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Prog 2223 - The Root Of All Evil

Started by Goosegash, 14 March, 2021, 12:21:33 PM

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sintec

Two really strong endings in this Prog as both Proteus Vex and Durham Red wrap up their current runs.  Durham keeps the action up while Proteus goes for a more talky ending but both are superb and are clearly setting up some interesting threads for future stories.

Nakka builds on it's start - the art and story are just such a perfect match with their twee English village sci-fi.  Thistlebone on the other hand gives us a darker vision on the English countryside as it slowly builds the tension.

Dredd is still the weak point for me. I loved some of the earlier Chimpsky stories but this one just isn't quite landing for me. Not sure why. There's nothing bad about it I'm just not that engaged with it - maybe a case of too much of a good thing.

TordelBack

Pat (presumably) tweaking the end of Sláine removes any lingering optimism I had about him reaching agreement with Rebellion to properly complete the Brutannia story, and to give Manco the longer run he deserves. This makes me quite sad, Sláine is my all-time favourite strip and these last 5 books have been terrific, but Pat saying he can't spend his energy on work he doesn't own makes perfect sense for the man he is. He's 72, he knows the value to himself of both his time and his unique talent: Patxit means Patxit. But maybe we'll get an epilogue for the 40th anniversary (if Manco starts now!).

Meanwhile, in unelected-Tharg's thrillmines productivity soars under the technocratic electro-whip.

Dredd feels a bit familiar, with Captain Cassavetes and PJ Primate all evoking earlier stories of the mind that would not conform. Striding into this is a superb actxposition page of Holden's Dredd cracking robo-dummies, which does serve to remind me that I rather like seeing this monolithic geezer (Joe, not Paul, but also Paul) in action.

Thistlebone scratches my Sláine stump as Mick Aston excavates the Star Carr Antler Headpiece, probably my favourite British artefact that wasn't looted from some corner of Empire (unless Yorkshire counts..?). I'm not sure how not-Mick knows the things he knows, but it works.  Slow but beautiful, and I loved the Scouting strip.



Durham Red and Proteus Vex both stick their landings after excellent runs,  Vex maybe having the edge with that unexpected resolution, bravurra final page and tease for future adventures. Both strips have had series that delivered more than admirably on the promise of their rsfit runs, and will be very welcome when they return.

Langridge, McCarthy and O'Grady make for a suburb team, and this enjoyable mix of Hot Fuzz, Asimov and Father Brown on this 3riller feels like it could have considerable legs. Langridge's writing feels effortless, the depth and detail McCarthy gives Nakka's face lends weight, and O'Grady's colours evoke a green and robotic land. Hampson House indeed.


TordelBack

-sigh- "Suburb" = "Superb". If auto-correct had bothered its arse like this during Cradlegrave I'd have been hailed as punning genius.

But while I'm here, top marks to SBD for the most SBD cover ever. How much more SBD could a cover be? No more SBD.

(Although I do hope he didn't starve any of his regular models for the purpose).

IndigoPrime

With this and Pandora Perfect, I do hope Langridge finds enough fans to get him far more regularly in the Prog. His voice is a good one to add to the mix.

Colin YNWA

Quote from: IndigoPrime on 18 March, 2021, 12:37:54 PM
With this and Pandora Perfect, I do hope Langridge finds enough fans to get him far more regularly in the Prog. His voice is a good one to add to the mix.

Yeah absolutely agree with this. He adds something to the already brimming pot.

Barrington Boots

Quote from: TordelBack on 18 March, 2021, 09:17:33 AM
PJ Primate

I nearly used this exact phrase. Definite similarity imo (but nicer, of course)
You're a dark horse, Boots.

TordelBack

Thirded on Langridge. His stuff is dense and light at the same time, neat trick.

Forgot to mention the Durham StarScan - very nice. Sharon Stone meets Billie Eilish meets body armour. Seems like a good reading of the character. Any significance to the Trident/Psi symbol?

Link Prime


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.

Colin YNWA

Quote from: broodblik on 19 March, 2021, 09:08:12 AM
Here is the answer for everyone wondering about Chimpsky future:

https://2000ad.com/news/whats-coming-from-rebellions-comics-imprints-this-june/

Thanks for sharing broodblik - there's so much good news there. I knew we'd heard Chimpsky was getting his own series, but forgotten we knew that title and so therefore I could have worked out this wasn't it. Super excited about that.

But also more Department K and The Out - which again we knew where coming - but damn June is looking like a good month!

IndigoPrime

Shame to not see PJ Holden continue with Dept K though. As for The Out, I hope that 1) gets a collected edition, and 2) gets a shop HC.

norton canes

Slightly delayed prog comments due to a couple of days laid low by AstraZeneca vaccine after-effects...

Excellent cover but if anything perhaps a bit too minimal? Not quite as striking as the representation of the mask in situ with skulls in the story itself. The flashback page in the strip has touches of Pat the Scoutmaster, from TV sitcom Ghosts, who died in 1984. Also, Seema's mug in the first panel bears the logo of Simon Davis and Boo Cook's band Forktail.

Excellent conclusions to P. Vex and D. Red, both with the promise of more to come. The Star Scan is okay but I'd rather have seen something by the Willsher droid. And I'm not sure we've found the real culprit in Nakka - my money's on further twists...

Deep stuff in Dredd. I love the concept of a 'Black market historian', something we may be needing in our age before long. 


MumboJimbo

Great prog, just a couple of nitpicking gripes in an otherwise flawless issue:

Inspector Nakrosky's hangdog, seen-it-all-before, grizzled cop look feels incongruent to me when compared to his plummy Bix Barton-esque patter.

Chimpsky's dialogue has lost its distinctive voice of when he was first introduced, when we were privy to his thoughts making all manner of connections and philosophical conjectures. The pull was seeing the inner machinations of a genius - after all, he was modelled on his Chomsky namesake. He's become more of a generic good guy, which is a bit of pity.

Apart from that, top notch proggage. I thought Durham Red would be a middling kind of thing, but like Hookjaw, far exceeded my expectations. It's a purple period for the GG. Proteus Vex is just the kind of thing I sub for, and this second instalment has not let me down.

The Corinthian

Never mind Chimpsky. I want a Midnight Indicating Shame spinoff series.

broodblik

Quote from: The Corinthian on 19 March, 2021, 11:07:55 PM
Never mind Chimpsky. I want a Midnight Indicating Shame spinoff series.

Second !!!!
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.