(https://media.forbiddenplanet.com/products/f9/4a/34ff739c3220e4c7da151eca9268687bbaed.jpeg)
Lovely John McCrea cover and a fun Droid Life, before we're into Dredd, which has two intertwined narratives around an immigrant couple of the criminal kind. Niemand throws some shade regarding recent Judge Death strips. Judge Wrexlex probably needs to be written up for unprofessionalism and not arresting a perp for lewd depictions of a Judge (or something).
Durham Red continues to be great. Terrifying attack pigeons. (Although I wish the 'four way mouth' thing would go away. So many monster designs use that now.) Anyway, it was all very nicely choreographed.
Then The Order barrels towards a conclusion, seemingly in fast forward. Where it's left feels like the start of another long book. Anyone know when this ends?
Enemy Earth is still fine. Still comes across to me like an awkward fit – a bit too tonally grim for Regened and yet a bit young for 2000 AD. Not bad. And the reveal at the end shows a PM that, frankly, I'd still take over the current one and his four predecessors.
Then Rogue Trooper continues to have a lot of fun with its premise. Some really great dialogue from Ennis here, notably "Rogue?" "Busy." and "We've got incoming atmocraft. Sort of."
Another solid Prog for me, with two standouts, a good start to a Dredd, and a couple of strips that haven't really clicked with me but that I'm still happy reading.
Rogue > Red > Dredd > Enemy > Order
Rogue my favourite again. That's quite something...
That is an extraordinarily good cover. I hope this makes it to a t-shirt at some point.
Quote from: IndigoPrime on 15 April, 2023, 11:21:42 AMThen The Order barrels towards a conclusion, seemingly in fast forward. Where it's left feels like the start of another long book. Anyone know when this ends?
Prog 2029, so one more episode left.
Saturday prog! I've had a very cool day today and this arriving started it all off.
Absolute stunner of a cover.
Really digging this Dredd, as Niemand flips from grim to ridiculous. Incredibly daft fun and beautifully illustrated: Googe's Dredd is very clean cut but everything else is so full of personality, he draws some fantastic expressions and tons of small touches like the 'official' lewd calendat, the little hats on the Cal-Hab droids and a cameo there from Survival Geeks too. Definite dig in there about a current meg strip. Great.
Durham Red also really enjoyable this week. Excellently put together episode. Stupid pigeons!
The Order It really does feel like it's finishing too fast - not in a Meltdown Man kind of way, but like maybe this could have wound down over a couple of series? It's all breathless action and that harks back to the original series (but this time with more robots and less cool characters) but I feel like the story deserved a bit more. With another quest hinted at and no Anna still, I cannot for the life of me see how this is going to wrap up in the time it has left.
Enemy Earth - skipped it.
Rogue Trooper so - the dialogue is great and the art is absolutely fantastic but there's no story here to interest me. Rogue, who is basically superpowered in this setting, massacres a bunch of totally outclassed dudes in a conflict he has nothing to do with. He's under no threat and we're unsure of his motivation. I still have hopes this will turn around for me, but right now I'm not feeling it at all.
Despite the negatives, top Prog.
Enemy Earth isn't blowing me away but I'm digging it. Love Cavan Scott's other work and it reminds me a lot of the YA stuff I used to read back when I was a teen, back in the far flung past of... the late 2000s. Honestly, I think Rebellion are really missing a trick if they don't release a manga-style b/w version, maybe recut a little to fit the size format more. That's where the YA market is now and I would have absolutely loved something like this series back then
A good prog warped around a good cover. 4 stars again waiting for the elusive 5 stars
Dredd – These characters were introduced in meg 447 with a story called "Little Shop of Terrors". We have the same creative team continuing the story and what a joy of a first episode. Googe even give as a few easter-eggs with some of the Survival Geeks members being featured.
Durham Red – The story does not really move forward but we get a good scene featuring the birds on the descend to the planet. A good episode and next week we mots likely start the main mission.
The Order – The action continues as the battle looks like it has now concluded. It still feels like even if this part of the saga comes to an end that there is still some story left on the table especially related to Anna. We will see if everything and everyone wraps up next week.
Enemy Earth – Well little mor interesting part but still not enough to pull me in. Art for me is still the weakest link with a story that has been told a few thousand times before.
Rogue Trooper – Rogue fights for him and his team's life. We still much in the early times of the story and I am sure their will be more too it than just the WW1 setting. So far, I am fully engrossing in the story with some lovely art from Goddard.
B/W Cover:
(https://2000ad.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/dredd020_tones_lores-695x1024.jpg)
Finally got to the Prog. It actually came Monday but for reason's I won't bore you with I've not had the chance to read it the last couple of nights (and might be the weekend before I get to the Meg to damnit!). All of which is a shame as its a pretty fine comic.
A wonderfully playful Dredd with Niemand gleefully dancing with the Grennie theorists and dropping in a very cute Zombie cameo or two to add to the mix. You little minxes you.
Durham Red is violently playful too. All talons and mutant pigeons during freefall. You know ya typical GGC fare. Great fun.
The Order is likewise full of playful and joyeous virtue, but it is alas a little rushed like an old skool Prog series ending. Well we have two Progs better just wrap this baby up. Still really looking forward to the final part next week. Will miss this one and hope they don't fumble it at the line.
Enemy Earth I mean it plays with being good. Exciting, the art's storytelling style bounce one wide at times but its fine.
Then we get to the most playful of them all Rogue Trooper sees everyone involved just having a whale of a time and just crack it out the park while doing just what they were born to do. The dialogue brims with glee. The action is action packed and the sense of tension slowly creeps in. Just brilliant.
So yeah a fine, fine Prog, just wish I'd had time to play with it more!
That's a phenomenal McCrea cover, all the better for having that stark white background. And nice to see a run-down of the other stories! How about we have a few multi-character covers now? Come on Tharg, they're not just for Christmas!
Immaculate art also in 'Disciples of Death', as one would expect from the Goodge droid. A little bit of Bolland's Killing Joke cover creeping in there too, and I'm sure I've missed some other Easter eggs (apart from the ones already mentioned). Yeah Dredd looks incredibly clean-cut - almost like Goodge's take on Cadet Dredd for the first ever Regened cover, in fact. Liking the ginger beard judge too, is that a first?
Duochromatic diehards Durham Red and Rogue Trooper are the other big successes this week, the former providing mutant pigeons that are still, frankly, a good deal less revolting than the ones seen on urban streets, while the latter really finds its voice after a couple of exposition-heavy introductory episodes. The fifth page, introducing the cast of characters, is a particular delight.
Yes, like most of us I'm wondering how in Earth(s) The Order can wrap everything in five more pages, especially as a quest to the realm of wyrms appears to be in the offing.
Quote from: norton canes on 20 April, 2023, 10:03:01 AMA little bit of Bolland's Killing Joke cover creeping in there too
That's actually Frazer Irving's Judge Death homage to the classic Bolland cover.
Oh yeah, ta!
i'm starting to think we are setting up for a sequal series to the order but with a new name
The Chaos
The Out of Order (guv'nor).
In Order
Disorder
or
The Wyrminator
Re-order
Let me know when they announce the prequel, The Pre-Order
Considering the present climate, I'm not holding out much hope for Postal Order.
Please god no more :'( Cancelled Order would suit me.
Fabby cover eye catching and a loverly design, more oil for those droids.
Dredd and wonderful addition to the Dredd stable, as a Jock I'm loving the Cal-Hab jokes, thought at one point Moniaive and their former resident was going to make an appearance!
Rogue looks great and is fun, but really wanting a big twist in this.
The rest is all skippity skip for me.
ooops enjoyed Red too, I do prefer when she is treated as a rounded character and keeps her clothese on, the who Red Sonja bra and pants outfit is soooo seventies
I'm in two minds about The Order.
Yes it seems about to end without wrapping everything up. (Or should I say I have the impression there is a lot more that needs to be addressed, but as I haven't actually been able to follow it for years, I can't actually say what any of that is; but it feels like it?)
On the other hand I definitely don't want a sequel or any sort of spin-off / follow on series.
Not unless it's way easier to follow.
Quote from: Magnetica on 21 April, 2023, 12:26:46 PMOn the other hand I definitely don't want a sequel or any sort of spin-off / follow on series.
Agreed.
The Order has been running for ages, and has only ever veered between 'Good' and 'Okay' for me, more so the latter as it became almost impenetrable.
Let it rest, but give us more from the creative team of course (I'm Kek-ing myself in anticipation for the next chapter of Fall of Deadworld, and holding out hope that The Burns Droid will paint us a few more Dredds).
Here's hoping that Smithy has already given the nod of approval for the forthcoming
Last Orders cover tagline.
Quote from: Proudhuff on 21 April, 2023, 11:03:22 AM...and wonderful addition to the Dredd stable, as a Jock I'm loving the Cal-Hab jokes,...
I too love the Cal-Hab language 😂 it's like reading the Broon's or Oor Wullie.
When this has appeared in the prog in the past I've always wondered how non Cal-Hab residents appreciated the slang and how the pronunciation can add to the phrase/joke.
Quote from: Magnetica on 21 April, 2023, 12:26:46 PMI'm in two minds about The Order.
Yes it seems about to end without wrapping everything up. (Or should I say I have the impression there is a lot more that needs to be addressed, but as I haven't actually been able to follow it for years, I can't actually say what any of that is; but it feels like it?)
On the other hand I definitely don't want a sequel or any sort of spin-off / follow on series.
Not unless it's way easier to follow.
Yup I have only read the previous book and this one and have not understood a single page of it. Would be lovely to see John Burns on something else though.
I recall loving The Order when it first dropped, but it's very much fallen into the admirable but safe niche previously occupied by The Red Seas as a wholly entertaining yarn that, much as I wish it did, never really became the sum of its parts.
That being said, it started fairly early on into my readership so it's been a ride seeing it all the way through from beginning to end, which is more than can be said for some strips that petered out in that time 'cough' Sexy ostriches 'cough.
I know a lot of us felt The Order was treading water and a bit and wanted the story to start moving towards a conclusion, but I'm not sure anyone was calling for the conclusion we seem to have got, which feels a bit rushed and could also potentially be setting up a new series.
Still an episode to go so lets see. I'd be very happy to see a spin-off if it took a more stripped back approach similar to the first couple of series we had. And 100% behind more J M Burns, especially if it's drawing something historical.
Feels a bit like a slightly extended 1980s ending, in some ways.
News of more Burns art is always welcome, and to be fair to KekW, his scripts are never boring. The order is impenetrable, dense, and confusing, but equally has great ideas and development that keeps me onboard and interested. I'd buy a complete edition at the drop of a hat.
Durham Red has two great creators doing a decent DR story, I'd love to see them both do something else together. While this is enjoyable and readable, like the Dark Judges DR's story is told, for me at least.
Dredd, Neimand has a good handle on Dredd and Googe is an amazing artist, keep going.
I never understood the Rogue dislike, the mistake was letting him find the traitor ( or did he?). This is great stuff, how good is Goddard? Vibes of Colquhoun and Gibbons and still being himself, artist of the week.
Enemy Earth, not for me. I qualify this by saying I read 2000 AD every week, and generally read everything in it. This story is not aimed at me, (I think), but it is well written, and certainly not too much decompressed storytelling, it harks back to Wagner and Grants or Barrie Tomlinsons storytelling, action moving the story. The art style is accomplished, and clear, again, not aimed at me but has an unmistakable style, and TBH I couldn't imaging this story drawn any other way. OK, so maybe Enemy Earth is pretty good.......