I'm gonna read them all...

[Trout]

I'm never comfortable when we do the "worst of 2K" conversation, and I think I first saw it happen on this board 15 years ago.

Something I've learned from creator comments over the years is that every strip has people who loved it, often including the people who made it and genuinely believed it was good.

But Chronos Carnival was shite.

- Trout

[Fungus]

what the true 'Anno Horribilas' was but would place it around the 700 - 900's roughly.  Past 1000 really does see a pick up for my money.

Now this is a b*****d.
Because my first-ever prog-slog is the progs I NEVER read (in theory, it's 20-odd years ago)
and I'm plodding through 700-960. It's hard work. Fleischer needs a slap.
I have considered chucking it in and starting from 200 instead... Ace Trucking, Slaine, ...
Picking up after 1000 is no consolation, um, I have none 

[Tjm86]

and I'm plodding through 700-960. It's hard work. Fleischer needs a slap.

I found alcohol helpful in the darkest days ....

[The Corinthian]

I remember a good thread on here a few years ago arguing Prog 827 as the absolute lowest of all low points, a notion it's hard to disagree with. It's a perfect storm of shite, a toxic combination of Bradley, Millar's Robohunter, the utterly pointless Kelly's Eye reboot and a truly appalling Future Shock from the unlamented Frances Lynn. On top of that it had the one of the most offensively bad Dredd stories Ennis ever penned.

Just the week after, you had Firekind, Armoured Gideon 2 and new Bad Company all starting. Talk about swings and roundabouts.

827 has the excuse of being the Prog before a big relaunch, which is often used a landfill for thrillsuckers. I'd nominate Prog 723 on the grounds, which has the fag end of a Fleisher Rogue Trooper, a duff Dredd opener and Millar's debut on Robo-Hunter and even the better strips are second division stuff... and still Tharg thought this would make an ideal jumping on point for new readers.

The only thing to be said in its favour is that they didn't manage to shoehorn in the return of Junker. We had to wait a whole week for that.

[TordelBack]

The 'worst prog EVAH' exercise is fascinating (I've been having a go this morning in full-on work-avoidance mode), not least because it's very, very hard to find one that hasn't got just one good strip.  Personally I blame John Smith. Even where a prog is otherwise excreable, there's usually a Revere, a Tyranny Rex, a Firekind or an Indigo Prime shoring it up: look at 872 or 879, for example.  Anthony Williams doesn't help either, often lending a bit of enthusiasm and energy to a prog that is otherwise utterly dull and lethargic.

While not a winner, an early entry to my shortlist is 816, but mainly because I hate Finn.  YMMV.

[I, Cosh]

The 'worst prog EVAH' exercise is fascinating (I've been having a go this morning in full-on work-avoidance mode), not least because it's very, very hard to find one that hasn't got just one good strip. Personally I blame John Smith...

While not a winner, an early entry to my shortlist is 816, but mainly because I hate Finn.  YMMV.

Ah, now. I'm always keen to stick up for Ennis' Dredd and The Kinda Dead Man is definitely one of his better ones.

821 swaps Finn for Legend of Shamana but also has a PJ Maybe outing and this stunning back cover. I bet that bastard Dale probably owns this.

[Frank]

The maxim that there is always one story that saves an otherwise execrable prog only holds true with issues that stick to the anthology format. If you don't particularly care for Sláine, Rogue Trooper, Sinister Dexter or Dredd (that City of the Damned follow-up and Trifecta), then the novelty issues which featured a single story concerned only with them are going to be strong contenders for worst issue ever.

[TordelBack]

and this stunning back cover. I bet that bastard Dale probably owns this.

Cor but that is lovely.  Paul Marshall has to one of the most underrated artists in the history of the prog.  He's produced some truly fantastic work for decades, and is on noticeably top form at the moment, but he never seems to be feted as one of the 2000AD pantheon of 'greats'.

And good points there, Sauchie. I think the single-story Progs would have to be omitted on the grounds of personal taste, but I don't think any of them are truly terrible.  Some aren't great, certainly.

[TordelBack]

Oh merciful Grud, I've just seen the Barney listing for Prog 881.  The best thing in it is Dinosty.

[Jim_Campbell]

Oh merciful Grud, I've just seen the Barney listing for Prog 881.  The best thing in it is Dinosty.

I'm gonna stand by 883 over 881, which has the same line-up but swaps Dinosty for Babe Race 2000.

Cheers

Jim

[Dark Jimbo]

Cor but that is lovely.  Paul Marshall has to one of the most underrated artists in the history of the prog.  He's produced some truly fantastic work for decades, and is on noticeably top form at the moment, but he never seems to be feted as one of the 2000AD pantheon of 'greats'.

Flicking through some semi-recent progs a few weeks ago I stumbled across 'The Ecstasy' - a 10-part Wagner Dredd thriller, with Marshall on art duties, that I'd completely forgotten had ever existed. How often does that ever happen? A 10-part Wagner Dredd that's just dropped out of history. I've not heard it mentioned once since it first ran.

[Greg M.]

I'm gonna stand by 883 over 881, which has the same line-up but swaps Dinosty for Babe Race 2000.

Yep, 883's a triple-Millar issue - surely the true nadir of progdom.

Re: Paul Marshall's art - I think the reason he's not always rated is because of that lengthy period when he simplified his style and seemed to be on constant rotation in the prog. There's a very clear shift in his artwork, round about 'Darkside', where one gets the impression he's going for ease and speed of production rather than the ultra-detailed approach that made 'Firekind' so beloved. Compare the likes of 'New Model Phoord' (some of his weakest work) to 'Escape from Kurt Russell' (the last thing he did for the prog in his 'old' style) for the difference. That said, his recent work in the prog has been excellent.

[TordelBack]

I'm gonna stand by 883 over 881, which has the same line-up but swaps Dinosty for Babe Race 2000.

Yep, 883's a triple-Millar issue - surely the true nadir of progdom.

Cripes, I haven't got to that one yet, it sounds a horror.  You'll be shocked to learn that I don't own it.

[Frank]

Ah, now. I'm always keen to stick up for Ennis' Dredd and The Kinda Dead Man is definitely one of his better ones.

Ennis's best Dredd stuff was as good as any writer other than Wagner has done (and a lot better than some of Wagner's dodgier output). An awful lot of his stuff descends into the same kind of pop culture/nostalgia riffing that Mark Millar was doing a power of at the same time, and his hit-to-shit ratio would be much better if he's jacked it in a few months earlier.

I suppose The Kinda Dead Man was the kinda Judgement Day consequences and repercussions story we were all arguing (in the wake of Chaos Day) was a necessity for any epic to be considered a valid part of the continuing Dredd macro-narrative. The lodestone business would have provided a pretty good excuse for all manner of weirdness and story potential too, if anyone had bothered to follow up on it ...

[Colin YNWA]

I'm gonna stand by 883 over 881, which has the same line-up but swaps Dinosty for Babe Race 2000.

Yep, 883's a triple-Millar issue - surely the true nadir of progdom.

Yeah been looking using Barney's listings for Michael Fleisher's stories as my guide and even using his material I can't find a Prog to top... well sink below 883. Shocker.