Messages

Cover: Nice and atmospheric. I agree with previous poster's comments about the eyes though. Kind of like the guys in that big mecha suit story last year. (I forget the name... the one with extra-dimensional aliens that looked suspiciously like dinosaurs.) Is this the same artist?

Detonator X

Thank you. I didn't like that story very much (Detonator X, not Red Seas) although it had some good ideas.

Maximus tells his archers to "FIRE!"

Since Maximus would actually have been speaking in Latin, you could put that one down to an effect of translating the dialogue into 20th century English.

It should really be "LAUNCH" or "SHOOT" etc, but yeah, you're right. With the modern use of the word most people wouldn't have a problem with it.

Just me (and it's not a bigee really.)

Looks interesting, but they seem to be developing the humanoid cylons too early. At least that's the impression I got with the girl "I know I'm not a person but I think like one."

Ok, so just because the majority of cylons that fight in the first war are mechanical doesn't mean they all necesarily were... but it still seems a bit of a contradiction when you consider the shock and surprise on finding out "They look like us now!" in BSG.

Oh... and I saw a booby too.



Ok, that girl could be a one off (a predecessor of the final five maybe?) but...

Oh well, we'll see how it turns out.
Very much looking forward to the next half of the last series. (Why didn't they just class it as 2 short series and be done with it what with the strike and all.) I had to catch the last one online, not having sky 1, but I enjoyed it a lot.

Cover: Nice and atmospheric. I agree with previous poster's comments about the eyes though. Kind of like the guys in that big mecha suit story last year. (I forget the name... the one with extra-dimensional aliens that looked suspiciously like dinosaurs.) Is this the same artist?

Dredd-  Nice continuation. Pretty basic, but actiony and solid.

Red Seas-  Again pretty good. Nice to see character's thoughts on the fact that adventure comes with a heavy price. And more of the viking revenants!

ABC Warriors:  I admit I was a bit reticent about another flash-back... but I admit I'm rather drawn to the history of Steelhorn. And after the "Yadda-yadda" of last week (compensated with bit beautiful splash pages to be fair) we've actually got a bit of mystery. [spoiler]Well, ok, not much mystery as Steelhorn finds out what happens pretty quickly on checking out his emotional memory (eh? What?) but it's very interesting stuff all the same. And again, beautiful art.[/spoiler]

Stalag 666:  More prison stuff, stuff that could easily be translated to a world war 2 drama.... yet I like it. I really do. [spoiler]That christian snake is overly trusting (or issssss he jusssssst very thick?) but I like the 3 dimensional depiction of the aliens.[/spoiler] I.e. alien reptilian, doesn't necessarily = evil coldblooded monster.)

Lobster Random:  I'm really enjoying this strip! (Although the mechaphilia is wrong... albeit highly amusing.)

Lobster Random - Had me giggling away as usual. Good to see returning characters but what happened with Bliss?

[spoiler]She somehow got to her own ship (we don't see how, it happened off-panel between episodes) and she makes an interstellar jump in panel 3... i.e. she's not sticking around. Likely thinks Lob intentionally abandoned her. I'm assuming the blue thing she's flying into is a hyperspace jump point or some kind of wormhole. A portal in space-time of some kind opened by the ship certainly. (I'm up on my Bablylon 5 and Star trek aren't I? How sad. )[/spoiler]

I'd just subscribe innaccuracies with real history down to the old 'it's another world' thing. Mind you, that's not to say it doesn't bug me from time to time (it's good to get history accurate if possible. Apart from the added fiction of course!)

One thing that bugged me in Gladiator was the bit at the start where Maximus tells his archers to "FIRE!"

You don't fire arrows. 'Fire' is a term that came with the advent of gunpowder. You can shoot arrows, or loose them. But don't fire.

Mind you, I'm aware it's not exactly common knowledge, so my irritation is rather silly. I didn't know the term was inaccurate until I read one of Bernard Cornwell's books (Harelquin I believe) and it's probably in hindsight that it bugged me.

Looked pretty good. Not keen on the song at the end, but apart from that. Tarantino actually looked the part I reckon, (but I don't dislike him so I'm biased.)

Damnit I cant get into Red Seas as much as I want to. Seems to be universally loved so I should be digging it but can't quite 'get it'. Probably just cos I havent read past installments. I was looking at the Red Seas TPB thats out and thinking about treating myself. That volume contains episodes up to prog 1413 or 1414 or so - is that all of the stories before the Werewolf one (first one I read) or was there more in between there and prog 1500?

There was a WW2 one before this. I get the impression it's out of continuity though so shouldn't affect your reading.

That wasn't Meridien Bless getting killed in that panel was it???

If she did it happened off-panel. We see bullets impact the doorway near her and she screams and dashes away (after calling Lob a 'bastoid'.) I'm thinking we'll see more of Ms Bless.

You were probably thinking of the Dead Man story when it was Yassa, rather than Dredd who had his eyes destroyed by a rather nasty Sister of Death.

That's probably it.
I haven't read either of those eye-popping (so to speak) stories, I just remember having read about it on this site somewhere.

So I was way off...

Wonder why  I confused the instance with the Sisters of death?

Oh well. Thanks for the fill-in.

I'd say it's a helmet facilty as Wagner doesn't pay heed to the continuity of Dredd scripts written by others, and doesn't incoporate them into his own; both stories may have been written simultaneously so he may not have read the story himself til it came out.

Whether or not Mr Wagner's read about the recent upgrade, haven't Dredd's bionics always been able to do this? I recall when he first got them he listed all the things they could do(including night vision) before concluding " don't know why I didn't have them done years ago".

I haven't read the story where he first got the eye upgrade [spoiler](although I have a vague idea it was around the time a trio of undead women with necromancy powers from Death's dimension plagued the city. That or I'm getting two completely different storylines mixed up... this is all second hand, please  understand...[/spoiler]

I had an idea the implants just simulated ordinary eyeballs, so that's interesting.

This is probably a dumb question but,

Does it have to be how we think they will end, would like them to end, or can it just be a humorous take, or anything as long as it features a character dying? (I'm assuming it's the last.)

Are they ever 6? I'd like to know because I've written a few myself. I have difficulty keeping to the 5 pages and the sixth page would certainly ease things a lot.

The old submissions info always stated 5 pages though.

Thanks for that Jimbo. [spoiler]So he's even more invincible now than he was already? I remember him described as such in the first stories... despite the pesky melting down like...[/spoiler]

Oh, something else in Stalag 666 which made me smile [spoiler]a Christian Snake![/spoiler]

Made me smile that did. I'm glad the writer is taking a 3 dimensional view of the aliens though, rather than just going down the 'weird and ugly'=evil route.

Yes! Mine came today too.

Cover- Loverly. Well, ok, he isn't, but the picture is. If you follow me.

Dredd:  Good continuation as ever. That part where Dredd zooms in, is it the 'eye upgrade' he received last week? Or do Judges visors have that capability? (I'm thinking it's the former, as I think I remember a judge using binoculars (or futuristic equivalent) in the past.

Red Seas:  Great gags. A bit undecided about this script (mainly as I'm rather new to it.) but so far it's very intriguing.

ABC Warriors:  Lovely, lovely art. I'd have preferred a bit less of the splash pages and more story progression though. I was hoping that we'd see some more of the present day thread too rather than another flashback. Not that their history isn't interesting, it's just we've had those tales since I started buying 2000 AD last year.  I'm curious about Steelhorn though. In the GN I borrowed a while back (the Meknificent Seven I believe it was) he was turned into liquid goo, and in the present he's a big bot again. Curious how that turns up. And has a hammer always been iconic for him? I always figured that was mainly the leader's domain.

Stalag 666:  Still early days. [spoiler]New guy is a bit of a swine isn't he?[/spoiler] Rather cliche ridden, but I quite like it just the same.

Lobster Random:  My first stint with this character outside of the Vort. So far I like it. Robot stuff is just wrong... but very amusing [spoiler]"How dare you!"[/spoiler] Interesting how different Merridien looks with different artist. (Thats not a criticism of either, I'm just fascinated by how different artists depict certain characters. Dredd included.) Interesting they included a clip of D'Raeli art in this strip too... yet in such a way it didn't clash with the main art at all, despite the different style.

Oh, interesting bare buttocked warrior woman on the back of cover. I've seen her a lot in Abbadon advertisements lately (and twice in this issue.) I'm sure that's how every warrior woman would wish to be clad. (Not really.)

Oh, I wasn't necessarily  saying that Anderson is the way to go. Just that if such a decision was taken, it needn't be viewed as an indirect way of introducing people to Dredd.

As to whether or not people would be more likely to back a Dredd film, again, I suppose it depends on how much the film has turned people off. I.e. Dredd is better known, but that considering the association, that might not be a good thing. A sci fi show with a completely different character might spark interest.. (but then again, it might not as you say.)