Messages

from having 5 stents inserted following my 3rd heart attack.

Now that's just greedy! I hope you're taking it nice and easy back at the home marina...

M.

True Richmond and Byah - you don't need guns either. However, I can only imagine that less stringent gun control might make it easier for some halfwit to put their twisted fantasy into action.

It's an absolutely terrible event I can't even begin to imagine what it must be like for the people involved.

M.

Hello, Jones.

B'dum, and quite literally,tish.

They're really great pieces JP, I especially like the ABCs one. Loverly!

M.

Aieee! Maybe they asked for a handjob tattoo that went wrong?

M.

Think bikini kill has it really; don't forget that the comic creators had no idea the comic would last so I don't think the idea of character development had been considered, even in the wider context of boys weeklies! It was only when they knew they had time to work with that he started to coalesce as 'our' Dredd, I reckon.

And I think that speech was at the end of the Judge Child Quest, but a Barney avatar will confirm I'm sure.

.

Oh, they'll go for pennies JP. Tell you what though, I'm a nice guy and I'd like to help you out - I'll give you a tenner for each of them and I'll pay for postage. Sound fair? No? 

To be serious, they sound like great pieces and I'm sure there's a few people around here would be interested in buying them unless you wanted to go the Ebay route. You might get some idea on prices from here.

M.

Ha! Asda is indeed Hell. Looks like a great book there SBT, I'm sure it'll be a big hit.

M.

the only complaint I have is that he can't draw consistent characters. Peoples features change wildly from panel to panel so much so that they look like completely different characters. I find it a bit off-putting.

Can't say that I've noticed that meself, well it certainly hasn't ruined my enjoyment in any case.

M.

An astonishing book.
Here's my review from last year: http://hiexcomics.blogspot.co.uk/2010/11/john-hicklentons-100-months-review.html
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Ach, sure I read your review at the time, but you're a known promoter of any old tosh.  Mikey's got an -ology.

He won't want me to say this, he's far too nice, but Richmond helped me with the big words.

M.

[Reamde]

My pull-list in the local library yielded a rich harvest today - Reamde by Neal Stephenson...

I finished Reamde on Monday night. My short, spoiler free review (that can be stitched together with my previous comments, for those bored souls out there) is that I thought is was really good. Some reviews were a bit lukewarm and some criticisms I thought were valid, but I found it written in his usual easy to read, pulling you along way with an end sequence both tense and satisfying. Though I was quite glad to finish it as it's over 1000 pages! It's more akin to Cryptonomicon than Anathem but I imagine you've gathered that already.

Last night though, I finally read 100 Months. I've had it for a while and kept putting off reading it as I wanted to have the time to really devote to it, plus I was a bit nervous about reading Johnny's last work and didn't know how it might feel.

It felt magnificent! Jaw dropping and grotesque, it'll take a lot more absorbtion to really appreciate what's on those pages. I found it absolutely uplifting too and it immediately started playing this in my head. I can't really describe it to be honest, but I can say that it's truly like nothing else. Just like all his art really.

M.

No.

M.

[Dredd]

Whereas I'm just nonplussed by the cover! Great colour job, mind.

Dredd - I really, really love this. It almost shouldn't work but it does - it's a bit on the old whimsical side perhaps, but it's done perfectly. Dave Taylor's art is wonderful stuff in this; I love how he depicts the Meg, the use of a muted pallette but...the Judges look like someone else drew them or something! They just didn't seem to fit the rest of the strip. A minor point as I'm enjoying this so much.

Sandwhichthat Squad - This seemed to just fade out over the last two months, I expected a bit more of a bang-bang, shooty-shooty finale. Feels like it's laid the groundwork for further stories. Not sure about it overall as yet; some bits I've liked, others not so much.

Snapshot - Ok, story expansion time then! Good, but I feel it loses something with the month gap due to the decompressed nature of the strip.

Hondo City Justice - I'm afraid this outing really didn't do much for me personally. I always want to like Hondo strips, but I feel very few of them over the years have really hit the mark for me. Best use of Hondo has been in Low Life if you ask me.

And Bato Loco seemd like it was running last year, so I did a bit of a gulp the first strip was 9 years ago! Good to read it again and I'm sure there's a few more tales to tell. And Simon Coleby - lovely work right there! Is he underrated? I've always like his work in any case.

The text story was excellent and the best so far, unsurprisingly! Thought it was really nicely done as it could have easily been gratuitous from another, less experienced writer. Nice Smudge illo too - thumbs aloft.

Also, Chris Weston is a master who wants to do some Dredd work - what's the gruddamn hold up? GET HIM SCRIBBLING THARG!

Meg was ok this month Tharg, with the main Dredd strip and the text story being my highlights.

M.

Hopefully that means he's sold out! In a good way of course...

M.

Heh!

"Morning Mrs *insert artists surname*! I heard your son was a messy Jack Sauce that left comic art of all things lying about, so I'm here to offer my services as a cleaner. I can recycle paper and art board free of charge. No, don't thank me, my pleasure to help. May I say you look radiant in that house coat, madam!etc"

M.

Had another look see, Steve's on the money! However, on Page 4 we see Renkin talking to a Judge Baldy and on Page 5 there's the caption "Chief Judge, you can send whoever you want..." so it appears Renkin is still having a conversation, so it's not clear if it's still the one with Judge Baldy.

M.