Messages

16

General / Re: Forum’s Favourite Thrill - Dan Dare vs. Robo-Hunter (Sam) Round 3 Heat 3

« on: 10 May, 2022, 09:12:46 AM »

So yes, I have to overlook the racism of the early run and then the extreme awfulness of the reboot, but there are so many RoboHunter tales that are so amazingly amazing I can't ignore them, and not even the gonzo spacewhips of Belardinelli or the terrifying monsters of Gibbons can hold a candle. Seriously, Verdus, Day of the Droids, Beast of Blackheart Manor, Filby Case, Farewell my Billions - these are all serious contenders for top 20 stories 2000AD has ever published. Nothing from Dan Dare comes close. (And never mind that e.g. Serial Stunners and Return to Verdus might be among the worst).

RoboHunter

17

General / Re: Sideshow Vote: The end of the road

« on: 10 May, 2022, 09:06:50 AM »

for real! I can sympathize with how rapidly these votes eat up ideas.

18

General / Re: Sideshow Vote: This is not a blast from the past

« on: 10 May, 2022, 09:04:20 AM »

Totally ignoring any stories that went on to appear in the main Prog, I'm voting:

1) Finder & Keeper
2) The Unteachables
3) Future Shocks - I like the way these tend to be weird, rather than trying to pander to some idea of what kids these days are into. If there's one thing 2000AD can offer to all ages that Pheonix and Beano can't, it's Sci-Fi weirdness.

19

General / Re: Forum’s Favourite Thrill - Ant Wars vs. Mayflies Round 3 Heat 2

« on: 09 May, 2022, 11:21:56 AM »

Good point! I forget that other people are allowed to play in the Rogue Trooper sandpit.

20

General / Re: Round 2 so far

« on: 09 May, 2022, 11:21:13 AM »

Not gonna stop now, what with having a folder full of panels from, I guess, every single 2000AD/Megazine series ever.

I've also been doing na bit of stats trawling, some interesting things to note going into Round 3...

Of 2000AD's most polific writers,
Grennie takes the lead with 15 thrills still in play (and 7 lost)
Wagner has 13 left, with 8 knocked out
Mills has 12 left, 7 gone
Grant also 12 left, 5 gone (NB including many of the same serieses as Wagner)
Abnett's on 10, with 4 knocked out
Smith is on 9, 6 lost
Edginton looking strong with 8 in, only 2 lost
Milligan's on 7 with 3 lost
Finley-Day punching above hbis weight, arguably, with 6 still in play and just 1 gone
While finalist contender Alan Moore has 5 thrills still in play, only 1 knocked out so far.

Pity poor Arthur Wyatt and Hilary Robinson, all their solo series now gone, but still in play, in the giant roster of Future Shock writers.
Modern favourite Al Ewing somehow has just 1 thrill left in play (outside of Future Shocks), and it's his not-especially-beloved Damnation Station.
At the opposite end, Alan Hebden has to feel pretty happy about his showing, with four of his solo-scripted series + his one-off efforts all still in contention.

(All stats listed above are based on Round 2 only, not looking at things that fell in Round 1. Also I might have counted wrong)

21

General / Re: Forum’s Favourite Thrill - Leatherjack vs. Hope Round 3 Heat 1

« on: 09 May, 2022, 10:26:13 AM »

In its third series, Hope is in danger of becoming a bit same-y, but it's a Very Good series so I don't mind that sameness, especially Broxton's ability to recreate a really grubby version of 1940s/50s Hollywood, celebrity cameos and all. (I see you, David Niven and Boris Karloff and Ian 'James Whale' McKellan).

Leatherjack had some delicious ideas and characters but was held back by, for me, some rather pedestrian art and colouring. (Marshall's character design work on the series, mind, is super great). Is it wrong that I'm also a bit annoyed with Leatherjack for knocking out Chiaroscuro, one of my fave horror series?

Anyway, I'm with Hope...

22

General / Re: Forum’s Favourite Thrill - Ant Wars vs. Mayflies Round 3 Heat 2

« on: 09 May, 2022, 10:21:22 AM »

After worrying this Round was going to be a puzzler with every heat, it's an easy win for Ant Wars.
Like someone said, there are no giant ants in Mayflies, Grennie should look into that.

23

General / Re: Forum's Favourite Thrill - Round 3

« on: 09 May, 2022, 07:46:07 AM »

Big grin on my face this morning from that Zom-shey (Herbo?) image, what a way to commemorate the end of the mightiness of Round 3...

Full list of winners and losers from Round 2 available here:
https://forums.2000ad.com/index.php?topic=48263.0

(and even Round 1, if you want to dig back into the distant past...
https://2000adbestever.blogspot.com/2022/01/best-thrill-ever.html
there is a forum thread with this stuff on somewhere but I can't find it...)

24

General / Re: Round 2 so far

« on: 09 May, 2022, 07:36:53 AM »

25

General / Re: Round 2 so far

« on: 09 May, 2022, 07:36:06 AM »

Round 2 is finally over! The final batch of winners and losers...

26

General / Re: Forum’s Favourite Thrill - Stainless Steel Rat vs. Shakara Round 2 Heat 128

« on: 06 May, 2022, 09:41:17 AM »

Have to agree that the three SSR adaptations are among the very best book-comic adaptations going, all the more impressive because it works so well in small chunks and keeps that weekly cliffhanger feel so vital to 2000AD. I don't love 'saves the world' as a story overall, although the mucking about in time is fun at least. The other two are all-time great capers, though. I really do love that Slippery Jim, one of the very few book series where I've read, I think, every single one, making me all the more sad we never got any more adaptations.

I also have to agree that Shakara is just a perfect example of 2000AD weirdness, and even if it doesn't maintain the wonder over all 5 books, they do all bring something new, and as a whole it's probably a 'better' comic series. Gets a bit wordy after book 1, mind. But the Flint art! So good, I think better than Carlos even, if only because there's no requirement on him to limit the imagination.

Voting with my heart on this one: Stainless Steel Rat.

And my God, if this is a taste of what Round 3 is going to be like, I'm gonna have to start taking some serious stress pills.*


*Keesh, Zoosh, or Zizz preferred, obvs.

27

General / Re: Forum’s Favourite Thrill - Sooner or Later vs. Ampney Crucis Round 2 Heat 127

« on: 05 May, 2022, 10:56:47 AM »

Yet another tough draw, and two thrills that are almost impossible to compare. Sooner or Later hits plenty of my nostalgia buttons, not least the one that says 'I don't get this at ALL, but it looks cool and I'll get it when I'm older'. Some of the imagery in there remains unique and diverting - no one does future fashion design like Brendan McCarthy.

On the other hand, the story is a bit rubbish, really, too many tangents and blind alleys and half jokes. Ampney Crucis is by contrast rather well plotted and just accessible enough, depite the weird 'which dimension is he in now?' difficulties in the last couple of books. And it feels unfinished, which is a shame. Contrasting that you've got Simon Davis who might just be the best painter of accurate period work, and managed in I think every book to conjure up some deeply disconcerting imagery, whether its giant insects or leditrch monsters or even just hordes of naked people where you wouldn't expect to find them...

Ampney Crucis.

(As a slightly crude thought experiment, I wouldn't heistate to vote for Ampney over Bix Barton, but Bix vs Sooner or Later I would def have to think about)

28

General / Re: Sideshow Vote: To be, or not to be? That is the question

« on: 05 May, 2022, 10:50:52 AM »

I mean, if you're a subscriber it's not really possible to choose not to buy 4 Progs each year. But if I was walking into a newsagent and picking a Prog off the shelf each week, I might choose not to buy a Regened Prog.

29

General / Re: Now I Know My ABCs...

« on: 05 May, 2022, 09:56:17 AM »

Just read over the Mean Machine entry thanks to the link on the relevant vote - that's some amazingly useful resource right there! Are you, perhaps unwisely (for your mental health), intending to tackle this sort of thing for every Dredd-world character who recurrs in both Judge DDredd and other stories?

30

General / Re: Forum’s Favourite Thrill - Alienist vs. Skip Tracer Round 2 Heat 126

« on: 04 May, 2022, 01:40:23 PM »

Wow, that's a damning assessment there! But it's kind of how I feel about Kingmaker, which is evidently popular enough to get the full trade collection treatment.