Prog 2122 - Your Planet Needs Thrills!

[Timothy]

I seem to recall that we got the democracy storyline and all of the wonderfulness that followed as a result of Wagner becoming concerned that some did not see the satire in Dredd and thought him a straight action hero. Perhaps that letter will inspire further greatness.

[Richard]

MAKE MEGA-CITY ONE GREAT AGAIN!

[sheridan]

Okay I'll start with a positive before I get run out of town.

Its far too early to call but cos I love a good Tharg cover if we get a better cover this year I can't wait to see it. Bllody lovely!

Initially I thought the same, but then I noticed the number 38 bus.  Totally unrealistic!  What would that service be doing on Westminster Bridge?  It heads north from Victoria station, not East!  Also, Elizabeth Tower has loads of scaffolding on at the moment, so is this a vision of the future or past?

[CalHab]

So was that the last Skip Tracer ever? I wonder if time will be kind to this rather maligned strip. For my part I've always thought it's been full of great ideas, and the art of Marshall and MacNeil has never been less then stunning. As others have said, the biggest let-down has been the lack of charactersiation for the protagonist.

The recent podcast interview suggests that Tharg has commissioned at least one more series, unless I misunderstood.

[sheridan]

I love Alex's art, but after recent events on Westminster Bridge, I find that choice of image unfortunate.

What's happened on Westminster Bridge recently?  Most recent thing I can think of is that car driver who tried to kill some people on bikes at around eight in the morning, but even that seems about six months ago (and wasn't on the bridge, it was on Parliament Square going towards Millbank).  All the protests and that harrassment in January were on College Green - other side of the Palace of Westminster from the Bridge.

[norton canes]

One other thing about the denouement to Machine Law...

I presume it isn't routine for a Judge droid to carry massive amounts of hi-ex in its casing? So Harvey must've known there was going to be a bomber at the protest march?

[Pyroxian]

One other thing about the denouement to Machine Law...

I presume it isn't routine for a Judge droid to carry massive amounts of hi-ex in its casing? So Harvey must've known there was going to be a bomber at the protest march?

I assume it was standard lawgiver hi-ex rounds - just all detonated simultaneously. I imagine the a droid judge can carry a lot more ammo than a regular one.

[Richard]

Or they have a self-destruct function.

[I, Cosh]

Or an internal power supply.

[Leigh S]

Technically it was inspired by the fact the original protestors were meant to be Nudists, but the managment nixed that idea and they ahd to come up with some other protagonists - I take your general point though!

I seem to recall that we got the democracy storyline and all of the wonderfulness that followed as a result of Wagner becoming concerned that some did not see the satire in Dredd and thought him a straight action hero. Perhaps that letter will inspire further greatness.

[norton canes]

P.S. I just noticed that Grey Area's talking heads episode is exactly two years on from SinDex doing the same in 'The Salad Of Bad Cafe'.

[Fungus]

P.S. I just noticed that Grey Area's talking heads episode is exactly two years on from SinDex doing the same in 'The Salad Of Bad Cafe'.

Ggbbbhhbgh. Just when we got that pun out of our system.

[Richard]

I liked that SinDex story, because although it was mostly talking heads, it was funny and there was just enough of a change at the end to keep it interesting. Great Area didn't have that.

[DrJomster]

I’m in the opposite camp and Grey Area worked well for me this week. Things would get boring if we all thought the same, wouldn’t it?*

*Apart from Dredd. Everyone liking that is just fine!

[O Lucky Stevie!]

In Tooth and Nail, every scene that wasn't of the guy who was tied to a chair and being interrogated was only a depiction of the story that guy was telling his interrogators. He was an "unreliable narrator." He told them he was some harmless guy who met Nail, but he was lying; he himself was Nail all along.

Thanks for clearing that up. That being the case, there doesn’t appear to be any fantasy or sci-fi element to the story at all. Which is fine, except this is 2000AD.

Stevie's finally catching up with his back progs. I think that the twist in Tooth & nail wasthe expectation of a non-existent SF/F element distracted the reader from what was right in front of them all the time. All a bit meta, really.