Messages

31

General / Re: 2000AD Thrillshots - Reviewing the Mega and Ultimate Collections

« on: 22 June, 2022, 10:03:24 AM »

Amazing achievement there! I confess I fell behind on reading but am loving ctaching up slowly. Sorry for leaving comments on year-old posts

The format of this blog makes me appreciate quite a bit more the choices Tharg made about what to put into the two Hachette collections - it really covers so much ground of 45 years of 2000AD and the Megazine.

32

General / Re: Space Spinner 2000AD

« on: 22 June, 2022, 10:00:04 AM »

For even more bizarre opinions, Eli over on Big Meg One busts out some delightfully off-beat choices for top and bottom stories, I think Conrad had to talk him out of Soul Sisters as 'top' once.

33

General / Re: Forum’s Fav Thrill - Inspectre vs. Defoe Rd 3 Heat 52

« on: 21 June, 2022, 09:29:57 AM »

The sinister vibe of The Inspectre was lovely...
but it can't touch the grubby delights of Defoe, arguably Mills's most consistently excellent thrill (The Colin McNeil series was my least favourite, but that's still miles better than the worst of Sláine, ABCs and even Nemesis...)

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General / Re: Forum’s Fav Thrill - Sancho Panzer vs. M.A.C.H.1 Rd 3 Heat 51

« on: 21 June, 2022, 09:27:46 AM »

I got no nostalgia or especial fondness for MACH 1. I like the ongoing thread where he hates his computer and his boss, but apart from the ultraviolence the strip never did much for me.

Sancho Panzer is far from Abnett's or Flint's best work but you can bet if they tried it again now, with decades more experience, it'd be a superior beast. And it's more weird than MACH 1 which is enough to get my vote...

Sancho Panzer

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General / Re: Sideshow Vote II: Slippery Jim is my name

« on: 20 June, 2022, 11:26:25 AM »

Yes please, should be drawn by Jake Lynch, who to my mind could easily make give it the same vibe...

OR if it makes more sense to go for something completely different, how about Clint Langley?

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General / Re: Forum’s Fav Thrill - Ordinary vs. Diaboliks Rd 3 Heat 50

« on: 20 June, 2022, 09:49:53 AM »

I admit I'm knocking Ordinary down because it wasn't, I think specifically created for the Megazine, but it WAS the best of the tales that ran in the 'also serialized in the Meg' slot.

But I don't feel too bad because Diabioliks is great on its own, and can carry the torch of Caballistics so cruelly snuffed out a couple of weeks ago.

The Diaboliks, I say.

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General / Re: Forum’s Fav Thrill - Tharg the Mighty vs. Ichabod Azrael Rd 3 Heat 49

« on: 20 June, 2022, 09:47:36 AM »

Gonna be mighty upset if Ichabod doesn't walk away with this tie!
I like the dynamic of Tharg being an arsehole and the droids being put-upon but no great drama has been wrung from that set-up as yet.

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General / Re: Forum's Fav Thrill - Round 3 results!

« on: 19 June, 2022, 10:47:40 AM »

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General / Re: Forum's Fav Thrill - Round 3 results!

« on: 19 June, 2022, 10:46:57 AM »

More recent results as the Tourney forges on...

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General / Re: Forum’s Fav Thrill - Thistlebone vs. Invasion Rd 3 Heat 48

« on: 16 June, 2022, 12:07:30 PM »

I find it hard to vote against Invasion, bwecause its version of gleeful, death-dealing and righteous Bill Savage is so core to what I thinki makes 2000AD such a fun comic.

But actually re-reading it any more than one or two episodes at a time is kind of a chore.

Thistlebone on the other hand is a story I can lose myself in, and its own brand of creeping dread is also a core 2000AD feature.

So, Thistlebone.

41

General / Re: Forum’s Fav Thrill - Numbercruncher vs. Halo Jones Rd 3 Heat 47

« on: 16 June, 2022, 12:02:39 PM »

Gotts say, I can't think of a thrill that would stomp all over Halo Jones, and only a handful that's give it a hard time.
Numbercruncher's cleverness and charm are present, but it's not a contest here...

Halo Jones

42

General / Re: Forum’s Fav Thrill - Blackhawk vs. Red Seas Rd 3 Heat 45

« on: 15 June, 2022, 10:15:10 AM »

Really tricky. Artwise, no contest - Belardinelli is both on better form and delivering more weirdness than Yeowell. Storywise, no contest - Edginton actually crafts a coherent narrative and brings in new characters and fantasy tropes neatly, where Blackhawk staggers from episode to episode with far less direction (especially since I'm not counting the Tornado years).

So what do I judge on? I don't have nostalgia for Blackhawk, only came to it through gradual back prog accumulation. Red Seas I remember loving the first two books and then getting gradually less inspired. Have been rereading the digital collection and it IS better that way but still not grabbing my attention - not helped by Edginton continually going to the 'what fantasy stories from my youth can I shoehorn into THIS story' well.
I will say both strips do great work with showing characters having lots of fun getting drunk...

I think, for the fun of the smaller stories (Meanwhile...; With a bound...) and the greater coherence, I'm plumping for Red Seas. Not gonna cry if Blackhawk pushes through. Macmacs all round.

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General / Re: Forum’s Fav Thrill - Brink vs. Shako Rd 3 Heat 46

« on: 15 June, 2022, 10:07:54 AM »

No contest - Brink. No slight to Shako, but angry CIA goons and white toothy death can only sustain so many pages of fun. Somehow the setting, mystery and just plain day to day living on Brink never gets old.

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General / Re: Sideshow Vote II: Battle of the 8-bit nerds

« on: 15 June, 2022, 09:48:38 AM »

I had neither (also a BBC micro house); was exposed a bit to both at friends houses and the C64 involved more joystick and action type games and seemed a bit cooler; Spectrum seemed to have more puzzle solving games and was generally nerdier.

Strong vote for the Spectrum

45

General / Re: Sideshow Vote II: The new leader of the pack

« on: 15 June, 2022, 09:46:13 AM »

Can I vote for 'no one writer to take the lead, please'.
Am happy as is with everyone muddling through and occasionally someone going for a bigger story that pretends to have major consequences but doesn't really because you casn only mess so much with Judge Dredd...