prog 1330

[Bolt-01]

Hey, ho. Back again.

The eldests opinion:
"The cover rocked, as does Dredd.
Didn't read bec & Kawl. Don't like.
VCs HMMMMM
Telguuth: top, loved it.
Atavar. Whats going on?"

Tried to remember the entire conversation. That was about it. I'm going to dig out the 1st Atavar for him so he knows as much as the rest of us.

Personally, I really liked this Bec & Kawl story, but the last ep was rushed, maybe a fourth ep was needed.

rotts.

[Tiplodocus]

What I liked and my reasons for liking it by Mister Tips aged 38 and 1/2:

spoilers


spoilers


spoilers




Cover - Great because I like Dredd and Fraser's art and Alien's in shadow.

DREDD - Great because I likle big fights with Aliens and Judges with big guns.  Still a bit crap that the Verminators get involved but refreshing to see a couple of cowardy custards in the mix.  Makes it easier for you to tell the relentless, unstoppable killing machines with no mercy and a single thought on their minds from the aliens.  I prefer this fight to the space fight in the VCs below because...

VCs - OK but I didn't make much sense of all the break left, break right stuff.  It seemed to be flying talk thrown out to make the story sound more authentic but without the context of a specific threat being dealt with.  I guess it's quite hard to write an authentic (i.e. catch the sense of panic, fog of war etc.) yet seemingly focused action scene.  No farts as metaphors for the crews feelings about each other in this issue though - disappointing.

Teleguth - same old, same old from this.  FOr once could we have a story about someone who isn't utterly self-serving and evil.  It's just so dull that you know they'll get their just deserts in the end.

Bek and Kawl - I didn't like this because I think once more it slipped into the trap of putting knowing recognition of lines of dialogue before jokes (and they are different - just watch any Leslie Nielsen film other than Airplane and Naked Gun 1 and you'll see).

The whole of the first page seemed to be completely gagless.  I'm not entirely sure if the "defensestration/ windows" gag was deliberate and the bottom of the page when one character says one of those lines that was just soooo self-referential is in such common usage these days that it doesn't count.  I'm so tired of this knowing self-referencing I'd almost appreciate it if Tharg commissiond a series that took the piss out of self-aware media rather than being a self-aware media.

Some of the "gags" seemed to me to be the start of a joke "Hey, let's do a joke about Angel being dark and brooding" but not really expanded to include anything that was either really cutting or funny.

The scatter gun approach (who was it taking a pop at? Porn users on the internet? Geeks? Matrix fans? Gates?) also diluted the potential for humour. I think it would have been better to focus on and really take the rip out of one or two of the subjects especially as...

I also thought that it was a rushed ending with Gill Bates popping up and being dispatched inside of a couple of pages. The Spider at the heart of the web was particularly under used as well.

But what the hey, some of you like it. Isn't it great that we can all have such diverse opinions?

ATAVAR II: I do love the art. I was genuinely suprised when Atavar turned up though slightly disappointed that the story couldn't do without a human at the core.  I enjoyed the first tale (but I thought it stood fine as a one-off) so am happy to see this as long as it doesn't outstay it's welcome. Nobody ever explained to me why the clone Atavar had human mannerisms and memories and dialogue and stuff when he'd been brought up in a tank by the aliens?  Did they feed him earth culture via a brain washing machine in the best sccience fiction tradition?

That was long, hope it helped some of you get to sleep.

[Trout]

My fishy opinions: Amazing cover, middling Prog.

Dredd was action-packed and terrific fun. Fulsome praise for Henry Flint, especially.

The VCs was better than before. I enjoy space battles. Explosions please me!

Atavar II still looks quite good, art-wise, but I'm not too excited about it as a story. It's okay.

Likewise Telguuth. No strong opinions either way.

Bec and Kawl was a bit of a disappointment. I was waiting for this three-parter to go somewhere, then it ended and I realised it hadn't.
I still don't actively dislike it, but it still landed somewhere near Telguuth and Atavar on the fishy excitement-o-meter.

I'm reserving my opinion on Atavar somewhat, but - without looking to slag them off too much - I believe Telguuth and B&K took up space which might have been better used for more gunplay and space battles.
Oh well. It is an anthology, I suppose.

I also miss input.

And Dante. I miss Dante.

- Trout

[Banners]

If I'm allowed an opinion this week, I'll make sure it's less knee-jerk and more considered than my last contribution to this forum.

Dredd - very well done if lacking a certain 'edge'. My hopes were maybe over-eager for the crossover - one has to remember that Aliens is a 20 year-old franchise that now serves as little more than rent-a-fodder. Classic dialogue between Dredd and Sanchez though, and the chopped hands were well worth seeing.

B&K - poor, and am in agreement with most of Mr Tips' articulate comments above. I'm not sure what the moral is - if you don't like porn you deserve to have it slammed in your face?

Elsewhere, many characters were introduced in the first two episodes and then forgotten, some of whom even merited a cover. Guess that's what happens when they're just stereotypes... It's just full of half-arsed jokes and cliches - and even the cliches it lampoons are cliches. And the ending was dire. And what does Kawl do precisely?

Telguuth - Yeah, like, whatever - have always been fairly neutral on this. Its particular brand of pulp mumbo-jumbo has never appealed, but at least it doesn't annoy me.

VCs - Not bad, I mean who doesn't enjoy a good space battle (ps. bring back Vanguard!) One slight criticism is that Williams seems to be over-using a cut-n-paste technique on his spaceships. The definition of the linework therefore goes all out-of-proportion in some places and makes them look like they've lierally been stuck-on.

Flint did it last week with the identical Aliens in the last Dredd panel (but didn't stretch them so much), and I can see its dramatic and artistic worth in many places, but not when it's just laziness.

Atavar II - nicely done and superbly rendered, although I'm not entirely sure what's going on. Still don't really know or care about who is who, but the ride is picking up.

As an aside, odd how in all sci-fi a ship lands on a huge alien planet in exactly the right place. Like in Star Trek, it's always near the place where the planet's leader lives. Equally, you never hear of a Martian invasion force aiming for The Whitehouse and landing in Burkina Faso do you...?

M@

[W. R. Logan]

the elusive Prog 1330, for the last three weeks my subscription copy hasnt turned up on the Monday. Regular as clock work it appeared on the monday, now maybe by wednesday. Now im no expert but if they get shoved in the envelope on the same day, posted on the same day then why dont they arrive on the same day. Subscription was supposed to make things easier and ensure that I got my Prog without the usual hassle, any one else having probs or is it just me living in the middle of Norfolk?

La Placa Rifa,
W. R. Logan.

[ukdane]

Cover: Nice.. is this wrap around going to be one of the covers for the DH editions (or are they going to get their own covers)?

Dredd: Plenty of action. I'm loving this tale more and more especially liked the "hands off" scene- "slicey! slicey!". Can't wait for the introduction of the... ah! no, that would spoil it for you.

Bec & Kawl: I liked this- and yet somehow I feel I need to apologise for doing so.

VCs: At last the tale looks like it's gonna start. I enjoyed this one more than last weeks. Again, I felt it was let down by the artwork- Williams style isn't well suited for it. What is with that shirt? I get the feeling that Spense is gonna end up in a lot of bother, and Smith and the guys are going to have to decide if they should rescue him or not- after he does the dirty on them.

Tales of Telguuth: Better than last weeks. Be interesting to see what happens next week. Still not 100% about the artwork- too many dark lines. And I HATE all the long character names. How long is this run intended to last? When it finishes, please put Telguuth to bed!

Atavar: Love the art. Love the diversity of the aliens. Decider Jad looks like a pretty cool villain to me. I see Atavar is back (obviously), but what was the rest of the story about? It seems mighty confussed to me.

Comments: As I said last week, Abnett should put his all into one story, instead of spreading it thinly over two or three. Again another terrible mobile advert. And the awful credit boxes remain the same.

Overall: This weeks was better than last weeks. Lets hope the return of Caballistics Inc next week pulls the prog up to an even higher standard. Am I among friends when I say: "I'm looking forward to the next jumping on prog!".

[GordonR]

>>B&K - poor, and am in agreement with most of Mr Tips' articulate comments above. I'm not sure what the moral is - if you don't like porn you deserve to have it slammed in your face?



Really?


I HATE PORN!!!  GOD, I REALLY LOATHE IT!!!

[GordonR]

>>B&K - poor, and am in agreement with most of Mr Tips' articulate comments above. I'm not sure what the moral is - if you don't like porn you deserve to have it slammed in your face?



Really?


I HATE PORN!!!  GOD, I REALLY LOATHE IT!!!

[chrisr]

Cover: Really striking, nice to see a wrap around.

Dredd: This is kicking off nicely now, great to see loads of aliens and some really nice art.

Bec & Kawl: Really enjoyed this run and I'm sorry to see it go, it's a really nice change of pace and Steve Roberts art has been of consistanlty high standard, more form him please!

VC's: Nice to see it going multi part but there still a bit to much cg messing up some basically nice art.

Telguth: Not really a fan of this the inking on the art is poor making it confusing and difficult to follow the story.

Atavar 2: I'm enjoying this more than the first I'm loving the crazy aliens and the whole thing has a nice sense of scale.

On the whole another top notch prog.

crr

[DavidXBrunt]

Cover - yeah, it IS lovely, isn't it?

Dredd - Still on top form, we're now past the half way point and from the spoilers from that interview and a couple of plot points from earlier on in the tale I think I can see how the rest of this tale plays out. As long as it maintains the established quality I'll be pleased. And the art remains lovely. 16 weeks of Flinty goodness. Nice.

B&K - Still like this series. I think the comic is stronger for having something like this in the mix. That said this particular story hasn't amused me as much as the previous stuff, but I await the third batch keenly. Lovely art, perfect for this story. It would be nice to see some of the nerds again...

Telguuth - I actually enjoyed this story and am eager to see how it plays out. Prefer this style of art on the strip than the previous computer/painted stuff. Is it me or is this series become more overtly humourous as time goes on, and better for it?

The V.C.'s - A multi-part adventure is appreciated. Nice cliff-hanger. Is that a Geek vessel or has it been sent by those super-sophisticated aliens talked about in the last run? Anthony Williams art seems more suited this time around or iss it just me getting used to him?

AtavarII - I was genuinley surprised to see Atavar turn up. Does that make me dense? This is shaping up better than I expected it too. Richard Elson's art looks as good as ever.

Oh, and Dane - If what I think you're looking forward to in Dredd is what I think it is then I'm looking forwards to it too.

And yes, I'm looking forwards to the return of Cabalistics and the jump on prog as well.

[Art]

< And yes, I'm looking forwards to the return of Cabalistics and the jump on prog as well.

Yeah, looks like some good stuff coming up:

In addition to the finale of the Dredd/Aliens story, Prog 1335 will feature the final episode of the current V.C.s series, as Major Smith and his hard-bitten battle unit take the fight to the Geek fanatics, and the end of the second series of Atavar, as the UOS threat advances mercilessly across the galaxy.

The end of these three major series leaves the way open for 2000 AD's Spring Attack, which starts in Prog 1336 (streetdate: April 16) with all new stories including the trial of Soviet Assassin Orlok in Judge Dredd, brand new counter-terrorist series Snow/Tiger, and the return of the ABC Warriors.

[Trout]

"genuinley surprised to see Atavar turn up. Does that make me dense?"

Yes, David. Yes, it does.

- Trout

[DavidXBrunt]

Oooh, dissed by the faux royal halibut. I'm quaking in me slippers now.

[Queen Firey-Bou]

slippers david? not flippers, much more apeasing to the HAIL-tastic lord of fishness?

[paulvonscott]

If you want to see a generally more accurate, vicious and funny pisstake of roleplayers than in Bek and Kawl, try the comic 'Knights of the Dinner Table' (the bumper edition reprints are good, do NOT try any of the spin-offs) if you've ever played D&D as a kid or wondered how bad roleplaying can get, or what exactly they DO, then this is the comic.  Don't be put off by the very simple artwork.

Or Orcadia, which I stumbled on last night on channel four and seems to target two female (yes they do exist, prompting the fear one day of a purestrain roleplayer) Live Action Roleplayers.  I laughed like a judge and wished I'd heard of it sooner.  I thought it was funnier than spaced, but it was late, and wine and cider had been drunk.

Only had chance to read Judge Dredd this week.  It's looking pretty good, am I sensing a great big nuke on the horizon?  Otherwise they don't have a chance :)  Actually I can think of something else that could change the tide.

Where did this pheremone thing come fron in Aliens, it's a bit 'hmmm... really?' but interesting enough.