Meg 457 - New Jack City

[Colin YNWA]

What no Meg review yet? come on folks... oh why haven't I ...well..  I read most of this Wednesday but was rushed and a bit tired so saved Lawless and then for various reasons haven't had the perfect time to lavish over it until this morning. And that says it all. Whatever else is in the Meg - or indeed Prog - Lawless is something else again. Its special. Its just magnificence. This episode exemptifies that. Its stands alone as an episode doing its own thing yet driving things on. It catches you up but with the best built exposition imaginable, deftly dropping in new mystery. Its reintroduces character both telling and showing. Its is episodic comics done at their very, very best. Oh and that's before we talk about art to die for.

So that's why I'm late to the party. I was treating Lawless the way it deserves, what's your excuse for not even starting the party.

Oh yeah the rest of the Meg. Not bad actually, just in the shadow a little. Dredd ends the One Eyes Jack story effectively - not Niemand's best but perfectly entertaining. Specter continues being good not great. I've loved Death Metal Planet but this episode shows signs of creaking and this needs to wrap up soon to maintain its excellence. Dreadnoughts is absolutely excellent, I mean really good ... just not Lawless good.

I've read all the reprint, but it'd be a treat if you hadn't. The text stuff is just so... text stuff this month.

Good Meg overall raised a level by possibly my favourite ever strip from Tharg's Bushy Garden.

[Leigh S]

No reviews I'm presuming because the Subscriber copies are AWOL?

No sign in Birmingham of 457, though the prog came Monday and Battle Action 2 turned up today....

[broodblik]

Cover by Kieran Mckeown and Quinto Winter:

[Batman's Superior Cousin]

No reviews I'm presuming because the Subscriber copies are AWOL?

No sign in Birmingham of 457, though the prog came Monday and Battle Action 2 turned up today....

Got my copy, but for obvious reasons, I no longer start these types of threads...

[Richard]

Got mine last Monday but was just too lazy to do a full review.

However I'll happily piggyback on Colin YNWA's coattails! I generally don't like Lawless as much as most people on this forum, but I thought this episode was particularly good. I can't quite put my finger on exactly why, but it was very entertaining, and now I'm rooting for Pettifer.

One-Eyed Jacks could have ended last issue, but this episode is a nice epilogue. (I'd actually be quite happy for McBane and Fargo to get their own series, even without more science fiction shenanigans.)

I'm over this Dark Judges series now. Nick Percival's art is glorious as always, but I'd rather see him illustrating another story.

I enjoy Spector, and I love how Wagner writes dialogue. The change of artist is fine. Those are big shoes to step into but PJH manages well enough.

Dreadnoughts is good too, but I can't really say anything else without spoiling it.

I haven't read the reprint stuff before, so I'm pleased to see it.

[IndigoPrime]

I've had mine for a while too, but it's for some reason taken time to dig into it, bar One-Eyed Jacks and Dreadnoughts. One thing that is interesting is Matt shaking up the sort order, which now feels more like 2000 AD, rather than dumping all the reprint at the back.

As for the strips, I thought Dredd: One-Eyed Jacks ended well enough. Spector is fine. Cornwell works as a replacement artist, but the strip itself feels, I dunno, a bit out of time. It's like something that might have run in the mid-1980s.

The Spider gives is our first slice of reprint, and this run ws new to me. I'm unlikely to read it again and wish it had been more self-contained, but don't begrudge Rebellion running extended ads for their books in this way. Then we get Death Metal Planet, which taken in isolation is a solid episode. It's just a lot of what came before didn't work for me at all.

Anderson is great. Matt Smith totally nails the character and the city, and it makes me wish we'd seen more of his work on these characters. Johnny Red hasn't clicked with me to the same degree, but it's good and I'd not read it before.

Lawless... oddly didn't really grab me as much as I'd hoped it would. What's happening is intriguing, but I'm wondering what the twist is going to be with Laswson herself. Something, I imagine. Dreadnoughts is for me the highlight, although I again very much hope it avoids the obvious as it rattles to the conclusion of book two. Then again, perhaps [spoiler]this will be the strip that instigates the policy of no family ties[/spoiler].

Dreadnoughts > Anderson > One-Eyed-Jacks > Lawless > Johnny Red > Death Metal Planet > Spector > Spider

[broodblik]

A very good meg. When you have a meg with Lawless in it and it is not your favourite, you must know you are in a good spot.

Dredd – This was a great Dredd story and I like everything about it. I also would not mind a more 70s type of spin-off for One-eyed Jack and Fargo. I really like Kieran's art hopefully we can see more of him.

Spector – Although I love John Wagner's work the strip feels very much old school. I also do not love the concept but overall, not a bad strip. I am also enjoying Cornwell's art more and more. He has become a very accomplished artist – after my initial dislike of his art very much like Garry Lynch.

Death – This feels like it been stretch-out and the last few episodes did not grab me but at least the last episode has been a much improvement. I would like Nick to do a Dredd again and not only the Death stuff.

Lawless – As always Lawless is excellent but one "issue" I have is that I am not a fan off the direction the series is taking (but I do have faith in Abnett to surprise me)

Dreadnoughts – Excellent stuff, gritty, dark, and intriguing. Great work from Carroll and Higgins.

Anderson – This is one of the best IDW stories and well worth your time.

Johnny Red – Lovely stuff and again if you have not read it this is the time.

[Bad City Blue]

DREDD was okay, it's not been a great use of the classic character but had it's moments.

SPECTOR does seem a bit old (even for when it was written) but it IS fun, and worth a read.

LAWLESS is always excellent, even if you just look at all the detail.

ANDERSON is really good, I didn't realise it was an IDW and that REALLY surprises me.

DREADNOUGHTS shines as usual. An excellent strip that is up there with Lawless.

The Johnny Red story is fantastic but I already own it. I don't read Death.

[IndigoPrime]

I didn't realise it was an IDW and that REALLY surprises me.

IDW had some gems among the dross. Everything Matt Smith did was really good. Mars Attacks Judge Dredd was fun. Deviations was solid. And the short-lived Rogue Trooper run could have turned into something great had it not been cut down the second it appeared. (Well, before it even appeared, if I have the timeline right.)

[Tjm86]

I kinda get the lack of love for Spector if I'm honest.  As much as it was great to see King Carlos' artwork again, the concept put me in mind of the Comrade Bronski strip from Eagle. Again with Carlos on art duty and the idea of a plain clothes officer stamping out corruption.

Cornwell has stepped neatly into Carlos' shoes with the artwork and I can't fault that side of things. To be fair the plotting and scripting is pretty good all things considered.  It just feels a bit too much like something we've seen before.  I don't know, maybe I've been reading. comics too long?

[broodblik]

B/W Cover:

[Richard]

I actually like that version better!

[Nick Percival]

Yep - I am back on Dredd in the September Meg and then for a bigger, very dark Dredd series...cheers!

[Nick Percival]

A little peek...

[broodblik]

Awesome