Messages

Well I don't know the bloke BUT based on that picture alone he looks very wrong. Even for Kyle. Still we'll see.

Yeah I noticed how much tidying was going on by someone. So take a bow that mysterious masked fighter of spam.

Mind that said there's a couple of threads I've started that only spam has replied to. I was becoming quite attached to it!

Yeah, it's very much Shane (also an excellent novella by Jack Schaefer, incidentally).  One of the very best SD stories on all levels - the series' last great high for me.  Johnny's personna is just so perfectly drawn, and the frog-lady is disturbingly attractive to boot.

Yeah its a great book. One of those rare books I was made to read at school and went back too cos I enjoyed it so much (see 1984, Animal Farm and Of Mice and Men)

As I recall - and I haven't read it for a while, there's a lot of 'Shane' in there and from that probably the Clint Eastwood re-working of Shane 'Pale Rider' I think it was Pale Rider and not High Plains Drifter I always get those two mixed up!

Dragging us all back to the text piece Bouwel kindly scanned and upped, is that Simon Coleby on art?  He still holds the Tordelback Prize for Most Improved Style Ever, you know.

Defo Simon Coleby.

As for all this Phase III bashing I'm very surprised. I read it again recently (along with the first two phases, not got to Phase IV yet) and have to say for me its by far the best. That's not taking anything away form those first two phases which are also brillant but Phase III is possibly by single favourite story in 2000ad ever, possibly therefore in comics. Ok I should add to that I'm a massive fan of DC comics and love all that Crisis nonsense so it might be little surprise in that context. For me Phase III is the best superhero story Marvel and DC should have done. Its has a million brillant idea's, still retains numerous glorious character moments, some brillant typical 2000ad humour and is gutting wrenchingly exciting with a pace that never lets up AND Steve Yeowell's art is at its... sorry about this... zenith. I for one absolutely love it. Its survived countless re-reads over the years and never lost any of its thrill.

The point has already been raised but the big annual prog doesn't feel the same as the old Specials (and I'm not refering to age of Terry Hall there) or Annuals. Its more like a giant launch Prog. They're very good and all but just different.

Often the 90s specials were themed and so maybe they could be themed to try to tap into potential new readers. So maybe a Manga Special with 2000ad characters done with Manga stylings (much as I hate the idea, might attract different readers). An Old Skool special with work by accessible classic arts on older strips to type into the nostalgia market and I'm sure they're many more others could think of.

[TOMAS DE TORQUEMADA]

I fear for the result of this tournament. I'm pretty certain though that all of you who have voted for Ro-Jaws will surely be allowed to recast you're votes and vote for TOMAS DE TORQUEMADA like me when you all remember he is truely one of the greatest comicbook villians ever and one of the greatest in any media at anytime.

So just to make it clear I'm voting for

TOMAS DE TORQUEMADA

Yeah the walking on glass thing was a bit jarring. That and the repeated typing were so obivious as references that I've kinda decided that they must have been intentional. Millar emphasizing the atmospheric movie qualities of the script, which were certainly supported by the glorious art.

If you're looking bits to have a go at, the think that bugged me was the fact that the repeated typing formed a great (if derivative) cliff hanger at the end of the first part BUT then weren't referenced in the second. Annoying but for me certainly didn't take away too much from a great story.

JOE PINEAPPLES

TOMAS DE TORQUEMADA

Just started going through and re-reading a load of stuff from the 700s and the first really great but oft forgotten story is Millar's Silo.

Now I know Mark Millar has a bit of a rubbish reputation amongst many 2000ad fans (and having also re-read the re-worked Robo-hunter I can see why!) but this really is a bit of a hidden gem. Ok so there are a few obivoius movie steels, which are so obivious they could very well be tributes, but overall a really scarey, atmospheric little self contained story. Loved it.

A large part of this might be the Dave D'Antiques which is glorious and also one of the contributing factors to making Brigand Doom, well at least the first story so good. Really enjoyed this one to. Ok so it felt a little derivative of V for Vendetta but still a great little story.

So what on earth happened to Dave D'Antiques? I know he did a few more Brigand Doom stories but this fella was a talent and as far as I can remember didn't do much else in 2000ad certainly?

Interesting to note (well to me at least!) that all of this 'lead' characters with the exception of Charley Bourne are out already. No Nemesis, no Slaine no Savage.

CHARLIE BOURNE

OLD ONE EYE

RICO DREDD

TOMAS DE TORQUEMADA

[JOE PINEAPPLES]

JOE PINEAPPLES VS SLOUGH FEG

BLACKBLOOD VS RO-JAWS

BILL SAVAGE VS MEK-QUAKE

RICO DREDD VS HOWARD QUARTZ

UKKO VS DR. FEELY GOOD

CHARLIE BOURNE VS SLAINE MAC ROTH

OLD ONE EYE VS HOOKJAW

Now the fact that the next one came up so early just sucks. That said I guess while I love Nemesis and he's one of my favourite comic book characters ever is just about topped by the fact that Tomas dT is my favourite (well possibly second favourite) villian of all time anywhere any medium. So ...

NEMESIS THE WARLOCK VS TOMAS DE TORQUEMADA

There's no real sense of climax to the film. I suppose that's just how history played out, and perhaps they didn't want to embellish it.

Wow since when did Hollywood start letting history interfere with making an 'exciting' film?

Still gives me encouragement that it might be worth watching?

I quite like Greysuit

-Bouwel-

Yeah I enjoy it too and often wonder why it gets the flack it does. Sometimes its all a bit meladramatic in a "Oh my gosh look how badly he broke his jawwwww YUCK" kind of way but still a fun read. Better than Defoe by a country mile. Still each to their own.