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The Letters Beast - Online!

Started by Buttonman, 27 September, 2017, 03:36:49 PM

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Buttonman

                                       

Oh well I suppose we better get another issue out. Not much going to be happening so early in the year, but let's take a look...

                                         


Oh my, Letters history! Yes Steve Frame, a.k.a. Dounreay, moves into joint fourth place on the all time list changing the shape of the Letters Mount Rushmore for all time, and frankly making it a bit overcrowded.

Lets jump into a full inside back page of letter loveliness for Prog 2165.

First up is the Letter of the Week from old hand Stephen Watson  of Paisley. This is Stephen's 100th letter to see print and it narrows his Prog/Meg misalignment to 49/51. This is his 6th letter of the week, tying the total of one time rival Floyd Kermode on 6. The all time Letters of the week prize currently held by Steve Frame on 8, so that must now be in the sights of the Paisley Lettersmith.

Stephen's letter is a nice tribute to fallen letters droid Ellie De Ville, so he'd rather not bang on about this achievement, just this once. People have asked if gaining the century would make Stephen insufferable? No, he already was.

Stephen has previously had tribute letters published for Ron Smith and Steve Dillon - has he found a cynical niche here? No, he just respects talent and likes to mark the passing of legends with his own tribute. Hope there's none for a while! The landmark prize and letter are shown below, shortly before they headed off to the Smithsonian.



Next up is Jonathan Harrington of Fareham who sounds like a 'Game of Thrones' actor & character mash up. Jonathan flashes his credentials in the form of saying he's the one who sets the English exam papers. That doesn't intimidate us; we write words good, and that.

Jonathan says he has never written in before and while we can't attest to that, this is his first published appearance. He likes the Christmas Prog and claims to have read since Prog 1.

He is only the second Harrington to have a letter published following Phillip from China whom we met in Prog 863 back in 1993. We also have a profile from Lance in Prog 198 in 1981 but they only count when there is a tie.

We get The Browning Version next in the shape of Chris from Todmorden. Chris moves up the Beast charts with this, his 13th offering. He is the bright young thing of the letters world, with his total having been amassed in the short time since his debut in Prog 1961 in 2015. His best year was 2018 which saw 5 letters published. 2019 saw a dip with just two, but 2020 has started well.

Chris' letter is an interesting analysis of the varying art styles in the Prog and he makes some decent points. Tharg is clearly keen for more and agrees his organ is 'eye popping' - must be the Viagra.

Steve Hallam of Wrexham, Welsh Wales rocks up next and basically rubbishes the previous letter saying the art is "muddy" - can't please everyone. Tharg takes exception and asks for examples to support this viewpoint and says there is more to come - so tough Cheddar Steve!

Steve enjoys his fourth outing here, with his previous appearance being in Meg 393. He averages about one a year and will attain the top spot early in the next century if everyone else hangs up their pens.

Last up is friend of the thread Steve Frame of Caithness who follows up his two 2019 offerings with this, his 30th overall. Significantly this breaks one tie but creates another as he shoves his way into joint fourth place on the all time greats list. Grant Goggins looks unassailable,but he's not had one published since Meg 325 in 2012.

Steve is a fan of the Prog, with all his letters appearing in the flag ship organ apart from one in Meg 393 in 2018 - extra bawbees must have got the subject issue to him or he found it on the bus.

Steve's letter is a fun discourse of the Prog and the general election and he shows his politics by referring to the Prime Minister as a 'muppet'. He's bang wrong there - people actually like the Muppets!

Overall this was a great letters page with seasoned campaigners sitting comfortably with that new guy who sets exams - I demand a recount on my 1986 O' level!

**Updated Beast Top 30 - 3 digit capacity to totals column added***



Colin YNWA

Hats duely dothed to you sir. A wonderfully touching letter that alas what otherwise would have been an off colour, off hand biting commentry on your efforts. As it is, given what you wrote all thats to say is well done. Bloody well deserved stroke of the pen to draw up the century.

Richard

Congratulations, for both quantity and (this time anyway) quality!

TordelBack


Bolt-01


Buttonman

#95

And we're back. Like the most virulent of viruses we can't be put down and we've been panic buying toilet roll before it became fashionable.

Prog 2172 sees a featst of 6 letters for us to decipher and we better get on with it as Beast Towers is moving across the landing tomorrow. The creaking mainframe may not make it and neither might the laptop. Avenge us both.

We open with Jim Proctor of Bristol who snags his second Beast entry following his 2018 debut in Prog 2101. Jim gets a bit astrophysical and bemoans the poor old Vector 13 Men in Black - we quite liked them! Better than that Grant Morrison offering that's for sure! Jim gets his first 'Letter of the Week ' plaudits here and it's a fair offering, with a bit of research and some nostalgia! A winning formula!

Another fledgling writer next in the shape of Rob Kirby from Hitchen. Rob's debut was more than a decade ago in meg 289 in 2009 and he was previously seen in Prog 1992 in 2016. Little and often will win the race Rob! Well as long as everyone else is wiped out in the plague, that is. Rob says 'Brink' is "Without a doubt...the standout feature". We'll he's bang wrong there. We preferred 'Mean Team' when Ding-Dong Dooley was in it.

Next up is a potential new scribe in the shape of Michael Colman of Leeds. We did have someone of the same name scoring in Prog 1905 in 2014 but that one was from London. Usual claiming criteria apply Michael - a fiver and it's yours! Michael is a fan of Zilk and Vex - so are we, but only as Scrabble words!

Simon Gardener of London next who complete a full over of six published letters with this outing. His first was in Prog 2015 in 2017 (confusing) and he was last sighted in Prog 2104 in 2018 (less confusing). Simon is short and sweet (we saw his Tinder profile) and he liked that Dredd 'Bloopy' strip. We thought it OK but that latent psi stuff has been done to death.

Old hand Craig Grannell of Hants next and a triumphant result it is as Craig claims 10th spot on the Beast all time list on his own! The long held tie on 24 is finally broken with Craig at last hitting the quarter century after first being printed in Prog 1089 in 1998. He has been prolific lately but has tapered off - 4 in 2017, 3 in 2018, 2 in 2019 and this one in 2020. Break the cycle Craig! Just one to match the dancing doctor Rich Evans on 26. Craig picks some low hanging fruit by praising the 'Regened ' special - but The Gronk? C'mon!

Last up is Phil and Oscar from Burham on Sea. At first we thought it was Oskar of the Norwegian Lego builders but this is a new mine(craft) of excitement. It's actually not - Minecraft appeared in the Letters page back in Prog 1868 in 2014 with a credit for Jac Ap Harri. A first offering from the Airey crew and a colour picture to boot - good start (if you like that kind of thing).

So, six letters on a nice layout on the inside back page - good job - just need more than one every couple of months please!

IndigoPrime

Low-hanging fruit, perhaps, but I genuinely liked The Gronk! (And I've written a couple of other letters of late that weren't printed, one of which was my delight at the Prog being a bit bonkers again.)

Bolt-01

I liked the Gronk as well. sheesh.

MumboJimbo

Marvellous! Being a digital subscriber, I haven't got this week's prog yet, and have just read here that I got my letter published! Can't wait until midnight now! (In fact, I'll definitely get a paper copy as well.) How many letters published before they let you have a crack at Dredd? Anyone?

Buttonman

Quote from: MumboJimbo on 10 March, 2020, 05:08:46 PM
Marvellous! Being a digital subscriber, I haven't got this week's prog yet, and have just read here that I got my letter published! Can't wait until midnight now! (In fact, I'll definitely get a paper copy as well.) How many letters published before they let you have a crack at Dredd? Anyone?

Ooh can we deduce you to be Jim Proctor? In the moment letters feedback! Glad we didn't go for that Harvey Proctor gag! Well done on reaching the top of the heap, for this week at least!

MumboJimbo

Hey, hasn't Uncle Harvey's name been dragged through the gutter enough?  :-[

MumboJimbo

Quote from: Buttonman on 10 March, 2020, 05:31:20 PM
Well done on reaching the top of the heap, for this week at least!

Thank you, I am glad my "fair offering" was at least to Tharg's liking, whereas you seem to judge it merely satisfactory. But these are slings and arrows I guess a successful epistolary author sometimes has to field.

This will be my third GN from Tharg, as I also won a Twitter competition. I'm feeling slightly guilty I'm rinsing him dry now.

IndigoPrime

Last time, Tharg sent me a random IDW Dredd volume, which I can only imagine he did with a hearty chuckle.

MumboJimbo

I got the last IDW Dredd - Toxic - and thought it rather decent. So I'd be happy with some more IDW Dredd, personally.

Rately

Quote from: IndigoPrime on 10 March, 2020, 07:52:52 PM
Last time, Tharg sent me a random IDW Dredd volume, which I can only imagine he did with a hearty chuckle.

:lol:

The fecker!