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problem solved - sloppy programming doesn't give you a warning when your password selection goes over the number of digits required. BOOO!

God.. now time to spend money..

Lee Grice on twitter just showed his haul that had arrived so they are out there people, they probably have poor denise on X2 automatic over the weekend, spare a bot some sympathy.

have 40 quids worth of stuff lined up to buy from the sale but when I try and log-in to the shop it says:

'no match for this email / and or password'

despite the fact that I'd clicked on the link in the email sent to my email address saying 'click here to activate' AND then got to a page saying 'ACCOUNT ACTIVATED' however when going back the the cart to checkout I then get the 'please login' and on doing so get the above error message.

I'm 99% sure its not a data input problem from my side

I voted for Henry Flint on the Bella 'X FACTOR: WHO SHOULD WIN' poll. Can this be included?

(obvious answer - do two counts - one for just here, one for every blooming tyke who was gracious enough to answer. Actually would be interesting to see if there were any significant differences even among the 'bubbling under' covers.

I'm going to keep out of answering any opinions in the thread because its just something I'd find your opinion on intresting. However to clarify with regard to 2000AD I'd suggest that shy of starting up Halo Jones BK IV then the only things a boycott would included would be the collections of the controversial IP (I don't think the IP of Halo Jones can be called disputed as its fairly water-tight) or movies of it etc rather than the existing Prog (which for years hasn't featured any of these controversial characters).

2000AD seems more like DC to whom Bissette is much more gracious -  he points out they unilaterally extended the scope of creator rights by unprompted giving a % on overseas editions etc. Obviously 2000AD has reached a much more amiciable and semi-legal (in terms of respect of original writers being the ones who retain the direction over any strip) position over the past 20 years and I don't think the debate as it stands extends to the modern prog but what if a pushed Alan Moore goes for the nuclear option in terms of calling for a consumer boycott of his old work? Would you adhere to it?

Am also generally interested in your position on Marvel. I really don't buy any superhero stuff although have paid to see about 50% of their movies. For me its easy (and pretty ineffectual) to make a stand on Kirby. Much as I like his art (and would be tempted by some of those phone book collections) its pretty far down my must-buy list.

Tardi's New York Tales
The Manara Library vol 2
New Requiem Vampire Knight / Claudia Vampire Night

I was listening to a debate between Steve Bissette & a Law Professor over the recent Kirby case (holding Kirby was a freelancer under a 'work for hire' contract so has no IP rights in 'his' (debate over his role vs Stan Lee) creations.

At the end of the debate Bissette stated that he doubted that attempts to find a pre-trial solution were in any way fair to the Kirby family and that a consumer boycott of Marvel's Jack Kirby work (be it reprints or the continuation of the characters in new comics /movie / merchandise) was the only way likely to bring a favourable solution that rewards the Kirby estate.  In his own words 'I'm done'. He notes that in the 90's a consumer boycott of Marvel ended their craze of multiple-variant covers and gold-foil bagging.

Seeing as some of you are debating starting the Ultimate Marvel Graphic Novel series does Bissette's idea hold any sway?

Maybe more controversially would you respond to such a call if it was made in relation to 2000AD's disputed IP. Tharg clearly avoids controversy with the contested titles (Alan Moore's work, Zenith, Luke Kirby) but with Watchmen 2 likely to poke Alan Moore into angry bear mode what would your response be to a similar call over the Halo Jones GN?

The full deabate can be heard here:
http://www.tcj.com/marvel-vs-jack-kirby-legal-rights-and-ethical-might/

ITMA!

Joe McCulloch goes into near breakdown as he promotes both Henry Flint's artbook and the Blackhawk collecton via a riff on just how good the modern Dredd is, the violent glee of Invasion, a puff for Al Ewing's US debut, Garth Ennis as Hughie and Bill Savage as Billy Butcher in The Boys and all sorts of things. Another really great piece on 2000AD over at yonder 'high culture' The Comics Journal.

http://www.tcj.com/this-week-in-comics-122811-god-i-cant-help-myself/#comment-32556

done

Abaddon and Jasper Bark got 2000AD loyal votes too.

And Prestatyn seems to have a similar reputation for poor cleanliness and wee bitey bastards.  The new ownership by Britannia Hotels doe not appear to have changed matters.

check out the kitchens, maybe you can get Wagner to direct a re-creation of the classic 'Adrian Cockroach' Dredd strip.

Much as I like this guy as Doctor some of the stories last season were very ropey. However much as this had more Deus Ex's than the remaindered box at GAME it was pretty lovely in a emotional touching way. Sure it's cliched, sure it was very hammy at times and sure it had bobbins bits but for an hour of Xmas telly it was lovely.

It made my 70-odd something mum cry. In a good way. 

Grey Area - its The Corps again innit.

I didn't get that at all - I thought Asylum meets Damnation Station, which is much more promising.  I don't think the superficial macho-men-in-power-armour thing is what the story is going to be about at all - and Abnett has surely exhausted himself in that line several times over already.

Asylum and Damnation Station are both about inept individuals questing to survive in a system they don't want to be part of and are ill-equipped to survive in. Asylum was very much placing that in the teen-angst/20 something rage of the then reader-demographic (he was a bit ethno-techno-skate-punk, non?) and Damnation was pitching it to the mature 30s/40 something audience of the modern readership.

Going from the opener in prog 2012 this seems a group dynamic exercise and everyone, including the fey outsider Kym has a neck on him like an extra from Predator. Visually its way too steroid n babes for me. I'm sure hoping this isnt what it is but thats certainly how the opening reads and from that its 'The Corps' so far. Thats just the opening episode tho, I'm always happy to read DA stuff. Here's hoping it moves more towards the pathos of Abnetts excellent rounding-out of The VCs.

Grey Area - its The Corps again innit.

Can't abide macho men in big suits with big guns being humourless movie-screen dunderheads. Thats everything Dredd manages to avoid being due to the character and style Wagner & Grant set out all those years ago. Strongly reminded me of that Kirkman / Liefield muck 'The Infinite' opener that was previewed online this year and I'd certainly not be buying that.

Have to confess I thought it the worst end of year Prog in ages. The cover is obviously technically excellent but way way too brown. I guess its a homage to the 'brown-period' of the prog.

I appreciated the Dredd but couldn't take to it - just a personal thing with the format joke. Obviously very clever and kudos to AE for going for it but I confess to not making it through more than half the story. Thats never happened with a Dredd before.   

Dante, Absalom, Stront were great, Aquila was interesting but a tad slow and cliched, Dandridge I can't take the art on at all (sorry JHD) and that kills a story for me (sorry AW) and while Sin/Dex doesn't annoy me the way it does others this time the art (sorry AW) and Helter Skelter-ism was just too much. Grey Area was, well I've done that.
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That said 2000AD in 2012 is clearly shaping up to be a beast of a comic and I'm very much looking forward to it. Don't think Leigh Gallagher will ever be going to one of the big 2 tho (phew) - he draws way too 'ugly' for form - which makes him one of the truly great new 2000AD artists. Roll on more Defoe please.

[Yes]

Yes, that's why the biggest selling comics in the UK are bought by the pre-school and primary school children and they are all under 27 

Not sure handing them Nikola Dante badges is going to end up well then!

Probably not the right thread for this but while there is no argument for me that America is one of the best Dredd stories I don't know if you can see it as 'tell(ing) you everything you need to know about the character' as the Dredd of America is an utter bastard without the charm or dignity of the earlier versions of' 'bastard' Dredd' (the genocide causing never say die Dredd).

America largely works as a Dredd story for Dredd fans because it is so mercilessly hard on Dredd and the Judges after having us generally root for them over the years. Sure he gave an order to ceasefire but he's not exactly gutted by the consequences, at least not in this story. The monologue and outro of America are astounding mean, hard, authoritarian and deeply unlikeable. A new reader to Dredd may well love the story, may well adore America herself but as for telling you about Joe Dredd? God you would never root for the guy again if that was your intro story.