A wonderful Alex Ronald cover!
I am only reading Dredd at the moment as I will come back to the others.
Dredd - hmmmm, it's ok. The art is lovely. I am a bit confused seeing [spoiler]Death and the lads suits appear magically on their bodies[/spoiler], as I have seen death create makeshift suits in the past (most notably Judgement on Gotham). That's the comic nerd in my coming out.
Nice to see a[spoiler] letters page[/spoiler] too!
Quote from: Skullmo on 17 January, 2015, 12:33:52 PM
I am a bit confused seeing [spoiler]Death and the lads suits appear magically on their bodies[/spoiler], as I have seen death create makeshift suits in the past (most notably Judgement on Gotham).
Really? That doesn't tally with their last appearance either; Haldane supplied their uniforms from a costume shop.
So...any clarification whatsoever on the 'spare' body?
Quote from: Link Prime on 17 January, 2015, 12:41:42 PM
Quote from: Skullmo on 17 January, 2015, 12:33:52 PM
I am a bit confused seeing [spoiler]Death and the lads suits appear magically on their bodies[/spoiler], as I have seen death create makeshift suits in the past (most notably Judgement on Gotham).
Really? That doesn't tally with their last appearance either; Haldane supplied their uniforms from a costume shop.
So...any clarification whatsoever on the 'spare' body?
Maybe I am mistaken, looking back at it the suits are on them in the dead juice, but no helmets, [spoiler]then when they arise they have helmets on.[/spoiler]
(http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r182/Caliban_photos/Prog1914_zps7c5644d9.jpg)
[spoiler]You can see Fear is wearing his helmet, fire is obviously just a skull and Mortis mutates, and Death is Cutler before he shoots himself - as for the 5th body, presumably a mistake and 2 coffins should have been empty when he's carrying the body in[/spoiler]
Quote from: Steve Green on 17 January, 2015, 01:00:18 PM
[spoiler]You can see Fear is wearing his helmet, fire is obviously just a skull and Mortis mutates, and Death is Cutler before he shoots himself - as for the 5th body, presumably a mistake and 2 coffins should have been empty when he's carrying the body in[/spoiler]
Oh ok, I am never sure just how magical the Dark Judges.
Has anyone else noticed the new paper stock? I'm not sure I like it, on the black and white stories you can see the reverse page coming right through!
Most off putting.
Same in the meg, Demarco is all speech balloons showing through the page.
Fear can magically grow mantraps from his belt, and Mortis manages to transform Herriman outfit and all in Die Laughing, depends what works for the story.
As I have often said I think the term 'alien super fiend' that is used for Death should really be replaced with 'inter-dimensional magical zombie' for accuracy.
I believe the wait and hype is causing too much expectation .i believe dark justice is going to read far better collected than weekly.Staples art is truly gorgeous and having a re-read of first three parts there's loads I've missed or didn't see first time.knowing it's only eleven weeks long really didn't help either but those 66 pages to Wagner are like 200.The other reason is we're all being bloody spoiled for the last ten years.
That's some damn fine Alex R cover art. Could Cutler not have just smuggled the uniforms in or made them in situ (he's had 30 or more days to prep this scenario, and the ship would have onboard technology to manufacture pretty much anything). Z
As ever cheers to Eamonn for sticking up that super cover.
Just a quick post to say I'm really enjoying Dredd, Savage and The Order. The latter is shaping up to be a modern classic. Not so fussed on the other two strips but they're okay.
As for the Dark Judges costumes - who cares? I want to see Staples drawing the classic outfits. Anyway, perhaps the space ship has some sort of replicator or they got PJ Maybe to organise having uniforms smuggled onto the ship.
Quote from: JamesC on 17 January, 2015, 03:06:08 PM
As for the Dark Judges costumes - who cares?
True - who needs internal logic to make a story believable!
Yeah, you can get too bogged down in how things work - it can be a bit of fun, but it can also get a bit like reading a Haynes manual, and irrelevant to the story.
You don't need to have everything shown.
Quote from: Skullmo on 17 January, 2015, 03:10:59 PM
Quote from: JamesC on 17 January, 2015, 03:06:08 PM
As for the Dark Judges costumes - who cares?
True - who needs internal logic to make a story believable!
But not showing how the DJs got their costumes isn't illogical it just hasn't been spelled out. I've given two reasonably plausible explanations for how the costumes may have ended up on the Mayflower. I don't think showing this (at this stage in the story) would really add anything. Besides, it may be explained further into the story or at a later date. I assume we're going to find out where PJ fits in at some point, which may tie in.
Another belter of a cover from Alex Ronald.
Dredd: Art is as impressive as you could wish for, and the story proceeds as one would expect for the Dark Judges. As to the 5th body thing....I do notice one empty coffin in the 3rd panel of the first page, with 2 corpses occupying the coffins beside them, presumable Fire and Mortis as they have no helmets....then we see Both Death and Fear (helmets on) rise from their coffins, so perhaps there was indeed requirement for a 5th body. The idea that it's PJ does hold water for me, simply due to the fact we've seen nothing of him thus far, and it'd be a terrible waste to not have featured him. Plus there's the whole '5 bodies' thing. Athough there is also weight to the argument that it's just an error, as in the previous instalment, Death gets into his coffin which has Fire on his right....and when he 'wakes', it's Fear on his right, and there is an indication of a further empty coffin on his left (Page 2, 1st panel, obscured by inset panel) which wasn't there before. May well be not so much a mistake as misdirection, in order to have the '5th coffin resident' reveal as a surprise, but that had 'clues' all along. Whatever the reasons, still loving the strip.
Ulysses Sweet Still poop. And just today, I finally clicked what it reminds me of (not so much in content, but tone) is Captain Klep, which even as a kid I thought was puerile nonsense.
Orlock Continues to intrigue....what's he up to??? Nice touch with the wee slow-mo vial on the bed....sex on slow-mo......interesting idea to say the least!
The Order Okay.....I'm getting drawn in, I admit it. It's well written, even if it did seem like old ground to begin with, and the art is wonderful. Glad to say I was wrong about this one initially.
Savage Still liking the art, but that's all. The way Savage 'confused' the Hammerstien operator was just so contrived it clunked off the page. Looks like it'll be around a few weeks yet...oh well, at least it's pretty!
Quote from: Steve Green on 17 January, 2015, 03:17:26 PM
Yeah, you can get too bogged down in how things work - it can be a bit of fun, but it can also get a bit like reading a Haynes manual, and irrelevant to the story.
You don't need to have everything shown.
I agree you can get too bogged down. But for me it detracted from the story flow because they were in the tanks with no helmets and then suddenly they had helmets. I was just voicing my view.
They don't though.
The only two who have helmets are Death and Fear.
Fire is just a flaming skull and Mortis is shown changing (as he did in the DoC MacNeil story)
Fear's helmet is shown clearly in the previous prog as being in the nearest coffin in the panel.
Cutler puts on Death's costume and helmet and gets in the empty one.
Fire's head is just from the donor corpse once it's on fire and so is Mortis' once it mutates into a sheep/horse skull.
Mortis' head isn't a helmet.
Well that's the mystery explained.
Judge Death is a serial killer who got turned into a zombie when he met two witches in the woods one day, entirely by chance. They gave him a magic potion, which turned him into a ghost. He's only a zombie until he gets killed, then he turns into a ghost for as long as it takes to find someone else to turn into a zombie, and then his ghost possesses them, until that zombie gets killed as well. He and his three zombie friends have magical powers, and they can travel in time, space, between dimensions, and into other publishers' comic books thanks to some aliens they met completely by chance.
Judge Death is his real name.
How the magical-space-zombie-ghost managed to buy two novelty helmets aboard a spaceship full of billionaires, which has its own baseball park, is the least credulity-stretching aspect of the whole affair.
Heh.
my day is made :lol:
Butch wins the internet. Now... will Fire buy the farm first again? It's like a running gag at this point.
Quote from: mejustnow on 17 January, 2015, 05:49:56 PM
Now... will Fire buy the farm first again? It's like a running gag at this point.
I think you mean Fear...
A few preview pages on my blog if anyone wants a peak before Wednesday.
When you think about it you have 2 crappy Dark Judges: Fear and Mortis; one reasonably dangerous: Death and one mean hombre: Fire. I hope J W makes them utterly horrifying in this one. Z
Quote from: ZenArcade on 17 January, 2015, 09:52:26 PM
When you think about it you have 2 crappy Dark Judges: Fear and Mortis
Mortis is crappy? You take that back, sir! In what way is he any less effective than Death? (I'll give you Fire as the most dangerous, though - he's undoubtedly the deadliest and the hardest one to deal, with even though he's the least interesting of them.)
Quote from: ZenArcade on 17 January, 2015, 09:52:26 PM
When you think about it you have 2 crappy Dark Judges: Fear and Mortis; one reasonably dangerous: Death and one mean hombre: Fire. I hope J W makes them utterly horrifying in this one. Z
In what way is Mortis crappy?! T'other day I re-read the sectuon in Necropolis where he chases the cadets through the Undercity and it is
terrifying.
Zen slowly winds back from his intemperate statement. No, kidding aside, I do want this to reveal the Dark Judges in all their cruel, empty majesty. I read the Zarjaz and Dog breath issue with the Dark Judges and it got across the horror of what these truely sociapathic things represent (especially the story with the mother and the choice given between her and her child). The ship acts just as the undercity did, a confined space with nowhere to hide. Z
For all their powers the Dark Judges are pretty lame. I think it is because they have been given these great powers they have just become lazy and just want to wander around killing people one by one. You think they would learn to fire guns or kung fu or something.
True, extripation would seem the best option. This, however, would mandate the Dark Judges acting honestly and pragmatically on their oft stated convictions. After all they had the option when they wrested control of Mega City One during Necropolis. By this I mean through the Chief Judge Silver they would have had access to the launch codes and authorisation protocols for the city's arsenal of thermo nuclear weapons (enough to destroy the planet many times over). Instead they engaged in a frenzied orgy of brutal, sadistic one on one slaughter of the citizenry. This points an accusing finger at the real motivations behind their existence that being mere ignoble, psycopathic slaughter. Z
Should we have a poll on which is the worst/best Dark Judge in light of Zen's faux pas?
I'd say (strictly in killing terms) it probably goes: Fire>>>Mortis>Death>>>>>Fear.
It's all about proximity. Fire is the only one that can kill you from a distance, It might take a while but Mortis just needs to touch you once, Death at least needs to ssssqueeeze and Fear needs to fanny about opening his hat and even then you can still punch him in the no face.
Ok I'm game.
1. Fire - can kill many at once and at a distance.
2. Death - he is the leader and coordinator of the group, they are less effective without him.
3. Mortis - can kill instantly and in a pretty gruesome fashion.
4. Fear - close run with Mortis as he can kill many at a distance (providing they are looking at him) plus he has various offensive weaponry such as the mantraps. However Mortis is much more unsettling than Fear so he scrapes it.
So have at it folkssssss. Z
If Fear's face thing works over video it may change things around a bit.
I can see a few ways you could expand what they could do.
Mortis can rot/rust material, so he could potentially wreck a reactor or trigger a disaster like power tower. (Not terribly useful on a spaceship though)
Fear over video was explored in Dark Judgement by Rich and Conor (he's also got his grenade heads as well)
I think they just like the personal touch, so a confined city block or a spaceship suits them.
In 'Necropolis', they are compared to artists, hiding the city in black mists until they are ready to reveal their masterwork to the world. Death's vision for the city is described as a "beautiful dream." Though they wish to extinguish life, they are, ironically, very creative - they really enjoy their jobs and, as Steve rightly says, they like to express themselves on a personal level.
DVD EXTRA MISSING SCENE
Dredd: Death and his cronies have escaped into space and will soon be travelling away from Earth at quarter of the speed of light. I want to pursue them.
Hershey: Why the drokk would you want to do that?
Dredd: Because otherwise the story would be really short.
Hershey: *sigh* Fine. Have some rat-catchers and Anderson. I've got some serious stomm to deal with right now, and could do without your vendettas against creatures that are now finally actually out of our hair.
Dredd: *dreddface*
Hershey: *hersheydeathstare*
Dredd: *slinks off*
I say they take off and nuke the entire ship from orbit. It's the only way to be sure.
The Dark Judges are all a bit poo and should have been sacked off sometime ago when they all became pantomine dames.
There, now that arguements resolved
Let's talk about the Prog Baby
Have we all read Prog 1913*
Lets talk about all the good things and the bad things
Are you flip flapping like me
Lets talk about Prog
Dredd this one is slipping from solid to a little drab. I do think it will be a lot better when read as one when I think the pacing will work a bit better. For me its testament to how past their sell by the DJs are that start of their final (is it) campaign read like a tired re-run with a few recycled jokes. I really hope I regret saying that when I re-read it but its honestly how I feel at this point in time.
I over estimated the direction Ulysses Sweet was headed and its become tired already. We'll see.
Orlok kinda frustrated me. There's a good story waiting to breakout but I seem to spend too much time checking about to see exactly what happened, thinking I'm missing stuff but I don't think I'm being told stuff. Still this one gives enough to keep me wanting to find out.
So maybe I was just in a grump when reading the Prog this week? Well luckily both The Order and Savage are great I'm enjoying them a great deal.
Phew.
* Yes I know its Prog 1914 but 1913 scanned better. What ya gonna do?
Firstly, yes, I meant Fear to go first. My bad.
As far as the modus operandi of the Dark Judges, I think (to coin a phrase) they not only want justice to be served, but to be seen to be served.
Also, they are a bit dim-witted. If you think about their ultimate victory over Deadworld (was that place renamed by them after they one?) I think that's the perfect template for them and one they want to recreate over and over again.
First time out of the gate they took control of the whole infrastructure and had the crime of life added to the statute books. The entire judicial system worked to ex the population, and finally those generals in command had the honour of being killed by the Dark Judges themselves. the final sentences passed on the planet, which then existed for perhaps centuries in "peace".
This model was most closely replicated during Necropolis. I for one get a kick out of their frustrations. It makes me giggle that they continue to be annoyed by the inhabitants of this planet's on-going insistence that life is not a crime. Why don't they just play bloody ball?! It's not fair!! :lol:
"won", "one"...nurse, pass the coffee stat!
Quote from: user2000 on 17 January, 2015, 01:06:42 PM
Has anyone else noticed the new paper stock? I'm not sure I like it, on the black and white stories you can see the reverse page coming right through!
Most off putting.
Same in the meg, Demarco is all speech balloons showing through the page.
Can't understand why nobody else is in agreement with you on this. The new paper is rubbish, particularly for b/w strips.
Quote from: Spaceghost on 19 January, 2015, 09:37:31 AM
Quote from: user2000 on 17 January, 2015, 01:06:42 PM
Has anyone else noticed the new paper stock? I'm not sure I like it, on the black and white stories you can see the reverse page coming right through!
Most off putting.
Same in the meg, Demarco is all speech balloons showing through the page.
Can't understand why nobody else is in agreement with you on this. The new paper is rubbish, particularly for b/w strips.
I know! I thought I might have had a duff prog at first, but when I saw the mess that was Demarco in the Meg I realised that the paper wasn't merely a bit "whiter". I noticed it right away from reading the nerve centre (I'm a bit anal like that).
This could really call into question my continued print subscription, to me it makes the black and white strips unenjoyable and that's more than half the prog at the moment! - reminds me of some old IPC 70s comics I have (Cheeky, Whoopee etc) where it's the colour pages leeching through for a good few issues because of the paper stock.
Whiter, brighter paper = good. Transparent pages resulting in reading annoyance = bad.
Has Alex Roland given us a bad cover yet?!
Dredd has really picked up now. To put one's self in the shoes of the colonists was genuinely terrifying - for all that we may moan about how pantomime the gruesome foursome have become, you'd proper shit yourself if you ever appeared face-to-face with these lads and that's what Staples' art has really brought home. The script still feels a little 'light' if that makes sense, but that's because Wagner is very much 'doing a Pat Mills' here i.e. providing a script that's first and foremost a showcase for his artist.
I loved the first run, but sorry to say this time out Ulysees Sweet has lost me. It feels a bit tired, and the humour a bit forced. As things stand I won't be sad to see this one end.
Orlok is much improved. I'm quite enjoying this now. The only trouble is that I have no idea what Orlok is up to, or what his end goal is, or why he's in Euro-Cit, or why he betrayed the Sovs, or... or anything, really. I know that's very much the point - that his shadowy motivations are meant to intrigue us - but it makes it hard to have any investment in what's happening. Events are currently just sort of washing over me rather than shocking or surprising me.
The Order is still the pick of the bunch. By turn it's touching, funny, exciting, intriguing, but never gives us too much of any one of those. Just perfectly paced and well-judged, and of course the art is glorious - imagine how bleak the prog would look currently without John Burns' paintbox!
Savage doesn't quite hit the heights of last week but ticks along in solid enough fashion.
My two-pennth on the new paper.
(And I am sorry as I don't like to criticise any one connected with bringing us our weekly thrill power.)
I really hope this is a one-off. It isn't just the black and white strips it is affecting, but the colour ones as well.
I can clearly see Fear's hand leaking through from the edge of page 2 of Dark Justice back onto page 1, same with Mortis's "nose" from page 1 through to page 2. On a positive note I like the way the pictures don't stick to the frames - it looks more dynamic that way.
Also a speech bubble on the last page of Orlock can be seen on the first page of The Order.
It is such a shame that this issue is happening right at the time of the long awaited Dark Justice which does have probably (in my opinion) some of the best looking art we have seen in a very long time.
^that too.
I'm a bit disappointed there's been no "official" word on this new paper travesty or have I missed something elsewhere?
I can only assume the digital versions don't come with this enhanced backwash? :angel:
I didn't even notice
Discrimination against the 'real' prog readers I say. First I find to my shock and chagrin that some get their progs 4 days earlier and cheaper because they can't arse themselves to amble down to their local newsagent like the rest of us; then I find the latest prog to be of such a consistency that an asthmatic gnat could spit through it! What's going on here?? Z Ps I trust I haven't gone and alienated a large section of squaxxdom....I have haven't I. :-\
Yeah you tell it like it is Z.Earlier cheaper progs and free bloody gifts.Along with the best writers and artists in the business and your all still complaining.Spoiled little drokkers the lot of you.
Quote from: JamesC on 21 January, 2015, 05:05:50 PM
I didn't even notice
Some of the language being used to talk about the paper stock is bafflingly self-righteous. Yes, it's a bit annoying because the blacks bleed through slightly on the b/w strips, but jeez - you've actually got folks demanding Rebellion make an official statement addressing their concerns!
I'm sure they're aware of how the new stock looks; I'm sure they'll try another one in due course; life is too short.
Quote from: Dark Jimbo on 21 January, 2015, 05:33:10 PM
Quote from: JamesC on 21 January, 2015, 05:05:50 PM
I didn't even notice
Some of the language being used to talk about the paper stock is bafflingly self-righteous. Yes, it's a bit annoying because the blacks bleed through slightly on the b/w strips, but jeez - you've actually got folks demanding Rebellion make an official statement addressing their concerns!
I'm sure they're aware of how the new stock looks; I'm sure they'll try another one in due course; life is too short.
erm, surely one of the reasons I generally lurk, but I figure you're talking about me seeing as no one else has mentioned Rebellion, and it's not that hard to recall my post seeing as it's only just up the page there, I said I was "a bit disappointed". Hardly self righteous! Just because I don't post one and a half times a day doesn't make my opinion any less valid.
And if it comes across that way, so what, I have paid up front, in advance (yes it works out cheaper, but even so...) for a great many years now and I thought the days the prog was printed on see through paper long finished.
Quote from: Dark Jimbo on 21 January, 2015, 05:33:10 PM
Quote from: JamesC on 21 January, 2015, 05:05:50 PM
I didn't even notice
Some of the language being used to talk about the paper stock is bafflingly self-righteous. Yes, it's a bit annoying because the blacks bleed through slightly on the b/w strips, but jeez - you've actually got folks demanding Rebellion make an official statement addressing their concerns!
I'm sure they're aware of how the new stock looks; I'm sure they'll try another one in due course; life is too short.
Not just a statement, a formal apology! heads must roll!! :lol:
I didn't notice either. But after reading all these comments I now cannot help but see it. it's like when you read a medical book and suddenly you notice you have those symptoms!!
I'm not that bothered about the paper stock as I read my prog in the bath anyway!
I'll confess I didn't notice until it was pointed out. It's not like the prog's unreadable. I'm more upset by twenty pages of American Reaper in the Meg, TBH, because, try as I might, I just can't read it.
Cheers
Jim
I can't say it bothered me too much, much as the bog paper of the early days didn't trouble me either.
I didn't notice it skipping through the Prog on Saturday but I did immediately see how bad it was in the Meg in DeMarco, P.I. due to the larger areas of white in Yeowell's artwork compared to the black and white work currently in the Prog (although I can clearly see it in that as well now that I've noticed it). Less noticeable in the coloured areas but it's there, even on the covers.
But as Jimbo said, I'm sure they must be aware of how it turned out and will probably have it fixed in due time.
Artwork on Dredd is incredible.This Greg Staples is a talented fellow I reckon he'll go far.
User2000 you are perfectly entitled to express an opinion and you should express it well and often. I ain't hung up on the paper quality in a big way as what's impressed on it is so good. But it is right to point out misgivings. Z
I'm with Jim. Mainly because I hate American Reaper.
RE: Dark Justice.... Great to see the Verminators again and frankly, I love this set-up. I'm never tired of the Alien Super Fiends. However one thing keeps bothering me. Where is this ship going??? It takes "years" to reach a star system? We've seen Dredd and co. muck about dozens of star systems! Insurrection was a whole bloody space war! Where is this ship going that it takes so long, why is it going there specifically and why can't it get there faster (and do they not expect to just get killed by Kleggs/Zhind/etc)....
Quote from: Theblazeuk on 21 January, 2015, 11:54:32 PM
RE: Dark Justice.... Where is this ship going??? It takes "years" to reach a star system? We've seen Dredd and co. muck about dozens of star systems! Insurrection was a whole bloody space war! Where is this ship going that it takes so long, why is it going there specifically and why can't it get there faster....
The nearest uninhabited system capable of supporting life. So yeah, they could easily get to any number of crazy planets or colonies that we've seen previously, but they're heading beyond all these for something new and unclaimed.
The one thing that's not going well in my noggin is just how the rest of the Death back story we have been exposed to is all of a sudden being lost or forgotten?
Is it just me or does Dark Justice seem to have started off with a clean slate? It's probably my age...
:-\
oh and American Reaper is unreadable - I agree... the amount of space used up for a load of mug shots is bobbins...
Re "where is the ship going"?
I hadn't thought about it, but now you mention it, why would Death and co bother with the ship? Why not just continue their work in MC-1? I guess you could argue that DoC has done a lot of it for them, but surely they would want to finish the job and then turn to the rest of Earth?
Quote from: Jacqusie on 22 January, 2015, 03:41:46 AM
The one thing that's not going well in my noggin is just how the rest of the Death back story we have been exposed to is all of a sudden being lost or forgotten?
Is it just me or does Dark Justice seem to have started off with a clean slate? It's probably my age...
:-\
The rest of the dark judges were held by PJ Maybe... dunno what happened to him since Death got the jump. Imagine he's not dead... I'm not entirely sure how Death came back himself however. I originally thought he was stuck in mortal form but that was proved wrong as of last issue.
Anderson has said the sisters Nausea and Phobia brought Death back she sees them when see tries to help Logan.
Prog looked fine on my iPad. Filmore Faro can judge the merits of my archival hardcopy when he unearths it.
Savage was the best thing in the Prog again. Read Orlok one and a half times and still couldn't make sense of who was supposed to be doing what to who. The Order was improved this week.
I previously complimented Staples' version of Anderson but, this week, the photo reference of a much younger woman became distractingly obvious.
So much loveliness, so little time.
Just take it as read that The Order is brilliant and Sweet makes me laugh.
Oarlocks: Well this fun. Love the Lenny Zero vibe, but I don't believe for a second that this is anything but deep cover. Highlight of the prog for me was the return of Pug Dredd, good to see his TriVee show took off internationally, and confirmation for me that City of Courts belongs in my head canon. Oh, and at the risk of inviting just censure, that flank was expertly rendered.
Dredd: Cor, that Staples can paint. The meat of this tale is definitely the visuals, and very tasty it is too: the Mortis transformation alone was worth four episodes.
As to the ship, well it's a billionaire's folly: far too big for hyperspace travel, the generations-long journey is a utopian end in itself. For a society that lives in blocks and fortified habs, this yob-free bottle world is business as usual - just like Bader's Condos but going somewhere, anywhere, away from the graveyard stench of MC-1.
As to the DJs, I'm inclined to accept that the last murder was for Fear's host, and all we saw in the third coffin last week was his uniform. On the subject of uniforms, Death has had over a month to pull costumes together, and we know his spirit (not to mention the others) has transformative powers even when disembodied, or even years absent. Previous applications of the fluidsssss have been done in a rush, or left in the hands of a third party. Here Death takes his time and gets it right.
The current line-up seems to be a fantastic example of what makes 2000ad so fantastic. Put 5 Squaxx dek Thargo in a room and you'll get 5 different answers as to what the best strip is in the current run. You'll get 5 different answers to what strip they don't particularly like.
Testament to the glorious diversity of The Galaxy's Greatest.
Savage is the only weak link for me, mainly as I prefer the old Invasion! stuff to any of the revived stories, though it has had its moments. Still I'm less interested in joining up to ABC warriors than I was in just seeing Bill kill more damn volgs with his shooter.
I'm not too keen on being made to feel that I should basically shut up, doff my cap, scurry back into my little bolt-hole crying "I'm not worthy!", be bloody grateful that I am priveliged enough to have these pearls bestowed upon me and not complain about a noticable (to me anyway) drop in paper stock quality on a publication that I spend an enormous (to me) amount of money on.
I agree, the prog is delivering the goods at the moment but my enjoyment was marred by the see-through paper (even more so in the Meg), and I feel it bears a mention. I don't expect an apology or even a statement from Rebellion, I'd just like my opinion, and the opinion of those who agree with me, to be taken into consideration.
Onto the actual content;
Loving Judge Dredd and the return of the Dark Judges a lot more than I thought I would. The eye-blistering art work goes a long way towards selling this and the simple, old-school story is a refreshing change from much of modern Dredd. I'm focusing on the mood and atmosphere instead of getting bogged down with the little continuity blips, and I'm fully along for the ride. I really want to know what's happened to PJ Maybe though. I'm getting worried about the loveable old psychopath.
I enjoyed the last series of Ullysses Sweet as an anarchic, frothy, violent comedy in the same vein as The Young Ones, and I'm enjoying this new series on the same terms. I can understand people not liking it as the humour could easily not be to one's tastes, but I'm loving it.
I have to say, I'm in the camp that thinks a flashback strip about Orlok is slightly redundant. The art is lovely, with a real old school 2000 AD flavour that could easily have seen print in the first 100 progs, but I'm not particularly invested in the story. In a nice touch, the title this week has been changed from 'Agent of East-Meg 1' to 'Agent of Himself', but we all know he'll be comfortably back in the fold before the end of the story.
I'm loving The Order. It's an intruiging world that I'm keen to learn more about, there's just the right amount of humour, and it's refreshing to see a team of heroes past their prime. John Burns' art is a perfect fit for this kind of fantasy world setting and I'm looking forward to seeing where it goes.
I had to take apart all the pipes under my kitchen sink last night to find a blockage. Once I'd cleared it, I then had to perform the even more difficult task of putting it all back together. Remembering now how I struggled to force two of the pipes together and screw them closed, it puts me in mind of the way that Pat Mills is currently attempting to force the narrative of Savage together with that of Ro-Busters/ABC Warriors. To stretch this painful analogy even further, it's not quite working for me, and it's leaking all over my kitchen floor.
A reasonably good prog, marred slightly by the reduced quality of paper stock.
I agree with Tordelback that there is some expert flank rendering going on in Orlok. I like how fleshy the humans and pug are. I wish the story didn't remind me of a trailer for a film, loads of disconnected but really cool scenes hinting at a narrative without actually showing it. Also I am not always sure which one he is but that might just be his spy skills showing.
I'm not a big fan of the Dark Judges so I am not blown away by that story but I like them being restricted to that one ship. I'm also not sure why anyone would bother going after them given the sort of tough decisions the judges make daily. The art is lovely, of course. I am used to Judge Anderson's age fluctuating now so that doesn't really bother me any more.
I kinda like Savage. It doesn't feel so much like an endless retread like the ABC robots does. I like the way revolution, rebellion and repression have been depicted. There have been some excellent artists on it recently. It made me laugh when Savage revealed his Super-Londoner geographical location skills.
The Order is beautiful and I like the science fiction interruption into medieval Europe.
I don't like Ulysses Sweet. There just aren't enough visual or verbal jokes per panel to make the cartoon violence work for me so it bores me.
I didn't notice the paper stock. I will check that out when I go back home. (I should be writing an FOI request response right now so better go before the boss sees me.) Bye!
Quote from: Spaceghost on 22 January, 2015, 11:08:07 AM
I had to take apart all the pipes under my kitchen sink last night to find a blockage. Once I'd cleared it, I then had to perform the even more difficult task of putting it all back together. Remembering now how I struggled to force two of the pipes together and screw them closed, it puts me in mind of the way that Pat Mills is currently attempting to force the narrative of Savage together with that of Ro-Busters/ABC Warriors. To stretch this painful analogy even further, it's not quite working for me, and it's leaking all over my kitchen floor.
That is a marvellous paragraph, sir. It does remind me I
am slightly worried about where Savage is headed in the future.
All you paper-fondlers are making me want to rush home and examine my copy with a more critical eye The only thing I noticed this week is that it pays to view Dark Justice under a direct light source - Staples has some amazing translucent effects going on.
Should say the present lineup is a rare 5 for 5 for me, and it looks like the next one will be too. Yay!
Reading digital (was my first copy since the Android app which is nice) so no paper complaints from me! Will attempt to write some form of quick review from memory...
Cover - Looks amazing to me, really striking.
Dredd - Yes! The Dark Judges are doing their thing. Loved the recreation of Death's first appearance, and Fear gave a very good squelchy kill with his weird chainy mantrap things. It did cross my mind that the ship is quite an undesirable place for them to be, they'll work their way through it and then what? But the idea of getting to a previously untapped planet full of people must be very enticing for them. Half expected Dredd to just let them get on with it though, those people aren't MC1 citizens anymore!
Ulysses Sweet - Enjoying this run way more than the last. The humor grated on me eventually last time, but so far this has been good and chucklesome.
The Order - Been up and down on this, still not sure what to make of it. Looks great, and this episode was a good one. Still at the stage where it could go either way, but it's looking more promising than duff.
Savage - Haven't been engaged in the story for a while but do like the action, there's a nice chunky feel to the way it looks that's satisfying me.
Orlok - Again I like the look of this a lot but the story hasn't gripped me yet. Will give it more time, it's definitely nice to see more Dredd universe strips.
I am transfixed by The Order. Are there any good linkingtons to the ideas and inspiration behind the strip to be found on the inter-web?
Ta muchly.
Quote from: Prodigal2 on 22 January, 2015, 03:00:14 PM
I am transfixed by The Order. Are there any good linkingtons to the ideas and inspiration behind the strip to be found on the inter-web?
I'd like to know this too! All I can offer is my crappy tourist-German translation of Ritterstahl as 'Steel Knight', and the expectation that the cover tagline 'Diet of Wurms' lies in our collective future.
There is new The Order game out, any relations to the 2000AD's The Order?
(http://psmedia.playstation.com/is/image/psmedia/the-order-1886-listing-thumb-ps4-us-09un14?$Icon$)
Reading the Wiki entry I believe not, but the similar title and premise are very unfortunate.
Quote from: TordelBack on 22 January, 2015, 03:18:06 PM
Quote from: Prodigal2 on 22 January, 2015, 03:00:14 PM
I am transfixed by The Order. Are there any good linkingtons to the ideas and inspiration behind the strip to be found on the inter-web?
I'd like to know this too! All I can offer is my crappy tourist-German translation of Ritterstahl as 'Steel Knight', and the expectation that the cover tagline 'Diet of Wurms' lies in our collective future.
This has triggered memories of a boy-hood trauma on my part-a genuine memory of Johnny Morris eating a worm omelette on "Animal Magic."
TB how could you?
I didn't notice anything wrong with the paper. Certainly no pages bleeding for me.
Really nice cover. Top Thrills were Dredd and The Order. Also really enjoying Savage and Orlok is growing on me. Not so sure about Sweet though. I enjoyed the first series but this one just hasn't grabbed me.
Quote from: Prodigal2 on 22 January, 2015, 03:00:14 PM
I am transfixed by The Order. Are there any good linkingtons to the ideas and inspiration behind the strip to be found on the inter-web?
Yes.
http://comicsbulletin.com/kek-w-like-expendables-set-thirteenth-century/
That's the stuff, thanks Jimbo! Interesting to see how closely my personal reaction mirrors Kek-W's intentions - a successful execution, so.
Quote from: TordelBack on 22 January, 2015, 03:18:06 PM
Quote from: Prodigal2 on 22 January, 2015, 03:00:14 PM
I am transfixed by The Order. Are there any good linkingtons to the ideas and inspiration behind the strip to be found on the inter-web?
I'd like to know this too! All I can offer is my crappy tourist-German translation of Ritterstahl as 'Steel Knight', and the expectation that the cover tagline 'Diet of Wurms' lies in our collective future.
Flashbacks of juvenile jokes during history lessons - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diet_of_Worms (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diet_of_Worms)
Oh yes, i'm loveing The Order. It's just my cup of chow and on the right side of steam punk without going overboard at the expense of the drama. And that Mr. Burns chappy can art,can't he?
Quote from: Dark Jimbo on 22 January, 2015, 04:15:38 PM
Quote from: Prodigal2 on 22 January, 2015, 03:00:14 PM
I am transfixed by The Order. Are there any good linkingtons to the ideas and inspiration behind the strip to be found on the inter-web?
Yes.
http://comicsbulletin.com/kek-w-like-expendables-set-thirteenth-century/
DJ you are a prince among men.
Really enjoying most of the weekly's current run. Dark Justice is great and I dont mind about the plotholes. Im putting it down to d jump technology they've used previously meaning they can jump back to MC1 so they may as well deal with it in the confines of the ship. Looks lovely though there's the odd bits where I have trouble making things out. I aklso hate that font Annie's using fir the dark judges with it's crossbar I's and it's wobbly letters. It's not nice to look at at all.
Savage is ace, the best Mills has been in ages and the most like he was in Invasion Savage has been.
The Order is proper 2000ad and Burns is excelling as usual.
Orlock - love the story hate the art. Its hard to define quite often and just taking the piss in trying to be retro when really it's just nasty in places.
Ullyses Sweet however is the opposite. Paul Marshall does his usual slick job but it's polishing a turd. I cant find anything positive to say about the story at all.
That cover is ace mind.
3.5/5 is good enough for me
Quote from: metcalfecarr on 23 January, 2015, 02:16:14 PMI cant find anything positive to say about the story at all.
Well, you know what they say...
Quote from: metcalfecarr on 23 January, 2015, 02:16:14 PM
Ullyses Sweet however is the opposite. Paul Marshall does his usual slick job but it's polishing a turd. I cant find anything positive to say about the story at all.
I think Ullysees Sweet is one of the best things to grace the Prog; in what's been a pretty fantastic run, over the last couple of years.
Saying that, I'm also a fan of American Reaper, (from the Meg) so you can take my opinion on Comic strips with as much disdain as you feel appropriate!
Cheers
Hear, hear on the Ulysees Sweet strip. NK. Z
Cover - Nice to see yet another one by Alex, though this one hasn't quite grabbed me like his usually does.
Still, its rather nice.
Dredd - A nice enough episode, and things are starting to ramp up a notch, but this still hasn't totally grabbed me at all. :(
Ulysses - After a slight feeling of 'meh' last week, its back to being aces again. A more curiouser strip than this, I cant imagine.
Orlok - Is again a good solid read. As is Savage.
And best of the bunch for the fourth week running is The Order. Simply lovely stuff.
I'm finding something to enjoy in all of the strips but particularly loving Dredd and Savage.
Cover: Alex R continues a great run over the past year.
Dredd: what can one say, artwork to die for and the verminators en route.
Ulysees Sweet: this strip has me in stitches every week....a total f**king nut bag who's existence is predicated on some weird form of serendipity. the supporting cast is perfect. We haven't had as baroque a bunch of assassins since the soft hive used to chase Tyranny Rex about 20 years ago.
Orlok: again a consistently readable, well crafted story.
The Order: again, again a consistently.....etc
Savage: Jesus, even this is readable.
The prog has reached heights it was at a year ago. There are no duff reads in 1914. Z
Having a look at The Order again and the gunne. It seems to be based on some form of early single action Colt revolver an 1851 Navy or a Dragoon or a Walker any suggestions from fans of arms and militaria? Z
For me anyway, the high-quality run continues...
Dredd is good, if veering into pantomime territory now that the squeeezzzzzing has begun. As far as this thread, what would 'nuking' the ship achieve anyway? Beyond the slaughter, you can't kill what does not, y'know, live. Plus, Anderson is bringing her 'suction trap' so it's all in hand. The helmet confusion did sound strange, an odd peccadillo to have given the magical zombie inter-dimensional stuff going on (but Sauchie (sorry, I try to keep up...) covered that).
Ulysses balls-to-the-wall funny is great for balancing out the prog. As in, what type of strip could add something to the prog at the moment...? I think all bases are pretty much covered.
Orlok is the pick of the prog, the sketchy but accomplished art and scripting are fantastic. Each episode has been different, and I'm sure he's been 'Agent of Himself' since part 2, when he ran to ground.
The Order is like the best saturated-colour matinee movie, only better. You get John Burns' glorious art. I hope this runs and runs.
Savage is not my thing, 'Stop The Madness!' ? I also wondered about the emaciated arm on the cover, looking at the strip I see the Hammersteins have 4 arms. Continuity looked a bit bonkers until I realised that. Robot fans will know that already, but Savage isn't a strip I invest too much in.
The cover reminded me too much of the current Meg (understandably) and felt a bit subdued (in colour only).
The paper stock, I liked. It felt different, and as I prefer thinner (heavy paper, bordering on cardboard, can ruin a comic, lightweight I think works best). This thread has led me to check, and I suppose - only on b & w - the neighbouring page can bleed through. But Grud, it's marginal. Perhaps subconsciously I like that, and it's a bog-paper nostalgia thing. I won't be signing any petitions to 'stop the paper madness!'...
Quote from: Fungus on 27 January, 2015, 10:18:09 AM
Dredd is good, if veering into pantomime territory now that the squeeezzzzzing has begun. As far as this thread, what would 'nuking' the ship achieve anyway? Beyond the slaughter, you can't kill what does not, y'know, live.
I missed the nuke suggestion, but that'd certainly solve everyone's problem. Yes, the gruesome foursome would just turn into vapour and 'survive' the blast, but what good does that do them if they're marooned in the cold vacuum of space, light years from any inhabited planets? To all intents and purposes their threat would be over (for at least the next few thousand years).
Quote from: Dark Jimbo on 27 January, 2015, 02:44:37 PM
Quote from: Fungus on 27 January, 2015, 10:18:09 AM
what would 'nuking' the ship achieve anyway?
I missed the nuke suggestion, but that'd certainly solve everyone's problem. Yes, the gruesome foursome would just turn into vapour and 'survive' the blast, but what good does that do them if they're marooned in the cold vacuum of space, light years from any inhabited planets?
It wouldn't solve the problems of anyone on the Mayflower :o
But yes, of course you're right about the appeal of blowing up the ship. Thing is, Hershey's line makes more sense than Dredd's, here... '
We have a major problem, the Dark Judges are back and they're heading away from us at quarter light speed!'. Hm. If the Mayflower's mission (resettlement, is it?) is critical, do the job with more than a handful of crew?
Dang, I'll never make Chief Judge at this rate. The pressure!
Quote from: Fungus on 27 January, 2015, 03:04:16 PM
It wouldn't solve the problems of anyone on the Mayflower :o
I suppose that's why they didn't do it!
Dredd as a Judge, is a servant of the people of mega-city one & therefore sworn to protect them.
Anderson was sacrificed as a Judge when Death was trapped in her during the original story as a Judge that did her duty to protect the citizens.
The day when Dredd starts mass slaughter of his people, without trying himself to go to any lengths to protect them, is the the day he hangs up his badge I reckon?
I probably have missed some quite important, relevant and obvious occasions to the contrary of course!
:-\
No you haven't. Z