Meg 265 - Rex and Violence

[Leigh S]

Well, if anything, it's interesting to see Rennie is now having his Dredd bully 'real' people, so theres some development!  :)

[IndigoPrime]

::  I didn't even realise the Meg was out this week I'm
:: so disillusioned with it

Funnily enough, FPI sent through a "your subscription is running out soonâ??resubscribe NOW!" notice to me a few days back. Looking at the dates in question (I have at least six months to run on all Rebellion stuff), it was somewhat premature, but it's rather telling of the current state of things that if I were resubbing now, there's no way in hell I'd bother with the megazine.

What I've read of this issue was average at best. Rennie's Dredd was mildly amusing, but in-jokey. Satanus was just dreadful, as it's been since the start (although at least the art was veering towards the quality we know Hicklenton's capable of), and the balance in the mag is really starting to grate.

I'm looking forward to the new line-up, but mostly because it won't be this line-up. Here's hoping the mag improves a lot, because otherwise they'll be one reader down at least.

[Funt Solo]

I worry about the Megazine, partly because of the editorial attitude on Dreddlines.  That last person, this month, had a couple of constructive things to say, despite being negative about a lot of the content.  But the response seemed reactionary and defensive.

I wish I could know whether or not sales have improved over the past couple of years.  If they have, then I can safely realise that my low opinion of the current Megazine is in the minority and just stop buying it.

A new line-up is hoving into view.  Trouble is, it's going to be a new line-up, but will it be the same tired, mixed-bag, not-quite-a-comic format that I've come to loath?

[W. R. Logan]

Dredd great, rest not.

[COMMANDO FORCES]

Is this new line up the proper begining of Matt's reign over the Meg?

[Trout]

I have high hopes for next month.

The latest Meg wasn't fantastic, but "clear-out" issues of the prog are often weak, so I'm willing to forgive it. I fear the Meg's on probation, as far as I'm concerned.

I enjoyed the main Dredd story, although the pastiche of fandom's been done before. I'm thinking of the Durham Red apocrypha thing.
The idea of listeners was a good one, though, and, like much of Dredd's strengths, based on real life. There are people who sit with police scanners and sell the information on. Not that a responsible journalist would condone such a thing. cough cough

I quite liked the Fink story and, as usual, I'll work my way through the text slowly, but the rest of the Meg was pretty pointless.

Roll on next month.

- Trout

[Trout]

Now Blood of Satanus has finally ended, I want to post a scan from an old Meg. It's from the serialisation of Thrill Power Overload, and deals specifically with Satanus.

Please look at the end of Pat's comment, in particular. Now we have the benefit of hindsight, I wonder if he was right...

I don't think so.

- Trouthttp://img.photobucket.com/albums/v414/king_trout/mills.jpg">

[IndigoPrime]

I don't entirely understand why Mills gets such a bug up his arse about editors reworking stuff as they see fit. That's what editors should do (although they do so less and less often, in my experience)â??hell, it's what HE himself did for 2000 AD, once upon a time!

[Steve Green]

I don't get it either to be honest.

It's a dinosaur for crying out loud, there's not huge room for characterisation.

I'm not sure where he's going on the editor's choice of artist damaging characters - if he's talking about Satanus unchained - I thought Colin's Satanus was a whole lot better than, say Bryan Talbot's saurian lardarse (no offence to Bryan, I love his other work but I cringe when I see his take on Satanus)

Or is he talking about Andy Diggle making a choice of artists on strips he has written as well? I always got the impression that Pat tended to find his own artists.

[Dark Jimbo]

I'm not sure where he's going on the editor's choice of artist damaging characters

He's on about the mish-mash of artists drafted in on the ABC warriors Return to Mars series.

Andy Diggle, on his retro trip, thought it would be a nice way to hark back to the stylings of the original ABCs series - while that lack of visual consistency had been one of the things that infuritaed Mills the first time around.

[Proudhuff]

''Now we have the benefit of hindsight, I wonder if he was right...''

He's asked us to make our own minds up, I have.

I think Mr Mills is a great writer, but one that needs a firm editor's hand.

Huffski

[Goaty]

any cover??

[Steve Green]

The change in artists on that didn't really bother me that much to be honest - 'I think harming the characters' is a bit strong - the ABC Warriors are pretty two-dimensional anyway.

That said, having Flint on board for the Shadow Warriors was great.

Did Pat choose David Bircham for the Secret Commonwealth, or was that an editorial decision?

[paulvonscott]

Since I started to venture an opinion on this issue, I shall finish...

Thought the Small Press was interesting, fun and stylish, but the stories needed more bite.

Al Ewings story at last showed how deranged he was.  Hurray!

And I honestly don't know what to make of the Dredd, but I did laugh when I read it.

Letters column looks like a battleground, nice cover from Talbot, thank God Satanus has ended but I hope Hicklinton and Mills come back for more of something else and I don't mind the film stuff.

PVS signing off.

[Robin Low]

"Please look at the end of Pat's comment, in particular. Now we have the benefit of hindsight, I wonder if he was right... I don't think so"

I agree with you, but then from Mills' point of view we're probably the wrong sort of fans.

Regards

Robin