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Prog 2287: Grinders Keepers!

Started by IndigoPrime, 19 June, 2022, 11:23:54 PM

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The Mind of Wolfie Smith

isn't stranger things mainly a blast of nostalgia for eighties childhoods?

IndigoPrime

Yes. But I'd say previous series could have been safely watched by kids of the ages the leads are now portraying and possibly a little younger. But there's no way in hell I'd want anyone under at least a mid-teen watching the current run. The nature of the horror is really nasty.

Also, on the kids reading comics thing, mini-IP today noticed my 2000 AD was "different". I explained it was a Regened all-ages issue. Since she'd read her Beano and Lego Explorers, she gave me a bit of a look and I said she could read it. She's now scuttled off with the comic. I will presumably get it back at some point. Interested to see what she things, TBH.

Huey2

My view is probably skewed by the fact that I work at a primary school where it is currently THE BIGGEST THING in Year 6 and for the past few years it was routinely discovered by kids once they reached y6. I merely meant that this was the age when kids could start getting into it - especially with the main characters all being youngsters.

"isn't stranger things mainly a blast of nostalgia for eighties childhoods?"

Or a series which has borrowed a lot of stuff from the films the writers saw when they were kids (Whilst still being quite good).

The Amstor Computer

Stranger Things is enormously popular in our girls' primary school, to the point where P4-to-P6-age kids have been watching it, and our girls (soon to be starting secondary/P7) have been left out of the conversation because they haven't watched it yet. They've started watching it with us now, and most of the stuff in S1 is OK for them - we've been watching a film a week with them for 6 years, and they're pretty mature and assured with media a couple of years above their level. Every October we do a horror marathon with age-appropriate horror films and a couple that push the envelope a little (last year it was "Sweetheart", "Lake Placid", "Nightbooks" etc.) so they're also reasonably savvy about that type of film, though we draw the line at some of the stuff other kids have been watching.

That said, having watched on a bit ourselves I know that "Stranger Things" starts to push out from the level it's at in the first series, so moving on with them is going to be a bit of a challenge and might have to be staggered a little bit over the next 6 months or so, with a quick "refresher" watch for us beforehand.

I'd have said that most of the first series or two of "Stranger Things" is suitable for a near-teen/early teen audience (though the horror/sexual content is a coin toss for us in some parts) but it does start to ramp up to the point that I'm not sure how parents of 9- or 10-year-olds could be justifying letting their kids watch it. I suspect a lot of them are being given unfettered access to Netflix and watching it themselves in their own rooms - "Squid Game" has been similarly popular, and I'd be surprised if that was being wholeheartedly endorsed by parents at the school.

It's always a bit of a challenge setting boundaries for media - there's always the temptation to say "well, watching that did me no harm!" and conveniently forget the week of nightmares, or to assume that just because violent media drifted off you it won't affect anyone, but the flip is that there is a tendency to shield too much and isolate your kids from what everyone else in their age group is talking about, or to lose the chance to have conversations with them about what they're watching.

IndigoPrime

Mini-IP read the rest of the new Regened this morning. Her verdict: "I just couldn't follow most of the stories." Maybe she's too young at 8 next week. Does anyone recall what the target age bracket is? (She has no such issues with The Phoenix, Hilda, Chibi Usagi, Zita, etc. But she's said the same about Monster Fun twice now.)

Leigh S

AS a 50 year old, I also ahve trouble following ome 2000AD stories nowadays - I'd put it down to disinterest and fading faculties, but I do think theres a skill to telling stories in comic form that a surprising number of people actually making comics nowadays lack.  Wagner has it, Abnett has it.  But a lot of the other writers seem to struggle to move form one panel to the other in a way that flows seamlessly.

Going back t Stranger Things, seems it has done a 2000AD in aging with its audience, albeit at an accelerated rate!

Magnetica

Quote from: norton canes on 24 June, 2022, 09:48:35 AM
Quote from: norton canes on 23 June, 2022, 10:30:53 AM
Brink was... actually, better not say. Tell you tomorrow

...the solution to Wordle.

I failed to get it, despite having the "r", "i" and "n" in the right place after my third guess. I was kicking myself when I saw what it was.

IndigoPrime

Leigh: There are occasionally storytelling issues for me in the standard Prog/Meg. It used to be a lot worse during the Meg's nadir in particular. It felt like you needed to be inside the writer's head, and have them explain what's going on. Perhaps these comics just aren't for my girl, but I find it odd she struggles very specifically with Rebellion output when she reads a ton of other stuff with no problems whatsoever. :/

Funt Solo

IP - not sure if it helps or not, but mini-Solo had no problems with the Tammy & Jinty special from 2020 - and they were eight at the time. Recently, they also enjoyed the 2280 Regened's Chopper. I will say, mini-Solo is a voracious consumer of comics (mostly in the form of GNs) and has been for years. Mind, everyone's different -it did occur to me that perhaps if the stories weren't really to one's taste, perhaps the disinterest may be expressed as difficulty.

On the other hand, I found three of the stories in prog 2280 (the middle three) had problems with their storytelling.
++ A-Z ++  coma ++

IndigoPrime

Yeah—TBF, Mini-IP read and enjoyed Tammy/Jinty as well and was fine with those specials. The same with Cor/Buster. But she said most of 2288 was a problem and that the adventure strips in Monster Fun are "confusing". I only read issue one but would say she has a point. Again, no problems even with the most advanced Phoenix strips.

Tiplodocus

Quote from: Leigh S on 21 June, 2022, 10:40:00 PM
And I have no objection to the Regened - I do think that it is a very odd look though - like if CBBC had a day every month that showed some softcore.

OK - not EXACTLY like that, and yeah there are reasons why it happens and might seem perfectly normal, but take  a step back from that and really, does the Prog need that day a month of softcore? 

C-Boobies?
Be excellent to each other. And party on!

Proudhuff

Now this Dredd could easily been in the Regened issue and ticked all the boxes.
DDT did a job on me

Colin YNWA

Quote from: IndigoPrime on 23 June, 2022, 07:31:50 PM
Wolfie: you mention No Country, which is back next week. Do you know when the original ran? Mini-IP swears she read it, but I thought it was before her Phoenix time. (She clearly knows something about it, but couldn't clearly explain the premise to me, just some of the smaller details.)

Meant to check this struggles to find it THEN when starting to sort the Boys issues this afternoon stumbled across the last issue in 382. So it ran for like 15 weeks so at a guess 367ish to 382 is the original run. I will be able to confirm when we get further through the big sort...

Proudhuff

Not sure where I imagined this from, but isn't it the case now that Rebellion makes its bucks from the collected reprints in GN form? The regened stories in GNs would be opening up a whole new audience rather that the diminishing returns from sell Old Dredd in new jackets. 
DDT did a job on me