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What a brilliant storyteller and character creator. So much great art but Necropolis remains my favourite - especially that chase though the undercity. Thanks for everything, Carlos.

Anyway, Dun Barc/Dun na mBarc/Donemark is another real place, translating I suppose as 'the fort of the boats', although it's not one I've been to yet: somewhere near Kilmocomogue, Bantry, Co. Kerry, and given as the landing place of Noah's granddaughter Cessair, presumably ancestor of the Sessair, in the Book of Invasions.

Wow, I'm from Bantry and never knew there was anything interesting about Donemark. The things you can learn from a comic book forum. Thanks Tordelback.

The off-screen battle in Grey Area reminded me of Tanner's similarly unseen fight with the tiger in Night Zero. Very amusing.

See Stephen Willey's answer: http://www.quora.com/Movies/Is-there-any-movie-with-real-computer-security-cracking-hacking.

Wow. A link that wants access to my email address before it'll let me view it. Ummm... no.

Cheers

Jim

Apologies...didn't realize you have to be signed in to view Quora answers. Screengrab attached if you're still interested.

Dredd was mentioned in a Quora post about movies that feature real examples of computer hacking.

See Stephen Willey's answer: http://www.quora.com/Movies/Is-there-any-movie-with-real-computer-security-cracking-hacking.

This article about modern architecture in the movies talks about Brutalism and the Dredd movie:
http://www.architizer.com/blog/history-of-modern-architecture-through-movies/

I haven't read the rest of the Meg yet, but the Dredd story is fantastic. A perfect combination of hard-luck Mega-cit story crossed with ridiculous new craze told in a wonderfully convoluted fashion with the twists beautifully plotted out. And then there's the gorgeous artwork. Each of the falling panels so filled with freeze-framed action – it is a joy to pore over each one and watch the narrative progress. Great work both Eglinton and Cook droids.

[The Wire and Mad Men spoilers ahoy]

I like the parallels between Dante and a couple of truly great TV series (The Wire and Mad Men spoilers ahoy).

The final page that cycles back to the very first page of the first Dante story reminds me of the final episode of The Wire, where we see that "the game don't change", it just draws in new players. So perhaps the "thief and an adventurer" does not refer to Dante, but to a new character - the Michael to Dante's Omar.

Then there's the final episode of the most recent season (no. 5) of Mad Men that ends with Don Draper on his own in a bar. The happiness of the married man from the start of the season has gradually been eroded and now he is approached by a beautiful woman, who asks "Are you alone?". Will Don forsake another life of difficult domesticity for the easy fantasy of one-night stands? Will Nikolai leave Jena and the empire standing and return to the life of a rogue? We don't hear Don Draper's answer, while Nikolai's response to a similar puzzler is "Damned if I know". Love the ambiguity.

Though we won't be getting any more Dante, how about if Season 6 of Mad Men sees Don Draper still true to his wife, let's all assume Nikolai went ahead with wedding.

I guess my overall point is that the saga of Nikolai Dante holds it own alongside other great works of fiction, even those from another medium. Congratulations and thank you to all the creators, especially Robbie Morrison and Simon Fraser.

I'll always consider Amerika to be one the comic's finest moments, especially that dramatic moment when Dante turns against the Tsar. But yet, the defining story now seems like that one-shot episode where Odessa predicted that Dante would die "spectacularly". Whether we imagine he marries Jena and rules benevolently or returns to greying gamboling, we can be certain that a glorious death awaits.

Although I could live without Woody Allen making an appearance.  That never ends well.

I like to think of this character as Noam Chomsky. Looking forward to Gorehead being translocated to future then biting off the linguist's head...CHOMPsky.

(NB: this may have already happen, I'm many Progs behind)

...criticize something that you were creatively involved in.

poor grammar edit:
...criticize something in which you were creatively involved.

I've been doing a 2000AD / Megazine re-read of late, so I've actually read Soul Sisters relatively recently.

I have no issue with Shaky Kane's art. He's not one of my favorite artist but I quite liked Soul Gun Warrior and Shaky's Beyond Belief pages usually made me chuckle.

Speaking of which, therein lies my problem with Soul Sisters - I didn't find it funny. Much like David Bishop's other comedy series in the Megazine, The Straightjacket Fits, I feel it tries too hard to be wacky. Or perhaps there's simply too much zaniness in both strips. Dredd stories about the crazy citizens of MC-1 are usually funny because there is always the straight man there to arrest / shoot them at the end. From what I remember Soul Sisters lacks this grounding character / setting (Brit Cit is unrecognizable from the grim and corrupt world portrayed in Armitage) that can help make good comedy. 

Or to do away with any attempts at grand analysis, it just didn't have any jokes that I found funny.

Apologies Proper Dave, I don't post here very often and I didn't really want to wade in and criticize something that you were creatively involved in. But given that you asked and not many of the regular posters could help you much, I thought I'd offer my opinion.

I also picked up on Obmoz's Dark Knight parody which had totally passed me by the first time round. I'm guessing that the narration by the voice's in Eric's head should be similarly recognisable but I'm stumped. Anyone got any ideas?

Swamp Thing?

I am months behind on my progs, but had to contribute to a good-as-dead thread to praise the Judge Dredd story, Caterpillars.

It's been a long time since I've seen such a real sense of how grim life in the Big Meg is. Natasha's state of hopelessness and misery is so eloquently captured and her latest injustices so smartly told, that it is impossible to see a way out of that long, long drop. And then comes that jarring clue in the first panel of the last page. Why the mutie references? Ohhhhh...a beautiful, heart-warming twist.

I have enjoyed all of Michael Carroll's Dredds so far and with he and Al Ewing both so finely tuned into the character and the city, imagining a future of Dredd without Wagner is now less bleak.

Oh, and not to forget the artwork. Great to see Bryan Talbot back in the prog and lovely work it was. Though I'm not generally a fan of such picture perfect computer colours, Alwyn painted a garish vision of a rotten city that really suited the story.

Well done to all the creators.

A Bitch interlude. . .

The forest hummed with alien sounds though Johnny Alpha's always-straining ears heard nothing.  He had learned to recognize and filter the normal night noises so the Kaiak night now seemed silent and still. 

Suddenly a faint crack came from the direction of the camp.  He tensed, hand edging towards his blaster, though he was sure that it was just Red coming this way.  Maybe knowing it was her only heightened his tension.

Alpha kept his back to her as she quietly entered the rocky clearing.  He stood unmoving even as she stopped behind him and slowly moved her mouth towards his bare neck. 

"You know I'm here, don't you?" Red whispered in his ear.  Alpha turned, his blank eyes almost lighting up the dim. 

"Where's the prez?", he asked.

"Huh?  Oh, Reagan."  Red moved around to face Alpha.  "He's fine, pretending to be asleep but really keeping an eye on me.  I figured I'd give him a few minutes respite."

"You have quite an effect on men, don't you?", Alpha laughed.  Red smiled back, placing the tip of a finger on her lips then running it gently across her throat.

"Yeah.  Except you."  Silence followed as both stared past each other into the blackness beyond.  A spark cracked from the nearby campfire followed by a low whimper.  Neither flinched. 

"You like this, don't you?" Red finally spoke.  "You have no problem holing up in the middle of nowhere for a month and giving those dopey Kaiakos-k freedom fighters a chance.  And it's not because you're on their side, is it?  I think you just like the solitude."

"I'm hardly alone now, am I?" said Alpha shifting his feet slightly.  "I've got you and the smart guy for company". 

"Some company", snapped Red.  She turned and stared into those unknowable eyes.  "Johnny, all you want from me is a good perimeter check every day.  I'm left lusting after that old guy's globin for sneck's sake."

"Do you think I should actually just let you feast on me?  Would that make you happy?"  Alpha shook his head and turned away.  Red grabbed his arm and spun him back around. 

"It's not always about blood, you know", she spat. 

"Maybe not Red", Johnny pulled her grasping hand off his arm, letting it hang pleading between them.  "But no matter what it is, you always treat people like a bloodsucker.  Makes you hard to trust".  He turned again and starting walking back towards the camp. 

"Whatever Johnny", Red called after him.  "Off you go.  And when this job is over, off you'll go to your beloved log cabin."  Alpha paused, thoughts suddenly firing through his brain.  Red, sensing blood, continued:

"Did you and Wulf use to have this much fun back there on Smiley's World?  What did you two used to get up to on those long days?"  Alpha inhaled slowly and turned his head back to Red. 

"Still sucking, eh Red?" he said before disappearing into the trees.

Having just finished Neal Stephenson's Snow Crash, I have to add to the recommendations above.  Really thrilling, funny and fascinating vision of the future, given depth by interesting historical references.  The ideas about brain structure, language and viruses may not be entirely accurate, but they add to the story and you get sci-fi with smarts that doesn't forgo the action-packed narrative in order to show off the wealth of research behind it. 

The best thing about it is the fact that it was written in 1992 and its vision of the future is very accurate from the perspective of nearly 20 years later, and at the same time still seems very futuristic.