Messages

Uh, what is the good about Rankin? I read a lot of crime-novels in my life, so I tried of course his stuff. What is so great about his novels? What do I miss?

It was okay, but not the revelation I expected after reading so much about it beforehand. Frankly I thought John Harveys stuff more interesting.

But what do I know?:-)

Wow, just when you thought comic-rants couldn?t get stranger.

This conspiracy nonsense is laughable.Yes, the x-books were so much better in the past. Of course when Claremont got fired back then (or quit) all went downhill. :-) This discussion will never end - instead of Claremonts never resolved plots you got Lobdells or whoever was scripting never resolved plots.

It is true that Claremonts efforts to make Magneto a hero was bold at the time and a good piece of writing. To transform an one-dimensional character - and Magento was an uninteresting nutcase even in the Claremont/Byrne years - and make him interesting is no small feat. And it was a shame that no writer or editor after him could work with that. So they made him a stupid villian again. Business as usual.

To accuse Morrison of the dirty deed is plain untrue. As is constructing an agenda behind it.

On the other hand this piece is interesting. It illustrates the mechanisms of american comics franchises. We can?t sell the characters because the writers are doing their jobs and try make a tired, 45 old character at least halfway interesting. Even is this were true - and every sales-chart tells differently because the stuff sells less and less every year, so the 50 to 100000 people who are buying the x-books don?t even make a dent at the box-office, the writers could change Magneto to an brazillian transvestite and it still wouldn?t matter in the big picture - it says that the suits are so shackled to the past that no halfway "innovative" storyline is worth a damn. They want the storyline from 1966.

I bought the x-books again because Morrison wrote it, and I love some of his stuff. Don?t know how often I read his Doom Patrol. His x-stuff left me rather cold. Yes, it was clever and had some good ideas, but it never grabbed me. My problem. At least it had an ending which is more than you can say about 90 % of american comics. That it got retconned on the day he left is the nature of the beast. Seems now they are busy to haul the x-books back in the past.

Which is kind of good. Money saved for 2000 A.D. :-)

As it is relatively early on the day:

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I like Barnes editorials, a few words about the "crossover", which I have nothing against as I get both via subscrption. Now if the would do a crossover in a THIRD magazine, that would be another case :-)

Dredd: Cam Kennedy on the art, Wagner writing, what?s not to like? The plot isn?t new, and on the whole I have a few reservations in the portrayal of the Judges, how seemingly easy the sectorhouse is overrun - but this is more a problem of this particulary Meg. More on this later. But all in all an enjoyable Dredd.

Shimura: After knowing only Clarks art on Shimura this was quite different, but I liked it. As not knowing the villian, his name gave me a chuckle. Poor Giant, getting stomped again.

The Prisoner -Article: Really well written and informative. I only have a hazy recollection of this series, they never re-run it hereabout, and frankly the Video or now the Dvd was too expensive, not that much interested, but it was a great piece of work. the article, I mean.

Anderson: I love Anderson, but I have to confess that it reads better in interrupted series. I liked the story, which was basically set-up - the "dream-loving" was funny, so this is how at least PSI-Judges circumvent the celibacy-thing :-) -, Ransoms art fine as ever. But I can?t work up much enthusiams for it. It?s Anderson, again.

Simping Detective: Same reservations here. Has this series to be in every Meg?
But Granny Duck from SJS was fun. Art on spot as always.

History of the Meg:
I like this kind of articles, so no complaints. for a relative newcomer like me a little bit backstory can never hurt. Interesting was the bit about the letter-pages. Frankly I never or at least seldom read them today, because I browse the net-forums, but to read that Bishop actually fueled the then flame-wars to keep things interesting is kind of wow.

Charley?s War: Like it.

Cult Telly: so so. Morris doesn?t like spoilers. I don?t know, I guess the age of spoilerless is over. And if you really, really don?t want to be spoilered, don?t read newsgroups and websites.

Cult Films: A fair assesment of Meyer?s movies, I guess.

Orient: Godzilla? Isn?t this the wrong column? :-) Nice article, at least I couldn?t relate more then most of the times, but on the whole this a column I could do without.

Dredd: Burned out Pt.2:
I liked the tale. Good one from Rennie. Nice follow-up. Even if Critchlow has the tendency to make look everybody like Lobster Random. Every artist has his particulars, but with Critchlow I find this quite jarring.

I have no problem that Giant gets stomped on in one tale and is the master of his house in another. I even can rationalize that there is a difference between an "martial-artist", who nearly beat Dredd, and a bunch of drug-dealers.

But if there are three tales in one meg, in which two of them the Judges get mowed down like extras in an cheap Chuck Norris flick and in one you have the heroic lone Judge which does the mowing down, the pictures is askew. It undermines the efforts of the writers to give the Judge-system more depth. It is jarring to have them on page 10 and 20 as a bunch of incompetent targets, whereas on page 30 they are the elite-figthers.

On the whole - the stories as such - a good prog, and a better prog then the kind of disappointing 237.

But a little more flexibility in the series would be appreciated.

I have seen only the first season of Atlantis, but it is much better than Stargate. Of course they have it easier, still no need of this boring pseudo-political and neverending alliance stuff. Typical example how second tier characters can shine if given the chance and some competent material. I won?t say its cerebral sf, but its fun in a brainless way.

But I have a hard time to imagine Browder and Black in this roles. Farscape had a few good years untill they wrote themselves into a corner, but Browder and Black carried it well.

I still marvel how they managed to gloss over the fact all this years that Bond is - at the core - nothing more than a government sanctioned assassin.

And yes, the movies are getting more dull. The last one was a good argument how unconvincing and downright silly computer-animated action can be.

DREDD: Best cliffhanger of the year. Will he or won?t he? (cross the line)

SIN/DEX: skipped it. This strip interests me zero any longer.

LEATHERJACK: Okay, this has crossed the line into sillyland. What is next? Elric and the Runestaff against LJ? But I have to confess that it gave me a chuckle. At least it doesn?t get dull.

RED SEAS: Why is this so good? It?s silly, it?s full of laughable parts - it?s crazy, I can rather accept dinowarrior in a cave in England than a napoleonic fourmaster with a propeller *g - but it is pure fun.

ah, those crazy weed-hazed 70s :-)

Strange, I always thought that Dredd didn?t catch in the U.S. because it is so, you know, well written? Or in other words to complicated for the fanboys.

Maybe Marvel should have bought the rights and made a remake, like Cracker. A love interest for Dredd, more happiness, not so much dark stuff and not this pesky political undercurrents. And drawn by Rob Liefeld :-)

DREDD: You have to love Dredds interrogation style :-) Still am intrigued how this one will really end. Greatness.

SAVAGE: In another thread there is much about how idiotic the brother subplot is. I tend to agree. The Volgans have no problem to round people up and shot them at a whim, on the other hand they never go after Bill?s relatives? As they are unable to find Bill? Not very realistic.

But it is well written and the art is georgeous. I liked it, even if you could drive a truck sometimes through the plotholes.

LEATHERJACK: this is kind of silly and channels Grant Morrison sometimes :-), but it has become fun.

SINDEX: skipped it.

SPACE: So he wrote the messages to himself. SURPRISE! If you think about this plot more than a minute, it is more farfetched than your average Agatha Christe. The daugther wants revenge and needs a Judge to do it. So she travels to earth to seduce a Judge and manipulates him to go to the moon so he will do the dirty deed. Not that there are enough corrupt Judges on the moon which just needed a little shove to do it also. Yeah, right, makes perfect sense :-) And afterwards she travels to earth to commit suicide because ... ? She is crazy? She loved him after all? Or is this Kings fantasy?

But the art was nice except some flat out bad and needlessly confusing action sequences. still, at least it had some nice atmosphere.

"11 years after it was first published"

Has this been really that long? O my god.

I remember bying it because it sounded interesting. It was dull beyond belief and the artwork disappointing. For the life of me I can?t remember the plot except something about a horse and Da Vinci - or was it Michelangelo - lusting about some streetkid. Or something.

On second thought I want my 25 bucks back.

I really don?t want to know what this misprint is going to cost. Guess this will be a most expensive anniversary. As a subscriber I am of course grateful for getting another issue. And frankly am astonished about the generosity. THIS is service. Others would have published the missing pages on their website and calling it a day.

Frankly I had higher expectations for Flood 13. It was okay, the art was good, but it didn?t click with me like other Dredd stuff. I had expected something more profound? At the end I couldn?t help thinking: this was all? They perish in a transporter-malfunction?

Well, maybe they were transported to Luna or the Bad Earth - in time for the sequel Flood 14 :-)

Maybe this Meg should have been a springboard for new stuff instead of the next one. Would have made more sense. Anybody buying this out of curiosity will be seriously lost.

Overall another good prog.

DREDD: Okay, we knew that at some point slaugtherhouse would go ballistic, but great writing. Wagner still keeps me guessing how this will end.

SAVAGE: Liking this more and more. Adlards work is very, very good. And a good cliffhanger :-)

LEATHERJACK: Some parts are a bit too much tongue-in-cheek, but its fun.

FUTURE SHOCK: One word: groan.

BREATHING SPACE: This one has got hard to follow. If the killer happens to be King himself, I?ll call the cliche Judges.

Subs came early this week :-)

Cover does nothing for me, I guess it ranks under okay.

No Droid-Life :-(

DREDD: This is getting better every week. I have to confess I thought this would be a typical revenge story, and I still guess it will end in tears and mayhem, but this unfolds slowly and great. This has a terrible matter-of-factness; I liked the fact how much emphasis is put on Dredds efforts despite this being an everyday case. And the art is perfect for the story.

SAVAGE: I am not the biggest Mills-Fan out there, I find his Slaine just boring. But this is good. The "official" report was chilling. Thought the characterisation of the president a bit too villian, but the "let them live in yurts" comment was a good one. Adlards art is great.

LEATHERJACK: I like this. Even if the bad guys win.

SPACE: It has atmosphere. Even if I think it sometimes a bit too dark, some panels i.e. storytelling is a bit confusing. It hasn?t become the most gripping story in the prog for me, but it will be intriguing how this one comes together.

ROBOHUNTER: Another character of the "old" 2000AD which absolutly does nothing for me. Maybe it is me, but this "we screwed you out of your reward" gets a bit old.

On the whole good prog.

This is a disaster waiting to happen.

"The characters involved are some of the most valuable in the Marvel Universe" says Avi Arad. What is he smoking?

I mean, most of these characters can?t even sell a monthly book. Dr. Strange, Shang-Shi, Hawkeye? Lol.

Coupled with PG13 - translating no mature themes, family friendly only - is further restricting.

The Nick Fury-movie may have been crap, but it delivered exactly what they could do with the premise.

weak cover. Anderson looks like a shrew.

Dredd: Spurrier is more miss than hit for me, and thisn is miss. Sorry, but Dredd would never make such a stupid stunt, even when told to do such a thing.

At least Stomm had a good idea, but we read the same story in the Meg not too long ago. A Judge trying to get a re-evaluation. And this kind of failure don?t wash. Not in MC-1. But great art.

Anderson: good ending. Ranson can?t do wrong.

Middenface: great art.

Simping Detective: this is also hit and miss for me. But interesting art.

Charley: Just to think that this was originally published in a kid?s comic. Unbelievable. Comic greatness.

I miss Rennie?s column more and more. Mostly the regular?s are blah. No bite.

But the Morrison interview was good. At least these are refreshingly honest, not this glamorized shit you can read on comics newssites.

Storywise a rather weak Meg.

But the prospect of a Wagner/Flint Dredd makes one long for October :-))