Prog 2367; A New Direction

[Tjm86]

Prog 2367 - A New Direction?

Mr Robinson on cover duties may be slightly ironic but only for those looking backwards.

Dredd; Better World

Okay, let's start with Mr Flint on art duties.  Simple: wow! This is absolutely someone who is at the top of their game.  Possibly someone this story deserves.

Williams and Wyatt on scripting duties.  Well, there have been comments about the issues this story is dealing with.  Most specifically the behaviour of a certain type of channel and presenter.  How it influences practitioners ... "the law is impatioanl above all else".

Isn't that the point?  Maitland is completely impartial.  She follows the data.  Her approach is predicated on data.  Dredd neglects politics because his focus is on the law. Layers upon layers and then we get to Major Domo!

3Rillers: the English Astronaut

These are always a challenge.An extended Future Shock but can it work over 3 issues?  Certainly you can't fault Helsby's artwork. (Unless you are being particularly anal about military uniforms of the '50s).  Where is this going?  Hard to tell from part 1 but certainly the idea of time anomalies is in play. Does that have implications for the present day?  Good question, well posed, deserves an answer ...

Full Tile Boogie
Ocean's artwork is impressive, to be sure.  In fact there is little if anything to criticise from that perspective.  From a script point then: nope.  This is laying out the challenges the crew face: an 'ancient regime' intent on exacting retribution, the implications of clonage (gosh, I've got "Friday" on my mind ... ) and all the political ramifications.

Now this is where Regened works to my mind.  It take the sensibilities of modern mange, merges them through the punk mind-set of Tooth and then extrudes the most extreme aspects of SF (TBH I'm thinking of Heinlein right now but I also get a Reynolds' riff).

Enemy Earth. Hmmm, a. it of a Chris Carter moment here.  So all of the events to date are predicated on the 'dinosaur killer' event of yore.  Not a problem because that just laid the scene for all of the events to date.  TLDR: things are seriously hotting up.

Thistlebone.  Davis captures that seventies film-making sensibility that many of its intended audience will appreciate.  Where are things going?  Isn't that the question?  Certainly there are plenty of questions.  Isn't that the whole point though?

TBH this has proven to be a far stronger prog than many of late.  Full Tilt Boogie is one of the stronger offerings from Regened and really does seem to capture the sensibilities of Tooth.  3fillers are always hit or miss.  It's a challenge to work out whether they should have limited themselves to a FS or pushed the script to its limits.  Two more weeks to see ...

Overall though, a far better offering than we've had of late.

[broodblik]

Cover by Cliff Robinson:

[Barrington Boots]

What a great post by Tjm86 about this Prog! Mine arrived this morning and was swiftly read over a tea break.

Nice cover from Cliff, I found once I noticed the little rat, my eye is just drawn to him constantly.

Dredd continues to be superb. The real world parallels in the first few pages are evident and there's enough there to be reminding me that this a parody, it's close to the knuckle stuff. Hernandez isn't as clever as he thinks he is, Maitland is awesome. The Major Domo stuff is the least interesting bit of this story and that's saying something.
As ever, the art and all those little panels are fantastic.

3Thriller is off to a good start - there's enough here to catch my attention and make me want to know more. The dialogue establishes the tone and the art is bright and clear, looking good!

Full Tilt Boogie returns. I thought this was a strong opening: reintroduces the characters (and I appreciated Thargs 'previously..' panel inside the cover) and piques interest for what is up next. I'm not sure if its me, but this episode felt a little more 'grown up' than previous and I had less sense of reading a Regened graduate. I'm not a huge fan of the manga-influenced art as a rule but I liked this: facial expressions are very good, and that spread of the battleship being built is very cool. Good episode.

Enemy Earth I still find tricky to read due to the artwork but I think this would have been a perfect Regened story had that been a seperate publication.

Finally Thistlebone - first couple of pages seriously grim stuff, last page heavy with the foreboding - this does capture a horror atmosphere: as a reader no idea what is going to happen, only that it will be bad. Brilliant.

[Richard]

I agree it's a strong prog this week. I'm delighted to see Full Tilt Boogie back, although despite the recap in the Nerve Centre I think I'm still going to re-read book 1. I don't mind though, because I know I'll enjoy it.

And although we're only 4 episodes in, I think this book of Thistlebone is the best. Keen to see where it goes.

As for the 3riller, I wonder if there is any significance to the date? The day after JFK was shot, and the day of Dr Who's first episode. Anyway, I liked the big opening page. I don't mind the 3riller format, it allows a Future Shock some space to breathe.

[Grush]

As for the 3riller, I wonder if there is any significance to the date? The day after JFK was shot, and the day of Dr Who's first episode. Anyway, I liked the big opening page. I don't mind the 3riller format, it allows a Future Shock some space to breathe.

I would guess it's a Dr Who reference, given who the script droid is (has the Cornell droid worked for Tharg before?). See also the scientist at the British Experimental Space Programme called Elizabeth Shore (the scientific advisor to UNIT in Pertwee's first series was Liz Shaw). I'm not a fan of Future Shocks at all but I have really enjoyed the 3rillers that I've seen.

Elsewhere in the Prog, both Full Tilt Boogie and Thistlebone are new to me, and both making a very good impression. Even Enemy Earth, which isn't my cup of tea, can't be said to be boring. Really strong line up of Thrills.
 

[Jim_Campbell]

has the Cornell droid worked for Tharg before?

Yes... BARNEY's a bit out of date, so I can't scare up a full list of credits, but he did an Abelard Snazz one-off for Regened in 2020, and an Anderson story for the music-themed Sci-Fi Special in 2022.

[Colin YNWA]

He also did the fantastic XTNCT in the Meg.

[Jim_Campbell]

He also did the fantastic XTNCT in the Meg.

Of course he did — I knew I was forgetting something obvious!

[IndigoPrime]

HW CLD Y FRGT RPTR?

[Richard]

Yeah, even Enemy Earth was alright this week (and to be fair, last week too).

[Jim_Campbell]

HW CLD Y FRGT RPTR?

M GTTG VRY LD. MMRY SNT WHT T WS!

[IndigoPrime]

Yep. Five out of five for me this week. A great Dredd cover and another excellent instalment. I wonder if Dredd's stand-offishness will come back to bite him. And it's notable how awful a lot of the judges are. As ever, Dredd does feel a bit gendered though. (Maitland barely escapes Smurfette syndrome, but only because the other member of her team is also a woman.) A minor tripe, though.

The 3hriller starts well, and does enough to make me wonder how it'll resolve. Nice art, if a touch sparse on a couple of panels. And speaking of good starts, Full Tilt Boogie wastes no time on getting going and lobbing several plot strands into the mix. Lovely ship designs on p4–5. Properly grim p6.

Enemy Earth continues barrelling along. Looking forward to it ending, but not because I want to see it gone – I just want to know how it wraps up. This has been good. And then Thistlebone rounds out the Prog with its own very... visceral brand of horror. I've bought the previous two HCs. I suspect I'll be buying another...

Top stuff from Tharg and his minions. Dredd > Full Tilt > Thistlebone > Enemy > 3hriller, but the slimmest of margins once past Dredd. All of this week's Prog is well above of the bar of mere OKness. Fab.

[Colin YNWA]

Intriguing Prog.

Dredd is in a holding pattern as the story builds - still good stuff but very much part of the whole. Flint is still stunning

So what's with the knowing editorial boxes on the next two. In The English Astronaut they feel pretty in place and fun in a wonky off centre start that has places to build to. In Full Tilt Boogie has it done that before - it was fun but kinda felt out of place in an otherwise great little opener that looked stunning.

Could the next to be more contrasting. Enemy Earth for all its bombast just sort of is. Thistlebone for all it chilling quiet tension is so IS - its jus so what it needs to be and uses so little to do so much. Amazing.

[A.Cow]

I would guess it's a Dr Who reference, given who the script droid is (has the Cornell droid worked for Tharg before?). See also the scientist at the British Experimental Space Programme called Elizabeth Shore (the scientific advisor to UNIT in Pertwee's first series was Liz Shaw).

Hmmm... a quick Google also reveals that:

• Ladbroke Grove was a location for Remembrance of the Daleks.
• Doctor Who took a two-week break in late 1977.
• Doctor Who took a long break (from regular broadcast) between 1989 and 2005.
• Doctor Who took a year-long break during 2016.
• And the story is about someone travelling in time.

However, also worth noting...

• David Bowie released Heroes in late 1977.
• David Bowie passed away in 2016.
• And the story is about an astronaut called Major Tom.

[Grush]

Wow A.Cow! That is impressive investigation! I tip my fez to you .