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My twopenn'orth of speculation: [spoiler]Harvey's empathy will get out of control and he'll end up trying to free perps he feels sorry for or arrest judges for assaulting people[/spoiler]

"Typical" is a toughie as America is so polarised - maybe a kind of vertical split (like Twoface) with a liberal tree-hugging transgender anti-racist campaigner on one side and a redneck frothing bible-basher on the other?

Of the two main comic shops in Manchester, Travelling Man simply lay out everything on a large table with a snaking going queue around it - you can help yourself to (one copy only) of any title you fancy. They also give out sweeties and encourage kids to dress up. Forbidden Planet is more of a hassle - they tend to get a long queue outside and admit people half a dozen at a time, who get to choose a set number (6 or 8 IIRC) of comics from the titles on offer.

As has been pointed out above, the big corporations simply slap together a few previews and lots of adverts, whilst Tharg produces a quality publication (despite the best efforts of the FCBD people to ban anthologies or large-format comics)- three new strips and a few classic reprints.

People often complain that these freebies aren't officially available elsewhere, but they forget that this event is not about promoting the publications, it's about the retailers getting feet through the door of your local comic shop. Sadly and inevitably, the system is abused by people (and unscrupulous retailers) grabbing large numbers of the best stuff and then sticking them on ebay.

It's a good event for finding things that you would never normally buy - Hip Hop Family Tree was an unexpected highlight for me in recent years.

[THE HANDMAIDEN]

THE HANDMAIDEN
*This movie was actually Mrs. Tips choice; and I did warn her off thinking it might get too dark for her tastes so I could stand proud in the cinema that I wasn't a hot, sweaty pervert.

If you're "standing proud" in the cinema, I'd say you WERE a hot sweaty pervert. Keep it in yer pants, dude!

Bah, no prog - which means Tuesday at the earliest 

Watching Peep Show on Netflix.
Had forgotten just how funny it is.

yeah I recently ploughed through the entire run on my phone at lunchtimes - one of the funniest sitcoms ever.

Season 3 of Better Call Saul is here.

I'm so slow. We started season two the other night. First episode was absolute gold.

You think that's slow? I've got the first 4 seasons of Breaking Bad on DVD, haven't watched a minute. And I've got several seasons of Game of Thrones to catch up on.

a quick google shows a couple of pinball machines on sale at £3,497 and £4,299 - one guy is selling the eagle top piece alone for £400

Ahh ... December 2008 ... that was the month when all the talented regulars who always won it were simultaneously too busy to enter so I scraped a win by default with my ABC warriors nativity scene. *sigh*
No chance of that happening nowadays!

I enjoyed it far more than any SW film since the original trilogy

Why does he have elf ears shaved into his head in that first poster?

As one of the endless distract the drones so they don't realise what poorly paid slavery they are suffering colleague engagement events, we're having an egg-decorating comp

Only one option for me ......

Basically the way I'm seeing it, it doesn't really progress at all, except in some sideways fashion.

That could be a summary of any of Pat Mill's long-running stories! 

Does anyone know if the case files will continue right up to the current 2000AD and Megazine stories eventually?  Also, have they got a new name now - Restricted Casefiles?

The CFs will catch up eventually, but it's going to take quite a few years to get there at the current publication schedule. The Restricted Files are a different thing - whilst the Casefiles collect all the prog and Meg stories, the Restricted files collect all the odds and ends - stories from the annuals, summer specials etc. I can't remember off-hand how much is colour and how much is black and white.

Oh I hate that. I don't want my chips in a plant pot, my pudding on a roof slate or my beer in a jam jar. BUY SOME BLOODY CROCKERY!

means testing is bad enough, this new idea of rape-testing for tax credits is just ludicrous - amongst the many things wrong with it, the law is coming into effect with no training, organisation or clear idea of how it's going to be assessed, and also it may inadvertently put rape victims and civil servants in NI at risk of prosecution

https://www.theguardian.com/law/2017/mar/16/tax-credit-clause-becomes-law-without-parliament-vote
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2017/apr/06/tax-credit-rule-puts-northern-irish-women-in-legal-peril-charities-say