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Yep Sheffield is still prog shy, but I think that's more to do with an apparently massive back log in at the Post Office?

While I might not entirely agree with the review, I quite like chunks of Ennis Dredd and am certainly a fan of Dean Ormston, they are always a pleasure to read. Great stuff as ever Mr Goggins.

Wow while the previous Mega City Masters covers might have divided opinion that's one I think we can all get behind. Bloody brilliant, that and Leigh Gallagher's Death over at Pete Well's thread we're getting quite a few threats tonight.

That's such a perfect choice for Mr Gallagher and one of the few things that makes me thing "hmmmm maybe Death coming back could be a good thing?"

I mean really a proper horror Death story draw like that, man that'd be something to see.

On reading the comic at the time, I think my rule was that if there was one decent strip, it was worth sticking with. Invariably, that happened, mostly due to John Smith. I think had he not been contributing to the Prog around that time, I'd have ditched it.

I concur wholeheartedly. It probably doesn't get said often enough, but John Smith absolutely carried the prog through its darkest days. Slaughterbowl, Firekind, Revere and Tyranny Rex were like shining beacons of thrill-power in the abyss.

Yeah while he didn't exclusively write the good stuff during that period he certainly wrote good proportion of it and an even bigger proportion of the brilliant stuff.

Welcome aboard and have fun.

If you have up to issues 200ish you have a fantastic chance to do some wonderful reading catching up with the other 1500+ Progs!

I think at £67 someone's got themselves a pretty good deal there.

Wow well having read the blog entry all I can say is one man's turkey is another man's lovely X-Mas diner. WEven the one's you rejected look great Dunk can't wait for the finished piece. 

Excellent stuff. The exciting thing there is quite how much stuff is being released in America next year. A really positive sign that things are going well with the S&S releases?

Thanks for all the time and effort you put into doing these Bluemeanie and to Keith as well.

You know what I've just re-read Necrophim and while I thought it was ok first time out on a re-read I loved it. It'll never be a classic but its fun and a good interesting setting for 2000ad. Looking forward to having this one back and I hope completed.

Wow this is all news to me. But how much do I lve those ape gang figures. Now I've not bought a lead figure in an age but this might just change that... my wife she'll kill me...

Where else would these two seemingly opposing classics sit so naturally side by side? This my friends is why we read the Galaxies Greatest.

Bold opening statements aside these two are fantastic for such utterly different reasons, and yet share a bit in common too, aside from the fact I've just read them back to back. Zombo is so wonderfully comic and enjoys very minute of its story, yet managers to be chilling at the same time. Cradlegrave is altogether darker and more menacing, a truly well crafted horror story, that chills right to the bone. While it leaves little room for humour it retains a wonderful satire in it's reflections of the all too real world in which its set. Zombo's satire is on the whole more tongue in cheek but still just as effective.

The biggest piece of common ground however is that they both have characters you dive into and get absorbed by. Both stories portray 'monsters' in such a way as to make them engaging, likeable, while still a little scary. I say 'monsters' as while Zombo is a glorious classic monster surely its Cradlegrave's chiv that the media would have us believe are the plague that's taking over society. John Smith deserves great credit for giving such a frightening vivid representation of scally's and no marks as real people trapped into a world that drives them 'astray'.

The art on both is superb and so utterly appropriate to the story it depicts. I've gushed over Henry Flint's art in the past and in Zombo its as good as ever he truly is the Galaxies Greatest. Edward Bagwell's art is just brilliant, expressive and mundane, graphic and chilling in equal measure. Both strips are a joy on the eye.

If you didn't enjoy Cradlegrave first time out I can't stress enough that you should read it in one go. I loved it when I read it episodically but read as one the glory of its pacing and the tension it creates is brought all the more into focus. Cradlegrave is up there with Smith's finest works and really deserves a second go if you didn't enjoy it first time round.

Zombo seems to be that rarest of things a strip that unifies 2000ad fans in rejoicing in its splendour, no more than it deserves.

Ebony and Ivory sit together in perfect harmony!

"The Turdis".

GENIUS!

That's absolutely great Mygrimmbrother

Any news of this appearing on regular telly (in the UK) at any point? I've scanned the thread but can't see owt. I'd love to see it but only have Freeview. Oh hum guess I'll have to wait for the DVD release.