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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CWtuKm6C1Sw

The sci-fi press at the time was so far up JMS' arsehole that he often let slip what was really going on behind the scenes: B5 got five seasons because Warner Brothers wanted their own Trek franchise, and were willing to ignore pretty bad ratings to get the minimum amount of episodes they needed.  Once they had the minimum, though, they didn't give a toss about B5, wanting to move immediately into making a spaceship-based show (Crusade) to challenge Trek directly.  There's an episode of Crusade where the spaceship is fucked in the ass by a passing space octopus.  Says it all, really.

No offence but that's more personal opinion than any real fact.  JMS had to fight with Warners from the end of season two onwards to get it renewed, they didn't do so in the way you seem to think.  Also for its final year Warner didn't renew it and the TNT network took over.  They also commissioned Crusade which had so much network interference it became something completely different than what he wanted, so JMS threw the head up and said he wasn't continuing (which I admire him for I have to say), so TNT cancelled it.

I understand you're not a fan, but to say those things about the press isn't fair.  It deserved the press it got, and no it didn't have great figures to start with but they grew, though being influential to writers/creators etc isn't exclusive to shows with good ratings.  And it's been documented countless times in the press, and by industry insiders, creators etc. how B5 was so influential.  I never (way before B5) liked Star Trek, Star Wars, The X-Files etc etc but I wouldn't begrudge them their press (I'm sure they deserve it) or the fact they were influential, they just weren't for me.

DS9 also wouldn't exist without B5.  JMS went to Paramount first to pitch B5, thinking that since they'd the experience they'd be best suited to make the thing.  They famously held on to his treatment for as long as possible, keeping the option until the final day they could (6 months I believe) and then turned it down.  A very little amount of time later they announced DS9.  They'd taken that treatment and created their own show, ensuring to keep the option until the deadline so they could get to screen first.

[Judge Dredd]

I rather enjoyed this issue for the most part, though it's not helped by two glaring negatives - Reaper and yet again chopping up Harlem Heroes.

Judge Dredd: I actually went back and reread all the previous chapters before settling down to this and it really does flow so well.  A brilliant climax, and what I took away from that last panel was Deller pulling off Dredd's grimace, possibly thinking about posing as him as part of his revenge in the same way he posed as DeGuerre's son.

Black Museum: I loved this!  I'm still quite new to the whole 2000AD world and this is only my second Black Museum strip.  There's a very definite Tales From The Crypt feel to them which I love, so please do more of these soon.  Great story here, really grabs you which is a feat considering it's a one-off.

Anderson: Too short.  Far too short.  Two parts is not enough here.  Emma Beeby is superb for Anderson (her Thrillcasts were great too by the way, complete with hints that [spoiler]Flowers could return[/spoiler]) and I loved the expressive artwork but I wished it had been a lot longer.  Hopefully we'll see her back writing for a longer Anderson in either comic soon.

Prose Story: Really enjoyed this too.  A quick hit indeed but a really enjoyable short story.

Interrogation: I don't understand why people skip these automatically, surely they're one of the things which set this apart from the 2000AD comic and make it a Megazine?  This one was interesting too, to see an artist who has been working so long in the industry be so self-deprecating.

Floppy: The floppy hasn't grabbed me yet and I'm about halfway through and struggling to want to finish it, but what does annoy me is this unnecessary stretching out of the Harlem Heroes story.  I was really enjoying it and a third volume could've wrapped it all up, but giving us just a few episodes a month in order to fill space is very, very annoying.  All momentum is now gone from the first two volumes.

Reaper:  What?   What?  Eh?  What?  I'm not a fan I have to say (it feels like a 90s photo story when those things were the "in" thing to do) and seems to take ten pages to tell what any other strip would tell in two.  But this last part was just.... what?  Another dimension?  It just felt tacked on, no need for this additional two-parter, it should've ended a couple of months ago when he got his daughter back.  (I'll admit I wasn't gripped by it but the final two parts of the story were entertaining and interesting... should've quit while ahead.)

Looking forward to the new look etc, Pye's swan song and all that.

I have to say, as a 37 year old man who grew up with the Thunderbirds revival in the 90s, that the new show is tops.  I love the model work, it's just sublime and the fact the show is delving deeper into the characters of the Tracy family and there's some arcs there.  All good.  But it does need to be longer, or at least have multiple part stories, the tension is gone, replaced by action.  All fine for today's kids though and it's certainly head and shoulders above the usual TV tripe for kids these days.

Don't let the scheduling be an indicator though.  ITV have had a major backlash from older viewers who, rightfully, say ITV have finally found their Saturday teatime show they've been looking for ever since DW came back (and they showed the 45 minute premiere episode in this timeslot) to only then bury it on ITV (not just CITV mind you) at 8am every Saturday morning.  The last one of this run was shown on Sunday there at teatime so maybe they're trying it out.  It's great fun and I actually get up to watch it - a great excuse not to lie in, even though I have Sky Plus.  It's a bit of an event

Growing up my main TV treats were things like Knight Rider and A-Team and it'd be nice to have some good family-orientated action shows again but the vogue thing these days is to go dark and have previous family shows go all dark and moody.  While that's worked a treat in some cases such as the much more adult Battlestar, it's getting tiresome now.  There's a place for it, don't get me wrong, but where's all the lighter fun stuff?

For me the turning point in really good quality TV was in the 90s with Babylon 5.  TV leapt on from there, with story arcs (although not many are very well planned it has to be said {{cough}}Lost{{cough}}), proper character development etc.  For a show which also didn't pander to non-SF types it also attracted a lot of non-SF fans.  Just shows that pandering to a crowd won't always get you the results you want.  B5 was honest in its pure SF storytelling and it paid off, there were loads (my mum included!!) who really got into it who weren't fans of SF beforehand.  Good quality TV shines no matter the genre.

So yes I've seen TV evolve and the nostalgia is there for the 80s (I'm working through Knight Rider at the mo actually) and B5 was a turning point.  There's some great telly these days but I'd like to see more of a balance - let's have the big deep shows, but let's bring back more of the fun elements too, especially to family viewing.  Knight Rider, Airwolf and A-Team were all lighter shows my family would all watch together, B5 was an example of a deeper one which worked the same way too, and today there's those like NCIS in all its incarnations (probably the best example of the balance I'm talking about) which continue to have us watching together whenever we get the chance.  But we need more shows like that.

(Completely agree about DW though, I got tired of waiting for it to become good again so have now just stopped.)

Cheers thanks!  Just needed to know so I don't miss out.  Thanks GordonR!

Hey all, I only subscribed back in September and this year's Sci-Fi Special is due soon.  Can anyone tell me if it's part of the subscription, as in does it arrive automatically?  If so is it charged to the next bill or does it charge at some other random point separately?  I've just had a bill and it's the normal amount.

Or do I just nip to the shop and grab it?

I'll be there, having missed out on the last two.  Looking forward to it.  But what happened to the change of venue?

Thought I'd share some of the other 2000AD-related spoofs in Oink! but first up I completely forgot about this ad which appeared in the comic during its run.  Talk about feeling old!



In fact I've noticed I've included scans associated with the Prog a few times so instead of clogging up this thread with them I've added a label now on the blog tagging all the posts.  There's the one including the ad above (and other 80s comics ads), the Judge Pigg one at the start of this thread... and also Oink!'s own look at the year 2000AD and Psycho Gran's cut-out doll complete with a certain law keeper's costume for her. 

There's at least one more to come next month but here's the lot of them so far: http://the-oink-blog.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/2000AD

I have always loved the Muppets, so I'm really looking forward to this.

What always gets me about them is they're so well done - the puppeteering is seamless, they all have such great individual characters - that it seems someone has truly breathed life into the inanimate. It's timeless stuff.

How true.  I've heard countless people say when they're working with them, even though there's a multitude of people underneath the camera's POV, the guests/actors still feel like the puppet is alive and talking to them.  Really can't wait for this new series, but like I said I hope it's not a Disney Channel exclusive over here.

[Muppets]

I think the time of the Muppets have passed......

I think the majority would disagree   The movies recently have been huge successes, so much so this new series has been planned.  Though I didn't watch Muppets Most Wanted (I can't stand Ricky Gervais) their first of the new movies was fantastic, just the right amount of nostalgia while appealing to a new, younger audience.  I don't see them trying hard to change their sense of humour to match any modern trends, their own humour is timeless and they've kept that going so far - bit of a risk, but it's paid off thankfully.

Last night's was simply superb!  Gordon and Penguin were, as always, superb and the ending for the latter was excellent. I love both actors, they're showing a lot of range and as has been mentioned before the Penguin's character is a really complex mix in this show, so kudos to the actor.  It was also a fantastic episode for Edward Nigma.  I've enjoyed him so far in the show but we haven't seen a lot of depth.  I won't ruin it for anyone yet to watch but his final scene was superb and I really believe we're going to see this actor stretch himself now and develop in much the same was as Penguin.  Superb stuff and makes me eager for season two!

I wouldn't worry, The Muppets have been a huge hit with the kids these days while also entertaining the adults.  I'd say this means a proper family show shown in primetime rather than in a children's slot like the originals.  Disney aren't going to wreck their success with half their audience, and I'd say most adults wouldn't want it changing in that regard too. Any word on a UK broadcaster?  Hopefully one available to all and not the Disney Channel.

    Very good.

I can't wait, Titanic is already my favourite place in the country, and they've also had some amazing events there and not just Titanic-themed ones.  Their Lego event was stunning.  They know how to put on a good show, so I've every faith this will be as amazing as it sounds!

[Ever wanted to come face to face with some of the biggest Robot stars of the big screen?!Our exciting summer exhibition ROBOTS will give you the opportunity to do just that!Robots will be taking over Titanic Belfast from 26th June - 13th September with a collection of robots, cyborgs and androids from some of the most popular films and TV series..we've something for wee kids and big kids too!If it is the good guys that you like, come along and meet stars from Star Trek, Red Dwarf and Robby the Robot from Forbidden Planet. Film fans will also recognise the B9 robot from Lost in Space, Iron Man and the cyborg RoboCop amongst others.Or if you prefer the darker side of things, come along and see ABC robot from Judge Dredd, a Sontaran from Doctor Who and T-800 from Terminator 2 are awaiting your visit!With over 50 pieces on display including firm favourites R2D2, a Battle Droid, as well as stars such as Sonny from the film I, Robot and Michael Jackson's bust from Moonwalker – robot fans will be spoilt for choice!Enter into our world of Robots from 10am - 7pm daily for an experience to remember!Adult: £6Child (5-16): £3Family (2A,2C): £16]

http://www.titanicbelfast.com/robots (inc. I'm assuming the robot from the Judge Dredd 90s movie, hence why I'm not posting this in off-topic)



Here's the information from the link:

Ever wanted to come face to face with some of the biggest Robot stars of the big screen?!

Our exciting summer exhibition ROBOTS will give you the opportunity to do just that!

Robots will be taking over Titanic Belfast from 26th June - 13th September with a collection of robots, cyborgs and androids from some of the most popular films and TV series..we've something for wee kids and big kids too!

If it is the good guys that you like, come along and meet stars from Star Trek, Red Dwarf and Robby the Robot from Forbidden Planet. Film fans will also recognise the B9 robot from Lost in Space, Iron Man and the cyborg RoboCop amongst others.

Or if you prefer the darker side of things, come along and see ABC robot from Judge Dredd, a Sontaran from Doctor Who and T-800 from Terminator 2 are awaiting your visit!

With over 50 pieces on display including firm favourites R2D2, a Battle Droid, as well as stars such as Sonny from the film I, Robot and Michael Jackson's bust from Moonwalker – robot fans will be spoilt for choice!

Enter into our world of Robots from 10am - 7pm daily for an experience to remember!

Adult: £6
Child (5-16): £3
Family (2A,2C): £16

Who's with me?

At least something good has come of the whole sorry mess.  He'll probably be back, but I'll enjoy a break from seeing his smug, bigoted face everywhere I look.

This is a quote from the Euronews website:

FARAGE QUITS... FOR NOW

Nigel Farage has resigned as leader of anti-EU party UKIP after failing in his bid to be elected as an MP.

He adds however that he may stand again as the party's leader in September.

Hope that's clear.

So basically I'm reading that as he hasn't resigned but can't lose (more) face after making the promise.

Was Farage not meant to leave the party if he lost his seat?

Voting reform... pfft, like the DUP here in Northern Ireland what that means is "let's fix it so we can win".  The DUP formed a pact with another so-called "Unionist" party (read - sectarian party) so that they'd only field one candidate in two key areas they lost out on last time to more moderate and forward-thinking ones.  This meant they'd get two party's worth of voters voting for their candidate.  Even then they didn't win by a huge majority., but they still did and are celebrating today.  Sickening.