Messages

I would have to agree.  On one level it is not much of a coherent storyline.  Probably what does set it apart is that it provided an opportunity for Bolland and McMahon to just let rip artistically.  There are so many iconic moments in the tale from a visual point of view.  The same holds for Judge Child Quest. Also for the Luna-1 stories.

There's much to be said for the first few years of Dredd really not fully finding its feet as the full potential for the strip was explored.  Even the first Judge Death story is imperfect, as much as it is lauded.  It introduced a character that has often proven difficult to handle effectively. 

I would say that the run up to the Apocalypse War was potentially the real point at which it found its feet properly.  As Jim says, the moral complexities of Dredd as a character, the Judge system itself and life in Mega City 1 really start to become more effectively explored.  I think that is why I've always rated "Alone In a Crowd" so highly.  For a one off it showcases so many of these issues in a powerful way.  The fact that it was Dillon at the top of his game (to me, anyway) is another bonus.

... and the defence rests ...

time travel has been absent from the Rogue universe, despite being quite happy to chew its way through SF tropes,

There was the "Timeslip" story from Argos 348-9.  Admittedly a fairly forgettable little tale considering everything else it was stacked up against at the time. Actually more of a drug-induced trip than a time-trip but still ...

Wonder if I should get myself tested, it surely isn't normal to experience such sudden, frequent, and violent shifts in mood.

Well, as someone with a diagnosis for BPD(EU), I'd be tempted to say "yes, it is."  Also a little frightening when it happens, so I feel for you.

I can't offer any advice.  All I can say is that I've tried to focus on the fact that these swings often have no discernible apparent cause but are temporary.  This means letting go of any possible 'trigger' and just accepting them for what they are as well as that whatever it is will change soon enough. 

This is half-inched from Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (a version of CBT aimed at individuals with a BPD diagnosis), a method called "radical acceptance."  As a rule it tends to work, in fact I'm having to employ it this week off the back of one of these swings.

BTW: you're not even close to being the "most loathsome sack of wasted cum on the planet."  I can think of plenty of contenders for that accolade. 

If we were to merely limit ourselves to the UK then we could go with Johnson, Braverman, Hunt, Gove, Rees-Mogg, Farage or that muppet from that pub with the gollywog toys and a casual dress sense that extends to far-right-group-wear ... Are you in that league?  I think not!

[Mind Wars]

Redondo on fine form as an artist.  I'd rate it as second to his run on Mind Wars of Starlord fame but then I've always been a little biased towards that tome.  All his hallmark spaceship styles on show. 

For a "one-and-done" of its era it is probably one of the stronger ones but it does feel a little dated by modern standards.  Pretty well paced with an interesting array of characters.  Fortunately it is of a time when Tooth was starting to wake up to the changing sensibilities of its readership.  Although there is still an element of 'juvenilia' about it as a story in what was ostensibly a "kids comic", there is also a growing maturity to it.

It might suffer from comparisons with the likes of Mazeworld and Kingdom for that reason.  That is a little unfair in some respects.  If you enjoy your SciFi with loads of bizarre creatures, galaxy-spanning plots and a dash of fantasy though, you can't go wrong.

If you enjoyed Mark Millar's Robo-Hunter run, I'm afraid there's nothing we can do for you ... 

Legislation is law.

See I don't think Dredd standing between two Citi-blocks shouting "I AM THE LEGISLATION!!!!!" carries the same ring personally ...

Comic shops are unfortunately unlikely to be particularly interested in them.  If they offer you anything at all it would be a pittance.  Little surprised that charity shops have turned their noses up at them.  There seems to be a a real snobbery around Tooth at times, possibly down to the ubiquity of British comics once upon a time.

TroutMark books down in Cardiff put up a similar batch about a year or so ago and they are now down to the dregs. Unless copies are in dire condition most places seem to be able to shift them over time.

In some respects the runs you seem to be talking about might net you a decent-ish return on your time investment on eBay provided you're willing to be patient.  There is still reasonable demand for stuff from the last decade or so.

I'd say your best bet would be to bundle them up.  That seems to attract more interest at times than single issues. Depending on roughly how many issues you've got you might find that you do net a bit more than the £50 you think you'll get.   

Would also have to say, if you enjoyed Talbot's run on Nemesis you may want to check out Luther Arkwright (if you haven't already done so).  Amazing stuff.

... and now having corrected the original lapse of not reading the Milligan Dare run, what to say?

On the art front, leaving aside the slightly cartoony feel of the Mekon in particular, it does work pretty well.  There is a strong sense of energy, consistency of characterisation and physical form.  Probably it is always going to be hard to be blown away after nearly half a century of some of the amazing artists to grace the pages of tooth but there is a lot to be pleased with.

In terms of the writing, Milligan has certainly produced a cracking adventure yarn.  Not quite as brutal as Ennis' tale or as cynical as Morrison's.  He manages to maintain that nagging doubt about the Mekon throughout the tale.

It is quite a different Dare to those that have gone before.  A far cry from the patriotic post-war-officer-type of early Eagle.  Nowhere near as brow-beaten and demoralised as Morrison's.  Not quite as gung-ho as Belardinelli / Gibbons Dare.  In some respects probably closer to Eighties Eagle in terms of that sense of idealism but with a touch of ambivalence about his role in the 'world'.

Perhaps this is something worth considering.  It does feel a little like Dare reflects different generations of Britain.  Hampson's Dare reflects a sense of British superiority and excellence moulded possibly in the crucible of the Second World War and the Axis defeat.  Early Tooth Dare is brash, defiant and antagonistic.  Authority is now threatening, Britain barely features, in fact is almost whitewashed out.

Eighties Eagle sees Britain under the heels of oppressive authoritarianism before being sunk beneath the waves.  Dare himself starts out as a youthful rebel.  As time goes on though it feels like he loses himself, becoming a pale imitation of Fifties Dare before Tully tries to reinvent him as 'Action-Hero-Dare' once more (blissfully short-lived).  Overall there is a sense of identity crisis with no really lasting characterisation.

Morrison's hyper-cynical Dare is hardly surprising all things considered.  It reflects an increasingly 'professionalised' politics of the Blair years that has morphed into the beast we know today.  Dare's once-vaunted idealism feels utterly suborned by those who would exploit such aspects of past heroes for their own benefit.  Given how little has changed, how worse things have become, it is hardly surprising how relevant this iteration feels at times.

Nor is it surprising how closely Ennis' Dare fits.  There is a sense of struggle between the nostalgia for a once larger-than-life heroic figure and the discarded former serviceman.  Arguably this reflects a Britain unable to clearly define itself on the world stage.  Long gone is the kudos of the Allied Victories of the mid-century.  A last, lingering recognition of past glory leads into a potential over-extension with devastating consequences.

Overall Milligan's Dare works better than some other efforts, most notably Tully's.  Whether it will get the touted continuation or, like the Cosmic Claw storyline, simply lapse remains to be seen. 

accordion playing

Now that is dis ... gust ... in ... g ....

On the FP sale page:


Dan Dare: Mission Of The Earthmen
–
£4.99RRP £29.99
Graphic Novel
Sale
In
Comics, Graphic Novels & Manga
Graphic Novels
By:Frank Hampson, and 1 otherPublished by:Titan Comics
limited to 3 per custom

Thanks for that.  Turns out the Milligan GN is part of this as well.  Not to mention another original Eagle GN that was not included in the Hawk Book run.

I've got a major problem right now.  My computer has just decided that it is 'non-binary'! 

while current_thread not dairy:
    output_list.append("cheddar")
    output_list.append("Wensleydale")
    output_list.append("Brie")

if output_jack(clear) False:
    output_jack.insert(output_list[0])
else
    try another_site

My full name means "devotee of Saint Columba - God is gracious - church".

None of my family is religious, (despite Jesus apparently being my great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-grandfather, or whatever).

I'm sorry but anyone who would like to claim this sort of ancestry needs to review Mr Ennis' analysis of the full genetic evolution of the Jesuit family tree.  One that leaves the Windsor family tree looking utterly normal ...

[Rifle Brigade]

I know what you mean about Rifle Brigade.  It got more than a little out of hand, descending into puerility towards the end.  Perhaps that is more about how far and how quickly attitudes were changing at that time.

I suppose my comparison is regards the outrageously grotesque characters permeating the story.  The humour is more appropriately toned compared to AotRB.  Probably more in the vein of Preacher.

As an example of Ennis' oeuvre, it leans more towards his better output.  Perhaps because he focused more on telling a war story with touches of dark humour than a comedy in a war setting.

As an example of Ezquerra's work, it is him in fine form.  Hardly surprising since there are few examples of lapses in quality (given that this was around the time he was experimenting with digital backgrounds, this is actually an instance where it worked well).

At the sort of prices these are likely to command, it is probably an example of a series that offers good value for money.  Too little of what is offered these days is able to say the same.  Then again I am a KOS so perhaps that says more about me than what is available?