2000 AD Online Forum

I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one tired of being late to the reviews on account of not getting my progs until thursday or friday, by which point it's all been said by the subs who get their progs on the monday.  To this end, I'm giving my tuppence worth in a separate thread, so I can pretend I'm bringing something new to the table, and not just giving the same old opinions everyone else did on the other thread.  Bitter?  ME?

Dredd - I assumed that the main character was one of the (curiously absent) Psis, and this was going to explain what the Psi division was up to during Total War, but it seems to be going somewhere else - unless it's a red herring by Wagner.  Good opening episode, though, with Dredd only glimpsed in passing for the most part - it's too early to tell what's going on, however, and Brashill's art has a cleaner look to it than I remember - even if it still seems to lean towards caricatures rather than characters.  A good start.

Second City Blues - I was a bit disappointed here.  A whole episode of a future-sport strip, and no-one extremes it to the max or busts a bitching/fly/flash move at any point.  There's some bit with a big space-slug type of thing, where it looks like the writer has taken a few cues from Chris Claremont's approach to writing ethnic-minority female roles, but it might be something sci-fi, rather than just some kid getting an anal probe by a Venusian paedophile... like, er... I don't know, maybe she just got measured up for a porno-hologram.  Or something.
This looked like being a really funny strip before I actually read it.  I know it's only early days yet, but the era of the 26-part story is long gone, so it should really have made more of an impact by now.  It's great to slag stuff like this off before it starts proper, but there's always a palpable sense of disappointment when the slagging proves justified.  Disappointing, yes, but the premise doesn't let it down - just the execution.
The art's not great, either.

Slaine - Bad dialogue, nice art.  Not as good as it used to be.
I read this, but it just fell out of my brain immediatly afterwards.  It's okay, I suppose, but nice art doesn't guarantee the reader's interest.  Plus, and I'm probably in a minority of one here, the digital art just seems too much at times.  There's no depth or emotion to it, and I miss the organic look of paints.  Probably just me.

Cabalistics INC - Only the opening episode, but I suppose it's a good thing I was happy enough with the set-up for a larger tale, as that Rennie looks like a right nutter.  There's a story thread at the start that needs to grow yet, but the Ozzy/Axel Rose thing looks pretty self-explanatory.  Demons and stuff coming up, I bet.

Nikolai Dante - I never realised how much I liked this strip until I read Morrison's 'Authority' run.  It was just so bloody appalling that I couldn't believe it was the same writer - at which point, I realised that Dante, although variable in quality over longer stories, was always - at the very least - entertaining.  There aren't any revelations in this episode, as it's pretty much just confirming backstory that most readers had already figured out (the hostage kids, a deal with the tattooed bint, Dante's betrayal of his mum), although it's good that I'm not entirely sure where Robbie Morrison is going with the Dante/Dante's mum storyline.  Good stuff.

Droid Life - I love the absurdist tendancy in this cartoon, it's a great little space-filler, and far more worthy of it's place in the comic than below-par stuff like Second City Blues.

Letters page - I'm confused - has Floyd stopped writing letters to Tharg or what?

"I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one tired of being late to the reviews on account of not getting my progs until thursday or friday, by which point it's all been said by the subs who get their progs on the monday."

Hahahahahahaha... you really don't subscribe do you> I got my (first) sub copy 2 days later than I would have got my copy from WHSmiths.

Damn, i'm sounding like a stuck record now ain't I. Don't mean it that way, it's just that Bear's opening line made me laugh!! :D

Alan!

Bear -

Actually, this is a pretty good idea. What would subbies & non-subbies think of having two threads for each prog?

For example, one titled "Prog 1420 - Subs" and one "Prog 1420 - Newsies". That way, the subs get to natter about it early but readers who buy from the shops still have a thread where they can discuss it anew without ending up at the end of a long thread.

It wouldn't take much effort to set them up each week, and if it proved popular I'm sure it'd stick.

Worth a shot?

I'd be willing to give it a go,sounds like a good idea.

I'm game, Frank.  Plus, I reckon the main reason most newsies steer clear of the review thread is because of the spoiler potential.  Thursday or friday would be about the average for non-subbers, but if anyone doesn't get theirs until later, say so on here and we'll figure out a day to start posting the reviews.

As for the subbers not getting their issues on time, I guess that's why Rebellion hire the lass with the saucy voice to man the subscription hotline.

Heh, would that be Denise? :-)

I reckon if we leave the standard subs thread to whoever gets their prog first - that's the way it normally works, anyway - and then just start a fresh thread on the Thursday. If that doesn't work for everyone, it can be tweaked the following week to suit.

Maybe no-one'll use it, but it's a shame that readers who don't get the prog until midweek are left out of the chat about the new issue & at least this could help.

I subscribe, but usually there are about 30 posts on the review thread by the time I`ve finished my prog. If you start a non subscribers/late person`s thread, can I join?
   I counted my letters the other day and realised I have only had 38 published in 2000 AD. Must try harder.
 here is a picture of Tharg

Can I too?

Synthi-caf anyone?

The more the merrier.  The other review thread is usually way off-topic by the time I get to it, so any more reviews are pretty much redundant.  I'm sure it's the same for a few others, too.
So what's the opinion on Second City Blues?  There's still time to pull a rabbit out of the hat, I reckon.  You can't go wrong with oppressive dystopian futures if you keep piling on the angst - this strip could be tailor-made for a teenage audience if handled right.

Second City Blues - "I don't know, maybe she just got measured up for a porno-hologram. Or something. "


Really?  I thought she was just selling him all her designer clothes.

I'm a subsrciber (now) but I didn't get my Prog till late. Which thread should I go on?  Maybe we should have a third thread for subbies who don't get there's till late.  

SCB: The thing I've noticed about the first two episodes is that they each focused on a single charcter for a scene; Minger does drugs in the first and Shaila gets more than she wanted to in the second.

Reckon this could be a format for the series? The main story is moved on with each of the main cast getting a scene solo each?

I'm enjoying it myself, and I like the art too.

Bolt-01

Hooray! The late readers' thread is here as promised. I got mine yesterday - a day late even for me. Oh well - I'll catch up this weekend.

Very good idea wonder why no one has thought of it before?. won't participate in this one but will do so for the next prog

Finally, I've caught up.

Judge Dredd: not bad. Has a bit of shrapnel in the head unlocked latent psi-powers for this terror cell member, or did she always have them? Nie to see Jason Brashill in 2000AD again.

Caballistics Inc.: I haven't much to say about it. Great, excellent. Keep up the good work.

Slaine: I'm so dazzled by Clint Langley's visuals that I can't actually bring myself to hate Slaine much these days, even when the story makes no sense to me whatsoever. Not sure why Slaine had to be dragged away from Sethor in such a hurry - maybe the women of Tara could foresee a fight that would go on for hours and get in the way of more important matters. Pat Mills has actually set up an intriguing premise for the next issue with this Wild Hunt in the offing. I liked the Goddess sat on the giant pig - not sure why she'd be holding a crossbow pistol; I didn't think that was her style, but it's a nice generic sci-fi image all the same.

Second City Blues: Quite surprising to see they took the trouble to develop the futuristic setting more this issue, rather than just launching straight into the mindless futuresport with *yawn* flying skateboards. I quite enjoyed it.

Nikolai Dante: I've no idea who's who and what's what, but I get the idea that Dante's really anxious about those hostage kids (dunno who they are, but I think he rescued them from a yacht after their parents were murdered, or something), and he's pretty cross about being asked to murder his mother's spy; and bless me - it turns out that when he meets her he even knows her from the past! It's a pretty solid story, and I've no complaints there.

All in all, fairly impressive, and there's nothing there that'd make me embarrassed to recommend 2000AD to the curious.

'I'm a subsrciber (now) but I didn't get my Prog till late. Which thread should I go on? Maybe we should have a third thread for subbies who don't get there's till late.'

I think it's more for latecomers than anything else - all opinions are welcome.

Sounds like a plan. I've already posted my tuppence worth on the other thread this week due to getting my prog earlier than most, but i'll join. I usually pick mine up thursday evening, so if there's no thread by then, i'll make one and see what happens.
--:)

I got my prog on thurs. Only read the P14 so far. It was good, hope the rest of the prog is when I read it in several days time.

Cover: It was okay (in a positive way). A little similar to previous but yeah.. okay!

Droid Life: very funny

Dredd: Excellent. I like both story and art. The aftermath of Total War has the potential to be more interesting than the actual story.

Second City Blues: Better than part 1. Shows promise this time round.

Slaine: Great art and finally movement storywise away from a battle that seems to have been raging for the last 2 years.

Cabs inc: Oozes class! Art and story alike. Best Britsh strip in quite some time.

Dante: Hmmmm. Dante by numbers for me. Still average Dante is better than a lot of stuff.

A solid 8/10 for me.

Alan! - who's hoping to be on the subscribers list next week!

I realise now I didn't actually reveiw the prog on the other thread anyway.

Are we going to do a non-subscriber's megazine thread as well?

Might as well - especially as some readers don't pick up the Meg until it's been out for a week or so.

Hi all, been away for a few days so only just got my prog. Here goes then:
Cover- not bad at all, strangely I liked the back cover more than the front.
Dredd- OK, decent art but we'll have to see how the plot unfolds with this one. Must say though I'm greatly missing humour in the dreddverse lately.
SCB- This should have gone the same way as the rest of the christmas turkeys. Don't like future sports stories in general and don't like crap art. The last panel in this looks like it was lifted from Bunty for girls- I mean it look for yourselves!
Slaine- nice art, usual plodding story.
Cabs- (dons flameproof underwear) Look! The emperor is wearing no clothes! I know this strip is popular with most folk on here but I'm buggered if I know why. Pretentious and up its own arse as usual. The artwork leaves me cold too. If you want to learn how to draw in b&w then have a look at some 80's progs for gods sake.
Dante- art OK nothing much else happening this prog.
Overall- if I was a first time reader I probably wouldn't buy a second prog. Hope things improve soon.
Regards Jim.

hurrah for the late thread, i sub, but don't get a mo to read comic for ages, megs can sit over a month ... & then i feast, yummie !

loved the brashill art dredd story, beautifully told.

liking second city blues so far, shall get bored when they start the bloody futuresport malarkie.

dante rocks, brought all those bits together & jolted my memory, eeek what will he do ?

slaine, love the art work, but feel the need to peer at it for aeons & unpick the details & then start nit picking, like why is the flesh all dull, why can't it be shiney with blood & greasy sweat & glisten like the lovely treasures ? the writting irritates, todays theory, is that maybe if pat set it up as some future sci-fantasy place, it wouldnt rankle, maybe its the celtic past pretence that gets me on klunk alert. " oh look the goddess is a psycho hell bitch who plays games with the witless muscle man " sigh.

this cabbalistics story intrests me so far. i love the art, why is jenny weakened ? mm. time of the month deary ?