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Meg 448: Graveyard Shift

Started by IndigoPrime, 20 September, 2022, 10:06:35 PM

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scrotnig

Quote from: norton canes on 29 September, 2022, 04:12:37 PM
Controversially I'll say I slightly preferred the Prog to the Meg. The tongue in cheek, chaotic nature of the former suited the provided more scope for fun and invention, while the serial form of the latter meant at times it read like a Strontium Dog tale (which is no bad thing but perhaps not the order of the day). Not having read any Diamond Dogs it was nice to see James Peaty serving up something so much better than Skip Tracer.

Anyway, shocking as they were, the contents of the Meg pale into insignificance compared to those of the floppy. I still can't quite get my head around the idea that dozens (scores? Hundreds?) of the prog's most iconic layouts were originally sketched by Robin Smith in layout form. Mind blown.

(My cover was on the right way, BTW)
I have cover envy!

AlexF

Finally managed to read this beast! I had the Meg from day one as a subscriber but took me ages to find a copy of 2000AD to read first. Turns out that really wasn't necessary...

I'm a fan of this sort of silliness. I didn't especially care for the overarching plot of Alpha gathering characters and ending up in MC1 with a few of them, it made entirely no sense. But also so what? I DID get a big kick out of seeing returning favourite characters being themselves in this weird situation. Preacher Cain stuck out the most to me as a fun character in his own right. Frankly his Bible-thumping + Pistol-shooting schtick made more sense in this apocalyptic context that most of his own adventures. Rennie set him up real well in his segment and others took the baton nicely. Cadet Giant was the best, though.

Also fascinating to see so many artists having a crack at Johnny Alpha. Many have said before how Carlos designed him to be more or less impossible for anyone else to get 'right' but people gave it a good go here, especially Leigh Gallagher. How much was this whole exercise prompting us to consider future Stront stories without getting too upset..?

As a plot exercise, worse than Judgement Day. As a character-based romp, top marks!

My floppie also came with the Bolland Annual cover on the front. Frankly, if I was someone doing the actual stapling, I'd have assumed that WAS meant to be the cover, even if it doesn't make as much sense as the 'real' cover. Delightful to see which artists run with the idea almost exactly (Dillon), which ones add loads of detailed embellishments (Ron Smith), and which ones almost determinedly do their own thing, while still respecting the basic layout concept (Bolland, but I loved O'Neill's trolling way of ensuring each Dark Judge was NOT in the position Robin S had proposed!)

Proudhuff

Quote from: Colin YNWA on 21 September, 2022, 08:44:17 PM
Well all in all that was enourmous fun. It was interest to note the way the Meg played things very differently and went for a different tone to the Prog. In some ways that worked better, in some ways not. Overall though the zombie story was a fun and worthwhile experiment, one that I hope isn't used again for a while - well unless there really is a story to justify it.

As it is the fact that the Meg used the anthology nature of the comic to tell different aspects of the main story across all its epsiodes really worked. To one extent its a shame it didn't get to have the all out, no holds barred rampaging fun of 2000ad, which just allowed folks to run riot. One the other it made for a much more satisfying piece as a whole.

I mean the overall story was utter poppycock if you looked too close. And 2000ad's take felt more honest of pocking fun at the whole thing. Be to be far the Meg was a real rollercoaster and while in the surface took itself too seriously clearly had its tongue in its cheel throughout. By not looking to closely the whole thing was just great fun.

The art is absolutely great on the whole. I mean no one is Henry Flint in the Prog but it looks superb and I think we need to make special note of Conor Boyle - ex of these pastures on Delvin Waugh absolutely knocking it out the park. Just brilliant work and I hope Tharg gets him in the Prog or Meg again soon. I'll also notice another new (to me) artist doing a great job on Shimura, Kei Zama and Dan Cornwell shows that its not just Henry Flint that gets better and better each time you see his work. AMAZING stuff.

So yeah pretty happy with this playful experiment BUT looking forward to getting the Prog and Meg back proper next week and month.

As for the floppie, as others have said AMAZING and I'll be buying myself a physical copy of this one which I've pretty much never done before since going digital BUT for this one well worth it. JUST BRILLIANT and same we have something this good just as apparently we're about to lose the floppie. Nice, almost, send off.

Says it all ^^^^
DDT did a job on me

Tiplodocus

Yep, really enjoyed the crosover story but that Floppie has to be one of the best things ever!
Be excellent to each other. And party on!