Progs 1433 - 1436

[Colin YNWA]

Now I normally use this place to discuss complete stories and not runs of Progs but in doing that I often seem to take for granted some of the more regularly entertaining strips in the comic. I mean who needs to hear me say 'Such and such a Dante strip was great'... hey quiet at the back no need to be rude I know no one needs to hear me spout about any strip but...

ahem anyway but these Progs were standout brillant Progs and part of that was great examples of the usual suspects and so I'll like to quickly doth my hat and praise um.

The Dredd here is immense fun and Mr Rennie really produces a blinder, exciting, scarey and in keeping with the feel of a Wagner. Its also fun to note how much 'Total War' is being referenced after the event. Just a great Dredd and while I'm not Boo Cook's biggest fan and I know he has many, here I completely get why people love his work, he's perfect for this story and I love the art. (oh and I know this story actually began in Prog 1432).

Speaking of Dredd there's a wonderful Sinister Dexter three parter amongst these Progs. I say speaking of Dredd as with a bit of tweaking it could have been a Dredd story. A great example of how Downlode is a great character within the strip just as Mega City One is in Dredd. Fun S&D and all rendered by the simply brillant Steve Yeowell. Doesn't get much better.

Finally (for this review I'm going to be talking about American Gothic and VCs independantly I suspect) a jungle romp in Dante that is just wonderful. 'Primal Scream' is a fantastic reminder of the light and breezely action adventure that Dante started off as. Such good fun and yet not out of context in the readily darkening world our favourite love machine lives in. The introduction of Lauren recently has been wonderful and the way she runs around this entire story like Jane of the Jungle such a hoot. Oh and John Burns paints up panther men and lion kings an absolute storm.

These individual progs are some of the best I can remember. Old classics done well and all looking beautiful while newer strips sit welcomely beside.

Damn I love this comic.

[O Lucky Stevie!]

Speaking of Dredd there's a wonderful Sinister Dexter three parter amongst these Progs. I say speaking of Dredd as with a bit of tweaking it could have been a Dredd story. A great example of how Downlode is a great character within the strip just as Mega City One is in Dredd.

Ooooh, that'll be Dan's take of Concrete Island by JG Ballard. Cracking. I see a lot of JG Ballard in MC1 (High Rise, anybody?). Him & Philip K. Dick. Although that may just be Stevie.

[Dark Jimbo]

The Dredd here is immense fun and Mr Rennie really produces a blinder, exciting, scary and in keeping with the feel of a Wagner. Its also fun to note how much 'Total War' is being referenced after the event.

Still a shame that so few of those brilliant 'aftermath' tales made it into the Total War TPB. I seem to remember GRennie's deft little one-parter where Dredd and Guthrie go out into the Cursed Earth looking for stray citizens who fled the bombs was particularly superb, likewise Wagner's brilliant Nosferatu story set among the refugee camps with some mad D'Izzy art.

[Colin YNWA]

Trying not to litter this place with too many new threads so this seems a good place to mention bith Judge Dredd 'Blood Trails' and Sinister Dexter 'Slow train to Kal Cutter' were further examples of classic strips being on fire.

Rennie really is a great Dredd writer and was a big fan of Andrew Currie's art here. It just take great courage to write a Dredd with this much impact and not be John Wagner!

Have to say Progs from 2005 have been great and this spell ranks up there with some of the great periods we've had over the last couple of years.