Prog 2375 - err Bumper Issue ** New Readers start here.

[IndigoPrime]

On Rogue, I forgot to mention that black and white aspect of atrocity. There was a bit of that in the original strip – that notion the Southers were mostly moral and the Norts were a bunch of psychos. But I thought Rogue's own thinking was more nuanced – he mostly fought for 'his' side, but had been burned enough to recognise that everyone was pretty bad. That simplism of having to believe we're the good guys, or what else is there all felt a bit weird. Especially for a more modern incarnation of the character.

[Funt Solo]

Original Rogue leaned heavily into that World War II notion of a just war, with the Norts depicted as an entire army of SS-type fanatics, and the Southers more or less the American GIs. You could still have top brass baddies on the Souther side.

One of the reasons why Jaegir is so good - it muddies the waters.

[Proudhuff]

Original Rogue leaned heavily into that World War II notion of a just war, with the Norts depicted as an entire army of SS-type fanatics, and the Southers more or less the American GIs. You could still have top brass baddies on the Souther side.

One of the reasons why Jaegir is so good - it muddies the waters.

[Le Fink]

Dredd pretty decent with some lively rugged art. Is it Dredd's paranoia preventing him from picking the candidate everyone else is pushing him towards? Or is he just ornery?

Full Tilt Boogie enjoying this run, breezy stuff.

Thistlebone ends and it feels a bit pointless. Our two protagonists have been run through one hell of a mill and end up sort of killing each other? Erm, what? The villagers can't even do their evil worst, which I thought was rather the point.

Indigo Prime has taken a few episodes to get into but now I've acclimatised it's super stuff. There's either less technobabble now or I've just got used to it. Carter should do some more black and white, looks great.

Rogue Trooper - bang average.

Proteus Vex one of the best new strips. Quite a lot going on, needs a reread, which is cool as the Hachette book is on the shelf. Hooray!

[Le Fink]

I mean, I like John McCrea art, so I'm on board. I find the criticism of "Shoulder pad and Eagle way too big" quite a funny one, given Dredd over the years (including the gigantic Ezquerra armour).

I'll just drop this here:

(Cam Kennedy rocks)

I'm a big McCrea fan. I like the cover.

Oh and I forgot to mention Regened.

[Funt Solo]

Judge Dredd
Are we supposed to know who it is that Dredd's tracking from MC-1 to Scandinavia? Or, wait, now that I'm thinking about it - is that the flight path taken by HW 302 and Dredd's wondering what it was doing there? Apart from not quite getting that bit of the story, I really enjoyed the dynamic of this episode - the slow fracturing of the trust between Logan and Dredd, and the foreshadowing of the bait and switch with the choice of cadet. Hale, all puffed up at success, is somewhat reminiscent of Kraken on his final assessment, and Dredd seems to prefer the calculated tactics and bravery of Moon. (It's not entirely clear whether Dredd had someone in mind before he got there.)

Art-wise, I didn't notice the coloring mistake until someone on here mentioned it. The fat back wheel and thin front wheel Lawmaster makes it look a little too much like a tricycle, but I quite liked the wide field-of-view helmets.

Full Tilt Boogie
Turns out that magic crystals from downed warships aren't a magic cure. I really like how this series works both as a standalone, but also manages to teach us about the overarching plot. I'm finding it a lot more sophisticated-seeming than I was expecting from my emotional memory of the first series.

Thistlebone
Oh, but it's dark. I can't even do justice to a proper review without re-reading it in one sitting. I think this  topples Cradlegrave as most disturbing thing in the prog.

Indigo Prime
Wuh? Wait - the three color panels in the middle - are they happening in another reality? I'm definitely enjoying this and certainly not sure why. Last Lug to Abbo Dabbo, eat your heart out.

Rogue Trooper
Oh dear. Was this intended for some kind of all-ages spin-off version of 2000 AD? (Of course, you'd have to think of a snappy title for that.) It would be too easy to pick it apart like a vulture pecking at roadkill, so I'll instead celebrate the "For Nordland!" panel as the best thing in it. (Of course, she should have choked to death at that point, because this is 2000 AD, not the Dandy.) Last thing - why does Rogue transform into Andy Sipowicz? That's a weird new character trait. (Lots of love to all the creators - I know it's not easy and what the fuck do I know anyway?)




Proteus Vex
I do love this series. I was a bit confused by the Citheronian stalkers seeming to be onto Bihet setting a trap for them, and then falling straight into the trap. What detail did I miss here? Good to see that we're back looking at the little people inside big people's heads, because the last series completely skirted that entire aspect of things. Why is Midnight Indicating Shame so much more powerful than others of her species? Never mind - it's cool when she eats spaceships.

---

Summary - great prog, but you don't need to neuter Rogue just because there's going to be a movie. He's a soldier, not a social worker.

[Funt Solo]

Thistlebone ends and it feels a bit pointless. Our two protagonists have been run through one hell of a mill and end up sort of killing each other? Erm, what? The villagers can't even do their evil worst, which I thought was rather the point.

I want to reread the entire series to get a bit more of a handle on Yvonne's fate. I think she's just a victim of the terror of the woods. Callum's death is far more complicated, and ties into the inescapable trauma and guilt he feels over the murder of his father. Having the villagers murder him for being gay would not have been a story that I would've been comfortable reading (all things being equal), and so his fate had to be some form of happenstance, or self-inflicted.

Still, as I said upthread, all very dark. (That rather being the point.) Are there any creator interviews on this one? I'd be fascinated.

[Le Fink]

I want to reread the entire series to get a bit more of a handle on Yvonne's fate. I think she's just a victim of the terror of the woods. Callum's death is far more complicated, and ties into the inescapable trauma and guilt he feels over the murder of his father.

Good points. Theres that spectral image of his father. Callum is tripping balls at this point though.

Having the villagers murder him for being gay would not have been a story that I would've been comfortable reading (all things being equal), and so his fate had to be some form of happenstance, or self-inflicted.

Yes, I mean totally agree it would have been ghastly. I note though we've already had some abhorrent scenes of gay-bashing and consequent victim shaming. There's a line of regression to a homophobic lynching. It appeared that was the intent of the villagers. There was plenty of foreshadowing of hangings. So - much - foreshadowing! I was expecting the villagers and monstrous director to string them both up. A fittingly vile ending for such a nasty strip.

Still, as I said upthread, all very dark. (That rather being the point.) Are there any creator interviews on this one? I'd be fascinated.

Me too. I didn't like this strip but it still has much to admire and certainly grabbed my attention.

One thing that strikes me is that the recent Milligan and Dayglo strip Devil's Railroad got a fair bit of opprobrium. Both strips have evil bullies doing ghastly things to vulnerable people, and the bullies win. But this strip is getting much more of a pass.
Is it mainly the cartoony vs realistic art that is making the difference?

[broodblik]

One thing that strikes me is that the recent Milligan and Dayglo strip Devil's Railroad got a fair bit of opprobrium. Both strips have evil bullies doing ghastly things to vulnerable people, and the bullies win. But this strip is getting much more of a pass.
Is it mainly the cartoony vs realistic art that is making the difference?

For me the big difference is that in the one the focus is on the horror whereas the other's focus was mostly on horrible characters. Also it did not help the strip in Devil's that I literally did not care for any of the characters

[Le Fink]

For me the big difference is that in the one the focus is on the horror whereas the other's focus was mostly on horrible characters. Also it did not help the strip in Devil's that I literally did not care for any of the characters

Yeah that's fair - Palamon was a hot-tempered idiot, and a killer. Constance was there to be put in jeopardy and was rather underwritten.

[norton canes]

Is it Dredd's paranoia preventing him from picking the candidate everyone else is pushing him towards? Or is he just ornery?

I like this idea. my other thought is that for some awful reason he's just taking someone as cannon fodder.

[nxylas]

The "he doesn't want some young hothead out to make an impression" explanation is the one that makes most sense to me.

[Richard]

Hale probably reminds him of his brother at the same age.

[IndigoPrime]

Bloke on bike was tactically inept. A showboater. They get you killed.

[don wiskerando]

Proteus Vex
I do love this series. I was a bit confused by the Citheronian stalkers seeming to be onto Bihet setting a trap for them, and then falling straight into the trap. What detail did I miss here?

I read that as them not following into the trap and trying to go around it,  which of course was anticipated and they fell into the real trap.

Proteus Vex
Why is Midnight Indicating Shame so much more powerful than others of her species?

She's a potential queen isn't she?  That's  the reason she doesn't get the urge to return to the hive.