Lovely to see Colin Wilson back on Rogue, with his cover.
(https://dyn.media.forbiddenplanet.com/TbXgpcdHrcPwF4MNnOV3iq_Z7i4=/trim/fit-in/456x600/filters:format(webp)/https://media.forbiddenplanet.com/products/00/c5/f89fa3475560a94bb1aeddf8a1f10c13e7f3.jpeg)
Dredd then gets a bit twisty-turny, in a. good way, before Void Runners also has its own twist. It's certainly barrelling along.
Durham Red ends with its own twist. (There's a theme this week.) It's a very good ending to a series that I've felt has neatly repositioned the character, and I hope to see more. The final frame suggests a slightly new dynamic for what comes next.
Next up, Azimuth continues to dazzle and bewilder in roughly equal measure. I'm not fully sure what's going on here, but look forward to finding out. And the Rogue Trooper hits the penultimate part in his adventure, with an episode of death, timey-wimey weirdness, and some fairly extreme swearing. While I was OK with the odd shit, I'm honestly not thrilled about Rogue screaming "I'll make every one of your whore mothers weep!" I mean, really? I know it's a war comic, but... really? That just felt nasty from a writing standpoint, rather than an in-context character moment.
Anyway, that aside, I have enjoyed this run. Overall, nothing bad this week, but Red and Azimuth are ahead of the pack for me.
Red > Azimuth > Rogue > Dredd > Void Runners
What a smacking Prog. As least as good as last week.
Jake Lynch's art on Dredd is stella and the episode is fine indeed.
Void Runners, well that was always on the cards and after another idea packed episode we get a fairly standard villianous play. Though its dressing makes it all the more delicious. Oh and the line.
"Public shedding of garments"
"Disgraceful... but intriguing"
Durham Red has an entirely satisfying ending and the sooner we get more nuRed the better. Fantastic stuff.
All of that good stuff however pales compared to Azimuth. SO much packed in. Not just in terms of ideas and the art (love a good spot the character thing. I reckon there's loads more but I got Zardoz chappies, Morpheus and is that thingie with the lance from Solo?) but action and development. Just jam packed goodness. LOVE IT.
The question is though as good as it is is it as good as Rogue Trooper? Rogue is astonishing as its heartbreaking and packs such a punch. Just amazing comics.
Oh a pitch perfect art throughout. Tharg's comments in the Nerve Centre are entirely appropriate. We've had some VERY good progs of the last 15-20 years. There can't be many as good as this one!
Is "whore" swearing?
Quote from: Richard on 26 June, 2023, 11:14:02 PMIs "whore" swearing?
Yes.
This is how I know: when I was in primary school we'd been asked to find out things about Henry VIII. I asked my older sister, who told me "all his wives were whores". Then, the next day, in class, when the teacher (a complete dick with a short temper) asked if anyone had found out anything about Henry VIII - well, you can guess what I (ignorant of the actual meaning) said. The look on his face, the sudden silence in the room told me very definitively that the word whore is a swear. No doubt about it.
Quote from: Richard on 26 June, 2023, 11:14:02 PMIs "whore" swearing?
According to Google and this site (https://news.abplive.com/blog/whore-is-a-cuss-word-to-deny-women-freedom-387290/amp), yes it is a swear word.
Quote from: Funt Solo [Rlink=msg=1102687 (tel:1102687) date=1687818420]
Quote from: Richard on 26 June, 2023, 11:14:02 PMIs "whore" swearing?
Yes.
Well that just makes me want to say it more often!
I mean, aside from that it's a misogynistic and dehumanising statement. I get it. It's a war strip. In context, etc etc. But would it really have made the strip worse had it been all the worse had the sentence been swapped out for something else? It's pretty rare I have 'ick' vibes from 2000 AD, but this is one of those times.
Quote from: IndigoPrime on 26 June, 2023, 04:48:00 PM"I'll make every one of your whore mothers weep!"
Swearing jar aside - I would say the key problem with the line is that it doesn't scan well.
Quote from: Richard on 26 June, 2023, 11:14:02 PMIs "whore" swearing?
I was never sure, having seen it everywhere from the Simpsons to Wonder Woman comics.
It's not exactly new to the prog - Nikolai Dante had an army of them, as stated in the title of the story arc - but I do agree that it's very jarring heating Rogue say 'I'll make every one of your whore-mothers wwep'. He's a sci fi future supersoldier, not a Cimmerian barbarian. That said, brilliant episode, and I'm sad it's coming to an end.
That's all I've read so far, but Rogue so far has been the prog highlight for me since it started.
A concept cover by Colin Wilson:
(https://2000ad.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/RT-Cover-01a_small-toned-718x1024.jpg)
Quote from: Funt Solo [R] on 27 June, 2023, 07:33:38 PMQuote from: IndigoPrime on 26 June, 2023, 04:48:00 PM"I'll make every one of your whore mothers weep!"
Swearing jar aside - I would say the key problem with the line is that it doesn't scan well.
Yes, that hits the nail on the head. I don't care about the language but it REALLY felt wrong when reading it. I get that Rogue was baiting than to lead them after him, but it feels out of place.
Anyway...
DREDD was very talky, but nothing compared to Azimuth. It seems (obvs I may be wrong) that the whole thing may be set within a virtual universe, which would explain the multiple references to real world stuff that's been slightly corrupted and the snow zone.
Void Runners has been a surprising joy, with brilliant use of Boo Cooks demented imagination. It was quite obvious the asshats were not going to let all that lovely Dust remain after just taking a little, but it's still enormous fun.
Durham Red has been reimagined very well and the strip was excellent. More please.
ROGUE is still the highlight. No one does war like Ennis and Paddy's art is perfect for it.
Quote from: Bad City Blue on 28 June, 2023, 12:01:27 PM...Paddy's art is perfect for it.
Everyone's art seems perfect this week.
Lynch and Teague on
Dredd, Bettin and Soffe on
Azimuth, everyone else on everything else. This is just one good-looking prog.
What Tharg says in the Nerve Centre about no one being beholden to a house style is right on the money.
Quote from: Colin YNWA on 26 June, 2023, 07:28:45 PMTharg's comments in the Nerve Centre are entirely appropriate. We've had some VERY good progs of the last 15-20 years. There can't be many as good as this one!
Agreed. Thrill-levels are redlining throughout, there's no weak link. Just a shame that with the end of
Durham Red, this line-up only lasts one week.
Never mind about the use of 'whore', the first thing I did after reading
Rogue was Google 'twat etymology'. Didn't think it was around in the WWI era but apparently it's of mid C17th origin (I'm sure the Ennis droid's etymological circuits are well-maintained).
What's so great is that beyond being just brilliant, the strips this week give us plenty to chew on. The Carroll droid brings his comprehensive world-building style from Proteus Vex to
'ITEOMUD'. Durham Red leaves us wondering just what drives our bestial protagonist.
Azimuth is so rich, you can just pore over every frame; and Rogue, of course, is an emotionally exhausting treatise on universal warfare. Only
Void Runners is a bit more frothy - but with lovely lines like "We can be there in twenty kardiabeats", who cares?
All this plus a new Colin Wilson cover? +++ THRILL POWER OVERLOAD +++
Quote from: norton canes on 28 June, 2023, 12:27:54 PMQuote from: Colin YNWA on 26 June, 2023, 07:28:45 PMNever mind about the use of 'whore', the first thing I did after reading Rogue was Google 'twat etymology'. Didn't think it was around in the WWI era but apparently it's of mid C17th origin (I'm sure the Ennis droid's etymological circuits are well-maintained).
http://itre.cis.upenn.edu/~myl/languagelog/archives/001812.html
I think I spotted one of the QR codes Dabnett mentioned, on page 1 of Azimith. Trouble is, it was split in half vertically and used as a panel border, so I have no idea how my phone is supposed to read it.
This one? Tried merging the two sides but my phone doesn't recognise it
(https://i.imgur.com/nIrBUBp.png)
Quote from: norton canes on 29 June, 2023, 03:27:03 PMThis one? Tried merging the two sides but my phone doesn't recognise it
(https://i.imgur.com/nIrBUBp.png)
No, mine neither.
Oh gosh. That's a QR code, well done for spotting it, but it needs all the rounded corners squaring off. Good luck to someone with that!
I tried doing it using DALL-E, but just got weird, random images, as usual. And they say AI will take our jobs.
I'm not 100% on the context here, but I managed to get the QR translated enough to actually be decipherable, but the resulting message is rather obscure (perhaps all the more so because I haven't read the strip yet).
It's Biblical...
(https://i.imgur.com/QIzRjzh.png)
(https://i.imgur.com/z35RNxJ.png)
Yes its rather biblical or doomsday but anyway thanks for the translation Funt
Quote from: Funt Solo [R] on 29 June, 2023, 10:13:09 PMI managed to get the QR translated enough to actually be decipherable
Nice work! How did you manage that?
I thought Rogue was brilliant this week. Exciting and sobering all at once. I didn't like Rogue's 'whore' line either, it seeemed out of place, but I don't feel strongly about it. Fantastic stuff though.
Azimuth is also brilliant, not been so excited about a strip for a while!
I agree with everyones comments on Durham Red, and I did like the line where it's pointed out that her killing bad guys isn't cool or sexy but brutal and disgusting. I was confused when the villain was all like "one day you won't be able to resist and you'll be the monster!" though when we've already explicitly seen her be the monster? Unless there's a longer term bait and switch going on and Red didn't murder a load of innocents, I'm still checked out on this.
Well done, Funt. A rather apocalyptic message, as you say. I was worried that they were just going to Rickroll us.
Quote from: nxylas on 30 June, 2023, 12:26:35 PMI was worried that they were just going to Rickroll us
That would have been absolutely fantastic :)
Even better if they Rickrandom-ed us.
Quote from: norton canes on 30 June, 2023, 11:18:28 AMQuote from: Funt Solo [R] on 29 June, 2023, 10:13:09 PMI managed to get the QR translated enough to actually be decipherable
Nice work! How did you manage that?
Laboriously, manually. I tried some online solutions, but that didn't work. So, this is the starting point (which has been turned into a square, because the comic version wasn't square enough):
(https://i.imgur.com/4ndEcyv.png)
The next step was to get rid of the thick black outlines, which are just getting in the way of the visible data. For this, Paint.net's recolor tool did the trick - giant brush, adjusted tolerance. Result:
(https://i.imgur.com/T7UXUVt.png)
Now, we have to realize that all the dots and squiggles are just boxes or gaps. I created a new layer and drew a little box on that plus sign pattern in the mid-left (above the sort-of swastika shape). Once I'd figured out the correct size of little box to cover up those four dots, it was just a case of slightly adjusting the dimensions of the bottom layer to line everything up, then a lot of copy-pasta of the little black box. It's 7*7 pixels, btw. This is the QR layer partly transparent on top of the previous image:
(https://i.imgur.com/BztaOpk.png)
Ditch the base layer and Bob's your auntie's live-in lover:
(https://i.imgur.com/nQRzECl.png)
It's an hour of my life I'll never get back, Dabnett and Bettin - you beautiful maniacs!
Thanks Funt it was only 5 seconds of my life to QR scan it
Quote from: Funt Solo [R] on 30 June, 2023, 03:45:00 PMQuote from: norton canes on 30 June, 2023, 11:18:28 AMQuote from: Funt Solo [R] on 29 June, 2023, 10:13:09 PMI managed to get the QR translated enough to actually be decipherable
Nice work! How did you manage that?
Laboriously, manually. I tried some online solutions, but that didn't work. So, this is the starting point (which has been turned into a square, because the comic version wasn't square enough):
(https://i.imgur.com/4ndEcyv.png)
The next step was to get rid of the thick black outlines, which are just getting in the way of the visible data. For this, Paint.net's recolor tool did the trick - giant brush, adjusted tolerance. Result:
(https://i.imgur.com/T7UXUVt.png)
Now, we have to realize that all the dots and squiggles are just boxes or gaps. I created a new layer and drew a little box on that plus sign pattern in the mid-left (above the sort-of swastika shape). Once I'd figured out the correct size of little box to cover up those four dots, it was just a case of slightly adjusting the dimensions of the bottom layer to line everything up, then a lot of copy-pasta of the little black box. It's 7*7 pixels, btw. This is the QR layer partly transparent on top of the previous image:
(https://i.imgur.com/BztaOpk.png)
Ditch the base layer and Bob's your auntie's live-in lover:
(https://i.imgur.com/nQRzECl.png)
It's an hour of my life I'll never get back, Dabnett and Bettin - you beautiful maniacs!
A positive triumph, Funt. I was thinking of doing it by overlaying a grid, but I couldn't work out one square's worth.
This whole thing is giving me serious Masquerade (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Masquerade_(book)) vibes. Are we being directed towards a golden Rosette of Sirius?
Quote from: norton canes on 30 June, 2023, 04:42:52 PMThis whole thing is giving me serious Masquerade (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Masquerade_(book)) vibes. Are we being directed towards a golden Rosette of Sirius?
Which someone will dig up by accident.
Quote from: Grush on 29 June, 2023, 07:56:51 PMOh gosh. That's a QR code, well done for spotting it, but it needs all the rounded corners squaring off. Good luck to someone with that!
It'd be interesting to know where the balance lies for reliable detection of position registration markers. This artwork shows that you can get away with a fair bit as long as you understand the error-handling:
https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/i4WR5ULH1ZZYl8Watf3EPw
Quote from: A.Cow on 03 July, 2023, 01:54:55 AMQuote from: Grush on 29 June, 2023, 07:56:51 PMOh gosh. That's a QR code, well done for spotting it, but it needs all the rounded corners squaring off. Good luck to someone with that!
It'd be interesting to know where the balance lies for reliable detection of position registration markers. This artwork shows that you can get away with a fair bit as long as you understand the error-handling:
https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/i4WR5ULH1ZZYl8Watf3EPw
I doubt I would have spotted it if Dabnett hadn't said in an interview that there were going to be QR codes hidden in the strip. I saw it because I was looking for it.