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prog 2182: So long and geek out

Started by The Monarch, 18 May, 2020, 05:52:43 PM

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SmallBlueThing(Reborn)

Just a quick review:

Dredd: Superb. This has been my favourite multi-part Dredd story this year.

Future Shock: Definitely how I want to see these things go in future. Worrying advances in AI, the fact that your devices may shortly end up knowing you better than you know yourself- perfect. Almost what I'd say was proper futurism. That's what the strip SHOULD be.

Hershey: Will have to read this again now, as I'm not sure I understood who anyone was or what they were doing. Nice art though.

The Order: I had rather hoped that this wouldnt come back, or if it did, that it would be under heavy editorial so it was forced to tell a more straightforward story and explain itself a bit more. Sigh. More digging around in the back progs needed. I want to like this- as I've wanted to like every other story its told. But, I never seem to be able to follow a word of it.

Survival Geeks: Not my thing.

SBT

Colin YNWA

Quote from: Funt Solo on 20 May, 2020, 04:23:49 PM
Quote from: davidbishop on 20 May, 2020, 01:34:32 PM
Having been responsible for co-creating Space Girls, I offer heartfelt apologies for that mis-step. FWIW, the strip only ran five episodes and 30 pages, so the error was short-lived. If nothing else, it certainly got a reaction...

For context, that's 0.23% of the progs and 0.04% of the pages.

You sir are a data monster.

Richard

The Dredd story was only a comedy so I wouldn't take the helmet thing too seriously. It made me laugh, and that's all it was meant to do.

Survival Geeks ended just the way it should, and I'm glad they got the cover.

Hershey -- what Tordelback said. I did like the Bolland impersonation for the flashback though.

The Order -- what Rocka said.

The Future Shock was alright, a hint of Black Mirror there.

DrJomster

I could actually live with a Dredd helmet neurosis. I mean, if it was going to be one thing creeping in as he advances in years, I could buy it being that! Very nice story and art all round, this one. Vintage Dredd Feel.

Was that really the last Survival Geeks? That caught me by surprise somehow. It's been a great ride, I must say and the Googe art has been top notch, it really has.

Quite liked the future shock. Keep giving the new blood a showcase, Lord Tharg.

With Hershey, I must admit I can sort of see what Tordels means based on this first arc. I think I need to see the whole thing though and it should be interesting to see how this develops from here. Absolutely lovely Bolland flashback, as mentioned above.

All in all, Praise Be To Tharg.
The hippo has wisdom, respect the hippo.

CalHab

Dredd- Niemand continues his excellent run, Holden is in great form at the moment. Hopefully there's lots more to come.

Hershey- A disappointing end to a series that started so well. The enceladus energy stuff is meh, give us more Fraser-drawn shoot out sequences, please.

The Order- Beautifully drawn but still incomprehensible to me. This story lost me so long ago that I just skim it. Kek-W shows no interest in helping new readers or letting anyone catch up. The last time it ran, I seem to remember there was a page of "background" that must have been written by Tharg or Kek-W as a joke.

I remembered the Future Shock from the podcast, so can't judge whether it would be a surprise to a new reader. It was good, though. Not an all time classic, but certainly promising.

Survival Geeks- I'm really going to miss this. I know they've always got a mixed reaction but we need more humour stories in the prog.

Proudhuff

Quote from: Colin YNWA on 20 May, 2020, 11:26:38 AM
Rebellion have put of the solicitations. I'll spoiler tag them incase you want it to stay a surprise. Mind one of them I don't think we know anything about so that one will be.

[spoiler]
QuoteIncredible SF action from the Eisner-nominated UK anthology! A brand-new line-up of stories start in Prog 2184, the ideal point to jump onboard – the apocalypse is approaching and Judge Dredd is offered aid from an unexpected quarter in "End of Days";

teenage bounty hunter Tee and her gran are back in the deep-space adventure "Full Tilt Boogie";

the shadow-agents are hunting down members of The Order in "Land of the Free";

the oddball cop caper "Nakka of the S.T.A.R.S";

Celtic warrior Slaine returns for the first book of the "Dragontamer" saga, "The Web of Weird"!
[/spoiler]


Looks like I will be me getting 1 out of 5 in a fortnight... Nothing there appealing to me from the titles at least. Fingers crossed I'm wrong
DDT did a job on me

Batman's Superior Cousin

Quote from: Proudhuff on 21 May, 2020, 03:09:01 PM
Quote from: Colin YNWA on 20 May, 2020, 11:26:38 AM
Rebellion have put of the solicitations. I'll spoiler tag them incase you want it to stay a surprise. Mind one of them I don't think we know anything about so that one will be.

[spoiler]
QuoteIncredible SF action from the Eisner-nominated UK anthology! A brand-new line-up of stories start in Prog 2184, the ideal point to jump onboard – the apocalypse is approaching and Judge Dredd is offered aid from an unexpected quarter in "End of Days";

teenage bounty hunter Tee and her gran are back in the deep-space adventure "Full Tilt Boogie";

the shadow-agents are hunting down members of The Order in "Land of the Free";

the oddball cop caper "Nakka of the S.T.A.R.S";

Celtic warrior Slaine returns for the first book of the "Dragontamer" saga, "The Web of Weird"!
[/spoiler]


Looks like I will be me getting 1 out of 5 in a fortnight... Nothing there appealing to me from the titles at least. Fingers crossed I'm wrong

Sadly, it's likewise for me as well
I can't help but feel that Godpleton's avatar/icon gets more appropriate everyday... - TordelBack
Texts from Last Night

TordelBack

Acknowledging that Huffster and Batson are squaxx of long standing whose opinions are informed and weighty, I do wonder about dismissing in advance  (1) a new series that no-one has read yet,  (2) another of which there has been precisely one episode and (3) an as-yet unseen Dredd story.

Opinions on The Order and SIáine I get, those are largely known quantities at this point.  Do y'all know something I don't...?

broodblik

Quote from: Colin YNWA on 20 May, 2020, 11:26:38 AM
Rebellion have put of the solicitations. I'll spoiler tag them incase you want it to stay a surprise. Mind one of them I don't think we know anything about so that one will be.

QuoteIncredible SF action from the Eisner-nominated UK anthology! A brand-new line-up of stories start in Prog 2184, the ideal point to jump onboard – the apocalypse is approaching and Judge Dredd is offered aid from an unexpected quarter in "End of Days";

teenage bounty hunter Tee and her gran are back in the deep-space adventure "Full Tilt Boogie";

the shadow-agents are hunting down members of The Order in "Land of the Free";

the oddball cop caper "Nakka of the S.T.A.R.S";

Celtic warrior Slaine returns for the first book of the "Dragontamer" saga, "The Web of Weird"!

The Dredd story in prog 2184 will by written Rob Williams and art by Colin MacNeil
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.

MumboJimbo

To add a bit of counterpoint, I'm absolutely thrilled about the return of both Slaine and The Order, and adored the first Full Tilt Boogie, so massively looking forward to 2184. It's probably my most anticipated prog since I resubbed. Although being lonely and bored during the lockdown may have coloured that view.

broodblik

I am with you Mumbo I cannot wait for prog 2184 plus now that I know MacNeil is back on Dredd that is a added bonus
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.

Leigh S

Yeah, both of these Tordelback observations hit the mark for me.  Neimand falls into the "my chaarcter has to make Dredd look like a chump" trope, when having Dredd go against his expectations whip off the helmet and then eing him would have been both in keeping with the character (who has always took off the helmet when required) and avoided the danger of creeping "Poochie" syndrome.

Hershey is nonsense, beautiful looking nonsense, but super hero nonsense that I feel is utterly out of place in Dredd and 2000AD for the most part. 





Quote from: TordelBack on 20 May, 2020, 02:40:44 PM

As to Dredd, oh it does seem a pity that (in my opinion) Niemand made his first Dredd mischaracterisation in any kind in a good end to such a great story. As others have said, Dredd would take his helmet off in a heartbeat, any neurosis rests entirely with the readers: as a solution the sticky goop could have meant he was unable to get his hands free having done so, and we'd have the same result but with some traditional face-hiding sleight of hand from PJ and a mis-calculation from Chimpsky, evening out his 'victory' over Dredd. But look, this was an uplifting an enjoyable story with characters I look forward to seeing again, and absolutely terrific art throughout.


I'd look away now, true believers: the end of this 'Book' (groan) of Hershey was the worst kind of nonsense ("For you see, oh villain we don't really know anything about, I too secretly have Magic Enceladus Powers, and my Magic Enceladus Powers are bigger and bluer than yours, zzzzaaapppp"), all drawn in the most beautiful way. Even The Twist was only good in as far as it rescued a beloved character from a pointless off-screen death, not that it did anything interesting with him.  If D. Bishop is up for it I would genuinely prefer another series of Space Girls to more of this, as long as Fraser got to draw it. Utterly gorgeous, but irredeemably awful.


Leigh S

Oh and to be positive for once, the Future Shock was aces (though an extra few panels showing the guy realise he was being set up just before the police break in would have made it spot on)

Robert Frazer

For my part I did like the Hershey story, mainly for her declaration that "Judge Dredd doesn't get to define me". One of my favourite Judge Dredd scenes in the whole past decade was when Hershey gave Dredd a carpet parade in "Bullet to King Four" and the breakdown of their relationship was something that I think the comic really didn't take proper full advantage of (Joseph "I no longer recognise your authority" Dredd suffered literally zero consequences for outright mutinying in public). I welcome an opportunity for a dedicated Hershey adventure to work that out in greater detail.
Latest Video - The ESSENTIAL Judge Dredd

Colin YNWA

Quote from: Robert Frazer on 22 May, 2020, 05:02:16 PM
For my part I did like the Hershey story, mainly for her declaration that "Judge Dredd doesn't get to define me". One of my favourite Judge Dredd scenes in the whole past decade was when Hershey gave Dredd a carpet parade in "Bullet to King Four" and the breakdown of their relationship was something that I think the comic really didn't take proper full advantage of (Joseph "I no longer recognise your authority" Dredd suffered literally zero consequences for outright mutinying in public). I welcome an opportunity for a dedicated Hershey adventure to work that out in greater detail.

Yeah pretty much all of this for me too. In addition regardless of the character developments, the way it moved Hershey on so confidently (in terms of development, clearly not her confidence) and made for an elegant way to continue her story, yet keep it entirely seperate from what's gone before I really admired the innovation in the way it approached the story.

Both script and art pushed things along at a blistering pace in a way that seemed on the surface to provide singluar, simple focus on action and event, plot, action and event, plot ... and on... that gave it a restless energetic style. Yet at the same time, almost deceptively under that it was sharply focused on revealing character with great economy. I agree the mistakes made were atypical of Hershey, but that's it this was atypical Hershey, trying to redempt herself. The whole thing was so striking and stylish. But for me that style, as so often is the case was NOT at the scarifice of substance, far from it.

Just a triumph, with the emphasis on mph!