Cover by Steve Yeowell & Abigail Ryder - Befitting the final episode of Red Seas
Dredd - A great one parter and shows the effects that promiscuity can have in the future. Really enjoyed this.
Savage - Thought that last week was providing the build up to major fighting for the bridge but does't work out that way. Bit of an anti climax but hey, that's just me.
Past Imperfect - Rocket De La Revolution - Art by the Dante droid Simon Fraser and it shows in this Cuban story with a great twist.
Red Seas - Final part, great double splash page bringing up old memories, although for me a very lame ending on the last page.
All in all a decent Prog and looking forward to the new line up which includes Stickleback
Ooh a story by Monty (Three Dinners Nero, drawn by Si Fraser. Colour me intrigued.
An anticlimactic Pat Mills story? What will they think of next?
Really pleased to hear we have a Red Seas cover and having just taken a sneak peak at the cover (courtesy of comicvine), all i can say is - wow. And at double length too....cannot wait to pick this up mid week! :D
Love Dredd this week, good story with alot of interaction between the Judges and Cit's, a bit more information as to how Justice Dept' is struggling to cope post-Chaos Day [spoiler]fast tracking Judge recruits, and paying the price for the drop in quality[/spoiler] and the art was gorgeous. Really good.
Although I think that Savage was a bit of a quiet final episode, I enjoyed it much more than recent weeks offerings. The whole sneaky beaky approach in the middle was very atmospheric.
As a newcomer to 2000AD I didn't have any affection towards Red Seas so for my part I'm glad it's gone. To a new reader it was pretty much completely confusing and innaccessable, although I appreciate anything with a decade of backstory would be!
Good prog this week. :D
Personally I am sad to see the end of the Red Seas, but I bet we've not seen the last of some of the cast...
Nice to see Monty's FS so soon after talking to him about it last week. I'm hoping for big things from this Dogbreath alumnus...
Wow! What a lovely surprise finding the prog in my letterbox this morning - and my name in it. I can die happy now, after a lifetime of trying. Si Fraser does a brilliant job on the art. What a talent - so good to see him back in tooth.
I absolutely loved the Dredd story. Class! Who's T.C. Eglington? The Karl Richardson depecition really works for me. He looks the right age, tough, but human, and you can instantly tell Joe from the other judges. A lot of droids don't achieve that. Very impressive.
Haven't read anything else yet but I noticed as I flicked through that Pat Goddard is attaining ever higher levels of thrill power. Having seen his original hand drawn pages in Cardiff last weekend I'm even more impressed. Some of the most dramatic black and white art I've ever seen.
Only read Red Seas so far and as I gazed at the final page and realised that, apart from Jack Dancer, I couldn't name a single other character on the page and only had the vaguest of memories of the adventures which were referenced on the splash page, it occured to me that I won't miss this strip.
Compare that to the final page of Dante where I could name every character and remember everything they'd done and Red Seas begins to seem very half baked. I'm not a fan of Steve Yeowell and never felt as though he was able to to express the sense of scale that most of the stories required. Giant monsters looked like men in suits which is quite an inverse achievement, to be able to render such potentially exciting ideas in an intensly dull way.
Maybe if the art had been handled by someone more suitable, Red Seas would have made more of an impression but as it is, it leaves only a few vague and swiftly dispersing memories.
Ian Edginton returns next week with one of my all time favourite 2000 AD strips, Stickleback, so I'm very much looking forward to that.
I agree with Spaceghost, I'm glad to see the back of The Red Seas for similar reasons, although I think it's wrong to blame the artist. I have enjoyed all of Ian Edginton's other work, but never this.
I thought that Savage this week was the best episode in ages. Not an anti-climax for me, I thought it was just right.
Good issue this week
Thought dredd was a good story and the artwork was great
Good ending to savage looking forward to a bit more progress with the story with book 9
Past imperfect Montenegro hats off and thought the art by Simon Fraser complemented it perfectly
Red seas I have enjoyed red seas but this last story just plodded along to slowly and ending was over in a flash
I posted this over on the ECBT2000AD news post about the cover...
The Red Seas has been a perennial favorite of mine since I started reading 2000 AD waaaaaaay back in 2004. I believe I came in during the series's second outing. And ever since then its been a fixture of what I conciser 'my 2000 AD' (which includes other modern classics such as Shakara, Kingdom, Stickleback, Lobster Random, Nikolai Dante, Sinister Dexter, etc...) A regular recurring strip that never fails to grab my imagination, or my excitement when I hear its coming back for another go around. Now that we've finally come to its conclusion I can't help but feel a little sadden by it. I'm starting to reach a point in my 2000 AD reading life where the strips that made me a fan are starting to fall away, and I fear few newer efforts are having as strong an impression as my earliest experiences. (this isn't to say newer efforts aren't good, they just aren't having the emotional resonance my earlier experiences provided me)
The Red Seas, is not a perfect comic. Sometimes it can meander, and often it has trouble making its extended cast particularly memorable. But the art has been uniformly great, and its never come up short on providing high adventure.
Just finished the rest of the prog and the double length ending of The Red Seas really worked well I thought. A cool character reversal and a satisfying sense of closure to this epic odyssey.
Savage was my favourite though. Loved the subtlety, and the humanity, of this finale. The art and writing are first class. For me, this book stands up as a contemporary companion to Charley's War. The differences are obvious - the 'hero' is as monstrously corrupted by the conflict as the 'villains' for a start - but I think it'll stand the test of time in much the same way: a war commentary within an action comic context. And the art - sweet Jesus - these silent panels and silhouettes are as powerful and visceral as anything I've read of late. Fantastic storytelling.
Woah! Did I just pick up the wrong comic? Those dastardly Thrill-Suckers have intercepted my prog and removed all the excitement.
Cover: Please tell me this panel-blowup-with-random-Photoshopped-heads was done by the teaboy -- I can't believe that this came from the brush of the superbly-talented Steve Yeowell. Abigail Ryder's colours are the only thing saving it from total disaster.
Dredd: A fair effort by Mr. Eglington but we've been spoiled by too many good Dredd writers recently.
Savage: Surprisingly, best story in the prog this week.
Past Imperfect: Rocket de la Revolucion: A little derivative of Frederick Pohl's Tunnel Under The World, but OK. Nice, dynamic art by Simon Fraser -- a contrast to Karl Richardson's very static Dredd artwork this week.
Red Seas: I've wanted to see the end of this for a very long time but, even so, I presumed it would go out on more of bang than the ghastly whimper this week.
I enjoyed this week's Dredd. I suppose that there would be a problem with allowing some teenagers who haven't had the full fifteen years training to wear the full eagle. Especially because they would be more sexually naïve when it came to seduction than some others of their age.
Savage come to the end of another run with a tragic ending. [spoiler]They didn't get the sniper as I thought they might have, they killed the youngest and least experienced soldier who wasn't a threat at the time.[/spoiler]I must admit it has been unusual to see things from the enemy's side. They are all no longer being depicted as black and white evil killers. The grey is starting to show.
The past imperfect story was very interesting. Outside the art, which I enjoyed, it did raise certain questions about reality explored elsewhere. In that if reality as we knew it was indeed the product of the state's or something else's imagination, would we truly be so inclined to reject it if we were to know what the nature of true reality was. Or are we those that would accept things are they are instead of allowing us to reside in a gilded cage?
I am one of those who have read Red Seas from the beginning. Of course when it first started I thought it would be a Pirates of the Caribbean clone, but unlike that particular franchise, this has kept my interest.
It has been hard going from time to time. The stories that feature supporting characters in different times and places could be difficult to follow, although they did provide hints for the main story. But it is these loose threads that have arisen in these other stories I would like to see resolved at some time.
I can't see this being the end of the Red Sea's universe. At least I hope not. This is one series that I have thoroughly enjoyed. As others have said there are some loose ends that could be carried on. I think it suffered by having large intervals between story lines.
V
This week's cover does nothing for me I'm afraid. It just looks a bit weird with all those floating heads. I've never liked the character design of Jack Dancer either - I think it's because he's clean shaven. Doesn't seem right for a pirate somehow.
Dredd was really good. I liked the art and thought that Dredd's voice was spot on. I always baulk slightly at stories that are specifically about sex in 2000ad though. I'm sure they could have tweaked the script slightly to make the story more suitable for what should be an all ages comic IMHO.
Savage was the best thing in the prog this week. PG's art is absolutely blinding and I found this instalment quite poignant.[spoiler] Poor Twitcher :'([/spoiler]
The Past Imperfect fell a little flat. I think it could have done with more pages to explore the ideas more. It would've worked well as a two parter I think - [spoiler]with the disruption of the spell being the cliffhanger to the first episode[/spoiler].
Didn't read the Red Seas. When this strip first started I really enjoyed it but I don't think it ever lived up to its potential. I don't think the script plays to Steve Yeowell's strengths and I find that Edington likes to build large casts and then doesn't develop them ( I can't remember the names of any of the ensemble cast in Stickleback for example).
Roll on next week - I'm looking forward to some new thrills.
A medical note about the Dredd storyline. Contains spoilers!
http://eamonn1961.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/2000ad-prog-1823-medical-review.html
Arh just got back from a weekend away and no Prog. I really want to see how Red Seas end. Well fingers crossed tomorrow.
Cover: The Grant G special issue can't wait!! ;)
Dredd: A fine dredd, figures a wee bit awkward, but the lack of respect for the Badge shows haw far things have slipped in MC1, would have liked to have seen a male figure with the black kiss too, well it said there were some. And is thios the first mention of [spoiler]STD[/spoiler] in the Prog?
Savage: For all I'll kicked this story when its been down, this was a really great bit of story telling and well told.
Past Imperfect: Rocket de la Revolucion: As an old leftie I was expecting the usual anti-Cuba sentment so was surprised by this great one off, well told and Gorgeous to look at
Red Seas: This was a lovely bow out with everything tied up just right IMHO. Looking forward to seeing how /if this ties in with the rest of the E-verse.
Best bit o the Prog? That advert on the inside back page!!
Quote from: Proudhuff on 11 March, 2013, 10:28:12 AM
Red Seas: This was a lovely bow out with everything tied up just right IMHO. Looking forward to seeing how /if this ties in with the rest of the E-verse.
It does, remember Orlando Doyle? He's in the next series of Stickleback by the looks of it.
hasn't Orlando Doyle already appeared in Stickleback?
Quote from: Colin Zeal on 11 March, 2013, 12:23:41 PM
hasn't Orlando Doyle already appeared in Stickleback?
Yep, I also seem to remember an Ogre from American Gothic also being in there, let's not forget The Brotherhood of the Book existing in both TRS and Sticky. Didn't a picture of Jack Dancer appeare in Sticky at one point, as well as The Jolly Criple?
I always thought Red Seas suffered from scheduling issues and a lack of trades. It would be interesting to see how it reads in one collection, although I can't imagine we'll see that any time (Hell, this would be one time where I'd happily plonk down 20 quid for a massive PDF of the entire series, just so I can read it from start to finish, without digging out hundreds of Progs.)
As for the ending... it was OK. I think it was perfectly suitable for the type of series that it was, and it's never really easy to do a full-stop.
Good prog. Bit of a bland cover, saved by some nicely judged colours. The Dredd was pretty good, but felt a little off somehow. Can't quite put my finger on it. Enjoyed the rest a lot, the highlight for me being the Past Imperfect story. Really good. The art was lovely, too.
Having read the rest of the Prog, I enjoyed that Past Imperfect a lot and agree that it would have been nice had it more room to breathe (perhaps as a 3riller, or whatever they're called). Dredd was interesting, showcasing problems with justice dept., and it felt like the right kind of voice (i.e. similar to what Wagner might pen). Savage... I do like aspects of the grey, and it does evoke Charley's War, but I do hope Mills ensures there's some balance here. Of late, he's sometimes derailed into "the people you thought were heroes are EVIL and the evil guys are lovely bunnies, just doing their jobs". I'd hope Savage remains poised on: "US just as bad as the Volgs, just in a different way"; "Savage disillusioned and fanatical"; "soldiers on both sides being screwed over by those who want control of the oil fields". I'd certainly be unhappy to see too much humanising of senior Volgs if the US ends up being solely painted as a crazed colonialist state with angry robots and crazed people behind them, because that suggests a writer's political agenda rather than a natural evolution for the world within the story.
The "writer's political agenda" overriding the "natural evolution for the world within the story"...?
In a Pat Mills story?! Heaven forfend...
Cheers
Jim
Well, quite, but it'd be a pity if that happened yet again. I don't doubt that it probably will though, with the brutal overthrow of the British somehow being sidelined because, you know, AMERIcAnS Are TeH EVILz.
Quote from: IndigoPrime on 12 March, 2013, 10:45:55 AM... the brutal overthrow of the British somehow being sidelined because, you know, AMERIcAnS Are TeH EVILz.
I don't think that's Pat's point at all: rather than individual nation states like the US or the Volgan Republic somehow being good or bad, it's big business and its manipulation of politics and conflict to its own ends that constitutes actual tangible evil. The patriotic narratives of invasion and liberation are just scripts doled out by the super-rich for the Bill Savages and the Vashkovs to follow as they struggle and die in the unknowing service of their real masters.
And he's not wrong.
I thought they'd decided Howard Quartz was the enemy and if I remember correctly, Savage expressed the sentiment of the 'Volgans' just being the grunts for the elite.
My two cents:
Nice cover, certainly my favourite piece of recent Red Seas art (though that's not saying much; not a massive fan of how sparse it is).
Fun Dredd, and the chin looking eactly like I imagine it in my head- he looks a bit young for his age though, I thought.
Savage is a strip I've never read before this most recent run, so I found it very difficult to invest myself in the story or characters. It's been fun, and the [spoiler]twist at the end[/spoiler] was [spoiler]poignant[/spoiler].
Red Seas: I haven't really cared much about this strip in years; I always enjoy reading it, but it's just not my cup of tea. The double-length finale was fun, and brought things together nicely, if a bit cheesily- I can just imagine a live-action version where at the end everyone laughs, high-fives, and the credits roll on the freeze-frame. Decent craic, but I'll be glad to see the back of it and Savage for the sake of fresh proggage.
Quote from: TordelBack on 12 March, 2013, 11:16:32 AM
And he's not wrong.
It's not a question of if he's right or wrong, it's a case of people not wanting to be forcefed political agendas when you pick up a comic looking for a fun and thrilling read. I've only been buying 2000AD for 8 months and already I'm tiring of it (the politics, not 2000AD! :D )
Quote from: Fisticuffs on 12 March, 2013, 06:27:57 PM
Quote from: TordelBack on 12 March, 2013, 11:16:32 AM
And he's not wrong.
It's not a question of if he's right or wrong, it's a case of people not wanting to be forcefed political agendas when you pick up a comic looking for a fun and thrilling read. I've only been buying 2000AD for 8 months and already I'm tiring of it (the politics, not 2000AD! :D )
I have to say i quite like the political stuff in Savage, and even questions of morals/ethics in American Reaper in the Meg. Some of the stuff Mills covers are interesting, and like Tordelback has pointed out, not very far from the truth either.
I've read the rest of the prog now and really enjoyed it.
Dredd was really good, as has been said, but for the second week running, I have no idea what was supposed to have happened at the end. How did the rookie get the lipstick mark? Did he snog the tattooist? Why?
Apologies if I'm being dense. Can someone shed some light?
Liked the end of Savage. Shame about the 'twitcher'.
Also really liked the Past Imperfect. Clever, chilling and witty with lovely art.
Stickleback next week has me all a tingle.
Quote from: Spaceghost on 12 March, 2013, 10:08:25 PMDredd was really good, as has been said, but for the second week running, I have no idea what was supposed to have happened at the end. How did the rookie get the lipstick mark? Did he snog the tattooist? Why?
What I read from that was the rookie was an appalling judge who'd been rushed through the system and probably let the tattooist get away in return for a quick shag.
WHERE'S MY PROG????
WHERE IS IT? WHEREEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!???????
Ahem. Tharg is cruelly teasing me. He knows how much I want to read the last part of Red Seas and this, THIS is how he treats a loyal subject. DAMN YOU THARG, DAMN YOU TO HELL!!!!!
I'm in the same boat. Got bills but no prog. >:(
Quote from: IndigoPrime on 13 March, 2013, 12:33:57 PM
Quote from: Spaceghost on 12 March, 2013, 10:08:25 PMDredd was really good, as has been said, but for the second week running, I have no idea what was supposed to have happened at the end. How did the rookie get the lipstick mark? Did he snog the tattooist? Why?
What I read from that was the rookie was an appalling judge who'd been rushed through the system and probably let the tattooist get away in return for a quick shag.
If that IS the case then it's bloody stupid. That Judge looked much older than cadets we've seen who exhibited more sense.
I can accept errors of judgment, but for someone who's basically gone through full training to aid the escape of a murderer in exchange for sex??? Simply unbelievable.
I have to say (SPOILERS COLIN) that I did not see that coming in The Red Seas. [spoiler]The dog saves the day... because he was bored![/spoiler]
I also seriously wish that Tharg starts responding to reader frustration with these agonizing breaks between stories in a series. This was not the decade-plus long epic that Tharg suggests in Input; it was something that should have run over three-and-a-bit years, with maybe a month in between stories, not like the thirteen-month gap before the "dangled over giant crab" cliffhanger was resolved. Like "The War of the Moses," this was a tremendous missed opportunity. Consistency wouldn't just be nice, it would help make epics truly epic.
^ This
Quote from: Spaceghost on 13 March, 2013, 01:50:00 PMIf that IS the case then it's bloody stupid. That Judge looked much older than cadets we've seen who exhibited more sense.
I can accept errors of judgment, but for someone who's basically gone through full training to aid the escape of a murderer in exchange for sex??? Simply unbelievable.
That's the point, he hasn't been through the full Judge training program, he's been fast tracked to help make up the numbers. He might not necessarily have been inducted as a child, for all we know he was a member of Citi-Def until a couple of months ago, was chosen as a quick-replacement Judge, given a crash course and thrown out on patrol. Without any more information on the fast tracking program used by Justice Department calling it stupid is a bit much.
Quote from: Fisticuffs on 13 March, 2013, 06:19:46 PM
Quote from: Spaceghost on 13 March, 2013, 01:50:00 PMIf that IS the case then it's bloody stupid. That Judge looked much older than cadets we've seen who exhibited more sense.
I can accept errors of judgment, but for someone who's basically gone through full training to aid the escape of a murderer in exchange for sex??? Simply unbelievable.
That's the point, he hasn't been through the full Judge training program, he's been fast tracked to help make up the numbers. He might not necessarily have been inducted as a child, for all we know he was a member of Citi-Def until a couple of months ago, was chosen as a quick-replacement Judge, given a crash course and thrown out on patrol. Without any more information on the fast tracking program used by Justice Department calling it stupid is a bit much.
That was my understanding of the story aswell.
I don't care how ill prepared we're supposed to believe this Judge is, it wouldn't take a fully trained Judge to suss this out. Even a full-on simp would realise that it's a bad idea to
A) Release a dangerous criminal
B) Have sex with a dangerous criminal in exchange for their release
C) Have sex with a dangerous criminal who is wanted for killing people by having sex with them
Sorry but if this is the intention of the story, then it certainly is stupid.
or do any of the above when teamed up with Dredd!
I'm not generally negative, but my biggest thought after finishing this Prog is "Thank the Tharg that this is the end of The Red Seas!"
On a more positive note, I liked how Savage ended. This book has really captured the futility of war - the waste of soldiers' lives on both sides, the politics, how it's about money rather than right or wrong, etc. I look forward to the next book.
Quote from: Alien Goodness on 13 March, 2013, 08:15:14 PM
I'm not generally negative, but my biggest thought after finishing this Prog is "Thank the Tharg that this is the end of The Red Seas!"
On a more positive note, I liked how Savage ended. This book has really captured the futility of war - the waste of soldiers' lives on both sides, the politics, how it's about money rather than right or wrong, etc. I look forward to the next book.
I felt the total opposite. Really gutted to see it end! :(
Quote from: Spaceghost on 13 March, 2013, 07:31:08 PM
I don't care how ill prepared we're supposed to believe this Judge is, it wouldn't take a fully trained Judge to suss this out. Even a full-on simp would realise that it's a bad idea to
A) Release a dangerous criminal
B) Have sex with a dangerous criminal in exchange for their release
C) Have sex with a dangerous criminal who is wanted for killing people by having sex with them
Sorry but if this is the intention of the story, then it certainly is stupid.
but they didn't know she was the dangerous criminal, they thought it was her boyfriend and young judge just went back to get the gear. My understanding was she had used her feminine charms and then lamped him to get away before she was sussed. Still a bit dim of him to try and get his Nat King while teamed with Dredd though.
I think it was just a peck on the cheek, then she wacked him, no Nat King shinnanigans
So.
Dredd was a belter. Not without a few flaws, certainly, and the ending maybe doesn't quite hold together as mentioned, but overall a damn fine debut - must be daunting to say the least to write one's first official Dredd script! Interesting for me as a former tattooist to see that world touched on. The twist was great and developed naturally - and most importantly I didn't see it coming, which doesn't happen too often! Good stuff, felt like a proper post-DoC story.
Savage was great. The 'trophy book' bit was very poignant. Despite myself - because this time three months ago I thought I'd lost interest in this strip - I can't wait for (what I assume is) the final book.
Wow! Was
Rocket de la Revolution really only four pages long?! Such a dense, dense read, and yet it didn't feel particularly wordy at any point and a nice pace was maintained right up to the end. What a minor masterclass in world-building! I feel I learnt so much about the society involved. There was backstory, nice dialogue, a mystery to resolve, action set-pieces, some great sci-fi going on with a nice undercurrent of pure magic to give a different flavour, and then some proper chilling horror towards the end. All in
four bloody pages! Sort of wish this had been a Norwichmas 3riller, if only to have spent more time in that world. Needless to say the art is crackin'.
Red Seas has a fairly tidy, fairly satisfying ending. I haven't been this strip's biggest fan and I'm not sorry to see it go, but I certainly don't begrudge it's having the oppurtunity to give the fans a proper end and goodbye, and that was a lovely last page.
That said, the 'It all happened because I was bored' made for a somewhat flat ending considering this was what it had all been building towards for the last few years, almost akin to the infamous Tank Girl 'it was all a dream' ending. Emotionally speaking it feels extraordinarily flat. How has such a massive supporting cast managed to make so little impression across such a massive total page count? Overall, I have to agree with Spaceghost -
Quote from: Spaceghost on 09 March, 2013, 04:39:55 PM
...I gazed at the final page and realised that, apart from Jack Dancer, I couldn't name a single other character on the page and only had the vaguest of memories of the adventures which were referenced on the splash page...
Compare that to the final page of Dante where I could name every character and remember everything they'd done and Red Seas begins to seem very half baked. I'm not a fan of Steve Yeowell and never felt as though he was able to to express the sense of scale that most of the stories required. Giant monsters looked like men in suits which is quite an inverse achievement, to be able to render such potentially exciting ideas in an intensly dull way.
"Giant monsters looked like men in suits which is quite an inverse achievement, to be able to render such potentially exciting ideas in an intensly dull way."
I think that was the point, to make it look like a man in a suit. It (The Kraken) recalls the Kraken from the 80's Clash of the Titans, and the other monsters are also very evocative of the Harryhausen films. I feel this was a conscious decision on the part of Yeowell. I would love to hear his thoughts, his whole artistic influence etc. I'm certainly in the minority when i say this, but i love his artwork.
Quote from: Mabs on 13 March, 2013, 10:32:17 PM
"Giant monsters looked like men in suits which is quite an inverse achievement, to be able to render such potentially exciting ideas in an intensly dull way."
I think that was the point, to make it look like a man in a suit. It (The Kraken) recalls the Kraken from the 80's Clash of the Titans, and the other monsters are also very evocative of the Harryhausen films. I feel this was a conscious decision on the part of Yeowell. I would love to hear his thoughts, his whole artistic influence etc. I'm certainly in the minority when i say this, but i love his artwork.
As a 2000AD newcomer I have no attachment to
Red Seas as I lack any history with it so the only reason I've continued to read it (I'm blown away when some people say they actually
skip content in a 30 page comic they've paid money for!) is for the art. Some of the scale can be out of whack due to lack of the shading in the B&W art; it's hard to gauge any real perspective or hight when there's minimum "lighting" on an object.
I thought it was a great prog,
Dredd was nice down on the streets crime tale,
Past Imperfect was a master class of how to tell a story with a large vision but only a few pages to pull it off and I enjoyed the two finales. I miss Ampney Crucis though :'(
Quote from: Dark Jimbo on 13 March, 2013, 10:05:54 PM
Wow! Was Rocket de la Revolution really only four pages long?! Such a dense, dense read, and yet it didn't feel particularly wordy at any point and a nice pace was maintained right up to the end. What a minor masterclass in world-building!
I had to have a look at my copy just to make sure you were not mistaken by the page numbers.
Unfuckingbelievable.
I swear it felt like a 6 page read.
Quote from: Mabs on 14 March, 2013, 01:21:42 PM
Quote from: Dark Jimbo on 13 March, 2013, 10:05:54 PM
Wow! Was Rocket de la Revolution really only four pages long?! Such a dense, dense read, and yet it didn't feel particularly wordy at any point and a nice pace was maintained right up to the end. What a minor masterclass in world-building!
I swear it felt like a 6 page read.
In the best possible way, of course! A superb one-off...
Quote from: Mabs on 14 March, 2013, 01:21:42 PM
Quote from: Dark Jimbo on 13 March, 2013, 10:05:54 PM
Wow! Was Rocket de la Revolution really only four pages long?!
I had to have a look at my copy just to make sure you were not mistaken by the page numbers.
Unfuckingbelievable.
That's what I mean! I counted the pages several times when I was actually reading the prog, and then when I typed that sentence for the review I thought 'I know I double-checked, but that still
can't be right, surely?' and had to get the prog and check again.
Stick yer decompression up yer arse, US comics! :thumbsup:
Quote from: Proudhuff on 13 March, 2013, 10:04:56 PM
I think it was just a peck on the cheek, then she wacked him, no Nat King shinnanigans
Yes, indeed. But didnt he get the lipstick mark from when she grabbed at his face? - its spread by direct contact, after all (Last panel - page 2), and as he was such a complete push-over then, i think all that happened at the end was that she clouted him and did a runner.
But a good solid Dredd, and really liked Karl's art on this. Some nice dialogue from Dredd, as well.
Savage, again, is a top read. And a very nice series finale. Didnt totally enjoy this strip from the off, but this has become a very firm fave. Hoping itll return soon.
Rocket was great. Simon's art was worth the price of admission alone. Storywise, it felt like ive seen summat similar to this before? But still, a great one-off.
And Red Sea's waves goodbye. In a way ill miss it, and ive certainly enjoy this strip - and the art, but having missed so much of the story over the years, its kinda hard to form any real judgement.
Another top prog, and this issue was found in a randomly stopped at newsagent. The prog is deffo easier to find of late. Has there been a concerted effort (on the back of the film) by Rebellion to get it into more shops?
Quote from: Judge Jack on 14 March, 2013, 04:38:24 PM
Another top prog, and this issue was found in a randomly stopped at newsagent. The prog is deffo easier to find of late. Has there been a concerted effort (on the back of the film) by Rebellion to get it into more shops?
On this, this time two years ago I could only get my prog from the local WHS in Bolton, which only stocked about two copys. Now it stocks two dozen, and there are 5 other places I can purchase it from, all places im sure never stocked it prior. This is good stuff, it's selling as well, over the course of the week the stock more than halfs. :)
Quote from: Judge Jack on 14 March, 2013, 04:38:24 PM
Quote from: Proudhuff on 13 March, 2013, 10:04:56 PM
I think it was just a peck on the cheek, then she wacked him, no Nat King shinnanigans
Another top prog, and this issue was found in a randomly stopped at newsagent. The prog is deffo easier to find of late. Has there been a concerted effort (on the back of the film) by Rebellion to get it into more shops?
There are certainly more on the shelf in my local Asda; every week it takes me a little longer to spread them all out for greater visibility! :lol:
Simon deserves a medal for making Rocket work in four pages!!
I wrote a few brief thoughts about the strip here, for anyone with a passing interest. http://montycomics.blogspot.co.uk/ (http://montycomics.blogspot.co.uk/)
Can't wait for the new thrills next week!
Quote from: Mabs on 13 March, 2013, 10:32:17 PM
"Giant monsters looked like men in suits which is quite an inverse achievement, to be able to render such potentially exciting ideas in an intensly dull way."
I think that was the point, to make it look like a man in a suit. It (The Kraken) recalls the Kraken from the 80's Clash of the Titans, and the other monsters are also very evocative of the Harryhausen films. I feel this was a conscious decision on the part of Yeowell. I would love to hear his thoughts, his whole artistic influence etc. I'm certainly in the minority when i say this, but i love his artwork.
Yeowell is a really excellent draftsman and visual storyteller. I don't think character design is his strong point. I believe all the characters in Zenith were designed by Brendan McCarthy.
I look at strips like Detonator X and even Red Seas and wonder what an artist like McMahon or O'Neill would come up with if they had free reign to design the look of these strips.
This doesn't mean that Yeowell isn't a great comic artist - I think artists like John Burns and Ron Smith (maybe even Bolland?) have both said that they found designing for Sci Fi strips a bit of a struggle.
Colin, did you manage to get your copy? I would love to hear your thoughts on it, esp Red Seas!
Quote from: JamesC on 14 March, 2013, 06:21:25 PM
I look at strips like Detonator X and even Red Seas and wonder what an artist like McMahon or O'Neill would come up with if they had free reign to design the look of these strips.
Wow. Just the thought alone is getting me giddy! :D
Finally Tharg stops his cruelest of teases and my Prog arrives.
Since I skipped straight to Red Seas (something I rarely do, I'm an in order reader) I'll start my review there and you know what I enjoyed it. I didn't end of Dante enjoy it, but endings of stories on this scale are tricky to do well and this one does pretty damned well.
It revels in the fact that its an ending, it ties things up very neatly, it wallows in sentiment for what has gone before, it takes the story back to the start and makes the whole thing fit together quite wonderfully. Okay it lacked a little something, some magic that Dante had. Maybe it wasn't as bold as Dante, maybe it was too neat and easy, maybe it was... I don't know... but it was what an ending to Red Seas had to be. A fun bit of adventure full if vim and magic. So basically a qualified triumph and I for one really can't wait for my big re-read (you guys should tremble cos I don't doubt I'll be wittering about it quite a bit here, maybe in a Sinister Dexter way even!).
Oh and come on please Steve Yeowell's art here, come please, all of you, come on really you loved it right. It was perfect for the story, it was glorious fun and loved every moment of what it was. NO ONE WAS BORED (ggrrrhhh Mr Goggins!).
As for the rest of the Prog, well that was a triumph too, and I don't think any real need to qualify in this case. Well okay I'm not as big a fan to say the least of Karl Richardson's art as most but that's about my only complaint. Loved the Dredd story, cute little one off. Thought 'Rocket de la Revolucion' was a great little done in one, with some glorious Simon Fraser art. Savage I thought ended really well, fantastic round up. Okay so over all the story did feel like one moving the story on to new territory but still great end.
So yeah I know many people have been waiting for a clearing of the deck and I always look forward to a 'Jump on Prog' (hopefully only 36 hours to wait too) but I look back with great fondness on this run of stories, but as ever with 2000ad, while Tharg has you looking back fondly he also makes sure you have one eye on the future.
Quote from: Mabs on 14 March, 2013, 07:03:25 PM
Colin, did you manage to get your copy? I would love to hear your thoughts on it, esp Red Seas!
Ha, well wow that must be the first time that's happened. Anyway its there now, and I'm just making my way back to see what everyone else thought (I did peak at Mr Goggins though, that rascal!)
I will actually be sad to see The Red Seas go. Although it was never a particularly great strip and the art didn't always work, I've found that I've always enjoyed it whenever it was in the Prog. It never really blew me away but I always knew I was going to get a solid read.
The final installment in this weeks Prog was a really nice send off for the strip and quite rightly chose to wallow in nostalgia. I will keep my fingers crossed that maybe, just maybe, one day we'll get to see the rest of The Red Seas collected in trade paperback.
Quote from: Tim Tailz on 14 March, 2013, 10:48:37 PM
The final installment in this weeks Prog was a really nice send off for the strip and quite rightly chose to wallow in nostalgia. I will keep my fingers crossed that maybe, just maybe, one day we'll get to see the rest of The Red Seas collected in trade paperback.
Amen.
I couldn't agree more with Colin and Tim.
I also loved Red Seas; i thought it was a great send off. The last panel was really beautifully rendered (including Erebus' cheeky wink at us). Out of all the other line-up this was the one which i looked forward to most every week and so it saddens me to see it all come to an end. I know i'm quite new to the world of Red Seas but this strip (besides all the Judge Dredd stuff) caught my imagination like no other, except for maybe Brass Sun. I really enjoyed Steve Yeowell's b&w artwork, there was always something which caught my eyes every week. The main reason why i suppose i loved Red Seas was because it evoked so many fond memories of all the Harryhausen films i loved as a kid, whether Sinbad, Clash of the Titans or Jason and the Argonauts. And for that alone, i will miss it.
As for the other line-up, Dredd was very enjoyable. Karl Richardson's art was really great.
Savage wrapped up pretty nicely. I have to say that i did not see that coming. It was like a gut punch, showcasing the insanity of war. And that last panel sent a chill down the spine; you become the thing you hate..
Rocket De La Revolucion was outstanding. It certainly did not feel like a four page read, only when i saw Dark Jimbo's post did i have to go back to my copy to doublecheck and make certain that i was not seeing wrong. The artwork by Simon Fraser was awesome, helping to bring the mind warping and macabre tale to life. It reminded me of The Matrix and Phillip K Dick's works, the paranoia of whether what we call the real, is in actual fact that or something else entirely. An excellent read.
And of course, Red Seas which i have already talked about. As Tim says, i really hope we can get a trade soon; i'm still waiting for my copy of volume 1 to be delivered. Suffice to say that i cannot wait to get back into the world of Red Seas again.
A very enjoyable prog overall, and the cover art was a joy to behold too.
5/5
Mabs...judging by your last post you are, like me, a massive fan of Ian Edginton's writing. (And I can promise you The Red Seas trade is worth the 79p you payed for it. :lol:)
Quote from: Tim Tailz on 14 March, 2013, 11:38:16 PM
Mabs...judging by your last post you are, like me, a massive fan of Ian Edginton's writing. (And I can promise you The Red Seas trade is worth the 79p you payed for it. :lol:)
Lol! Yes i am Tim. I've really enjoyed Edginton's works; Leviathan and Stickleback, not to mention Red Seas being some of my faves. And you're right, i cannot wait to get my hands on the trade - i'm hoping it'll be worth it especially the 'extortionate' amount i paid in purchasing it! :lol:
QuoteI look at strips like Detonator X and even Red Seas and wonder what an artist like McMahon or O'Neill would come up with if they had free reign to design the look of these strips.
Probably something with a lot of angles involved...
Quote from: Mabs on 14 March, 2013, 11:10:47 PM
Quote from: Tim Tailz on 14 March, 2013, 10:48:37 PM
The final installment in this weeks Prog was a really nice send off for the strip and quite rightly chose to wallow in nostalgia. I will keep my fingers crossed that maybe, just maybe, one day we'll get to see the rest of The Red Seas collected in trade paperback.
Amen.
Absolutely, that'd be great. Come on Tharg there's three sales right there, how many more could you possibly need?!?
Anyone who's new to the work of ian edginton should checkout scarlet traces /the Great game, cracking stuff and in some lovely hardbacks too
Had my copy of Red Seas delivered, just one problem though....
http://nexuswookie.wordpress.com/2013/03/15/recent-comic-purchases/
:(
Just doing a little check; apparently the TPB has two series, the first and second, whereas the HC only has the first (under the banner of king death). However on the plus side, the HC has some nice extras at the end and comes in a nice oversized format. So i might hold onto my copy, and pray Tharg releases all the collection so i can grab it all in one fell swoop!
Quote from: Mabs on 15 March, 2013, 01:10:55 PM
Just doing a little check; apparently the TPB has two series, the first and second, whereas the HC only has the first (under the banner of king death). However on the plus side, the HC has some nice extras at the end and comes in a nice oversized format. So i might hold onto my copy, and pray Tharg releases all the collection so i can grab it all in one fell swoop!
Thanks, Mabs. Was just going to ask that. Useful info.
Quote from: Mabs on 15 March, 2013, 12:43:50 PM
Had my copy of Red Seas delivered, just one problem though....
http://nexuswookie.wordpress.com/2013/03/15/recent-comic-purchases/
:(
Even if it is 'just' Under the banner' you sir are in for a right ol' treat.
No problem Montynero! And thanks Colin; i cannot wait to get started! :)
The trade paperback actually has three stories in it:
"Under the banner of king Death"
"Twilight of the idols"
"Meanwhile"
So I would definitly recommend that you still try and get hold of the paperback version, which if I remember rightly also has an introduction by Ian Edginton, a scetchbook by Steve Yeowell, and a covers gallery.
I got mine today...but it's the paper back. Did we order from the same source? Anyway, more than chuffed with it. Not a huge hardback fan unless it's something truely special (EG Marshal Law, Nemesis: Deviant edition).
This week's
Past Imperfect really is the best one-off story in an age. Good script that seems dense rather than too wordy (a neat trick which reminded me of a couple of Alec Worley's early outings in that respect) and lovely Fraser artwork with the utopian vision of what should be allowing him to bust out some of those cityscapes he's so good at.
Quote from: Colin_YNWA on 14 March, 2013, 08:31:31 PM... it was what an ending to Red Seas had to be. A fun bit of adventure full if vim and magic. So basically a qualified triumph and I for one really can't wait for my big re-read (you guys should tremble cos I don't doubt I'll be wittering about it quite a bit here, maybe in a Sinister Dexter way even!).
I managed to time my reread perfectly so I was able to top it off with a replay of this story a couple of days after the Prog landed. Sure the strip lost its way through scheduling, it's clear that some strands have been dropped and maybe it was a bit of a shaggy (two-headed) dog ending but overall I still enjoyed it. On the other hand, I could've named all the characters on the final page before I started rereading it so obviously I've been getting something from it that others haven't all along.
I have quite a few thoughts on
The Red Seas as a whole which, like so many others before it, I shall almost certainly never get round to writing up. How does Goggans do it?
Despite not enjoying it week on week and - in complete contrast to Red Seas - not being able to remember simple elements of the plot, this run of
Savage has turned out to be the best since the second in my view. The later sub-Snatch shenanigans and continuity porn really haven't been to my taste and I have a vague recollection of complaining about the lost opportunities for stories looking at life under occupation, resistance infighting and potentially swapping one occupier for another. Given that Pat has delivered all of this in good style this time around, along with an unexpected bit of character development for our hero I really liked this a lot. I'm still not keen on the idea of Bill and proto-Hammerstein teaming up to take out Quartz but, as long as there's some more of this stuff in there, then bring on the next one.
Quote from: Hawkmonger on 15 March, 2013, 03:11:55 PM
I got mine today...but it's the paper back. Did we order from the same source? Anyway, more than chuffed with it. Not a huge hardback fan unless it's something truely special (EG Marshal Law, Nemesis: Deviant edition).
I ordered from the seller called 'peterparker', it specifically said paperback on the site even the order slip, so i don't know why he sent me a HC? I've sent him a message, lets see what he has to say. But even if it comes to nothing i won't be too fussed, because the book itself is really nicely presented. And as Tim has suggested, i might get the TPB at a later date.
Quote from: Mabs on 15 March, 2013, 03:31:22 PM
Quote from: Hawkmonger on 15 March, 2013, 03:11:55 PM
I got mine today...but it's the paper back. Did we order from the same source? Anyway, more than chuffed with it. Not a huge hardback fan unless it's something truely special (EG Marshal Law, Nemesis: Deviant edition).
I ordered from the seller called 'peterparker', it specifically said paperback on the site even the order slip, so i don't know why he sent me a HC? I've sent him a message, lets see what he has to say. But even if it comes to nothing i won't be too fussed, because the book itself is really nicely presented. And as Tim has suggested, i might get the TPB at a later date.
Ah! Checking my reciet it seem's I ordered from SweetBuzzards by mistake, coming to a some total of 'gasp' 1p more than if I had ordered from peterparker! Robbing bastards! 'sigh'
:lol:
Seriously though, it looks lovely and I can't wait to tuck into it, dunno how I managed to overlook who I was ordering from though... ::)
Quote from: The Cosh on 15 March, 2013, 03:18:49 PM
I managed to time my reread perfectly so I was able to top it off with a replay of this story a couple of days after the Prog landed. Sure the strip lost its way through scheduling, it's clear that some strands have been dropped ...
I was wondering how your re-read was going as I remember you saying you were doing one. I'm intrigued by your thoughts that some strands have been dropped along the way. I know one bit I'm particularly looking forward to, as I don't remember a great deal about it, is the short series starring Erebus set during the blitz. I seem to remember that had all sorts of foreshadowing in it, or at least apparent foreshadowing. Does that still read well in the context of the finished piece?
Quote from: Hawkmonger on 15 March, 2013, 03:48:10 PM
Quote from: Mabs on 15 March, 2013, 03:31:22 PM
Quote from: Hawkmonger on 15 March, 2013, 03:11:55 PM
I got mine today...but it's the paper back. Did we order from the same source? Anyway, more than chuffed with it. Not a huge hardback fan unless it's something truely special (EG Marshal Law, Nemesis: Deviant edition).
I ordered from the seller called 'peterparker', it specifically said paperback on the site even the order slip, so i don't know why he sent me a HC? I've sent him a message, lets see what he has to say. But even if it comes to nothing i won't be too fussed, because the book itself is really nicely presented. And as Tim has suggested, i might get the TPB at a later date.
Ah! Checking my reciet it seem's I ordered from SweetBuzzards by mistake, coming to a some total of 'gasp' 1p more than if I had ordered from peterparker! Robbing bastards! 'sigh'
:lol:
Seriously though, it looks lovely and I can't wait to tuck into it, dunno how I managed to overlook who I was ordering from though... ::)
If i had know that the same seller sold me the hardcover, and yourself the paperback - then i would've been very unhappy indeed! If only i had overlooked the seller and gone for the other one *sighs*, oh well.
I take the last part back. I just spoke with my seller, he said that he'll post me the paperback version first thing Monday morning, and that i get to keep my hardcover copy as way of apology. Wow! :D
Quote from: Mabs on 15 March, 2013, 05:01:08 PM
I take the last part back. I just spoke with my seller, he said that he'll post me the paperback version first thing Monday morning, and that i get to keep my hardcover copy as way of apology. Wow! :D
Arh the sellers fear of negative feedback is a powerful thing!
That is quite a result - enjoy um.
Quote from: Mabs on 15 March, 2013, 05:01:08 PM
I take the last part back. I just spoke with my seller, he said that he'll post me the paperback version first thing Monday morning, and that i get to keep my hardcover copy as way of apology. Wow! :D
Cracking! :lol:
when i was sent a hardback insetad of the advertised paperback, the seller refunded my money and told me to keep the book anyway! I was well impressed.
That is impressive, Dandontdare! In the mean time i'll read what i have, this being the first series of Red Seas i can already see some differences in Yeowell's art; Erebus looks much different here than in the present stuff, as does the Lightbringer. Looks like a cracking read!
Sorry, don't know why I feelings bitter-sweet when read this prog, with Dredd, Red Seas and Savages, thought the Past Imperfect was the highlight! Wish that was more pages!
But looking forward to next week!
lovely cover dredd was fine but Red Seas had a grand ending and a lovely last shot in the boozer. And what a double page in there that was by Mr Yeowell. And Insurrection back in the next meg and Stickleback returns soon.
Hooray for twoothy!
My boat, she is only partly afloat,
High water mark: Red Seas. A satisfying well-constructed finale, providing that all the innumerable loose ends are chased up elsewhere. The only thing that really disappoints is the lack of a bittersweet reunion for Ginger Tom and Jim: if there was ever a scenario where a heartbroken father could provide drama, it is surely in battle with his dead son on the plains of the afterlife. Failing that, a tense scene between Tom and Erebus would have sufficed. I wonder is the hand of Tharg at play here, in a 'look Ian, this is taking forever, could we wrap this one up?' sense? I'm not saying he's wrong, mind, but I will miss Jack & Co.
Mark Twain: Savage Bit of an unexpected way to finish this particular chapter -sorry, book- but it was nicely done and gorgeously drawn. I happened across some of Goddard's early Savage the other day, and it highlights just how much he's grown into this task. Hopefully we'll be back at the bridge soon.
Plimsol Line: Dredd: TC Eglinton was my personal discovery of 2012, with a run of superb Future Shocks that really stood out. His sharp ideas and dense stories are on show again here, but I'm afraid this one doesn't really work for me. Yet another useless judge, and a decent plot made overly complicated to the point of confusion. While I did think the DoC references were well integrated, I got no sense from the story that anyone had actually died in the recent past, let alone almost everyone - but this is hardly a failing unique to Eglinton (and who knows when he actually wrote this one). Even Richardson's work feels cramped and static with so many talky panels, and his figures look squashed and shrivelled. This kind of over-stuffed writing is par for the course for new hands on Dredd, and I've every confidence that Eglinton will find his rhythm with a few more turns in the Big Chair.
Sandy Bottom: Time Thingies: Well you surely can't beat Simon Fraser for fantasy soviet architecture and distinctive beards, but I think a pretty clever concept rather runs away from the writer here, with too many jarring elements in the execution to really hold together. It is however atmospheric and dense, and I like those in a Future Twister Past Telguuth thing.