Semi Finals: 2 - Ian Edginton or Dan Abnett - Ultimate not Wagner Tourney

[broodblik]

This has been a really tough one as both men are superb world builders able to craft great characters and thrilling narratives. It's really come down to the slimmest of margins. Much as I love Edginton's work I've got to give my vote to Abnett. Lawless and Brink are the two stories that made a subscription to Tharg's mighty organs a must-buy for me. If we'd had another series or two of Thistlebone this could have gone the other way though it really is very close.

Ian Edginton did not write Thislebone it was TC Eglington

[Bolt-01]

Dan Abnett

Sorry Ian.

[sintec]

Ian Edginton did not write Thislebone it was TC Eglington

You are correct - and there is an error on Barney (and insufficient coffee in my system):

IAN EDGINTON

CREATOR CREDITS
American Gothic, Ampney Crucis Investigates, Detonator X, Interceptor, Kingmaker, Leviathan, The Red Seas, Stickleback, Stone Island, Thistlebone, Scarlet Traces

THISTLEBONE
Created by Ian Edginton, Simon Davis
FIRST APPEARANCE IN 2000AD
Thistlebone

Thistlebone 10 episodes (Progs 2135 to 2144) 56 pages
Script: T. C. Eglington, Artist: Simon Davis, Letters: Annie Parkhouse
First episode double length.

Is there a good way to report such things to those with admin rights?

[Colin YNWA]

Is there a good way to report such things to those with admin rights?

Just shout at I, Cosh... or send him a PM at least.

[Magnetica]

Is there a good way to report such things to those with admin rights?

Just shout at I, Cosh... or send him a PM at least.

Do forget - as I said up thread the creator credits for Dabnett (i.e. the bit at the top of the screen) are missing Brink and Lawless. So just his best two series......just repeating in case that wasn't noticed.

[CalHab]

Abnett. Prolific and consistently good. Hard to beat that combo.

[robprosser]

Ian Edginton for me.

[BPP]

Pretty much love everything Ian has done and can't say the same about Abnett but he's never not good and his wares are broader and more pervasive. So a technical win to him while a tip of the hat and directors fortnight award to Ian.

[maryanddavid]

This is a hard one. Giving it to Dan, by a small margin. Ian has great ideas, sometimes they don't seem to get seen through to the end. Dan's out put can be hit of miss for me, but when its hit its great. Dan must be in 3rd/4th place in terms of writing credits in the prog? Ian  probably not far behind.

[Magnetica]

This is a hard one. Giving it to Dan, by a small margin. Ian has great ideas, sometimes they don't seem to get seen through to the end. Dan's out put can be hit of miss for me, but when its hit its great. Dan must be in 3rd/4th place in terms of writing credits in the prog? Ian  probably not far behind.

Yes that's a good point. How many unfinished stories does Edginton have? Ampney Crucis, Stickleback, Helium? There's undoubtedly some good stuff there, but wouldn't it be better to finish one before moving on to something else? I seriously hope the same thing doesn't happen to Kingmaker.

[broodblik]

At least Stickleback is coming back but that is in prog 2200. I love his work but the problem as you guys stated is that he has so many unfinished work and then he starts a new series.

[Bad City Blue]

Dan

[Greg M.]

How many unfinished stories does Edginton have?

This is the problem with working exclusively with grand narratives - particularly ones that are often tonally similar. Although Edginton has a couple of 'title character' series, they're not written in the way that, say, Strontium Dog is - new scenarios, new adventures. It's interesting that everyone reckons Edginton's best story is Leviathan, because it's completely self-contained. I'm not saying don't write these kind of longform epics - just maybe have one appearing more frequently and have other stories that are either self-contained short runs or new adventures for a strong central character.

[Colin YNWA]

How many unfinished stories does Edginton have?

This is the problem with working exclusively with grand narratives - particularly ones that are often tonally similar. Although Edginton has a couple of 'title character' series, they're not written in the way that, say, Strontium Dog is - new scenarios, new adventures. It's interesting that everyone reckons Edginton's best story is Leviathan, because it's completely self-contained. I'm not saying don't write these kind of longform epics - just maybe have one appearing more frequently and have other stories that are either self-contained short runs or new adventures for a strong central character.

Sinister Dexter of course provides an interesting counterpoint to this and one that I'm sure will stir up a variety of opinions but for me this is Dabnett doing a great example of having a long form series, built around very strong central characters and formated in such a way that its always fresh.

The issue Greg raises is why Red Seas is by far my favourite work by Edginton as it has a wonderfully solid beginning middle and end. The irony being this could very possibly have been the very story that Greg eludes to when he says

...just maybe have one appearing more frequently and have other stories that are either self-contained short runs or new adventures for a strong central character.

And alas its had a wonderful end now!

[Greg M.]

The impression I get (and it's only an impression, because this was during my prog hiatus) is that for a long time, Sinister Dexter got mired in an interminable ongoing plot and completely lost its way. For me, the original format was best - lots of one-shots, interspersed with longer stories that moved things forward, delivered with very regular frequency.

Edginton would avoid the perception as the guy who doesn't finish stuff if some (not all) of his stories felt more complete in their own right. Get an idea, do a complete 10 part story with it, come back to it later if there's more to say - if there isn't, it ends where it ends, with threads wrapped up. I appreciate that's easier for me to say than it is to actually do, and I understand the temptation to create labyrinthine epics where you're constantly planting seeds to flourish a decade later. But if you're not careful, you end up as Chris Claremont!