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Prog 1650: Nice Planet. I'll Take It.

Started by Jim_Campbell, 22 August, 2009, 09:58:54 AM

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Odd_Bloke

I've finally managed to get off my posterior and get my copy of this prog.  In the process I learned that the people at Smiths in Peterborough are very friendly.

For those of you who don't already know, I am a newbie using this jump-on issue to do just that.  I picked up prog 1646, but was largely confused by jumping into the middle of stories, so waited for this one.  I've also read the first volume of the Case Files.  So I'm coming at this from a different perspective to the vast majority of you.

So, what did I think of the prog?  I really enjoyed it.  I won't say I loved it, but I liked it a great deal (and I don't think I have enough history with the stories and characters enough to love it... yet).  I am definitely picking up 1651 come Wednesday.

Cover - Meh.  I'm sure Tharg is lovely and all (and, yes, it took me a while to realise it was Tharg (and most people would be, at this point, thinking 'who the hell is Tharg?')), but this is disappointingly disjointed from any of the thrills contained within.  Would a kick-ass picture of Dredd been too much to ask?

Dredd - I enjoyed this a great deal.  Really my first taste of a Dredd that has actual depth, and also my first taste of Dredd in colour.  I like the full-page of Dredd getting his final taste of city life, I like the admin droid named Boots.  I was mildly confused by the switching between two similar female Judges (Beeny and 'that other one').  Looking forward to where this will go from here.

Shakara - This was alright.  I've not read many black and white comics, but I did appreciate the art on this one.  Not much story to comment on, but I do keep thinking of the second Ace Ventura film whenever 'Shakara' is said.  From what I've read on the boards about this, this is likely to grow on me.  We shall see.

Kingdom - I enjoyed this, though not as much as Dredd.  The art was very nice, and I enjoyed the writing.  This is probably the one I knew the most about, as I was careful not to read anything about the Dredd storyline, but read an interview with Dan Abnett a few days ago.  I look forward to how this will develop.

A couple of more general comments: I really like the larger pages that Twoth sports compared to American comics, everything seems a little grander.  I'm also really glad that I only have to wait a week (well, a couple of days in this case) to see what happens next.  I really struggle to keep my head in the stories of the American comics when I'm reading installments a month apart.

TordelBack

QuoteI was mildly confused by the switching between two similar female Judges (Beeny and 'that other one').

That almost confused me too, and I've been following Beeny and Hershey (the 'other one') since their first appearances, and in Beeny's case her mother/father before that.  Colin does a super job on the art on this episode, but his female faces sometimes have a tendency to look alike - not to a Steve Dillon degree, but stick them in similar uniforms and it can be a momentary problem.  Mind you, now America's hair is growing out a resemblance is sort-of inevitable. 

Bad Andy

Interesting, Odd_Bloke.

I'm one of those using 1650 as a chance to return to the fold for a while and see how it goes.

Unfortunately I found it a bit light, but I guess that is because there are only three stories this week and one of them is the text light Shakara.

I'm coming into Dredd a bit cold as I've not been following the shift in power at the top of the Judge system. It's fairly low key at the moment, but it's Wagner on Dredd so it deserves time to breathe. I was mainly disappointed by Origins at the time, though.

Shakara - I like the character from the first couple of series. Still kind of wonder where its got left to go.

Kingdom - Hated the first series, but it won me over in the second. I'm not unpleased to have caught the start of the third chapter, that's for sure.

Roll on next week. Last time I saw Dante he had been fried at the end of Amerika. Hope I haven't missed too much from the couple of short runs since.

Dark Jimbo

Quote from: Bad Andy on 31 August, 2009, 04:03:18 PMLast time I saw Dante he had been fried at the end of Amerika. Hope I haven't missed too much from the couple of short runs since.

In a nutshell - [spoiler]Jena helped Dante escape, and the two are now engaged in an active large-scale rebellion against the Tsar. On their side are Jocasta, Lulu, the Escondida Pirates, (what's left of) the Rudinshtein Irregulars and also double-agent Arkady, who rather seems to be playing both ends against the middle.[/spoiler]
@jamesfeistdraws

Paul faplad Finch

Quote from: Bad Andy on 31 August, 2009, 04:03:18 PM
Roll on next week. Last time I saw Dante he had been fried at the end of Amerika. Hope I haven't missed too much from the couple of short runs since.

I think you'll find quite a bit has happened. I'm sure someone will fill you in here now you've mentioned it. I'd do it myself but I have no clear memory of any of it. I have this thing where, two minutes after I've read/watched something and enjoyed it I completely forget it. As soon as the next episode or book is in front of me it all comes back and I have no problem picking up the story again, even if it's years later.

While I was called away from my screen mid post someone has indeed filled you in. Bollocks to it though, I'm still posting this.
It doesn't mean that round my way
Pessimism is Realism - Optimism is Insanity
The Impossible Quest
Musings Of A Nobody
Stuff I've Read

Bad Andy

Cheers guys!

I thought I'd only missed a handful of episodes...

Mike Gloady

Dante's entered the home straight now, it might take a while to GET there, but I don't think we've got long in terms of storylines before we see how it all ends. 

Nice to have you back, Bad Andy and welcome aboard Odd Bloke - remember the forums are the place to ask any questions to help you enjoy your prog until you're back up to speed.
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House of Usher

I know Shakara's just knockabout fun and not to be taken seriously, but I did raise a supercilious eyebrow when Shakara escaped the pull of a black hole by placing a much larger object between it and his ship. Yikes! That's not how gravity works, is it? It's not like a sort of ray you can shelter from. In fact, doesn't any object with mass exert a gravitational pull? So putting a space cruiser between his ship and the black hole would actually have negligibly increased the gravitional forces Shakara had to pull away from rather than reducing them at all.

Still a top Prog, though.
STRIKE !!!

Cactus

Quote from: Dark Jimbo on 31 August, 2009, 04:26:48 PM
Quote from: Bad Andy on 31 August, 2009, 04:03:18 PMLast time I saw Dante he had been fried at the end of Amerika. Hope I haven't missed too much from the couple of short runs since.

In a nutshell - [spoiler]Jena helped Dante escape, and the two are now engaged in an active large-scale rebellion against the Tsar. On their side are Jocasta, Lulu, the Escondida Pirates, (what's left of) the Rudinshtein Irregulars and also double-agent Arkady, who rather seems to be playing both ends against the middle.[/spoiler]

And there are [spoiler]clockwork zombies[/spoiler].
I'm a tucker hot seat trucker and I'm voking cheerio, ten-ten!

locustsofdeath!

My gods, a week ago I got my hands on this and devoured it - and forgot to write a review. In one word: brilliant.

Cover: Great cover. Would have liked to have seen Dredd, but hey. Still a fantastic rendering of Tharg in all his Majesty.

Dredd: The quiet start is perfect. We really get to sense Dredd's frustration. The atmosphere is laid on heavily. No words are wasted. Colin MacNiel's art paints the melancholy the script intends. Fine stuff, this.

Shakara: I liked it. Fun, especially after the downbeat Dredd. The art is great, love the streaks of red on top of the gorgeous b&w.

Kingdom: Pretty good. I'm interested. We'll have to see where it's going. I liked the monster quite a bit.

Now: one of the best things about the Prog were the hints of stories to come, both within its pages and those of the Megazine. I am waiting excitedly for all of these. Amazing that as good as this Prog is, better events seem to be on the horizon.

We. Are. Spoiled.