Prog 2264 - Rush Hour!

[Colin YNWA]

Am I really the first to get this week's Prog - where's that 'Prog Drought' thread! Anyway when your respective copies land you are in for a treat. Well chuffin' worth the wait. Absolutely brilliant Prog, maybe one issue aside.

Dredd - BRILLIANT. Stakes are raised. Skys are surfered. Tension is well and truly built. Oh and Patrick Goddard is on chuffin' fire. That Niemand is pretty damned good too. Really, REALLY good. But it ain't the best.

Proteus Vex - BRILLIANT. Daring do, escapes and spacefights. Then we land and in the calm drama and intrigue is built. I like the way Proteus Vex is using Dantesque historical biography to world build and more. Really good. But it ain't the best

The Order - BRILLIANT. We step back in time for the origin of Cassiopeia and its an interesting pause from the time wastes drama - but no less exciting AT ALL. Its powerful stuff and opens another door. Really good. But it ain't the best (you know where this is goin' right!)

Kingmaker - BRILLIAN... okay, okay not quite brilliant. I mean its good. I really enjoyed it, as we remain in space and Ichnar shows what he's about. We get more daring escape... though this might not be as successful. I did however struggle with the storytelling and it took me a couple of passes to get what was going on. This isn't something I associate with Leigh Gallagher's art so that really surprised me. Was it just me? Was it all just a bit to madcap and high octane? Either way it did pull me out which makes this the weakest for me BUT don't see it being a major long term problem the overall thrill is still excellent and this is just a stumble.

The Out - ^{More than}BRILLIANT!!! - But I have issues I really do BUT those don't stop this being magnificent as the series (well this Book) comes to an end. The Out is at its best when we're exploring with Cyd and we're poking around the Out and learning along with her, or at least in parallel. The Out doesn't need the explosive end of season finale all fighting and death... or so I thought... chuffin' idiot me. We get all that - and some superb quieter character work in the run up to that AND we dance along in quite the most fantastic, enthralling conclusion to a series we're had for a wee while. THEN it cranks something else up. Boxes (or spheres) something up and ties a lovely bow around my desire for more, more MORRRREEEEE! What an ending. When can we have this back Tharg... soon... pretty please. THE BEST.

Oh and we get confirmation we've getting Brimful of Thrills on the 45! for a year. Which is nice... well unless your Buttonman.

Just loving this line-up and what a start to the year. The Big question is what stands a chance of keeping this level up by replacing The Out? I think we might be getting some filler before the big 2270 issue. Mind filler can be good. Let's see.

[broodblik]

Cover by Patrick Goddard and Dylan Teague:

[broodblik]

Cover and Logo:

[IndigoPrime]

I got mine on Monday, I think. It’s a solid Prog.

Dredd was superb – a blazing slice of Meg life, which felt very Wagner in its execution. I did also love the “Where you gonna go now, hotshot?” page. Proteus Vex was one I cooled on with the previous run. Not sure why – perhaps the change in art was a jolt. But I’m back with it now, enjoying its twists and turns.

The Order has completely lost me, though. I read it, but it constantly feels like I’ve been dropped in the middle of a six-season TV show. Warrants a re-read, I think. And as much as I love John Burns, I wish I even liked his execution of Gideon. Alas. Overleaf, Kingmaker keeps building and one only hopes Edginton keeps writing it, and it isn’t another epic seemingly abandoned.

And then there’s The Out. This is really quite something – a modern-day 2000 AD masterpiece. It lets Harrison rip with the fantasy art he wants to paint. But the underlying narrative is compelling and heartbreaking. After last week’s horror, Sad finds itself escaping, but only to the point where her entire history is forgotten. Even the flippancy on that last page is deeply sad.

Lots more to come from The Out, but I really wish Rebellion would think again about the reprint. I get that they are a tough sell, but if any 2000 AD series deserved the lush hardcover treatment, it’s this one. (Ideally, we’d get an oversized book, so Harrison’s art would be shown off. But something like Deadworld or Megatropolis would be far more suitable than a trade. Although I’ll obviously buy the trade if there’s no other option… and then might send it over to Spink and Thackray.)

The Out > Dredd > Proteus Vex = Kingmaker > The Order 4.5/5 from me this week. And a reminder to buy Cradlegrave on the back, which is handy.

[broodblik]

Well, this was an excellent prog, and this was me one of those progs that can proudly stand next to any of the top progs. This year has started with a blaze may the 45th year be a real scorcher. 

Dredd – This is another gem in the making from Niemand super fun and enjoyable. The game is really on as it is literally surf or die

Proteus Vex – Vex is on the run and I like the way Carrol keep on giving us tidbits about the world as the story unfolds. The last panel tidbit so helps to build the intrigue.

The Order – Some back story as we get a glimmer of where Cassi came from. Well told and mister Burns art is always a enjoy to observe.

Kingmaker – We all though we have seen the last of our body snatcher as more possessions are revealed. So, our downstairs team of two might soon be threes’ a company again.

The Out – This second book was utterly brilliant and personally it surpassed the first book; bring on book three which we know is coming (and yes cannot wait for Brink Book 5 as well). This last instalment was a real dancing queen as the story takes another interesting twist. Super storytelling well done team Abnett/Harrison.

[The Corinthian]

Line of the year, so far:

"Lodged tight inside Dave Cameron."

[norton canes]

'Working Girl' was comfortable the stand-out this week - tightly focussed, tense, funny, exciting, and with stunning art from the Goddard/Teague combo, including that amazing cover. I don't care what else ends up in the Mega-City One TV series as long as episode one has a huge scene where a Manta tank chases a sky-surfer.

Got to say I thought the rest of the stories rumbled on a bit this week without much reward. I won't single any of them out and it's probably just me. I'll come back to them after half a dozen plastic cups and a new thrill-filter.

[broodblik]

B/W Cover:

[Funt Solo]

Kingmaker ... I did however struggle with the storytelling and it took me a couple of passes to get what was going on. This isn't something I associate with Leigh Gallagher's art so that really surprised me. Was it just me?

It wasn't just you. I really enjoy Kingmaker but I couldn't make head nor tail of that fight sequence. From "KILL HIM!" on the second page to "HE'S GONE!" on the fourth, I don't have a good sense of how the battle played out. Oh, wait - I think I have it now! Yeah - the guy he headbutt's he then uses as a meat-shield, before chucking it into the evil guy's exploding magic ball of doom, which takes the brunt of the blast.

How nature dude then manages to bugger off and get to the insect ship is glossed over.

[Blue Cactus]

This is a great great Dredd because yes we have sky surfers and Mantas and all that but really it’s because I genuinely care about our main character and what’s going to happen to her. I was hoping Mona would be back after her first appearance and I’m finding her struggle with everyday life in the Meg hugely relatable and compelling. I mean the fact that she’s being chased on a flying surfboard by flying judge tanks is less relatable, sure, but I’m rooting for her.

I got a little bit lost with Kingmaker too. The glowing purple armpit effects made it a little hard to follow for me. I like this series but Ive found it a little disappointing whenever it’s cut to the baddies and what they’re up to. Much prefer being with Crixus and Yarrow and not quite knowing what’s going on alongside them. Ichnar seems a bit... pantomime? And I’m not a fan of his big glowing suit. Still enjoying this series overall though.

Kek-W is an ideas machine and I find one or two of his panels often have enough ideas to fill a whole episode. I’ll do a full Order reread at some point but at the moment my tactic is hold on for the ride! Love John Burns, really dislike his take on Gideon. It’s like what was Gideon’s jaw in the Simon Jacob is now stuck to its chest, and it has this big constantly open mouth and I can’t tell if it has two eyes or one in the middle. Hey ho!

Proteus Vex... I’m still not sure how I feel about this strip. Maybe it’s because Vex himself doesn’t have much personality? Lynch has comfortably made the series his own though and I’m intrigued to see where it’s going. The wee pilot people make for quite a unique set up - is it just me that finds them a bit creepy?

The Out is of course marvelous.

Enjoying the inside back page greatly although I think playing on the name of a mid-90s hit single for the title of the series is a bit naff (sorry)!

[Blue Cactus]

That should say ‘glowing purple armour’ above, rather than ‘armpit’... I had no trouble with the armpits in any of this week’s thrills.

[Blue Cactus]

That should say ‘glowing purple armour’ above, rather than ‘armpit’... I had no trouble with the armpits in any of this week’s thrills.

Well, maybe the Tankinars’.

[Barrington Boots]

A quick note on The Out - that was a horrible, brilliant turn for the series but we're a billionty years in the future and people are still listening to fucking Abba? Seriously?

The rest of this Prog is excellent.

[IndigoPrime]

people are still listening to fucking Abba? Seriously?

Given how gaga people were for Abba when I was at uni in the mid-1990s and given how gaga people still are for Abba today, I imagine that’s the least unlikely aspect of that entire strip.

[Barrington Boots]

Given how gaga people were for Abba when I was at uni in the mid-1990s and given how gaga people still are for Abba today, I imagine that’s the least unlikely aspect of that entire strip.

That's incredibly depressing.