Meg 309 - Tripping the Psight Fantastic.

Proudhuff · 01 April, 2011, 07:51:50 PM

Quote from: Steve Green on 31 March, 2011, 06:30:40 PM
Was that a gag about the Ma-ma Dredd thing in the queue? That's pretty obscure

no. so your answer says more about you

Cover - Am I the only one who thinkings seeing the next Meg cover inside the previous Meg takes something away from the thrill?

Dredd - I wasn't too thrilled with this, I never really 'got it' the first read through

Anderson- If this had been from her case files it might of been better but she's 50! stokie glands I tell ya!! I really don't expect any surprises in this tale.

Numbercruncher and (Insurrection ) spoiled by me turning over two pages instead of one, confusion she reign. A re-read sorted it out,

Insurrection will we see the MC1 affected by this? hmmmmm

read the articles: interrogation of Lawrence Campbell, I for one felt un-nerved by that illustration of the wee girl, a bad move showing that with no reference/reason.

a review of a new Alan Moore biography:never really brought anything new to the table, did it?

an article on Flesh: This had a fair old number of rockets in it from Mr Mills and yet no response from this board/fandom? are we all suitably cowed now?
IMHO Mr Moore and Mr Mills need a firm hand wealing the blue pencil, thier best stuff happens when they have something to kick against

Dreddlines: No Buttonman!

Film reviews. Nicely done, warming to this as long as it stays away from horror

Ian Gibson Dredd-based floppy: a good bit of bedtime reading

overall a vaguely unfulfilling Meg... a bit like when Gregg's have sold out of pies and you have to settle for a doughnut, nice but not what you really wanted.

W. R. Logan · 02 April, 2011, 06:56:30 PM

Started reading the Meg again a couple of months ago because of Numbercruncher and it continues to be the best thing in print.
Insurrection iOS enjoyable and trying to remember if there were genetically engineered Gorillas before Harry Heston?
Laurence Campbell interview was interesting (I was a Bison disliker, happy to say it out loud, but because of the story and not art)
Flesh interview, more room for Pat to have an odd moan or two but the Meg really isn't that good.
The Dredd story was rather dire and as it still is the Dredd Megazine then surely the Dredd story should be better.
Anderson is enjoyable and at times some of Boo's Anderson images are sublime.
Film reviews have never been on my list if things I want to see and gave up even reading them a long time ago.
Once Numbercruncher finishes I'll give the Meg a couple of months and maybe drop it again.

Richard · 03 April, 2011, 12:22:47 AM

The supplement can hardly be called "The Ian Gibson Collection" when it has another artist on the last dozen pages. But never mind, it had some good Dredd stories.

Someone should tell Boo Cook how old Anderson is though.

Liam Sharp · 05 April, 2011, 09:19:29 PM

Cheers for kind words! Re. the art that doesn't seem so good - that was a stylistic choice I made. Each bit is done in different styles, and also it lets the big reveal really pop. I've always been a fan of comics that really USE the medium - faster style for faster pace, etc... It's in the dark, it's frantic. There's no point lavishing extraneous detail in that instance. I guess it's just a matter of taste in the end!
Funnily enough it's my wife's favourite bit. She's not so keen on the over-laboured art.

Cheers all.

L.

In Orbit Every Monday · 07 April, 2011, 09:24:11 AM

Quote from: Pete Wells on 26 March, 2011, 08:43:41 PM
Numbercruncher - I adore this, it's genius. The premise itself is clever enough but then add the accident gun, iskins, organic architecture, triple crosses and recirculation algorithms all wrapped up in PJ's ingenious two tone artwork.

I'm enjoying this too.

Re PJ's artwork - it's like he's taken elements of Mort Drucker and Jim Mahfood and made something new - not something that sounds like you'd expect it to work - but it does.

Proudhuff · 07 April, 2011, 09:57:25 AM

Quote from: Liam Sharp on 05 April, 2011, 09:19:29 PM
Funnily enough it's my wife's favourite bit. She's not so keen on the over-laboured art. L.

Liam great you can drop by, much appreciated. I agree with your wife, different strokes I guess

Liam Sharp · 11 April, 2011, 06:32:43 PM

Quote from: W. R. Logan on 02 April, 2011, 06:56:30 PM

The Dredd story was rather dire and as it still is the Dredd Megazine then surely the Dredd story should be better.

Ouch.

Liam Sharp · 11 April, 2011, 06:36:31 PM

Quote from: Steve Green on 31 March, 2011, 06:30:40 PM
Was that a gag about the Ma-ma Dredd thing in the queue? That's pretty obscure

It's that all the other Dredds lined up have home-made costumes. They don't know he's not an actor, and they don't think his costume is real. They're pissed off because they think he's jumping the line...

It may be my art that's killing it rather than John's script here if it's not terribly clear! Sorry about that!

Liam Sharp · 11 April, 2011, 06:37:52 PM

Lastly - Boo Cook's art ROCKS. Fantastic work. Really enjoyed it. (That's me being a fan there...

)

BPP · 12 April, 2011, 12:02:43 AM

how long has it been since a duff Meg? 1 year plus? 2?

Every artist in that this month is REAL craft. Boo Cook's Anderson is lush (silly opening episode but meh, who cares) and I don't care if she's 20, 40 50 or 80. The 'dredd ages with the strip' is fine but Anderson dosn't really have to. Its just a story about Anderson and PSI and stuff. Leave the huge plot arcs to Wagner & Dredd.

Gotta say much as I've no interest in Spandex-heros... that Copter full page drawing by LC... WOW. DANG. *picks jaw off floor*

Dredd - Silly Dredd Story, One and done, excellent fun.
NumberCruncher - 10/10 AGAIN.
APES IN SPACE - Fabulous twist. Masterful art.
Anderson - Boo Cook (long over his kipling mud-problem) LUSH. His colour palette is something to behold.

Cover - lovely.
Ian Gibson Dredd - wasn't. BOO. Gibson is my #1 Dredd master - this wasn't a proper collection. Still, ya know. Great.
Articles connected to 2000AD - yes

seriously folk... forget CLINT... Buy the Meg.

W. R. Logan · 12 April, 2011, 10:23:04 AM

Quote from: BPP on 12 April, 2011, 12:02:43 AM
how long has it been since a duff Meg? 1 year plus? 2?

Have to disagree, whilst the Meg has moments, Numbercruncher being the recent one I'm finding that it's been a long time since the Meg really knew what it was.
Whilst it still thinks it's The Judge Dredd Megazine more often than not its just a Jimp.

BPP · 12 April, 2011, 11:54:27 AM

disagreement's cool. Just think the current band of stories and everything pretty much since 300 have been firing. Looking back the last time i felt 'hummm' about a Meg was when Tank Girl and Tempest were both taking up slots. And both had plenty of fans just didn't work for me.

Don't really see the 'is it JD Meg' or 'Meg' thing - its just more 2000ad stuff a month to me - and it works. Especially since the series of creator interviews started up 2-3 years back - that really helps to ground it as '2000ad'.

The test to me is just list out the last 20 or so stories - be they individual dredds or series of the other stuff - and do a total - i'd say about 80% has been really good stuff. Which is about the same as the prog.

Liam Sharp · 12 April, 2011, 02:24:46 PM

The truth is you can NEVER produce a perfect run, because it's purely SUBJECTIVE. What you love somebody else will hate - guaranteed. I think both 2000ad and the Megazine are exceptionally good, and great showcases for the generally UK-centric talent they present. We should applaud it and appreciate it, not knock it like we could, for sure, do better ourselves. Having been the other side of the desk at Mam Tor I can only take my hat off to the people behind it. There's no need to seed negativity. It just makes people feel glum. What everybody needs is goodwill and encouragement, and that ALWAYS gets the best results.

L.

Dandontdare · 12 April, 2011, 02:48:15 PM

Quote from: Liam Sharp on 12 April, 2011, 02:24:46 PM
Having been the other side of the desk at Mam Tor I can only take my hat off to the people behind it.

Mam Tor? I only know this as a (beutiful) hill near Edale overlooking the Hope Valley. I'm guessing you mean something else, as I didn't see any desks last time I was up there!

Although I'm a bit lazy when it comes to posting full reviews, I do remember thinking a couple of weeks ago, when prog and Meg landed on my mat on the same day, that for the first time in ages there wasn't a single story in either that I didn't really like. It's the strength of the anthology format that one man's duffer is another's gem, and there's allways something good, but a 100% thrill-sweep is a rare but satisfying occurence

Liam Sharp · 12 April, 2011, 04:37:44 PM

Quote from: Dandontdare on 12 April, 2011, 02:48:15 PM
Quote from: Liam Sharp on 12 April, 2011, 02:24:46 PM
Having been the other side of the desk at Mam Tor I can only take my hat off to the people behind it.

Mam Tor? I only know this as a (beutiful) hill near Edale overlooking the Hope Valley. I'm guessing you mean something else, as I didn't see any desks last time I was up there!

Ha ha! Well being a Derbyshire produced art droid myself it's only natural I would name my publishing company after a landmark that always held both an evocative sense of place and history, and great memories of my youth. Mam Tor is also a publishing house: www.mamtor.com I set up with my wife in the early 2000s, and we also produced two well-received anthologies.

So mystery solved!

Best,

Liam.