SBT - - Full page ad on inside back cover for next week's Nikolai Dante. Won't spoil the image for you, very nice design, but it does state that next prog is IT.
Cover - Yes, yes, yes, they’re fantastically leersome knockers, luv, but can you get out of the way now? I’m trying to enjoy the backdrop you’re obscuring. I don’t care how wonderfully coloured you are, or how wickedly sexy the black latex is, that’s an Ezquerra spaceship skirting excitingly close to some sort of colossal fireball for Grud’s sake. Now move that curvaceous arse of yours, if you please. Perhaps in the direction of a hair salon.
Dredd - Ooh, Maitland! Always a pleasure to see somebody (worthy) stand up to Dredd. Not that it hurts for them punctuate their argument with a Widowmaker while being the Anti-Quimby. No pat on the head for her! Day of Chaos was perhaps the toughest act to follow in the history of the strip and Al Ewing delivers with aplomb without delving too far into the new status quo. Brisk, unexpected and yet still engaging, keeping Dredd at the top in my estimations. I certainly hope soon to see some of the heavy lifting done for the post-DOC era but this week’s script more than suffices for my fix and I look forward to seeing Maitland again in the future.
Plus, some great work from the others, though particularly Nick Dyer. The reflection of Maitland in Dredd’s helmet on page two and the face hidden in the body of Maitland’s shoulder eagle on page four. Can’t be sure if that second one isn’t unintentional but it’s what I see when I look at it and I like it so that’s good in my book.
Durham Red - Whaaaat?! No Zeta Beam escape from Rann? Still, shouldn’t grumble. While I’ve not enjoyed this as much as other Alan Grantium Dog stories from around the same era, it has been a breezy romp nonetheless. With added Squirrelly goodness. Coming as it did on the heels* of a similarly retro-but-adding-little story with perhaps a little bit of a flippant approach to the seeming fact that the core audience for such examples of retro are the long-timers who will welcome untold tales but also inevitably hunger for fanboy tidbits from them, but being more rompily good-natured and less fraught with plot slips, I have hopeful suspicions that Alan Grant was burning out his smiling motors and purging his humour thrusters before working on the forthcoming return of Anderson. (What do you mean, that should have been reworked as three or four sentences? I’m too busy tediously grumbling at an accomplished writer to, you know, take better care over what I’m writi... Oh.)
3rillers - 1947 - Rolls-Whittle’s very existence. Eric Blair’s activities. Burlington’s use as the launch site for the Galahad. Bla... brown and white television screens. Some extremely welcome grounding touches of alternate history authenticity from Kek-W and krew, all supporting a rather enjoyable yarn. One part research, one part dynamic action, one part clever, two parts fun. Also manages to have the best panel in the Prog, being the one after “Let’s see your authority!” Who the hell needs some crumb-bum called Clark Kent when we can get this kind of freedom of the press action in the Prog?
Ichabod Azrael - I also also recommend a re-read of series one of IAatDLiHW if you have it. I also did so after I also got last week's prog and the current story also reads a lot better for it. Lovely drawing and also colouring also too also. Pure also class. (With apologies to Cactus and his earlier post!)
Dante - SHOOT HIM WITH YOUR RIFLE! IN THE FACE! NOW!
* What Emperor says at times like these? That. This isn’t feetbeat.com, you know.
