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Spoilers => Prog => Topic started by: Richard on 31 March, 2019, 12:14:38 PM

Title: Prog 2125 - Brave New World?
Post by: Richard on 31 March, 2019, 12:14:38 PM
Amazed no one has reviewed this yet!

The latest Judge Dredd story finishes, and although it is a comedy it has a surprisingly bleak ending. I was pleased to see Chief Judge Logan in this episode so soon after becoming chief judge: Tharg has been careful to co-ordinate the stories properly, instead of just having CJ Hershey with a footnote saying "this story is set before Machine Law"  or something.

A good episode of Kingmaker re-introduces all the bad guys and reminds us of who they are very effectively. This episode works as a little story on its own, like a five-page Future Shock.

Survival Geeks is fun.

Max Normal is better than it was last week.

Grey Area finishes pretty much the way you'd want it to. Tharg says Abnett's and Harrison will be back later with an entirely new series called The Out, so presumably that's the last of Grey Area for a while.
Title: Re: Prog 2125 - Brave New World?
Post by: 73north on 31 March, 2019, 03:59:14 PM
a pretty good issue , highlight was King Maker and Grey Area ,
and I agree Max Normal was a lot better this week
Title: Re: Prog 2125 - Brave New World?
Post by: Eamonn Clarke on 31 March, 2019, 04:04:09 PM
(https://i.imgur.com/4ON6NhP.jpg)

Mark Harrison
Title: Re: Prog 2125 - Brave New World?
Post by: Bolt-01 on 01 April, 2019, 11:13:21 AM
That ending in Dredd- Woo! That was a lot 'deeper' than I was expecting for such a 'light' strip. Congrats to all involved and an extra oil ration for the Goddard droid.

A superb prog.

#praiseTharg.
Title: Re: Prog 2125 - Brave New World?
Post by: sheridan on 01 April, 2019, 01:01:55 PM
Quote from: 73north on 31 March, 2019, 03:59:14 PM
a pretty good issue , highlight was King Maker and Grey Area ,
and I agree Max Normal was a lot better this week


He must be refreshed upon his return from the [size=78%][url=https://ospreypublishing.com/store/osprey-games/board-card-games/judge-dredd-the-cursed-earth]https://ospreypublishing.com/store/osprey-games/board-card-games/judge-dredd-the-cursed-earth (http://[font=verdana)[/size][/font]][/size][size=78%]Cursed Earth :-)[/size]
Title: Re: Prog 2125 - Brave New World?
Post by: sheridan on 01 April, 2019, 01:02:52 PM
Quote from: sheridan on 01 April, 2019, 01:01:55 PM
Quote from: 73north on 31 March, 2019, 03:59:14 PM
a pretty good issue , highlight was King Maker and Grey Area ,
and I agree Max Normal was a lot better this week

He must be refreshed upon his return from the Cursed Earth :-) (https://ospreypublishing.com/store/osprey-games/board-card-games/judge-dredd-the-cursed-earth)

SMF seems even more temperamental than usual today :-(
Title: Re: Prog 2125 - Brave New World?
Post by: Trout on 03 April, 2019, 01:55:19 AM
That was top Dredd. Am I reading too much into it, or was Dredd's ruined uniform intended to mirror some of its damage during the Apocalypse War? There's even a stain on his badge where the bullethole was.

Survival Geek and Max Normal were still good fun, and I'm happy to see a bit more plot in Kingmaker. (Dystopian fantasy stories are common now, and this isn't the best of them. I recommend Spurrier's book Coda, from Boom.)

Look forward to new Scarlet Traces next week!

- Trout
Title: Re: Prog 2125 - Brave New World?
Post by: Tiplodocus on 03 April, 2019, 08:28:58 AM
Grand stuff.

I'm not sure the OTT comedy dialogue worked with the grim tone of the art or the ending of DREDD for me. But if played completely seriously, it would have been too fan-ficcy. So probably a good decision.

Everything else also top drawer - with a funny final panel for Grey Area being particularly pleasing.
Title: Re: Prog 2125 - Brave New World?
Post by: broodblik on 03 April, 2019, 02:41:50 PM

Highlight was Kingmaker, I like to mixer of fantasy and sci-fi. The art is great

Grey Area comes to a closure. The nice thing about it can continue as Grey Area or this can be the last episode. It can even resurface as something different a new story in the same world. The last page with something to behold.

Enjoying Survival Geeks and Max Normal as well

Dredd last page was just great (what is with the last page - is this a new thing ?).
Title: Re: Prog 2125 - Brave New World?
Post by: norton canes on 04 April, 2019, 10:15:28 AM
Only had a chance to read Dredd and Grey Area so far. The latter wraps well with a nice coda - I wonder if 'The Out' will be set in the same universe and even feature some of the Grey Area characters?

Nice to see Chief Judge Logan in action so soon but I can't help think that some reference sketches should have been sent round, because the chiseled features of Patrick Goddard's version don't bear much similarity to Colin MacNeil's original.
Title: Re: Prog 2125 - Brave New World?
Post by: Dandontdare on 04 April, 2019, 11:46:51 AM
No prog for me yet (and last couple of weeks have been Tuesday deliveries).  :(
Title: Re: Prog 2125 - Brave New World?
Post by: Bolt-01 on 04 April, 2019, 04:22:17 PM
The more I look at it, the more I love that cover. The expression on the faces. Superb.
Title: Re: Prog 2125 - Brave New World?
Post by: norton canes on 04 April, 2019, 05:04:50 PM
I've literally just noticed the babies.
Title: Re: Prog 2125 - Brave New World?
Post by: DrJomster on 04 April, 2019, 11:20:58 PM
Good prog!

Special shout outs for the last panel of Dredd and the first one of Kingmaker. Very nice indeed! The Dredd one is very kinetic, while the Kingmaker one is an epic, eye grabbing opening.
Title: Re: Prog 2125 - Brave New World?
Post by: Andy Lambert on 04 April, 2019, 11:40:41 PM
When is Thistlebone starting?
Every time a strip comes to an end lately, I keep thinking "This is it", but it fails to materialise...
Title: Re: Prog 2125 - Brave New World?
Post by: broodblik on 05 April, 2019, 03:54:12 AM
Quote from: Andy Lambert on 04 April, 2019, 11:40:41 PM
When is Thistlebone starting?
Every time a strip comes to an end lately, I keep thinking "This is it", but it fails to materialise...

Accordingly to the latest solicitation it is in June: https://2000ad.com/post/4904 (https://2000ad.com/post/4904)
Title: Re: Prog 2125 - Brave New World?
Post by: Andy Lambert on 05 April, 2019, 08:16:04 AM
Thank you, broodblik 😎
Title: Re: Prog 2125 - Brave New World?
Post by: norton canes on 05 April, 2019, 10:15:58 AM
Caught up with the rest of the prog now. Don't know what Tharg's been putting in Guy Adams' synthi-caf (extra caf, I guess) but Max Normal really takes off with a brilliantly comic six pages, making for an entertaining double-whammy with S-Geeks. And Kingmaker serves up an excellent one-shot where... hang on! That's not 'Doctor Ravna'! That's patently Mavic Chen, Guardian of the Solar System, from the 1965/66 epic 12-part Doctor Who 'The Daleks' Master Plan'! Right down to actor Kevin Stoney's contemptuous sneer! Swipe... or homage..?!

(https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/tardis/images/a/ab/Mavicchen.jpg/revision/latest/scale-to-width-down/350?cb=20170726124817)

Title: Re: Prog 2125 - Brave New World?
Post by: wedgeski on 05 April, 2019, 10:54:35 AM
Dead impressed with this prog. I massively loved Grey Area's finale. Dredd capped Unearthed with a glorious last couple of panels, even though I didn't get on with the confusingly mixed tone of the strip as a whole.
Title: Re: Prog 2125 - Brave New World?
Post by: gameluvah on 05 April, 2019, 12:30:12 PM
This may not be the place to ask but I have read the two collections of Scarlet Traces. Am I caught up or do I need to buy some digital progs before next week?
Title: Re: Prog 2125 - Brave New World?
Post by: broodblik on 05 April, 2019, 12:47:59 PM
@ gameluvah, if you bought the two collections then you are up to date
Title: Re: Prog 2125 - Brave New World?
Post by: gameluvah on 05 April, 2019, 04:19:45 PM
Quote from: broodblik on 05 April, 2019, 12:47:59 PM
@ gameluvah, if you bought the two collections then you are up to date

Thank you for letting me know!
Title: Re: Prog 2125 - Brave New World?
Post by: DrJomster on 05 April, 2019, 11:07:01 PM
I'd missed that about Scarlet Traces. Excellent news! Re-reading my gorgeous digital copies of Book 1 & 2 at pace! And they are well and truly gorgeous books.
Title: Re: Prog 2125 - Brave New World?
Post by: Colin YNWA on 07 April, 2019, 06:31:58 PM
A week away means I'm rolling in late. And with Prog 2125 I did a rare thing and skipped ahead instead of reading in order as I wanted to get to Grey Area straight away to read the series finale and it was brilliant ... but was it an absolute finale? Nerve Centre suggests not with Tharg saying '..this series finale'. What's brilliant about the ending as well as its works either way. Its works well if that's it - by George I don't think I've ever been so excited to see one have their head blown off - if Grey Area comes back and I'd happily have it back - it sets up new opportunity. I suspect given that Dabnett and Harrison have 'The Out' coming we might not see it for a bit or ever OR we get a another change in artist OR 'The Out' is a continuation in the same universe OR.... well with a writer with the talent of Dabnett who knows.

Whatever Grey Areas has once again been fantastic and the fact that there are so many possiblities for the future is just so classically 2000ad...

.... oh yeah the rest of the Prog. Well that to makes a statement in what's so great about 2000ad. We get a brilliant conclusion to the two part Dredd, both compelling and comedic with a stunning final page. Kingmaker gives us genre mash in classic 2000ad style as we get introduced so brilliantly to our villians. I might not particularly like Survival Geeks and it certainly adds something different and fun... if you like that kinda thing, I find it a bit easy and twee. Then we get a classic concept wonderfully revivalised with the magnificent Max Normal story somehow dark and brooding, reflecting on age which comes to us all, while being light and frothy like Max himself. Great stuff.

So while the end of Grey Area might steal the show, its the rest that reminds us quite what a thrilling varied, beautiful show it is.
Title: Re: Prog 2125 - Brave New World?
Post by: Sinx on 07 April, 2019, 09:41:11 PM
I really enjoy Survival Geeks, definitely made me chuckle more than once. Neil Googe's art is great and perfectly suited to the story.
Title: Re: Prog 2125 - Brave New World?
Post by: TordelBack on 09 April, 2019, 11:25:39 AM
Quote from: Sinx on 07 April, 2019, 09:41:11 PM
I really enjoy Survival Geeks, definitely made me chuckle more than once. Neil Googe's art is great and perfectly suited to the story.

With the greatest respect to Beeby and Rennie, I think Googe's art IS the story. It's just so much damned fun, so packed with clever visual reference and pure invention, and everyone looks to be having a blast even when they're supposedly in mortal peril.

Without Googe the strip could still be one of the most competent 2000AD comedy series. It's a nicely sustained romp, characters are well-defined and generally likeable, plots never get bogged down, things move along, there are good gags most weeks: but for all that, in different hands it could so easily be just a 2000AD riff on Big Bang Theory (-shudder-).

For my money the writers' true genius here (and it's no small thing) is in giving Googe a continuous procession of great settings and setups to draw. And by Grud does he deliver. His characters emote, his backgrounds convince, his details amuse: every panel is colour and energy and humour.

Like all good strips it's the product of a successful partnership between writers, artist and letterer, but I've no doubt that it's Googe's art that makes Survival Geeks the ongoing joy it is.  I take my hat off to all involved.
Title: Re: Prog 2125 - Brave New World?
Post by: JayzusB.Christ on 09 April, 2019, 08:58:05 PM
He truly is excellent, the Googe monster.  And yeah, great script as well - truly the perfect mix of writer(s) and artist.

Loved how the kind of throwaway, comic Dredd ended on a dark and poignant note.

Haven't read the other stories yet.
Title: Re: Prog 2125 - Brave New World?
Post by: sintec on 11 April, 2019, 04:39:51 PM
The ending of Grey Area has left me hoping for an extension to the Ultimate Collection because I'd love to see the rest of this collected in a nice hardback (or 2) on my bookshelf.
Title: Re: Prog 2125 - Brave New World?
Post by: DrJomster on 12 April, 2019, 11:49:05 PM
Quote from: DrJomster on 05 April, 2019, 11:07:01 PM
I'd missed that about Scarlet Traces. Excellent news! Re-reading my gorgeous digital copies of Book 1 & 2 at pace! And they are well and truly gorgeous books.

When I said "at pace", I actually meant at normal speed... which for me is a bit slowly!

Having said that, i've now re-read vol 1 and my word, it is gorgeous! The art and colouring are stunning, the story pitched brilliantly and the lettering of high quality. Seriously, what's not to love.

I picked these up in a recent House of Tharg sale, but to be honest, these would have been a bargain at normal prices.

Roll on volume 2, then I'll get back to the prog.
Title: Re: Prog 2125 - Brave New World?
Post by: BPP on 27 April, 2019, 11:26:34 AM
Just getting round to this. Those last 3 / 4 Dredd pages are magnificent.

The last two panels avoiding the 'quip' ending even more so.

Outstanding.