Prog 1715 - Shakara Rises

Kev Levell · 29 December, 2010, 11:51:01 AM

WOW! This just dropped through the door! Lovely painted Shakara cover by Clint Langley (as already seen in prog 2011).

Tharg mentions two new series in the offing Angel Zero and Brass Sun, but no details on when, or the creative teams behind them.

Dredd is by Mike Carroll (huzzahs and congrats!) and it's got some great, classic looking art by David Roach!

Otherwise the expected continuing stories from prog 2011 all look lovely - but because I'm still half-way through 2011 I won't be delving much deeper than that for now!

Dandontdare · 29 December, 2010, 11:59:55 AM

Quote from: Kev Levell on 29 December, 2010, 11:51:01 AMTharg mentions two new series in the offing Angel Zero

A long belated sequel to Night Zero and Beyond Zero? Grud, I hope not!

Mike Carroll · 29 December, 2010, 12:00:15 PM

Woohoo!

Thanks for the heads-up, Kev! Can't wait to see how my very first published Dredd turns out!

-- Mike

James Stacey · 29 December, 2010, 01:25:50 PM

Ooh I love me some David Roach art. He hasn't been in the prog for years has he ?

worldshown · 29 December, 2010, 01:40:52 PM

Quote from: Mike Carroll on 29 December, 2010, 12:00:15 PM
Can't wait to see how my very first published Dredd turns out!

Nothing for you to worry about at all Mike, they've done your story proud. The colouring could have been a little more helpful, but the different panel shapes David Roach uses makes the story clear.

Pete Wells · 29 December, 2010, 02:51:52 PM

Congrats Mike, it's an excellent story! All we need to see now is the talented Mr Levell in the Prog and all will be right with the world!

Buttonman · 29 December, 2010, 04:40:48 PM

Quote from: Pete Wells on 29 December, 2010, 02:51:52 PM
Congrats Mike, it's an excellent story! All we need to see now is the talented Mr Levell in the Prog and all will be right with the world!

Cough, cough...

Pete Wells · 29 December, 2010, 04:54:41 PM

Sorry BM, and a letter from Proudhuff, then our prog is complete.

James Stacey · 29 December, 2010, 05:11:41 PM

I thought he meant 'and some strips drawn in paint of characters with wee on their trouser and the prog would be complete'

Darren Stephens · 29 December, 2010, 08:36:55 PM

For some reason I thought that Shakara cover was by Simon Davis...need me bleedin' eyes tested!

Banners · 31 December, 2010, 08:59:20 AM

Great work, Mike - but I didn't really get the pay-off. [spoiler]Are we to conclude that the kids were in the cellar for a whole 18 months (and yet their faith was rewarded), or did Dredd's dedication to their father mean their message-pod jumped the queue?[/spoiler]

Cheers,

M@

Mike Carroll · 31 December, 2010, 10:16:21 AM

Quote from: Banners on 31 December, 2010, 08:59:20 AM
Great work, Mike - but I didn't really get the pay-off. [spoiler]Are we to conclude that the kids were in the cellar for a whole 18 months (and yet their faith was rewarded), or did Dredd's dedication to their father mean their message-pod jumped the queue?[/spoiler]

Cheers,

M@

Hi M@, the payoff is [spoiler] the first one. Here's the panel description from the script:[/spoiler]

[spoiler]Page 6.
1. Int. Cellar. The flashlight beam light falls on Wane and his sister. They're no longer chubby. Now, they're incredibly emaciated, sunken eyes, pallid skin covered in sores. Around them, the wooden and plastic crates lie open, their contents having been long-since devoured.[/spoiler]

[spoiler]Perhaps Tharg or Art Droid David Roach decided that the kids would have been unrecognisable if they were too thin. But I'm not complaining: David did an incredible job on the art![/spoiler]

-- Mike

Banners · 31 December, 2010, 11:44:01 AM

Cheers, Mike - that's great. I see now the kids were a lot chubbier in the earlier panel on p2. Looking forward to seeing more Dredd from you in the future :-)

M@

Mikey · 31 December, 2010, 11:55:22 AM

I must say it was a nice surprise to get the prog yesterday - it really doesn't seem like three weeks since the last.

Dredd - good one off, felt very 'established', fitting seamlessly into the Dreddverse mood IMO. I had my doubts about the [spoiler]kids surviving[/spoiler], so it defied my expectations which is always good. Nice art, natch.

Shakara - continues to have more thrills per episode than much of the '90s! I've said it before now and I'll likely say it again soon, but this strip hasn't missed a beat since it's debut. Fantastic, fun, epic stuff.

Necrophim - I've found my place again after a bit of confusion from Prog 2010. Still waiting for it to kick off as it looks like it will and more twisty backstabby shenanigans this episode. The scribbles were a bit lighter too which might help some readers.

Ampney Crucius - felt a bit filler, but then it's a set up episode and SB's work is a constant joy to behold in any case, particularly the last page which I think is How To Do It Right In Comics.

Kingdom - continues as expected, very well! There's such a great feeling to this strip and I can't beleive how much I care about an uplifted dog during his adventures. Special mention to Abigail Ryder on the colours - it really leaps from the page and compliments the clean lines of Elson perfectly.

Decent prog Tharg.

M.

Buttonman · 31 December, 2010, 02:04:32 PM

Here's me and top Dredd scibe Mike Carroll (to the right of the good looking one) - taught him all he knows etc. etc. Also shown some Haggis...Higgins guy.

Great story Mike - only strange bit was the size of the message pod - if you can get a set of encyclopedias on a pen drive today I imagine that 120 years in the future they'll have made it slightly smaller than a WW2 tank shell.

I was hoping you'd have killed the kids, but glad when you didn't - job done. Any more in the pipeline?