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I re-read Camelot 3000 in the bath last night. It's not bad at all! I think it was one of the first, if not the very first, comic distributed by DC and aimed at over 18s, and so its attempts at "maturity" can be a bit ham fisted while it otherwise relies on old school (read "kiddie") capers and violence to carry it along. But then, that's all Slaine and Darkie's mob do. If anything, it is a prouct of its age. It is, however, a product with a couple of hundred pages of Bolland art.

I have to say that the only comics I read faithfully (in the sense of getting every copy) are the Meg and 2000AD. I read others of note in Foribidden Planet but rarely buy them ;) .

I liked the non-2K reprint, such as Preacher and Sin City, because it spurred me to buy the graphic novels of both.

I think there two balances must be struck with reprint. First, there is the 2K/ non-2K balance. This is good just now, I think - I think running one old school 2K story (currently Slaine) is enough and this should be balanced if possible with other reprint (currently Darkie's Mob).

I would prefer the other reprint to be fresher than what we have just now, as I think Time Killer and Darkie's Mob both date the Meg terribly - or is the idea to ensure it appeals to the kids we were?

I would like other non-2K reprint, maybe graphic novels or collections from about ten years ago. These tended to be start out in monthly formats, and so would survive reprinting this way.

How about Watchmen? Or Camelot 3000?

I was re-reading The Day the Law Died last night. I don't have a scanner, but would like to point out that Fergee (especially in Prog 100) bears an uncanny resemblance to a certain "leader of the free world".

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.

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.

Oh, bugger. I thought this thread was for hippie art students and their special tobacco.

Ah yes, C&C is another that pisses off the wife:

Construction complete... building. (over and over)

ANd, of course, "Movin' out"

No, Trouty is right. It should be about blowing things up. Preferably with in a variety of interesting ways with a variety of interesting and progressively bigger guns. With loud, wife-irritating, explosions. And, crucially, the game should be punctuated with badly voice-acted phrases repeated ad nauseum. Especially ones that can later be used to irritate your spouse. My personal favourite, in use after all these years, is the line "a waste of my talent" from Baldur's Gate. Used in response to being asked to wash dishes, cut grass or do any tedious task.

Stephenson's "The Diamond Age" is, in my view his best book. I think it won a Hugo. I bought it after reading Cryptonomicon.

I found Cryptonomicon to be a bit hard going in places.

The Diamond Age is much more easy to get into, and is a cracking tale well told - not too techy, and riveting stuff. I think it won a Hugo, although that's not always the mark of a good book.

It the greatest comic in the galaxy cos... Well, have you seen the dross you get on Venus? To make things worse, you have to subscribe to be sure of getting a copy there - problems with the distributors mean there's not enough copies get to the shops. The riots are terrible.

Aww. Makes me almost paternal.

Almost.

I have tried to add WoD's piccie here.

BUT - what about the dangers of Thrill Power Overload in one so young? Or slabbery chop damage to your progs?

OR, is this the panel that vetos the Megs current scripts? http://us.f1.yahoofs.com/users/4e780b5b/bc/Family/James+reading+the+Meg+1.jpg?bcIw13.A10RgPXuy">

Harry 20 could be like Space 1999. Without Martin Landau, cos he is now too expensive.

Nah, it has to be Luke Kirby. Especially in this age of Harry Potter. If he came back it would be one for the fanboys and one for the 10-12 year old readers of the future.

The whole thing was set up for an epic arc, and then vanished. Jimminey, it had uncles who were werewolves, school bullys and a "dark side" of the force.

Does anyone know what happened to it? Was it unpopular with the readers or the editors? If it was canned becasue it was too schoolboy/ not sci-fi enough then it should come back NOW for the reasons above.

Luke Kirby: The past and the future of 2000ad.

Surely it's all just a bit of a laugh? ANyway, this is too much for me. I'm off to read the other threads from last night with a coffee.

Anyone taking this board too seriously should be made to live with Jon.

Speaking as a lawyer, I find that last post grossly offensive. And am now preparing a writ for loss of profits caused by erronious postings and solatium (hurt feelings to you and I, but that sounds better).

I will settle the claim for a copy of prog 1163.

I was on a treadmill at the gym when, all of a sudden, I stopped hearing through my left ear. The only noise from it was loud, bad, tinnitus. I went to the docs a few days later (hey, I am a Glaswegian male and I could stll breathe) and was urgently referred to hospital. A bit of a shock, because I assumed it was ear wax. After an emergency set of tests, the doc there was puzzled. This was a Friday night. I was given an appointment for a consultant's clinic the following Monday (I might have been going deaf, but that was no reason to interrupt his golf). THing is, the whole thing cleared up on the Sunday night as quickly as it started. Did I feel a tube sitting through the tests on the Monday, saying "Actually, it's ok. Yes I hear that. Yes I hear that. And so on"