Main Menu

Meg 442: Hate Campaign!

Started by IndigoPrime, 15 March, 2022, 12:59:55 PM

Previous topic - Next topic

IndigoPrime

An ominous blood-soaked cover for this Meg, which leads on a quickly improving Dredd story with some intrigue. Death Cap is next, and I just don't care about this story at all. The protagonist is awful. I quite like the art and the sales guy though. Diamond Dogs has pretty much lost me at this point. It also so often feels more "30 seconds into the future" than what you'd expect from the comic.

A brief break for 'The droids you've been looking for', which explores some of the creators who only briefly graced the comic. Some interesting bits and bobs in there, and an answer of sorts as to why Tao De Moto just stopped no-one knows where Myra Hancock went or is). I also kind of want to re-read Dead Meat now, just to see how it is with the benefit of hindsight. Then, an Ian Kennedy obit. Good to see three pages dedicated to this. Sad to think this will be a semi-regular event now, given how creators age.

A one-pager on Lowborn High then sits across from Lawless. I'm not sure where this strip is going nor whether Abnett will hit something of a reset switch at some point (with Meta returning to her original position). Either way, it's great and continues to be a real high point for the comic. Then, Surfer perhaps inevitably goes bad, with a twist we all saw coming but that ramps up the tension significantly.

A bit 60/40 for me this month, but the highs very much eclipse the lows.

Lawless > Surfer > Dredd > Diamond Dogs > Death Cap

broodblik

When I die, I want to die like my grandfather who died peacefully in his sleep. Not screaming like all the passengers in his car.

Old age is the Lord's way of telling us to step aside for something new. Death's in case we didn't take the hint.

broodblik

When I die, I want to die like my grandfather who died peacefully in his sleep. Not screaming like all the passengers in his car.

Old age is the Lord's way of telling us to step aside for something new. Death's in case we didn't take the hint.

AlexF

Yeah, kinda have to agree with everything IndigoPrime said about this issue. I'm maybe a little warmer on Diamond Dogs 'cos I like seeing Armitage back in the Prog, and there's something about Nia as a character that hooks me in, but I struggle to follow the twisty-heisty plotting and I struggle also to care about who wants what and why.

On Surfer, it's amazing to see Colin MacNeil, in this episode especially, going all the way back to Song of the Surfer - for em, the strip that really launched him as an artist - but now in SUCH a different style. The shift from DeathSports story to snuff movie-making is a neat wrinkle.

broodblik

Not the greatest meg but still a lot to enjoy. Lawless/Hawk and Surfer as always carries to flag.

Dredd – After the first episode I was not completely into the story but now with a change of focus the story has now grabbed me. Initially this looks like just politics but the change in direction (a coup going on while MC trying to win a vote) makes the story much more interesting.

Death Cap – There is nothing spectacular about the story so far and yes, the main protagonist is not the most dynamic, but I am still interested on how we will get to the end.

Diamond Dogs – For me this is the best of the DD arcs and I like the way the current episode jumps from the "now" to the "then" and back. I would like to see how the Dogs get out of this current mess as everything is stacked against them.

Lawless – This episode is about all the candidates that are standing for the mayor position.  An interesting stand-down is happening between Nerys and Rondo. As always, the story is always a highlight in the meg and this episode does not disappoint.  The only issue was a technical one where the whole of the episode was "broken" on my iPad and I was forced to read the CBZ on my computer.

Surfer – As expected the whole Supersurf 7 scene is a real. The surfers are clearly in for a huge surprise. This episode I must highlight Colin's great art supplemented excellent by Chris's coloring. Very enjoyable story by the old hands.

Hawk – Put it plainly this is still a delight to read and view. Awesome stuff from Ennis and Flint. I hope that after this arc the creative team can continue with the further adventures.
When I die, I want to die like my grandfather who died peacefully in his sleep. Not screaming like all the passengers in his car.

Old age is the Lord's way of telling us to step aside for something new. Death's in case we didn't take the hint.

broodblik

There is also an interesting add for the next arc of Dreadnoughts called "The March of Progress"
When I die, I want to die like my grandfather who died peacefully in his sleep. Not screaming like all the passengers in his car.

Old age is the Lord's way of telling us to step aside for something new. Death's in case we didn't take the hint.

Daveycandlish

Death Cap is not doing it for me but the rest of the Meg is top notch and flying high - and I'm even loving the floppy!
An old-school, no-bullshit, boys-own action/adventure comic reminiscent of the 2000ads and Eagles and Warlords and Battles and other glorious black-and-white comics that were so, so cool in the 70's and 80's - Buy the hardback Christmas Annual!

Colin YNWA

Couple of duff notes in this one. Death Cap really should work but misses that vital ingrediant of a protagonist you can give a damn about. The action and ideas are excellent, the lead a cardboard cut-out. Diamond Dogs just utterly fails to engage me and I remember so little from last month that it just don't follow it, so barely read it this. One day a re-read might do the Warren Pleece art justice.

The rest however is a symphony. Dredd suddenly justifies the slow built with a burst of energy that has pulled the whole thing together rather nicely. Surfer's reveal isn't really a twist, as its been coming BUT it does it so well and the references in the art are nice. Its well crafted stuff and the tension is now cranked up and the execution of the final race has me giddly for what comes next.

Hawk the Slay in the floppy, a bit like Dredd pulls everything together to set up a thrilling conclusion and Henry Flint is an absolute artist maestro on this one. The text pieces are all well worth their place as well. Loved the catch up with 'one hit' wonders... even when that one might not have been a hit. Great article. As is the tribute to Ian kennedy.

The undeniable highlight however is Lawless. I'm not shy in screaming my love of this series from the roof tops and this thrill from the roof tops and this episode is one of those exceptional examples of why. Quick cuts between scenes help to pack so much in, but also serve to build the tension wonderfully. Its a comic timed to perfect, with fearsome eyes watch from the depths plots are hatched, intrigue and conflicit - all be it none violent - cranked up and then final page is the crash of symbols symbolising the thunder that's to come. Just exceptional stuff.

So there are a few duff notes, but they only serve to emphasize how good the rest of the stuff is.

Mardroid

The Lawless strip on my 2000ad app is all wrong! Not the writing, it's set up wrong. Lots of small unreadable panels. Some kind of upload or configuration issue, I guess.

It's only Lawless that's like this but it's a shame it's one of my favourite strips!

I used to download the PDF but for months, whenever I log in to the shop I get a blank page and  "Whoops, looks like something went wrong." So I used the app instead and... it has improved a lot from when I used to use it years ago. And now I get this issue and no other way to get the digital comic. Grr.

Oh well. First world problems and all that. Maybe a cookie purge will sort out the login issues.

Jim_Campbell

Quote from: Mardroid on 18 March, 2022, 11:20:18 PM
The Lawless strip on my 2000ad app is all wrong!

Download it again— it's been fixed now.
Stupidly Busy Letterer: Samples. | Blog
Less-Awesome-Artist: Scribbles.

Mardroid

Quote from: Jim_Campbell on 18 March, 2022, 11:25:40 PM
Quote from: Mardroid on 18 March, 2022, 11:20:18 PM
The Lawless strip on my 2000ad app is all wrong!

Download it again— it's been fixed now.

Thanks, Jim. I just did on my iPad and it had the same issue. I downloaded it on my Android phone and that worked okay. It's not great on such a small device, but for the one strip I'll get by.

This is using the 2000ad App. I still can't log in on either device to download either version without the blank screen and "whoops..." message, but I've reported that to the team now so hopefully I'll get that sorted shortly.

broodblik

Weird I also have an iPad and I downloaded it yesterday and it was fixed
When I die, I want to die like my grandfather who died peacefully in his sleep. Not screaming like all the passengers in his car.

Old age is the Lord's way of telling us to step aside for something new. Death's in case we didn't take the hint.

Halo572

Massive price 'rise' on this issue.  I am waiting for the other issues 338 onwards, but the bundled reprint has shrunk in szie and is only 12 pages.

It is more like an insert than the previous reprints., something that would have been a free promotional insert 30-40 years ago.

I have never considered the reprints worth having - I have a complete set - but this seems like a near phase out unless it is reversed in future issues.

scrotnig

Quote from: Halo572 on 27 March, 2022, 11:43:53 AM
Massive price 'rise' on this issue.  I am waiting for the other issues 338 onwards, but the bundled reprint has shrunk in szie and is only 12 pages.

It is more like an insert than the previous reprints., something that would have been a free promotional insert 30-40 years ago.

I have never considered the reprints worth having - I have a complete set - but this seems like a near phase out unless it is reversed in future issues.
Hawk The Slayer isn't reprint - it's new material.

BPP

Excuse the necroposting but yes I'm that far back in my Meg-reading. Anyway besides enjoying Death Gap - mainly for Boo Cooks fantastic art I noticed a certain fan-film shout-out went un-noticed...

If I'd known it was harmless I would have killed it myself.

http://futureshockd.wordpress.com/

http://twitter.com/#!/FutureShockd