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[Meg 258]

Twice in the Megazine, once as part of the old "Interrogation Cube" series in Meg 214 and more recently a full interrogation in Meg 258

Timely

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Unbelievably, a story concerning Steve Dillon and Tom Frame involved alcohol. Well done bringing truth to light after all these years, and thanks very much for sharing.

Didn't expect this kind of recognition in traditional media, but I suppose a TV show goes a long way towards legitimation. One of Steve's relatives pointed out he was trending on social media last night:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-37743510

[17]

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I think of Dillon as a 2000ad artist, but these are a fantastic reminder of how highly he was thought of in the wider world. Contrast the familiar scratchy kid drawing of his first fanzine cover* with his accomplished professional debut on Nick Fury just a year later.

He was the finished article at 17:

http://downthetubes.net/?p=34624

http://www.bleedingcool.com/2016/10/22/comics-people-remember-steve-dillon/



* in which, Dillon appears to invent skysurfing

Rest easy, Shark. The context specific use of me-feiner suggests The Tord is sharing his l'esprit d'escalier version of an exchange on the comment section of an Irish Sunday newspaper.

He was a mainstay of golden era 2000AD clearly benefitting everyone by his ability to knock out a strip in double quick time while still maintaining a very high standard. Even rushed Dillon was a treat

In some respects, it was even better. Dillon's fabled last minute redraw of City Of The Damned, reproduced as a side-by-side comparison in 2000ad prog 610, which is probably when most of learned of his legendary turn of speed:


Introduction:  http://i.imgur.com/bCV3LWo.png

page(s) three: http://i.imgur.com/2G4997y.png

page(s) four: http://i.imgur.com/C4ccdxm.png

page(s) five: http://i.imgur.com/DdWRx3j.png

page(s) six: http://i.imgur.com/UASd9ml.png

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Maybe, but I'm not sure how many of us could pick this bad hombre out of a line-up without Reverse Google's help:

[the very best]

Steve could elevate even terrible scripts into something memorable.

Dillon ranks among the very best artists to work for Tharg, but his non-Dredd work is notable for the unremarkable-to-awful nature of the material. By far his largest body of work outside Megacity One is Geller-era Rogue Trooper (42), followed by Harlem Heroes (28), and Mean Arena (19).

Whatever extent I enjoyed those strips is entirely due to Dillon's confident line and assured storytelling. It's remarkable that there isn't the equivalent of a Halo Jones or a Bad Company in there, to rival Preacher as his signature original creation.


* He drew 58 Dredds, with his best, Cry Of The Werewolf, accounting for the largest page count (7). Dillon's final Dredd arc, The Emerald Isle, is next (6), with Alabammy Blimps and Nightmares sharing the third place spot with 5 each. When it came to Dredd, Dillon only produced gold: http://www.2000ad.org/?zone=droid&page=thrills&Comic=2000AD&Field=Artist&choice=steved

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Now Reynolds is making the creative decisions, this project will benefit from the same surefire touch that has characterised his career to date.

Superb, eye catching cover from Harrison

It's a contender* - I'm not sure if that's despite or because of this cover being a fancy, digital version of the last page of the previous week's instalment.

Covers are meant to tell you what to expect inside the comic, and I always like reading old Best Of 2000ad Monthlies where Carlos takes a full page to redraw the cliffhanger of the preceding week's story as an introductory splash, so I'm going to go with YAY!


* I hope, like Santa, Pete Wells is already making up his list of which artists have been naughty and/or nice.

Han's the fun guy who comes in, introduces a bit of chaos, and lightens the mood ... everybody has to die, but Han Solo would find a way to make that fun and exciting too

... if we enforced those narrative confines of 'function' on (Judge Dredd), we wouldn't have The Dead Man/Tale of The Dead Man/Necropolis

Those stories were fun and exciting. Like Han Solo.

What was the point of all the subterfuge last week, keeping Anderson's presence a secret, if Dredd's just going to run around screaming her name this week

That was really more for our benefit, wasn't it. I'm not sure she's so famous (or distinctive) some Sov CCTV operator would recognise her and immediately intuit what the team were up to.

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As a kid, some artists grab your attention with surface flash. Some artists grow in your estimation, as you learn to appreciate the importance of storytelling and draughtsmanship.

Dillon was one of the few artists I loved from day one, and only grew to value more as my understanding of the craft of comics developed. He was the complete artist; his journey from Hulk to The Meat Lady testifies he really could draw anything, brilliantly.

He changed comics too. If not for Dillon and Brett Ewins's enterprise in founding Deadline, Hewlett, Bond, and our own resident genius, D'Israeli, may never have graced the comic page.

At the end, Han is stripped of all bluster and guile, he's betrayed to his death by love while trying to fix his mistakes

Yeah, but none of that was fun or exciting*. Han Solo's fun and exciting.

Hopefully the Solo film will be fun Han exciting, like Raiders Of The Lost Ark and the bits of Butch Cassidy where they aren't cornered by Bolivian federales.


* We agree it worked dramatically, and I welled up as soon as Han headed onto that generic Star Wars walkway, but I would have got a bit teary if Han Solo ignored his doctor's advice about reducing his sodium intake, or died because he bought a Samsung phone.

'Amoral smuggler?' You mean Entrepreneur. Looks very good so far and I must admit I'm looking forward to see how Han met Chewbacca.

If you want to bet against them initially being rivals, who are forced to work together to defeat a common foe, I'm happy to take your money.

Like TordelBack, I enjoyed seeing Ford reprise the role of Han Solo (mainly his interaction with Chewie), it's just that for a lot of TFA he isn't playing Han Solo. As correctly stated, he's playing Ben Kenobi.

That's not why or how Han Solo dies; everybody has to die, but Han Solo would find a way to make that fun and exciting too*.

The death of Ford's character works dramatically in the context of the film's garbled back story, but it's not the death of the guy who blasted Greedo, the comms panel of HMP Death Star, and Darth Vader's TIE fighter because he got bored and thought it would make the film more exciting.


* Hell, Randy Quaid's death in Independence Day does a better job of being dramatically significant, consistent with the established character, and great fun. I can't believe I'm arguing that anything about Independence Day is better than Star Wars. I can't believe I'm arguing anything about Independence Day is any good ...