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An effective take on the familiar notion of Dredd looking hard and pointing his gun at us on this cover, which I didn't recognise as the work of the elusive PJ Holden. Good show.

Al Ewing's Dredd wraps up nicely this month. This has been a great, zingy tale with enough action, throwaway background ideas and proper Dredd bits (no, not his cock) to let me know I really want to see more from this droid soon. Maybe it's the colouring, but the art seemed looser and more cartoony this week. Not necessarily a bad thing where exploding fatties are concerned.

Citi-Def continues to be mildly entertaining, with the same caveats as Marauder in the Prog. Certainly a much better effort from Tony Lee than Stalag 666 was, so here's hoping the forthcoming Necrophim is another step up in quality. The art is decent and generally fits with the tone of the story but I do find it a bit jarring when we cut to the women-chained-up-in-a-meat-locker-waiting-to-be-brutally-raped scenes.

Tank Girl has a lovely big double-page centrespread, but I agree with her sentiments about having to go through it all again. The little interlude segments have been amusing, but all the driving around between them is boring.

Insurrection also has corking splash page, reminiscent of Mr MacNeil's lovely depictions of fire and explosions in the otherwise dreadful Song of the Surfer. Abnett does this sort of space opera stuff so well (Atavar, Durham Red, Kingdom) that he'd have to go out of his way to make a hash of it and, so far, he hasn't.

Even the film reviews were good this month: three interesting sounding movies, only one - good, bad and weird - that I'd previously heard of and this is the first proper review I've seen of that. I realise this column is necessarily a slave to release dates and so forth, but if it was like this more often it'd be a welcome presence in the Meg.

I've only read the first Pussyfoot 5 story and, so far, it seems like John Smith going out of his way to make his stuff more accessible. Lovely colours from the pen of D'Israeli too. Good stuff and I'm now off to read the second half over brunch.

Less good news elsewhere. We knew there was going to be a big jump in price for the colour Case Files, so that's fair enough, but £17.99 for the new Dante volume seems pretty steep.

Shame about the Venn diagram! I'm assuming it shouldnt be concentirc circles there, but a series of individual circles with a small area of cross over - hence the venn diagram reference, yes?

Agree about the Citi Def meatlocker stuff - if this is what Tharg is referring to in his editorial when he talks about "intelligence",  give me the "stupidity" of (for ecample) Ace Trucking anytime

Forgot to say, the venn diagram mightnt be very Vennish, but the tube map version of Megacity one shown underneath is quite inspiring....

Quote from: "The Cosh"Less good news elsewhere. We knew there was going to be a big jump in price for the colour Case Files, so that's fair enough, but £17.99 for the new Dante volume seems pretty steep.

That's what happens when Sterling crashes on the currency markets, folks.

Quote from: "IndigoPrime"

Quote from: "The Cosh"Less good news elsewhere. We knew there was going to be a big jump in price for the colour Case Files, so that's fair enough, but £17.99 for the new Dante volume seems pretty steep.

That's what happens when Sterling crashes on the currency markets, folks.

Thank God for the Waterstones 3 for 2 on Graphic Novels.

Have I become elusive? hmm... I suppose I have, soz. Anyhue, if you want to know what I'm up to you can find me on twitter: http://www.twitter.com/pauljholden (http://www.twitter.com/pauljholden) or my blog http://www.pauljholden.com (http://www.pauljholden.com)

And... you might be interested in my latest blog post - cus you can see various sketches for the current Megazine cover (http://www.pauljholden.com/wordpress/?p=2452 (http://www.pauljholden.com/wordpress/?p=2452))

Cheers

-pj

I was looking at the Megezine cover in the local newsagent thinking that's mega. Cracking stuff Paul. I'll buy it next week when the last of the ghastly bills have been paid off assuming I make it through the arctic blizzard that's about to descend upon the country.

Thank God for the Waterstones 3 for 2 on Graphic Novels.

is that still on?

It's a never-ending promo! Before Xmas it was on ALL GNs, but most of the time it's only the stickered items - If there's just 3 you want on any given day, you can bet one of them isn't included! But it's great for things like the casefiles if you buy 'em 3 at a go.

Jing no much interest in this month's Meg? Anyone else read it yet?

Great Dredd cover: sez on the tin!

Al Ewing's Dredd's spot on, doesn't over stay its welcome, lots of luverly background details both in the art and script and an understanding of MC1 and JD that few can match.


Citi-Def If you'd told me about this before hand I would have said I'd hate it, but its the opposite, the story and art are well matched, the gungo-ho guys are just the right side of stupid  and there's a lightness of touch to the script that's very appealing.

Tank Girl Noooo, not a return leg! I thought the length (ending this month) was just about right for this tale.


Insurrection  I Know i Know, I'm a pedant, but how many SJS Judges are there!!! How come they couldn't bring that kinda firepower to bear in the fisticuffs with the Sovs/Satan/the Walking dead/Narcos etc?  If it wasn't for that (fanboy gripe) its great stuff, loving the driod/monkey bits especially.

Film review:  this is perhaps more useful than than the regular blockbuster type of one

I've tried to read the first Pussyfoot 5 but its all too wordy and the text seems cramped, has the page been shrunk to fit?

Quote from: "Proudhuff"Jing no much interest in this month's Meg? Anyone else read it yet?

Great Dredd cover: sez on the tin!

Al Ewing's Dredd's spot on, doesn't over stay its welcome, lots of luverly background details both in the art and script and an understanding of MC1 and JD that few can match.


Citi-Def If you'd told me about this before hand I would have said I'd hate it, but its the opposite, the story and art are well matched, the gungo-ho guys are just the right side of stupid  and there's a lightness of touch to the script that's very appealing.

Tank Girl Noooo, not a return leg! I thought the length (ending this month) was just about right for this tale.


Insurrection  I Know i Know, I'm a pedant, but how many SJS Judges are there!!! How come they couldn't bring that kinda firepower to bear in the fisticuffs with the Sovs/Satan/the Walking dead/Narcos etc?  If it wasn't for that (fanboy gripe) its great stuff, loving the driod/monkey bits especially.

Film review:  this is perhaps more useful than than the regular blockbuster type of one

I've tried to read the first Pussyfoot 5 but its all too wordy and the text seems cramped, has the page been shrunk to fit?

Return leg? Do you really think anything would go to plan in a tank Girl script?  

Well I've read a load of it and i've not much to add to what I've already said about the strips.

Dredd continues to inspire in story and art. Nice to see a classic fall from a great height panel.

Great overhead splash from Martin, Dayglo and Bowland in TankGirl. Like the totally irreverent Chunky morph!

Excellent cartoony action from Tonly Lee and jackedemus, with Bowland again giving masterful Parkhouse and Deville a run for the money. Good to see a uniform wedged in there.

Spacewar big screener Insurrection tapping some wonderful ideas from its contributers. Those are shocking helmets on the SJS ground troops.

And letters and Free GN are linked by the word, WARGASM, which I found a tickle.

Like the art in GN, story? I had to tackle it a bit but I put it down to my out of touchness and incoming flu.

Ed berridge caught my eye with his feature on the Wire.

An insight to John Higgins is yet to be digested but his personal stuff looks rad.

Good to see Holden on the cover. It pleasantly surprised me. Great Dredd, PJ.

JUDGE DREDD: Liked Al's grip on Dredd just didn't like the storybut look forward to seeing Al on Old Stoney Face in the future

TANK GIRL: Never been a Tank Girl fan but Love Rufus' artwork so make sure I look at it purely for that.


INSURRECTION: Ive always like the idea of off world Judges but a bit like the normal SJS character they all come out of the same mould, so I always find myself looking forward to a new off world Judge story than I do when it appears


CITI-DEF: This has got to be one of the worst stories ever, both in terms of art and story, the Megs had many a story that I wouldnt even class as filler and this is easily one of them.

If I didnt have the Meg on subscription I'd have probably stopped reading it a while a go and whilst the contens arent thrilling me then I dont see that changing soon and no matter how many editorials justify the amount of text and features in the Meg they're never going to win me over.

JUDGE DREDD: Liked Al's grip on Dredd just didn't like the storybut look forward to seeing Al on Old Stoney Face in the future

TANK GIRL: Never been a Tank Girl fan but Love Rufus' artwork so make sure I look at it purely for that.


INSURRECTION: Ive always like the idea of off world Judges but a bit like the normal SJS character they all come out of the same mould, so I always find myself looking forward to a new off world Judge story than I do when it appears


CITI-DEF: This has got to be one of the worst stories ever, both in terms of art and story, the Megs had many a story that I wouldnt even class as filler and this is easily one of them.

If I didnt have the Meg on subscription I'd have probably stopped reading it a while a go and whilst the contens arent thrilling me then I dont see that changing soon and no matter how many editorials justify the amount of text and features in the Meg they're never going to win me over.

Dredd story was OK. CHaracter and everything seemed spot on but the resolutions seemed a bit "Computer, tell me who could possibly have committed this crime?"

Citi-Def is half good fun and half, er, not. I really don't like the art but it suits one half of the story (the fun bit).

Insurrection continues to wow me - absolutely love the art.

I can't rmember if I like Tank Girl or not - it often makes me chuckle - but I definitely like the art.

Enjoyable text features but I thought the comic character DEATH thing spent too much time talking about INFINTY INCIDENT CRISIS WAR type crossover epics.

That chap that wrote the last letter in the Meg (the "Stop your moanin', you f**kers!") one was just incredibly rude and read si if he were generally ignorant and intolerant.  It's playground/internet level stuff so why does Tharg print it. I know, Iknow, because that's all he received.  

Buttonman will have a fit but I still think a "CHOICE CUTS FROM THE FORUM" piece (like they do in EDGE) would be a good way of getting short, sharp, witty criticism into the letters column. Just because we don't stick a stamp on it, doesn't mean it's not valid crit.

Dredd: cool as fcuk.  Al's got Dredd down pat, to the extent that it could easily be a Wanger script, or even an Olde Schoole Wag-Grant combo from ye Golden Era.  What I haven't seen yet is whether or not Senor Ewing can do sewious Dwedd.

Tank Girl: took me a while to get my early 90's motor running, but I'm now really enjoying this.  It's one of those "deserves a re-read" thangs, though, due to the monthly gaps in my memory and the plethora of characters and ludicrous plot-twists, or diversions, or random trains of thought, or whatever they are.  The art is fantastic, and I also highly recommend everyone to pick up a copy of Visions of Booga.  There's no tank, but there is a german half-track, which I think we can all agree more than makes up for it.  Question: was Barney in any of the Deadline TGs?  I don't remember her.  And - oi - where's Sub Girl, then, eh?

Citi-Def: I had really high hopes for this, as memories of "The Hotdog Run" spurred my imagination - but I've been horribly disappointed.  I think it achieves what it's set out to, but I don't like it.  It's like Scrappy Doo, or those baby Disney characters, but at the same time as being cartoony (in art and script), it tries to throw in serious threats of rape.  This month's installment I found to be particularly offensive nonsense, as it made jokes about rape, then jokes about trans-gendered people, then jokes about stereotyped short Asian people that are supposedly funny because they can't speak English (or, aha-ha, Eng-rish - aren't I just the cleverest Anglo-Saxon in the room, despite my complete inability to speak any foreign language) properly.  Oh dear...please make it stop.  

Planet of the Apes (and Robots and Rebel Judges): fantastic space operatics.  Once you forgive the idea that MC-1 has such a huge space fleet to throw around the place, and yet always seem to complain about being short-handed, this is excellent stuff.  The art is amazing.  Hope it doesn't end too soon.

3/4 ain't bad at all - and it's a huge improvement on what seemed like several years of 0-1/4.

Also, as always, I'd like more comic and less articles, if it's at all possible.  Could we have a fifth strip if the others got shorter?

Insurrection is top-notch, and Al Ewing's Dredd was close behind.

I didn't read a lot of the rest of it, but may get round to it sooner or later.

- Trout

Quote from: "Funt Solo"Dredd: cool as fcuk.  Al's got Dredd down pat, to the extent that it could easily be a Wanger script, or even an Olde Schoole Wag-Grant combo from ye Golden Era.  What I haven't seen yet is whether or not Senor Ewing can do sewious Dwedd.

Tank Girl: took me a while to get my early 90's motor running, but I'm now really enjoying this.  It's one of those "deserves a re-read" thangs, though, due to the monthly gaps in my memory and the plethora of characters and ludicrous plot-twists, or diversions, or random trains of thought, or whatever they are.  The art is fantastic, and I also highly recommend everyone to pick up a copy of Visions of Booga.  There's no tank, but there is a german half-track, which I think we can all agree more than makes up for it.  Question: was Barney in any of the Deadline TGs?  I don't remember her.  And - oi - where's Sub Girl, then, eh?

Citi-Def: I had really high hopes for this, as memories of "The Hotdog Run" spurred my imagination - but I've been horribly disappointed.  I think it achieves what it's set out to, but I don't like it.  It's like Scrappy Doo, or those baby Disney characters, but at the same time as being cartoony (in art and script), it tries to throw in serious threats of rape.  This month's installment I found to be particularly offensive nonsense, as it made jokes about rape, then jokes about trans-gendered people, then jokes about stereotyped short Asian people that are supposedly funny because they can't speak English (or, aha-ha, Eng-rish - aren't I just the cleverest Anglo-Saxon in the room, despite my complete inability to speak any foreign language) properly.  Oh dear...please make it stop.  

Planet of the Apes (and Robots and Rebel Judges): fantastic space operatics.  Once you forgive the idea that MC-1 has such a huge space fleet to throw around the place, and yet always seem to complain about being short-handed, this is excellent stuff.  The art is amazing.  Hope it doesn't end too soon.

3/4 ain't bad at all - and it's a huge improvement on what seemed like several years of 0-1/4.

Also, as always, I'd like more comic and less articles, if it's at all possible.  Could we have a fifth strip if the others got shorter?

Barnie was in later Deadline Tgs and other stories... Sub Girl was shot and bled to death..she's still dead.

I wasn't sure about last month's opening Dredd episode - It felt like the old Hunter's Club story and I wasn't looking forward to 4+ months of reading something 'new' that seemed like I'd read it before. Imagine my joy this month when I found that not only is it only a two-parter, but bloody good stuff to boot! It had fatties, 1500 deaths in a throwaway line, a fall from a very high window and investigation followed by a violent arrest. And a nice closing line from Dredd. Funt Solo is right, if you'd told me Wagner wrote this 20+ years ago I'd have believed you. This is the sort of Dredd story I want to see in the Megazine. As much as I enjoyed Ratfink, for example, when each episode is four weeks apart I prefer shorter stories.

I loved the double-page aerial view in Tank Girl and, contrary to what I've just said, this is one series that I'm happy has gone on for as long it has. I'm not sure about driving back again though...

I'm loving Citi-Def too. I like the art, I like the gun-toting cits out of their depth (or are they in their element?), I like dinosaurs and giant spiders and I like seeing despicable Cursed Earth gangs get their comeuppance.

Somebody said that Insurrection seemed like a rejected Warhammer 40k strip that had been retooled for the Dreddverse, and I can believe it. That's not really a problem though, because the rebel colony is a good set-up and as long as they keep pulling out unexpected plans that make the Judges look like fools I'll be happy. Abnett's script is, as always, more than good enough for me to overlook the fanboy inconsistencies (2,000 SJS drop troops? Where did they come from?) and Macneill's black and white art is growing on me. I loved his painted work on America/Song of the Surfer/Mechanismo and was very disappointed with his early black and white and computer-coloured stuff. But, as I said about Ezquerra in the prog 1621 thread, those experiments are bearing fruit now. I don't understand why everybody in this series wears big chunky armour over their torsos, space marine style, and skin-tight leggings with regulation Mega-City kneepads below the waist, but what the heck, I can roll with it.

As always, some good articles on comics creators and the industry as a whole, although the 'death of characters' one didn't live up to the headline. Still, I'm always happy to engage in some 'look-at-those-stupid-Marvel/DC-comics-with-their-pointless-universe-changing-events-where-nothing-happens' so it made for an entertaining read on the bus. I don't hang around my local comic shop or attend conventions so these articles are an insight into the creative process that I don't get anywhere else. I was with the Meg through volumes 2 and 3 and I remember the desperate attempts to keep sales up and costs down. If having these as regular fixtures keeps the Meg afloat then I for one am glad they're here. Yes, even the film reviews and the timely reminder that I still have two series of the Wire to pick up.

Pussyfoot 5. Wasn't that that poor Devlin Waugh spin-off? Oh, it was. I didn't think much of it then and I didn't think much of it when I re-read it last night, but Snow/Tiger and the first series of Canon Fodder were new to me and worth reading. You can't please all of the people all of the time so I can forgive this one. Song of the Surfer is next! I have the Classic 2000ad reprint but it's so good it deserves another airing - I assume there are readers who haven't seen it before so they're in for a treat.  

A pretty good issue overall. If this quality holds up I'll be a happy reader.

Oooh my second Meg post - I'm starting to feel at home guys!  

Judge Dredd -  Love Al Ewing on Dredd, loved the story, I have no bad words here
Tank Girl -  Never having read any before her appearance in the Meg, I'm really enjoying the wacky races with blood.  Love Rufus' art and the colouring is really nice.
Citi Def - have got used to teh art which I really hated at first and I'm enjoying this now.
I really enjoyed the interview with Andy Diggle, but haven't read the other bits yet. .
Insurrection - just my fav thing in the Meg at the mo. I love the artwork with a passion.

I think the Meg is firing on all cylinders lately, tis all good.

Quote from: "Cactus"I'm loving Citi-Def too. I like the art, I like the gun-toting cits out of their depth (or are they in their element?), I like dinosaurs and giant spiders and I like seeing despicable Cursed Earth gangs get their comeuppance

Cursed Earth, fantastic setting, Cursed Earth Dinosaurs, brilliant, Giant Spiders, great, long walk Judges, ace and Mutant gangs.

It has all the elements, its a Cursed Earth Megazine story that surely ticks all the boxes then why is it so bloody awful?

Have we got so used to mediocrity in the Meg that now this is considered OK?

I've got a theory, and it expands on my initial thought that The Hotdog Run with a Citi-Def unit instead of judge cadets sounds great.

There are giant dinosaurs, and there are giant spiders and a bad-ass gang of rapists - so it should be threatening, but it's not.  In "The Hotdog Run", there was a real sense of danger for the characters - it was gritty, realistic (within the setting) and not going for cheap laughs and a light touch.  What we've got here are comedy dinosaurs and plastic spiders - where the only people in danger are sub-characters of the Star Trek red-shirt wearing variety.  Playing it for laughs just doesn't work - for me, any road.

I love PJ's cover on this. Really iconic. I noticed on his twitter (//http://twitter.com/pauljholden) the other day that he hinted he'd got a script coming...

QuoteGive me a D... give me a R... give me a... well, you could probably guess the rest. Just waiting on a script... Happy camper..

Looking forward to it!

Quote from: "W. R. Logan"

Quote from: "Cactus"I'm loving Citi-Def too. I like the art, I like the gun-toting cits out of their depth (or are they in their element?), I like dinosaurs and giant spiders and I like seeing despicable Cursed Earth gangs get their comeuppance

Cursed Earth, fantastic setting, Cursed Earth Dinosaurs, brilliant, Giant Spiders, great, long walk Judges, ace and Mutant gangs.

It has all the elements, its a Cursed Earth Megazine story that surely ticks all the boxes then why is it so bloody awful?

For a start, Tony Lee doesn't really seem to have any sort of handle on the Dreddworld (sorry Tony) and the art doesn't help in this respect. A good case in point is the 'I look like a hooker' line. They wouldn't say 'I look like a hooker', they'd say 'I look like a slabwalker.' The Judge is far too young to be on her Long Walk, I suspect because the artist preffered to draw another 'sexy chick' character rather than stick to the established rules of the 'verse, and again she speaks nothing like a Judge.

This isn't pedantry for pedantry's sake - the cast, with all their jokey current-day slang, fail at every turn to seem part of the Dreddverse in any way; they just come across as random joes in a random desert. Yes, it has dinos and giant spiders but it could be past, present, future, Cursed Earth, Nu-Earth, Ararrat, Mars, and it wouldn't really make any difference.

And while it is fun, there are some really dark elements mixed in (no bad thing in themselves) like the constant rape attempts, which jar horribly with the comedy, cartoon violence.

QuoteShame about the Venn diagram! I'm assuming it shouldnt be concentirc circles there, but a series of individual circles with a small area of cross over - hence the venn diagram reference, yes?

I think a Venn diagram can consist of concentric circles, if the larger set contains all the elements of the smaller one.  As far as I remember from my maths classes at school. Which is fuck all. Considering I was taken outside one day and practically ordered to go to a lower grade maths class.

Quote from: "Dark Jimbo"

Quote from: "W. R. Logan"It has all the elements, its a Cursed Earth Megazine story that surely ticks all the boxes then why is it so bloody awful?

For a start, Tony Lee doesn't really seem to have any sort of handle on the Dreddworld (sorry Tony) and the art doesn't help in this respect. A good case in point is the 'I look like a hooker' line. They wouldn't say 'I look like a hooker', they'd say 'I look like a slabwalker.' The Judge is far too young to be on her Long Walk, I suspect because the artist preffered to draw another 'sexy chick' character rather than stick to the established rules of the 'verse, and again she speaks nothing like a Judge.

This isn't pedantry for pedantry's sake - the cast, with all their jokey current-day slang, fail at every turn to seem part of the Dreddverse in any way; they just come across as random joes in a random desert. Yes, it has dinos and giant spiders but it could be past, present, future, Cursed Earth, Nu-Earth, Ararrat, Mars, and it wouldn't really make any difference.

And while it is fun, there are some really dark elements mixed in (no bad thing in themselves) like the constant rape attempts, which jar horribly with the comedy, cartoon violence.

That pretty much on the mark - the hooker line was awful, the rape references alongside 'toony' style art is shockingly glib and the whole thing started as poor and went downhill fast. YES dinosaurs are great.. but that dosn't excuse this tripe.

I also think none of the characters have any depth or personality or even distinguishing characteristics... they look alike, speak alike, their lines are interchangable... much like a certain concentration camp story.

Quote. much like a certain concentration camp story.

Aha, you're nicked mate!  BPP = Bastard Poo Poster, I knew you'd slip up one day

Have to agree with most of the above, but these faults are absolutely rife amongst Dreddworld scripters.  In fact, this seems like somewhere Tharg should be of assistance to a writer.  'Slabwalker' seems a very simple tweak that would slot the story into its supposed milieu much better, and a few observations about the visual design of both the City-Def folk and the Judge couldn't hurt.  I know Matt holds down enough jobs for about four ordinary people, but shouldn't an editor be asking these simple questions of folk like Morrison, Lee and Mills when they write a Dreddverse tale?  I fully expect the upcoming Edginton Dredd to be similarly at odds with MC-1, despite his excellent credentials.  Citi-Def is inventive, but like the superior Marauder, its place in a familiar setting just doesn't feel very well thought out.