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[Dredd]

All relax, as you were, nothing to see here.

It may be 1st April bit Tharg ain't foolin' with the thrillpower, we continue on simply excellent form.

Dredd builds in the direction I was expecting, very, very well. Its great stuff and the question we have is were does it go from here. Its predictable, up to now but excellent.

Brink is just plain excellent, a story built quite fantastically on a conversation of the week basis and this one's just a doozy. Soomehow, almost imperspectively the tension is building and I adore this series.

Scarlet Traces is pulling a similar trick, its apparatus are more obvious but the tension its slowly building is great and there a Doctor Whoesque cliffhanger this week.

Future Shock does feel a little too familar which isn't a good thing in this type of story but its done effectively enough and ya know Steve Yeowell so this one is just about a pass.

Deadworld still continues to defy my expectations by being superb. Well done that expectation defying creative team.

Advert at the back is for the return of Defoe a strip I've never really warmed to BUT with Colin MacNeill taking over art I'm rather looking forward to seeing now he affects the feel of the strip.

All good Tharg you carry on old boy, you carry on.

He's just about to come on to discuss his exhibition in Liverpool (I think). If you use watch again its around 9.06am (random day off work well timed for me!)

[Dredd]

That's the Prog you've been looking for.

As I suspected last week the Prog reachs almost as high as the last run. The new Dredd story Harvey has a solid and enjoyable opener. Dredd plays his cynical role and Hershay asks him to give things a try. Intrigued to see where this goes.

Brink has a blinding episode, the exchange between 'Fil' and Kurtis just sings. Its like the previous series already. Just devine comics.

A great little Future Shock, always great to see Nick Dyer in the Prog.

Scarlet Traces has a cracking and thrilling episode with more great character exchanges .

Deadworld also continues to defy my expectation by being fantastic.

This is all just great stuff. Thanks Tharg.

So Mr Moffatt is the 'Buildin' Supervisor' at my sons school here in Sheffield. I've known him for a few years now as it was also my daughters school before that. Some how, and I assume it was something to do with a t-shirt I've been wearing or similar, we got to talking about 2000ad and it transpires that he's a big 2000ad fan. Full set, always got it that sort of thing. So when we see each other, if we have time we briefly chew the fat about the Galaxy's Greatest. He's a very nice man.

Anyway had one of those random end of holiday years days off today, as it was my wife's birthday yesterday. So I collected the kids. Mr Moffatt was stood by the doors as a chaos* of kids and parents tried the navigate the anarky of pick up time. We nodded hellos and he noted my 'I am Mekon' t-shirt and then said - oh I've got something for you.

'Oh really'

'Yeah you don't have the first few issues of 2000ad do you.' - we've discussed our respective collections.

'No, not yet, one day'

'Right I'll just nip home to get something, don't go before I'm back.' Mr Moffatt lives on site so no problem.

Get the maruding herbert that is my son after a day in reception and as we're collecting his coat Mr Moffatt comes back and lo and behold hands me pretty damned decent copies of issues 3 and 4. A little taken aback I stammer that I can't possibly accept them for nowt. He smiles and explains that he's just taken all his duplicates to a charity shop and missed these and remembered I'd like them.

How cool is Mr Moffatt! Very bloody cool that's how cool. So yeah just racking my noggin now to think what I can exchange. I wonder if he'd like the 40th print I have sitting around doing nowt... maybe my copy of Underbelly I have on my too sell pile... I'll think of something.

Anyway Mr Moffatt doesn't hang round these parts - I don't think - but I just wanted you all to know what a ghafflebette squaxx he is.

*I think that's the correct collective noun for this gathering

Well while the print I've got from the 40th Bash is pretty lovely I'm not sure I'll put it up and was wondering what the other ones offered where and if anyone would like to do a swap? I got this one (with thanks to Geek Press for the image)



and was wondering if anyone fancied an exchange?

[Future Shock]

The Prog is just on blistering form. A fun and very effective Future Shock takes over from the weakest strip in the current run and that aside we're as you were really.

Dredd superb, Kingmaker supereme, The Order superdoper.

Kingdom get thrill of the week mind though, its such a GREAT thrill and this week shows that its still got twists and turns up its sleeve to suprise and delight. Just a great ending (to the episode).

Oh lovely cover to.

Really when the Prog is this good there's just not much to say here. Massive well done to all involved.

Hi folks,

Just testing as I'm shifting my images used here to Photobucket as previously I'd been perfectly happy using Google Photos but that's becoming increasingly difficult to post as an image here. So I'm just checking I can use Photobucket okay before my calendar entry later in the week.

If you can see the image below and fancy telling me its okay that'd be nice - otherwise nothing to see here.

[Dredd]

Another nice solid Prog. Dredd ends, shame it was so brief but its a good solid story, well told so no real complaints. Really enjoyed that one. Williams continues with another story next Prog joined by Mr Flint so ABSOLUTELY NO complaints.

Flesh continues to be a little light, but entertaining. Mr Mills seems to be setting up some more anti-science stuff but at least the shelves are filled this time.

Hunted shifts focus a little this week so we still await more from the Traitor General himself but its all fun.

Savage kicks up a gear with some clumsy foreshadowing (I'm predicting) from Mills, what will Nika do by the end of the story I wonder. Bill get a rebuke and some baddies to fight. Good fun all in all.

Counterfeit Girl continues to be brilliant and a little dazzling. Loving this.

So yeah all in all a very good Prog. Liking this new line-up, might not be perfect but its got a good variety to it.

Just stumbled across an interview with Matt Smith in Hollywood Report. So far, so nice little interview. Then I hit the last question and got...

I've already planned out the birthday issue — it'll be separate to the weekly, a 48-page special that'll come out 1 March alongside that week's prog. Characters and writers/artists are being assembled as we speak. Needless to say, I've got to make this one even better!

BONUS!

Edited to add linkie to article

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/2000-ad-celebrates-2000th-issue-931944

John Higgins has drawn some stamps commemorating the Great Fire of London. See more here.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-37247565

Well that happened.

I was already losing interest in CBR, the odd thing did come up and it was the home of a couple of great related Blogs like Comics Should be Good. They have however gone for a re-design and ... well... wow...

have a look see what you think.

http://www.cbr.com

Don't think we've seen this yet?

http://www.comicbookresources.com/article/exclusive-chris-burnham-homages-classic-2000-ad-cover-for-milestone-issue-judge-dredd

... with very Bleeding Cool click bait headline which you can take with apinch of salt.

http://www.bleedingcool.com/2016/07/29/judge-dredds-creator-john-wagner-plans-to-kill-him-offf-forever/

Well the tumbling pound post Bexit has hit the comics distribution monopoly of Diamond. My LMS has sent a message today detailing the pricr hike they are passing down.

A $2.99 comic will cost £2.65

A $3.99 comic will cost £3.45

Now I know Bexit will have far more important and damaging impact, but you know GULP!

Wow how did I miss this. ANYWAY sometimes the news is so good that simply putting it into 'Comics I'm excited about...' will not contain a nerdgasm of the seismic proportions that I'm heading to.

This is one such time.

Not only are we getting new Hookjaw (5 issue mini from Titan)...

Its by SI SPURRIER...

With art by the very lovely CONOR BOYLE once of these pastures, for whom I couldn't be happier.

How bloody excellent is that!

more here

http://downthetubes.net/?p=32648

[Dredd]

Well that rariest of treats a Friday Prog landing. Which will of course leave me feeling slightly out of sorts tomorrow BUT hey enjoy it while I can and well timed as I'm at home with the kids... who have for the last 20 minutes been told to do some drawing quietly in their rooms!

Anyway how are we doing, well okay, not too bad. Dredd sets up what might, might be the final showdown with PJ Maybe. After John Wagner's recent comments is it PJ he's offing? Maybe (see what I did there). Either way nice exciting recap and set up by JD's creative duo.

Brink continues to be by far the best thing anywhere right now (well outside of Lawless in the Meg! My Tharg's highs are highs at the moment) and this is a lovely action number, all atmosphere and timing.

As in the Meg the real high is acompanied by a low. Though to be fair Black Shuck looks like it might have been mightly fun this week. Just I've been left long behind with this one and no longer care. Re-read needed here.

Outlier continues to build nicely as the humans take the next step in what will no doubt be an ugly arms race.

Scarlet Traces is exposition done well and entertainly. With strong hints its going to offer up much soon. Very enjoyable.

With a nice advert for what looks like it could be a fun thrill 'Hope' coming soon its a fine Prog if not outstanding. All this and the weekend isn't even here!

[Outlier]

As the tagline suggests the Prog is indeed Standing Tall, behind a fine cover.

Okay so Black Shuck still looks great but is basically flailing its it hairy teethy story all over the place BUT that aside we're in a happy place.

I'm surprised and happy to have Outlier back and this well realised set-up episode does a very effective job of getting us up to speed and setting up some new threads to explore.

Scarlet Traces continues to be a wonderful read, and okay even if the plucky chap standing up to bullies bit is a little tired its very well done and scripted superbly. Blink is almost flawless - this is perfect thrillery.

Highlight though is Dredd which manages to somehow wrap things up in a very satisfying way in just 6 pages. Suitable ending to a fantastic storyline I can't wait to re-read whenever I get around to that. Brilliant stuff - which it has to be to beat Brink!

Great Prog.

Well I ordered Monster recently as I'd been looking forward to it coming out for a while.

Well I ordered Monster a while back as soon as it was listed as I was excited about it coming out.

Can you see how if you applied those two statements to one individual, they'd not only be a numbnut BUT also the less than proud owner of two copies of Monster.

So why don't you profit from e being a numbnut and buy my extra copy for a tenner (inc postage in the UK). If you don't have it you should. If you do have it maybe you want two copies... I don't!

[Scarlet Traces]

At least I think that's what the tagline says - the font ain't all that clear.

Anyhoo inside we have 3 winners and 2 losers, can you guess which is which?

Well to be fair one winner is just a solid intriging start, nice and exposing plenty of potential but Scarlet Traces is scene setting. Mind having read the previous stuff I'm confident we have exciting things to look forward to.

Lets get the losers out the way. Black Shuck is just unfolding, or rather unravelling in front of me now. I've completely lost it, the strip means nowt to me. Here's hoping re-read serves it better than episode as i have the feeling once you get past the beards there's something to enjoy here.

Slaine's up and down run ends with a solid downer. I mean jez after a great episode last week which crushed Slaine and left him a broken and shattered man ready to be mauled what we get this week essentially boiled down to (and I do hate using spoiler tags in a spoiler section but... We [spoiler]won[/spoiler], it [spoiler]ran fast.[/spoiler] Oh [spoiler]brill[/spoiler] I feel better and can [spoiler]go back[/spoiler] to my [spoiler]miracle bowing shooting.[/spoiler].. elsewhere... oh [spoiler]poo we lost [/spoiler]BUT I have [spoiler]another army to throw at[/spoiler] Slaine. Isn't that exciting... well to be honest if it was for the promise of more glorious Simon Davis art no it wouldn't be at all.

Still we have two winners. I loved Tordelback's observation of we're at the cliche Dredd put the gang together phase of the mega epic. But cliche or not its working a treat.

Brink continues to be an absolute master class, all be it with a sci-fi cliche of its own with the shot the gravity off trick. Again don't care I ADORE this brilliant strip and I'm really intrigued about the 'good guys' plot and where that might take things.

So 3 winner 2 losers a middling Prog then.

... am I imaging this or has this become sticky? Or has it always been sticky and for some reason its never stood out to me and I've just 'noticed' it now???