Prog 2371 - Smash the State

[Tjm86]

Hi. Your friendly admin here. I've edited Tjm86's message to start this thread off with a warning. This thread will have major spoilers for Judge Dredd. If you do not want to know before you read your comic, don't continue with this thread.

Robinson's cover is a thing of beauty.  Total chaos and a cracking use of colour to focus attention on what Dredd is about to do.  Teague definitely knows his stuff!



Oh, Thrills of the Future announces the next series of Dreadnoughts over in the Meg!  Happy days.

But on to the prog ...

Judge Dredd: A Better World part 8

Okay, before getting in to this one I think it is fair to say that it deserves a spoiler warning.  A rather substantial event that should not be covered in detail until everyone has had a chance to read it for themselves.  So this is going to be a bit opaque in places.

Williams and Wyatt have upped the tension significantly over the last few weeks and now it explodes.  Flint is given the script he seems to revel in and it looks like he had a field day with this.  From those contrasting early scenes from an innocent child's eyes that are crushed Tianamen Square style to that shocking double page spread that serves as a freeze-frame for that moment, hammering home the impact, then Dredd's reaction and those final scenes ... Flint is the perfect man to represent chaos, to facilitate the flow of the narrative while still leaving the reader struggling with the whiplash of events.

In many respects there was an inevitability to events in this episode.  It is a convention of Dredd that idealism ends up brutally suppressed by the inherent tensions in MC1.  Whether it is the Judges, criminals or external forces, the outcome is always the same.  The question is always where will the blow come from.

There is also a sense of timeliness in this story.  Not that we are quite at the point depicted this week but the growing tensions in our country as populists inflame marginalised groups and jump on bandwagons is a very real issue right now.  The fears about how the mob might act at any moment are pushing politicians and the police in uncomfortable directions. 

Definitely. highlight this week.

Indigo Prime Black Monday Part One

Kek-W and Lee Carter deliver a far more action packed episode.  It certainly has that disjointed, surreal feel to it in terms of script and artwork.  Arguably Carter is one of the best suited of the current crop of artists for this strip and has been for a long time.  I can't think of many that can capture that Burroughs-esque sensibility whilst making things look so believable.

So we have double crossing, betrayal and an impending torture scene with that ultimate question: Duke or Then There Were Three?  Anyone else get the feeling Ken-W is not a Genesis fan?

What is impressive though is that after such a brutal Dredd, this episode still satisfies.

Full Tilt Boogie Book Two Part Five

De Campi, Oxana and De La Cruz have a real challenge living up to the standards of the first two strips then.  To be fair, they do a sterling job.  Ocana's colour palette suits the mood of the narrative; dark, moody and almost oppressive.  The handful of revelations this week actually serve more to raise further questions than provide answers.  It is ironic that are heroine is moving deeper and deeper into mysterious realms since that is precisely the direction of events this week.

FTB has arguably turned into one of the major successes of Regened.  It wears its manga-esque sensibilities lightly whilst fitting neatly in that long history of Tooth strips that push readers' expectations.  De Campi has created a fascinating universe, populated with intriguing creatures and characters.  Not sure where things are going right now but it is becoming far more compelling as we progress.

The Fall of Deadworld Retribution Part Nine

In some respects then it was inevitable that this was going to struggle then.  It is ironic that Ken-W has produced one of the weaker strips this week given what he delivered in IP.  Kendall's artwork is as gloriously disturbing as ever.  Ultimately though it is hard to engage with the confusion of the direction right now.  Where that chaos works admirably in IP, it does less so here.

It was always going to be a challenge to weave the tale of events that led to the lifeless husk Dredd and Anderson encountered all those years ago.  Now that we are bogged down in an alternate version of the Apocalypse War mixed in with Necropolis.  Comments others have made about how things seem to have gotten away from Kek-W are not wholly unreasonable.  It may work after a re-read but as things stand at the moment it is struggling to hold its own against the competition this week.

Thistlebone The Dule Tree Part Eight

This is particularly so when you consider what the prog is rounded out with.  Eglington and Davis continue to weave their Hammer tribute tale in their own inimical style.  Davis' artwork renders the horror spectacularly, conveying such disturbing events with his usual panache.  What is fascinating is how he can combine cartoonish imagery with such perfectly formed figures and scenery so effectively.

As always this tale burns slowly.  Eglington allows events to linger, leaving a palpable sense of dread at what is going to happen next.  Then the pace steps up multiple gears towards the end before delivering the cliff-hanger.

This series is rapidly growing in stature.  The first few tales were impressive enough but this one is shaping up into one to rival Cradlegrave as one of the most effective horror tales in the prog.

I think it is fair to say that as slowly as the year has started, this week marks a serious step up in quality.  There is a fascinating balance of hard-core action, drug-induced mayhem, mystery and horror.  Creative teams are delivering the goods in style and even the weakest is still effective enough to leave readers pondering their judgement.

As we've said so often, the prog has its waves.  The lowest still leaves the competition in the dust but when it starts to pick up we're left in no doubt as to the quality of its output.  I'd make a strong case for this week marking a palpable step change and if it is any indication of where things are heading this year I'd say that we are in for some serious treats.

[IndigoPrime]

Tjm86: I hope you don't mind, but given the nature of this Prog, I've added a bigger spoiler warning here than usual. broodblik: thanks for the prog image, which I've integrated into Tjm86's post.

So far, I've only read Dredd and, well, fuck. This is still one of the best and most powerful Dredds I've read in a long while. It's Wagner-worthy. But this such a downer in many ways. More later. And if people want to discuss Dredd and the ramifications, you're welcome to. This is a spoilers thread. I've placed an explicit warning on the lead post. If people amble in and see what happened before they read, that's on them. (And, honestly, I think there's a lot to discuss here.)

[Tjm86]

Tjm86: I hope you don't mind, but given the nature of this Prog, I've added a bigger spoiler warning here than usual. broodblik: thanks for the prog image, which I've integrated into Tjm86's post.

Not at all.  I agree completely.  I deliberately avoided saying too much because I didn't want to spoil the impact.  I think I had pretty much the same reaction as you.  It packs a massive punch.

As for getting into a serious discussion about that episode, I would argue that it needs to wait until the physical prog is out and there has been a fair amount of time to process / reflect.

[Le Fink]

I haven't read Tjm86's review thanks to Indigo Prime's spoiler alert but I'm now desperate to read the prog! Aaargh!

[Tjm86]

It will be worth the wait, I promise you.

[broodblik]

I will never be able to be a vulture I do not have the patience to wait. So Wednesday morning cannot come fast enough

[Swerty]

Which is the how the prog should be every week

[Barrington Boots]

This Prog was a bit of a shock to the system on a lazy Saturday morning and a great discussion of it from Tjm so not a lot to add.

Indigo Prime - pretty bonkers episode really. Definitely does feel disjointed and surreal in a good way. One thing I really like about it is how Depp is an actor in the strip and his films are films, but Christian-Bale Bateman isn't and he is a real person. Fits the nature of the strip perfectly. Weird GnR cameo too.

Full Tilt - really good. An episode that sets up new questions rather than delivering really. I feel like this strip is really growing and opening up into something really interesting.

Deadworld - better than last week, although I find it absolutely maddening how this strip jumps from one perspective to another so much.

Thistlebone - crossed a bit of a line for me this week tbh, I get it but not an image I wanted in my Prog. Weird how I can enjoy strips about guys being eaten by giant ants or killed in all sorts of nasty ways but this was a bit sickening.
Other than that, as perfect / horrible as ever.

Dredd... yeah, let's talk about this in a bit. Shocker. Magnificent. Brutal.

[IndigoPrime]

OK. I'm going to leave my Dredd comments until Wednesday. It's still masterclass storytelling, but my thoughts on what happened are very mixed, for a range of reasons. Also, a Rigellian hotshot to whoever in Royal Mail knackered by Prog by folding it firmly in half. Bah.

Elsewhere, then:

Indigo Prime was always weird, but John Smith mostly managed to keep it merely baffling, whereas this first episode is borderline impenetrable. It looks pretty good, but I dunno. I'm not feeling it.

Full Tilt is the second-best thing in the Prog for me right now. But it blazes through pages like nobody's business. I'm a little concerned it'll zip past and we'll then wait years for another book. Still, I'm very happy we have it.

Deadworld nudges ahead of last week's episode by having a bit more horror and a bit less Ridiculous Judges, even if half of it is an exposition dump and 'De'Ath' isn't convincing. I do also wish the De'Ath thing had never happened. It's so contrived. It would have just been much better when that popped into a writer's head (and I don't remember whose) if Sidney's surname had just literally been Death, like a calling...

Thistlebone continues to be horrible, in the best way. Although we again have a Prog of whiplash-like tonal shifts. (I'm fine with that. I like my anthologies varied.)

Dredd > Full Tilt Boogie > Thistlebone > Deadworld > Indigo Prime

[Colin YNWA]

First and formost why the HELL is the Prog so dark this week. Indigo Prime, Full Tilt, Deadworld or cast in too much shadow for my old eyes...

... okay that's not first and formost is it, that's DREDD but it seems etiquette is to hang back so I'll respect that for now except to say wow. Kinda comin' but wow the execution was amazing. I'll be back when the conversation starts.

Indigo Prime was really good and is moving into very interesting places already. For me it didn't feel especially baffling.

Full Tilt Bogie is slowly weaving its tale. I think this one will feel better when read as one the pacing isn't quite there for the five page chunks.

Deadworld errr this one is baffling me now.

Thistlebone I mean what other strip in comic history centres around hanging a dead badger by the neck from a tree and is still so good. Brilliant.

[don wiskerando]

First time writing here, but I've been reading since '86 on and off.  This is certainly a more exciting time than the 90's.

First Dredd
I'm not going to discuss until next week but this episode is a masterclass in the use of panels to control pacing.

Fall of Deadworld
I've read the whole thing up to date recently so it's all making sense to me.  This means that I'm enjoying it more than most on here, it seems.  I'm struck after the catchup that it's actually a much smaller story than I thought when reading weekly.   Essentially we go from Jess meeting Fairfax, to the resistance base, to the Apocalypse War, with a brief side story to introduce Eastwood.  As read in one go it's really pacey.

Full Tilt Boogie
Another one where I differ from the majority.  To me the art is fine but a but simplistic and brown.  This would be fine but I'm finding the story completely unengaging. I missed the Regened issue and the first series so maybe if I track those down then it'll connect more.

Indigo Prime
Again, I've read most of this recently in the Ultimate Collection and remain pleased but mystified by most of the back story.
Having said that I'm really enjoying the start to this run.   I think it's because it's the first time I get all of the references without doing a ton of research.

Thistlebone
Magnificent.  That is all.  My 16 year old son has remained resolute that 2000ad is not his thing since I tried to introduce it to him years ago.   This has him opening the prog before I get to it every week.  Its the best of a very strong lineup imo.

Can't wait for next week.

[The Monarch]

amazing prog this week especially dredd but i am gonna refrain from talking about that just yet

[McNulty]

I'm only reading 3/5 of the prog at the moment because two of the strips are not to my taste, but the remaining ones more than make up for the loss. As for Dredd, all I can say is, "Wow."

[Funt Solo]

Major Domo is ... what? He doesn't even have a strong visual design. Man in coat.

This was what distracted the storytelling for me in this episode - I had no idea who the non-descript guy in the cell was supposed to be. Especially since he'd lost his coat. It was clear we were supposed to know who it was, but it left me scratching my head. It finally came to me a while after reading. (I realize this might just mean that I'm getting slow and addled, but there you go.)

Given the events in the story, this just became probably my least favorite Dredd story ever.

[Aaron A Aardvark]

Ah, finally Wednesday morning.

I'll just download my prog and see what all the fuss is about...

Wow. One for the ages.