MEG 282 - WORLD AT WAR!

[TordelBack]

The Big Meg was actually good though, and more importantly, it featured boobs.

I know, and it tears me up inside.  But I've made my decision - Marlon Shakespeare is dead to me these past 19 years, and no amount of boobs will bring him back.

[Funt Solo]

That's an amazing cover!  SO cool.

The first thing I did with my Meg was turn to Insurrection 40,000. It may just be one big battle, but it's oozing with thrill-power.  They just can't win, though, can they? The alternative reality MC-1 SJS force seems to be about the size of a small planet, and hardly breaking a sweat.  My guess: [spoiler]they'll enlist the help of the aliens they've just defeated[/spoiler].  Probably not, but I don't want them to lose.

Dredd story: I'm glad I didn't read this one first.  Oh dear!  When I can guess the punchline on page 1, frame 1, you know there's something wrong - I'm usually really slow on the uptake.  This is just an MC-1 cliche: small time perp gets in deep by trying to evade the law. Yawn.  And if you think that's harsh criticism, at least I'm not threatening to stab Ted Raimi in the face, or whatever it was the Meg film reviewer was saying in their highly constructive criticism.

Citi Def: "Ponder this, Why would a young Judge take the long walk?"  Either because the writer doesn't know enough about the setting, or because the artist can't draw anyone under the age of 21.  I'm not sure. Uhm ... where did the zombies suddenly appear from?  Why are peaceful looking norm townsfolk allowing zombies to wander around in their town anyway? If this is their attitude to self-defence in the Cursed Earth, how have they survived this long? And "Me likee! Me likee!"?  Obviously not aware of the "Blakee Pentax!" moratorium on stereotyped drivel, then? Having said all that, I've relaxed into reading this strip, in the same way as I might relax into reading the Beano if I saw one lying around.

Tank girl: I haven't read all of this yet - I'm saving it up later.  Love the art (it's really beautiful), love the madness of the stream of consciousness plot. Don't care that the finishing line wasn't the finishing line. Where did Booga's new sorta girlf come from again?  I'll need to re-read.

Two great, 1 mediocre, 1 laughably bad. A fifth would be lovely.

[SmallBlueThing]

I just noticed there was a new Chopper (by Wagner and Patrick Goddard) story published during the late 1300s

Sheeesh. Not only do I open my copy of Zarjaz #0 to read "zarjaz is back!", suggesting there's a a previous run that I now need to track down, but now I find that 2000ad itself was being being published 600 or so years ago...

Will this collect-o-mania never end??

 

Steev

[Dark Jimbo]

I just noticed there was a new Chopper (by Wagner and Patrick Goddard) story published during the late 1300s

Sheeesh. Not only do I open my copy of Zarjaz #0 to read "zarjaz is back!", suggesting there's a a previous run that I now need to track down, but now I find that 2000ad itself was being being published 600 or so years ago...v

Hey, we needed something to take our minds off the Black Death...

[I, Cosh]

The Big Meg was actually good though, and more importantly, it featured boobs.

I know, and it tears me up inside.  But I've made my decision - Marlon Shakespeare is dead to me these past 19 years, and no amount of boobs will bring him back.

See, I've never got that. It looked like he could well have been dead, but it was always open for him to come back. Never liked Song of the Surfer myself but, given how popular it appears to be, I'm surprised they didn't go for the full GN treatment rather than this. The Big Meg was pointless.

Agree with Logan about the Dredd. A decent enough story that would've been fine in the Prog but seems a bit on the thin side for the Meg. With all the wordless pages in The Ecstasy and Blood Moon, it makes you wonder if the Wagner droid's pension fund is running low! I also can't believe nobody's done an overdue library book story before.

I'm liking Insurrection a lot but it's not got me creaming my jeans the way some folk seem to be. Whenever I sit and think about an Abnett story I'm always struck by how well put together they are, yet they very rarely jump out as my favourite strip when they appear. A reliable and underrated droid in my opinion.

[TordelBack]

It looked like he could well have been dead, but it was always open for him to come back.

For me the problem is this:  With Chop dead, Song of the Surfer is a magnificent tragic epic - literally the ultimate Supersurf;  with Chop alive, it's a pretty pointless mess.   I didn't like the stories that followed it over in the Meg, although there was some nice art from time to time, and  the more recent Big Meg story was okay but aimless - so I'd rather have Chopper's story end in one big gory mess in Mega City 2 (as I thought it had at the time), than limp on through various Neighbours jokes and sort of putter out.

[TordelBack]

Aaargh, double post (albeit three days apart).  Got the Meg yesterday, and it's really all about Insurrection this week.  Best cover of the year to date (just ahead of Brooker's Dirty Frank and Holden's Dredd), and a great little strip.  

The other comics are pretty meh fare, and while the picturesque Tank Girl keeps my interest far better than any previous incarnation I feel it's suffering from the familiar curse of the Meg's glacial publication sechdule - nice twist this week too.  Film reviews were useful (wife a huge Campbell and Raimi fan), Deadwood piece told me nothing I didn't already know but I appreciate the effort, 86ers piece was timely, Quitely interview was good.

But the real value (other than that cover and a few pages of Insurrection) this week was the Chopper reprint.  I'd completely forgotten Soul on Fire, and it must be ten years minimum since I read Song of the Surfer - and both were absolutely brilliant. I demand proper GN treatment, maybe even including the Ennis stuff and the recent Wagner (if it has to).  Looking forward to next month!

[Zarjazzer]

Insurrection is the best thing I've read for ages. I may have to get some back issues to get the full picture or wait for the TPB.I found Tank Girl the least interesting IMHO but they are all good in their own way. Perhaps i should just bite the bullet and subscribe.

Never really liked Chopper all that much, it just never interested me.  Interesting article on the much missed Martial Law-a great read if you can  find it. Though it was printed originally by a Marvel off shoot I'm glad 2000AD took time to remind us of it's dark genius.

[BPP]

Insurrection is the best thing I've read for ages. I may have to get some back issues to get the full picture or wait for the TPB.I found Tank Girl the least interesting IMHO but they are all good in their own way. Perhaps i should just bite the bullet and subscribe.

Never really liked Chopper all that much, it just never interested me.  Interesting article on the much missed Martial Law-a great read if you can  find it. Though it was printed originally by a Marvel off shoot I'm glad 2000AD took time to remind us of it's dark genius.

Original was a 6-parter issued by Epic (DC off-shoot for mature comics because superwhoreos hadn't become 'mature' yet) that also put out The last Americian and some lovely Cam Kennedy art. Needless to say nobody bought it despite being brilliant.

As for people complaining about word-less  Wagner - you outta read The Last American....... a study in silence. "maybe he'll find someone to talk to this issue..... do be do be do...... do be do...... hummm. Nope".

[Zarjazzer]

Cheers for that BPP shows my memory is going. I vaguely remembered EPIC as the original publishers but convinced myself it was Marvel rather than DC. Oh well.  The Last American is another overlooked classic. I do have the notorious Kingdom of the Blind but my copy was published by TOXIC! who i seem to recall published alot of good stuff.

[Al_Ewing]

Epic's a Marvel offshoot - they tried reviving it recently but it didn't quite work out.

[JamesC]

I'm really enjoying Insurrection but the way it's been shoehorned into being a Dreddverse strip erks me a little.
Tank Girl is always good fun and the art is lovely. Citi-Def isn't bad but the art just isn't right for the magazine in my opinion.

[Zarjazzer]

ah so my brain hasn't turned totally to mush! Cheers Al Ewing. I didn't realise until having read up on it now,  they published some cracking stuff the first Akira runs and the Light and darkness war by 2000ADer Cam Kennedy. Bless wiki.  

[stacey]

I loved the cover, I just am a massive MacNeil fan, I think he's the awesome sauce, yes he is!  

I agree with Proudhuff that the Frank Quitely interview is more a potted history, though I still enjoyed it - a "proper" interview would have been really nice.  

I liked the Dredd, it was mostly just a big chase scene but nicely done. Also I get where he's coming from having just had a £10.80 library fine (and I work in a library which makes it worse really!).  

Still enjoying Tank Girl and still not sure at all by Citi Def.  I liked Stalag and I like Tony Lee very much and I don't *hate* it, I'm just not very sure.

Insurrection rocks the big one.  I just love it, I think visually it's outstanding and it's a cracking story.  I am in love I am!

[TordelBack]

I know this sounds disloyal to Anthony Williams, an artist I like a great deal, but since I've seen Insurrection I can't help imagining McNeill drawing the recent VCs sequels.