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Prog 2221 - Taking the Biscuit!

Started by McNulty, 27 February, 2021, 03:40:06 PM

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TordelBack

Great cover homage, was I alone in hoping it would be a wraparound?  But never mind that, I'd love to own the opening page of Dredd, it's just a perfectly designed piece of comics art. PJ's Dredd on this story is a wonderfully honed personal version: the supporting structure for the eagle pad, the seams on the gloves, the fasteners on the underside of the elbow pads, the crag-lines on that prodigious chin, the signature collar-shields. Even the way Dredd stands makes him completely distinct from Coley on wide shots.

Storywise, I found the last page reveal a bit disappointing: not that I don't like the character, I very much do, but I was already mentally into something new with the Do-Gooder League of Former-America and there was a sense of "oh,  it's this guy again", and the realisation that this isn't going to be a Dredd-centric procedural. Of course it makes perfect sense that he's part of this fraternity, and there's a pleasing Watchmen Chapter 1 vibe to the whole thing. Did I mention that it's very pretty?

Sláine is - if possible - even more gorgeous this week, and again dense and self-referential, but I admit to a sinking feeling that what reads like it's building up new themes and developing antagonists is just going to end, allegedly forever, next week. There's going out on a high, and then there's just stopping.

Thistlebone splurges two pages on a single image, but what an image! Pleased to see this back, and building naturally on the first, flashbacks, fox and all. If it has a flaw for me as a series it's that the default protagonist, who's name I can't recall just five minutes since I've read it so I think of her as Stressful Phonecall, is completely flat: I know she's not in any way the point of this story, but hopefully this series can give her some identity at the same time.

Proteus Vex continues to develop characters and setting in interesting ways, perhaps losing sight of some of the earlier weirdness, but very definitely holding my attention. A definite hit from all concerned.

Durham Red. There are so many versions of Red that we once got a whole anthology mini-series from Abnett exploring just that. I think this one has succeeded in being pretty interesting, the idea of Red having a self-image as a monster that does marginally more good than harm is (I think) a new one.

Good prog, that.













broodblik

Quote from: TordelBack on 03 March, 2021, 11:16:27 AM
Great cover homage, was I alone in hoping it would be a wraparound? 

No you are not. It is always a welcome sign to have a wraparound cover
When I die, I want to die like my grandfather who died peacefully in his sleep. Not screaming like all the passengers in his car.

Old age is the Lord's way of telling us to step aside for something new. Death's in case we didn't take the hint.

Bolt-01

Zarjaz has a wraparound EVERY issue!


SmallBlueThing(Reborn)

Quote from: TordelBack on 03 March, 2021, 11:16:27 AM

Sláine is - if possible - even more gorgeous this week, and again dense and self-referential, but I admit to a sinking feeling that what reads like it's building up new themes and developing antagonists is just going to end, allegedly forever, next week. There's going out on a high, and then there's just stopping.

Are we absolutely sure that Slaine ends next week? I know Pat is done with 2000AD for now, but does that mean next week is the last, or just the end of Book One? Could he conceivably have meant he's written the whole of this saga and won't be doing any more after that?

SBT

Max Headroom

I hope that SmallBlueThing is right and there is more to this 'Web of Weird' saga. I know latter-day Slaine is not highly regarded on this forum, but I personally would like more.

TordelBack

I respect Pat's position and decision, but as a fan I still hope some form of agreement could be reached. Against my expectations, Brutannia and it's effective continuation in Dragontamer have shown me there's life in the old murder-hippie yet.

As much as anything, it would be a crime against comics not to let Manco have a longer tenure when he was clearly born to draw this strip.

TordelBack

If I ever find out who decided that  predictive text should change all my "its" to "it's" then eyes without life, sundered heads, these will indeed be pleasing words to me.

broodblik

Quote from: TordelBack on 03 March, 2021, 09:45:29 PM
As much as anything, it would be a crime against comics not to let Manco have a longer tenure when he was clearly born to draw this strip.

I would definitely like to see more Manco doing Slaine. The current arc feels very much like Brutannia in pacing where we had a 4 books which could have been done in 2. Brutannia reads much better collected than it read in its tenure in the prog. Would be nice of a gentlemen's agreement can be reached and Slaine and Savage closed off properly.
When I die, I want to die like my grandfather who died peacefully in his sleep. Not screaming like all the passengers in his car.

Old age is the Lord's way of telling us to step aside for something new. Death's in case we didn't take the hint.

broodblik

When I die, I want to die like my grandfather who died peacefully in his sleep. Not screaming like all the passengers in his car.

Old age is the Lord's way of telling us to step aside for something new. Death's in case we didn't take the hint.

Link Prime

Quote from: broodblik on 04 March, 2021, 03:27:41 AM
Quote from: TordelBack on 03 March, 2021, 09:45:29 PM
As much as anything, it would be a crime against comics not to let Manco have a longer tenure when he was clearly born to draw this strip.

I would definitely like to see more Manco doing Slaine. The current arc feels very much like Brutannia in pacing where we had a 4 books which could have been done in 2. Brutannia reads much better collected than it read in its tenure in the prog. Would be nice of a gentlemen's agreement can be reached and Slaine and Savage closed off properly.

ABC Warriors too.

As for Manco - A decorated career as cover artist of the year is surely a potential destiny.
He's the first new omega level artist to grace the Prog in a long time.

IndigoPrime

Given that ABC Warriors has been ret-cons and recycling for years, god knows how it'd be closed off. Would they need to "get the gang back together" for the sixth time first? Savage: yes. A pity that won't conclude, although I imagine the long-term aim would be to have it link with a more mature take on Ro-Busters and that reality. Mills has also woven a far more complex web than initially, so it's hard to know how many books it'd need to reach a conclusion without that feeling faked and rushed. More than one, I imagine.

Sláine: I just can't bring myself to care anymore. Brutannia for me, bar book one, read badly in whatever format. It was a tedious slog. Sláine always used to have fun with its language, but it also used to have intrigue and excitement. For years now, it's almost been a parody of itself, albeit with beautiful art.

IndigoPrime

Quote from: broodblik on 04 March, 2021, 09:04:17 AMMore about PJ Holden's great cover homage to the great man himself Carlos:
Nice also to see Ezquerra Block over on the left and the neon sausage sign. Top work, PJ Holden!

Link Prime

Quote from: IndigoPrime on 04 March, 2021, 09:35:59 AM
Given that ABC Warriors has been ret-cons and recycling for years, god knows how it'd be closed off.

It'd be a big job alright.

broodblik

Quote from: Link Prime on 04 March, 2021, 09:54:37 AM
Quote from: IndigoPrime on 04 March, 2021, 09:35:59 AM
Given that ABC Warriors has been ret-cons and recycling for years, god knows how it'd be closed off.

It'd be a big job alright.

ABC Warriors I am not sure if I would care if its back or not, I would rather have more Defoe
When I die, I want to die like my grandfather who died peacefully in his sleep. Not screaming like all the passengers in his car.

Old age is the Lord's way of telling us to step aside for something new. Death's in case we didn't take the hint.

Barrington Boots

You're a dark horse, Boots.