2000 AD Online Forum

Monday and no-one loving the Meg Thread?

Must be Bristol?


Anyway, Just to say what a cracking cracking DRedd story, artwork does the job but there are a whole load of thread woven into this and it all work really well, big thumbs up all round ( except the whole Tsunami thing but we'll ignore that  :D)


Streets of Dan works really well too and Ins III a treat, must admit the change in art hasn't spoiled my enjoyment and the story races along ti a fine final page.

The txt bits have a nice surprise guest, Sexy ostriches continues to become more and more like a Jackie Love story with, talking heads in a bar and girls, sob, sobbing, and some very static layouts, the thought did occur to me that this story probably had a storyboard drawn out before the photos were taken  :o


The one-off Sexy Ostriches story has some nice artwork but the story continues with the Old rich people are evil


Sdaly no letters page....

damn no modify button today... that should be 'sadly'

oh, and the cover is cracking, couldn't decide if it worked better with the rockets heading from lower left to top right or the way they are... both looked good after a bit the threat of the raining down seems more eyecatching.

Funny how a Meg subs renewal has arrived at the time Ostrich Photostrip is running. That's really trying my patience now. It feels so drip-feed and the art is really not my cuppa at all. I liked everything else this issue, but still.

18 pages
18 pages of sexy ostriches. Why Tharg Why! The art was nice on the backup strip mind you but the story read like a poor future shock.

Its a good job the rest of the Meg was great this month. I like the way Dan Fran is going and it hasn't fallen into the trap of just another Dredd strip yet. Good stuff. I assume AR can't last forever so every meg is a meg closer to not having to pay for it any more. I'm positive like that.

Quote from: James Stacey on 13 May, 2013, 03:01:51 PMI assume AR can't last forever

It's by Pat Mills. It probably can last forever, due to an infinite number of books.

Please don't. My only hope is Tharg can get those incriminating photos of him with the Betelgeuseian ambassadors wife back off Mr Mills.

Quote from: IndigoPrime on 13 May, 2013, 03:43:55 PM

Quote from: James Stacey on 13 May, 2013, 03:01:51 PMI assume AR can't last forever

It's by Pat Mills. It probably can last forever, due to an infinite number of books.

:lol: and wait till he starts tying it into ABC warriors and Slaine.....

I keep trying to read AR but it just hurts my eyes. The properly-drawn backup strip was OK but inconsequential.

Everything else was great - I'm loving the DanFran strip - just good ol' fashioned judging action.

I got mine on Saturday but didn't start a thread due to being in the huff (not literally, that'd be disgusting) due to an undisclosed gripe.

http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c118/button71/yunodredd_zpsa4c879c7.jpg (http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c118/button71/yunodredd_zpsa4c879c7.jpg)


Here is one of the few letters they got that were deemed unworthy.

Dear Dreddlines,

I know you are still out there, hiding in your Chaos Bug shelter. Come on out, the air is clear and fresh and the letters are only 48% critical.

Meg 335 was my favourite issue of the year so far with a nice balance of new and developing stories. My pick was Michael Carroll's 'Shotgun' which was the best Dredd one off I've read from this scribe and indeed for the last few years. The idea of 'mind rubbers' is well worn but there were enough original touches to make this one memorable. I especially liked the title which should have given the game away, but totally didn't.

I enjoyed the Paul Marshall interview and given his body of work he must easily qualify as one of the great unsung artists in your stable, Happily his song is now being sung ever louder and he dragged a potentially lacklustre opening episode of 'Dan Francisco' up by its Judge boots, so much so that it was my second favourite offering of the issue.

I'm already on record as not being a fan of 'American Reaper' and this episode of talking heads did nothing to change my view. I did however love the latest developments in 'Insurrection' where the chasers become the chased. The moral shifts between what constitutes a 'bad guy' are measured in inches and I just hope future episodes adopt black and white hats for the protagonists to stop me getting confused. No doubt an order for grey pixels is aready in!

All the best

Stephen Watson

Balls.

No. Just, no.

Quote from: James Stacey on 13 May, 2013, 03:54:43 PM
Please don't. My only hope is Tharg can get those incriminating photos of him with the Betelgeuseian ambassadors wife back off Mr Mills.

:lol:

I really liked the backup AR strip. The artwork is stunning! And though the artwork and greyscales for Insurrection still look gorgeous I really did miss the texture that MacNeil incorporates into that strip.

Quote from: stacey on 14 May, 2013, 08:40:06 AM
I really liked the backup AR strip. The artwork is stunning!

There a nice Madmen feel to the whole thing, and with wimmin who aren't all stickthin, now all we need is Anderson to look her age and we may get the rest of 'the other half' of the population reading the Meg along with The Whittle  :D

so again the Meg thread almost reaches a second page with only half a dozen boarders inputting.... ::)

The cover image makes no sense whatsoever, but I think it is a really wonderful piece of design.

Quote from: Proudhuff on 17 May, 2013, 10:28:22 AM
so again the Meg thread almost reaches a second page with only half a dozen boarders inputting.... ::)

I haven't managed to pick up my fix of Sexy Ostriches yet - the cover looks a bit minimalistic especially compared to recent covers. About all I can comment on yet.

'The Streets of Dan Francisco' has been the highlight of the past two issues for me, an overall rock-solid strip.
Will definitely be looking to buy a page or two of the original art from it when the Marshall Droid pops them up on Ebay.

Quote from: stacey on 14 May, 2013, 08:40:06 AM
I really liked the backup AR strip. The artwork is stunning! And though the artwork and greyscales for Insurrection still look gorgeous I really did miss the texture that MacNeil incorporates into that strip.

I miss MacNeil's more textured artwork on Insurrection too.

Didn't Colin say that the technique he used originally was exceedingly time consuming and effectively bankrupting him?

It looked time-consuming. It's just a bit of a pity he didn't realise and switch on episode one.

Quote from: IndigoPrime on 17 May, 2013, 12:23:45 PM
It looked time-consuming. It's just a bit of a pity he didn't realise and switch on episode one.

Yeah, and it would save us the moaning too!  :D

It's understandable if it's time consuming, but it's pretty jarring. If it was a case of another artist coming on board after the opener I would forgive the change more easily. Imagine how weird it'll look when its collected in a trade, especially when the preceding series was done in MacNeil's trademark soft style too.

Changes in style between series happen all the time though. (Think of the America trade for something that's seriously jarring.) Really, though, if this is what an artist needs to do in order to be able to survive, I'm happy to put up with a minor aesthetic jolt.

I think it isn't that jarring, okay side by side it looks very different, but Colin's artwork and storytelling is still epic, I'm just glad its not another half dozen pages of sexy ostriches....

Quote from: Proudhuff on 17 May, 2013, 01:33:11 PM
I think it isn't that jarring, okay side by side it looks very different, but Colin's artwork and storytelling is still epic

Goes without saying.
A Meg with any MacNeill artwork is still better than a Meg without.

Quote from: IndigoPrime on 17 May, 2013, 01:25:31 PM
Changes in style between series happen all the time though. (Think of the America trade for something that's seriously jarring.) Really, though, if this is what an artist needs to do in order to be able to survive, I'm happy to put up with a minor aesthetic jolt.

Hmm, when you put it like that, then i'd have to say fair enough, i can live with the change! But that does not detract from anyway the respect i hold for MacNeil. On the upside you can say the change in style demonstrates perfectly the versatility that he possesses as an artist. And you're right about the American stuff!

I'm happy with both styles for insurrection, but as others have said if they were going to change it then it seems strange to do just the first part in the old style and then change - why not do all of this series in the new style, which would make the change less obvious.

Out of interest, does anyone know how the older style was achieved - were they painted?

That's the kind of question they could have in an Interrogation...   :D

by the way the Floppie in this months was a good un, reminder me of the kind of thing that Cinebooks do.

Hi folks!
Looks like a fair few comments about the shift in style on Insurrection III. Okay, here we go.

I won't go in to details, but the main reason for the change in art style was due to personal life stuff.
I started drawing Insurrection III last year, however it didn't go well. I tried to keep going with the greyscale style from the previous series, however it was impossible. I found myself incapable of rendering with that technique. The decision was taken by me to change style in episode two. It was either that, or the third series would not be coming out in the comic. I think folks would have liked that even less.

It was not an easy decision by any means. I knew it would, and has, disappointed the readers of the Meg. For this I apologise.
However ... I hope people can look beyond the shift, as many have already done judging by the comments, and enjoy the series. I think in some ways it'll be the best of the three. ... story wise anyways. :)

On a final note I have taken the decision to redraw episode one at my own expense for the collected edition, whenever that appears. I may have not had the time to redo it for the monthly Meg, but at least it'll be sorted out and something new to look forward to in the collection.

Anyhoo, hope you all enjoy series three and I'll see all when I see you.


Cheers

Colin

Hi Colin,

No apologies necessary.

I was amazed that you had the time to do the first 2 books in that style at all, and we're fortunate that you sustained it for that long.

It looked incredibly time-consuming, and appreciate the stunning work you continue to produce.

Cheers

Steve

Thanks for taking the time to reply Colin. For me, the new style is still excellent and works well with the story.

@Colin. Thanks for taking the time to reply.

Quote from: Colin MacNeil on 17 May, 2013, 04:25:39 PMI hope people can look beyond the shift, as many have already done judging by the comments, and enjoy the series. I think in some ways it'll be the best of the three. ... story wise anyways. :)

I can see what you might be inferring there, but I'd have to say that I don't believe the current style is somehow inferior to the other one—it's just different. I imagine most people here would agree. (Or at least I hope that's the case.)

QuoteOn a final note I have taken the decision to redraw episode one at my own expense for the collected edition

Blimey! And that, everyone, is what's called going above and beyond.

Wow, being relatively new to the forum I do keep forgetting that creators are reading stuff too.  Thanks for the info Colin.

Agree with IndigoPrime that I have in no way been disappointed with the change in style - I remain consistently impressed with your work and am really enjoying the latest Insurrection.  I think that radiates through what I have seen other people comment also.

It seems that the style change was just something that piqued people's interest and has had a fair few comments on the recent Meg threads.

Quote from: Colin MacNeil on 17 May, 2013, 04:25:39 PM
Hi folks!
Looks like a fair few comments about the shift in style on Insurrection III. Okay, here we go.

I won't go in to details, but the main reason for the change in art style was due to personal life stuff.
I started drawing Insurrection III last year, however it didn't go well. I tried to keep going with the greyscale style from the previous series, however it was impossible. I found myself incapable of rendering with that technique. The decision was taken by me to change style in episode two. It was either that, or the third series would not be coming out in the comic. I think folks would have liked that even less.

It was not an easy decision by any means. I knew it would, and has, disappointed the readers of the Meg. For this I apologise.
However ... I hope people can look beyond the shift, as many have already done judging by the comments, and enjoy the series. I think in some ways it'll be the best of the three. ... story wise anyways. :)

On a final note I have taken the decision to redraw episode one at my own expense for the collected edition, whenever that appears. I may have not had the time to redo it for the monthly Meg, but at least it'll be sorted out and something new to look forward to in the collection.

Anyhoo, hope you all enjoy series three and I'll see all when I see you.


Cheers

Colin

It's mighty nice to hear from you Mr. MacNeil! I'd just like to echo what IndigoPrime has said and thats the recent style for Insurrection III is in no way inferior to your past style or for the start of the new series, but even then it is still magnificent (I was busy reading the latest instalment of Insurrection III before coming on here and I really enjoyed it!). Keep up the excellent work and thank you for taking the time to reply and clarify your decision!  :)

The Reaper File was quite good wasn't it? I thoroughly enjoyed it, even more-so than the actual AR strip itself! Fay Dalton's artwork is simply irresistible.

I love that "hi-ex!" panel in Insurrection.Good prog with Francisco tip top and  a good Dreddy. And Anderson returning.

Quote from: IndigoPrime on 17 May, 2013, 05:27:10 PM
@Colin. Thanks for taking the time to reply.

Quote from: Colin MacNeil on 17 May, 2013, 04:25:39 PMI hope people can look beyond the shift, as many have already done judging by the comments, and enjoy the series. I think in some ways it'll be the best of the three. ... story wise anyways. :)

I'd have to say that I don't believe the current style is somehow inferior to the other one—it's just different. I imagine most people here would agree. (Or at least I hope that's the case.)

QuoteOn a final note I have taken the decision to redraw episode one at my own expense for the collected edition

Blimey! And that, everyone, is what's called going above and beyond.

This  :D

Well, sat down to read the Meg last night and I noticed the following in the editor's letter:

"Those of you formulating your own conspiracy theories about where Dreddlines has gone, don't worry, it hasn't been carted off by the Men in Black - the simple truth is that I haven't had enough letters over the past few months to run a whole page.  So get writing - fill an email with your opinions on the Meg, bang it off to dreddlines@2000ADonline.com and you win a free graphic novel.  Sounds like a bargain to me, creeps!"

That should make Buttonman happy, I'm off to compose an email!

I'd also like to echo the sentiments that Insurrection is still the dogs bollocks- there is no disappointment at all. It's my 'go-to-1st' Meg story. I think most of us would agree that it still looks zarjaz, albeit in a different way- there's room for many styles (except anime) in an anthology and in one artist too. Sounds like you need some butteries to fortify you- I'll bring some Peterheid ones tae the Glasgow Con we can munch them safe in the knowledge that no-one else will touch them with a bargepole

count me in for Butteries DD, perferably with a tattie scone on it, accompanied by a Macaroni Pie and a glass bottle of IB, perfect brekkie  :D

just keep your stovies to yourself  :sick:

I'll bring plenty of 'em- you poor fat-starved Southers- how do you manage?

Weren't we (subscribers) due a Megazine this weekend just gone? Anyone had there's?

Quote from: hippynumber1 on 03 June, 2013, 07:02:27 PM
Weren't we (subscribers) due a Megazine this weekend just gone? Anyone had there's?

It's monthly now not 4 weekly so I think there isn't one due till next week

Yes, but I thought it was 'out' on the first Wednesday of the month - that would be tomorrow, which means subscribers should have had it on Saturday? It seems as though no-one has had it though...

Not sure. The last 3 Meg threads here have been started around the second week of the month

I shall hold off on phoning Denise just yet then...

Quote from: James Stacey on 04 June, 2013, 11:29:00 AM
Not sure. The last 3 Meg threads here have been started around the second week of the month

Yep. Plus, the cover date on Meg 336 is June 18th, so it'll be a week on Saturday before there's another one out.

Quote from: The Cosh on 04 June, 2013, 01:31:19 PM

Quote from: James Stacey on 04 June, 2013, 11:29:00 AM
Not sure. The last 3 Meg threads here have been started around the second week of the month

Yep. Plus, the cover date on Meg 336 is June 18th, so it'll be a week on Saturday before there's another one out.

That explians it, I was a bit miffed on Saturday AM as I half expected it...

Tomorrow!!! :D