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Messages - Rook

#1
Got mine today - it's a beautiful book, so much nicer than the old trade I originally read "America" and "The Fading of the Light" in years ago.
#2
That's a great description - I'm even more excited for this now. It seems they've begun to arrive, so hopefully mine will come this week.
#4
First post in a long time!

I've subscribed to this; or at least I think I have. I've had no confirmation email, which is slightly concerning (although perhaps they're having a lot of demand, but even then I'd expect something automatic). I'm really excited to see what these books are like, though. I was originally collecting the Case Files but I think these are a much better option for me.
#5
Links / Re: [Self-Pimp] My Comics Writing
27 January, 2011, 05:51:14 PM
I've done another British Invasion blog, this time about Garth Ennis' "Muzak Killer" Dredd stories and The X Factor...
#6
Prog / Re: Prog 1718 - Escape from Devil's Island!
27 January, 2011, 05:42:49 PM
I love the cover. Karl Richardson is already a big favourite of mine and I personally think this is one of the best covers of the year so far.

Dredd is a great little starter, both in the writing and art departments, although I'm not sure how I feel about the rather muted colours. I enjoyed the dialogue between Dredd and Conway, and it's great to see Devil's Island make an appearance, having just finished reading Case Files 01.

I'm still waiting for Shakara to really coalesce into what feels like a real story, which I think it's about to do. Enjoying it though...

As for Tiberius McFopp and the Blues Brothers, this continues to pass me by. The colour scheme or lack thereof is genuinely annoying me now, it just detracts from the already slight story.

Necrophim continues to be in the prog.

Conversely Kingdom continues to make a welcome break from the previous two thrills to finish the issue, and this is another great instalment, a nice balance between present tense events and flashbacks. The art is still wonderful, and it's getting a bit more wordy lately isn't it?
#7
Prog / Re: Prog 1717 - Dognapped!
20 January, 2011, 12:11:18 AM
My two creds:

Cover: Ace, and the best of the year so far.

Dredd: I'm intrigued that people feel this is the best of Mike's stories so far as for me I actually find it's the weakest. It's not a bad script by any stretch of the imagination - it's good - but I can't help but feel that the art lets it down significantly, to be honest. Dangerously lacking in detail where last prog's story was bursting with it.

Shakara: I'm getting eager for this to really kick off now, but it seems that it will do very soon, fortunately. It still looks fantastic though, even if this part - to my mind - doesn't quite equal the first few in the script department.

To be honest there's very little I can think of to say about either Ampney Crucis or Necrophim. As a few people have said, they just don't do it for me on any level, really. In the former case, why a chap's duplicate head is jutting out of his own crotch on the first page I just can't imagine, what what, etc. No wonder he looks horrified.

Kingdom: Still great, and I'm still completely with it despite never having read any before, which I think is a testament to how well a low-on-dialogue script can work. The robots are just the icing on the cake of what remains a surfeit of joys as far as the wonderful art is concerned.
#8
Links / [Self-Pimp] My Comics Writing
15 January, 2011, 12:24:00 PM
Howdy,

This is one of my first ventures outside of the prog-reviewing threads, so please forgive a bit of shameless self-promotion on my part. I've been writing about music and games for a few years now, but late last year I started tentatively moving into the comics criticism sphere - thought a few of you might be interested in the stuff I've done so far. I'll no doubt post up new stuff as it's done. I have a (hopefully) regular blog at PopMatters called "British Invasion" which as you might expect is going to feature a lot of 2000 AD-related musings.

First off, I did a feature on "Bloody Mary", the series Garth Ennis and Carlos Ezquerra did for Helix back in the late 90s.

Recently I've reviewed a new Zorro comic from the new Australian indie publisher Silver Fox comics. I commented that the art is rather Leigh Gallagher-esque to me...

And here's British Invasion #1: it's a quick introduction to the wave of British creators who made waves in the States in the 80s, and has an introduction to the British comics scene now, too. #2 is going to be about the "Muzak Killer" Dredd stories from the 90s... and how they connect to The X Factor!

Would love it if you had a peep, any thoughts would be appreciated, and there's more coming soon!
#9
Prog / Re: Prog 1716 - Ampney Crucis Investigates...
13 January, 2011, 02:21:34 PM
Another great prog - I really enjoyed this.

Dredd: I like Mike Carroll's last story, but this beats it by a country mile - probably the best Dredd one-off since I've been reading the prog. Very slick, plenty of twists to keep us guessing, and an amusing basic idea. The art is amazing too, right up there with Karl Richardson and Patrick Goddard.

Shakara: As a first time reader I'm finding this a little... alienating, because in the first three episodes almost nothing has recurred or begun to crystalize into anything that makes any sense to me. But I'm confident it will, and I've got to credit the imagination of it.

Ampney Crucis: I'm still finding that this leaves me a bit cold... it feels a tad hackneyed to me and the murder mystery scenario is not something which appeals, personally.

Necrophim: I really like the art and the writing, but the grand sweep of the narrative evades me. Ah the perils of being new to 2000 AD!

Kingdom: After Dredd, my second favourite thing in the prog and a great close to it. At first glance this might seem to be all art and little writing, but whilst the Elson/Ryder combo is phenomenal, credit is surely due to Dan Abnett for giving them what they have to work with. A wonderfully ominous last panel - looking forward to seeing how this pans out.
#10
Prog / Re: Prog 1715 - Shakara Rises
06 January, 2011, 11:39:28 PM
Hello everyone, seems a while since I've posted - must keep an eye on this forum more.

Dredd: Really enjoyed this - felt more like a serious self-contained Dredd than anything I've seen since I've been reading the prog (ie, since 1705). Really interesting to read this and then to read the interview with Mike, especially as someone who has just had a first stab at writing a comic script. The only thing I'd ask is, does anyone else feel a bit baffled by the first panel on the second page? I just can't tell what's going on there. Maybe it's just me it looks somehow - mashed up.

Shakara: Obviously this and Prog 2011 are the only experiences of the series I have to go on, and while I'm not hugely fond of the alien designs the art is lovely, the paneling is interesting and I think I'm going to like it.

Ampney Crucis: Not particularly fond of this on the (admittedly slight) basis of the first two parts. I have liked everything I've read by Ian Edginton though, so I'm hopeful that I'll get into it. I like Simon Davis' art except I must admit I find the colouring really distracting.

Necrophim: Clearly this is one of those series which demands a lot of foreknowledge which I don't have, so I have little to no idea what's going on. Deliciously bleak art, though. I also loved Astaroth's dialogue on page 3.

Kingdom: I was intrigued by this in Prog 2011 and I still am; it being light on dialogue works well, I think, and the art - the colouring especially - can't be faulted from where I'm sprawled.

A good prog - excited for 2011, my first full year - and it will be a full year - of 2000 AD readership...!

#11
Prog / Re: Prog 1712 - Vote Tanenbaum
24 November, 2010, 11:10:29 PM
Thought this was a really good prog.

Cover: This was maybe the weak link, actually. A nicely executed image of a relatively dull subject, as various people have commented.

Dredd: I fall into the camp of people who don't like this art by McCarthy. It got better as it went along, actually, but I thought the first page was incredibly garish and my first reaction was "eww". Dredd looks really, really youthful too I thought. A good script, mind - nice to see some involvement of Wally Squad.

SinDex: Continues to be great. I love the way Abnett uses even the most basic of introductory text boxes in such an interesting, engaging way. The only slightly jarring thing was how muscular/boney the "slapdancers" were in the first panel...

Future Shocks: Probably better than the last two of these. Yeowell's art seemed a little basic, but the gags were good and it wasn't as annoying as you might expect to have another food-based thrill following so hot on the heels of a Dredd two-parter with a similar theme.

Slaine: A pretty insubstantial end to a pretty unsubstantial story, I thought. The deranged priests were brilliant, though.

Dandridge: Continuing to improve week on week, turning into a great little yarn. Initially misinterpreted the exhaust on the last page for a shotgun blast out of nowhere!
#12
Prog / Re: Prog 1711 - Justice is Served
24 November, 2010, 10:47:29 PM
Having just read prog 1712 I realised I haven't offered my thoughts on 1711 yet, so I'll do that briefly...

Cover: Really like this - especially the colours. The weird foods become more like a pattern than an actual image.

Dredd: Thought this concluding part was quite a bit better than the first, which was pleasing. Still not a great Dredd though, and I'm still unimpressed by the art.

Sinister Dexter: Just continues to be great - exposition-y, but still a thoroughly enjoyable read. Got to love Charon.

Future Shocks: Well this was really, really convoluted. I sort of liked the basic idea, and the art was nice in a fairly old-fashioned way, but it didn't quite hang together as well as you might hope.

Slaine: Continues to be pretty inconsequential stuff, albeit pretty enough.

Dandridge: Picked up a lot after the barely understandable first episode - love the art, and generally the whole thing is starting to become a real pleasure.

Best thrill? SinDex, followed by Dandridge.
#13
Prog / Re: Prog 1710 - Slaine The Exorcist.
10 November, 2010, 03:01:21 PM
Well... I feel that this is a really weak prog, the weakest I've read so far, anyway. If I'd started with this prog (instead of 1705) I doubt I'd have continued buying.

Cover: Maybe the best thing about the prog - nice to have it wrap around, and it's probably my favourite cover since that of 1705.

Dredd: Thought this was pretty incoherent, bordering on nonsensical really. I have very little idea what's actually going on, and I'm not fond of the art either. One or two nie touches save it to a certain extent; like the reflection on Dredd's helmet on the penultimate panel.

Sinister Dexter: I liked this a lot. It wasn't as funny as part 1 and not a great deal seems to be happening, but the art is great, there are still some good gags and whilst I've no idea who Charon is I'm intrigued.

Future Shocks: More or less totally baffled by this. Seemed to be dealing with concepts vastly too complex to handle satisfactorily in four pages. Seems like a fairly good idea, but I think it needed to be twice as long to comfortably tell its story properly. Kudos for the Led Zep bit though...!

Slaine: Not a huge amount is happening, but the art is wonderful and things seem to be getting a bit more intriguing at the end of this second part.

Dandridge: Having not come across Dandridge before I was completely lost up until the last page, which admittedly was a great nod to the start of The Sandman. I hope this becomes understandable later...

A pretty alienating prog to be honest. Best thing for me was SinDex, but everything apart from that and Slaine was a disappointment.
#14
Prog / Re: Prog 1709 - Angel of Death
03 November, 2010, 05:41:42 PM
Wow - I absolutely loved this prog. Best of the five I've read so far. Amazing cover - hadn't seen anything by Gallagher in colour before but it's quite a sight to behold.

Dredd: Fantastic story, I thought. Feels packed for a one-shot, both in terms of what happens but also in terms of the sheer number of themes it picks up on - very intelligently written, and keeps you guessing. Underwater action was very effective, and reminded me of classic Bond flicks.

Defoe: Lots of characters popping up that I know nothing about, but some decent action and a neat conclusion. Not as good as the last couple of episodes, maybe, but very enjoyable.

Sinister Dexter: I'd never read any of this before but I loved this first episode - the gags genuinely had me laughing out loud, especially the last page. Actually on that page two things were funny; the gags, and the fact that some of Steampunk Willy's muzzle flash was dangling between his own legs in the previous panel - ho ho.

Slaine: Never read any of this before either, but the art definitely sets it apart from most other things in the prog. Will be interested to see where this goes.

Low Life: An action-packed, funny end to a series which has sucked me in despite the fact that I missed its entire first half. Says it all really.
#15
Prog / Re: Prog 1708 - Master of Mayhem
27 October, 2010, 08:42:11 PM
I really liked this prog, actually. I'm excited for Sinister Dexter and Slaine next week; I've never read any of either.

Dredd: I think this is pretty effective, although the amount of repetition in the art is a major negative point. I found the fact that each page was essentially a giant panel with five smaller panels on top was really quite an interesting choice, aesthetically speaking... also the constrained setting seemed like a good way to use up six pages concisely.

Defoe: Great - a good follow up to last week's exciting episode. Good cliffhanger, too.

Dante: Was surprised to see this end today; thought it would be longer than four episodes, for some reason. A pretty underwhelming end to a pretty underwhelming story, I personally thought.

Low Life: Just ace. Plenty of action, intrigue and really superb art by D'Israeli - I thought that the closeups on the third page were particularly good. Do we know how many parts this is going to run to?

Age of the Wolf: As ever the art is lovely but I found this a pretty underwhelming end to a series which, coming in late, I never really "got" in the first place. Nice to read the extra information on the back page, mind.