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Now that virtually all media is available at the touch of a couple of buttons, what things have you revisited which you wish you hadn't?
It doesn't have to be things that have aged badly, just things that have lost their appeal for whatever reason.
For example:

Bottom. I watched some of these after the sad death of Rik Mayall. While it was absolutely the best thing to watch on telly when I was 15 I felt it had lost something. Don't get me wrong, it's still funny, it just didn't have that 'essential' feeling. Probably because I couldn't go to school and laugh about it with my mates. The Young Ones is still incredible though.

Spaced. Again, a good show, but what was once fresh and edgy has lost some of its zing. The David Walliams thing was absolutely mental and surreal when it came out but now just feels like David Walliams being David Walliams. Mark Heap isn't quite as convincing as a paranoid edgy introvert now I've seen him as the postman in 'Lark Rise to Candleford.

Parklife (the album). Mainly because I know I can never explain how great 1994 was and I know life will never be that simple, or as sociable, again (and this was the soundtrack).

Preacher. I loved Preacher - I was almost obsessed by it. There are still some great moments and it's a masterclass in how to convey emotion via facial expression (I don't think Steve Dillon was recognised enough for that). It's very much a product of its time though, and things I thought were deep or clever at the time now seem tired and obvious.


Having read this back, I'm aware that it sounds like someone in their late thirties lamenting the fact that it's not the 90s anymore (which is exactly what it is).

Well this was a nice surprise. I didn't even know this programme existed, turned on the TV and it was about 5minutes in so I watched it. I have to say I really enjoyed it.

The premise is basically Jekyll and Hyde - The Next Generation. There are all sorts of other monsters showing up for good measure (next week, a big crab man) and some dastardly villains chewing up the scenery (Richard E Grant).
Really good fun. The action scenes are directed in exactly the same way as those in the 70s Incredible Hulk TV series!

1320 and no prog thread yet. Am I the only one with the prog then?

It's a cracker this week...

Cover - As the tag line suggests we have a lovely Bad Company cover by Rufus Dayglo. I love speech balloons on covers and I also love that logo!

The 'Thrills of the Future' makes me very happy. Ro Busters is one of my all time favourite thrills.

Dredd. Serial Serial is continuing nicely with some more revelations about the killer. Quality Dredd as you'd expect from those involved.

Defoe. Again, continues to the high standard set last week. It looks like this story is going to offer a twist on what we've seen previously.

Brass Sun. Is being skipped. I may get around to reading it in one go at some point but at the moment I've lost enthusiasm for it (looks lovely though).

Sinister Dexter. An interesting opening but I think I can guess what's going to happen. Despite what some say about this strip, I always enjoy its inclusion in the prog. It looks as good as it ever have (maybe better) with Patrick Goddard's art (I'd love to see him do a Punisher comic).

Bad Company. Continues to confuse slightly (intentionally so I think) but is great fun and looks terrific.

All that and a letters page to boot.

Top quality prog!

Rather a dark Dredd cover by Dave Taylor.

It's a double length Dredd this week from Ian Edginton and Dave Taylor. I enjoyed it (the art is lovely) but it shows a very harsh and almost cruel Dredd. So much so that I wonder if there's more to this than meets the eye.

The Alienist is good fun and Eoin Coveney continues to impress.

Grey Area was excellent and I can't wait for it to return. I know many others aren't too fond of this strip but I just love it.

Deadworld was entertaining but I'm not sure I need to know much more about the Dark Judges than I do already. I'm also not sure I approve of the off model renditions of their uniforms.

A decent prog all in all. I was pleased to see the advert on the back page showing Day of Chaos: Endgame as the next Graphic Novel in the Mega Collection. I'll look forward to reading that through in one go.

What a Prog!

Cover - Love it (looks sore)
Dredd - Love it (confusing at the end though)
The Alienist - Love it
3rillers - Love it
Grey Area - Love it (wonderful art)
Helium - Love it (fantastic, vibrant colours)

Also, 'Thrills of the Future' - more Dan Abnett spacey goodness. 'Next Prog' - looks exciting with great art.

Not much of a review but I don't have much to say other than I loved it.

Cover - lovely image by the mighty Cliff Robinson (I was wondering where he'd got to). I really like the colours on this too.

Dredd - a really exciting, action packed instalment and a fantastic double page splash - we should have more of these on Dredd (I'd quite like to see it back on the centre pages actually).

Helium - loved the opening page, carrying straight on from last week. Really fun with ridiculously great art. Part of the fun of the strip is taking in all of Disraeli's vehicle, tech and clothing designs. Brilliant.

The Alienist - the Rennie/Beeby team do it again. This was a great opener and felt very cinematic - I could easily imagine it as a Hammer production! Lovely art too - very reminiscent of Cliff Robinson which makes it a great fit with the cover.

Outlier - skipped for now but I'm intending to read it all in one go (after recapping from the previous series).

Jaeger - a fairly low key ending but filled with foreboding for the future. Great stuff and lovely to look at as always.

All this and a Droid Life and letters page too. Excellent prog.

A stunning cover by Neil Roberts this week. I think it's quite reminiscent of Mich Austin's style.
I love the colours and it's full of movement.

Other than that, this is one of those 'mid story' progs where everything continues much along the same lines as last week.
Dredd's still great and I'm loving it, Absalom is intriguing and I get the feeling Tiernan doesn't like cyclists, Helium is intriguing and beautiful, Outlier is confusing but action packed, Jaegir is gritty and nasty.

Good solid proggage.

Anyone know what the mighty Cliff is up to?
He's one of my favourite artists, quite possibly the greatest 2000ad cover artist, and by my reckoning we haven't seen him in the Prog since 1909.
Could he possibly be doing some strip work? Here's hoping.

Nice eye catching cover by Paul Marshall. I'm not too keen on the skull face within the Nort insignia though.

Dredd is action packed and the intrigue level jumps up a notch. I'm really enjoying this story.

Absalom continues to impress. I was thrilled by his old V8 Rover as much as anything.

Helium is probably my favourite thing in the prog. I've been quite critical of Edginton in the past, but credit where it's due. This is an excellent strip and the revelation in this episode promises much drama to come.

Outlier is a good strip but always leaves me a little confused. I'd like to read it all together at some point.

Jaegir is fantastic as it always is. Hard to think of much else to say at this stage but I look forward to the coming episodes.

All that topped off with an amusing Droid Life, a letters page and an advert for some rather nice limited edition art prints.
£2.45 well spent.

Cover - I like the colours on this but the character image seems a little undefined.

Droid Life - Suiitably amusing.

Dredd - I really enjoyed this fun one off story. The art by Carl Critchlow is fantastic.

3rillers: 1% - Another successful 3 part story. I really enjoyed this one, it was really weird and had an eerie atmosphere but was still clear and easy to follow. I really like the art too.

Survival Geeks - A decent ending to a fun strip. I wouldn't go so far as to say I find this strip funny but it's an easy and enjoyable read.

Twisted Tales - These aren't really my cup of tea. I'm not sure this qualifies as an actual story but the art is nice.

Savage - Another satisfying ending as Bill decides to fight on abroad. The drawing of Mr Ten Percent on page five is brilliant.

A decent prog all in all. I'm really looking forward to Strontium Dog and Grey Area next week.

http://uk.ign.com/articles/2014/12/14/michael-keaton-im-batman

After reading this article on IGN in which Michael Keaton states that he still considers himself the Batman I wondered what other people thought.

I recently re-watched the Keaton Batflicks and while I have my reservations I think the first one is probably the most successful serious attempt to translate the character to film so far ('Returns' is awful though - a Burton 'dark fairytale' in which Batman stands around wondering what the fuck is going on).

I don't think we've had one of these this year yet.

What are people asking Santa for this Christmas?

Comics wise I'm hoping for any of Brubaker/Phillips Criminal tpbs. I've only recently discovered these after loaning one from the library - really good stuff. I'm also after the new Grandville book and some expansions for the X-Wing miniatures game.

That's about it - I'll probably end up with socks and pants.

Mind you, I always buy myself a present, so I'll have one of these baby's under the tree too:

The postman must have been up extra early this morning as the prog was delivered before 9am - that's the earliest for a while.

We have a fantastic Dredd cover this week from Alex Ronald. I'm not always a fan of this very realistic style of artwork but this works brilliantly. The only criticism I have is that I think it may have worked better with a more colourful background.

Dredd continues to entertain. I'm really enjoying the block judge story and it feels like Joe's starting to get somewhere with his investigations. You can't beat a bit of good old fashioned detective work!

I'm still skipping Stickleback.

Greysuit just gets darker and darker. Someone on the last Prog review said that this strip reminded them of Accident Man - I think that's doubly true in this episode. Really good stuff.

I got halfway through this episode of Ichabod and gave up. I just can't invest in this strip - it feels more style over substance to me.

Having said that, I suppose Kingdom could be described as style over substance but it's a style that suits me down to the ground. This is my favourite strip and this episode features some wonderful tough talk "Get whet. Gonna get blood-scrap nasty. Up close." Love it!

Even though I skipped one and a half strips the bits I enjoyed were bloody fantastic so it still earns the status of 'cracking Prog'!

Surprised no one has started this thread yet! My first Saturday prog for a while, the postman's been slack lately and it's been coming Mondays.

Cover. A rather striking Stickleback image by Disraeli. I think it looks good but it wouldn't make me pick up the prog if I wasn't already a reader.

Dredd. Block Judge continues to thrill. This week we have a rather satisfying crime blitz. I love it when Dredd stamps on perps who think they're above the law!

Stickleback. I'm skipping this story - not my cup of tea.

Greysuit. Another enjoyable episode. Not a lot happens really but I like the seedy, corrupt atmosphere that this strip exudes. Pat Mills is very good at making you hate the authorities.

Ichabod Azrael. I'm sorry but I don't have the foggiest. The art's nice and again I like the atmosphere but the story leaves me baffled.

Kingdom. Quite a bit of exposition this week and a little more introduction for the new characters. Lovely art once again and it left me wishing for the next prog so I can see it all kick off.

Solid prog.

A nice cover by Paul Marshall with colours by Chris Blythe. Dredd's usually imposing form is dwarfed by the law lords as Dredd threatens their leader.

Dredd - I've really enjoyed this Law Lords story. It turned out very differently to how I'd imagined after reading the first episode. In fact, part of me is disappointed that we never got the Buck Rogers style culture shock story of Indira Knight.

Aquila - Ends well with a very creepy last panel. I think this run could possibly have been a bit shorter for the amount of story we've had. Having said that, it's a quality strip and the art in particular has been absolutely stonking.

Brass Sun - I'm afraid I'm skipping this. It's just too slow for me and, while the strip has some good ideas, I don't think the characters are developed enough to hold interest.

Future Shocks - A fun tale we'll told. I'm pretty sure some of you will guess the twist before the reveal but I purposely try not to do that as it think it spoils the fun.

Black Shuck - I have similar frustrations with this strip as I have with Brass Sun. It's made of quality ingredients but it's missing the vital characterisation that is needed to hold interest. It's like mashed potatoes without any salt in.

Not the greatest prog but it's still worth the cover price. I'm really looking forward to the new line up next prog - especially Kingdom!

Does anyone have any favourite games, which they really enjoy, which are almost universal considered to be utter stinkers?
I'm not talking about games which got pretty good reviews but didn't sell well like Spec Ops or Vanquish or even games that got 'average' reviews but games that were totally panned.

I have two, both strangely based on Tom Cruise films.

The first is Mission: Impossible which I played on the N64. This game was utterly slated, mainly because it wasn't Goldeneye, I think. The controls were a little clunky and the graphics weren't great but I thought it was a really awesome game. It followed the plot of the film closely and you had to do under cover missions (the first bit at the party was ace), got to use loads of gadgets and there was a good balance between action and working out the strategy for each level. I loved it and played through the whole thing more than once (I loved the London Train Station set sniper sequence most).

The second is Minority Report which I played on the GameCube. I think this got 3s and 4s from most of the gaming press. I can sort of see why. It wasn't massively original and wasn't very polished but it had insanely fun combat. The enemies had crazy rag-doll physics and you could throw them around all over the place. There were weapons, like the sonic shotgun things, but they pretty much just shot baddies around the room too. It played like some kind of crazy 3d version of Double Dragon. My friend and I used to play through it doing 'level or life' (which is where you play cooperatively with the same character and swap turns on the controls every time you finish a level or lose a life - useful for conserving cash in the arcades). We had an absolute blast with this game. Fond memories.

Cover - a pretty scary looking image from Neil Roberts. I actually really like it - it stands out and would definitely make a 12 year old me pick up the prog. I don't get the pun in the tag line though. Is it from a song or something?

Dredd - A really intriguing opener from Michael Carroll with vibes of Buck Rogers. We're introduced to a new character who could prove to be very interesting and I'm guessing she's going to have plenty of criticism about the Judge system and old Joe in particular.

Aquila - Another fun episode with a particularly horrific baddie reveal at the end. Once again the whole thing looks fantastic. One reservation (that may not be the right word) I have a bout this strip is that it almost seems too clever for its own good. Rennie has obviously done a ton of research about the period and is referencing some things that, to me, seem quite obscure. I can't help but feel I'd be enjoying things more if I'd spent more time in Sunday school.
I feel a bit ignorant saying that. Perhaps the onus should be on me to educate myself more. I think the collected edition would benefit from an appendix giving extra background information.

Brass Sun - Well it looks lovely but I've lost track of who's who and what they're all doing. It's a shame because the strip has some great ideas. I just don't think that Edington's scripts live up to the potential of the fantastic ideas he has. I'd like to see him partner up with someone like Michalel Carroll who has a great strength for character building and plotting.

Black Shuck - It feels like we're getting somewhere slowly but surely. Again, I'd like to get to know the characters more.

Jaegir - A talky episode but still very strong. Looking forward to some action next week.

Just a general point about the prog of late, and that is that the colouring looks absolutely fantastic. I don't know if they've changed printers or something but it been really noticeable lately that the colours seem to jump off the page.

A strong prog.

http://uk.ign.com/articles/2014/08/01/between-the-panels-guardians-of-the-galaxy-paves-the-way-for-more-weirdness

I've just read this article over on IGN which seems to extol the virtues of printing comics purely as a way to support creative properties for transfer to other media. It's an interesting alternate view point - most people I speak to tend to think that the comics industry is doing something wrong by not capitalising (in comic sales) on the increased public awareness of comics/characters that films bring.
Maybe the big two should just see the comics themselves as a loss leader for bigger things down the line? Would this mean that sales would become less important and comics would continue to be printed as long as they were generating fresh ideas or creating lots of new IP? I guess the flip side is that if something doesn't have a cinematic potential (such as the 'unfilmable' Watchmen) then it wouldn't get a green light.
I'm not sure I've thought enough about it (or have enough knowledge of how the industry works) to have a definite opinion. It seems counter-intuitive to me to run a creative industry without an appreciation of the product's own creative worth.   

Cover - I really like this image from Ian Culbard. It has a nice ominous feel and then, when you read the story, you'll see it illustrates a nice character moment. Having said that, I'm not sure if it has a massive amount of shelf-appeal.

Dredd - A fun, if rather sudden, ending to A Night in Sylvia Plath (I reckon it could have lasted another episode or two). As I said last week, I'm not fan of Mrs Gunderson but I have a real soft spot for Walter so it balances out. Lovely MacNeil art again but am I the only one that thinks the apartment seems incredibly spacious?

Aquila - A turning point this week as Aquila realises that a crazed wannabe god-emperor may not be the best person to trust (duh!). The episode ends with an interesting omen. I'm really enjoying this strip and the artwork and colouring are really something else.

Brass Sun - This is a return to the status quo after last week's odd interlude. There's probably more going on than I realise this week but, as I've forgotten where they're going, why they're going there and who all the characters are the whole thing is washing over me while I sit in a state of semi-confusion enjoying the pretty pictures.
I think it would help if I read the whole thing in one sitting but in weekly instalments the glacial progression is a problem for me as is the lack of character development (Edington's major weak point in my view).

Black Shuck - This story has more flashbacks than a synchronised drowning team. I'm not sure they're really necessary, or that they work terribly well. This strip suffers from the authors reluctance to just tell (and show) the reader exactly what is going on. I think I'm up to speed with what's happening but It doesn't seem like a great deal at the moment and I'm not sure why I should care either as I have no feel for any of the characters. This story needs to get a move on.
Reading it back, that sounds incredibly negative. There's a lot to like in this story, and there are some good ideas being hinted at - let's just get on with it!

Jaegir - Another class act from Rennie with some stunning art from Colby (he's had a busy few months with this and Royals but his art hasn't suffered at all). This is an interesting set up with a bit of ass-kicking thrown in for good measure.

A good prog all in all but a couple of thrills feel like they're harder work than they need to be.

Extras - An add for a new Anderson series from Matt Smith with some ace looking art from Carl Critchlow. This is part of the IDW line.

A couple of little tid-bits in the letters page. The Winter Special is going to be horror themed and there's a new Dredd on Lawmaster model coming from Dark Creations.

Cover - very cool Aquila cover by Karl Richardson. On the whole I prefer action covers to posed covers but I think this one works really well.

Dredd - part one of a new story by Wagner and Boo Cook. Really enjoyed this episode and the artwork is fantastic. Love the dog-buggy!

Sin Dex - another fun, action packed episode. I know others are fed up with this strip but I always find it enjoyable. I like the action and the pun tastic scripts. There's a slightly awkward panel this week where I think the artist has put the characters the wrong way around - leading to a bit of a headache for the lettering droid. It's more than made up for by the dynamic action panels though.

Brass Sun - this strip moves a little slowly for my liking and I always think Eddington's strips are a little lacking in characterisation. Having said that, the strip has a nice moody feel and some lovely artwork. Very nice middle page spread this week.

Aquila- this is a real high quality piece of work. Leigh Gallager's art is brilliantly complemented by colours from Dylan Teague. This episode is very exposition heavy but I appreciated that as I needed a bit of a recap.

3riller - an absolutely horrific ending to this creepy story from Guy Adams. As with most of the 3rillers I'd actually quite like to see more of this story. Perhaps a 3quel? Lovely art once again - this is the best I've seen from PJ Holden.

Great prog overall. We also have a Thrills of the Future teaser for a new Wagner/Ezquerra Dredd in a few weeks time and next week sees the start of Black Shuck From Moore, Reppion and Yeowell. Looking forward to it!