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The Meg

Started by The Enigmatic Dr X, 03 June, 2003, 11:00:19 PM

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The Enigmatic Dr X

Is it me, or is the Meg a bit pants these days. Perhaps it's suffering from being a monthly, or maybe it seems poor in comparison to the heady heights of 2K.

Even so, with the exception of Dredd, I can't think of a story in it I really like.

Black Siddha is bewildering oddness, but I don't want to single it out for criticism - it is indicative of the current level of the Meg.

Young Middenface is dull as dishwater; what next - young Max Normal/ Wulf/ other supporting character? This is insipid filler for me, down there with Soul Sisters (nice art though, even if it does make me pine for Luke Kirby)

Family is OK, I suppose - but can seem rushed.

Slaine is like a lot of stuff from the 80s (and I don't just mean comics) - better in the memory than in the cold light of day.

As for Darkie's Mob - well, it doesn't half go on. I know it was simpler back then, but Christ how many times can we have the same story?

THen there's Devlin Waugh. Great art, but what has actually happened in this story? Feck all! Episode 1 - infinity seems to involve some Julian Clary patter and folk being killed by vampires, before the vamps themselves are killed by Devlin. Ho hum - what a waste of a character! It's like Coronotion Street - you can miss an episode and pick it with the next one, safe in the knowledge that nothing has happened.

I know the Meg has to have reprint to survive, but I would rather have old Stronium Dogs from Starlord, old Eagle stuff (if Rebellion have the rights) or old Dredd summer special/ annual reprints (Last of the Bad Guys anyone, or the Dredd/ Alpha team up?).

As for original stories, what about something funny - Al's Baby style?

Could it be that too much focus is on the weekly, with not enough on the Meg? Why, for example, couldn't Lobster Random have been a Meg tale? He could've been a perp bust out a Cube.

Anyway, just thought I say what's been on my mind for a while.
Lock up your spoons!

El Spurioso

I suspect a lot of tales in the Meg would read a *lot* better if you go back and digest them in one sitting.  Remember that with the weekly format you're digesting, say, 6 pages per week.  That seems about right, and matches more-or-less the US standard of 22-26 pages a month.

In the meg we're looking at 6-10 pages of story per month.  The story could be blindingly fabulous, but by the time the next issues rolls round it's lost some of its potency, maybe even readers have forgotten what's happened.

I know, for example, that 'Family' and the Devlin Waugh tale demonstrate their fabulous pacing with FAR FAR more efficacy if you chomp it down all at once, rather than bit-by-bit.

Just my torts, like.

Matt

I agree, I think the gap between issues is responsible for the loss of impact in certain stories. I haven't been able to follow Family at all and guess I'll have to read it all in one sitting before i can even judge it for myself. As for the Meg as a whole I think it's better then ever before. Go back to those first early issues an you'll see what I mean, for every America & Young Death you had a MegaCity Times, Chopper: Earth Wind & Fire, and Soul Sisters. i think that the Meg has got the right mix at the minute. All I would like to see is the Meg building up its own stable of characters. The loss of new Shimura & Armitage material is a real shame. Armitage in particular never got to see its full potential. I wouldn't mind seeing a return for The Inspectre which I enjoyed. As for Brit Cit Brute, Harmony and that shakespearen judge serie (what was that all about?) well they were just shit anyway.

Spaceghost

I can't believe they've gone from Scarlet Traces and Rogue trooper reprints to Family which is a confused and boring mess. All the characters look and speak the same. I don't have any idea what's going on and don't care. This months Dredd was good though and I personally like young Middenface. Black Siddha has taken 6 months to do precisely nothing except contain some daft carry on style "humour". Bring back Lenny Zero.
Raised in the wild by sarcastic wolves.

Previously known as L*e B*tes. Sshhh, going undercover...

Slippery PD

I think if Family was in the weekly and was possibly coloured it would have been better.

I too like Middenface, but the meg has had a drop in standard.  I tend to think that its down to the stories picked or commisioned.  None of them seem suited for monthly episodes.  I think longer page count in the meg and a fewer story count may make it improve again.

Yer Digs

test 4 echo

I'm kinda happy with the meg at the minute, apart from the Slaine reprints which I didn't like first time round, and I can't make my mind up about "kill a hundred japs lose a man" Darkies Mob. It's the familiar story told through soldiers diary that was done well in Bad Company, better in Charlies War.

With the exception of Dredd and devlin, I do tend to read stories several parts at a time rather than the whole meg at once.

kris

Huey

Hmmm,...
You know, whenever I read the letters page on the latest prog or meg I wonder if I'm reading the same comic as everybody else. Maybe I keep getting the copy printed for Mars. In my prog the Balls Brothers were brilliant, as were Big Dave, Teenage Tax Consultant and Ace Trucking. Going by the letters page they sucked in the Earth copy. On my world Dante was OK. for everybody else a work of genius.
I'm getting the same feeling here. IMO the latest megs have been the best ones since the first volume. For me, any of the stories mentioned would have been the stand out stories in tooth ( bar Dredd).
Favourites:
Middenface - of the many flashback stories in either title this seems the best. Unlike others it's not totally boxed in by continuity. there's a whole cast ofcharacters to which anything can happen. It's also been pretty adaptable. the first stories were really funny and now we have a quieter tone.
Siddha - ( Again IMO) Mills seems at his best when he's starting something new. It's such a shame that he hasn't created anything new for tooth in 20 years. This is fresh, original, funny and unlike any other comic I've seen recently.
As for reprints, I'd say a good percentage of the megs readers have read the back catalogue of both publications ( Maybe I'm wrong). so I'm more happy to see things I don't already own and haven't read. The Daily star Dredds were great, but most of the ones chosen had already been reprinted. the Battle stuff is a good second best. Looking forward to "Charley's war".
- H

Huey

"All I would like to see is the Meg building up its own stable of characters. The loss of new Shimura & Armitage material is a real shame. Armitage in particular never got to see its full potential"

Ah, Missionary Man (Though appearing in great stories) was the one which,for me, still had a lot more milage. There were loads of hints about his past, but many never got followed up: his curse, him killing his brother, his past as a judge.

Then again, maybe that was the point and I'm just being thick.

Buddy

Is it just me or is the art on Dredd in the Meg this month pish?

How'd he get the job? Was there on one else available?

Tu-plang

I'd agree that the Meg has taken a step down in quality of late.  This year's megs have jumped the gun a bit by upping it to 5 new strips with about 40 pages of new stuff leaving them with 6 or so pages each apart from Dredd.  Last year we were on a real high with the Scarlet Traces and  Bad Company reprints and a good 8-10 pages a strip, but now all of a sudden we have a wierd page size to support shitty Slaine reprints and probably too many pointless pages of feature material (Hall of Heroes - is this new to anyone?).

And as an added bonus the design looks that little bit messier.

Floyd-the-k

Dr X, good to hear what`s on your mind!
  For mine, Family has good art but is deeply uninteresting, Lobster Random would make a great meg story, you are right about the Devlin Waugh story.  It`s a waste of good characters and a great premise.
 I think young Middenface is okay though.
   Black Siddha has an interesting premise but is absolute crap!  I want to single it out.  Maybe it`s poisoning your view of the rest of the meg.
  Anyway, good to read you!
cheers,

Floyd

DavidXBrunt

I really enjoyed the latest Meg. Admittedly the new material could do with being in longer doses (or perhaps transferred to the weekly, but the stories themselves are all enjoyable. I particularly enjoyed Middenface, which has turned into a real favourite of mine. Long may he continue to be young, if you know what I mean.

As for the features, I think the Meg has exactly the right mix just now. The hall of heroes is at least looking over surprising material (Revere, Tyranny Rex) and on the whole doing a good job of re-evaluating the strips. The interviews are good value, and if they were to run the occasional interview as long as the John Sanders feature in the Christmas issue I'd be pleased. Some people (John Wagner, Ian Gibson, Alan Grant Carlos Ezquerra, Gerry-Finley Day, Ron Smith) have done so much for the g.g.c. that one page wouldn't do them justice.

Oh, and I really like the prose stories.

WoD

I've tried reading the Meg three times so far this week, but the only thing I managed before I got bored was the Dredd story.  I always liked the Angel of Death character, nice to see her again.  As for the rest, a quick flick through shows more of the same as per the previous month.

Darkies Mob is OK, but Dr X is right, this is the same story again and again.

I'm going to hold back any judgement on Family until I reread it in one sitting, as this seems the only way to do it justice.

The one thing that I hate though is bloody Middenface.  This character sucks.  Please let him grow old quick and die.

WoD.

The Enigmatic Dr X

Oh, yeah - the text stories.

Think about it. Text. In a comic.

I never read these when they were in the annuals, and I'll never read them in the Meg. They are worse than any other filler - give me droid profiles or anything (even Roxilla!) - but no text stories.

Before anyone defends them, think on this - those pages could be taken up by cheaper reprints of Future Shocks, old Robo-Hunter, or non-2K reprint like Preacher.
Lock up your spoons!

GordonR

>>Oh, yeah - the text stories.
>>
>>Think about it. Text. In a comic.


Yeah, but they pay really well...

;->