Prog 2366 - End of the Road

[Blue Cactus]

I saw a couple of people on Twitter asking for a Devil's Railroad collected edition. Generally I understand some people like some stories and other prefer ones that aren't my favourites, but I just don't see the appeal here, other than the artwork. Hardcore Milligan fans maybe?

[IndigoPrime]

Hard to say. Also Rufus fans maybe? (And I had no issues with the art myself. Always liked his work. Would happily see more in the Prog, although I wish he'd get a proper crack at a new multi-part Dredd.)

I've seen some positive feedback online too, and so the responses here (which aren't universally but are primarily negative) always need to be taken as not necessarily being representative to any great extent. But I don't get the appeal myself.

[Funt Solo]

(I like my Dredd articulate if often terse - why do so many writers these days make him omit subject pronouns and auxiliary verbs* every single time? It used to be 'You're never too old to enjoy a good fight', but now it's 'Never too old to enjoy a good fight.')

Taciturn, innit?

[JayzusB.Christ]

Yeah, maybe I'm being too pedantic about it.  It's not a grammar issue for me - I see Dredd, who is after all both a writer and a teacher,  as clearly spoken and articulate even when he is, without a doubt, taciturn.  It's when he starts throwing in 'drokkin''s and talking like some street juve I feel something is off.

[Funt Solo]

Talking of pedantry (not that you were being) - why isn't Maitland wearing her cool Acc-Div shoulder pads?

[Funt Solo]

I didn't find the Scottish accent very convincing - having lived in in various parts of Scotland all my life I've never heard anyone say 'ye' in the same context as 'let me hold ye handbag while you carry your drinks'. If he's saying 'you' and 'your' in the same sentence, why's he saying 'ye' to mean 'you' as well?

I didn't flag it up on first reading, because my mind was still doing a sort of any-old-yokel-will-do. But, you're quite right - as a Scottish accent that second "ye" doesn't really work very well. It could work as "yer", and still have the later "your", without being odd. Like this (my bold on the alteration):

"Dinnae be like that. I'm only joking with ye, pal. But let me hold yer handbag while you carry your drinks, aye?"

With "let me hold ye handbag", it's more like Yorkshire. Vet'nary.

[norton canes]

One of tne great thing about Ian Rankin's Rebus novels is that the dialogue isn't written in horrible phonetic Scots. It doesn't need to be - the atmosphere reeks (if you'll pardon the pun) of Edinburgh, so much that you can't help reading the dialogue in the accent.

[Blue Cactus]

I didn't find the Scottish accent very convincing - having lived in in various parts of Scotland all my life I've never heard anyone say 'ye' in the same context as 'let me hold ye handbag while you carry your drinks'. If he's saying 'you' and 'your' in the same sentence, why's he saying 'ye' to mean 'you' as well?

I didn't flag it up on first reading, because my mind was still doing a sort of any-old-yokel-will-do. But, you're quite right - as a Scottish accent that second "ye" doesn't really work very well. It could work as "yer", and still have the later "your", without being odd. Like this (my bold on the alteration):

"Dinnae be like that. I'm only joking with ye, pal. But let me hold yer handbag while you carry your drinks, aye?"

With "let me hold ye handbag", it's more like Yorkshire. Vet'nary.

Glad it wasn't just me being pedantic!

[A.Cow]

[...] but I just don't see the appeal here, other than the artwork. Hardcore Milligan fans maybe?

Therein lies the problem.  Personally, I found Sooner or Later and Hewligan's Haircut to be annoying, plotless, art-school indulgence.  Not my cup of tea at all (despite the XTC references).  Maybe some people just love his work regardless.

I hope he's better than this, and that we've all misunderstood Railroad.  I've not read any of Milligan's DC stuff.  I can only hope it's better than this torture-porn we've had to wade through in recent progs.

[broodblik]

I think a lot of us will rate his Bad Company highly and that is why he has a following. Both him and Ennis's name will be used to sell progs so why not use them? But back to the point I agree I cannot see the appeal for Railroad

[Funt Solo]

Tank Girl was always fun - I loved the later stint in the Megazine. The first Bad Company was Top of the Progs for that era of the comic, and the Bewilderness / Krool Heart follow-up was no shirker. (I think it went off-piste after that, but it seemed deliberate and Colin should be along at some point to tell you it's utterly genius.)

I'm very fond of both Sooner or Later and Hewligan's Haircut (despite the XTC references). I mean, if you can't indulge yourself at art-school, then what's the point?

I suppose I should read Devil's Railroad so that I can form an opinion on it. Erm ... Jimmy!

[IndigoPrime]

I re-read Hewligan recently. I still really like it. Sure, it's not that deep, and, yes, it kind of noodles about. But it doesn't outstay its welcome, it's fun, and it's imaginative.

[Blue Cactus]

Milligans's written lots of really good comics, for Tharg and elsewhere. I usually enjoy his work a lot, although I've not read much of his recent output. Every now and then I think about trying his Hellblazer run.

[Richard]

I liked Counterfeit Girl. I don't enjoy the Devil's Railroad, although I don't hate it as much as some people. I liked the original Bad Company but not the new ones. I loved The Dead.

On balance, I think the prog is better off with Peter Milligan contributing to it, because for everything I don't like, he does something else I enjoy. In an anthology I don't expect to like everything.

[IndigoPrime]

I agree. I certainly don't want the Prog to be closed to more Peter Milligan. I just hope whatever he contributes next is something else.