Robin's Prog 2003 and Megazine 201
Robin Low
SPOILERS
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Prog 2003
Cover - I've never been a big fan of Tharg covers, but this is an
undeniably good bit of art from Greg Staples and Graham Rolfe. However,
the question remains as always, is this a cover to attract new or former
readers? I don't think so.
Judge Dredd: Incubus - Short and sweet, both story and art, and not much
more to say at this stage. Personally, I'm not so bothered by the
shortness of this opening episode. I'm hoping that there is going to be
some passing reference to the Star-Born Thing - after all, Dredd's no
stranger to alien lifeforms incubating inside him.
The V.C.s: Escher's Well - Glad to see this back, as Dan Abnett's recent
V.C.s series is probably the most enjoyable bit of work I've seen from
him. Anthony Williams is still far from my favourite artist, but this is
okay stuff and far better than what I remember of his contributions to
the comic in the 90s. This opening episode wasn't much more than a bar-
room brawl, but it did set the scene and hint at what's to come.
The Droids Decide - spread throughout the issue, this choice of
favourite covers highlighted the matter of the comic's cover. Of all the
covers selected, the most recent was for Prog 1095, and it really wasn't
very good at all (Simon Davis' choice). After that, the most recent
choice was Prog 669! Either this suggests that the Droids suffer from
the same nostalgia problems as the fans, or the quality of the covers
has been slipping steadily for a long, long time.
Rogue Trooper: Angels - A fairly simplistic war story. More scene
setting, I wonder? Simon Coleby was another artist from the 90s I was
none too impressed by back them, but his work has become much more
interesting to look at and I rather like it.
Slaine: The Books of Invasion - Fuck me! A good Slaine story! I don't
know about you lot, but I can now quite happily assume that everything
post-The Horned God never happened and this is the *real* continuation
of the story. Clint Langely's art is incredibly* beautiful and
incredibly horrific. I suspect that it hasn't been reproduced perfectly,
but even so it's awesome stuff.
Nikolai Dante: Hell and High Water - Good stuff, but not, apparently, a
continuation of the series. It's almost getting tiresome pointing out
how good John Burn's art it.
Caballistics, Inc.: Going Underground: Interesting start to a story I
should like. I have a tendency to be initially impressed by Gordon
Rennie's series, only to be left being not overly bothered by them, so I
won't get over-excited yet. Dom Readon's art doesn't do much for me, but
it's okay.
Banzai Battalion: Save the Fitz - More of the same from Wagner and
Gibson, which is, of course, a positive comment. Nothing to bounce up
and down too wildly about, but this is a likeable occasional series.
New Thrills: The prospect of Durham Red 3 depresses me, given that I
hated the previous two series. Difficult to judge Snow/Tiger just from
the advert, but given that it's Andy's Diggle and Clarke we could be
looking at something good.
The Megazine 201
Cover: Excellent cover by Cliff Robinson.
Judge Dredd: Phartz! - I doubt that this appealed to those of you who
failed to be amused by Goldmember, but I loved it. Lots of wonderfully
childish gags and violence. I liked the way that equipment used to catch
Dark Judges were brought out to deal with alien gas monsters - next time
Dredd meets Judge Death I hope he takes the time to wind Death up with
the news that he's not much more than a particularly malevolent fart.
Great art from Ezquerra with a nice shade of green.
The Kleggs - Nothing too special here, but with a bit of work there
might be a series in the idea.
Devlin Waugh: Red Tide - Excellent. Great story, great art.
Family - Okay, I'm interested, but we'll have to see what happens; it's
hard to tell how this one's going to turn out.
Judge Dredd: War Crimes - That cuddly Rennie character proves once again
that he's just about the only person other than Wagner who can right a
decent Dredd. It also goes to show that you can have a decent Dredd
story which mostly involves him talking to people, rather than shooting
everything in sight.
New Thrills: Black Siddha: Black Karma... a brand new series from Pat
Mills, which is probably something he and fans have been needing for a
long time. Judge Dredd: Monkey on my Back... a Dredd flashback from
Garth Ennis... hard to say what this might be like given Helter Skelter.
Juliet November: Phoenix Falling... "the star of Prog 1189's Pyrokinetic
gets her own three-part series"... hmmm, can't say her previous exploits
have stuck in my memory.
Overall, I think I got a lot for my money.
Regards
Robin
--
Robin Low
Nigel Poll
<Ro...@celephais.demon.co.uk> wrote:
>Christmas Eve and a spot of free time to comment on some stuff...
<wholesale snip>
Christmas Eve, several bottles down and a spot of free time to comment
on a review...
Good piece of work, Robin, and not just because I agreed with most of
it. It's a bit of a shock to discover that I received the prog and the
meg 2 weeks ago and I'm still reading them. If that's not value for
money, what the turnip's dongles is?
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Merry Christmas, the whole bleedin' lot of you!
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Nigel
scojo
> Judge Dredd: War Crimes - That cuddly Rennie character proves once again
> that he's just about the only person other than Wagner who can right a
> decent Dredd.
I don't think so. Rennie has obviously never heard of Justice Dept lie
detectors. When Dredd interviews Mr Dane for the first time, he would
have used his lie detector to see if he was lying. This is basic judge
procedure. Rennie doesn't realise that. Dredd wouldn't have needed to
interview the other people because he would have known Dane was lying.
Or had serious reason to doubt his word. Based on the lie detector's
'lie' reading (which is about 80%accurate), Dredd would have taken
Dane in for interrogation/questioning.
This is a careless error on Rennie's part. Story was not bad but
Rennie hasn't a clue how the judges operate. They use lie detectors,
Gordon. Pretty obvious. Not to you though.
scojo
CJones6759
>interview the other people because he would have known Dane was lying.
Then there would have been no story.
scojo
> >Dredd wouldn't have needed to
> >interview the other people because he would have known Dane was lying.
>
> Then there would have been no story.
Yeah but the way to resolve the problem would be to have Dane lie and
fool Dredd. Dane gives his 'version' and Dredd's lie detector reads
'true'. I think that would have worked. Dane is simply a good liar.
Dredd would then interview the other people.
Anyway the story wasn't bad but Dredd should have used his lie
detector. Merry shooshmas to one and all.
scojo
Nick Xylas
"CJones6759" <cjone...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:20021224194826...@mb-cn.aol.com...
> >Dredd wouldn't have needed to
> >interview the other people because he would have known Dane was lying.
>
> Then there would have been no story.
>
>
Maybe that's a story in itself.
Robin Low
<binar...@onetel.net.uk> writes
Or to John Wagner, apparently.
Lie detectors are still crop up now and again, but on the whole we don't
see them very often these days. It's been pointed out in various stories
that lie detectors can be fooled, even by non-judges. Also, their
regular use would wreck any number of plots.
Zoe J. Robinson
I liked it, one of the better pieces of artwork to grace the cover for a
while. However, it's not one that stands out on the crowded shelves in
the newsagent and I doubt it will attract the attention of anyone not
looking for the '2000 AD' logo.
> Judge Dredd: Incubus - Short and sweet, both story and art, and not much
> more to say at this stage. Personally, I'm not so bothered by the
> shortness of this opening episode. I'm hoping that there is going to be
> some passing reference to the Star-Born Thing - after all, Dredd's no
> stranger to alien lifeforms incubating inside him.
Not impressed so far but we were only given a few pages here. I'd have
preferred a double-size intro and no nostalgia cover art pages to make up
for it, so an opinion of the story could have been made.
> The V.C.s: Escher's Well - Glad to see this back, as Dan Abnett's recent
> V.C.s series is probably the most enjoyable bit of work I've seen from
> him. Anthony Williams is still far from my favourite artist, but this is
> okay stuff and far better than what I remember of his contributions to
> the comic in the 90s. This opening episode wasn't much more than a bar-
> room brawl, but it did set the scene and hint at what's to come.
I'm not a fan of war stories but this was okay, since it wasn't one.
Decent art but a plot that served only to tell people what they already
knew - the alien was going to be an accepted part of the team.
> The Droids Decide
Waste of space.
> Rogue Trooper: Angels - A fairly simplistic war story. More scene
> setting, I wonder? Simon Coleby was another artist from the 90s I was
> none too impressed by back them, but his work has become much more
> interesting to look at and I rather like it.
I don't like rogue and I didn't see the point of this story at all.
> Slaine: The Books of Invasion - Fuck me! A good Slaine story! I don't
> know about you lot, but I can now quite happily assume that everything
> post-The Horned God never happened and this is the *real* continuation
> of the story. Clint Langely's art is incredibly* beautiful and
> incredibly horrific. I suspect that it hasn't been reproduced perfectly,
> but even so it's awesome stuff.
This gained 2000AD at least one new reader, since a friend of mine
recently picked-up 'Slaine: The Horned God' and was very impressed. He's
now buying 2000AD 'cause I told him to check out this story.
> Nikolai Dante: Hell and High Water - Good stuff, but not, apparently, a
> continuation of the series. It's almost getting tiresome pointing out
> how good John Burn's art it.
I'd like to see what's happened to Nikolai since he fell over a cliff in
a broken aircraft. Having a flashback suggests, to me, that his life is
flashing before his eyes right now, telling me he thinks he's falling to
his death.
> Caballistics, Inc.: Going Underground: Interesting start to a story I
> should like. I have a tendency to be initially impressed by Gordon
> Rennie's series, only to be left being not overly bothered by them, so I
> won't get over-excited yet. Dom Readon's art doesn't do much for me, but
> it's okay.
Interesting opener, I'm intrigued and wish to see more.
> Banzai Battalion: Save the Fitz - More of the same from Wagner and
> Gibson, which is, of course, a positive comment. Nothing to bounce up
> and down too wildly about, but this is a likeable occasional series.
Enjoyable but with an air of halfheartedness. Not overly impressed but,
then again, I don't really like Banzai Battalion.
> New Thrills: The prospect of Durham Red 3 depresses me, given that I
> hated the previous two series. Difficult to judge Snow/Tiger just from
> the advert, but given that it's Andy's Diggle and Clarke we could be
> looking at something good.
I'm looking forward to Durham Red, to see what could possibly be done
with the character that could be even vaguely interesting. However,
Snow/Tiger isn't something I'm looking forward to. While Andy can write
a good story, Clarke's artwork makes me not want to read it. He's got a
style that really pisses me off - too flat and lacking in detail in most
areas, then hands and faces will be detailed, so they stand out. I don't
like it.
>
> The Megazine 201
>
> Cover: Excellent cover by Cliff Robinson.
Cover was dull and won't bring in any new readers. I had trouble finding
it on the newsagent shelf.
> Judge Dredd: Phartz! - I doubt that this appealed to those of you who
> failed to be amused by Goldmember, but I loved it. Lots of wonderfully
> childish gags and violence. I liked the way that equipment used to catch
> Dark Judges were brought out to deal with alien gas monsters - next time
> Dredd meets Judge Death I hope he takes the time to wind Death up with
> the news that he's not much more than a particularly malevolent fart.
> Great art from Ezquerra with a nice shade of green.
Good grief, Ezquerra deserves better than this piece of shit. Less
toilet humour, please, it's not what I expect from the supposedly more
grown-up of the two comics.
> The Kleggs - Nothing too special here, but with a bit of work there
> might be a series in the idea.
I enjoyed it but I'm not sure there's enough to it for a whole series.
> Devlin Waugh: Red Tide - Excellent. Great story, great art.
I like Devlin and I liked this. Not too keen on the artwork, though -
bit to washed-out, in my opinion.
> Family - Okay, I'm interested, but we'll have to see what happens; it's
> hard to tell how this one's going to turn out.
Interesting story. Good to see another crime story.
> Judge Dredd: War Crimes - That cuddly Rennie character proves once again
> that he's just about the only person other than Wagner who can right a
> decent Dredd. It also goes to show that you can have a decent Dredd
> story which mostly involves him talking to people, rather than shooting
> everything in sight.
Nice, sentimental Dredd story to provide a decent Dredd that should have
been the main story, instead of what we actually got.
> Overall, I think I got a lot for my money.
Overall, I was marginally impressed.
Zoė
--
What if your friend is turned to stone, you cast Stone To Mud,
then a priest casts Purify Water, then you drink your friend,
then someone casts Dispel Magic on you?
www.nobmouse.net ICQ: 30006397
Graeme
news:pan.2002.12.27.21...@btinternet.com:
> This gained 2000AD at least one new reader, since a friend of mine
> recently picked-up 'Slaine: The Horned God' and was very impressed.
> He's now buying 2000AD 'cause I told him to check out this story.
So how guilty will you feel if it turns into Secret Commonwealth Part II?
Graeme
--
http://members.optusnet.com.au/graeme
"Brown hairy thing with horns overboard!" - Noah.
Robin Low
Robinson <nobt...@btinternet.com> writes
>On Tue, 24 Dec 2002 16:21:43 +0000, Robin Low wrote:
>> The Megazine 201
>>
>> Cover: Excellent cover by Cliff Robinson.
>
>Cover was dull and won't bring in any new readers. I had trouble finding
>it on the newsagent shelf.
What, full-length figures of Dredd and Deviln Waugh by Cliff Robinson on
a white background were hard to find?
>
>> Judge Dredd: Phartz! - I doubt that this appealed to those of you who
>> failed to be amused by Goldmember, but I loved it. Lots of wonderfully
>> childish gags and violence. I liked the way that equipment used to catch
>> Dark Judges were brought out to deal with alien gas monsters - next time
>> Dredd meets Judge Death I hope he takes the time to wind Death up with
>> the news that he's not much more than a particularly malevolent fart.
>> Great art from Ezquerra with a nice shade of green.
>
>Good grief, Ezquerra deserves better than this piece of shit. Less
>toilet humour, please, it's not what I expect from the supposedly more
>grown-up of the two comics.
PPPHHHHRRRRTTTT.
Pete Wells
"Robin Low" <Ro...@celephais.demon.co.uk> wrote in message
news:G8+Mn5As...@celephais.demon.co.uk...
> In article <pan.2002.12.27.21...@btinternet.com>, Zoe J.
> Robinson <nobt...@btinternet.com> writes
> >On Tue, 24 Dec 2002 16:21:43 +0000, Robin Low wrote:
> >Cover was dull and won't bring in any new readers. I had trouble finding
> >it on the newsagent shelf.
>
> What, full-length figures of Dredd and Deviln Waugh by Cliff Robinson on
> a white background were hard to find?
>
> >
I hated the cover too. When is the "Is that a <insert nob shaped object
here> in your pocket or are you just pleased to see me?" gag ever funny.
Bloddy never, that when!
Merry Christmas,
Pete.
William Logan
>> Judge Dredd: Incubus -
>snip<
>Not impressed so far but we were only given a few pages here. I'd have
>preferred a double-size intro and no nostalgia cover art pages to make up
>for it, so an opinion of the story could have been made.
Thought it was just about right, slow intro, with the money shot
coming in the final frame.
The end of year Progs have taken the place of the annuals, and I like
the mix of art, text and features.
La Placa Rifa,
W. R. Logan.
Zoe J. Robinson
<Cut>
> So how guilty will you feel if it turns into Secret Commonwealth Part
> II?
Not very. He likes Dredd, too. :)
Zoë
Greg Meldrum
>> more to say at this stage. Personally, I'm not so bothered by the
>> shortness of this opening episode. I'm hoping that there is going to be
>> some passing reference to the Star-Born Thing - after all, Dredd's no
>> stranger to alien lifeforms incubating inside him.
>
>Not impressed so far but we were only given a few pages here. I'd have
>preferred a double-size intro and no nostalgia cover art pages to make up
>for it, so an opinion of the story could have been made.
>
ma, it's Judge Giant, I tell you!
<Whopping snip.>
>
>>
>> The Megazine 201
>>
>> Cover: Excellent cover by Cliff Robinson.
>
>Cover was dull and won't bring in any new readers. I had trouble finding
>it on the newsagent shelf.
>
>> Judge Dredd: Phartz! - I doubt that this appealed to those of you who
>> failed to be amused by Goldmember, but I loved it. Lots of wonderfully
>> childish gags and violence. I liked the way that equipment used to catch
>> Dark Judges were brought out to deal with alien gas monsters - next time
>> Dredd meets Judge Death I hope he takes the time to wind Death up with
>> the news that he's not much more than a particularly malevolent fart.
>> Great art from Ezquerra with a nice shade of green.
>
>Good grief, Ezquerra deserves better than this piece of shit. Less
>toilet humour, please, it's not what I expect from the supposedly more
>grown-up of the two comics.
>
Couldn't disagree more. This had no right to be anything like as funny
as it was. Puerile, childish, utterly juvenile, completely hilarious.
Had very much the same feel as the kind of Dredd stories one used to see
in the annuals. I'm not saying there ought to be a sequel, but damn it,
I demand the right to laugh at cheap fart gags once a year!
--
Greg Meldrum
"Never forgive, never forget, never for fun."
Jim Connick
Greg Meldrum wrote after Zoe:
<snip>
: >> Judge Dredd: Phartz! - I doubt that this appealed to those of you who
: >> failed to be amused by Goldmember, but I loved it. Lots of wonderfully
: >> childish gags and violence. I liked the way that equipment used to
catch
: >> Dark Judges were brought out to deal with alien gas monsters - next
time
: >> Dredd meets Judge Death I hope he takes the time to wind Death up with
: >> the news that he's not much more than a particularly malevolent fart.
: >> Great art from Ezquerra with a nice shade of green.
: >
: >Good grief, Ezquerra deserves better than this piece of shit. Less
: >toilet humour, please, it's not what I expect from the supposedly more
: >grown-up of the two comics.
: >
: Couldn't disagree more. This had no right to be anything like as funny
: as it was. Puerile, childish, utterly juvenile, completely hilarious.
: Had very much the same feel as the kind of Dredd stories one used to see
: in the annuals. I'm not saying there ought to be a sequel, but damn it,
: I demand the right to laugh at cheap fart gags once a year!
I agree, surprisingly.
I've never been one to find fart gags particularly funny, not since I was
about 12 anyway. I didn't fancy reading this upon first glance, but once I
strted I enjoyed it immensly.
Jim
scojo
The sequel must be called Sphurm! It features alien tadpoles who ah
well Dredd is showered in milky goo ah and er..yes well...an
imagination is a wonderful thing you know!
scojo
Jim Connick
"scojo" wrote (and do forgive me for replying, I've already been at the
carry out)
: The sequel must be called Sphurm! It features alien tadpoles who ah
: well Dredd is showered in milky goo ah and er..yes well...an
: imagination is a wonderful thing you know!
:
: scojo
Is it just me, or does that title utterly fail as a pun?
Unless you refer to your sperm as Sfurm of course.
Jim