Just looking through the 'New Dark Age' thread, a few people have been mentioning the strips they've enjoyed over the last 12 months or so, and I realized I hadn't noticed a 'Best strips of 2017' thread (though we did the year's best covers, of course).
So, yeah. Thought it might be worth doing, albeit belatedly. I've compiled the list by looking through the 2017 section of the online shop, so apologies if anything's been missed...
Judge Dredd
Kingmaker
The Order
Hope ...for the Future
Kingdom
Sinister Dexter
Brink
Scarlet Traces
The Fall of Deadworld
Defoe
Grey Area
Hunted
Greysuit
The Alienist
Slaine
Indigo Prime
Absalom
Tharg's 3rillers
Thargs Future Shocks
I haven't included the strips that started in the Christmas prog.
Wasn't sure whether to make this a vote or just a discussion but hey, why not give your 1-2-3 and if I get a moment I'll tot up the scores in a week or so's time.
PS If this is a thing that's already happened in another section, please be so good as to quietly delete this thread :)
I'll tot up the scores in a week or so's time
save yourself time
& call your spreadsheet
deadworldv story of the year competition
Quote from: Big_Dave on 15 February, 2018, 01:13:37 PM
I'll tot up the scores in a week or so's time
save yourself time
& call your spreadsheet
deadworldv story of the year competition
In your opinion :) Doesn't make top 3 for me. At a guess, and its difficult to distill such a broad range of strips, Grey Area, Brink, Kingdom and Scarlet Traces are up there imo.
Excellent stuff. I did start to collate this stuff for a poll thread over Christmas but I never finished what I'd started.
If you're excluding the Christmas Progs, then the only thing missing is the Rogue Trooper one-off from Prog 2050.
I'll exclude Dredd from my rankings, as I think it's fairer to rate Dredd stories against each other.
I guess I'm big on detectives these days.
01. Brink.
02. Absalom.
03. Hope.
Of course, Lawless would be in there if we were including Meg strips.
I guess this is the opposite of the "New Dark Age" thread.
My vote is
1) Brink
2) Brink Kingmaker
3) BrinkSinister Dexter
So not quite a DAbnett hat-trick - Grey Area was 4th.
If we were included the Meg it would be another Abnett strip in Lawless.
I like this positive thread!
1. Kingmaker
2. Brink
3. Deadworld
1: Brink.
2: Hope......for the future.
3: Absalom.
Top 3 Thrills for me:
1) Fall of Deadworld (Fantastic combo of intense story and lurid artwork).
2) Hope (I'd love to see a 2nd series and / or Broxton back in the Prog).
3) Brink (Second series didn't quite live up to the first, but was great nevertheless).
Dredd has it's ups and downs in both the Prog & Meg, but one-off The Third Person by Carroll & Critchlow was the primo JD strip for me in 2017.
1. Kingdom
2. Kingmaker
3. KingFall of Deadworld
1. The Fall of Deadworld
2. Kingdom
3. Absalom
HMs for Brink and especially Grey Area. Looks like Tharg needs to lock Abnett in a cupboard.
Quote from: I, Cosh on 15 February, 2018, 01:24:12 PM
If you're excluding the Christmas Progs, then the only thing missing is the Rogue Trooper one-off from Prog 2050
Ah. As a one-off, I guess it should probably remain honorably excluded.
Quote from: I, Cosh on 15 February, 2018, 01:24:12 PM
I'll exclude Dredd from my rankings, as I think it's fairer to rate Dredd stories against each other
Yeah, Dredd's a bit of a unique case. Maybe we should leave him out of the voting (not that anyone's actually voted for him yet). Of course if anyone wants to list the 2017 Dredd stories for a separate vote, be my guest :)
Obviously the Future Shocks and 3rillers are hard to vote for collectively, too.
Anyway, here's my votes...
1. The Order
2. Brink
3. Kingdom
With Grey Area and Deadworld completing the top five, and The Alienist, SinDex and Absalom as other top thrills.
Hope gets my 'best newcomer' award.
1- Just to confuse the voting...Judge Dredd (for the Judge Pin storyline)
2- Brink
3- Hope....
HMs for Kingmaker and Grey Area
I'm leaving Dredd out.
1. Hope
2. Brink
3. Indigo Prime
HM to Rogue.
Best Dredds:
1. Harvey
2. War Buds
3. Get Jerry Sing
Non-Dredds
1. Fall of Deadworld
2. Absolom
3. Kingdom/Grey Area tie
Dredds
Harvey
1. Brink
2. Hope... for the Future
3. Grey Area
1) scarlet traces
2) grey area (Harrison makes such a difference)
3) Brink
1. Sinister Dexter
2. The Fall of Deadworld
3. Tharg's 3rillers
Absalom
Brink
Alienist
In that order. Some I can't even remember without.looking up so I guess they weren't that striking! Or is the Alzheimers kicking in?
2017 has some really good strips overall, ranking them might be a little tough... mostly because I'm going to feel bad about what I leave off.
1. Brink
2. The Fall of Deadworld
3. Kingmaker
Honorable Mentions (really, these are all tied with 3rd): Kingdom, The Alienist, Grey Area, The Order, Scarlet Traces, Hunted, Hope... for the Future, Indigo Prime, and of course Judge Dredd.
That said, I actually though Dredd was overall kind of weak in 2017 after a series of very good years, with only Harvey being a standout. I kind of hated War Buds, but Deep in the Heart was pretty good. The best Dredd was that two part Pin story that was set up for a story we didn't get in 2017, so I can't rate Dredd higher on that alone.
1. HOPE... For the Future
2. Brink
3. Sinister Dexter
Firstly thanks for doing this and its great to have a positive spine on things to counter some of the unrest folks are feeling.
For me the difficultly in doing this shows that the Prog has nowt to worry about and this will be a classic case of ask me tomorrow and you'll get a different answer. For tonight however (and I'm going none Dredd)
1. Brink
2. Kingdom
3. Sinister Dexter
The Order, Indigo Prime, Kingmaker and Fall of Deadworld all cam ein for serious comsideration!
Lovely thread! Good work!
1. Absalom
2. Brink
3. Scarlet Traces
(Excluding Dredd)
My top 3 would be:
1: Kingmaker
2: The Fall Of Deadworld
3: Tharg's 3rillers - specifically "Mechastopheles" as I felt it had the potential to develop into an ongoing strip much like "Survival Geeks" did.
1. Deadworld
2. Indigo Prime
3. Joint tie between Hope... For the future, Kingmaker and Absolom
Cheers
Hi folks, I just said a lengthy hello to introduce myself on the 'Welcome to the board' bit but wanted to chip in on this thread.
1. Brink. I just adore this one. The creepy atmosphere and the slow pace really work for me. I hope Tharg commissions a really lengthy third series that can run and run and build and build. I realise this would not be to everyone's taste!.
2. The Fall of Deadworld. Back in the days of Kid Cyborg I would never have imagined I'd be loving a Kek-W strip and buying a lavish hardback collection of it, but I do and I have. Art, atmosphere and invention are all top notch here and I love the relationship between the main characters (and Byke). The Order is great too, though it would be good to have some new baddies rather than the worm things.
3. Kingdom/Grey Area in joint second. Seeing Gene reunited with Leezee was a highlight for me last year. I like a story where there are relationships of real emotional depth rather than just a surface 'we are buddies who fight things together' type set up, and I'd been waiting for them to meet up again for years. Grey Area seems to be set up to allow Abnett to tell all kinds of stories, large and small, much the same way the Dredd strip is also really versatile. I do kind of hate everyone calling that character 'Bitch' though, and worry about what a new reader would think every time it happens.
Top Three Thrills
1) Absalom: Terminal Diagnosis
2) Brink: Skeleton Life
3) Kingdom: As It Is In Heaven
Honorable Mentions
Kingmaker
Hope... For the Future
The Fall of Deadworld: Cursed
Scarlet Traces: Cold War
Psi-Judge Anderson: Dragon's Blood/NWO
Lawless: Long Range War
Hunted: Furies
Dominion
Grey Area: Homeland Security
The Alienist: Inhuman Natures
Tharg's 3rillers: The House of Gilded Peak
Favourite Dredds
Deep in the Heart & Black Snow
Dredd: Furies
1. Brink
2. Kingmaker
3. Scarlet Traces
1st: Brink
2nd: Hope ...for the Future
3rd: Kingmaker
Kingdom will no doubt rate higher once I catch up with the current storylines as I loved the 2000AD Collection volume.
If we're doing the Meg as well, then my vote is:
1- Lawless
2- Lawless
3- Lawless
HMs for Lawless, Lawless and Lawless (which sounds like a disreputable legal firm).
Last call for votes, I'll count up tomorrow.
1. Kingdom
2. Brink
3. Hope
Quote from: James Stacey on 15 February, 2018, 01:21:05 PM
Grey Area, Brink, Kingdom and Scarlet Traces are up there imo.
For clarity
1) Grey Area
2) Brink
3) Kingdom
(HM) Scarlet Traces
1) Deadworld
2) Brink
3) Absolom
Whilst I don't think we're in the 90's again it's rare Dredd wouldn't be in my top three. Something has gone badly wrong in MC1. Hoping things will pick up in 2018.
The results are in - and I think it's fair to say we have a clear winner...
Brink | 51 |
The Fall of Deadworld | 25 |
Hope ...for the Future | 17 |
Absalom | 16 |
Kingdom | 14 |
Kingmaker | 9 |
Grey Area | 7 |
Sinister Dexter | 6 |
Scarlet Traces | 5 |
The Order | 3 |
Indigo Prime | 3 |
Tharg's 3rillers | 2 |
The Alienist | 1 |
No votes for Defoe, Hunted, Greysuit, Slaine or the Future Shocks.
(Where people counted multiple stories as their third favourites I haven't given any points - sorry! That's only really because it saved me a bit of counting :))A runaway victory for Brink, then, with Deadworld in a solid second place and impressive debut story Hope pipping Absalom and Kingdom for third. A run of progs containing these five strips would be quite something (though it would squeeze out Dredd...)
At the other end of the table it's perhaps sad that none of Pat Mills' stories have been a hit. Though what most astounded me is that no-one else gave as much as a single point to my favourite from 2017, The Order. Ah well, at least it's back in the ring in a couple of weeks.
Ta for voting!
I still liked Defoe and Hunted, there were just three others that I liked even more.
Thanks for this thread, I think we all needed it.
As Richard said thanks for doing this - felt needed!
YAH Brink!
I have just read the 2nd Scarlet Traces TPB. And it was actually really good. Way better than in weekly format. I re-read some of the Prog review threads as well where I and others were saying we were confused about who was who ("too many bald spindly blokes").
All I can say is we clearly weren't paying attention. It is all perfectly clear. On the strength of that I might have voted for it.
Anyway this vote has put to bed the notion we are in a new dark age. No chance. A dull Dredd arc - yes. ABC Warriors and Slaine continually retreading old ground and taking forever over it - yes. But the Prog in terminal decline - no way.
The last few years of Slaine was really disappointing. The whole "The Brutania Chronicles" story-line could have been done in 12 episodes or less. The saving grace was the cool art of Simon Davis. Even ABC Warriors are going the same route.
Quote from: Magnetica on 22 February, 2018, 04:13:03 PM
Anyway this vote has put to bed the notion we are in a new dark age. No chance. A dull Dredd arc - yes. ABC Warriors and Slaine continually retreading old ground and taking forever over it - yes. But the Prog in terminal decline - no way.
While we can all discuss the specifics, after all the difference is the spice of 2000ad, the overall sentiment I think is one we can all get behind... well me at least!
.
sorry I do realise that I'm rather late for all this malarky, but here goes anyhoo...
1) Absalom
2) Hope ...for the Future
3) Kingmaker / Indigo Prime - tied
The black and white make the top two, it never goes out of favour with good storytelling...
1st Absalom
2nd Hope
3rd Brink
I'd happily read 5 b&w Thrills, too...
actually, some b&w Dredd would be nice - but unlikely.
Defoe was a good outing but much as McNeil is a great artist it definately lacked something without the diseased messy art of Gallagher. Deserved a vote tho.
Funnily I think brink and Scarlett traces rather similar (although many ways they are not) so the disparity in votes there amazed me.
I'm struggling to think of any way in which Brink and Scarlet Traces are similar...
Quote from: Jim_Campbell on 24 February, 2018, 03:51:44 PM
I'm struggling to think of any way in which Brink and Scarlet Traces are similar...
Bits of them are in space.
Quote from: Blue Cactus on 24 February, 2018, 03:55:24 PM
Quote from: Jim_Campbell on 24 February, 2018, 03:51:44 PM
I'm struggling to think of any way in which Brink and Scarlet Traces are similar...
Bits of them are in space.
Not much of Scarlet Traces takes place in space. In the earlier books the action is on Earth, then Mars. The recent book was set on Earth and then on Saturn. The only bits set in space were the flight from Earth to Saturn which took about half a page, a page or two of the structure the Martian's are building around the Sun and Earth's fleet massing in Earth orbit and then the attack on Saturn.
To me any similarity between the two strips is in the art style, in as much as D'Israeli and Culbard have a fairly minimalistic style. And also in Brink contact is lost with Mercury.
I think Helium is more more similar to Scarlet Traces then Brink is. And at least they are by the same writer and artist.
I thought the latest series took place on Venus, but a) I could be wrong and b) that's just me being pedantic (and also possibly wrong, did I mention that?)
;)
Quote from: Tjm86 on 24 February, 2018, 04:48:56 PM
I thought the latest series took place on Venus, but a) I could be wrong and b) that's just me being pedantic (and also possibly wrong, did I mention that?)
;)
Sorry yes. Whenever I wrote Saturn I meant Venus!
Quote from: Jim_Campbell on 24 February, 2018, 03:51:44 PM
I'm struggling to think of any way in which Brink and Scarlet Traces are similar...
1) the art styles, especially the use of colour
2) their relative newness to the prog
3) that both are firm sci-fi strips (As opposed to say Defoe or Absalom)
4) that they ran at the same time
5) one deals in racism, the other minority /social persecution.
"Oh, noes! There's sci-fi in my sci-fi comic!"
Quote from: Magnetica on 24 February, 2018, 05:02:39 PM
Quote from: Tjm86 on 24 February, 2018, 04:48:56 PM
I thought the latest series took place on Venus, but a) I could be wrong and b) that's just me being pedantic (and also possibly wrong, did I mention that?)
;)
Sorry yes. Whenever I wrote Saturn I meant Venus!
Hey, I'm happy to be right for a change. According to my wife it's normally wrong. Thank you for making my
day month year decade.
(I'm also going to confess to being fairly staggered that anyone can describe D'israeli's intricate, ever-evolving art style as "minimalist"...)
It's minimalist as in there aren't as many lines as some other artists.
Someone got out of bed on the wrong side this year.
What's the point of contributing when a senior comics professional is going to sneer at a fairly innocuous statement that I found two strips shared some qualities that made me think of you enjoyed one you'd enjoy the other.
Plain rude and uncalled for.
Quote from: BPP on 24 February, 2018, 11:01:15 PM
Plain rude and uncalled for.
I'm unsure how observing that two strips with different writers, different artists, different concepts and different tones might not be
that similar is 'rude'.
(I am, of course, monstrously flattered to be called a "senior comic creator" but I don't think lettering some books that barely trouble the bottom end of the ICV2 top 300 every month really qualifies...)
'Oh, I didn't mean senior in that way'
Would be the level of response your 'flairly staggered' and 'oh noes' deserve but then I'd rather be polite and not engage. I'll just say maybe your tone doesn't come across quite the way you think it does. I answered you're question with five points and you reply with Twitter level glib posturing.
Anyways, i'm done. My observation stands in my opinion and you can go on grandstanding for all the Jim Campbell fans out there.
This thread should be an annual event, like the excellent Best Covers ones.
I would though limit the results to the Top 10 to focus on the positive rather than the "who got nil points" type stuff.
I'm looking forward to Best Strips of 2018 already!