megazine 290

[Mike Gloady]

I think Tracer was one of the stories worked up for the proposed kiddie friendly companion title that was abandoned.  Not a gret idea, not a great story but could have become something interesting if it'd been given the chance. 

And once that proposed comic that was MEANT to house it was abandoned it was printed in one of the specials (thereby underlining that truism that specials are for reprint and substandard stuff you can't fit in anywhere else that you've already paid for).

[TordelBack]

... it was printed in one of the specials (thereby underlining that truism that specials are for reprint and substandard stuff you can't fit in anywhere else that you've already paid for).

...and then in the Meg.  I see your point.

[schwoom]

Loved the Brendan McCarthy article - now that everyone thinks there's only one issue of Paradax does that mean my issue 2 is more valuable or just the quality of comics journalism is heading downhill?

[Delingpole]

I think I'm in agreement with the general mood of "poor show" here.

I next month's Megazine isn't a big improvement I'm cancelling the subscription.

Do you think the powers that be were aware that they were turning out a sub-standard product? Were there frantic last minute meetings over a missed deadline that meant more text articles had to be added? Or, more worryingly, do you think they just thought it was another good issue, meaning they don't know the difference? We'll probably never know.

[I, Cosh]

I next month's Megazine isn't a big improvement I'm cancelling the subscription.

I think I'd wait until the Christmas relaunch issue, as the next one's just going to wrap up the stories that are currently lying about.

[radiator]

Agreed. I think the new line up will be a lot of fun - Christmas Dredd, Dredd: The Lost Cases, Tank Girl and Tempest, plus Rogue Trooper: The War Machine reprint.

Looks great to me!

[Delingpole]

Oooh Mr Cosh - you've got me wondering now. I got home the other day to hear that my dual subscription was temporarily cancelled because my card's expired. So I was going to phone and just renew 2000AD. I think that's what I'll do, and just keep an eye on the shelves of the newsagent over Christmas. But I couldn't pass up the opportunity of my subscription just cancelling itself like that.

[Grant Goggans]

Here I go again, resurrecting threads for comics I've just read.  First off: about Bato Loco, WOW, that has got to be Andrew Currie's best art job by miles.  He's never really been among my favorites, so I was especially pleased by how great this looks.  Can we get him to go back and redraw Pussyfoot 5 and Valkyries and actually make the female leads look as good as the women in this story?

Has anyone heard whether this is an old Rennie script from the days before he went all video-gamey on us, or is he moonlighting for Tharg to get enough pages of Bato Loco in for a reprint?

Speaking of which, I understand that was the case with Tracer in the floppy reprint this month.  Dave Stone wrote three episodes for the series in 1993 before Earthside 8 was cancelled.  Dave Hine drew the first one before the axe fell, and it was printed in the December '93 Winter Special.  The scripts for the other two episodes [the ones reprinted here] were dusted off and given to Hine to finish in 1995 since the stories were already paid for - you can see that he signed the pages with the year.

Speaking of reprints, I think the one disappointment I have with Armitage is that we'd understand it a little better if we read Dave Stone's Virgin Dredd novels, where the ponytailed lady was developed, and which few bought at the time and which have been out of print for almost fifteen years.  I like Dave Stone a lot, and wish him and Armitage all the success in the world, but that's asking a bit much.  Does anyone even remember that character's name?  I think she was in a mid-90s Dredd Mega-Special as well...?

Wow, Charlie Adlard's improved a bit since these early Armitage episodes, hasn't he?

As for Tank Girl, I'm really ready for it to be rested, especially in light of the new release of Skidmarks proving that we're paying for first drafts, but I really did laugh out loud at the Booga story.  Every once in a while, it's good for a giggle.

Oh, yeah, Judge Dredd was in this issue, too.  I didn't feel like he, or anybody else of import, was in any danger.  That's never a good sign.