Prog 1815

[Mabs]

Programme 1815

First of all, a superb wrap around cover artwork by Darren Douglas. Quite similar to Boo Cook's style - which is no bad thing seeing as i'm a big fan of his.

As for the strips themselves, Judge Dredd: Hellers Last Stand comes to a close. I've been really enjoying the story these past couple of Prog's, its been my stand out strip, and this is pretty much the same. Really enjoyed it; last page, in fact the last panel was very funny. All this is of course helped thanks to Peter Doherty's outstanding artwork, and Robbie Morrison's fun(ny) script.

Next was Savage: Rise Like Lions Part 4; not a big fan of this strip if i am honest but this prog i did derive a little enjoyment from it - more so because of Patrick Goddard's magnificent art. I'm convinced that the President of America looks like George Lucas, and his brother - Richard Branson!  Ampney Crucis Part 4 follows on directly after, and i don't know if anyone else noticed it was quite nicely connected to the preceding strip by one word 'Time'. We"re not talking Trifecta here but if it was intentional i thought it was a nice touch. If i didn't read it in order like i did here i might've missed it (and normally i leave Savage for last!). As for the story, well it carries on quite nicely. I'm not overly bowled over by the strip but its still a fun read.

Red Seas Part 4 was great. We finally come face to face with the 'Morningstar' a.k.a 'Lightbringer' a.k.a 'Lucifer'! Some nice line artwork again from Steve Yeowell. The more i read Red Seas the more (for some strange reason) it reminds me of all the Sinbad/Ray Harryhausen films i used to love watching as a boy. Maybe its that connection to my childhood this strip elicits, the reason why i like it so much, who knows. Either way after Judge Dredd this is my favourite strip. Strontium Dogs Part 4 is also coming along nicely. Not the strongest of starts the past few prog's i'll admit but it is getting very interesting, now as we come close to another Mutant/ Norm war. Ezquerra's artwork on the last page was simply superb, Johnny Alpha is back and ready to kick some norm ass!

All in all, another enjoyable programme. Hellers Last Stand being the standout for me, and the rest also very good.

4.5/5

[Grant Goggans]

Ampney Crucis is just so darn good lately that I'm now afraid of Edginton dropping the ball the way that he has with The Red Seas.  Admittedly, Yeowell's ball-point pen work is one of the major problems, but Dark Jimbo completely nailed this on page one of the thread.  There are just far too many characters standing around and not contributing to the narrative.  It was bad enough trying to keep track of the original pirates (Jack Dancer, Davy Dee, Dozy, Mich & Tich, I've always called them), but all the supporting players have just clogged up the action.  Honestly, Davy Dee, Dozy, Mich and Tich should have stayed in the Hollow Earth after the youngest "died," the Chevalier and Isaac should have stayed home, and the main cast should only have been Jack, Alexander, Sarita, and the dog.  It wouldn't have fixed the problems with Yeowell's awful inking - and that shoulda-been gorgeous double-page spread of the giants in the earth proved that his design skills are still amazing - but it would have made the strip more relatable.

The politicking in Savage doesn't bother me at all, but the leaden dialogue has been a disappointment the last few weeks.  This time, it was the teen character naming the video games that he didn't get to play.  He shouldn't have said "I didn't get to play Call of Duty Seven - Shooting Things from the Back Window of the School Bus," but rather "I didn't get to play the new Call of Duty."  That's a disappointment because it takes me out of the story, which is otherwise white-hot and wonderful.  I really, really loved the panel with the paratroopers calling back to the original splash page of Invasion.

As for Dredd... yeah, it has the feel of a retooled pre-DoC script about it.  I think we'd all have enjoyed it more two years ago.  Now, it feels like Dredd's old stick-in-the-mud attitude about extrajudicial liaisons, in the wake of DoC, doesn't mesh with his evolving opinions.  I don't think any of us want to see the answer to "What's next for Justice Department" be "same as it ever was," when the amazing possibilities opened up by DoC and by the failed God-City scheme have us all really excited and curious.  Unbelievably good final panel, though.

I'm not loving Ezquerra's art like I once did, but there's a lot to like about Stronty.  I loved the matter-of-fact foreshadowing in the narration: the first shot of the second mutant war.  And Johnny, as mean and determined as he was when he hunted down Max Bubba, shooting his hostage right between the eyes.  The gap between these three stories is another chore, and we've still got LOTS of unanswered questions from the second story, but I am really enjoying it a lot.

But Ampney Crucis... wow, now that was a bit good.

[Hawkmumbler]

Now I have a pet Axolotl, but i'd trade Norman in on a seconds notice if I could locate one of the martian variations. Fooking badass!

[Colin YNWA]

The more i read Red Seas the more (for some strange reason) it reminds me of all the Sinbad/Ray Harryhausen films i used to love watching as a boy...

There's nowt strange about that. The early stuff is even more that way I'd suggest.

[Dark Jimbo]

...There are just far too many characters standing around and not contributing to the narrative.  It was bad enough trying to keep track of the original pirates (Jack Dancer, Davy Dee, Dozy, Mich & Tich, I've always called them), but all the supporting players have just clogged up the action...

Conversly, the massive cast that's become such an albatross-round-the-neck to The Red Seas is a positive boon in something like Defoe, whose relatively large cast is one of my favourite things about it.

I think the difference is that Defoe's supporting cast are extremely well-defined with distinct visual appearances and strong identities, and every one has a clear purpose in the narrative; Red Seas' fairly anonymous lot, by contrast, feel mostly like deadwood by this point in the narrative. In Defoe, Mills also knows to limit the cast's panel time to keep things pacy; Titus himself is usually paired off with Damned Jones and maybe one or two other 'guest' characters while the Brotherhood is given a subplot to deal with in the meantime. In Red Seas the whole bloody lot are always there, standing around in the background of every scene and making things feel very cramped. I know it's early days but I worry that the same thing is already starting to happen in Brass Sun.

[Alien Goodness]

Great wraparound cover. Though it's difficult to see digitally - I have to rapidly switch backwards and forwards between pages. I look forward to seeing it again on Pete Well's blog.

I liked Dredd and the "I faked all those orgasms" is the best line in this week's prog

Also enjoying Savage, especially the artwork. Loved the visual reference to Prog No.1. And I don't mind the political angle either.

Ampney is a delight for the eyes. The story has got me gripped too.

*passes over next story without comment as I have nothing nice to say*

Been reading some P.G.Wodehouse this week which helped me spot the reference in Strontium Dog. Guess what P.G. stands for? Does this mean Wagner hates one of the funniest writers ever to use the English language? Shame on him if it does as "Plum" is one of my all-time favourite authors. You may now be thinking that I'm more interested in some long dead author than I am in the actual story in front of me. Thing is, this story feels long dead to me. I do love Johnny Alpha, but I nae cannae dig thees story at aull... *fades away with embarrassment at awful attempt at a Scottish accent*

[Taryn Tailz]

Even though the Red Seas is the weakest thing in the prog right now, I can never bring myself to dislike it as I always find it a fun read. The biggest problem with it for me has always been the art, far to simple, particularly when contrasted with the brilliant black and white art of Patrick Goddard on Savage. In fact I didn't even release Captain(?) Sarita was black untill I came across the cover of Prog 1699 in my Prog collection.

[Grant Goggans]

You know, what really stinks about The Red Seas is that shortly before going into the Hollow Earth, Edginton spent a couple of episodes - it was right around the time we met Alexander - defining Davy Dee, Dozy, Mich and Tich a little more.  We met the youngest's mother, briefly, for example.  It feels, looking back, almost like he was just answering reader complaints, "Yeah, yeah, I'll let you get to know the rest of the cast," and wrote those two episodes, but nothing has come of them since.  It really is a series that has got worse with every new story.

[Mabs]

The more i read Red Seas the more (for some strange reason) it reminds me of all the Sinbad/Ray Harryhausen films i used to love watching as a boy...

There's nowt strange about that. The early stuff is even more that way I'd suggest.

Really? I haven't read any Red Seas prior, that might just convince me to pick up the collected trade!

[Colin YNWA]

The more i read Red Seas the more (for some strange reason) it reminds me of all the Sinbad/Ray Harryhausen films i used to love watching as a boy...

There's nowt strange about that. The early stuff is even more that way I'd suggest.

Really? I haven't read any Red Seas prior, that might just convince me to pick up the collected trade!

Defo you used to be able to get it for bobbins as it didn't sell too well and it really is very good, I assume I only have the Progs but they stories there are just excellent... as they always are, ignore that grump Goggans!

[Goaty]

Great prog as enjoy all strips, no weak.

Thought that Strontium Dog was good.

Enjoy the Dredd, love that quote and ending with tight boots!

I enjoy Red Seas, but as I mention before that I still wait for the return of Jim Salt. As we saw him in future in Alien's body (or Alien in Jim's body with Jim's mind?) but still no mention as it's final series, big plot hole??

But there is Erebus's real body in this Prog.

[MercZ]

I got around to reading it on my iPad. I liked this issue overall- liked how Dredd wrapped up with [spoiler]Heller's love interest being wrapped up in the mess[/spoiler], as well as the nod to tight boots. I am also liking the way Ampney Crucis is developing, and I think Strontium Dog is beginning to get some wind in its sails.

[Grant Goggans]

I'm not that much of a grump!  Red Seas used to be pretty good.  That first double-page spread of Jack leading all his pirates into the fray is just glorious, and I think the kraken fighting the Colossus of Rhodes should scratch anybody's Harryhausen itch.

I agree about Defoe's big cast not being anywhere near a problem yet, though I contend that Tharg could make things even more clear: assign Mills the task of writing some one- or two-part stories which develop the characters and show what they were doing before they joined Defoe's crew.  Slot them in along with Future Shocks or Twisted Tales or whatever.  We don't yet know the Dirty Dozenne the way we do the ABC Warriors, but it hasn't mattered yet to the narrative, and there's ample time to fix that before it does matter.

[COMMANDO FORCES]

Quite an enjoyable read this week, well the parts I do read!

COVER Always love Dredd on the front but I feel he could have been a wee bit bigger to catch the eye on the shelves!

DREDD enjoyed the whole strip and the art really made it. Only one niggle, the missing chains on page 1. Excellent flash grenade work and the way Blitz is able to ignore the effects just added to the story. We all knew the end was gonna be that twist but Heller had the last laugh and that toe poking out his sock

SAVAGE Great art and the story is rattling along but I wish Pat wouldn't use all those gang names, as it does jar a bit. One last thing, you do NOT assault an oil rig like that

AMPNEY CRUSIS Nice touch with the two presents occupying the same space and all that stuff. I'm sure there will be a kick in the stomach somewhere along the line as it all seems to be rather nice at the moment.

THE RED SEAS Not my cup of tea in a weekly format and will read it all at the end.

STRONTIUM DOG Enjoying the story as we move closer to the war. Love the splash page at the end!

[Spikes]

Bit late with this one...
A good solid prog, if not an outstanding one, this week.
Though nice to see the conclusion, i thought this week's Dredd was slightly weaker than the previous installements. Still a good episode though, and lovely art by Peter.
Savage is cooking along nicely, as is Ampney. Loving the way the storys unfolding and loving the art more so. Good stuff!

The more i read Red Seas the more (for some strange reason) it reminds me of all the Sinbad/Ray Harryhausen films i used to love watching as a boy...

Im relatively new to Red Seas, and this is the vibe im getting, as well. Not a bad thing at all. And Steve's art continues to delight.
And then Stronty. The story and the art may not be up there with the best vintage SD stories, but im not complaining.

See you all in a few days for 1815!