Forum’s Fav Thrill - Slaine vs. Strontium Dog Rd 5 Heat 6

[Huey2]

" Oh no, there definitely is one. "

Yeah, you're right, if you're including the ones done by stand-in writers and artists, there are some duff strips.

Slaine is pretty lucky in being an 80s strip that didn't receive an appearance in a special or annual with someone else behind the typewriter.

[norton canes]

To be fair, Ro-Busters and The ABC Warriors had excellent Alan Moore-penned stories in the annuals.

[Dash Decent]

Won't someone think of the children?  Did Moses Quest die in vain?

[Richard]

Stronty-Donty!

[JayzusB.Christ]

This is basically for the tournament win, isn't it?

My guess was there are at least 2 other stories ahead of Slaine in the pecking order and a few others that would challenge it. I mean I have a long history of nort predicting these tourneys well BUT I reckon there are other thrills that will challenge Strontium Dog (hot favourite to win) more.

Obviously the likes of Dante, Halo Jones,  Zenith, Nemesis and of course A Life Less Ordinary are in there with a very good chance too, but it'll be hard to dislodge Stronty.  I voted Sláine, but I do recognise that The Dog has been more consistently good.

[Colin YNWA]

... I voted Sláine, but I do recognise that The Dog has been more consistently good.

I mean its more consistantly good than Slaine BUT and here's where I get run out of town... I think Strontium Dog is a series of real ups and downs. I mean its highs are really, really high, its just there's a few lows and a lot of middling stuff. I think particularly in the longer form stories there's a few that I'm just not that keen on.

Compare that to Halo Jones, consistantly good. Zenith, consistantly good*, Nikolai Dante consistantly good. Nemesis even when not exactly good always astonishingly imaginative and in the main consistantly good. I'd dare to say Lawless, consistantly good, Anderson for 20 years consistantly good. Sinister Dexter for the vast majority of its run consistantly good. Red Seas consistantly good.

Now clearly other folk's view will vary and that's part the fun, but for me Strontium Dog is the least consistant, after Slaine, ABCs of all the 'greats'. Rogue Trooper is pretty consistant for me, but in the main at the wrong end of the scale!

*Okay, okay ZZZZZenith but every story will have some poppycock and that could be applied to just about every series I'm about to describe as consistant!

[Funt Solo]

One thing about Halo and Zenith is there's no bloat. Each book tells us a story, each moves the plot forward in a meaningful way. I'd put Nemesis on the cusp as it goes on long enough that it starts to run out of steam.

Dante has bloat, within a greater arc of cohesion. Maybe using the word bloat is unfair, because sometimes the structure of something is more episodic than arcing (original Star Trek being episodic, for example), and it doesn't necessarily make it bloaty. An episodic nature, though, gives room for damp squibs in amongst the Tribbles. Dante Goes to Britain and Dante Goes to America are both a bit squibish.

Lawless is good, but can suffer from rent-a-baddy silliness. I'm thinking of the train attack. Anderson is anything but consistent. Between Hour of the Wolf and Shamballa there's an entire raft of meh (with the paradise island of Triad floating in the middle).

Anything that's gone on as long as Stront (or Red Seas, or SinDex), by the very nature of things, is bound to have ups and downs, though. My main issue with SD is not that's it's ever been truly awful, but that quite a few of the shaggy dog tales just tread water. Given the abundant love for it, though, I'm not seeing a thrill that'll defeat it in this competition. Unless you all take a vacation and let me do all the voting. No?

[IndigoPrime]

It also looks like we're approaching the point where nostalgia takes over to enough of a degree that certain strips will sail through. I hope that's not the case though. It'd be a bit sad if the last eight are all strips from the early 1980s.

[The Mind of Wolfie Smith]

outside the prog, love and rockets has gone on forever and i can't think of any lows.

[JayzusB.Christ]

One thing about Halo and Zenith is there's no bloat. Each book tells us a story, each moves the plot forward in a meaningful way. I'd put Nemesis on the cusp as it goes on long enough that it starts to run out of steam.

Dante has bloat, within a greater arc of cohesion. Maybe using the word bloat is unfair, because sometimes the structure of something is more episodic than arcing (original Star Trek being episodic, for example), and it doesn't necessarily make it bloaty. An episodic nature, though, gives room for damp squibs in amongst the Tribbles. Dante Goes to Britain and Dante Goes to America are both a bit squibish.

Lawless is good, but can suffer from rent-a-baddy silliness. I'm thinking of the train attack. Anderson is anything but consistent. Between Hour of the Wolf and Shamballa there's an entire raft of meh (with the paradise island of Triad floating in the middle).

Anything that's gone on as long as Stront (or Red Seas, or SinDex), by the very nature of things, is bound to have ups and downs, though. My main issue with SD is not that's it's ever been truly awful, but that quite a few of the shaggy dog tales just tread water. Given the abundant love for it, though, I'm not seeing a thrill that'll defeat it in this competition. Unless you all take a vacation and let me do all the voting. No?

Think if it was down to me, I'd put either Halo or Zenith at the top ahead of The Dog. Then again, I didn't like Dante till Tsar Wars and I liked both Big Dave and Really and Truly, so what do I know anyway.

[O Lucky Stevie!]

When Slaine is good it is brilliant.But it ain't no Nemesis the Warlock.

It took Stevie nigh a decade of reading the prog for John & Carlos's other signature character, Old Stony Face, to click with him. Yet Strontium Dog won him over in about 4 or 5 pages.

Strontium Dog it is.

[Colin YNWA]

It also looks like we're approaching the point where nostalgia takes over to enough of a degree that certain strips will sail through. I hope that's not the case though. It'd be a bit sad if the last eight are all strips from the early 1980s.

I have to admit this is a concern that I have too. We'll see but The Out is already struggling...

[Colin YNWA]

I mean Slaine got the first blows in, but lets face it, it was a battle axe against a Westinghouse variable cartridge blaster in the grand scheme of things and natural order seems to have been returned. We'll examine the holes in chests in the morning.

[Rogue Judge]

As stated by others, Strontium Dog, and it's not even close.

Not because it's nostalgic for me, I've only been a Squaxx for ~6 years. Strontium Dog because I enjoy it much more!

[Blue Cactus]

outside the prog, love and rockets has gone on forever and i can't think of any lows.

Agreed. I'm voting Love and Rockets.