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FFT - Quarter Final 4 - Lawless vs Brink

Started by Colin YNWA, 01 September, 2022, 06:26:24 AM

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maryanddavid


Dash Decent

- By Appointment -
Hero to Michael Carroll

"... rank amateurism and bad jokes." - JohnW.

abelardsnazz

Argh...both Dabnett masterpieces. Because I'm reading it at the moment, Lawless, but my answer could be different next week.

Sean SD


Proudhuff

DDT did a job on me

Blue Cactus

Tough one this. The artists are so different but both utterly striking, hugely evocative and just perfect for the strips they're illustrating. Lawless is one of Tharg's greatest ensemble casts, and skillfully weaves plot threads, genres, large scale conflict and kitchen sink personal drama in perfect balance. Brink has been a strip that felt like something new and unique in the prog, a slow burner relying on dialogue, atmosphere and bursts of energy to build a tangible sense of menace and a crushingly claustrophobic sci fi vision.

Brink for me, because while Lawless feels like it's taken a certain kind of series and lifted it to incredible heights, Brink is the one for me that feels the most groundbreaking and different.


Funt Solo

Tricky, this, because they're both excellent thrills. Lawless is currently keeping the Meg afloat, although it wasn't that long ago that we had Megatropolis, Angelic and Dreadnoughts. So, thinking about the meta (sic), Lawless is high value because it's maintaining interest in an entire comic. It's also high value because of the clear characterization and the very compelling storytelling. I know who everyone is, what they've done in the past, why they're hurting - and even that when they're hurting, it's hurting me. The major downside (cut 'n' paste bowler-hatted rent-a-villains) happened a few series ago.

Brink is something that's become excellent - especially when the titular character died - that really needed to happen. I still think all the little "tracelet" call-out boxes are a bit much, but the swearing experiment has worked well over time. Hatebox was a bit genius, really. It's a bit odd that we've had a middle series without our main protagonist. Also, it requires more study (more re-reading) to avoid becoming confused over side characters. More than almost any other thrill (excepting Buttonman) this should be televised.

I love both of these and they're part of what makes modern 2000AD (& the Meg) still must-read material, and a strong source of experimental wonder. I have to decide on one, so I'm going to go with the one that has the stronger (clearer, easier) characterization.

Lawless
++ A-Z ++  coma ++

Southstreeter

Brink. Maybe because I love it weekly in the prog, but only get Lawless in the collections, excellent though it is. I've reread my brink collections but feel less of an urge to do so for lawless.

moly


Dash Decent

#25
Quote from: Blue Cactus on 01 September, 2022, 03:25:10 PM
Tough one this.

Quote from: Funt Solo on 01 September, 2022, 08:26:30 PM
Tricky, this, because they're both excellent thrills.

Quote from: abelardsnazz on 01 September, 2022, 01:13:44 PM
Argh...both Dabnett masterpieces.

Great news inside, readers!
We're merging your two favourite stories, "Brink" and "Lawless".
Look out next prog for "Braless".
- By Appointment -
Hero to Michael Carroll

"... rank amateurism and bad jokes." - JohnW.

Barrington Boots

That sounds like a thrill straight out of the Summer Offensive.
You're a dark horse, Boots.

AlexF

First Brink vs the Out, now this! Impossible!

My first instinct was certianly Brink. Across 5 LONG series it has been a consistgnent page-turner and the sort of thrill I can't wait to read the next installment of. Love the claustrophobic but still excitingly plausible sci-fi setting. And I adore Bridget Kurtis. And somehow was just as compelled to read a whole series that she barely appears in.

But, as others have pointed out, Lawless totally has the edge on characters. I like plenty of the other Brink cast, but not nearly as much or as deeply as at least 10 Lawless folks. And while I eagerly await each new bit of Brink, that's mostly for the plot; wheeas the wait for Lawless is to see what's happening next to Pettifer, or Lawson, Or, hell, Kill-a-man-Jaroo, that was a nail-biter last month I can tell you. I guess because Lawless has been running for longer I can see a bit more plate spinning action from Abnett. He's just about nailed the post-Zhind invasion soft reboot of the series, but I'm starting ot sense there is no ending, happy or otherwise, on the horizon. Ditto Brink, which is surely never going to resolve the presence or absence of evil space gods, but is, currently at least, kinda building up to a big showdown between the 'let's at least try to build some spaceships' vs the 'let's a least try to make this current situation more habitable and equitable' factions.

I'm not even going to try to compare and contrast Winslade vs Culbard. The two couldn't be more diferent, or more suited to the stories they're telling. Sweet perfection.

Reckon I'm going to come down on the same side as so many others here - compelling plots are outweighed by compelling characters, so, Lawless.

(And you know what, I'm stating here that I'd vote for either thrill on top of Strontium Dog, worthy semi-finalists both).

dan200


Colin YNWA

With a day to go I'm genuinely not sure which way this is going. Which is uttely fitting. I think there may be a few more votes out there and they may well decide this one. I'll let you know in the morning.