how to do a prog slog

[sheridan]

2000AD Prog 373: Johnny Alpha – nailed in his coffin? "Rest in pieces, Alpha!" "Not this time, dog-brother..."

Dogs die in hot coffins, Tharg takes a sensitive appraisal of the forthcoming obesity epidemic, cadets run through the final test, Dekker also faces her finest test (as a rookie) and the 'Nort summit' splashes down.

[sheridan]

2000AD Sci-Fi Special 1984 Summer thrill-power! Starring Judge Dredd The Right Stuff Cinefax Colourscan!

Debut of the art droids!  What do you call an art droid with a seagull on his head?*  What do you call a robot wearing a cloak in the dark ages?  What do you call an art droid between two hills? † ‡  Reprint, reprint then Rogue joins the 'rebels' (they're not really rebelling against anything) and Time Quake makes another sneaky appearance.

* sorry, Mr Robinson.

† Glen: a narrow valley, especially in Scotland or Ireland.

‡ Sorry, Mr Fabry.

[sheridan]

2000AD Prog 374: Hot lead – cold justice! "This is the law!"

English muties, Scots muties, Welsh muties - now for the Irish stereotypes!  Time of devilish bargains (or devilish bargains for time), meet the Wreckers of Sector 27, where's Earth?  ...and Rogue finally finds out what the deal is with that 'Nort' summit (and why I've been calling it a 'Nort' summit instead of a Nort summit).

[broodblik]

2000AD Prog 374: Hot lead – cold justice! "This is the law!"

English muties, Scots muties, Welsh muties - now for the Irish stereotypes!  Time of devilish bargains (or devilish bargains for time), meet the Wreckers of Sector 27, where's Earth?  ...and Rogue finally finds out what the deal is with that 'Nort' summit (and why I've been calling it a 'Nort' summit instead of a Nort summit).

This was my first ever prog.

[sheridan]

2000AD Prog 374: Hot lead – cold justice! "This is the law!"

English muties, Scots muties, Welsh muties - now for the Irish stereotypes!  Time of devilish bargains (or devilish bargains for time), meet the Wreckers of Sector 27, where's Earth?  ...and Rogue finally finds out what the deal is with that 'Nort' summit (and why I've been calling it a 'Nort' summit instead of a Nort summit).

This was my first ever prog.

Not a bad one to start with - though much improved by what came two week's later (though conversely not helped by what came immediately after that - a one-month strike).

[broodblik]

What was the net effect of the strike?

[broodblik]

Can not remember that basically there was no prog for a month. 7th of July 1984 Prog 376 the last prog before the strike and [spoiler]Halo Jones[/spoiler] was unleashed upon the world. The next prog was only on the 4th of August. Thanks for that Barney

[sheridan]

2000AD Prog 375: Reckon you could survive in Mega-City One? "NO!" Beware the wreckers!

A beloved character dies on the Doghouse (for the third time this story), news on the cover about a promotion between IPC and Skips.  And in the Nerve Centre.  And in a colour full page feature.  And in another feature later on in the prog.  Who's the alien?  Dredd cleans up.  Another story called Bad Timing.  Captain Coogan - a chip off the old block!  P.S. plus there's lots of letters.

[TordelBack]

I had this prog with me on a long family camping holiday, and then there were no new ones waiting for me at the newsagent on my thrill-hungry return, so I could probably draw each and every panel from memory, if I could draw at all.

[sheridan]

I had this prog with me on a long family camping holiday, and then there were no new ones waiting for me at the newsagent on my thrill-hungry return, so I could probably draw each and every panel from memory, if I could draw at all.

Due to the strike, I had a similar experience with the following prog.  This one, in fact:

2000AD Prog 376: Where did she go? Out. What did she do? Everything. The Ballad of Halo Jones

Just before the strike hit, we had this prog - McNulty and Alpha arrive in Jock's Landing, the balloon goes down in Judge Dredd, there's a (future) shocking hunting mishap and the shield comes down on Summit Island.  Oh, and a new character wants to go out.

Bonus!  Four years ago, Eamonn, Rackle and me recorded a podcast about this story.

Mega City Book Club 17: The Ballad of Halo Jones

[sheridan]

Almost replicating the strike where it took a month to see the second episode of Halo Jones, here's the latest blog post, days after the last...

2000AD Prog 377: "We're partners in crime, Mean!" "Wheee-doggie!" The most titanic team-up of all time!

Middenface killed!  Or that's what the villager tells the Stix...  Ludy meets the drummers, Mean Machine Angel meets Pa Angel (deceased), investigating something using a time machine?  Be careful you didn't cause the thing you're investigating!  And the rebel captains attack Summit Island.

[sheridan]

2000AD Prog 378: Ace Garp is OUT! "We's truckin', buddies!"

Johnny has a family reunion with his dad, Halo, Rodice and Toby go shopping, Ace escapes (but keeps getting interrupted), Dredd and Mean hit town and just another day for Rogue the the biochips.

[sheridan]

2000AD Prog 379: Rogue Trooper – blinded by the light! "My eyes... I can't see!" KPOW! KPOW!

'King' tightens his grip on the Doghouse, Halo, Rodice and Toby head off shopping, Mean's dial gets stuck on 4½, Ace joins Evil Blood's pirate band and the Norts play a blinder against Rogue.

[TordelBack]

Reading your current entries reminds me how seriously I took all the stories back then. I was genuinely relieved when Ace escaped the stoop-coop, disturbed by the idea of Johnny's torture and NBK being in charge of the Doghouse,  excited by the bio-chip shakeup (especially the imminent flying helmet) and thrilled by the idea of Mean permanently stuck on 4.5. This really was my personal Golden Age.

[sheridan]

Reading your current entries reminds me how seriously I took all the stories back then. I was genuinely relieved when Ace escaped the stoop-coop, disturbed by the idea of Johnny's torture and NBK being in charge of the Doghouse,  excited by the bio-chip shakeup (especially the imminent flying helmet) and thrilled by the idea of Mean permanently stuck on 4.5. This really was my personal Golden Age.

I'm with you on that - there's plenty of great moments to come in the next four decades, but nothing quite matches up to my first years of pre-teen reading.