no prog 1715 as yet - but meg 306 just came through the door - hurrah
hey, me too.
Hmm. The current episode of Samizdat Squad appears to retcon The Inspectre out of Dredd continuity. I can't say I'm entirely surprised, but it does create an oddly sour little note on which to end 2010 for me.
:-(
Jim
What happened in The Inspectre then?
I too am curious about this "Inspectre"!!!!!
It's been a while since I've read it and obviously Jim is in a better position to know having written it, but IIRC the Inspectre contained a story that was to do with the building of a new mega city 'Ultragrad'? on the remains of EM1. The Samizdat Squad certainly ignores this but I'm guessing it could easily be written around if needed ?
Quote from: James Stacey on 04 January, 2011, 10:39:43 AM
It's been a while since I've read it and obviously Jim is in a better position to know having written it, but IIRC the Inspectre contained a story that was to do with the building of a new mega city 'Ultragrad'? on the remains of EM1.
The whole
raison d'être of The Inspectre was that East Meg Two was trying to reclaim the site of East Meg 1, but that, being the site of 500 million people's simultaneous violent deaths, EM-1 was a turmoil of psychic activity as well as the more obvious issues of muties, background radiation and the like. To deal with this, their one remaining clairvoyant -- Viktor Zadek, the Inspectre of the title -- was freed from a gulag and put to work laying the ghosts of the Apocalypse War in order to allow reconstruction work to proceed.
Cheers
Jim
Sounds pretty decent to me, why would that be retconned? Did The Inspectre succeed?
Guess they're facing similar problems (ghosts etc) in this story though....
hey, I had prog 1715 before new year :D. Its early for a change....but no meg 306 yet. :'( probably saturday morning it will arrive with prog 1716...yeeahah!
Quote from: Pioneer on 04 January, 2011, 11:52:38 AM
Sounds pretty decent to me, why would that be retconned?
No idea why it would be retconned -- I suspect it may simply have dropped below the radar of editorial due to neither Kev nor I finding an interesting way of reviving it over the course of the last fifteen years.
Still pretty depressing to have made a mark -- no matter how small and obscure -- on a mythos that means as much to me as Dredd only to see it effectively erased. Ho hum...
Cheers
Jim
Quote from: Jim_Campbell on 04 January, 2011, 10:42:01 PM
Quote from: Pioneer on 04 January, 2011, 11:52:38 AM
Sounds pretty decent to me, why would that be retconned?
No idea why it would be retconned -- I suspect it may simply have dropped below the radar of editorial due to neither Kev nor I finding an interesting way of reviving it over the course of the last fifteen years.
Still pretty depressing to have made a mark -- no matter how small and obscure -- on a mythos that means as much to me as Dredd only to see it effectively erased. Ho hum...
Plus it rules out a sequel :(
Although, as has been said, I'm sure there is a way to make it work again.
Quote from: Emperor on 05 January, 2011, 03:08:09 AM
Although, as has been said, I'm sure there is a way to make it work again.
I'm not sure at all. I imagine it would have to be the best proposal ever written to stand even half a chance of convincing Matt that he needed
two Russian judge stories.
Cheers
Jim
Another great Meg. I particularly enjoyed the Strontium Dog freebie that I'd never read before Darkest Star.
Didn't read any of the movie bits but loving the old school b&w art on Samizdat Squad.
You're obviously the man to ask, Jim: I haven't read Inspectre so is it definately absolutely a retcon and not character POV or potentially some sort of in-universe historical revisionism on the part of Sov propagandists?
I'm enjoying the old-school feel to Samizdat Squad, but find it unlikely that Arthur was unaware of the Inspectre or that Matt would want to actively retcon anything Dreddworld-related when it could be written around or included in canon with minimal effort. Recent Ewing tales have made a virtue of referencing continuity anachronisms like Judgment Day and Arthur himself has contributed at least one Black Museum tale that referenced the Death Belt not referred to since Apocalypse War (which predates the Inspectre by at least 10 years) so I'm inclined to think there might be an in-story rationale for any continuity 'revisionism' even if we haven't seen it yet. This is the House of Tharg, after all, not DC or Marvel.
Quote from: Professah Byah on 05 January, 2011, 03:16:21 PM
You're obviously the man to ask, Jim: I haven't read Inspectre so is it definately absolutely a retcon and not character POV or potentially some sort of in-universe historical revisionism on the part of Sov propagandists
I would of thought that the remains of EM1 were a pretty big place. If the EM2 project to rebuild EM1 had failed for whatever reason, there would still be an awful lot of wrecked city for this story to be set in. I'm sure there is room for a continuing Inspectre story there, you just have to write it ;)
More to the point jim, why arent you writing the inspectre for Zarjaz? Eh?
SBT
I understand FQP are inundated with scripts, but yes - Inspectre for Zarjaz, please.
No... more to the point, wasn't "The Inspectre" ripped off one of the stories in that shitty "Scarab"/Vertigo miniseries? ;-)
I'm more gobsmacked at Spurrier's "Numbercruncher" being creator-owned. Now *that* is gonna open a whole can of worms...
Quote from: James Stacey on 05 January, 2011, 03:22:35 PM
I would of thought that the remains of EM1 were a pretty big place. If the EM2 project to rebuild EM1 had failed for whatever reason, there would still be an awful lot of wrecked city for this story to be set in. I'm sure there is room for a continuing Inspectre story there, you just have to write it ;)
Ah. We made the mistake of putting a fucking great space elevator right in the middle of the site and then showed a number of distance shots where it was clearly visible from many miles away...
Quote from: John 'Smiffy' SmithNo... more to the point, wasn't "The Inspectre" ripped off one of the stories in that shitty "Scarab"/Vertigo miniseries?
I'm embarrassed to admit I've never read it, John. Must have been Walker. Yeah, that's it...
Cheers
Jim
Quote from: SmallBlueThing on 05 January, 2011, 03:29:38 PM
More to the point jim, why arent you writing the inspectre for Zarjaz? Eh?
'Cause if I had a decent plot, I'd pitch it to Matt! In fact, I
had come up with what I thought was a workable plot and Rennie & Holden's last Johnny Woo story torpedoed the fucker below the waterline.
Cheers
Jim
Quote from: Professah Byah on 05 January, 2011, 03:32:45 PM
Inspectre for Zarjaz
I was about to say 'bugger that,
Inspectre for the Meg please', but then I remembered that I actually
buy Zarjaz, unlike the Meg which is sadly now beyond my diminished budget.
Good to see John brought his stirring stick!
Quote from: Jim_Campbell on 05 January, 2011, 04:24:45 PM
Quote from: SmallBlueThing on 05 January, 2011, 03:29:38 PM
More to the point jim, why arent you writing the inspectre for Zarjaz? Eh?
'Cause if I had a decent plot, I'd pitch it to Matt! In fact, I had come up with what I thought was a workable plot and Rennie & Holden's last Johnny Woo story torpedoed the fucker below the waterline.
Cheers
Jim
Sorry!
Quote from: pauljholden on 05 January, 2011, 04:38:12 PM
Sorry!
Well, y'know, if I actually got off my arse, wrote this stuff up and submitted it, this sort of thing would probably be less likely to happen. Plus, I know it's really Rennie that's on a mission to ruin my life.
Cheers!
Jim
Quote from: Jim_Campbell on 05 January, 2011, 04:42:50 PM
Quote from: pauljholden on 05 January, 2011, 04:38:12 PM
Sorry!
Well, y'know, if I actually got off my arse, wrote this stuff up and submitted it, this sort of thing would probably be less likely to happen. Plus, I know it's really Rennie that's on a mission to ruin my life.
Cheers!
Jim
Retcon those bastards out of the water then ... only way to be shure
Quote from: Jim_Campbell on 05 January, 2011, 04:24:45 PM
Quote from: SmallBlueThing on 05 January, 2011, 03:29:38 PM
More to the point jim, why arent you writing the inspectre for Zarjaz? Eh?
'Cause if I had a decent plot, I'd pitch it to Matt! In fact, I had come up with what I thought was a workable plot and Rennie & Holden's last Johnny Woo story torpedoed the fucker below the waterline.
I'm sure I managed to convince you that you could actually use their story as a springboard to an even better one of your own. If I didn't we should assume that I did from now on (it means we can skip all that boring business about me proving that I'm right again).
Quote from: TordelBack on 05 January, 2011, 04:25:06 PM
Quote from: Professah Byah on 05 January, 2011, 03:32:45 PM
Inspectre for Zarjaz
I was about to say 'bugger that, Inspectre for the Meg please', but then I remembered that I actually buy Zarjaz, unlike the Meg which is sadly now beyond my diminished budget.
Ah but Inspectre for Meg Supplement reprint is achievable and you'd only need to pick up one issue ;)
Quote from: Jim_Campbell on 05 January, 2011, 04:23:05 PMQuote from: John 'Smiffy' SmithNo... more to the point, wasn't "The Inspectre" ripped off one of the stories in that shitty "Scarab"/Vertigo miniseries?
I'm embarrassed to admit I've never read it, John. Must have been Walker. Yeah, that's it...
Wellllllll I have read it and I think you are safe because before dragging you to court, he still has to sue over Avatar, Underworld and Season 2 of True Blood. That'll keep him busy for a while. It might get all this litigious madness out of his blood too. He isn't Harlan Ellison after all. ;)
You know, I only just re-read the Inspectre about a month ago, and I didn't notice a continuity problem with Samizdat squad, but obviously Jim would know better than I!
But it seems to me there's plenty of East Meg 1 to go around, if it was anything like as big as Mega City 1 was, giant space elevator or no (I mean, can you see New York from Washington DC? Don't think so, and they're not even thatf ar apart in MC1-sized terms).
There's certainly nothing to prevent the Inspectre rooting out more psychic sorrow demons in the ruins, which was the core concept of that strip - or at least, that's what I took away from it as a reader.
Also, if I'm not missing something (which I probably am), isn't Samizdat Squad shaping up to be about the mysterious dimension where all the TADs from MC1 got sent now encroaching back onto the ruins / partially rebuilt EM1, which in itself is going to mess a lot of things up?
Frankly, if you can't right around continuity mishaps in soft science fiction, you're not trying hard enough!
On a side note, current Megazine line up is aces. Very happy to see interesting but non-Dreddwrold stuff like Number Cruncher in there, and any worms it may bring forth from the same can (hell Lilly Mackenzie was creator-owned non Dredd, so that's not even new)
still not got mine WTF is going on...
Me neither - it's an anti-Jock conspiracy!
Quote from: Buttonman on 06 January, 2011, 01:44:39 PM
Me neither - it's an anti-Jock conspiracy!
I got mine- but then, I'm merely living among you in a Dian Fossey fashion.
Quote from: Richmond Clements on 06 January, 2011, 01:52:09 PM
I got mine- but then, I'm merely living among you in a Dian Fossey fashion.
A sort of gorillas in the pissed type of thing then?
Very poor form - if I don't get mine by tomorrow my musings will be lost to the ages - unless I try some of that generic 'everything is great pish' practiced by certain nameless scribes. (Tom Proudfoot)
In this vein who got the letter credits, if any for this issue? The Beast needs feeding!
I got my prog on Tuesday but the meg's not here yet, which is odd as they usually arrive together.
Quote from: Richmond Clements on 06 January, 2011, 01:52:09 PM
Quote from: Buttonman on 06 January, 2011, 01:44:39 PM
Me neither - it's an anti-Jock conspiracy!
I got mine- but then, I'm merely living among you in a Dian Fossey fashion.
Got my Prog last Wednesday and the this Meg on Friday.
Meg came today. Great issue and cracking bonus book too - worth the wait, although don't let it happen again!
The letters page damn it! feed the beast!
THE BEAST BELLLOWS:
KEN LANGFIELD
RICHARD ROBERTS
GRANT GOGGANS
Poor offerings indeed including a full column poem with predictable rhyming couplets - still no TP makes us all a bit happier.
no But'man that's the main thing :P
Great Meg for strips, good to see new talent getting a hand up, But WTF is all the horror stuff about? is this some secret cross over I'm unaware of?
Quote from: Proudhuff on 11 January, 2011, 07:49:02 PM
Great Meg for strips, good to see new talent getting a hand up, But WTF is all the horror stuff about? is this some secret cross over I'm unaware of?
Stop reading my great letter in the works!
I sent one a week ago asking why all the horror stuff and whether it was the result of some market research that had us all down as a bunch of slash happy maniacs. Clearly correct for most apart from me who likes the odd Rob Schneider comedy and 'Ladies in Lavender'.
Quote from: Buttonman on 11 January, 2011, 07:56:56 PM
Quote from: Proudhuff on 11 January, 2011, 07:49:02 PM
Great Meg for strips, good to see new talent getting a hand up, But WTF is all the horror stuff about? is this some secret cross over I'm unaware of?
I sent one a week ago asking why all the horror stuff and whether it was the result of some market research that had us all down as a bunch of slash happy maniacs.
Yikes! I'd better change mine, almost the exact double right down to the Market research comment!!
Just arrived - the prog and the meg deliveries are all over the place at the moment.
Haven't read it yet but I will say this - I'm fed up of that advert promising the option to buy the T-shirt to subscribers.... that has been cock/geek teasing me for about 8 months now.
Its like you don't want my money or something.... :lol:
Quote from: Hegel on 12 January, 2011, 02:33:58 PM
Haven't read it yet but I will say this - I'm fed up of that advert promising the option to buy the T-shirt to subscribers.... that has been cock/geek teasing me for about 8 months now.
Its like you don't want my money or something.... :lol:
This makes me sad also
Had a lovely long read:
Dredd - run of the mill tale both art and story wise. Fine.
Samizdat Squad - I'm liking the concept more than the execution. There are some odd little moments in there too with the way the panels scan. This one still sits in the wait and see category and I hope there is more substance to it in the long run.
Numbers - Pretty impressive, very nice writing and a decent set up so I look forward to more of this.
Insurrection II - I adore this, it has all the right elements. MacNeil's art is always awsome and so common to us that I fear we tend to take it for granted, the black and white stuff is simply lovely. The story is well paced thus far but it also has the weight of concept behind it - a dredd universe tale that could be really epic and serious and about more than an unusual crime or satirical joke about our contemporary world (which all have their place of course) - this is about politics, power, and the more mature underbelly of the Megacity One system... always my fave aspect of the entire dredd universe, dare i say it, more so than even Dredd himself.
Quotesome market research that had us all down as a bunch of slash happy maniacs
That'd be me. I don't do market research, but I am a slash happy maniac. Not an especial fan of Tobe Hooper or Eli Roth as it happens, but I'm guessing both were at Frightfest, which is the sort of place where I'd expect most attendees to have at least heard of 2000AD if not necessarily read it regularly.
On the other hand, I'm not especially into old British SciFi TV shows, which also get featured a lot.
Say, Buttonface, why don't you put the letter writing on hold and submit an indepth article on Rob Schneider's filmography? Maybe get an interview an' all?
Quote from: AlexF on 13 January, 2011, 11:11:02 AM
Say, Buttonface, why don't you put the letter writing on hold and submit an indepth article on Rob Schneider's filmography? Maybe get an interview an' all?
Good idea, or a indepth article on Films that start with a W ?
Sadly my submissions dreams died when 'Dredd Letter Days' aka 'Dredd Letter Box', which chronicled the Megazine's letters history, was totally ignored - not even a rejection. After all I've done for them!
Overall, I felt a bit underwhelmed by the Meg this month. In no particular order...
Dredd - Liked the set up and was looking forward to this after MC's last two in the prog, but it didn't really float my boat. Was this drawn a while ago too? I thought Davis-Hunt had moved on from this style - not saying that negatively, but it was very like his earlier work.
SamiDavis Squadt - Liked some of the ruined city scape panels, but I wasn't really engaged with this episode.
Numbers - Well, I'd read half of this in sidekick so it felt like half a strip! But it's been set up well and I'm loving PJs work here. Looking forward to it developing.
Insurrection - This was the highlight. I agree on the 'MacNeil is Art God' sentiment, the detail is just wonderful! Can't go wrong with some epic bang bang, shooty shooty too, never mind the themes of the strip. Part of me thinks it doesn't really need to be set in the Dreddverse, or doesn't ring true in some way but hey! I'm not complaining! Top thrill and no mistake.
Didn't bother with the articles this month - but what's the problem with some horror coverage? Fits fine if you ask me. I'll likely read the floppie tonight - looking forward to it!
M.
I liked this issue of the Meg. Enjoyed all of the stories. I don't mind The Darkest Star, but it has got one of the most pointless [spoiler]"I am your father"[/spoiler] reveals in comics history.
Mod edit- spoiler
I haven't picked up my copy yet but someone managed Tharg dropping hints of an up-coming story, any clues there?
Dredd - Kids Dredd innit. Much like the Progs of late. Not my bag.
Russians - excellent art, cornball story - good combo. But mainly excellent art.
Numbers - Top stuff on all levels. SS as been missed, PJ has a great comedy style that suits his own 'verse. Best thing in the issue by a country mile.
Pigs In Space II - excellent art, cornball story II - good combo II. But not as engaging as the original so far :(
Articles - Hummm. Not related to 2000ad = -10 points.
Cannie take The Gronk sorry. ND was such a good artist - especially his black and white - but did he ever get to work on a decent 2000AD strip?
Quote from: BPP on 19 January, 2011, 02:48:47 PMCannie take The Gronk sorry. ND was such a good artist - especially his black and white - but did he ever get to work on a decent 2000AD strip?
Well apart from Strontium Dogs, obviously, there was the under-rated Medivac 318. He also did one of the better Legends of the Law for DC, although that may not count.
But I suspect the broader consensus will be, no, sadly he didn't.
Regards
Robin
Quote from: Robin Low on 19 January, 2011, 05:58:03 PM
there was the under-rated Medivac 318
I'm with you there - I really liked this strip. But yeah, he was also put on 'Trash'...
I didn't like the Gronk floppy (!) so much as last month's.
M.
Is that it, no-one else reading the meg this days...tsk
I'm reading it. Just gotta get round to the features and I'm on the review.
I didn't think the Gronk tale, this week, half as good as the opener, and it cornered Dobbyn's art a little. There are parts that struck me as quite curious in regards to cannon, with the Johnny wall art. Did Wagner address this in the recent Life and Death? (Which, I hope will be returning. Once it's had the establishing storyline out of the way it is gonna rock.)
I think this story and all of ennis and hogans run was put down to the babblings of another history droid
thus none of it ever happened
Quote from: Proudhuff on 24 January, 2011, 07:29:19 PM
Is that it, no-one else reading the meg this days...tsk
I read it but at this moment in time have nothing to say on the subject!
Quote from: Proudhuff on 24 January, 2011, 07:29:19 PM
Is that it, no-one else reading the meg this days...tsk
Hmm. Can't help noticing that your own contributions are light on discussion of the content.
Librarian, file thyself.
Quote from: The Cosh on 28 January, 2011, 02:05:58 AM
Quote from: Proudhuff on 24 January, 2011, 07:29:19 PM
Is that it, no-one else reading the meg this days...tsk
Hmm. Can't help noticing that your own contributions are light on discussion of the content.
Librarian, file thyself.
Fair comment ;)
of course if anyone was wondering what Nigel Dobbyn would be like working on a strip for 2000 AD today- you should really get yourself a copy of the current Dogbreath, as it will give you the first half of a Gronk solo strip that Nigel is doing for us.
(http://www.futurequake.co.uk/images/shop/dogbreath23.jpg)
Next issue will also see Nigel provide a totally awesome cover too. Which will make him the first pro to provide multiple covers to Dogbreath under it's current editors...
(http://www.futurequake.co.uk/images/shop/dogbreath17.jpg)
I'm amazed he's still working. I would have thought drawing Trash would have crushed the spirit out of him and he'd given up to be a taxman or something.
Quote from: Bolt-01 on 28 January, 2011, 02:02:50 PMNext issue will also see Nigel provide a totally awesome cover too.
And posted it on DeviantArt. Enjoy:
http://handtoeye.deviantart.com/#/d36uiio (http://handtoeye.deviantart.com/#/d36uiio)
Woohoo! 306 has come out on clickwheel! :D
Pearls of, ahem, wisdom to follow...
And I've read it!
Dredd
I think this would have been better as a prog length thrill. The twist at the end is nicely "Dredd universe" but, for me at least, the lead up is too long. I do like Mike's stuff though and hope he writes more for old Thargy
Samizdat Squad
This is coming along very nicely story wise. Nice art too, the landscape shots, the eery intro section and in particular the low camera angle behind the team running forward are good stuff.
Numbercruncher
Fantastic first episode, I have to say! The story's universe is nicely established, very quirky and draws you straight in. Now I've seen it with PJ's art, I can't imagine it any other way. Great work!
Insurrection
Very pleased with this too. Fantastic art complete with trademarked surface stippling effect. The shots of the judges rolling in yelling "Shoot to kill!" is very fine. The story, although part 2, is accessible even if you haven't read part 1.
The Darkest Star
First off, I'm very pleased this is bundled with the meg as I haven't read it before. Fascinating reading. Just a pity I've mentally filed it under "this is not canon in my books". Yes I know, even though it was in the prog. Didn't work for me I'm afraid story wise.
Interviews/articles
Good as always tbh, particularly the David Lloyd one.