Prog 2367 - A New Direction?
Mr Robinson on cover duties may be slightly ironic but only for those looking backwards.
Dredd; Better World
Okay, let's start with Mr Flint on art duties. Simple: wow! This is absolutely someone who is at the top of their game. Possibly someone this story deserves.
Williams and Wyatt on scripting duties. Well, there have been comments about the issues this story is dealing with. Most specifically the behaviour of a certain type of channel and presenter. How it influences practitioners ... "the law is impatioanl above all else".
Isn't that the point? Maitland is completely impartial. She follows the data. Her approach is predicated on data. Dredd neglects politics because his focus is on the law. Layers upon layers and then we get to Major Domo!
3Rillers: the English Astronaut
These are always a challenge.An extended Future Shock but can it work over 3 issues? Certainly you can't fault Helsby's artwork. (Unless you are being particularly anal about military uniforms of the '50s). Where is this going? Hard to tell from part 1 but certainly the idea of time anomalies is in play. Does that have implications for the present day? Good question, well posed, deserves an answer ...
Full Tile Boogie
Ocean's artwork is impressive, to be sure. In fact there is little if anything to criticise from that perspective. From a script point then: nope. This is laying out the challenges the crew face: an 'ancient regime' intent on exacting retribution, the implications of clonage (gosh, I've got "Friday" on my mind ... ) and all the political ramifications.
Now this is where Regened works to my mind. It take the sensibilities of modern mange, merges them through the punk mind-set of Tooth and then extrudes the most extreme aspects of SF (TBH I'm thinking of Heinlein right now but I also get a Reynolds' riff).
Enemy Earth. Hmmm, a. it of a Chris Carter moment here. So all of the events to date are predicated on the 'dinosaur killer' event of yore. Not a problem because that just laid the scene for all of the events to date. TLDR: things are seriously hotting up.
Thistlebone. Davis captures that seventies film-making sensibility that many of its intended audience will appreciate. Where are things going? Isn't that the question? Certainly there are plenty of questions. Isn't that the whole point though?
TBH this has proven to be a far stronger prog than many of late. Full Tilt Boogie is one of the stronger offerings from Regened and really does seem to capture the sensibilities of Tooth. 3fillers are always hit or miss. It's a challenge to work out whether they should have limited themselves to a FS or pushed the script to its limits. Two more weeks to see ...
Overall though, a far better offering than we've had of late.
Cover by Cliff Robinson:
(https://dyn.media.forbiddenplanet.com/xW4OBfA0Zs88GyK6Is1-kGDNmtk=/trim/fit-in/779x1024/filters:format(webp)/https://media.forbiddenplanet.com/products/87/42/cecd5005adbda1e108cde1b51731fbe1d951.png)
What a great post by Tjm86 about this Prog! Mine arrived this morning and was swiftly read over a tea break.
Nice cover from Cliff, I found once I noticed the little rat, my eye is just drawn to him constantly.
Dredd continues to be superb. The real world parallels in the first few pages are evident and there's enough there to be reminding me that this a parody, it's close to the knuckle stuff. Hernandez isn't as clever as he thinks he is, Maitland is awesome. The Major Domo stuff is the least interesting bit of this story and that's saying something.
As ever, the art and all those little panels are fantastic.
3Thriller is off to a good start - there's enough here to catch my attention and make me want to know more. The dialogue establishes the tone and the art is bright and clear, looking good!
Full Tilt Boogie returns. I thought this was a strong opening: reintroduces the characters (and I appreciated Thargs 'previously..' panel inside the cover) and piques interest for what is up next. I'm not sure if its me, but this episode felt a little more 'grown up' than previous and I had less sense of reading a Regened graduate. I'm not a huge fan of the manga-influenced art as a rule but I liked this: facial expressions are very good, and that spread of the battleship being built is very cool. Good episode.
Enemy Earth I still find tricky to read due to the artwork but I think this would have been a perfect Regened story had that been a seperate publication.
Finally Thistlebone - first couple of pages seriously grim stuff, last page heavy with the foreboding - this does capture a horror atmosphere: as a reader no idea what is going to happen, only that it will be bad. Brilliant.
I agree it's a strong prog this week. I'm delighted to see Full Tilt Boogie back, although despite the recap in the Nerve Centre I think I'm still going to re-read book 1. I don't mind though, because I know I'll enjoy it.
And although we're only 4 episodes in, I think this book of Thistlebone is the best. Keen to see where it goes.
As for the 3riller, I wonder if there is any significance to the date? The day after JFK was shot, and the day of Dr Who's first episode. Anyway, I liked the big opening page. I don't mind the 3riller format, it allows a Future Shock some space to breathe.
Quote from: Richard on 30 January, 2024, 12:10:37 AMAs for the 3riller, I wonder if there is any significance to the date? The day after JFK was shot, and the day of Dr Who's first episode. Anyway, I liked the big opening page. I don't mind the 3riller format, it allows a Future Shock some space to breathe.
I would guess it's a Dr Who reference, given who the script droid is (has the Cornell droid worked for Tharg before?). See also the scientist at the British Experimental Space Programme called Elizabeth Shore (the scientific advisor to UNIT in Pertwee's first series was Liz Shaw). I'm not a fan of Future Shocks at all but I have really enjoyed the 3rillers that I've seen.
Elsewhere in the Prog, both Full Tilt Boogie and Thistlebone are new to me, and both making a very good impression. Even Enemy Earth, which isn't my cup of tea, can't be said to be boring. Really strong line up of Thrills.
Quote from: Grush on 30 January, 2024, 07:59:33 AMhas the Cornell droid worked for Tharg before?
Yes... BARNEY's a bit out of date, so I can't scare up a full list of credits, but he did an Abelard Snazz one-off for Regened in 2020, and an Anderson story for the music-themed Sci-Fi Special in 2022.
He also did the fantastic XTNCT in the Meg.
Quote from: Colin YNWA on 30 January, 2024, 08:11:09 AMHe also did the fantastic XTNCT in the Meg.
Of course he did — I knew I was forgetting something obvious!
HW CLD Y FRGT RPTR?
Yeah, even Enemy Earth was alright this week (and to be fair, last week too).
Yep. Five out of five for me this week. A great Dredd cover and another excellent instalment. I wonder if Dredd's stand-offishness will come back to bite him. And it's notable how awful a lot of the judges are. As ever, Dredd does feel a bit gendered though. (Maitland barely escapes Smurfette syndrome, but only because the other member of her team is also a woman.) A minor tripe, though.
The 3hriller starts well, and does enough to make me wonder how it'll resolve. Nice art, if a touch sparse on a couple of panels. And speaking of good starts, Full Tilt Boogie wastes no time on getting going and lobbing several plot strands into the mix. Lovely ship designs on p4–5. Properly grim p6.
Enemy Earth continues barrelling along. Looking forward to it ending, but not because I want to see it gone – I just want to know how it wraps up. This has been good. And then Thistlebone rounds out the Prog with its own very... visceral brand of horror. I've bought the previous two HCs. I suspect I'll be buying another...
Top stuff from Tharg and his minions. Dredd > Full Tilt > Thistlebone > Enemy > 3hriller, but the slimmest of margins once past Dredd. All of this week's Prog is well above of the bar of mere OKness. Fab.
Intriguing Prog.
Dredd is in a holding pattern as the story builds - still good stuff but very much part of the whole. Flint is still stunning
So what's with the knowing editorial boxes on the next two. In The English Astronaut they feel pretty in place and fun in a wonky off centre start that has places to build to. In Full Tilt Boogie has it done that before - it was fun but kinda felt out of place in an otherwise great little opener that looked stunning.
Could the next to be more contrasting. Enemy Earth for all its bombast just sort of is. Thistlebone for all it chilling quiet tension is so IS - its jus so what it needs to be and uses so little to do so much. Amazing.
Quote from: Grush on 30 January, 2024, 07:59:33 AMI would guess it's a Dr Who reference, given who the script droid is (has the Cornell droid worked for Tharg before?). See also the scientist at the British Experimental Space Programme called Elizabeth Shore (the scientific advisor to UNIT in Pertwee's first series was Liz Shaw).
Hmmm... a quick Google also reveals that:
- Ladbroke Grove was a location for Remembrance of the Daleks.
- Doctor Who took a two-week break in late 1977.
- Doctor Who took a long break (from regular broadcast) between 1989 and 2005.
- Doctor Who took a year-long break during 2016.
- And the story is about someone travelling in time.
However, also worth noting...
- David Bowie released Heroes in late 1977.
- David Bowie passed away in 2016.
- And the story is about an astronaut called Major Tom.
Wow A.Cow! That is impressive investigation! I tip my fez to you .
This prog feels like an up curve. Good start by the two new stories with a very strong Dredd series.
Dredd – This episode feels very much like a setup episode for the next phase of the story. It looks like Maitland has run out of friends as Dredd is more concerned about catching Major Domo. Good intriguing episode.
3riller – Solid start to the thriller as our hero gets stuck in a time loop. Let's see how this pans out but so far so good.
Full Tilt Boogie – I enjoyed the first series good to see the return of the series. It is still the first episode so let's see how it stacks up to the first one. The last 3 pages are where everything is happening and a lot of ominous signs.
Enemy Earth – Belting forward with more revelations and truths. Shock in my admission that I enjoyed this 3rd series – so always remember stick to a series it might surprise you. Art is still my biggest gripe.
Thistlebone – Creep as always. Burning this candle slowly as the sign of doom is everywhere. A combination of great storytelling and as always awesome art from Mr. Davis.
This is already one of the best Dredds in years. If John Wagner was credited as the writer, I wouldn't question it. Hats off to the Wyatt and Williams droids, they're playing a blinder!
And Henry Flint is untouchable. Much as I love the work of Chris Blythe, no-one other than the Mighty Flint himself should ever colour the Mighty Flint's artwork!
As for the plot... I'm worried.
Maitland's plan, as mentioned in this episode, is commendable. Definitely the way forward in my eyes.
But... saying "One incident proves nothing. It's statistically insignificant." in the face of a juve getting beaten almost to death.
That feels pretty cold for Maitland.
Quote from: Woolly on 31 January, 2024, 03:16:26 PMBut... saying "One incident proves nothing. It's statistically insignificant." in the face of a juve getting beaten almost to death.
That feels pretty cold for Maitland.
1) She's right.
2) She's an accountant.
Also, if she does get defeated (either by her scheme being destroyed or her being taken off the board, one or both of which I expect to happen), this doesn't say remotely good things about justice department in and of itself. Not only would be be oppressive and knowing it doesn't act in the best interests of the people, but it would be a system maintained by seemingly a very large number of ambitious judges outright hostile to doing the right thing, even by their own standards. Again, there are echoes of some areas of modern policing (eg in the US and The Met). But if the judges are riddled with such levels of corruption and hostility, with only a minority (Dredd; Beeny; Giant; etc) doing the job in a reasonable manner... yikes.
(And, yes, I'm very aware there have been bad judges throughout the strip. But it's quite something else when they appear to represent the 'mainstream'. Also, what does Dredd do at that point? Being an incorruptible judge in a system teeming with horror doesn't seem like a great thing.)
Quote from: Tjm86 on 27 January, 2024, 09:30:50 PMProg 2367 - A New Direction?
Mr Robinson on cover duties may be slightly ironic but only for those looking backwards.
Dredd; Better World
Okay, let's start with Mr Flint on art duties. Simple: wow! This is absolutely someone who is at the top of their game. Possibly someone this story deserves.
Williams and Wyatt on scripting duties. Well, there have been comments about the issues this story is dealing with. Most specifically the behaviour of a certain type of channel and presenter. How it influences practitioners ... "the law is impatioanl above all else".
Isn't that the point? Maitland is completely impartial. She follows the data. Her approach is predicated on data. Dredd neglects politics because his focus is on the law. Layers upon layers and then we get to Major Domo!
3Rillers: the English Astronaut
These are always a challenge.An extended Future Shock but can it work over 3 issues? Certainly you can't fault Helsby's artwork. (Unless you are being particularly anal about military uniforms of the '50s). Where is this going? Hard to tell from part 1 but certainly the idea of time anomalies is in play. Does that have implications for the present day? Good question, well posed, deserves an answer ...
Full Tile Boogie
Ocean's artwork is impressive, to be sure. In fact there is little if anything to criticise from that perspective. From a script point then: nope. This is laying out the challenges the crew face: an 'ancient regime' intent on exacting retribution, the implications of clonage (gosh, I've got "Friday" on my mind ... ) and all the political ramifications.
Now this is where Regened works to my mind. It take the sensibilities of modern mange, merges them through the punk mind-set of Tooth and then extrudes the most extreme aspects of SF (TBH I'm thinking of Heinlein right now but I also get a Reynolds' riff).
Enemy Earth. Hmmm, a. it of a Chris Carter moment here. So all of the events to date are predicated on the 'dinosaur killer' event of yore. Not a problem because that just laid the scene for all of the events to date. TLDR: things are seriously hotting up.
Thistlebone. Davis captures that seventies film-making sensibility that many of its intended audience will appreciate. Where are things going? Isn't that the question? Certainly there are plenty of questions. Isn't that the whole point though?
TBH this has proven to be a far stronger prog than many of late. Full Tilt Boogie is one of the stronger offerings from Regened and really does seem to capture the sensibilities of Tooth. 3fillers are always hit or miss. It's a challenge to work out whether they should have limited themselves to a FS or pushed the script to its limits. Two more weeks to see ...
Overall though, a far better offering than we've had of late.
100% agree.
Quote from: Woolly on 31 January, 2024, 03:16:26 PMThis is already one of the best Dredds in years. If John Wagner was credited as the writer, I wouldn't question it.
I agree 100%. Having lost All Ewing to the yanks, and later reading that Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse Williams Dredd epic of a few years ago, I must admit I was worried for the strip's future. But this is more fecking like it.
I'm a sucker for good dialogue and hate when Dredd sounds a bit off. But his astute 'Something you want to say?' thing, followed by stony silence, was pure Dredd, exactly as Wagner would write him.
I still can't work out whether I want Maitland to succeed or fail. Obviously in the real world, success is what I'd be rooting for, but a nicey-nicey fluffy Justice Department is just not the one I grew up with
Quote from: IndigoPrime on 31 January, 2024, 03:31:47 PMAgain, there are echoes of some areas of modern policing (eg in the US and The Met). But if the judges are riddled with such levels of corruption and hostility, with only a minority (Dredd; Beeny; Giant; etc) doing the job in a reasonable manner... yikes.
(And, yes, I'm very aware there have been bad judges throughout the strip. But it's quite something else when they appear to represent the 'mainstream'. Also, what does Dredd do at that point? Being an incorruptible judge in a system teeming with horror doesn't seem like a great thing.)
That's kind of how they were portrayed in the Urban movie too.
Quote from: JayzusB.Christ on 31 January, 2024, 05:04:58 PMI still can't work out whether I want Maitland to succeed or fail. Obviously in the real world, success is what I'd be rooting for, but a nicey-nicey fluffy Justice Department is just not the one I grew up with
Jayzus, Jayzus, Jayzus - it's
2024 - you can't just get away with being
entertained by
fictional dystopian regimes anymore.
Eww.
There are more imaginative end points than merely a fluffy justice department. You could have ongoing points of tension with all kinds of resolutions. I suspect we're going to get something very close to a return to the status quo (and Maitland out of the picture in some way); however, Williams and Wyatt have both hinted that there could be major repercussions from this story. Although that's vague enough that it could mean anything. So we'll see.
Has there been any hint as to how long this story will last?
Quote from: IndigoPrime on 31 January, 2024, 05:52:28 PMHas there been any hint as to how long this story will last?
Dredd horror strip 'Iron Teeth' is set to start in April.
It could of course be about a judicial liaison social worker applying for dental implant subsidy for a young mutie immigrant.
Quote from: IndigoPrime on 31 January, 2024, 05:52:28 PMHas there been any hint as to how long this story will last?
So far I have not read one article which state the number of episodes. This I believe will either be 6 or 8 parts
Quote from: Link Prime on 31 January, 2024, 05:43:13 PMJayzus, Jayzus, Jayzus - it's 2024 - you can't just get away with being entertained by fictional dystopian regimes anymore.
Eww.
I know, I know. I'm old school. I like my Justice Department like I like my women: secretly tranquilising unruly blocks on an ongoing basis, blackmailing a Democrat with the threat of abducting his children, forcing a haemophobe to give thousands of litres of his own blood during a long cube sentence, and using toys to coax children into informing on their parents.
Quote from: Jim_Campbell on 31 January, 2024, 03:18:42 PMQuote from: Woolly on 31 January, 2024, 03:16:26 PMBut... saying "One incident proves nothing. It's statistically insignificant." in the face of a juve getting beaten almost to death.
That feels pretty cold for Maitland.
1) She's right.
2) She's an accountant.
Unfortunately, being right (& being scientific in your approach) does not the populace convince. The story is doing a good job of echoing our own societal woes. A media, partly being directed by vested interests, undermines the facts staring us all in the face.
See also: Don't Look Up
[This post sponsored by Ben "A Bit of Politics" Elton.]
Yep good prog. Still, a bit surprised there are some saying the prog is noticeably better than what we've had recently. For me, the likes of Poison, Helium, Feral & Foe and Azimuth have been grade A thrills.
Maybe Devil's Railroad was so unappealing for some that it felt like it was dragging the whole prog down? I was enjoying it but the last couple of episodes were too unpleasant. It's perhaps a relief it's done.
I mean, yeah. I'm not saying it's better than the Prog has been in a year. But I'm preferring the current 5/5 to the previous 4/5 and a 1/5 that I detested. That said, more broadly I'd say the comic's been on a pretty bloody good high for some time now.
This prog actually feels like Regened done right. I wouldn't go so far as to call it an all-ages takeover, but Thistlebone aside, I thought it felt "younger" than the prog has done in a long time, in a good way.
That's a good shout: take Thistlebone out, and the other non-Dredd stories felt much more like something my nephew and niece would enjoy in a sci-fi comic. That fits more my definition of 'all ages'.
Quote from: Barrington Boots on 01 February, 2024, 08:55:24 AMThat's a good shout: take Thistlebone out, and the other non-Dredd stories felt much more like something my nephew and niece would enjoy in a sci-fi comic. That fits more my definition of 'all ages'.
I think even the Dredd story is in the spirit of the Democracy saga, which began when 2000AD wis still aimed at a primarily YA audience.
I thought the Democracy storyline was boring and rubbish when it first appeared - I was 10 and I wanted Monsteroso M16, Judge Death and Stan Lee, not normal people talking about politics. Fortunately I saw the error of my ways 3 or 4 years later.
Quote from: A.Cow on 30 January, 2024, 10:35:13 PMQuote from: Grush on 30 January, 2024, 07:59:33 AMI would guess it's a Dr Who reference, given who the script droid is (has the Cornell droid worked for Tharg before?). See also the scientist at the British Experimental Space Programme called Elizabeth Shore (the scientific advisor to UNIT in Pertwee's first series was Liz Shaw).
Hmmm... a quick Google also reveals that:
- Ladbroke Grove was a location for Remembrance of the Daleks.
- Doctor Who took a two-week break in late 1977.
- Doctor Who took a long break (from regular broadcast) between 1989 and 2005.
- Doctor Who took a year-long break during 2016.
- And the story is about someone travelling in time.
Interesting. 1989 and 2005 are obviously significant Who dates, marking the end of the old series and the start of the nu. That break in 1977 was just a couple of weeks off for Christmas though and apart from that there was a new producer, but it looks like it was pretty much business as usual for Tom Baker (pub-studio-pub-repeat). Is "our future starts to shut down completely" supposed to be a reference to the start of Jodie Whittaker's tenure in the following year? If so, sounds a bit mean-spirited. Perhaps things will become clearer in subsequent instalments of
The English Astronaut. Elsewhere it's a delight to see the return of
Full Tilt Boogie (with, yes, some proper recaps!),
'A Better World' shapes up to be a classic and
Thistlebone is literally on fire. Plus, I had a proper read of
Enemy Earth for the first time in a few weeks and now feel a bit guilty for not giving it enough attention, so I'll be back for a full read-through when this chapter reaches its conclusion.
So this should be a better Prog, now Devil's Railroad has ended (hopefully never to return).
But we've also lost Feral and Foe, so may be not.
This was a weaker episode of Dreddfor me; possibly because I can't remember anything about Major Domo.
The English Astronaut and FTB look great. With the former I'm not sure about the story so far, with the latter the recap just highlighted how much I'd forgotten about it. I'd like to do a re-read of the first series, but my back Progs aren't to hand.
I can't wait for Enemy Earth to wrap up. And not because I'm intrigued to find out what happens.
The best thing in the Prog is Thistlebone which really seems to getting to it. Which for what is mainly a talkie strip, is saying something.
This prog entirely worth it just on the strength of Thistlebone. :o