Prog 1722 - Beware of the Dog!

[SmallBlueThing]

accompanied by OJ and a cup of coffee

<SNORT!>

Oh, you said OJ. Damn.

SBT

that was later, post prog!!

That's right: Make her wait for it! A man after my own heart!

SBT

[Cyber-Matt]

Was it just me- or did the alternate font used for the flashback really stink? I can appreciate that maybe something different was called for, but this looked really rushed and tacked on. I expect this sort of jarring in less experienced letterers, but not in the prog...

Nothing to do with Annie. This typeface - Conduit ITC, font fans - was added by us. Can't see the problem with it, myself.

[Batman's Superior Cousin]

....And neither do I Cyber-Matt!!!

[Darren Stephens]

It looked OK to me, too. At least, it certainly didn't register as looking out of place or wrong.

[Tony_Lee]

In fairness, I know some of the naysayers couldn't give the faintest shit about the story anyway and skim read it most of the time, but complaining about the 'Team Uriel' line? If you go back to the earlier stories of this (and I know that some of you are already having quite vocal Vietnam flashbacks of having to go back to them and read) you'll see that the lower levels of hell have always spoken with a slightly more modern cadence. And Lucifer too has used slang.

Just because this might be the first one you've noticed it in? Doesn't mean it's the first time it's happened.

Sorry, I know the general rule is for creators to keep quiet while the naysayers repeatedly take swings at their testicles, but you know what? I have one week left, I've been told everywhere else that this is an enjoyed story and it's only here that I hear so much negativity about the current prog and the stories - and by that I mean most of them, from trumpeting net heroes. Grab your bats and get ready for next week's prog, as it's the last time for a while that you'll be having a swing at my balls.





T

[Tony_Lee]

I would however like to thank the many people who have come to me and said that they enjoyed it, that have sought me out in signings and at conventions to let me know, and the people who have posted on these boards to say how they've enjoyed it. Also, a thanks to the people who, when saying how they've disliked the story have explained exactly why, so I'm able to look at this in future stories. Many people have said how this series has learned from the last series, and for that I am grateful.

The people who can't be assed, who complain every week? All I ask is you go back and re-read the books. Maybe you'll enjoy this.

This forum has the most hardcore fans around and for that you should be proud, but at the same time has a strong rep as 'don't bother going there, it's a dozen people who wish it was like the old days and the rest are scared to talk'. I know it's not like that, but that's the serious impression this site gives. Many creators are too scared to even read the forum, let alone reply. This is the forum that spawned the 'fan' that sent me shit, after all!!

Anyway, you have one more week of Necrophim. Rejoice. Maybe something better will come along.

Although for some of you? I doubt it.

[TordelBack]

I dunno Tony, Necrophim has taken a fair bit of stick in its time, but I think a lot of recent comment has been balanced, with a generally positive reaction to the way this last book is playing out.

Trying to be objective, there's 7 references to Necrophim on this thread so far (and most of us non-subs don't even have our Progs yet), and 3 reactions are positive (two very much so), 1 is mixed/negative and 3 are pretty negative*.  That seems fairly balanced in aggregate.

Sometimes I feel creators see the bad reviews in glowing red letters, and gloss over the good.  I can see how poo-in-the-post might exacerbate that tendency.  As regards detailed constructive criticism, it's also hard for the same posters to come up with something new to say each week within the context of a general review of the Prog (which often feels like you have to at least mention every story), so inevitably a proportion of comments towards the end of a run will come down to 'meh', 'still there", etc.  By contrast it's (hopefully) unlikely that people are going to specifically contact you/approach you to express the same level of apathy.

For myself, I'm on the edge of my seat as the conclusion approaches – this run has been a fine payoff for the intrigue that preceded it, with some stunning visuals.  That it's not everybody's cup of wormwood is sort-of inevitable, especially as there seems to be a bit of a backlash at the moment against stories that benefit from readers remembering details from more than a few progs back (of which Necrophim is surely guilty).




*My sources from this thread:

Positive.

"Necrophim - Incredibly I find myself eager to know what happens next week. Clearly this has been part of the plan, so how will Uriel get out of this?"

"Necrophim - surely Uriel hasn't made the ultimate sacrifice?"

"Today when I got home from a parent run I picked up the Prog and went straight to Necrophim to start my weekly thrill dose. now there's no doubting there's better thrills in the Prog at the moment but it was Necrophim that had the 'Can't wait to see whats going to happen-factor' (so much catchier than X-factor I think you'll agree). And okay while I agree with Lee Bates 'Go team Uriel' was a pretty terrible line, aside from that this was a blinder which almost guarantees when I pick up the prog next week the conclusion to Necrophim will be the first thing I read."

Mixed/Negative.
Necrophim -about time something happened!!! now end it pleaseeee

Negative.
"Necrophim is still there (with more WTF moments per page than usual this week)."

""Go team Uriel"? Really? And without the prog to hand I might have got this wrong, but does Lucifer say to Uriel; "Sucks to be you"?   It's a bit late in the day for such clumsy attempts at humour and it totally goes against the tone that the rest of the strip has (failed to) set."

"Necrophim. Whatever it is, this is probably a good example of how not to do it."

[Spaceghost]

Hi Tony. I guess you were targetting me then, as I was the first one to complain about the 'Team Uriel' line (although I'm not the only one who has been critical of the strip).

I just wanted to say, I'm not 'taking swings at your testicles', I'm just 'reviewing' a story in a comic. I know I'm not a professional comic critic or even someone whose opinion matters a great deal in the grand scheme of things, I just come on this site every week and talk about what I liked and didn't like in the prog. For all I know, nobody gives a fuck about what I type. Perhaps I can sometimes be a little too vehement about what I think is wrong with a particular story.

I'm not going to try back-pedalling, I haven't enjoyed Necrophim. I won't go into detail about why here, it just wasn't my cup of tea.

I realise it must seem like everyone is slagging off your work, but as you said, "It's a dozen people who wish it was like the old days and the rest are scared to talk". I wouldn't worry too much about what a handful of moaning old sods have to say if I were you.

I also wanted to say that I really enjoyed your Citi-Def story that appeared in the Meg a couple of years ago, I even sent you a personal email at the time telling you as much, as I thought you deserved a confidence boost after the appaling 'shit' incident.

Sorry if I was responsible for you getting upset or angry, I didn't intend that at all.

[Tony_Lee]

I might be a little jet lagged, by the way. Ignore my rant. :-)

I love you all. Except you. And you, yeah, you, since you made me wear that Anderson costume and 'Psi' you.

[Colin Zeal]

I've enjoyed Necrophim and certainly think this has been the best book so far. When I had a reread of books 1+2 in preparation of this run it flowed together much better and wasn't anywhere near as confusing as I had first thought.

[Colin YNWA]

Damn I find myself in the strange position of being a big fan of Necrophim and very openly so here, but also guilty of hating the line that Tony got annoyed about. To be honest even if its due to my mis-reading the line plain pulled me out of the story. A story I'm very much enjoying (and have said here week in week out).

[TordelBack]

Damn it people, you're screwing up my research.  I need to see some h8torz, stat.

[locustsofdeath!]

Tony, I was with you with the poo-in-the-post incident but man...you've got to get thicker skin if you want to do anything the "general public" is going to read and comment on. You got paid to give it to us, now it's ours and we'll see fit to use and abuse it the way we will.

[TordelBack]

Another stonking Prog from a now long line of similar.

Cover:  Fab, striking and different.  Leapt off the shelf at me, fangs bared.

Thrills of the Future:  Angel Zero.  Awesome, the return of Nigel Long, and John Burns in what looks like a contemporary setting, did not expect that.  Fingers crossed that the last episode reveals that its set in the same universe as Second City Blues (what, a man can't dream?).

Dredd:  I'm loving this.  A really meaty gangland revenge thriller, with some lovely Higgins backgrounds.  Didn't see a problem with the lettering myself, thought it was a neat way of emphasising the flashback sequence when the colour scheme was already too dull for traditional sepia tones to provide much of a contrast.  

Shakara:  Oh dear, mind those tears don't rust the armour.  Oh, it's okay, he's got a cool new set!  And 32 hours to live! Didn't care for the Hawking alien though, a bit of a misstep I felt.  A touch more Mekonism would have sorted that.

Ampney:  Aw man, this is just brilliant. Nice to see Foster's Gherkin highlighting the different chronological stages of the various dimensions.  Does it mean this one is ours?  Strip's come a long way from that horny giant bee.

Necrophim:  Incongruous-seeming modern lingo has been a feature of the strip since its iPod days, along with rundown urban architecture: the language isn't an aspect I've cared much for, but its certainly a very specific part of the setting's character.  And this is a cracking cliffhanger.

Kingdom:  Even though Kingdom is my favourite strip of the current line-up, I'm finding this run a little slow.  It's not that I don't enjoy Gene scrapping for pages (I do), or the intriguing flashbacks, it's just that the two seem to trip each other up and make the pace seem less than it could be.  Maybe if I didn't fear it ending too soon.

[Proudhuff]

a strong rep as 'don't bother going there, it's a dozen people who wish it was like the old days and the rest are scared to talk'.

Com'n Tony, get yer facts right... you'll find that's nearly two dozen on this thread alone