ECBT2000ad Podcast #15 - The return of the Oirish lad

[bluemeanie]

True, but maybe due to the fact that I think Dredd arcs can be read as and of themselves I dont think its really the same.

I mean with the current stuff, some of the Dan Francisco stuff was going over my head at the start but now all you need to know is its Dredd, hes in the desert, hes the good guy. Sinisters multiple realities and alternate versions of important characters who are dead (and who I never really knew in the first place) all feels a bit much.
Again, I keep thinking "I know Im missing half of whats cool about this" so I just woulda appreciated it being a little bit more newbie friendly.

Like you say though, this really didnt feel like the break was an intentional narrative one and I think its suffered for the gap. Im not hating it by any stretch, its just passing me by a bit.

[TordelBack]

Helpful recaps'r'us:

Sinister and Dexter are 'gunsharks', contract killers working in the vast urban sprawl of Downlode, extending across most of central Europe.  

They used to work for sexy crimeboss Demi Octavo, who killed her rival kingpin and husband Holy Moses Tannenbaum, before being killed herself, an event that badly shook the boys' partnership and the balance of criminal power in the city.  

Out of the resulting mess, a secret clone of Moses Tannenbaum known as Apellido becomes chief crimelord of Downlode.  

The boys have a range of uneasy allies, including Demi's kid sister Billi, ex-cop cyborg bar-owner Rocky Rhodes, Finny's estranged wife  the crimeboss of high-tech Asian city Mangapore, and former gunshark protege Kal Cutter.  

Following a complex series of cock-ups and betrayals, the lads ended up on the wrong side of both Apellido and the law.  Dexter was shot and paralysed by his cop-girlfriend Tracy Weld, and Billi was badly injured.   Sinister, thinking Dexter dead,  fled off-planet to no-account colony Generica and assumed a new identity as 'Malone', while Kal Kutter started working for new player in town, The Mover.

The Mover turns out to be another version of Moses Tannenbaum from a parallel dimension where Downlode is rapidly losing a war of invasion, and he has decided to move his crime empire to 'our' Downlode by replacing key figures with dupes from his own parallel.  These are frequently gunsharks and ne'er-do-wells who Sinister Dexter have offed in 'our' dimension, but who instead lived on because the lads themselves were killed at an early age in The Mover's world.  In response, Apellido acquires some genetically engineered super-enforcers of his own, but still seems the weaker party in the War of the Moses.

Learning that Dexter is still alive, Finny comes back from Generica to break him out of prison in inventive fashion, and get him fixed up.  The lads resume their partnership, but find themselves running up against foes they had thought long dead, while caught between old enemy Apellido and new power The Mover.  Meanwhile Tracy Weld has been suspended and harrassed by the Downlode authorities becasue of her association with Dexter, and finally snaps and kills her 'handler'.  Kal Kutter's wife is killed when the lads rescue her from The Mover, who was holding her as leverage against him.  Wannabe singer Missy Solemnis, Finny's friend when he was 'Malone',  has come to Downlode chasing stardom, but falls into the seedier end of The Mover's empire and is recused by Finny.

Now, The Mover sends the Demi Octavo from his world to make the two boys an offer they can't - but must -refuse.

[stacey]

Tordelback that's brilliant! Thanks, that makes things alot clearer

[Mike Gloady]

Hence the dropped jaws when "the blonde chick" showed up.  Her death was one of those really quite unexpected kicks in the teeth Abnet does so well and honestly made me cry. 

Now, all Tharg needs is to get the intervening stuff collected quick and job done.  Sin/Dex is one of the Twoth greats, no question. 

[flintlockjaw]

Shit!
Wish I had read the rest of this thread before recording the latest podcast!!!

Sinister Dexter is one of those strips that I really should go back and read from the beginning. I'm currently doing that with Dante and I'm enjoying it.

As for the 'Bad Writer' comment. I do believe that there are writers perfectly suited for 2000ad's short burst and some that aren't.

[Mike Gloady]

I read the last 40 episodes of sin/dex (starting around May 07 cover dates) last night as this thread and the current storyline (and TB's recap) had fired my imagination. 

That block started with "The Doctor Is In" and brought us up to date.  Intereting to note we've only had about 12 episodes per year in that time, not nearly enough to keep the momentum going in the weekly for casual readers.  Ploughing through like that in short order it works brilliantly. 

I really want to read whatever's after Money Shots GN (containing the first Sin/Dex I'd not read in the prog) up to that point.  I wish Tharg would hurry up and get as caught up as the Dante collections are.  Does anyone have any ideas as to how many collections that would take?

[TordelBack]

Intereting to note we've only had about 12 episodes per year in that time,

Blimey, I never noticed that!  Hardly enough to keep a relatively complex story on the rails, so Blue and Flint's criticism makes a lot of sense.  If you're going to try something like this (and you should), it needs to be given more space and longer runs.  Never thought I'd be saying that about Sinister Dexter.

[radiator]

Any chance of a prog 2010 review before Christmas?

[flintlockjaw]

yeah. We'll aim for that. Definitely.

[bluemeanie]

In case anyone cares, the latest one is done, and has the greatest intro EVER.

Sent it to the Geek Syndicate guys but they blagged tickets to Sherlock Holmes tonight (THE C**TS!!) so I think it got put on the back burner.
Will give them a nag to get it online tomorrow as I know you are all dying to hear Flint enjoy Necrophim... no, really... he does!! (until I mention demonic handbags and it all goes tits up)

I've read 2010 so will try and pin Flint down to do a quick one on that before xmas

[Mike Gloady]

Yeah, we care.

Don't panic, I'm not turning gay, your bottoms are safe.

For now... ;-p

[uncle fester]

Cheers bluemeanie, looking forward to it as always. The podacast that is, not anything to do with you and Gloady... 

[Mike Gloady]

Just be thankful that I edited out the "o-" from the "end" of my last post...