Prog 1854 - The Original Troublemaker

[Proudhuff]

Brass Sun is fine, although I'm still trying to work out how 'quisling' can make any sort of sense in this world.

They're probably not speaking English. Quisling is just how Tharg translated whatever they actually said.

[Dark Jimbo]

Brass Sun is fine, although I'm still trying to work out how 'quisling' can make any sort of sense in this world.

They're probably not speaking English. Quisling is just how Tharg translated whatever they actually said.

That's true. Mind you, they could have just used 'turncoat.'

[Richard]

Fusspot!

[The Sherman Kid]

What a fantastic cover! Hats off to Cliff Robinson (yet again).

[Tjm86]

Finally turned up and finally had time to read it.

What a fantastic cover! Hats off to Cliff Robinson (yet again).

amen to that.  In fact I only have one gripe, why not save it for Feb or for 1900?  Surely a perfect birthday cover.  Certainly looks far more enticing than 1800's cover.

Dredd - knew it was going to end too soon.  As has been mentioned elsewhere, a lot crammed in to a single episode.  Have a feeling that this one could have been a lot longer and just as good if not better.  Not a bad thing mind. 

Rest of the prog still continues the inexorable improvement from the nadir that was 1850.  (With one exception which has been covered in sufficient depth elsewhere to leave alone.).

A very enjoyable mid week read.

[Zarjazzer]

Fabulous cover and Grey Area is returning. Brass Sun tops this week and Dredd, And a jungle Deathworld (hopefully) in Damnation Station.

[Fungus]

Cover  Another nice one 

Thrills of the Future More Goddard, great. Grey Area last time was a bit flat, hope it picks up.

Dredd   Nice, if quick, wrap-up. Enjoyed Gideon's power-grab and speechifying, you get action and theorising in this story and Carroll just might be my second-favourite Dredd writer.

Brass Sun  Keeping up the good work.

Flesh  Hm. And 'chirping' and 'speedophiles' particular low points this time round. Fingers crossed the rodeo dispenses with storyline altogether and has some spreads of dinos tickling each others wattles.

Aquila  More of the same and Veiled Virgin explained just in time for some fisticuffs next time - apparently. Art wonderful.

Damnation Station  In a prog with its fair share of dinosaurs and Ancient Rome, fair enough to round off with some space opera. Ewing such a sharp writer I think a re-read might hold my attention better, the (perhaps deliberate) muddy art gets in the way for me right now.

Not a perfect prog but it's in rude health.

[sheldipez]

Grey Area coming back. About time.

Decent prog, rattled along nicely.

[Pop Culture Bandit]

Dredd - Clever conclusion to the story - shame we didn't get a resolution to the Pax / Joyce retesting, but I look forward to the next installment of this plot thread.

Damnation Station - Some actual space action this Prog. Hopefully we get a few Progs worth of action after this talking and set-up.

Flesh - ANOTHER diversion from the main plot, although I quite liked this flashback (or flashbackforward) - over five episodes, not much has actually happened beside they caught a dinosaur.

Aquila - It seems Aquila and the Veiled Virgin are destined to come into conflict with each other, although I'm struggling to understand why and what the stakes are.

Brass Sun - Superb example of how nothing much can happen, but still be a fun and interesting read. Looking forward to things picking up again next Prog - this is definitely one that deserves a collected edition.

Check out a more detailed review of the Prog on my Blog -
http://popculturebandit.blogspot.com/2013/10/2000ad-prog-1854.html

[TordelBack]

Getting the Prog late, keeping it short.  Just a few thoughts:

Flesh: I thought this was a pretty cool interlude, with a well-realised look at the 24th, McGurk's 'do and 'tache combo in particular.  I liked the FutureShocky speedophile gag, but the fridging of Mrs. McG took away from the very Millsian cleverness on show.  There is a lot to be said for ignoring the dominant conventions of the medium in the way Pat wilfully does, but I suppose the downside is that you're occasionally doomed to repeat them.

Aquila:  My beloved Encyclopedia of World Mythology informs me that Aquila's guardian spirit is a creator god from the Congo, so that's handy (I had wondered if there was a link between Massim-Biambe and Massimo Bellardinelli, but apparently not).  Really interested to see if the Black Hawk business is just a nice nod, or whether there's anything more to it.  Anyway, that is another fantastic episode right there. 

[Spikes]

A good and solid prog.
Decent enough cover, that if it doesnt totally do it for me, its still nice to see more of Cliff's work.
Dredd feels like its wrapped up a tad early, but as others have said, itll be nice to see further devolpments for Joyce and Pax. Still a fine five-parter.
Brass Sun is such a continuing joy, even the 'not much happens' episode are devoured.
Flesh turns in a nice interlude episode. A rather fine Future Shock-y turn, and as always some nice art from McKay. Not everyones cup of tea, it would seem, but you'll get no complaints from me.

And Aquila - struggled with this, slightly, since its return. But its been more hits than misses. And a nod to Black Hawk....
Now what is going on here?

And Damnation Station. Ive alternated between sorta enjoying this, and scratching my head. The biggest issue i have is that the art can be impenetrable. With this helping being a good example of that.
Weakest of the strips this week, im afraid.

And all rounded off with a rather grand advert, and art, for the latest Meg.

[DrJomster]

Catching up again!

Great prog this week and way up from a few progs ago. Can I give particular love for some of the panels in Dredd? Particularly the bottom left panel of page 5, Dredd silhouette plus flames on visor. Gorgeous stuff. Top notch script too.

Best Flesh in a long while this week. Nice inventive interlude.

Great work all!

[Recrewt]

Little behind with my prog reading at the moment so only just got through this. 

Thought I would also add my praise to how the Dredd tale concluded.  I thought this was a fantastic way to finish it - I didn't see the goblin-king twist coming and was smiling so much after they blasted their way through the doors.  This has been a good Dredd tale but this episode was one of the best I have read this year.  Top stuff.

Hmmm, between this and insurrection, Tharg has been leading me up the garden path a lot lately.  Must try harder in the future not to be so gullible.

[Mabs]

Sorry for the late review, been kinda busy, as for my thoughts...

Phooaaawwwrrrr! What an awesome cover by Cliff Robinson & Dylan Teague! And coming just a week after Dave Kendall's superb Flesh cover; Tharg is clearly spoiling us! This along with Kendall's cover is quite easily my favourite of the year, now just don't tell me to pick between the two because my thrill circuits will surely fry!

Judge Dredd: New Tricks (Part Five) comes to a close this issue, and there's a really funny twist to end proceedings as we uncover the real identity of the Goblin King. I must say I never saw that one coming! Everything from Mike Caroll's script, Paul Davidson's art and Chris Blythe's colours, has been a pleasure to behold the past few weeks. As I mentioned before the underground setting also worked a treat, I would love to see more stories set in this vast underground city in the future. Not to mention more of the characters esp. Pax and Joyce who've been a joy to see.

Brass Sun: The Diamond Age (Part Five) is coming along nicely. Wren and her companions have escaped the clutches of the late Duke and his daughter and find themselves in a stunning temple, squabbling amongst each other while in the mean time, the headless Duke sits on his throne while his traitorous daughter colludes with the enemy. It's a really macabre and darkly funny scene, brought to life by I.N.J Culbard's magnificent craftsmanship. The last shot of the vast library which Wren needs to visit, was also superb (and funnily reminded me of Monsters Inc, and the final showdown in the 'door library'!).

Flesh: Badlanders (Part Five) was really enjoyable. The opener with our protagonist McG talking about a tragic moment in his life, was excellent. A slimy friend of his dabbles in  'time distortion' pills, and at the same time his lover Zeta complains of horrific dreams. It all comes to a head in a tragic manner, but not before the 'Speedophile' gets his comeuppance. I really liked McG's character, I think part of that stems from the fact he looks like Ron Perlman! This was a really great episode, and I hope it continues. Great work here from Pat Mills and James McKay.

Aquila: Where All the Roads Lead (Part Four) is getting pretty nail biting now as the Veiled Virgin closes in on our hero Aquila and his sidekick. There's some more conspiring and divining between Nero and his witch companion, and we learn a little about the Veiled Virgin's horrific past. It'll be sad to see this superb strip come to its conclusion next prog; Gordon Rennie, Patrick Goddard have done a magnificent job and alongside Brass Sun and Judge Dredd, it's my favourite Thrill.

Damnation Station: The Tail of the Dragon (Part Two) was a fun little episode. Joe Nowhere and his crew are intercepted by an enemy vessel and crash land on a jungle planet. I must admit it reminded me of Star Trek for a moment, but what the heck, it was fun! Mark Harrison's art is brilliant here, some of the panels almost leap off the page. It suits the story well. This is the first time since the one off story (starring Sean Connery!) that I've enjoyed this strip. More of the same please Mr. Ewing!

So a very solid prog overall, I enjoyed ALL the thrills contained within its pages. 'Thrills of the Future' includes a snippet from the new upcoming Grey Area story, and looking at Goddard's artwork here I must say I can't wait! The last time I read Grey Area (around the time I jumped on board) I really enjoyed it, so looking forward to the new series.

5/5