Prog 1672 Blood Sisters

[Rio De Fideldo]

Just got mine and I'm afraid I'm so far behind on my reading that I couldn't comment on moist of the stories but the Judge Dredd story Lust in the Dust has a slight flaw..the woman isn't all that.  You'll see what I mean. Perhaps it would have worked better if we never saw her face.

[JOE SOAP]

Just got mine and I'm afraid I'm so far behind on my reading that I couldn't comment on moist of the stories

will they be damp or dry?

[Rio De Fideldo]

Very good.

[John Caliber]

Re: Tour Of Duty:

I am getting ticked off at all these 'Dredd in the Wild West' stories (which is what the Cursed Earth has sadly been reduced to, saddled with deja vu plots) delaying the advancement of the Chief Judge Sinfield sub-plot (which is far more interesting).

[Pete Wells]

Here we go then:

Cover - A surprise Richard Elson cover which certainly captures the spirit of a gorgeous double page spread inside the prog.

Dredd - Gah, still deviating from the main event. I enjoyed this story though and loved the premise - a girl who releases a pheromone that makes her irresistible to the opposite sex, isn't that all of 'em? I enjoyed Haward's art, there's some top muties in there and you can tell he's had a lot of fun drawing the strip. I loved all the car crashes and stuff going on in the background too, hilarious!

I'm itching to get back to the main story line too, but this was enjoyable enough in both script and art to keep me happy as it's only a two parter. My bet is we're going to get a 'Dredd is no ordinary man' moment next prog as he resists the Heartbreaker's (ample) charms...

Future Shock - Ha, very funny stuff, was the writer supposed to look like Dabnett? Nice twist and cool art from Ant Williams.

Dante - Woohoo! A double page spread in the centre pages, and my what a spread it is too, s'lovely! A good, solid episode, that's all really...

Stickleback - Must have been a real challenge for D'Israeli doing all this action amongst the thick cloud and to be honest, it shows a bit too. On some pages I really had to take my time when reading to decypher what was going on. The last panel made me smile, then gasp! What's going on there then...?

ABCs - Well, strangely, this was the prog highlight for me. Blackblood, sorry "The Hangman" is deliciously evil! I love the way he's been [spoiler]finding out the ABCs' weaknessess all these years so he can use the information to destroy them[/spoiler], what a git! Great art from the Langley droid this week, love all the destruction!

There's a letters page for BM and all!

Happy with my prog but can't wait for 'The Talented Mr Ambrose' in two progs time...

[Pete Wells]

The cover with roughs and inks is on my blog by the way!

[skurvy]

Is Jon Haward really Bryan Talbot?

[Mardroid]

I am getting ticked off at all these 'Dredd in the Wild West' stories (which is what the Cursed Earth has sadly been reduced to, saddled with deja vu plots) delaying the advancement of the Chief Judge Sinfield sub-plot (which is far more interesting).

Only two weeks to go!
I like it. It's  saucy fun.

the woman isn't all that.  You'll see what I mean. Perhaps it would have worked better if we never saw her face.

She's got a bit of a Star-treky alien vibe going on doesn't she (not that she looks particularly bad though). She gives off pheromones which causes men to react much stronger than they would normally though, which explains everyone's reactions.

Anyway:

Cover: Rather toony (not that that's a bad thing)! A different look to what I'd expect from Dante, but I like it. Lulu's critters seem to be flying off away from the action though. (Yeah I know, she's performing the 'ranged attack'.)

Dredd:  As I said, saucy fun. I'm curious how she'll affect Dredd. On one side, we know he is very strong willed. On the other, he has more testosterone than the average man, and since part of her allure is chemical...

And I don't think she looks bad at all, if a bit strange. Maybe the artist should have just gone with the green hair as an obvious physical indication that she's a mutie, and dropped the rest (EDIT- on second thoughts, nah. Strange is good.) , but she isn't ugly. Incidentally, while I like the more cartoon art, I'm not sure of Dredd's appearance...

Future Shocks: Very nice! Lovely artwork. Nice twist. Am I right that the extra twist right at the end is that the signature on the back of the girl's shirt is also that 'Nano explosive' ink? It seems odd that the transmitter would work over that distance, but... well I'm probably over-thinking it. And it's space age tech, who knows. I like it a lot though.

Dante: After a mixed start, this is chugging along nicely! I'm sure a young lady shouldn't be receding that much though. I'm receding a bit, and she's beating me!

Stickleback: I like it, but I had a bit of difficulty working out what was happening in some of the panels. After the balloon's 'basket' (for want of a better word) is destroyed, it then looks like Stickleback is scrabbling on the surface of a plank... I assume that's part of the wreckage still attached to the balloon? I think they should have shown him dangling in the previous panel as a kind of perspective shot, if that makes sense. Nice freaky gag with the arm, and I'll admit, I didn't see that coming. ([spoiler]I expected treachery but not then and in that way.[/spoiler])

ABC Warriors:  I'm not sure I quite buy the whole 'recalibrated' weapons thing*, but it certainly does explain the delay with the chatty stuff in previous episodes and the subsequent attack, as this would take time to do. I enjoy it though, and I'm very glad that the ABC warriors are getting a proper challenge rather than pretty much walking through the previous antagonists.

I think maybe it should have been established in the Steelhorn backflash a while back that his vortex hammer had been deposited on Mars though. This just seems a little too convenient. It's a good dumb robot busting strip though, and I like it for that. Would be cool if the upcoming action figures provide a Hammerstein with detachable arms. Doubt I can afford it though.

*I.e. if their weapons are capable, why wouldn't they just have been 'turned up' to their optimum level to start with? They don't strike me as the types who are too worried about excessive destruction due to overcompensation.

[Minkyboy]

No Saturday prog = unhappy Minky.

[Swerty]

Nice surprise today found it at my local Asda

[Trout]

From best to least:

Stickleback: How good can D'Israeli get? It's chaotic yet coherent - if that's possible - and just gorgeous. The story's funny and exciting and shocking. [spoiler]DEATH TO TRAITORS![/spoiler]

Dante: Swashing all the buckles and ticking all the boxes, this strip's enormous fun every week. That double-page spread is beautiful. But is there a twist coming? I bet there is.

Dredd: It's based on an excellent idea[spoiler] (pheromones, etc)[/spoiler], and there's the potential for an entertaining Dredd here. Nobody's a substitute for Wagner, IMO, but this is promising. I like the art, too, but I always like John Haward.

Future Shock: The fanboy/convention idea's been used a few times in 2000AD but this was enjoyable anyway. The twist is an unusual one and made me smile - both major plus points in the tired one-off-with-a-twist format.

ABC Warriors: I'm not a fan. They do a lot of standing around talking while they're being cut to pieces, don't they? For something that's apparently action-packed, it's a little dull. Lavish, colour art, loads of gunplay, betrayals and twists - yet it leaves me cold. It's all in the way the story's told. It's stilted.

Overall: a strong prog, with a great Elson cover.

- Trout

[Steve Green]

No luck in WH Smiths near me - still got half a dozen of the previous prog.

Normally it's in by Weds/Thurs...

[Mike Gloady]

This prog isn't due in the shops till THIS Wednesday - subscribers, however, get 'em early.

[Steve Green]

Weird, the previous prog turned up really early then around here... seems to have been on sale for quite a while.

[Swerty]

Not usually in Asda till Wednesday but sometimes arrives early