Prog 1748 : Weapons Hot!

[Goaty]

Sorry to repeat, as re-read Zombo again, I so love "I form a mechanical lion due to budgetary constraints!"

[Hoagy]

When I saw Planetronix's debut panel, I thought,

" Oh ghawd, this is gonna be munce! What does that Henry Flint think he's doing?"

Little voice then says; "Remember who's writing this."

I carry on reading and it begins with a chortle and ends with a respective sigh of appreciation that something out there gets my sense of humour. He's totally killing my TV comedy for me! Some densely packed death speeches too, that I'll enjoy picking away at beyond my brief skim read.

Awww but sir that Colin Wilsher is copying that Ben McNeil! Sir! It seems it for a moment with the silhouettes that I am reading a cross pollination of extra-ordinary talents. But enough of my crazy hungover blurtings of fantasy art ballgames [Editor's note: This was the other alternative to amalgamations], the story is becoming increasingly tightly wound. I was hoping for this, it seems by above posts, we may have something of a corridor of pain ahead of us[readers].   
And when I saw Dredd hone up his very own hunting pack of "Helmets", I actually felt a sprig of pride burst forth from me. Awww there's oor Joe all in charge of his own smash and detain squad. Reet pleased for him. Then I see the figure behind him. Very articulate Mr Wagner. The sinister Nadia needs to shopw me something that'll put me off balance though. She's a bit of a Dan Abnett creation in my mind at the moment. No offence, Mr Wagner.

I might as well cut to Sinister Dex. A plot so shallow it don't matter when you jump into it. Some weeks it's like the progs missing a story and others, its fiery churning bolt of death. The thing that got me into it was the half-arsed first speech bubble with a bile-ridden pun in it. It made me ready to curse all the way through the episode but was soon forgotten as Sin/Dex dispatched some really badly designed characters. With all the shooting going on why is Croak talking so much though?

3rillers was effortless and I thought they were going to have a problem with the suits manipulating the user. Not the case. Sorry anyone who were introspeculating that same theory. Over all, the story was okay but a little lost on me by episode two. It tied up it's loose ends though. Perfectly reasonable tale.

And finally, I'm enjoying Mr Mills's Savage. Exceptional, classy, comic story. I thought they'd got away with it too.

[Hawkmumbler]

Not A bad prog in all.

Dredd: Getting there, SOMETHING happend this week which we can understand. Im begining to think Nadia might be something smiler to Amon Gill.......maybe.

3rillers: A worthy end to a worthy experiment. I wouldnt mind seeing them again. But make them more like 6 brothers. That one actualy scared the shiet out of me.

Savage: Damn that Rykove is a slick bugger. He reminds me of the Major from Hellsing, I just want to punch his specky* little.......Sorry...........yeah, im loving this strip........want to see more Blackbloods though......

Sin/Dext: Ok, I got on a a dodgy point in Sin/Dext history with Charons crossing. I'm enjoying it. But in the same way I enjoy Chuck Norris movies. I dont watch them because I like the charatcors (but I must say I would like to show Mrs.Deeds MY 'context' ) but for the freaking action!
And it certainly deliveres on that note.

Zombo:...............................'unable to comment as my lungs have exploded from lack of oxygen due to inability to breath while laughting so much'



'GASP'! LET THEM KNOW I DIED HATING YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[radiator]

Anyone think that the way Chris Blythe colours Dredd these days - all black visor, like the new movie - looks totally badass - especially on Ben Willsher's Dredd...

[James Stacey]

It irritates the crap out of me personally. would really like him to stop. If it's drawn like jock where there isn't a clear demarcation between the light and the dark part, then there isn't a problem but if the artist has drawn it (correctly) don't colour it out.

[Emperor]

Anyone think that the way Chris Blythe colours Dredd these days - all black visor, like the new movie - looks totally badass - especially on Ben Willsher's Dredd...

Its not all black though - check out page 3 panel 5 and page 5 panel 5. He is clearly going for a more vertical reflection (rather than the old lightning bolt) and seems to be drawing it in with two vertical lines each side too, almost like there is a clearer strip across the bottom of the visor and two vertical "slots" the same colour running up the helmet.

Obvious madness and it'll never catch on!!!

[TordelBack]

I like the Willsher droid's work.  I like the Blythe droid's work.  But Blythe colours on Willsher inks simply don't do it for me.

As to the Prog...

Cover was a cover, a nicely drawn piece but not massively eye-catching or memorable.  Sinister/Dexter have always been visually dull as a duo, even when Finny had a clown nose and pancake makeup, and it's the wordplay that drives the strip, so I think TT made the best of a difficult brief. 

I'm enjoying the current Dredd a lot, but this episode was a bit of an oddity.  Firstly, it was almost a re-run of a similar sequence in 'The Skinning Room', where a female judge who's part of an intensive search led by Dredd follows a hunch only to get knobbled in the perp's body-part filled abode (also by Wagner, Willsher and Blythe, BTW).  Second, Dredd giving out confidential info about the case at the top of his voice while actually in the search area... well, put it this way:  if Rookies Giant, Dekker, Kraken, Giant II or Rico II had done that it would have been an automatic fail. 

Those niggles aside, this story is cooking nicely, and a I loved the little details of the funeral home - the display case of little figurines with the "We do Chemical Shrinking" label was genius.

Savage continues with its wince-inducingly broad cultural sterotyping, but is none the worse for it - classic Mills cliffhanger resolution and setup.

Sinister Dexter seemed a bit looser than usual this week, not the tight punch I expect, and somewhat short on signature punnery. 

The 3riller ended a bit disappointlingly, with some guff about reversing the polarity of the warp-coil transducer, or was it gold-tipped rockets, I forget.  I think Mr. Wyatt did a very good job creating a distinctive atmosphere, and a readily understandable world, but the death-row-cyborgs reveal felt weak, and the characters never really engaged.  Not a bad try though.  The whole project wasn't helped at all by some very odd choices by the usually excellent Mr. Owl.  By my reckoning that's three strikes in the men-in-robot-suits genre (Maniac-5, Detonator-X and this) - maybe lessons could be learned.   

After 3 quite different 3rillers, I think it's safe to say that the idea is a good one.  Of the three, the spooky Brothers middle one was the strongest by quite a margin, followed by the Werewolves one, with the Abelard Snazz remake picking up the rear, despite some bouncy art.  None were bad, all had their good points, and all three kept me interested week to week.  Onward!

Zombo.  Zombozombozombo.  Every week, nay, every page, brings some fresh delight.  This is the best comedy strip in 2000AD since Sooner or Later, even better than Lobster Random, and the funniest thing I've read since the reprint floppy of The Balls Brothers last year.  Absolutely on fire with genius.   

[Van Dom]

Great issue. Planetronix cracked me up - brilliant stuff! Especially the one that transformed into the crappy lions head due to budgetary constraints!!

[maryanddavid]

The art on Dredd is just amazing, story gettin along nicely too, the mole Judge was a bit of a surprise.
Liked the 3riller, Yeowells art looked a lot better that on Red Seas of late. I didnt like the first one, but this on and Alec Worleys were pretty good.
Sin Dex enjoyable as usual, but as to what it all about or where its all going Ive not a clue.
Savage is great, Goddard art just gets better and better, Im hopefully going to indulge myself in a page of his art for my birthday or christmas, going for a song on ebay. The Travellers are a bit sterotypical, but the build up to RoBusters is great.
Zombo is great fun, much better than its last outing, Flint cant do much wrong can he?

David