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Spoilers => Megazine => : broodblik 19 December, 2019, 03:30:39 AM

: Meg 415 - The Spirit of the Season
: broodblik 19 December, 2019, 03:30:39 AM: Cover by Staz Johnson

(https://i1.wp.com/downthetubes.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Judge-Dredd-Megazine-415-scaled.jpg?resize=768%2C1010&ssl=1)

and the 'uncovered' (https://2000ad.com/news/2000-ad-covers-uncovered-dredd-makes-lawson-mistle-toe-the-line/) that covers the creation!
: Re: Meg 415 - The Spirit of the Season
: Colin YNWA 21 December, 2019, 09:32:09 PM: Well when the Meg has Lawless in its always nothing short of magnificent.

In this particular case we are also treated to a solid opening part to a Dredd by Carroll and Richardson which cranks up the action to 11 almost before its settled in.

Devlin Waugh is almost too cheeky for it own good. But Ales Kot's script just about holds it together and is elevated by Mike Dowling's glorious art.

Blunt has a brisl refreshing opener. I loved the first series, go a bit lost with the second (most re-read as I suspect its very good) but feel reengaged by this opening. Happy to have this back one last time.

The Returners sticks its landing wionderfully.... I think. I'm going to have to go to the action replay to be sure but I do like this series and this episode is nice indeed.

Then we have Lawless and this openning episode does a fantastic job of demonstrating why this is one of my favourite thrills. Not just of Tharg's current crop, but of all time. Its just a perfect balance. A warm, charming opening eases folks in, quietly builds plot and intrigue and sets us up perfectly the switch in tone to maximise impact from the brute slash we get in the last three pages. Just sublime and once again this series doesn't miss a step.

There's some nice text features liked the one about Starblazer. Disappointing floppies with an all too recent re-run of Damnation Station.
: Re: Meg 415 - The Spirit of the Season
: MumboJimbo 23 December, 2019, 04:19:59 PM: : Colin YNWA 21 December, 2019, 09:32:09 PM
Disappointing floppies with an all too recent re-run of Damnation Station.

What do you reckon would be a reasonable cut-off period for reprints? I seem to remember IPC had a rule of 7 years, thinking that no child would ever read a comic for such a period as they'd grow out of it long before the 7 years was up! (If only they could see us now...) I know this is a bit of sore point, so probably shouldn't pick on this scab so close to Christmas!

I've only got back into 2000 AD for last 18 months, but even I've seen stuff I've already bought reprinted in the floppies! (A Judge Anderson from the 2018 Sci-fi special).
: Re: Meg 415 - The Spirit of the Season
: Dark Jimbo 23 December, 2019, 05:12:05 PM: : MumboJimbo 23 December, 2019, 04:19:59 PM
: Colin YNWA 21 December, 2019, 09:32:09 PM
Disappointing floppies with an all too recent re-run of Damnation Station.

What do you reckon would be a reasonable cut-off period for reprints? I seem to remember IPC had a rule of 7 years, thinking that no child would ever read a comic for such a period as they'd grow out of it...

Tooth has been going for, what, 42 years? And the first Damnation Station story was published 10 years ago - it's a full quarter-way back into the prog's history!

Plus it's never been reprinted, when the VAST majority of earlier stories have had umpteen Best Ofs, Specials, Extreme Editions, Titan volumes, DC volumes, Rebellion volumes, Hachette volumes...

I can't begrudge it myself!
: Re: Meg 415 - The Spirit of the Season
: Colin YNWA 23 December, 2019, 08:29:43 PM: : MumboJimbo 23 December, 2019, 04:19:59 PM
: Colin YNWA 21 December, 2019, 09:32:09 PM
Disappointing floppies with an all too recent re-run of Damnation Station.

What do you reckon would be a reasonable cut-off period for reprints?

That's a very good question and one given my whining about this (quite a lot) one I should be able to answer... but its tricky. The way I view this is Rebellion will have a pretty clear view (I assume) in the shift in their readship. I would think (?) that most folks onboard now will have been on board for the last 5 plus years, 7 years... more? I could be wrong. When you see some of the wonderfully creative ways they have used the floppies of late, the BD reprints, the monograph, the British archieve reprints there seems far more stuff they could do than reprinting things from 5 -10 years ago that many (not all) have already.

Now there are a lot of things to consider. The cost of each of those alternatives, the time involved in producing them and they will have insight as to whats popular. Maybe these more modern reprints allow for the other stuff to exist? Either way for me I'd set a nominal 10-15 year limit... but that really is plucked from the air.

: Dark Jimbo 23 December, 2019, 05:12:05 PM
... And the first Damnation Station story was published 10 years ago - it's a full quarter-way back into the prog's history!

NO WAY!!! Checks Barney... OUCH... lets never say that again okay. I still think of Damnation Station as a new thrill. My life slips away too fast...
: Re: Meg 415 - The Spirit of the Season
: M.I.K. 24 December, 2019, 01:10:24 AM: : MumboJimbo 23 December, 2019, 04:19:59 PM
I seem to remember IPC had a rule of 7 years, thinking that no child would ever read a comic for such a period as they'd grow out of it long before the 7 years was up!

Pretty sure it was a minimum of five.
: Re: Meg 415 - The Spirit of the Season
: broodblik 01 January, 2020, 08:41:01 AM: Dredd – Nice start to a new Dredd arc, good art provided by Karl Richardson.

Devlin Waugh – Interesting but quite a talkative start to the new Devlin tale.

Blunt – Blunt returns to the meg and what I understand is that this is the last part of the story. Not my favourite story but at least it looks more interesting than the previous arc.

The Returners – This is the last part of the current story-line. Difficult to say if this was good or not a lot of confusion storytelling in the middle part of the story. The art although was always great. This will return…

Lawless – Enough said Lawless is back and this is as always, a pleasure to have in the Meg.
: Re: Meg 415 - The Spirit of the Season
: Proudhuff 06 January, 2020, 03:21:10 PM: When can we expect Meg 416? I've lost count over xmas.... :(
: Re: Meg 415 - The Spirit of the Season
: IndigoPrime 06 January, 2020, 03:38:54 PM: Is the Meg monthly or four-weekly? The last one landed around the 20th, so count forward from there, I guess.
: Re: Meg 415 - The Spirit of the Season
: Batman's Superior Cousin 06 January, 2020, 04:31:02 PM: The second weekend of every month for us subscribers, I believe
: Re: Meg 415 - The Spirit of the Season
: Fungus 07 January, 2020, 12:34:08 AM: Personally, this Damnation Station reprint is glorious. I’m reading ahead (6-month catchup in progress and 415 is up next) but the Ewing/Davis DS is fantastic. These days I routinely skip floppies, including the so-so Defoe. Delighted I got to see DS, 2010 strips are new to me and Al is terribly missed as far as I’m concerned. On that basis, 415’s vol 2 is reread territory but that’s just fine.
: Re: Meg 415 - The Spirit of the Season
: Fungus 07 January, 2020, 12:35:17 AM: : M.I.K. 24 December, 2019, 01:10:24 AM
: MumboJimbo 23 December, 2019, 04:19:59 PM
I seem to remember IPC had a rule of 7 years, thinking that no child would ever read a comic for such a period as they'd grow out of it long before the 7 years was up!

Pretty sure it was a minimum of five.

Sure you’re right.
: Re: Meg 415 - The Spirit of the Season
: Proudhuff 07 January, 2020, 10:14:56 AM: : Batman's Superior Cousin 06 January, 2020, 04:31:02 PM
The second weekend of every month for us subscribers, I believe

Excellent, this weekend coming then, unfortunately I'm working the Saturday, but if recent subs are anything to go by I'll get it on my Monday off, In Tharg we trust.
: Re: Meg 415 - The Spirit of the Season
: WhizzBang 07 January, 2020, 03:33:53 PM: I have very much enjoyed Damnation Station and it is all new to me.
: Re: Meg 415 - The Spirit of the Season
: CalHab 08 January, 2020, 08:53:27 AM: : WhizzBang 07 January, 2020, 03:33:53 PM
I have very much enjoyed Damnation Station and it is all new to me.

Ditto.
: Re: Meg 415 - The Spirit of the Season
: Proudhuff 08 January, 2020, 12:50:08 PM: The E-wing Droid is a great loss to the prog, TMO should kidnap him back from the yanks, even if it upsets The Donald. :D
: Re: Meg 415 - The Spirit of the Season
: Dandontdare 08 January, 2020, 02:14:54 PM: : Proudhuff 08 January, 2020, 12:50:08 PM
The E-wing Droid is a great loss to the prog, TMO should kidnap him back from the yanks, even if it upsets The Donald. :D

Nobody could replace him, y'ken?
: Re: Meg 415 - The Spirit of the Season
: Proudhuff 08 January, 2020, 02:35:26 PM: He's said its not him!
: Re: Meg 415 - The Spirit of the Season
: Fungus 08 January, 2020, 05:52:29 PM: : Proudhuff 08 January, 2020, 02:35:26 PM
He's said its not him!

He makes up stories for a living! ;)
: Re: Meg 415 - The Spirit of the Season
: Proudhuff 11 January, 2020, 11:38:42 AM: : Proudhuff 08 January, 2020, 12:50:08 PM
The E-wing Droid is a great loss to the prog, TMO should kidnap him back from the yanks, even if it upsets The Donald. :D

TMO has only gorn and done it! the E-wing droid will return! :P
: Re: Meg 415 - The Spirit of the Season
: Proudhuff 11 January, 2020, 11:42:30 AM: (https://2000ad.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Rebellion-FCBD-2020-Best-of-2000-AD-0-PREVIEW-1-666x1024.jpg)

Free Comic book day!
: Re: Meg 415 - The Spirit of the Season
: dweezil2 11 January, 2020, 11:53:13 AM: : Proudhuff 11 January, 2020, 11:38:42 AM
: Proudhuff 08 January, 2020, 12:50:08 PM
The E-wing Droid is a great loss to the prog, TMO should kidnap him back from the yanks, even if it upsets The Donald. :D

TMO has only gorn and done it! the E-wing droid will return! :P

Maybe not the last we'll see of the Ewing droid in the Prog either, at least according to his Twitter account! :thumbsup:
: Re: Meg 415 - The Spirit of the Season
: Super Mario 15 January, 2020, 10:02:26 AM: Why did the nomads make Khuu immortal and stick him in a box instead of just killing him. Seems less risky imo. Did I miss something.
: Re: Meg 415 - The Spirit of the Season
: TordelBack 15 January, 2020, 10:57:40 AM: Not only is it beyond some pretty wild dreams to see Al back in harness, but that Erica Henderson art is stonking. Pushing all my D'Israeli buttons, with a side-order of Rufus. Clearly Tharg knows what I like.
: Re: Meg 415 - The Spirit of the Season
: Proudhuff 15 January, 2020, 11:50:38 AM: The current (January) floppie will wet your whistle too!
: Re: Meg 415 - The Spirit of the Season
: Funt Solo 07 August, 2020, 04:55:01 PM: ++Necropost++

I was just checking out my electronic version of this issue, and the floppy is ten pages shorter than normal.

I'm assuming this is a mistake, because a 58pp floppy couldn't be stapled properly (as it's not exactly divisible by four).

And if this were the full reprinting of Damnation Station, it skips "In Another Lifetime" (prog 1857).

Anyone able to check their paper version and see if I'm missing pages in the electronic version?
: Re: Meg 415 - The Spirit of the Season
: MumboJimbo 16 August, 2020, 09:58:39 PM: I also have just the digital copy, but it does seem that the story In Another Lifetime
is meant to be there. The inside cover includes prog 1857 in the “originally published in...” part, and it’s 5 pages long, so with a cover page that would be an extra 6, and 58+6=64.

Do you think it’s too late to ask them and see if it can be rectified?
: Re: Meg 415 - The Spirit of the Season
: Richard 16 August, 2020, 10:01:11 PM: They upgraded the digital Caballistics book when the final episode was published, so they might.