Marvellous reference to The Icicle Works on the cover. Hurrah!
(http://cdn.hitfix.com/photos/5477589/MEG-347-digital-1-1a5d1_gallery_primary.jpg)
Well a fine megazine to re-boot my subbie :D
Anderson the highlight, a fine Dredd and the rest not my bag really, PI Marco end with her [spoiler]having a new side kick[/spoiler] has hints of the Simping D, interviews with non 2000ad artists seems a bit odd, and Dreddlines :o
Dreddlines? no Dreddlines!
This one was a bit of a dip for me. While the art in Anderson still looks good, the rest of it was a bit of a let down.
Early eps. felt grounded in current events, got Anderson feeling relatable and jumping on roof tops with a lawmaster, but this one felt like the 100th reminder of Orlock, Judge Death, Satan and what not. I really hope it's all there to build towards something, tying up some ends and ending them.
I really hope she goes down the route and thinking about what her (and/or perhaps Dredd's) role in everything is. Her constantly looking back at the time she hugged Orlock on Mars isn't nearly as exciting.
And for Dredd. Got his head bashed in by some mutant. Could be fun getting to know where that goes. Haven't read the rest of the Meg stuff, but as it seems most of it's Dredd related. Looking forward reading it.
In the supplement, I quite liked the idea that there is done sort of secret conspiracy within Psi Division, and think its a shame that it was never followed up.
Given the writers, I'm not sure it was a shame. These were the Inferno guys, after all.
Overall a very good Meg this month. My only gripe would be with a line from the Godzilla article. While it was very informative, if the author can think of an invasion of another country that isn't "aggressive" then I'm curious to know what it was.
A good Meg but not a great one.
The thing that kills it for me is the Dredd story - and this really highlights a gripe I have with Dredd - it was a monster of the week Dredd. [spoiler]These stories usually follow the following structure (and there are quite a few of them) - 1. A judge or citizen is killed by a monster lurking in the shadows. 2. Dredd is specifically called to investigate. 3. More killings happen. 4. Dredd Meets the monster. 5. Dredd is beaten to within an inch of his life. 6. Dredd beats the monster.
Here are the problems I have with these stories:
Dredd is treated in the same way as a superhero - he just punches/shoots his way through any situation and always acts as a lone agent/saviour of the city/
No other Judge seems able to fight or even defend themselves - why are not all other Judges dead if they are so bad at doing their job?
Dredd seems incapable of doing any detective work or even stringing two thoughts together, he usually just turns up and starts fighting. At one point in this one he asks Hershey (who is a political appointment and would arguably not be discussing street work) to flag all call outs for minor offences - surely Dredd, being the senior Judge that he is, would understand what an unrealistic request that is and just not suggest it.[/spoiler]
Ok rant over.
Yeah you have a point, although it is interesting that in DiMarco there is a conversation about Dredd's handling of a case between Garrison(?) and Di Marco - one arguing he'd go in swinging and bust heads and one arguing he'd ask himself who benefits... It's almost like they heard you.
I am flipping loving Michael Dowling's artwork in Anderson. I've always thought the more 'Ranson-esque' artists suited Anderson best because of all the stuff they have to show that is going on inside her head. It's hard to define because I love artists like Boo Cook for other reasons like the use of colour and the outlandishness of the designs. If anyone can do bizarre mutant weirdness it's Boo Cook and I totally loved his Dredd this month.
Mind you that Judge Janus in the floppie was like, wholly irritating. Was she always like that? What did the audience think at the time? This was when I was undergoing my Long Walk from the prog so I don't know these stories.
Quote from: Colin Zeal on 17 April, 2014, 10:08:13 AM
My only gripe would be with a line from the Godzilla article. While it was very informative, if the author can think of an invasion of another country that isn't "aggressive" then I'm curious to know what it was.
You'd be surprised. Just off the top of my head you could argue the case for William III's 1688 invasion of England (he was virtually invited to do it, after all) or our extremely reluctant 1868 invasion of Abyssinia.
Quote from: staticgirl on 17 April, 2014, 08:45:55 PM
Mind you that Judge Janus in the floppie was like, wholly irritating. Was she always like that? What did the audience think at the time? This was when I was undergoing my Long Walk from the prog so I don't know these stories.
Yea, like, totally.
At the time, I found Janus horribly irritating. Today, I find her horribly irritating. At least she's consistent.
Like, comsistently horrible.
Although Janus was an annoying character, I think the series was redeemed a bit by Paul Johnson's art (except in the one-off story). Whatever happened to him?
Quote from: Richard on 18 April, 2014, 11:58:02 AM
the series was redeemed a bit by Paul Johnson's art (except in the one-off story). Whatever happened to him?
Dunno, but I'd love to find out.
He had a very, very unique style.
My tuppence on the new Meg:
Judge Dredd - Rad To The Bone (Part One): Having flicked through it I find myself agreeing with everything Skullmo said. I would like to add that I wasn't much taken with Boo Cook's art on this. Seemed a bit rushed to me.
Something about Godzilla. Not my cup of tea.
Amazed by the fact that Matt Smith wasn't too keen on Mike Dowling's portfolio. Madness.
Demarco, P.I. - The Whisper (Part Five): I love the character of Demarco (I have had a thing for redheads with freckles ever since encountering Peppermint Patty in the Charlie Brown cartoons) but Steve Yeowell is the wrong artist for the character. Whoever made the editorial decision back in the day that solo Demarco stories should be in B&W made the wrong call. It just leaches away all the vivacity from the character.
Tales From Mega-City One - The Irrational Lottery: Old school mega-city madness. You can just imagine Ron Smith or Cam Kennedy providing the art chores.
Looking forward to seeing what Declan Shalvey does with Dredd (if it ever happens).
Anderson Psi Division - Dead End (Part Five): How long has Shenker been in charge of Psi Div? He must be giving Chief Judge Goodman a run for his money in terms of tenure. Anyway, a cracking read and the sequence with Juge Loran rounding up his "perps" is brutal.
A good Meg, well worth £5.70. And yes, I didn't notice the price increase until I read the Editor's Letter.
Quote from: Richard on 18 April, 2014, 11:58:02 AM
the series was redeemed a bit by Paul Johnson's art (except in the one-off story). Whatever happened to him?
I liked Johnson's style, although it was better suited to adding atmosphere to cover images than conveying character and dynamic action in a strip, and he never really found a continuing series to make his own. I suspect Johnson is the author of his own Wikipedia entry (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Johnson_%28comics%29):
QuotePaul Johnson orbited the peripheries of the British comic book industry in the early Eighties, self-publishing and appearing in influential but short-lived publications such as Psst! and Escape Magazine. His first major comics work was the graphic novel London's Dark but he came to international attention when he painted the art on The Road to Nowhere, The fourth and final chapter of The Books of Magic mini-series, written by Neil Gaiman and released by DC/Vertigo in 1993.
Unlike most of the Brit-pack artists from the Nineties, Johnson found recognition abroad first with work for Marvel Comics (Interface, Hellraiser, Children of the Voyager), DC Comics (The Books of Magic, Mercy, Invisibles, Legends of the Dark Knight) and Dark Horse Comics (Aliens) before working in Britain's home-grown industry for Crisis, 2000 AD, and the Eaglemoss publication Spinechillers.
In 2000 Johnson was awarded a grant by the Arts Council of Great Britain to run a series of comic book workshops with Ed Hillyer (AKA Ilya) at Great Ormond Street Hospital, resulting in the publication of Hospitales, which was distributed free of charge in hospitals across the UK.
In addition to his interest in comics, Johnson was also obsessed by contemporary music, and wrote regularly for the IPC music magazine Uncut from 1999 to 2004.
Hugely impressed by the work of European Bande Dessinée artists such as Moebius (AKA Jean Giraud), Hugo Pratt, Alberto Breccia and Lorenzo Mattotti, Johnson struggled to find work that interested him as most commercial publishers failed to make the jump from producing superehero comics to the more esoteric genres of their continental counterparts.
Disillusioned with the opportunities available to him, Johnson retrained as an acupuncturist and herbalist. He is now in private practice and lectures regularly at LCTA, England's largest college dedicated to teaching Traditional Chinese Medicine. He is the chief presenter on How To Locate Acupuncture Points - The Definitive DVD, released in 2008
Quote from: Eightball on 18 April, 2014, 04:38:10 PM
Anderson Psi Division - Dead End (Part Five): How long has Shenker been in charge of Psi Div? He must be giving Chief Judge Goodman a run for his money in terms of tenure. Anyway, a cracking read and the sequence with Juge Loran rounding up his "perps" is brutal.
Jeez, Judge Loran. That's what I get for flicking through the Meg whilst trying to type.
The comic industry's loss is herbalism's gain, I hope. Bit of a shame though as the art was good.
Quote from: staticgirl on 19 April, 2014, 05:31:22 PM
The comic industry's loss is herbalism's gain, I hope. Bit of a shame though as the art was good.
I remember being impressed with his work on the Return of Rico remake from the mid-nineties. That was lush. I can't wait to see it again in a future Case File.
Yet another great Meg!
Loving Anderson. You really feel it as the script's hitting its key moments. Awesome stuff! The art really suits the story too and is superb. This is so good, I'm off to buy some digital Anderson Case Files which have just come out. Right. Now!
Special shout out for Tales from Mega-City One. Excellent MC1 madness and brilliant design work on the game show host. Loved it!
Roll on next month!
Highlight for me, once again, is the Anderson strip.
I think we finally have a worthy successor to Arthur Ranson.
Quote from: Daveycandlish on 20 April, 2014, 08:21:55 PM
Highlight for me, once again, is the Anderson strip.
I think we finally have a worthy successor to Arthur Ranson.
I concur, I find those panels on the second page when she is in the Deep Probe to be very Ranson-esque. I also love how sparsely populated Mega-City One now seems. There's a palpable stillness emanating from the strip.
Quote from: Eightball on 21 April, 2014, 06:01:28 PM
Quote from: Daveycandlish on 20 April, 2014, 08:21:55 PM
Highlight for me, once again, is the Anderson strip.
I think we finally have a worthy successor to Arthur Ranson.
I concur, I find those panels on the second page when she is in the Deep Probe to be very Ranson-esque. I also love how sparsely populated Mega-City One now seems. There's a palpable stillness emanating from the strip.
Aye, Dowling manages to make Anderson look like a striking woman, rather than an arse-flaunting sexpot. He maybe even wins out over the wonderful Ranson, in that his version of Anderson looks like a (slightly) older version of the same character introduced in the first Judge Death story, rather than a completely different blonde lady. Everything about Dowling's aesthetic, but particularly the subdued palette and restrained line he adopts here, indicates he's in perfect sympathy with the character and the kind of stories Grant wants to tell.
Overall pretty standard Meg this month.
Quite liked
Tales from MC-1. This format is almost exactly the same as a lot of Judge Dredd stories i.e. something crazy happens in Mega City 1 and Dredd rocks up at the end of deal with it.
Spurred on by the discussion of Titan and Dredd getting old, I was thinking the other day, that to continue the strip for the long term there are a few options:
1) have Rico or Dolman replace Dredd, make up some reason why he is the forced to use the name badge "Dredd" and then carry on as normal, by and large ignoring the fact it isn't the original Dredd anymore
2) do a "Taggart" - have some other Judge become the lead character but still call the strip "Judge Dredd"
3) Change the name to "Mega City Tales /
Tales from MC-1" and have a generic Judge turn up to deal with the situation. Indeed right at the start (i.e in 1977) Dredd was meant to be the faceless embodiment of the law (hence we don't see his face) - so it's kinda the same thing.
Quote from: Eightball on 18 April, 2014, 04:38:10 PM
Whoever made the editorial decision back in the day that solo Demarco stories should be in B&W made the wrong call. It just leaches away all the vivacity from the character.
I quite agree. Indeed it was pretty much generic PI in this strip. Please lets get back to colour for Demarco, preferably drawn by Ezquerra.
Interrogations / text articles. I like these when it gives an insight into how some-one came to contribute to 2000AD and gives an insight into their mind set (Mike Dowling this month, Hilary Robinson last), but they hold no interest for me what-so-ever when it is non 2000AD or Meg related. This might sound strange but I am not a generic comics fan, I am a 2000AD and Megazine reader; I don't buy other comics (expect the IDW 2000 AD related stuff) and find myself skimming / skipping these articles when not Prog or Meg related.
I understand why the text articles are there, but would have thought there are plenty of 2000AD & Meg contributors who have not yet featured in an interrogation.
A disappointing megazine - sorry to say. Ordinary, Underbelly, Insurrection are sorely missed.....
Concentrating on the positives, Boo Cook's art is a joy, like Ian Gibson on a sixpack of Red Bull.
And Paul Johnson's art was great in the floppy. Painted art in the floppy is common enough but not of this quality. Top-notch.
Errata: The Irrational Lottery, page 6, panel 3: speech balloons are swapped. I did wonder where the blame may lie on this, script or art or letterer, but then I stopped wondering and did something else.
I'm still thoroughly enjoying this Anderson story. It's taken it's foot off the gas a little in the last couple of episodes but it still has a satisfying weight to it and I'm loving Dowling's take on the character. His airy colours are a delight. As for where the story goes from here, well Chief Schenker seems determined to keep Anderson isolated. Could it be our man Algol Rey (hey, no idea what it means, but his name is an anagram of allegory!) has been hiding in plain sight messing with Anderson's head all along? Would this poke a retrospective finger in the eye of the nitpickers who complained about the conitnuity misstep of Schenker being chief during Rey's first appearance in that Cadet Anderson story?
As an aside, I assume I'm the only person in the world who thought the absolute best thing about this Meg was the news of more Rex Royd.
Entertaining Tale of MC1 and always nice to see Boo Cook on Dredd.
I absolutely love Mike Dowling's stint on Anderson, beautiful colours and a real air of melancholy and tension from the script and art.
Quote from: Richard on 15 April, 2014, 06:04:56 PM
In the supplement, I quite liked the idea that there is done sort of secret conspiracy within Psi Division, and think its a shame that it was never followed up.
I vaguely recall Grant [& Mark?] proposing a longer Janus story that would act as a finale for the various plot threads with that character's stories. Something about a God Judge or a Judge God.
For better or worse, I turned it down.
davidbishop
This would have been just after I took over at 2000AD, so early 1996.
Thanks for the answer.
Quote from: DarkDaysBish-OP on 26 April, 2014, 01:30:26 PM
I vaguely recall Grant [& Mark?] proposing a longer Janus story that would act as a finale for the various plot threads with that character's stories. Something about a God Judge or a Judge God. For better or worse, I turned it down.
davidbishop
If our paths should ever cross, I owe you a pint.
Yeah that was a good decision.
Just got around to reading this last night.
That's not a particularly interesting cover is it? If I was curious about Judge Dredd, this cover would not entice me to pick up the issue. I realise not every cover can be Dredd waving his Lawgiver around (ooer), but this is brown, drab and indistinct.
The Dredd strip is a 'monster of the week' but I don't mind. Angry mutant killer orang utan is a good monster. Wonder if it's a disgrunted relative of Mayor Dave come to exact revenge? Lovely Boo Cook art.
Erm, did DiMarco just [spoiler]shoot someone's leg off[/spoiler]? Right in front of a Judge? Can someone pleas explain to me why she wasn't immediately banged up for [spoiler]assault[/spoiler]? Also, have I missed something or do we still not have any idea who The Whisper is/was? Shonky plot coupled with whispy art add up to a not very good story for me.
I did enjoy the Tales of Mega City One. The snapshot of life for an average citizen was interesting. When you're that bored and seemingly unnecessary to society, I can imagine you would jump on any crazy bandwagon just for some feeling of belonging. The villains plot seemed a bit long-winded and prone to failure but I can put that down to him being a fruitcake.
Still enjoying Anderson. Nice to see ties to the Cadet Anderson strip from the prog. Loved the bike cannon execution scene and Shenker's panicked reaction. The art is gorgeous too.
I've been a huge (pun) Godzilla fan since I was a nipper and I'm really looking forward to the new film, so I enjoyed the article. The only small issue I had was the Gojira is not 'literally translated' as gorilla-whale. It's just made up of the 'go' from gorilla and the 'jira' from 'kujira' which is the Japanese word for whale.
The Meg is still really good at the moment and the new series starting next week looks intriguing. Good time to be reading.
Quote from: The Cosh on 25 April, 2014, 08:01:55 AM
I'm still thoroughly enjoying this Anderson story ... (c)ould it be our man Algol Rey (hey, no idea what it means, but his name is an anagram of allegory!) has been hiding in plain sight messing with Anderson's head all along?
Nice observation. Nobody else entertained by events in
Dredd starting off in the
JOHN FOXX UNDERPASS (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rk83Gu9V0kg)?
Quote from: sauchie on 26 April, 2014, 02:46:52 PM
Quote from: DarkDaysBish-OP on 26 April, 2014, 01:30:26 PM
I vaguely recall Grant [& Mark?] proposing a longer Janus story that would act as a finale for the various plot threads with that character's stories. Something about a God Judge or a Judge God. For better or worse, I turned it down.
davidbishop
If our paths should ever cross, I owe you a pint.
and one from me.
John Foxx? I saw his Ultravox support Eddie and the Hotrods, still have a poster for it somewhere!!
Quote from: Richard on 18 April, 2014, 11:58:02 AM
Although Janus was an annoying character, I think the series was redeemed a bit by Paul Johnson's art (except in the one-off story). Whatever happened to him?
From Wikipedia:
QuoteDisillusioned with the opportunities available to him, Johnson retrained as an acupuncturist and herbalist. He is now in private practice and lectures regularly at LCTA, England's largest college dedicated to teaching Traditional Chinese Medicine. He is the chief presenter on How To Locate Acupuncture Points - The Definitive DVD, released in 2008.
Strangely for Wikipedia, this is actually true. Many years ago, Paul was going to do a book with me for Dark Horse, but had to be replaced by another artist, due to a heavy workload on the courses he was taking in pin and herb magic.
Quote from: Spaceghost on 01 May, 2014, 08:50:01 AM
Erm, did DiMarco just [spoiler]shoot someone's leg off[/spoiler]? Right in front of a Judge? Can someone pleas explain to me why she wasn't immediately banged up for [spoiler]assault[/spoiler]?
Anyone?...Anyone?...Bueller?...Bueller?
Come on; Sauchie and Tordelback usually CANNOT BE STOPPED when it comes to pontificating on the finer points of Judicial conduct and associated matters. I need answers.
Quote from: Spaceghost on 02 May, 2014, 11:29:00 AM
Quote from: Spaceghost on 01 May, 2014, 08:50:01 AM
Erm, did DiMarco just [spoiler]shoot someone's leg off[/spoiler]? Right in front of a Judge? Can someone pleas explain to me why she wasn't immediately banged up for [spoiler]assault[/spoiler]?
Anyone?...Anyone?...Bueller?...Bueller? Come on; Sauchie and Tordelback usually CANNOT BE STOPPED when it comes to pontificating on the finer points of Judicial conduct and associated matters. I need answers.
Gimme a break, I only read that issue this morning. I don't have any proper answers anyway; I usually just paraphrase whatever
TordelBack says with more adjectives and a link to something Jacques Derrida (http://www.egs.edu/faculty/jacques-derrida/quotes/) wrote. Mike Carroll's a big lad and he seems to read these pages, maybe he can explain what - on the face of it - looks like the concept of judicial discretion taken to unprecedented extremes.
perhaps its a Jurisdiction thing? :think:
Just remembered where I saw that Orangutan before. He was in a Cursed Earth Tale from last year, or maybe the year before. Either way, it was also drawn by Cook so i'm certain it's the same character.
First time I've read the Meg for ages, a complimentary copy was passed on to me, really enjoyed it, might actually start buying it again.
Pretty much 100% sure you're right re the Orangutan Hawk. Z
Pretty much 100% sure Old Tankie's right about the current Meg
Pretty much 100% sure there's a Thargnote at the top of page 5 confirming it.