Prog 2006 - In thrills we trust

[Bad Andy]

Thought I'd start a review thread.

I couldn't help it. I should have read it bit by bit, but I didn't. I'm a binge reader.

Cover
I like it. Soneone else has critcised it for being too muted, but I think it is much better than last year's cartoony effort. Johnny looks a bit weird though.

Judge Dredd - Class of '79
What another of Dredd's classmates goes bad? And he's the one that finds out again? Is that four or five that he's arrested from that class now? Might be a nice lead into this origins story that they are promoting.
Maybe they actually go bad because of the pressure of being in the same class as Dredd. Now it's more self-fulfilling prophecy. Still some interesting 'family' scenes although why can't we see Rico's metal jaw!

Caballistics - Strange bedfellows
An enjoyable character piece for Hannah Chapter and one or two nice character pieces for Ethan and Jenny.

Databyte - Button Man
Harry's coming back! Best news all year.

Nikolai Dante - Devil's deal
Almost a recap of where we are with Dante. No bad thing, although can't remember who this woman is. She comes across as real bad though.

Slaine - Carnival
Slaine's back. Meh. Interested in seeing how Kai's character has developed and Ukko is going to get such a kicking. Quite amusing episode, especially the warring shoggy beast family.

Sinister Dexter - Festive Spirits
It's very interesting what they've done with this. Wonder how it will be developed. Really enjoyed the story though and the general realisation of the characters about what has happened.

Low Life - He's making a list...
Don't really like Low Life as much as others seem to and while the storyline here isn't much kop there are some laugh out loud comments, usually made by Thora(?).

JD - Straight eye for the crooked guy
Frequently got lost on here because of the panel layout, but it's just a bit of knockabout fun. Don't think it would have stood up to being the only Dredd story in an issue though, but as a second bonus episode its alright.

The Ten Seconders
Now this looks good. Leaves the reader asking enough questions without getting lost. This already has the potential to be a cracker.

Strontium Dog - Shaggy Dog Story
Picks up from the last arc and again shows why the story is so popular. Particularly liked Shaggy's experience on the planet. Very funny and that last panel was unexpected but brilliant.

[Grant Goggans]

I figure Slaine, Strontium Dog and Ten-Seconders are the first episodes of new stories.  Are the others all one-offs?  Which ones are double-length?

--Grant

[Bad Andy]

Dredd - 12 pages
Cabs - 10 pages
Dante - 6 pages
Slaine - 6 pages
Sin/dex - 6 pages
Low life - 10 pages
Dredd2 - 6 pages
10 seconders - 10 pages
Strontium Dog - 12 pages

As you said Slaine, Stont and 10 seconders are all first episodes. It seems Cabs will also be in the next issue, but this story here is fully encapsulated.

[DavidXBrunt]

Well as self contained as Cabals ever is, which is one of it's strength.

Cover - Dante doesn't seem to quite fit but a nice enough image.

Dredd 1 - Good stuff, the family stuff is the real standout bit but there are some cute moments along the way.

Cabals - Such a good story and such a good series. La Diva Reardon has come on leaps and bounds again whilst still being distinctly Dom.

Extons back? Didn't see that coming. Welcome though.

Dante - The recap is welcome and from the look of it the recent plots are coming to a head. Always good to see this back.

Slaine - How good is it to see Ukko again? Maybe things'll keep getting better.

Sinister Dexter - They're no more dead than I am but it's not going to be easy for them. The Moses Wars? When you put it like that it doesn't sound as good as it could be.

Low Life - Several laugh out loud moments and a nice dose of tension. Luvverly.

That Ad - KLANG! That's the sound of my jaw dropping.

J.D.2 - Has some pretty pictures.

10 Seconders - As good an opening episode as you could hope. Going to be hard running alongside Dredd, Slaine, Stronty, and Dante but it could do well. Love Simon Harrisons art, much prefer this to his Durham Red stuff. The sub-title implies this is a potential recurring story, let's see.

Stronty - Now that's funny. A great way to end the prog.

Chiarascuro - Hmmmmmm.

[Max Kon]

hmm, i got the meg on saturday, but no prog yet :(

[DavidXBrunt]

Ooooh, and the nerve centre has been shut for Christmas. They won't be posting anymore til the new year! Tough break Maxy.

[petesbeats]

Well its all left me dribbling!!!!

Enjoyed the lot.  And with the continuation of cabs, the ten seconders, slaine and stronts i think another high point is gonna carry on for a while.

Other highlights include the teasers of Origin, chiaoscuro and ABC Warriors the shadow warriors and also Button Man.

The futures bright!

[ukdane]

Love Simon Harrisons art
But what about Ten Seconder's artist, Mark Harrison?

So who lived and died in Sin/Dex.. actually put the spoiler on the Death shall have thread ;-)

[Funt Solo]

Gah-gah-gah-gah...

[Thrill-Power Overload]

[Funt Solo]

Quaequam Blag!  This is a kick-ass, no frills, all thrills monster hit of a seasonal prog.


Cover
It's a great treat to see Kev "Mandroid" Walker's take on the current deck of iconic characters.  Note that Sinister Dexter and Nikolai Dante, the two stories that gave the comic a footie-up when it needed it most, are still in the shadows behind the old hands of Johnny "Mushroom Head" Alpha, Judge "Seagulls Nest On My Chin" Dredd and Slaine "Now That's What I Call A Codpiece" Mac Roth.

Having them all standing on a bouncy castle Tharg was a bold choice.


Droid Life
Despite my initial ambivalence, I've started to really enjoy the antics of P14 and the Nerve Centre Posse.  "Cheap mass produced piece of tat":  tis a droid's life.


Judge Dredd: Class Of '79
Gorgeous art from Staples - with real stand-outs being the snow falling on the city and the close-ups on Dredd.  Coupled with a tale that mixes up action, incongruous social scenes, nostalgia and tragedy, this is a fantastic opening strip for the big prog.  

(I didn't like the lawmasters, but that's only because they reminded me of the movie versions.)


Caballistics, Inc: Strange Bedfellows
As has been pointed out, this is doing a few things at once.  A key point is that Ethan Kostabi isn't.  Oh, and there won't be any angels bothering the team again.  And Gustav and Gretchen live!  (Must go and change the ramblings on the fan-site.)

There's also a really emotional character piece centred on Hannah, all beautifully rendered by Reardon.  

The opening scene was reminiscent of Les Enfants Du Sang from Preacher - which isn't a bad thing.  Next up - Changelings.  Whoop!


Nikolai Dante: Devil's Deal
Hello - my name's Basil Crest Exposition.

Aside from that, the usual accomplished artwork from Burns and a return to the plot from Robbie Morrison.  This is like Sinister Dexter, for me, in that when it veers too far away from the main story arc, I lose interest big-style.  Good to see it seems to be heading back on track, then.


Slaine: The Books Of Invasions: Epilogue: Carnival
Wow!  Wow!  Fuck!  I can't help it - I absolutely love this work from Clint Langley - and coupled with the return of Ukko, the first real showpiece for Kai as a character in his own right and the amazing troupe of weirdoes that make up the carnival, this is just wonderful stuff from start to finish.

Too many high points to mention them all, but special hats off to the widescreen shot of the carnival and the close up on Estella.

Ukko - the mad hatter - welcome back, you greedy, coniving dwarf!


Sinister Dexter: Festive Spirits
Heh.  That's fecked up everyone's expectations.


Low Life: He's Making A List...
This is hysterical, and should definitely nab best quote of the prog - but which one?

I'd go for "Desist from supernatural activity and put your claws or digits in the air where Dirty Frank can see them".

This whole story just shouldn't work - with it's high comedy, self-referential style, how does it manage to also fit pathos in?  

With wonderful art from Rob Williams, this is a strong contender for best thrill in the prog.


Judge Dredd: Straight Eye For The Crooked Guy
Of all the thrills, this one had the capacity to be much of a mehness, with it's light, cartoon premise and art - but it got me with the pay-off line.  "T-they waxed my ass."  Gold.


The Ten Seconders: The American Dream
Oooh!  Cool new thrill!  It's got what I liked about the last series of Synamon:  resistance fighters in a seemingly post-apocalyptic world.  I'm a sucker for that.  Character!  Mystery!  Evil superbeings!  A random cow!

Forget the much dreamed about Zenith Phase V - we've got this, instead.  


Strontium Dog: A Shaggy Dog Story
Whilst there's a lot you could say about this in terms of it's return to the heydey adventures of Johnny and Wulf, really, it's all in the last frame, isn't it?

I wonder what Ezquerra thought when he read the script.  Something like "how the fu...?"

Feature: From Sketch To Shelf
This is a treat - better than a "great covers of the past" or something.  Now, please, Tharg, do the same treatment with some script-to-page stuff.  Please.

Teasers
Button Man IV
(Previous outtings have all been fantastic, so I've high hopes for this.)

Judge Dredd: Origins
(Wagner and Ezquerra.  Sounds like a foregone conclusion.)

Chiaroscuro
(Spurrier and Smudge do zombies.  Groovy!)

A.B.C. Warriors: The Shadow Warriors, Book III
(At last.  Hurry up!)

[longmanshort]

Great prog, but the best bit is the advert for Origins - sent chills down my spine!!!

[IndigoPrime]

It's great that Dredd's history will finally be told. However, there are two things I'm very much hoping:

1. That this story has enough room to breathe. This is really one of those times where Tharg needs to just say to Wagner "have as many episodes as you need"?luckily, this seems to increasingly be the case in the Prog, as evidenced by Red Seas.

2. That this isn't it for Wagner on Dredd. As others have said, Wagner mentioned in the past that the Dredd history would be his swan-song on the character. The problem is that no other writer really "gets" Dredd yet. Rennie comes closest and some of his Dredds are very good, but Morrison's rarely work for me. A Wagner-less Dredd could very easily end up dragging the character back down to that state he was in during the 1990s, with those Steelgrave-scripted episodes. *shudder*

[GermanAndy]

Cover: Nice one, even if it reminds me too much of those boring iconic Marvel covers at the moment. And Hannah looks like a man :-)

Droid Life: I love this! "This is not what Leatherjack is about" Lool!

Dreed: How does Wagner this time and again? A fine characterisation for Dreed, great "family" scene, great captions, and a sad tale.

Cabs: Goodness. A lot of good nasty jokes, particulary the Dan Brown one was hilarious - reminded me of some discussions here on the board :-) - the art the usual high standard. Just love this.

Dante: Interesting way to do a recap.

Slaine: still not too much interested in this, but the art is lovely.

Sin/Dex: well, yeah. I didn?t get it, but I still haven?t read the last one. So I guess I couldn?t get this :-)

Low Life: Fun. Nuke the place! Heh. Who would have thought that a Character which is more like a one-time-joke could become so good. I want another Dirty Frank cover *g

Origins: now that is what I call a great ad.

Dredd: These reality-gameshow stuff can only be mocked and it has been done much too often in 2000AD - remember Grants terribly unfunny Osborn story a while back? - but the ending was laugh out loud.

10 Seconders: Well, first I had to groan, not another post apocalyptic London, but the premise became interesting fast. I?m intrigued.

Stronty: I am not a big Stronty fan. But this was so absurd it was funny.

Terrific Prog on the whole. A worthy end for a really good and entertaining year with a level of quality which will be hard work to hold, I think.

[DavidXBrunt]

I don't really like the cover now that I've had time to look at it.

How do we know those are the same two 'assistants' in the last panel of Cabals? More likely to have taken two new people on board rather than brought them back to life as well.

Kostabi's dialogue got me wondering who he is. For some reason I thought of Judas Iscariot.

[Funt Solo]

:: "How do we know those are the same two 'assistants' in the last panel of Cabals?"

Well, we don't.  

However, we never actually saw Gustav & Gretchen getting killed at any point in the past.  What we saw was Howard Slater opening Ravne's sarcophagus (with Gretchen looking on through a keyhole).  Ravne is later seen in a bathroom, with at least 2 corpses (one beheaded and wearing a holy cross). The walls are painted (in the blood of the victims, I assume) with occult symbology and writing.  

I assumed at the time that he'd murdered Slater, Gustav & Gretchen, but that's all it was:  an assumption.