Meg 277: Racing for her life

[Dan Kelly]

No Meg thread yet?  Mine arrived Saturday but cause I was away only got around to reading it tonight.

Interesting end to Ratfink.  

Tank Girl features a special guest appearance by Dee Dee Ramone

Black Atlantic rumbles on

New Anderson with Boo on Art again.

And a couple of text pieces I've not read yet.

Bagged Graphic Novel is a Richard Elson centric piece with Lawcon and Word of the Law, both from the when I wasn't reading the meg so were of interest to me.

Next months novel should interest the Monarch.

[Leigh S]

Seems vaguely ironic that this meg didnt get a thread for 5 days, what with Matt calling for feedback in the editorial!


The good:

Ratfink ended very well.  OK, so Wagners done that trick at least once before ("She Devils" wasnt it?), but the eset up ade it more credible.  In fact, if it hadnt been revealed to be the last part , i might even have been taken in!  Sadly there was no "Fink must still be alive!" revelation there, but lets look at teh evidence... Dredd talks to Ratfink about his dad, and how he is using his methods - Ratfink cagily denies ever meeting Fink.  At the end, Dredd says they have questions that need answering from Ratfink... come on!  Bring the daddy back!

The article on Brtish comics was very enjoyable  -lots of good info on the time, made me want to go and drag out my Toxics from the loft.

The rest:

Tank Girl.  Well, if it brings in the punters fair play, but its not my cuppa tea.  Don't begrudge it on the basis it might help broaden the comic out.

Black Atlantic - Just not grabbing me at all.  I'd say Steve Roberts art doesnt seem to suit it, but since even after having read the darned thing I cant remember that much about it, or what would suit it, then thats not really a fair comment!  Just like so many blank pages for me unfortunately - not because im ignoring, but because it leaes absolutely no impression on me

Anderson - I've not been overly keen on Alan Grants solo stuff for a good long time, though strangely these last two Anderson stories seem to be pretty decent.  Shame for me that I'm really not getting Boo Cooks art on it - as Ive said in previous threads, it seems a step backward from his earlier work, which of itself I always felt was promising but a bit rough around the edges.


And more Armitage... I mean.. please, no! I really dont get why these old Dredd world strips get pulled out of the bag - they've had their chance, I cant see they are going to get any better - please, for the love of God, something new.  The whole Dreddworld angle for me seems pretty odd anyway.  Dreddworld for me is Wagner.  All these other stories are just so much flim flam, no matter how good or bad they might be of themselves, and usually, they arent even much good on that level.  I'd much prefer to see something new and exciting and above all original.

[paulvonscott]

Yes, the article was very good.  I'd heard bits about toxic before but this cleared a few things up.  Sound slike a bloody nightmare.  Why they went for weekly I'll never know.  If they'd plumped for monthly (and the set up wasn't so dodgy) it may still be going (if they hadn't made the dire mistake of not comissioning Button Man and Al's Baby). So some bad decisions and a shakey financial set up meant it was doomed.  Also... embaressingly childish name and design which was a misguided reaction against the adolescent 'adult' comics of the time.

Oh and The Diver was shit.  I've seen kids at the library do comic strips that shame it (and it's pretty shameful already).  Sticky the Stick Man deserves a nobel litrerature prize in comparison.  Let me repeat.  The... Driver... was... shit.

Enjoyed isn't the right word for Ratfink, but it was very good.  Good isn't the right word either...

A horrible cursed earth nightmare which a great end scene with dredd looking for answers...

Hope Ratfink meets a bad end.  He is one of the most repellant characters ever to appear in Judge Dredd.

[IndigoPrime]

I'm quite happy to see Armitage back. I always thought Stone had a better handle on Brit-Cit than Wagner, offering a more interesting take on this country's future. Armitage has been inconsistent, but at its best it's a good counterpoint to Dredd.

As for Driver, I totally agree with Paul—it was utterly dreadful. It wasn't the art (although that was pretty bad), it was the utterly shockingly boring and repetitive script. I've no idea why people continue to defend it, unless it's just one massive in-joke that I don't get.

[Leigh S]

I'm quite happy to see Armitage back. I always thought Stone had a better handle on Brit-Cit than Wagner, offering a more interesting take on this country's future. Armitage has been inconsistent, but at its best it's a good counterpoint to Dredd.

As for Driver, I totally agree with Paul—it was utterly dreadful. It wasn't the art (although that was pretty bad), it was the utterly shockingly boring and repetitive script. I've no idea why people continue to defend it, unless it's just one massive in-joke that I don't get.

I suppose on the strenght of Brit Cit Babes, you might well be right.  I never understood why that was set in Brit cit anyway.. It doesnt feel any different to a Meg story. Still, Wagner himself lost interest in Brit Cit Babes himself IIRC - didnt he just give up on it befor ethe final episode?  

 Even so, Armitage just seems to reek of a period of comics that I really ahve no interest in - a joyless quasi-adult body horror "arent we all grown up and meaningful" feel that I just wish we could leave in the past.

[Marbles]

Personally I loved the driver. There was something wonderfully primitive about it. Any chance of a collection ?

[Art]

<i>The Driver was shit</i>

You wash your mouth out!

[Al_Ewing]

Got to add my voice in support of The Driver - a work of poisonous genius which I devoured gleefully at the time.

[IndigoPrime]

Seriously, what did you guys like about that script? To me, it was trying so hard to offend that it just came across as bland, like some 12-year-old yelling "fuck" constantly.

[Al_Ewing]

To attempt to explain why The Driver is good would cheapen both it and us.

[Art]

Seriously, what did you guys like about that script? To me, it was trying so hard to offend that it just came across as bland, like some 12-year-old yelling "fuck" constantly.

Why do you hate the simple joys in life?

[radiator]

As there's a request for feedback in the Editor's letter...

Cover: Great. Really loving Rufus' photoshop colouring. Would really like to see him on a multi part Dredd.

Judge Dredd: [spoiler]Necrophilia, rape, sexual violence... this story had it all. Personally I really like it when the Meg is used to showcase darker, more adult Dredd stories, and this has been a good one. I can't think of a better suited artist for it than Doherty - the rendering of Ratfink himself was truly creepy, and the colouring throughout has been wonderful.

There's still plenty of unanswered questions - I've got a disturbing feeling that the mother is Ratty, which is a stomach-churning thought. I'm hoping for a quick sequel (PJ Maybe team-up?), and then graphic novel. I for one don't agree at all that Fink Sr. should be brought back - look at the mess they made when Pa and Junior came back.[/spoiler]

Tank Girl: Must say I'm really enjoying this, and the art just seems to get better and better every week. I love the lightness and irreverence of it - works great as a contrast to the bleakness of the main Dredd strip. Always leaves me with a big smile on my face, its just a shame that not many others seem to agree with me.

I for one am really pleased to see Lawcon again, and Roffman is always welcome - I'd completely forgotten he was in this.

It's great that the text articles seem much more comics-oriented than before. The Punisher article looks interesting.

I'm not really a fan of either Black Atlantic or Boo Cook's work, so haven't got round to the other strips yet.

Not too thrilled to see Armitage return, but you have to admit - The Mancunian Candidate is a pretty good title.

I much prefer the Meg right now. It helps a lot that to me the reprint/graphic novel is a selling point, rather than an annoyance. There just seems to be a lot less filler than before - I think it had hit of a low point last year with stuff like Bob the Bum and the small press stuff which (apologies to anyone involved) I just could not be bothered with.

[Leigh S]

It's true the Pa and Junior resurrection was woeful - but thats cos we saw them die!  Fink.... well, thats a different matter to my mind.  If only they'd used Fink in that story, they wouldnt have had to resort to Fire people and suspended animation.  But of course, Fink wasnt in that movie...

[Funt Solo]

I really enjoyed Tank Girl this week (so to speak, fnarr fnarr woof).  The double page splash of the boarding is fucking lovely, and the device of using the camera flashes to light up the frames is barmy and excellent. Also: what the fuck is going on?  (And not just as regards all the gnomes, but that's part of it.) Just great, great stuff, that I'm glad I've given a couple of issues to get going, because initially I wasn't enamored.   (Blame all the shoddy stuff that was printed by non-Martins back in the day for chiseling away at my trust.)

Dredd: fantastic. Art great but could even be grittier.

Anderson: expected not to like it but the story is excellent. Wish the art style was more like the artist's earlier stuff. Like that Dredd one with the monsters in the Undercity.  Sharp and vibrant.  Less like Rhubarb and Custard, if anyone remembers that.  Sorry.

Black Atlantic: actually quite good, even though I hate it. I don't like the characters, the setting or the art style, but the story is carrying it above all that for the moment.

Amazing article on Toxic and all that.  I asked the question once on this board: something like "what was the cause of the demise of the comic bubble from then-times", and here it's been answered in a collection of great articles.  Thanks v. much.

Sorry to see Armitage is returning, as the last series was disappointing, for me.  Dull. Of it's time. 1990?

Summary: strong Dredd, vibrant Tank Girl, cruising Anderson, bobbing around Black Atlantic, spike of interest in the articles.

[Toni Scandella]

The final part of Ratfink was wonderful, wonderful stuff.
Tank Girl is consistantly excellent.  I was vaguely a fan in any case, but Skidmarks is fantastic fun.
The rest was fun if not quite at the same level - but Boo's art on Anderson is fabulous.

I am enjoying the current Meg run more than the current 2000AD run, which is very unusual.