Thrill-Coma 2010

[TordelBack]

I've never understood the Stix Fix. This is a post-apocalyptic world where there are tropical jungles in Antarctica, a mutant free-state in Africa, an Intergalactic Crime Commission, time-travel, routine FTL and actual magic, and this story uses a parodic contemporary North Korea. Why?

Why isn't this some sort of made-up futuro-place where Wagner can cut loose with the silly names and cannibalistic royalty? Its not like it works as satire. A very, very odd misstep.

[Tiplodocus]

Reading back on the prog review threads of all those years ago,  a few people call out accusations of casual racism in Stix Fix and some let it slide with "Get a sense of humour you nanny-state, pc-gone-mad, do-gooders!"

[TordelBack]

2015, eh? Like messages from a lost world.

[IndigoPrime]

I don’t recall the responses from the time, but I wonder how much acceptance on a curve there is because Wagner.

[Funt Solo]

Reading back on the prog review threads of all those years ago,  a few people call out accusations of casual racism in Stix Fix and some let it slide with "Get a sense of humour you nanny-state, pc-gone-mad, do-gooders!"

Putting gently aside obvious defensive reactions about the attack-dog nature of that kind of response: my litmus test for whether something's OK is whether or not I could show it to my high school class and feel safe that I wouldn't find it difficult to defend that decision.

I really loved a lot of the Bill Hicks material I saw: but he was terribly homophobic. Should I just not mention that? Does noticing his homophobia mean I'm someone who needs a sense of humour upgrade? Or that I want to nanny people? Or that I'm insanely driven by political correctness? I don't believe so.

Likewise, I find the creators of The Stix Fix to have done tons of great work over their careers. I could wax lyrical about their stupendous achievements. But drawing Koreans with big buck teeth sneering evilly at us and talking about eating dog? Hey: everyone's free to make their own minds up about how that makes them feel. I know how it makes me feel.

"And you will stop us if you think it's getting even the teeniest bit racist?" (Remember: no laughing!)

[Funt Solo]

2015 (Summer Six-Pack)

A powerful line-up where even the misses are hits, so here's a (very tight) run-down of most to least thrilling...


Helium
(1934-1945)
Script: Ian Edginton, Art: D'Israeli, Letters: Ellie De Ville

Giant sky-ships ply their trade above an expanse of poison gas that has covered old England: but something lurks below! Another ripping yarn from Edginton and D'Israeli: it's full of action set pieces that never let us rest for too long. Each episode layers in another facet of this strange, mostly unexplained world - be it another faction, or a revelation of a character's mysterious past. Wonderful and creative, it leaves us begging for a second series.




Jaegir: Tartarus
(1937-1944)
Script: Gordon Rennie, Art: Simon Coleby, Colours: Len O'Grady, Letters: Ellie De Ville

It's Scooby Doo meets the internal security apparatus of a galactic totalitarian state as Atalia Jaegir (and her easily identifiable crew) investigate the worst excesses of the Nort regime (this time in the form of the infamous Kashan Legion) by ... visiting the kitchens. Yoicks! (Despite my puerility, this is really good stuff: atmospheric, disturbing and compelling.)




Judge Dredd: Blood of Emeralds
(1934-1939)
Script: Michael Carroll, Art: Colin MacNeil, Colours: Chris Blythe, Letters: Annie Parkhouse

I'd not been convinced by Carroll's Dredd up to now, but here it really shines. An assassin attempts to murder Fintan Joyce, which leads us to Murphyville and the uncovering of a dangerous conspiracy. This gets points for ditching the constant references to potatos that marred (mashed?) Emerald Isle (Ennis, 1991), setting a grittier tone whilst still providing a believable sense of place. The unkillable assassin is a great foil: hope to see more of him.




Judge Dredd: Enceladus - Old Life
(1940-1947)
Script: Rob Williams, Art: Henry Flint, Letters: Annie Parkhouse

This marks the final part of Rob Williams' multi-part stealth-epic, bringing in Aimee Nixon from Low Life as a psychotic belligerent, and SJS Judge Gerhart (from Skulls, prog 1836) as the bionic sidekick who's too tough to die. In Titan (1862-1869), Aimee went full ASBO as she staged a revolt so's she could beat up on Dredd and shout at Hershey over space-Skype. In Enceladus - New Life (1924-1928) she was feeling all hard-done-by because siding with the yakuza and being a psycho hadn't panned out well (go figure), and she got apparently blown to smithereens for her trouble.

Now we learn that something on Enceladus survived and has returned to Earth hell bent on revenge. Despite my dislike for psycho-Aimee and her endless blind rage, this part of the mini-saga plays out well: particularly the slowly chilling city and the atmosphere of dread, ramping up to crazed panic as the pieces start to fall into place.

I dunno: it's a brave Dredd writer that goes anywhere near Titan after the Inferno debacle. I'm not sure of the validity of Justice Department continuing to rebuild it. Wouldn't it be cheaper to do something like drop them into a live volcano? Certainly less trouble, as things have panned out.

Still, if there's one thing The Dark Knight Returns taught us, it's that our heroes look cool riding horses in inclement weather:




Outlier: Dark Symmetries
(1935-1944)
Script: T.C. Eglinton, Art: Karl Richardson, Letters: Annie Parkhouse

Lots of pulp sci-fi blended with cyberpunk body-swapping as a man with alien eyes is remote-controlled by an alien agent who's being remote-controlled by the mind of a captive human remote-controlled by some aloof aliens. It works on an action level, but there's maybe one too many relatives to rescue and protagonists to care about as the sequel gets set up before I've figured out how this one's climaxing. Did anyone win? Is that woman left drifting in space doomed, or just sequel-fodder? 




Absalom: Under a False Flag
(1934-1942)
Script: Gordon Rennie, Art: Tiernen Travallion, Letters: Simon Bowland

He kicks puppies into ponds for no reason and he's a racist, xenophobic, murdering Scunthorpe that mows down bicyclists for fun. So, is giving the bastard offspring of Alf Garnet and Jim Davidson (and, if I'm allowed three fathers, Inspector Morse) his grand-kids back really such a good idea? Maybe they'd be better off with the demons? And don't even get me started on the blatant parkour. It's all a bit like an upmarket Big Dave. Balance: great art and a very well-written story with a great plot. (I'm just a curmudgeon about the main character being such a curmudgeon.)

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[IndigoPrime]

"Wonderful and creative, it leaves us begging for a second series.”

Mm.

[Funt Solo]

"Wonderful and creative, it leaves us begging for a second series.”

Mm.

Guessing that means you either didn't like the first series, or that you were disappointed by the second.

[Dark Jimbo]

"Wonderful and creative, it leaves us begging for a second series.”

Mm.

Guessing that means you either didn't like the first series, or that you were disappointed by the second.

When we get that second series, he'll be able to tell you!

[IndigoPrime]

I liked it. I’m not overly keen on the gap.

[Funt Solo]

Typical that both my guesses were wrong. I wouldn't have assumed there was a 4+ year gap on that one. Tempts me to do some data crunching on the average gap between series - I figure it's longer than golden age because there are so many plates being spun at once.

[JayzusB.Christ]

I totally agree that Michael Carroll seems to have upped his game on Dredd since that period of progtime.
I was gutted that Dredd had lost Al Ewing, who absolutely nailed it, but Michael has proved to be a slow-burning but very decent addition to the series.  Stories focused around citizens with suitably funny names, robots with hilarious tics, and an intelligent and articulate Dredd who doesn't say things like 'You gotta be some kinda meathead!'.

Also, while I was far from offended by Ennis' Emerald Isle, I found it a bit lame.  Michael did a fine job of giving my city a far more interesting future.  And it's just occurred to me - I was amazed to note that Mike already knew who I was when I met him years ago; and I wonder if Chief Judge Walsh is called after me? Most probably not, it's the third most common Irish surname. But you never know; erstwhile boarder Johnnystress cropped up as a Dredd villain in the past.

[ming]

Helium was great and I'd forgotten there'd been such a long intermission since the first series ended; I wonder if/when it'll be back?

[Bolt-01]

I believe there is a new series in the works with Tiernan Trevallion on art duties. Looking forward to seeing it.

[ming]

I believe there is a new series in the works with Tiernan Trevallion on art duties. Looking forward to seeing it.

Ooh, that sounds good.