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Another 2000AD read thread

Started by feathers, 21 October, 2016, 02:43:12 PM

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feathers

Ha, teaches me for trying to post on my phone. I hadn't clocked the writing credit and just assumed it was Mills. The caption boxes early on especially seemed a fair cop of his style on Flesh & it's derivatives. It was a good set up, I'm disappointed now to hear it doesn't come to fruition.

feathers

Prog 1379- been a long time since I posted, but after a great start to 2003 things at the other and of the year couldn't keep the pace going. There was nothing that prepared me for the idea that 2004 would see such a throwback to the worst of the mid 90s as Valkyries though.  Bleuch

feathers

Prog 1410 (or thereabouts) - Some brilliant Dredd happening at the minute with the Total War storyline.  The preceding Terror took me by surprise as the story was skilfully spun out to greater lengths - after a run of short or self contained tales it was great to be sucked deeper and deeper into one situation.  So much so that it was a regret when it did finally end with a bit of a 'here-we-go-again' wink to camera.  So to have it followed up so quickly is a delight, and the change in scale inherent in the pre-hidden bomb campaign feels a suitably daunting challenge with hopefully plenty of mileage in it.  I'm hooked.

Strontium Dog's search for King Clarkie also feels a cut above the earliest returning strips - I wasn't a fan of the too-meandering Roadhouse, but looking back the Kabob of Knob run felt like the creators were most of the way back into the groove with just the shrug of the ending feeling unworthy.  Traitor to His Own Kind seems to be playing more properly with a deeper level of the SD story, and the weight of history  has tipped the scales away from the feeling of inconsequentiality that the pre-death idea brought up - or maybe it's just that the reader has to get into the groove too.

I feel I have to bring up Rogue Trooper's far less successful resurrection - maybe it's the lack of good ancillary characters that made this another trial.  As far as Rogue revivals go it was far from the worst, but really, it feels like there's nothing there to salvage.  ABC Warriors too are in flashback mode with Mills pilling in more and more antagonist characters to less and less effect.  There's only so much jive talk and occult ecology nonsense I can take now before my brain starts trying to find a way out of my skull.  So the return of Robo Hunter has been a mostly pleasant surprise in terms of updating and refreshing.  I like the idea of Sam's head in a jar being reduced to an annoyance on the level of Hoagy and Stogie, and Samantha's regret at getting involved is refreshing too.  But why the previous job as an escort?  It's so unnecessary and belittling.

Low Life has been great, and Cabbalistics Inc has snuck up unexpectedly to being second best strip after Dredd - partly because of it's confidence in using it's characters, partly it's stubbornly clear yet atmospheric artwork, and only least of all because of the absence of the more established SinDex and Dante.

In input debates, I like Bec & Kawl for a bit of variety, and always look forward to a letter from Floyd Kermode.  Is it just me though, or is the autumn/winter lineup of any of these early 2000s years always better than the spring/summer?