Eye catching Intestinauts cover by Pye Parr. I love the designs of these plucky little Gut-Scrubbers.
There's a Droid Life and Tharg touts the next Regened Prog - 2233, featuring Pandora Perfect. I liked the first one-off, it was a fun tale.
Dredd - A Penitent Man, Part 6. Final episode in what has been a very good run. Things end in a way I wasn't expecting and it looks like we'll be seeing more of Kyle in the future. Maybe this is all leading to a The Pit style Mega-Epic with Dredd doing a stint in the SJS to root out some of the shit. I'm probably wrong.
Thistlebone - Poisoned Roots, Part 10. I love this strip but for those who are finding it a bit slow this episode ramps it up a touch. Malcom and Seema meet for a drink and things take a bit of a turn. I'm wondering if Seema allowed herself to get captured and her friend who was coming to pick her up is actually following them from a safe distance. I'm probably wrong.
Deadworld - Transpolar, Part 2. Again, I was surprised by how this ended. Not only was it fairly optimistic but it looks like Death and Co. have a surprise coming.
"It's raining Nukes. Hallelujah - It's raining Nukes... You Pukes!" I dare say it'll all end in tears. This strip is pure Gold!
Tharg's 3riiler - Symbiotic Love Triangle. The Intestinauts return and things are a bit different as one of them seems to be heading out to the wider world. With a little help from his friend... This is a fun opener and acts as a good counter-point to the darker strips in the Prog.
Feral and Foe II, Part 7. Another great episode. Krod continues to steal the show until the end when the others seem to have come to grips with their bodies. The WoodGod Emissary is a sight to behold!
There's a Letters page.
Outstanding Prog!
Cheers
Cover by Pye Parr :
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E0IacOYXEAQs3KT?format=jpg&name=large)
Cover and Logo:
(https://dyn.media.forbiddenplanet.com/AfBZqfmmkU8fLCOSIGO_UKUfCH8=/trim/fit-in/779x1024/filters:format(webp)/https://media.forbiddenplanet.com/products/0e/fc/2b5b2e227c6bac09d5e8e2daf0bd97f5a3e6.jpeg)
Aw man :o
Pye Parr is definitely one of Tharg's droids to keep an eye on. That cover is jaw-droppingly good!
Cover 2230: cracking piece of art, however that being said, it would have been better employed as a re-gened cover.
A cunning way to corrupt young fresh mind's to the greatness that is 2000ad.
A real goody prog, enjoying the ride
Dredd – Luckily my initial disappointment was sort lived as Niemand delivers a stellar ending. We have now two paths to explore: the fall of the SJS and what is our Penitent Man's real plan.
Thistlebone – The story picks up in its pace and ends with an interesting cliff-hanger. One thing I want to add about Thistlebone is that over the last few weeks and even running over from the previous series we still do not know if Thistlebone is real or not maybe it will be revealed the next two instalments.
Visions – Not as dark and twisted as previous incarnations but still enough core and blood to keep the average Halloweener graving for me. This round it looks like it is at least a point for team good. Keep score its like team evil gazillion and team good two.
Intestinauts – Good to see the nano units back in action. We have a new player in this round so let us see have our little friends handle the action.
Feral & Foe – Disaster averted, friends happily united (almost) and off we go to the next phase of the misadventure. Great read, enjoying this and may it continue.
Thistlebone is Star Baker for me this week. Malcolm's web is wider than we suspected (except Wednesday) and his face here is some of the best character work we've ever seen in the Prog. The pattern of shadows from the leaded window on Seema's face echoes the wicker cages of previous weeks, but when she is injected, the cage is gone... An involving treat.
Not far behind is a hugely enthusiastic Intestinauts, looking even more lurid and visceral than before, and given fibre by typically superb design and typography, plus and an unexpected guest peanut in Venom. Now if I were Joko-Jargo this scatological romp would be where I'd set out my stall: all kids love poo and robots (exhibit A: Ro-Jaws), and here's an interesting SF world being built from the, errr, bottom up.
I found Dredd very frustrating. Fine, there's more to Asher than meets the eye, but seriously, Buell can't investigate a conspiracy in the SJS because Copper made a confession? No interrogation whatsoever if you take the fall? Let's reflect on the SJS's glorious history, shall we? Cal. McGruder. Pin. Maybe taking a bent judge's word that there's no secret plot isn't such a great approach to organisational reform. Beyond that, a good run lifted by terrific work from Foster.
Feral & Foe is glorious fun, but when did Bode and Wraith become such caring chums?
Deadworld does its excellent thing, but I thought the corny dialogue in the final panels delivered a weak ending to a strong story.
Quote(except Wednesday)
This auto-correct is so arcane I can't even work out what it was supposed to be.
GIVE US AN EDITING WINDOW, PLEASE.
Quote from: TordelBack on 05 May, 2021, 08:30:06 AM
This auto-correct is so arcane I can't even work out what it was supposed to be.
Half day closing, obvs. You know what these rural towns are like.
Tordelback beat me to it, - this Dredd has been great if you imagine it happening in 2101, but totally agree the ending was a nonsense - it's even brought up on the first page that the SJS interrogation is a thing of horror, but Copper just confesses and despite them pretty much knowing there's a wider conspiracy, they arent going to do anyhting to get the real story?
I don't think the final panel was designed to say Asher has any other motive than fixing what he did wrong, Brodblik? Much prefer that to be the case.
Quote from: Leigh S on 05 May, 2021, 09:13:34 AM
they arent going to do anyhting to get the real story?
Given that this story clearly isn't
entirely done, I have no problem inferring that Dredd and Buell may have decided that
now is not the time for
this fight. If that doesn't turn out to be the case, I think the criticism is fair, but I'm happy to reserve judgement* for now.
*You see what I did there?
Quote from: Leigh S on 05 May, 2021, 09:13:34 AM
I don't think the final panel was designed to say Asher has any other motive than fixing what he did wrong, Brodblik? Much prefer that to be the case.
That last panel can imply multiple possibilities, "fixing the wrong he did", revenge or just to get out of the dump of a job he had. Lets see what the future holds
The last panel clearly implies a motive.
He now has "the chance to make good on what he came back here to do."
So he came back from Titan to do something. Now the SJS welcome wagon is out his hear, he has the chance to do it.
Hair, not hear.
Quote from: Jim_Campbell on 05 May, 2021, 09:22:47 AM
Given that this story clearly isn't entirely done, I have no problem inferring that Dredd and Buell may have decided that now is not the time for this fight.
Jim makes a very fair point, but my frustration is that the way into this conspiracy is right there in the person of Copper but instead of being derailed by a clever blocking move by the SJS, the opening just gets ignored seemingly in the cause of leaving a dangling thread. I can see that this drab post-Garcia Buell has almost given up, but given that Dredd has just recently survived the attentions of a rogue SJS judge that saw his ex-SJS buddy killed, I'd think he might push harder.
Every now and again I'd like a story that
happens, rather than one that may or may not hint at future events. Penitent Man was 6 parts, and was well written and drawn throughout - perhaps it could have been a weighty piece in its own right, instead of just an enjoyable one.
None of this is to say that I don't look forward to the future adventures of Asher, and what it is he is really up to. That part works fine for me.
Hopefully we can revisit the SJS thread and get a resolution to the fact that "SJS can do anything at any time".
Quote from: The Enigmatic Dr X on 05 May, 2021, 09:59:43 AM
The last panel clearly implies a motive.
He now has "the chance to make good on what he came back here to do."
So he came back from Titan to do something. Now the SJS welcome wagon is out his hear, he has the chance to do it.
He wants to serve the city and work for the city again - which is why Dredd sorts him that job at the end.
Quote from: Leigh S on 05 May, 2021, 09:13:34 AMCopper just confesses and despite them pretty much knowing there's a wider conspiracy, they aren't going to do anything to get the real story?
Not even difficult to start the investigation. All they need to do is requisition SJS internal comm recordings (I'm looking at you, Roffman) for the three or four days prior to the showdown and they get Copper involving Kerubo over the radio and Kerubo delivering the line 'Okay people, we have a welcome wagon op rapidly going south on us...'
Plus you have the syringe the rookie is taking to the lab....all of which makes me think this is just the beginning of a wider 'something rotten in the state of SJS HQ' story.
I loved how Thistlebone starts with Malcolm saying, [spoiler]"Glad you could join me, I think you have the wrong idea about me" before he goes on to explain we had the EXACT right idea about him![/spoiler] Nice subversion of what I expected to be [spoiler]him making himself out to be the victim of everything[/spoiler]
Unlike a television show about police corruption I could mention, I thought Dredd landed the ending of A Penitent Man rather nicely.
My first reading of Penitent Man was also that Asher had come back to serve the city / make a difference and that he was now all sorted, but Mrs. Boots immediately said "So what is he really up to then?"
I think / hope we'll see Asher again.
Kudos to whoever came up with the "Bowel loosening" tag line on the cover. Genius, to tie in so well with the strip.
my kingdom for an intestinauts animated series...
QuoteSo he came back from Titan to do something.
In episode one he says "I swore an oath to serve this city. I still want to do that... even if it means spending the day wading through toxic sludge."
Not every character in fiction has to be on a mysterious quest or a rampage of revenge.
He might show up again one day, but he's just a Resyk driver.
Quite.
We know what he came back to do - we were shown in the previous episode - he is sending money to the daughter of the man he killed - he wants to make up for his past wrongs... the clue is in the title surely?
Quote from: Richard on 05 May, 2021, 03:37:49 PM
QuoteSo he came back from Titan to do something.
In episode one he says "I swore an oath to serve this city. I still want to do that... even if it means spending the day wading through toxic sludge."
Not every character in fiction has to be on a mysterious quest or a rampage of revenge.
He might show up again one day, but he's just a Resyk driver.
Quote from: Leigh S on 05 May, 2021, 04:18:12 PM
Quite.
We know what he came back to do - we were shown in the previous episode - he is sending money to the daughter of the man he killed - he wants to make up for his past wrongs... the clue is in the title surely?
The circumstances of the killing have also been left hazy, so there may be more to it than we're currently led to believe.
Quote from: Leigh S on 05 May, 2021, 04:18:12 PM
We know what he came back to do - we were shown in the previous episode - he is sending money to the daughter of the man he killed - he wants to make up for his past wrongs... the clue is in the title surely?
Also the perfect cover for a darker scheme. 20 years of hell to plot: work a shite job, send money to the daughter establishing shingles a pure motive, get on Dredd's good side by drawing out the Welcome Wagon and dealing with the SJS precisely inside the boundaries of the law, and end up in the Auxiliaries positioning himself for... What?
Not every Niemand character can be an altruist, surely?
[spoiler]Shingles[/spoiler]
WTF?
My guess is that he is really [spoiler]PJ Maybe[/spoiler]
Why are they not investigating?
Clearly Copper is taking the fall for someone higher up and even Dredd and Buell aren't placed to take on the top of the SJS...yet
Kerubo is not really top of teh SJS though as far as I can tell - and on one page its "dont worry Dredd we will throoughly investigate" to the next page "no need, I did it all on my own Guvnor"... is that really how the Judges operate - they arent so gullible as to accept that at face value.
I'm not against the whole investigation being shut down and Dredd locked out of it precisely because he doesnt ahve the power to do anything else, but this just felt off.
Still, it's a good tale all round, and at least it's got us debating, which is a feat in and of itelf!
(Asher is clearly [spoiler]PJ Maybe[/spoiler] though, it becomes clearer every second!
Maybe Niemand is working up to introducing Mega-city's own Super Hero team - The Altruistic 8!
All I can say is that I am sure we will see the Penitent Man back maybe as The Evil Genius maybe as A Man of constant Sorrow or just maybe Working 9 to 5
Quote from: Leigh S on 05 May, 2021, 06:45:28 PM
Maybe Niemand is working up to introducing Mega-city's own Super Hero team - The Altruistic 8!
The Do-Gruders
Curious prog this one.
Dredd - I really like Kenneth Niemand's work on Dredd, its hitting a pattern and tone that different, while not feeling jarring. The thing is its hitting a consistant tone and again we have a really nice Dredd, beautifully realised by Tom Foster that uses Dredd as the vehicle to tell someone else's story. That's great but this all needs to be mixed up a bit. We leave this with another character in the ever growing portfolio. There's nothing not to like and I've enjoyed this, just a littel cautious of what might be next and how that might stretch things.
I'd also like to see more of the SJS stuff, Niemand could do all that by having Dredd and Buell crack down on them, with Dredd driving the who thing. Smash these corrupt SJS stories one and for all and cleatrhouse. Let's see.
Thistlebone cranks it up and goes full speed towards it conclusion now. Is it all pizzen or is there something darker in the woods?
Visions of Deadworld - well these are meant to be fun stand alones that add depth. This one feels like a prologue of what's to come. Mind does the grim fun fine.
Intestanauts - we're meant to get the reference right? This is harmless and entertaining but I can't see it being more.
Feral and Foe smacks down on the action, keeps the funnier and seems to rev up for something more. This has been fun but I'd kinda like it to knuckle down and get to the meat of things now.
There was absolutely nothing wrong in the Prog but someone its all made me a little nervous about where these are all going for one reason or another. Still the next two Progs are going to tell us a lot.
Like Colin, this Prog didn't quite hit the highs of recent ones for me.
Dredd - I felt like this story just kind of finished. We don't get the fight, we don't really get much of a followup with the SJS and there's a nice little wrap up. I suppose a lot hinges on Asher and his motivations - my reading of this was that he wanted to return to serve the city and at the end he is doing so, therefore his story is resolved. Others have seen it as more of a 'now I can begin my real work' type ending and whilst I still lean towards the former, either could work.
My mild disappointment here came from expecting more from the story. Asher's story looked to be a fresh an interesting one but this story but was good but not great. I know that's a bit of a lame whinge really!
Also can I add to the plaudits for Tom Foster, he has been fantastic here.
A side note on Kenneth Niemand, I really like the way he tells the tale from the citizens viewpoints with Dredd not being the main character (and indeed often an antagonist) but agree with Colin that this does need to be mixed in with other stories.
Thistlebone Definitely picking it up a bit. Everyone mentions the pace every week, but the visual storytelling is where I think the tension is at - the red eyes appearing again (this time on the pub sign) and the imprint of the light on Seema's face calling back to the cage motifs throughout the story. Looks bad for Murray!
Deadworld - Sadly the dark judges turn out to be rubbish, especially the wolf judge who just gets beaten up by a bloke with a pipe, whilst the humans seem a bit flippant. It's all standard action fare this week and there's nothing wrong with it, but based on previous Deadworld stuff I expected better (and grimmer). As a setup for another Deadworld tale this is fine but felt like a step down from the horror of last week.
Intestinauts - Loved this. Packs a lot in, looks great - Pye Parr's grimy futuristic setting is well realised but it's all bright and cheerful all action excitement within that. Carnage and Venom references too, and is that WBA graffiti on the toilet door?
Feral and Foe Again I was kind of expecting a cleverer or funnier resolution to Wrath and Bode's plight than Krodgun smashing up Thistlebone bear with his axe - not as good as previous weeks, but this is still a fine episode and it looks so cool. I'd read a Shako reboot if Richard Elson drew it and the bear looked like this.
Writing it out I feel a birt churlish, but I just found this one a slight step down from previous weeks. That said, looking forward to the next installment of all these Thrills next week!
Infestinauts (and cover): Damn, those little botty-bots look great! Funny how a story about micro-mechanicals that operate up the fundament can be so ripe with possibilities. Looking forward to plenty more passage-pounding droid-on-'roid action.
Plus - 'prog-rock noodler'?! You need to bone up on your post-punk electronic bands, Tharg!
'A Penitent Man': I guess it's a case of 'justice reserved' for Kerubo and we'll be catching up in the hopefully not too distant. Weird how the drama of the stand-off was undercut by that panel of Kerubo actually whistling a cartoon quaver like something from the Beano.
Liked the terse dialogue. Helped the tension. Very Wagner. Very Styx.
Thistlebone: Possibly the most 'really needs to be read in collected form' 2000 AD strip ever. I got the window leading shadows on Seema's face thing but it might have helped if we'd actually seen some leading on the windows. Any ideas what "Ghuukdi... syh... pluh" might mean?
Deadworld: I thought it stuck the dismount pretty well, though those last couple of panels were a bit vague.
Feral & Foe: "Once a mercenary for hire... now a warrior in search of his soul!" Looking forward to the Krod spin-off.
I think the lines on Seema's face are from one of those lightbulbs-in-a-cage over the table. It's seen on page 1 and again on page 4, but it's not very obvious.
I did wonder if these were also sort of mirroring the blood on the face of Murray's assistant, but I think I might be reading too much in there!
Quote from: norton canes on 06 May, 2021, 10:35:51 AM
Any ideas what "Ghuukdi... syh... pluh" might mean?
I reckon this means "Help, I am being kidnapped by a cultist nutter"
Quote from: Barrington Boots on 06 May, 2021, 11:00:44 AM
Quote from: norton canes on 06 May, 2021, 10:35:51 AM
Any ideas what "Ghuukdi... syh... pluh" might mean?
I reckon this means "Help, I am being kidnapped by a cultist nutter"
Nope i think it means "Who is gonna water the plans now !?#%$"
Quote from: norton canes on 06 May, 2021, 10:35:51 AM
Any ideas what "Ghuukdi... syh... pluh" might mean?
In his house in Ghuukdi, great Pluh lies sleeping.
My Top 3 for Prog 2230 :)
1st - Thistlebone - ramps up the drama somewhat, [spoiler]prob best not to meet nut job cult peeps by yourself[/spoiler]
2nd - Intestinauts - great fun esp amongst the darker thrills in this prog
Solid top 2 for me this prog and 3rd could go to any of the other thrills but this time I've gone with
3rd - Visions of Deadworld - humes team up, Psi Wolf was cool like to see another one in another thrill