Prog 2368 - Fear on film

[Colin YNWA]

I'm getting old. The colour on the Tharg's measure in the Nervecentre made it a 'mare to read. Thankfully 2000ad isn't showing its age.

Dredd is still finding new tales to tell after all this time. Henry Flint puts in another man of the match performance with a stunning 15 panel page that clear, fresh and compelling talking heads and then knocks clean out the park with some action to die for. Enjoying this one a lot.

The English Astronaut is good fun, let down a little by the art. The lack of backgrounds - though understandable - does rather detract from  the world out of whack storyline. What is on the page is fine though and the nod to The Goodies on that final page pandas well to us old folk.

Full Tilt Bogie feels bright and new and fresh and exciting and different and all the things the Prog needs to be to keep on drawing in the crowds, while still keeping us old timers happily entertained. Enjoying the way this one is building quietly.

While I might not be liking Enemy Earth you can't deny its full of youth energy.

Then we have Thistlebone that series as both a timecapsule and probably one of the most chillingly original comics I've read in a long.

Proper good how Tharg can look after us old folks while still keeping it lively and feeling modern. Nice one.

[A.Cow]

The English Astronaut: Further nods to Doctor Who (e.g. Professor Which, Major Singh from The Star Beast).  Yet the topic has moved to social media.  I'm just going to say a few words: World-Wide Web, YouTube and TikTok.

[broodblik]

Cover by Simon Davids:

[Le Fink]

Seconding Colin on Dredd, Astronaut and Boogie (rather than "Bogie" Colin *childish snigger*). Enemy Earth I'm a fan of its relentless action and the art has grown on me.

It feels like a huge lurch moving from the YA stylings of the middle three stories to Thistlebone, which is very much adult fare and spoiler, I found the realistic depiction of a terrified naked woman being strangled a bit much, myself.

[IndigoPrime]

Racy cover for the Prog. I imagine that resulted in a few furrowed brows in WHSmith.

Dredd is on fire. That's top-tier scripting by Williams/Wyatt and some of the best Flint Dredd to date. That shot of Dredd on his bike on the second page is wonderful.

3rillers continues to intrigue. I think it'll warrant a re-read. Good figure work in the art, but too many frames feel sparse. Nice last page, mind.

Full Tilt Boogie is great. The only really bad thing about it is that it's been away for so long. Hopefully all involved can figure out how to reduce the gap for the next book.

Enemy Earth preps for landing. I hope it sticks it. And then Thistlebone ramps up multiple levels of horror, two thirds of which is decidedly 'mundane' and yet equally awful. And, yeah, that penultimate frame was a bit fucking yikes.

Tonally, then, 2000 AD is all over the shop at the moment. 60% of a Regened issue sandwiched between thinky Dredd and the most visually horrific 2000 AD series I can remember. Taken as-is, I'm happy with this. I'm enjoying all five of these series right now. Looking more broadly, I kinda wish Regened had the quality of the middle bit.

Dredd > Full Tilt > Thistlebone > Enemy > 3hriller for me this week, but it's all good.

[Southstreeter]

Defunding the judges - what does this mean in practice? It's not like they get paid, they just need feeding and housing; and short of forcibly sending a load onto the long walk, I don't see how you could reduce numbers. So are they cutting back on Lawmasters, H Waggons, ammo?

[Richard]

I agree with the consensus that this is a strong prog. Even Enemy Earth is building up to an exciting conclusion. (I hope it ends like Flesh book 1, though I expect it won't!)

Full Tilt Boogie is my favourite this week.

[Barrington Boots]

If I'm not mistaken that cover is a homage to the poster art for Blood on Satans Claw. Fantastic stuff.

I'm also in agreement with everyone else that this is a good prog. Dredd is immense, enjoying FTB a lot so far, and Thistlebone is horrible in the best way. As someone who consumed a lot of Hammer Horror / Witchsploitation films in my salad days (and would likely find them uncomfortable viewing now) the mood is spot on.

I couldn't quite follow the dialogue in English Astronaut this week - the titular characters rant didn't seem to make much sense, that may be the point? It's a slight read, made more so with the sparse frames, but also easy and enjoyable. Great last page.

[Link Prime]

If I'm not mistaken that cover is a homage to the poster art for Blood on Satans Claw. Fantastic stuff.

Well spotted, and yes, a fantastic cover by SB.

Lucky for me Thistlebone is running right now, otherwise it would be the all-time slimmest of pickings - I'm not enjoying / bothering to read the remainder of the Prog.

Regardless, €4.99 for 5 pages of this quality is still a relative bargain in the world of comics in 2024.
Kudos to TC Eglington on his finest script to date for Tharg, and Simon Davis remains an artistic force of nature. I kneel before Zod.

[norton canes]

One thing I've never realised with the new Lawmasters but going from the Flint droid's fantastic profile view on the second page of 'A Better World' that is far from a comfortable riding position. There's no back support! You're literally dragging yourself up by your own arms! Give me the straighter posture afforded by the mk.I machines any day.

Nice to see the Millsverse isn't excluded from the cataclysmic cosmic collapse in The English Astronaut. After last week's recap we get a side-quest setup in Full Tilt Boogie, but it's all good. More excellence from Thistlebone - is there a particular reason the film crew are in Scotland? Since they all act like soft Southerners, seems to me it would've been cheaper to stick to the old Hammer haunting grounds of Burnham Beeches or the like.

[IndigoPrime]

Sorry to hear you're not enjoying the Prog, Link. Given how much I like right now, I'm finding it surprising to hear someone aligning it with 2000 AD's nadir.

Norton: On the Lawmasters, this might explain the upcoming Williams/Wyatt 12-parter, A Better Posture, where Dredd grumbles about having to temporarily take over Ergonomics-Div.

[Jim_Campbell]

Given how much I like right now, I'm finding it surprising to hear someone aligning it with 2000 AD's nadir.

I'll confess, I raised an eyebrow. Worse than (or as bad as) Prog 883?! A prog with three awful Mark Millar strips, an ever-so-slightly racist Dredd written by MacKenzie, setting up a future plot so consequential that it was instantly discarded and then ignored by every subsequent Dredd writer, and The Clown, and idea very much in search of a story...

Even if you don't like what's currently in the prog, I'd find it hard to argue that anything currently running is as objectively bad as some of the stuff we were subjected to in the mid-90s.

[broodblik]

A good solid prog again.

Dredd – An exciting episode as the story shifts to Dredd as the hunt for Domo hots up. I have praised Flint's work so far but golly-gosh this is the best one so far and the script is not too shabby as well.

3riller – Helter-skelter stuff us time get twisted in a knot – this would have worked as a Time Twister as well.

Full Tilt Boogie – This episode after last week's introduction to everyone now focuses on the plot and where it is heading. A good episode again, hopefully as already mentioned the next installment will not do Helium on us.

Enemy Earth – This is all guns blazing episode as all truths have been revealed for the big finale next week.

Thistlebone – Horrible but in a good sense. The creepo-meter is climbing on each episode. Just love this series. The way Davis changes colours to tell the story is brilliantly done.

[Link Prime]

Sorry to hear you're not enjoying the Prog, Link. Given how much I like right now, I'm finding it surprising to hear someone aligning it with 2000 AD's nadir.

Worse than (or as bad as) Prog 883?!

Even if you don't like what's currently in the prog, I'd find it hard to argue that anything currently running is as objectively bad as some of the stuff we were subjected to in the mid-90s.

I guess it is what it is lads.

Look, I would have read Prog 883 cover to cover at the time, but that was literally 30 years ago.
We all like to think we have become quite discerning regarding the quality of the comics we consume over the years, but the reality is it will always be purely subjective.
What I can say for sure is that I have become quite discerning regarding the comics that I want to read - and it's 20% of this weeks Prog, much to my chagrin.

I can of course acknowledge the high quality of the artwork, colouring , lettering and production values that go into the modern Prog.
Goes without saying.

Roll on the April line-up!

[Funt Solo]

I'd find it hard to argue that anything currently running is as objectively bad as some of the stuff we were subjected to in the mid-90s

Ah, now! My opinions are objective - yours are merely subjective.

Man, though - prog 883 is a difficult prog to love, on the face of it.

A positive spin: The Manchu Candidate was intriguing. The Grudge-Father ended! A blessing, there. Babe Race 2000 had the benefit of being the first episode and having Anthony Williams on art duties. I actually really liked both series of The Clown, which is where that subjectivity thing comes in. The Robo-Hunter has Simon Jacob art, which I like.

I find that the modern prog spins around wildly at the moment - it's not perma-90s levels of ennui, and it's not entirely rocket-fueled. Seems like a lot of folk are fans of the Red Queen / Major Domo arc, but I can't stand it. It's like superhero comics have wormed their way into the prog with pontificating villains that can't be stopped, until they're stopped. PJ Maybe had character - we could (sort of) understand him. What drives Major Domo? It's not self-preservation. Chopper wanted out of the hum drum. Trapper Hag was egotistical and too reliant on his tech. Major Domo is ... what? He doesn't even have a strong visual design. Man in coat.