for some comic called The O Men and they were always glowing. This piqued my interest but at first I had no access to the comics themselves. So it was parked in the 'to check out one day' of my mind and quietly forgotten about.

Fast forward a few years, and here my memory gets a little (a lot!) hazy. I began to attend comic cons. Maybe Kapow in the early 2010, maybe my first Thought Bubble not too long after that. I don't recall? Anyway at one such event I saw Martin Eden at a stall and recognised The O Men from those reviews. He had them in nice neat collected editions (and I should note was lovely to chat to) so I picked up the first and was blown away when I read it. It was fantastic.


Copyright - Martin Eden

I suspect the first thing that will strike folks when they first read The O-Men is how rudimentary the art looks. Stylistically it's very basic and looks rough on the eye initially. To an extent this is true, this is a small press comic and the art looks like it's from a small press comic. I found it deceptive however. I'll be honest at first I found it a little off putting. It didn't interfere with the story, the storytelling was fine, though it did develop as the early issues progressed. The art itself just wasn't at the technical level I was used to. Figure work and expressions looked simplified. Backgrounds sometimes looked flat. The inking was scratchy and frankly unprofessional, again this shouldn't really be a surprise this is a small press comic. Martin Eden is good, but he's not doing this professionally.

All that said, once you adjust to the style you begin to appreciate just how effective the art is. As said the storytelling is fine. The simple rendering also provides all you need to get as much as possible out of the story. It may be 'basic' but it conveys character, emotion and action all very effectively. Its stripped down nature in fact serves to help keep you focused on what you need to know and the information, from movement, location and positioning and emotional and character responses is all there and well presented. The characters are all really well defined as well. You know who is who easily and the vast cast is very well defined.

As the series progresses Eden seems to get more and more confident in his art. He uses less and less line work to convey more and more. He seems to almost lean into its simplicity and turn it into a strength not a weakness. Many a professional artist would do well to learn from this. By the time you get to Spandex, an 8 issue spin-off mini-series set in the same world, his art is actually pretty developed and enjoyable. This carries through to the final issues of The O-Men as well.

Such a great thread Colin. Keep going!

Well for good or ill there's no stopping me now!

Ant pictures of the art exhibition????

Quite a few in here, mixed up with other art from the floor and traders' room

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=oa.425317576962121&type=3

Oh those are great - I must find time later today to look through those.

And Barrington that badger is nasty!

They are stunners Barrington. That Thistlebone page has all the elements that made me mentally wrestle over two possible pages before plumping for the one I went for. The way Simon Davis does bracken just delights me and mine has no bracken!

Boy oh boy those Keith Burn pages were good and that's a lovely choice and well we all know how we feel about Simon Fraser's Dante pages and those final two panels of The Tsar and Dante are just amazing!

[Carnival of Souls]

Carnival of Souls is one of those films it feels like you should see, or even should have seen a long time ago. Is it a fumbling B movie or an lost art lose classic. Well if I'm honest I lean more to the former than the latter.

Its intent is clear, but to be honest that intent isn't much more than a half decent Twilight Zone story. There are moments when it does look fantastic. So when Mary is playing the creepy organ music in the church and the souls lurch out the water in her minds eye. This magic is immediately lost to the hocky dialogue and terrible performance as the minister admonishes her. There are numerous examples like that.

The end is half decent but really for me this falls well short of being the classic its often cited as being.

Oh Barrington it was thr Dredd I saw Boo Cook finishing when I saw him. Very pleased this one was for you as its an absolute delight! I will get that Tharg one day.

And Le Fink and Marbles I wonder what I did to make Chimpsky so pensive! Love the range of expressions across those three.

The countdown from numbers 90-81 before we kick off again after the bank holiday (and half term and Lawless) on Thursday with number 80...

Run down of top 100 - 133 -120

Run down of Top 100: 119 - 110

Run down of Top 100: 109 - 101

Run down of Top 100: 100 - 91

Number 90 - Billionaire Island - Part 1; Part 2; Part 3

Number 89 - Afterlife with Archie - Part 1; Part 2; Part 3; Part 4

Number 88 - Dreddverse by Ken Niemand - Part 1; Part 2; Part 3; Part 4

Number 87 - Power Pack by Louise Simonson - Part 1; Part 2; Part 3; Part 4

Number 86 - Hillbilly - Part 1; Part 2; Part 3

Number 85 - Kill or Be Killed - Part 1; Part 2; Part 3

Number 84 - 2001 - A Space Odyssey - Part 1; Part 2; Part 3

Number 83 - Essex County - Part 1; Part 2; Part 3; Part 4

Number 82 - V for Vendetta - Part 1; Part 2; Part 3

Number 81 - Sinister Dexter - Part 1; Part 2; Part 3; Part 4

Not on the list

Krazy Kat - Part 1 and Part 2

Claremont's Uncanny X-Men - Part 1; Part 2

Alan Moores' Swamp Thing - Part 1; Part 2