Week 4 has the full range of ties. From probably one of the most one sided match-ups we will see this round... and when I say probably, I mean definitely. To a couple of absolute stinkers. There is as you might imagine plenty in between as well.
No let up in the tough end to the week as the final tie this time brings us another possible nail biter. I would have Dante down as a possible semi-final thrill so it will have to learn to deal with ties like this, a step up from Age of the Wolf last round. If Cabs was to progress it would be developing a right ol' head of steam having already put out Al's Baby. It gets through here and it must surely be a contender of the later rounds?
Nikolai Dante - more info (http://www.2000ad.org/?zone=thrill&page=profiles&choice=nikolai)
Vs
Caballistics Inc - more info (http://www.2000ad.org/index.php3?zone=thrill&page=profiles&choice=CABALLIS)
Just reply in this thread naming your favourite thrill of these two series at the beginning of your post (or use Bold tags so I can spot it easily) and say what you like about these wonderful stories after that.
Match ends early on the morning of Sunday 5th June and the winner gets a place in Round 4 (of 9!!!).
What on Earth is ALL of this? (https://forums.2000ad.com/index.php?topic=48011.0)
For those that need 'um and can be bothered to follow 'um there's some simple rules (https://forums.2000ad.com/index.php?topic=48011.msg1070150#msg1070150)
Any questions, just ask as ever - and have FUN
Nikolai Dante
Nikolai dante
Nikolai Dante
Dante!
SBT
2 thrills I have recently re-read / am in the middle of a re-read of.
Caballistics definitely reads better like that, than as multiple series years apart. It's a good thrill, in the bracket below the top echelon.
But Dante is in that top echelon, albeit with three or four I'd put above it.
Because he's too cool to kill: Nikolai Dante.
I'm sure I'll be happily voting for Dante in later rounds but caballistics is damm near top of my post-Prog 500 greats list. Dom is such a unique artist and the characters so strong, including old Harry himself. All time top thrill.
Caballistics is great but Dante had such an energy to him from the off, like nothing before in the prog I don't think. And such an arc, the wildly differing styles of Burns and Fraser completing each other. Sorry Gordon and Dom but it has to be Nikolai Dante at this stage.
Nikolai Dante. Couldn't stand him at first either, whereas I enjoyed Cabs from the off, but Dante grew and grew into one of the top tier. Reread the whole series for the first time ever last year having collected all the UC editions and it was as good as I'd hoped.
Nikolai Dante
Cabs was pretty great, but Nikolai Dante is among very top tier 2000 AD. So the Russian gets it. So to speak.
Nooo! Two of my all time top 10! This is cruel. Dante probably edges it with its glorious narrative arc packaged into discrete acts. Hell, even the pirate stuff was good when I read it as a oner rather than the initial 5 year slog.
But I deeply love Cabs, which is always unafraid of being nasty and shocking (poor Dr Brand!). Dante's going to win this round, so I'm going to give my vote to:
Caballistics Inc
Tough call.
Dante
nikolai dante
Nikolai Dante. I would still like an Omnibus collection so I can find and read it all.
Nikolai Dante please, Bob.
There are those thrills that are so epic that they help define the comic. Nemesis, Dredd, Rogue, Slaine, Dante...
Cabs was a great thrill, but by its very nature it usurped the idea of a central hero character - so even it were more prolific, it probably wouldn't make the list.
Mostly a consolation vote at this point, but chalk another one up for Caballistics, Inc. It's not 'better' than Nikolai Dante, but it always fired me up when in the Prog, and it's better than Absalom + Diaboliks, deserves more love!
2 great stories both drawn by top art droids. it's a shame to have to loose either of them. Dom Reardon's art on Cabs is the perfect fit for it's dark moody atmosphere and I love a good horror story. But despite that I'm going to have to vote Dante. It's a truly epic tale with gorgeous art from Burns and Fraser, it's going to be a tough one to beat in this competition.
I really enjoyed Caballistics Inc, but will have to go with the epic Adventures of Nikolai Dante for this one.
Quote from: Rogue Judge on 02 June, 2022, 02:22:39 PM
Nikolai Dante. I would still like an Omnibus collection so I can find and read it all.
An omnibus would be absolutely massive. All of it is available individually though. I bought the whole lot in a digital sale last year and am part way through my re-read. I'm waiting for Simon Fraser and Edie Nugent to resume their podcast, but I'm not sure when (if?) that will be.
Coming out of lurk mode for this one...
I really want to choose Caballistics here. It's right up my street, and pays all the right homages to all the right properties. Dom Reardon can do no wrong, and Gordon Rennie is clearly passionate about the entire project.
But then it just kinda... fizzled out. Tharg, for some unfathomable reason, commissioned a Cabs novel from a different writer, and Gordon appears to have lost his steam for it from that point on (read his blurb in the complete edition for more on that).
So, if Cabs had continued then I'd be voting for that!
But it didn't. And Nikolai Dante has one of the greatest completed runs in the progs history, for reasons already noted in this thread.
So I have to vote for Nikolai Dante. Even though I kinda love Cabs a bit more.
Just as Nemesis sent out a warning to the other favourites this morning so Nikolai Dante seems to be doing the same here. Putting down a brilliant thrill with apparent ease. We'll now how much of a statement this is tomorrow morning.
Cabs for me by a mile. Reardon's art is to die for and the multiple Cabs spin offs are testament to its strength as a world. Dante's good, don't get me wrong, it's just not up there with Cabs for me, I'm afraid.
Dante for me too. Didn't like him at first, the smug little shit, but he grew on me when the war started.
VOTING CLOSED
Another real statement here from one of the tourney favourites... or is it. I have three in mind that could win this and Dante and a couple of others nipping at the heals of those... but results like this make you wonder. I mean Dante is my all time fav so who knows. We can't leave here without talking about Cabs however an absolutely wonderful thrill, possible weaken by that daggling 'ending' that haunted it for years. That said its given us two popular and grimly wonderful spins offs and has put that undead ending to bed so it certainly deserved better than a 3rd round exit.... we don't always get what we deserve however and
Nikolai Dante
will be buckling that swash in Round 4.
A belated, non-eligible vote for Caballistics Inc., one of my favourite ever thrills.
And a belated Dante one from me - I hated the smug, snide little prick at first, until the war popped his balloon a bit and made him a lot more likeable.
Cabs
Nick was great when he started but and the art was fabby, however Caballistics Inc is the gift that keeps giving
Wow even with the vote over Cabs is pulling back! I'm very tempted to add these to the final score as the gap is large so nowt will change but this gives a nice reflection of the respect Cabs is held in... even if some fu*kers can't be assed to give it its full name and are lazy enough to just type Cabs!
Can I then change my vote from Nikolai Dante to just Nik?
Quote from: broodblik on 08 June, 2022, 12:24:18 PM
Can I then change my vote from Nikolai Dante to just Nik?
or ND to his friends.