Prog 2203: Order and rule

[The Monarch]

Lets go in order shall we?

Cover: Nice moody Dredd image by Jake Lynch

The nerve centre reveals a venus blue genes story in the next regened prog which is coming in 3 progs time. oh and we are getting a dredd story involving ichabods talking horse next prog.

Dredd: I get the feeling that the end of the world is just the start of something bigger for mega city 1 which is insane since it was the end of the world after all. Maitland survives the story surprisingly i thought she was gonna be a goner but is now on the councils shit list

Stickleback is so good guys i am so happy it returned!

Skip tracer is not good however but the rest of the prog is amazing so it balences out.

Fiends intrigues me at the moment with the backstory which i am very much finding interesting

Hookjaw....wow....just....wow

also some ultimate collection news but i stuck that in the ultimate collection thread so if you are curious check it out there

[WhizzBang]

I think Skip Tracer is good, and I am enjoying this latest outing.

[moly]

Thought this was a great prog, skip tracer seems to be finally finding its feet, really enjoying fiends getting a hell boy vibe with the art

[Magnetica]

I’m really not sure what to make of Boo Cook’s art. Some of the panels, especially faces are just ridiculously good, others are just too cartoony for my taste.

[Blue Cactus]

I’m really not sure what to make of Boo Cook’s art. Some of the panels, especially faces are just ridiculously good, others are just too cartoony for my taste.

I like Cook's art a lot but I think I know what you mean. Close ups and mid-range shots are often beautiful, but when he zooms out and is drawing smaller figures their limbs tend to look a bit... 'floppy' to me, as if the image is more cartoony than the surrounding panels. Love his designs and his vibrant colours. He draws a good Dredd too.

[Blue Cactus]

Enjoying the prog just now, it feels strange to me not to have any Abnett in there but that's just fine (for a little while).

Liked this Dredd, I like Maitland a lot as a character and she adds a nice dimension to Justice Dept. The 'Dredd taking down perps' sub-plot feels a bit tacked on here in order to tell her story but enjoyed it nonetheless. Justice Dept could maybe save some money by not having the 500 SJS officers we saw last week, but hey ho.

I feel a bit torn with Stickleback. I'm not sure why he's wearing a mask or makeup and is running about bent at a 45 degree angle all the time, now that his being Holmes is no secret. It's really going to cause him health problems in later life. Incredible art, personally I prefer my D'Israeli with more solid lines and colour but this glowing black white and grey gives the strip such a distinctive feel.

So Skip Tracer is in THE UNDERNEATH now. I can't quite figure out what this means because we don't really get to see any background detail other than some red smoke and possibly some... poles? Pillars? We meet the Splices, who all wear matching waistcoats. Paul Marshall gets to draw one of his textbook 'closeup on the pursed lips of the villain' shots. Love those robot designs! As always I really enjoy the Marshall/Teague combination. This strip always looks lovely.

Fiends is an odd little strip. It's intriguing the way Edginton is exploring this from different angles in each different series. Trevallion really is great these days. There was a panel set in the inn last week that made me really want to go to a pub... sigh. Cracking final panel this week, reminded me of the 80s Dungeons and Dragons cartoon!

Hook Jaw is way better than I anticipated and might be my strip of the week for the last fortnight. Probably my favourite bit of writing by Alec Worley so far and I am always a fan of Leigh Gallagher. Love the way they have combined folk horror with the original 'it's a big shark' premise. Between this and Thistlebone Tharg has found a cool genre of folk horror which is an element I've enjoyed a lot. The final page actually made my jaw drop it was so unexpected, which hasn't happened when reading a comic for a wee while! Someone in last prog's thread mentioned the nightmarish feel of one panel and I hope they can maintain that atmosphere.

Only two sci-fi stories this week might be another reason the prog feels a little different to normal, but that's absolutely fine with me.

[broodblik]

I’m really not sure what to make of Boo Cook’s art. Some of the panels, especially faces are just ridiculously good, others are just too cartoony for my taste.

I like Cook's art a lot but I think I know what you mean. Close ups and mid-range shots are often beautiful, but when he zooms out and is drawing smaller figures their limbs tend to look a bit... 'floppy' to me, as if the image is more cartoony than the surrounding panels. Love his designs and his vibrant colours. He draws a good Dredd too.

Very good summary of Cook's art. His close-up work in great but his distance detail on human forms are very "weird"

[Colin YNWA]

What an interesting Prog. To my shame I didn't read it last night as I got distracted by a new toy. Wish I had as there is much to digest.

Dredd - This was a great premise. Exceuted well. The problem is in ensuring that the dilemma and story will build we are left with a weak and unsatisfying ending. Its all hanging in mid air. or like Sword of Damocles over Logan's head. When this tale is told I think this will be a superb, brooding ending. As it is I felt a little slighted, but excited about what will come.

Stickleback slips out of the shiny with a seeming scarifice and a gift and into the 'real' world with a moment of intrgue and excitment. This is building well.

Skip Tracer still not there, but getting closer. This is another decent episode. Lets see.

Fiends Well this is developing nicely too. As Jungle Book is merged in and then we get a Hydra for possibly some Greek myth. We're building quite the origin story there.

Hookjaw well this is developing nicely. Just as you feel you are getting on your feet it wipes away the carpet and you are thrown into the belly of the whale... or shark probably. Can't wait to see where this one goes.

So yeah its all bubbling under nicely. The trick for three of these is making sure what is developing is seen through well.

[JayzusB.Christ]

Not sure what to make of Dredd - but I did enjoy the story.  It has depth that the non-Wagner Dredd writers of the early 90s couldn't have got close to.  It's an ending that feels more like a beginning.

Fiends is a lovely little tale; more than a touch of Neil Gaiman Vertigo about it.  Also great to see Ian Edginton successfully take on a story outside of his own little universe.

Hookjaw is good stuff too.  Suitably harrowing, and unlike the original Action version the deaths are quite moving rather than just entertainingly horrific (though they are that too).

I've never really read Skip Tracer, I'm afraid, and I'm not sure if I'll bother with a catch-up.  Just doesn't look like my bag, baby, and the reviews I've read from you other boarders haven't really inspired me to rush to my back progs.

Haven't read Holmes yet; looking forward to it.

[broodblik]

The cover by Jake Lynch:

[broodblik]

The cover plus logo:

[broodblik]

This was a particularly good prog. You know you are in a good space is when you cannot choose your favourite thrill for the week and it is shared by Fiends, Hook Jaw and the man from Baker Street. The cover by Jake is great as well.

Dredd – This Dredd story feel very much relevant in today's age and time.  A political thriller with the force of nature Dredd always lurking in the background.  Boo Cook again delivers some great Dredd imagery especially the second page.

Elementary my dear Watson - As D’Israeli delivers some great visuals Edginton does not disappoint with some great scripting. Great stuff and please 6 years are way too long to wait.

Skip Tracer – A functional story but it is difficult to shine with the bring stars around you. Paul Marshall as ever knows how to bring us the pictures.

Fiends – Just love the way the story has turned out with some exciting new elements brought into the frame. Tiernen’s art is just sublime. Hopefully, this run is longer than the customary 6 parts as we had with previous installments.

Hook Jaw – I like how to story builds up suspension and intrigue. Nothing as off yet has been revealed but then we have the last page to boot.  Wow, what is next? Great story.

[JayzusB.Christ]

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention the cover.  It's really, really good.  Kind of a Jock Dredd look to it - my favourite type of Dredd.

[norton canes]

An excellent prog swaddled under a mauve and moody Jake Lynch cover. Read it through in one go last night sitting in my lovely comfy new office chair (at home, which is now my office) under my lovely new LED office flexible lamp. Loving the new normal.

Carry the Nine wraps earlier than I expected, though I guess we'll be back eventually to see if Maitland's altruistic plans bear fruit. Stickleback is a bit lost on me I'm afraid, not having read any previous instalments. Didn't Grant Morrison create a white-suited villain named Orlando? Is this supposed to be the same entity? Skip Tracer continues in its rather vanilla way. Fiends is a well-told story and it looks spectacular - it's a lucky writer indeed that sees their stories realized by the Trevallion droid. Finally Hookjaw continues to impress despite - or hey, maybe because - it still doesn't seem to know quite what it's trying to do.

[norton canes]

Didn't Grant Morrison create a white-suited villain named Orlando?

In 'The Invisibles', I should say