Megazine Volume 5 - The Odyssey

[Hawkmumbler]

Youll be glad to know Detective Strange does indeed get hiw own series and mighty fine it is to! I wasnt aware he originated in a Devlin Waugh story mind!

[Simon Beigh]

Haha! My prescient capabilities come up trumps once more I reckon I should be editor

[Skullmo]

Let's start a campaign to make you editor!

And yes I have been up since 6.15!

[Simon Beigh]

Meg 229 - Jock Shock!



(Link to BARNEY)

(Link to BLOG)

Quite a plain cover, just a small picture of Judge Dread (sic) fighting the Hoolie. Nice to see Kenny Who? getting some work drawing this cover. Of course, Kenny is actually Cam Kennedy, and I'm a pretty big fan of his so it was always going to be a 'like'.

So let's start with our cover star in the Dredd story Who? Dares Wins. I liked the fact we got to see the first episode of Kenny's trashzine, with Cam drawing it in a subtly different style to that of the main strip.[spoiler] Kenny thinks his luck has finally changed, but the long arm of the law, or should that be the real Judge Dredd, is never far away. The highlight was the legal droid who gave me a bit of a chuckle[/spoiler]. Good story this one; Wagner on top form.

Part 2 of the Shimura story Deus X was a good episode. I'm getting to really enjoy the exploits of this Ronin Hondo Judge, but I still have a bit of a problem with the way Andy Clarke draws some of the fight scenes. It can be tricky working out what is going on in each panel. I suspect this is pretty hard to draw. Robbie Morrison's story is top notch and action packed. I liked the characters and the plot, so am giving the art a lot of slack.

Young Middenface wraps up this issue[spoiler] with the Muties frantically trying to escape overwhelming Kreeler forces[/spoiler]. I thought it was a good ending and enjoyed the fact that this story was given more room to be told; being 6 parts rather than the usual 3. It seemed a significant development in this universe, and I'm keen to see what happens next. As always, Grant and Ridgeway do a cracking job with this episode.

A new story started this month as Bato Loco makes a welcome return to the pages of the Meg. Rennie and Coleby are on duty as always[spoiler] and the story opens with a full page splash of our hero in a bit of a tight spot. So how does he end up pointing a gun at a very angry looking Dredd? Well, to quote Bato, "Have patience, mios hermanos..." as the strip takes us back in time to how it all started[/spoiler]. Only 6 pages, but a good episode. There was a lot to like about both script and art. Looking forward to the next outing.

Lots of 'walking and talking' in this episode of The Bogie Man story Return to Casablanca. Lots of text in speech bubbles, and being written in 'Scottish' it does need a bit of patience and concentration. Still, it was an alright episode. I'm not mad about this story, but it's not that I don't like it either. Out it like this, if it wasn't printed in the next Meg, for some odd reason, I wouldn't be that bothered. I'd be livid if that happened to Bato Loco or Shimura or Kenny Who?

The Anderson is moving onwards. I can't help but feel that we aren't really getting anywhere with finding out who or what is behind the strange goings on. Maybe that is Alan Grant's intention, but it makes for a pretty dull read right now.[spoiler] It's seems to me that it is a series of events that have the judges running around panicking, but the story isn't going forwards.[/spoiler] Still, we have the return of a character we first met in the early Megs and she may well light up the storyline (bit of a clue there, I shall reveal more next time!).

The reprint was a Dredd called Alzheimer's Block [spoiler]and sees an eldester suspect more than just natural deaths are occurring in her block[/spoiler]. Wagner wrote this one with Ridgeway and Perkins on art. I quite enjoyed this one. I [spoiler]liked the Miss Marple character and[/spoiler] didn't see the twist coming at the end. Glad the Meg is still giving some space for reprints, even if it is much smaller now.

A good text fiction story by Cavan Scott called Dog Fight where Dredd needs to track down some illegal fights of a slightly unusual nature. Good story, good twists and I'd like to read more from this author. Wasn't a big fan of the illustrations, but the style did suit the story. Cam Kennedy was interviewed by David Bishop for the Interrogation slot and the man has had a genuinely interesting life. I enjoyed reading this one, both as a fan of his art and also as a life story. Looking forward to part 2 next issue. You're Next Punk didn't feature Gordon,  it was David Bishop instead. This wasn't good... Sorry David, you just aren't Gordon. Stick to The Dredd Files. Or not. Or Metro Dredd? No. Stick to Interrogations, yes, that's good stuff! In a slight break with tradition, I read the Si Spurrier Movie column which was OK. Nothing else in the Heatseekers section grabbed my attention.

And finally... I thought I'd just say a quick word on the overall quality of the Meg. I spend time each column discussing individual episodes of stories, but I don't give a general overall feel. And generally, I'm pretty happy with the Meg. It has a nice selection of stories and text articles, and whilst I don't read everything, I certainly read the majority of things. There is a 'but'. We are getting a lot of the same stories over and over; Anderson seems to have been going forever. So I'd like a bit of variety, something new and different. Let's see what happens!

[Mabs]

Youll be glad to know Detective Strange does indeed get hiw own series and mighty fine it is to! I wasnt aware he originated in a Devlin Waugh story mind!

Wow, Devlin Waugh? I didn't know that. Any clues when? I have a bunch of Megs with Waugh's exploits in within them, I hope I encounter Detective Strange, I love the character!

[Skullmo]

I am interested see what you think of the upcoming Tank Girl series

[The Monarch]

young middenface should have ended here.....

[Simon Beigh]

Meg 330 - Blazin' Squad



(LINK to BARNEY)

A bit of a "Here Come The Girls" theme to this Arthur Ranson cover with the three female stars of the current Anderson story. It's quite plain, but I liked it, especially the 'burnt' corner, although there is a slight optical illusion that Shakta is looking to her right, when she has no pupils. On closer inspection she isn't, and it's such a minor gripe, but it irritated a little... I will try not to be that petty again :-)

We had a 'feature length' John Wagner Dredd called Judging Ralphy (with art by Dave Taylor) and I really got stuck into this and enjoyed it a lot. [spoiler]There is a Jimp (Judge Impersonator) loose in the city and Dredd is on his tail. It's not as simple as that though as it is a person from Dredd's past with whom he had a complex relationship.[/spoiler] There are flashback scenes in the story, done in greyscale, and drawn in a different style by Taylor. Dredd is drawn like he was in the early Progs of the 70s and this was a clever way to handle the scenes from the past. I'm not sure everyone will like Dave Taylor's art in the main section, but the story was very good and I was absorbed.

The Shimura storyline Deus X finished in this issue and I was pretty happy with how it resolved. This is another example of a story I would like to have seen built up over more episodes, but as it stands, it did the best it could. It did feel rushed, though. There are other graphic novels out there called Deus Ex Machina, the name of the Terrorists in this story. Coincidence? Or building on this universe? We are left with a little teasing 'Cliff hanger' so we will see how this builds if Shimura returns.

Bato Loco: Head Job only lasted two parts. Still, it was fine as it stood. It was a pretty simple story so there wasn't a lot of pacing issues. I think Gordon Rennie is one of the best at scripting these shorter stories. Simon Colby's art was spot on as usual with this character. Still plenty of life left in Bato Loco, so hope to see him back again soon...

We had the return of the Whatever Happened To slot, with this issue looking at how Melda Dreepe turned out. If you have read Block Mania, she was the spark that started the storming of Enid Blyton block by Dan Tanna which eventually turned into the Apocalypse War epic. Alan Grant scripted this with art by Steve Roberts. It was all passable and pleasant enough, but didn't really go anywhere or do anything. At only six pages it was going to be a tough ask anyway. Bit of a waste of space really...

The Bogie Man lumbered on somewhat. I'm reading it, it's OK, but I'm not that bothered about it. [spoiler]All the elements are there, but we seem to have become distracted from the main event of the Albanian slave workers and we now have a kidnapped Scottish celebrity.[/spoiler] Scratching my head a bit on this. Of course, it may all come together brilliantly in the end. I hope so. I don't hate it, but in the language of the kids, it's a bit Meh...

The Anderson story, Lock In, wrapped up thanks to the team effort of Anderson, Shakta and Juliet November. Yep, the fire starter from the first few issues of the Meg makes a return to play an important part in the story's resolution. It was all finished off quite nicely and I thought 'Yep, let's leave Anderson for a bit and have a new character next issue'. But no. She's back in a new story next issue. To be honest, I'm a bit fed up with this story arc of hers. I really hope we get back to some street judging rather than this fairly intense psychological journey she seems to have been on for a number of issues. Let's see what happens. The cynic in me wonders if there is half an eye on the trade paperback...

The reprint was a Dredd called Cardboard City. D[spoiler]redd is on the hunt for his former housekeeper Maria amongst the homeless of Mega City One. But others are also moving amongst the cardboard city for other more deadly reasons.[/spoiler] Wagner and Cam Kennedy on duty for this one and it was a reasonably good tale. I hated the colouring. I know the old strips didn't have the benefit of modern digital techniques, but I'd much rather it had been black and white. I did my best to ignore it, but it irritated a bit. When are we getting Charley's War back, Sir Alan?

On to the text articles and Cam Kennedy continued to provide a fascinating look back over his career in the Interrogation slot, interviewed by David Bishop. It was interesting reading about the opportunities he perceived he missed, but he's quite pragmatic about it and doesn't seem to have any regrets. Really got absorbed by this article. In Heat Seekers, I read Si Spurrier's Movie column where he dissects all those little irritating continuity errors that creep into movies. This was a much better article and I reckon he should stick to this kind of material. Jonathan Clements reviewed an anime called Neon Genesis Evangelion in his Orient column. Sounds as mad as a box of frogs but I'm quite temped to give it a go! The Metro Dredd was nothing special. They are of some passing interest, but to be honest, if they went I wouldn't miss them. In fact, I'd be hoping they would be replaced with Wagner and Smith Daily Star Dredd!

And finally...Special mention has to go to Gordon Rennie's last ever You're Next, Punk. He looked back over his columns and shared some of the feedback he received along the way. They certainly seemed popular in the Megazine production office! All in all, I enjoyed these. I enjoyed Gordon's writing style, and he proved he can write entertaining commentary prose as well as a damn fine comic story. Thank you, Gordon, your spleen will be missed...

[Skullmo]

My favourite part of the Odyssey was near the start when Odysseus (or Ulysses if you are Roman or Irish) became so bored of the journey that he barely made any progress for weeks  . . .

[Simon Beigh]

Meg 231 - Murder Juan!



Link to BARNEY

Two reviews in one day? Not quite - I had Meg 230 (not 330 as published in the review - oops!) for a while in draft form. But onto this Meg and we have a fabulous cover from the utterly brilliant Chris Weston. Regular readers may remember he did the previous Phillip Janet Maybe story called 'Six', which appeared in Megs 221 and 222 and I was hoping he's draw this new one. Turns out it's Ezquerra, but at least Chris provided this cover.

So let's get on with the Dredd and PJ Maybe story Monsterus Mashinashuns (sic) which sees Dredd visit Cuidad Baranquilla (South America) where Maybe is living as wealthy philanthropist Pedro Julio Montez. Old Stoney Face thinks Maybe is hiding out here, and is on a 'good will' mission to try and seek him out. A good episode this and the makings of a good story. John Wagner is having a very prolific period as, once again, he is on script duties. I hope we get a few episodes for this story to play out.

Si Spurrier and Cam Kennedy team up for a strange little story also set in Cuidad Baranquilla called Zancudo. Two Cuidad judges are escorting a perp to a high security prison when their flight is downed my a mysterious assailant. They then have to try and keep an eye of their perp whilst trying to get back to civilisation and avoiding their attacker. Bit of an odd one this, and as I have said before, I like to give Meg stories a bit of room to establish themselves before making a decision on whether they are my cup of tea. At the moment, it's in the 'a bit weird' pile, but happy to see what the next episode holds...

Talking of weird, I was completely lost in the new Devlin Waugh adventure All Hell. I just had this sinking feeling part way through that I had been here before with Red Tide in the early part of my Odyssey... I just got lost with who was who, who was a good guy or a bad guy and who the hell appeared at the end. Was Devlin tied up, or was it another guy... John Smith and Colin MacNeil are, once again, on script and art duties respectively. I'm just going to try it again next week and see if it falls into place, but I'm not holding out much hope. Ho hum.

Contrast this with a fabulous all-action Gordon Rennie and PJ Holden story called A Bullet In The Head featuring the Hong Tong detective and Triad enforcer Johnny Woo. I'm on record as saying no-one handles action like Rennie and Holden's art keeps pace perfectly. This story has it all; intrigue, rival gangs, exotic locations, scumbags, good guys who are bad guys and lots of fights and shooting. Can't wait for the next episode of this one!

And now onto The Bogie Man in part 5 of Return to Casablanca. Boy this was a struggle again. I just think I can't be bothered with it and am rapidly losing interest. I mean, I'm giving it a fair crack of the whip, but it really isn't something I'm hugely enjoying. I am interested to see how it ends, probably just to see if anything interesting does happen, but it's two parts too long already and shows no sign of ending soon. Still like Robin Smith's art - a very clean style and looks great in black and white.

Anderson started this Meg (making that five new stories in this issue!) in a tale called City Of Dead. A really stunning full page splash opening by Ranson, whose art I am really enjoying. And in a welcom turn of events, Anderson does some street judging! We still are having references back to the previous stories (nano-bots and half-life virus) but it's not yet clear if this will play a major role in this storyline. The setup seems to indicate it will, so let's see how it plays out.

The reprint was a couple of Dredd stories called Playaday and A Child's Tale. Both were good single episode stories dealing with some fairly unique subject material. The first one was quite the comedy, the latter a tragedy - so they worked well as a pair. Quite a good Metro Dredd (haven't said that for a while) with Si Spurrier on writing duty and Steve Roberts on art. Quite a good little story.

Si's Movie column, reviewing Spaghetti Westerns was pretty decent too. Has he changed his style or am I warming to him? Difficult to say... The final part of Cam Kennedy's Interrogation didn't disappoint with an account brining us right up to date (2005 of course!). He recalls his work on Star Wars (which was pretty important in resurrecting the franchise) as well as some other work for 2000 AD. Again, he missed some opportunities, but isn't prone to regret or bitterness. He seems happy with his lot.

And finally...Dreddlines is still going strong at this stage in the Meg's life. Floyd has now begun to write in as 2000AD characters, which is an interesting twist, and there was a letter complaining Anderson wasn't attractive enough in her old age!

[Dark Jimbo]

...and there was a letter complaining Anderson wasn't attractive enough in her old age!

To my shame, I think that was me. 

[Simon Beigh]

...and there was a letter complaining Anderson wasn't attractive enough in her old age!

To my shame, I think that was me. 

Really? Honestly DJ, what were you thinking... Actually, I know what you were thinking

[Mabs]

...and there was a letter complaining Anderson wasn't attractive enough in her old age!

To my shame, I think that was me. 

Lol. Nice one Jimbo! 

[Simon Beigh]

Meg 232 - Brock Hard



(Link to BARNEY)

Sir Alan Barnes' Nan likes badgers. So Lord Barnes commissioned Colin MacNeil to draw a cover with a ninja badger on it. This is according to Alan's editorial, and I have paraphrased it, but essentially that's the facts. And I like a good MacNeil cover, so I'm not going to complain ;-)

On to Dredd chasing PJ Maybe in the story Monsterus Mashinashuns. What was interesting was a thread was established here that will go in to have a large story arc of its own later down the line. Ah the benefit of hindsight (and of reading a few modern stories). Rather than spoil this story it has added a great deal of intrigue to see how it plays out. Like an Origins story, I guess. Looking forward to more Wagner and Ezquerra goodness next time.

I got into Zancudo a bit more this week. [spoiler]Our two Judges enter the den of the giant Mosquitos that have been plaguing them, where strange goings on are occurring...[/spoiler] I think I mentioned last time that this was a bit of a weird one, and I'm ok with it. Dreddlines had a letter praising the strip and a letter deriding it but I think you know my style is to not rush to judgements on these things, and I'm happy to read this strip and am intrigued to see where we head.

I think Devlin Waugh's latest adventure, All Hell, made a bit more sense this time around. I was a bit lost at the end of episode 1, but there was a decent explanation narrative in the first part of this episode, so I am back on track. A bit. I think. John Smith isn't the easiest writer to follow sometimes, but his story telling brings it's own rewards. I am persevering. And Colin's art is definitive for Devlin Waugh.

Johnny Woo. A Bullet In the Head. Boy do I like this! More car chases, gun fights, martial arts and old scores to settle. Rennie is on super form here. It's not all wham, bam either, there is a decent story building here. Can't wait for the next episode of this. I just hope the high quality is maintained.

The pace felt like it had accelerated in The Bogie Man this time round. I am still tapping my foot impatiently waiting for it to finish, but it does rather feel we are starting to get somewhere. At last. [spoiler]There is a fun chase through the streets with the gang after the rescued immigrants[/spoiler]. Hoping we wrap up next time.

Anderson did some standing around and a bit of thinking in this instalment of City of Dead. [spoiler]We did watch the mysterious malady take form in some poor citizens and in some robot dogs at a dog show.[/spoiler] Anderson has some theories, but she is allowing herself to be fobbed off a lot. Again. Perhaps this is the older Anderson, but I can't help thinking 25 years ago she would have gone in and kicked a few arses.

I must apologise for not mentioning the British Icons text article series which has been running in the last few issues. Basically, a writer reviews a British fictional character of old. BARNEY has all the details for previous issues, but the reason I haven't mentioned them is I haven't been reading them. I generally don't know them, so I don't bother with them. This time it was Sexton Blake who, again, I hadn't heard of. I read the article in places, but I think you need to be a fan to get something out of it. Bryan Talbot was under Interrogation in this issue, and I don't know why, but it didn't hold my interest. Perhaps it's because I'm not familiar with much of his work?

In Heatseekers, I read all the columns (it was a long train journey!). The history of Snuff was interesting in the Movies section as I genuinely thought actual people were hurt in the making of that film. It was a hoax. 2048 sounds a bit bonkers, but then a lot of stuff in the Orient section does! Cult TV examined a fairly poo Doctor Who and the Comics section was ok.

And finally... Metro Dredd wasn't bad at all this week. Would really have worked as 5 daily strips I think. Good work Bishop and Clarke.

P.S. If anyone feels like writing a more positive view on The Bogie Man for the blog, or wants a bit of room to express a counter-opinion on any of these stories (for example, I bet someone absolutely hates Johnny Woo), please do get in touch...

[Simon Beigh]

Meg 233 - Buzz Off!



LINK to BARNEY

Just been enjoying the unseasonably warm weather in the UK to finish off reading this Meg today in my garden chair. I thought the cover by D'Israeli was dynamic, but not really that interesting.

Let's start with episode 3 of Monsterus Mashinashuns, the Dredd and PJ Maybe story. [spoiler]Having stolen the heart of a certain Dr. Ambrose, PJ sets in motion the next part of his plan.[/spoiler] It's never going to be full of action, but it is gripping in that I am beginning to see what PJ Maybe might be up to. So far, Dredd has been quite a few steps behind the master criminal, so it will be interesting to see if he catches up anytime soon! Good story - enjoying reading it.

Zancudo concluded this issue. I say 'concluded', it has the door left open to more stories in this South American jungle ruled by giant mosquitos. Turns out there are various factions on this insect community, with giant ants being bought into play (hence the cover). Spurrier paced the story well over the 3 episodes, and the Cam Kennedy art was more than competent. I guess I fell a bit disinterested with this story, on the whole. If it never came back, I wouldn't miss it.

It was also the final episode of A Bullet In The Head, where Inspector Liu Chan Yen (AKA Johnny Woo) [spoiler]runs into someone from his past who he thought was dead. Can't say it was a happy reunion, and most of the episode was dedicated to their chase[/spoiler]. It seemed to me that this was a prequel of bigger things to come, and I hope that's true. Fast paced action throughout, a trademark Rennie story, and fabulous Holden art. Come back soon...

Right, I'm really getting into Devlin Waugh now [spoiler]as the band of three; Devlin, Ralph (who makes weapons out of germs!) and Harry (handy with various weapons, it seems!) head into the first circle of hell in pursuit of a rather nasty trio intent on countless evil and nasty things![/spoiler] Some good back stories for the characters have now been established and we are off and running with the main story thread. I like the use of Chinese and Eastern religion and folklore in this story, and for a change with a Waugh story, am looking forward to seeing how it develops.

Finally, at long last, The Bogie Man petered out with a slight plop. It ended fairly predictably, but did leave a bit of a cliff-hanger as to what happens to 'Rick' and 'Ilsa'. For me, it was far too long and simply not enough happened in it. Glad we can clear this one out of the way and make room for something else next time.

Anderson's story isn't moving onwards much either. [spoiler]She is figuring out that the city is in a lot of danger from the Half-Life virus, and Dredd makes a fleeting appearance battling some of the crazed victims. But only towards the end of the episode did she start to take things into her own hands. Finally, she's breaking a few rules to get to where she needs to be![/spoiler] Lovely Ranson art as always, and some wonderful quirky Big Meg characters from Grant. Slowly, but surely, we are getting there with this story.

The reprints were three Dredds I had recently read in a Case Files. I still skimmed them, as they are quite good episodes, particularly the 10th anniversary episode (10 Years On) where Dredd gets to chase the Perp he locked up in Prog 2. The Si Spurrier Metro Dredd was good too.

Onto the text articles, and just in case you were wondering, The Dredd Files is still going... Ho hum. Nice picture of a Mick McMahon Rat Fink, who was always one of my favourite characters. The British Icons article was all about Sapphire and Steel, the late 70s/early 80s time travelling duo which graced ITV back in the day. I enjoyed the article, having sat through the first series with my wife when she bought it on DVD and been scared witless (I'm not great with ghost stories). My wife is a big fan and thought the article was well written and she learnt a lot from it.

In Heatseekers, I read the Cult TV section on The League of Gentlemen, which I always liked but found a little disturbing. The Orient section talked about a Korean film, Taegukgi, which was similar to Band Of Brothers and Saving Private Ryan. It is set in 1950 in the Korean War. It sounded quite good, so I may stick it on my LoveFilm list.

And finally... We seem to have lost the text stories. I really enjoyed the Simping Detective one and some of the Dredds. The British Icons articles are quite hit and miss for me (mainly miss) so I'd like to see the text fiction brought back please Sir Alan of Barnes...