Meg 445 - Case of Questions

[broodblik]

Cover by Rachael Stott:

[broodblik]

Cover and Logo:

[broodblik]

This months meg features the return of Anderson. What is interesting is that the floppy contains a reprint off a few Anderson stories that had a very recent run. Now the more interesting thing is that the one story originally published in prog 2150 "Be PSI-ing you" have been completed remastered. Originally it looked bland and rushed but now it looks amazing.

[The Monarch]

i had my misgivings of something so recent being reprinted but i cannot lie that lee carter strip looks amazing compared to the original version of it.

also i didn't realise paul kupperberg didn't do anything else for the prog due to his editorial job at dc that was a new bit of info for me

[GordonR]

ialso i didn't realise paul kupperberg didn't do anything else for the prog due to his editorial job at dc that was a new bit of info for me

He was editor on their two short-lived Dredd titles.  Probably because he ‘got’ 2000AD, I  suppose.

[broodblik]

B/W Cover:

[IndigoPrime]

To be fair with the floppy, it’s logical in presenting it as a catch-up to what’s in the current Meg. So fair play on that. Although it also means the Meg remains in my reading queue, because I now want to read the floppy before I read Anderson. As for the rest of it, Lawless was predictably superb, Dredd is action-packed and intriguing, Diamond Dogs ended well, and although mushroom cop has some interesting ideas I’m still finding it hard to care due to the horrible initial episodes. Nice text bit on some more droids who only briefly entered 2000 AD’s orbit.

[Colin YNWA]

The Progs a bit woddly at the moment and that's certianly not helped by a floppie which reprints material from like 34 minutes ago, or whatever. I mean really., REALLY.

Inside both Diamond Dogs and Deathcap have what seem like decent episodes, Diamond Dogs being a conclusion. The trouble is its a little too late to make me give a damn about either. Possibly when, on some distant day I find time to re-reead them they may fare better. But for now an almighty shoulder shrug. I mean a really dismissive shoulder shrug.

Anderson fares a little better. Its an intriguing start, as we go back in time to the era of spiritual samuria and Chief PSI Judge Omar's scarifiace and apparently what he set up after... we'll see how it develops

Dredd is pretty good as Joe enters some kinda death match game between 50 Orlok clones and team up with Orlok 13 to escape as Maitland and co launch an all out attack on the Red Queen unaware that Dredd is in there. Somewhere. Action fun.

The laurels are clearly won by Lawless with another brilliant episode as Nerys gives us a half time recap that serves to not only bring us all back up to date but to successfully and exciting drive the story forward. Pettifer has a good grip in what's what and has pieced the clues together and a little more. The trouble is turns out she can't trust the one teddy she thought she could trust. Ain't it always the way. Brilliant as ever.

Some okay text piece round us off and there we have it. If I'm honest a pretty lack luster Meg that should be very grateful to have Lawless.

[Magnetica]

This months meg features the return of Anderson. What is interesting is that the floppy contains a reprint off a few Anderson stories that had a very recent run. Now the more interesting thing is that the one story originally published in prog 2150 "Be PSI-ing you" have been completed remastered. Originally it looked bland and rushed but now it looks amazing.

Looking at the original published in Prog 2250, you can see that it was actually not finished - there are a number panels, generally in the 2nd half where there is no background. These have now been added. It’s also not as dark and “force ghost” like effects have been added to the sister.

Overall, not a great Meg, apart from Lawless (obviously) and Diamond Dogs.

[Goosegash]

Seems like Maura McHugh's Anderson stories would benefit from having shorter gaps between them, considering there's enough ongoing plot elements that it needs the reprints to bring the casual reader up to speed at this point. The story from Prog 2250 was completely impenetrable without that background context, I remember reading that at the time and just thinking "...eh?" Knowing now it was half-finished explains a lot.

[Proudhuff]

Dredd managing to keep the megazine afloat for me. I fined the whole Psi-Div hokum wearisome, Lawless feels like series six on a Netflix soap and the other two just fail to hook my imagination. Its me I know, I understand stories can be given room to breath in the Meg, but most of these feel like they are lounging round the pool.   

[nxylas]

The Progs a bit woddly at the moment and that's certianly not helped by a floppie which reprints material from like 34 minutes ago, or whatever. I mean really., REALLY.

Yeah, next month's is apparently that alleged Hook Jaw story from a couple of years back. To be fair, I probably would have enjoyed that more if it had been called Shark Witch or something, my only real problem with it was that I felt calling it Hook Jaw was a bit of a cheat. I'd still rather have a reprint of the real Hook Jaw, though.

[Dark Jimbo]

The Progs a bit woddly at the moment and that's certianly not helped by a floppie which reprints material from like 34 minutes ago, or whatever. I mean really., REALLY.

Yeah, next month's is apparently that alleged Hook Jaw story from a couple of years back.

Well I'll be picking up an issue next month purely for the Hookjaw reprint, so... job done, as far as I'm concerned.

[nxylas]

Well I'll be picking up an issue next month purely for the Hookjaw reprint, so... job done, as far as I'm concerned.

I read it when it was in the prog, not that long ago.

[Funt Solo]

In order, best first:

Lawless: Ballots Over Badrock
This is a summary episode - it's not like anyone can complain that they're not aware of who everyone is and how the plot's unfolding. On the other hand, there's that sense of wheel-spinning. Best thing in the Meg, but it's not got that urgency driving us to the next episode.

Anderson Psi-Division: Dissolution
A bit like the Kessel Run, there's an argument that not knowing how Shenker became head of Psi-Div may be preferable to knowing. That aside, it's an interesting perspective on the classic climax of The Warlord (progs 451-455). Bonus points for knowing about nybbles.

Death Cap
All the way through this, I've been wondering what it would be like to read the backstory of how the character came to be raising a family in The Cursed Earth, as opposed to this Fungus-on-steroids tale. In Fungus (275-277), the suspense came from the temporal pressure - everyone exposed was a a ticking time bomb. Here, that's been removed in favor of ongoing mutation, which makes this quite a lot like Blunt. All of that aside, this episode is good because the action and momentum has picked up.

Judge Dredd: Regicide
This manages to sneak fourth place by dint of having a Battle Royale plot that's quite fun to watch. Beyond that, I'm just not a fan of the Red Queen arc at all. This plot has taken a great character that existed sensibly in Dredd's world (Orlok) and (by endlessly cloning him) made him a joke of a threat. Whack-A-Mole Orlok. And the Red Queen isn't even a character - she's just a super-villain template. Having Dredd be in exactly the place required by the story just as Maitland launches her sting feels contrived. Can't we have a villain with an actual name? And have it not be Orlok? Why is an Acc-Div Judge launching all-out military assaults anyway? Quimby wouldn't approve etc.

Diamond Dogs III
Well, at least it's finished. Sorry - just not my cup of tea. I liked Warren Pleece's work in Crisis, but I'm not a fan of it here, and Brit-Cit doesn't seem much more than present-day London with some hi-tech gubbins thrown in. This is the Meg's Skip Tracer, but not as bad. Conversely - I could see this making a good movie or series - probably set in the present day.


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Summary: to get away with it, you need to be running three totally solid thrills at least. I'm not sure we're managing that with this Meg. I'm feeling the loss of Hawk the Slayer and Surfer.