Meg 222

[ukdane]

Well I've waited until now....


M.A.C.H. 1 for EE.

I hope (for the sake of the people who biught digital archives) that the new "monthly" non themed EE's aren't just going to be mass reprints of series of progs in the similar format (but fewer pages)to the DA's.

Simping Detective cover...
I think the return of Raptaur could constitute it getting it's own Profile page.

[kalg23]

Can anyone give me an approxiamate price for a complete collection of 2000AD progs 1 - 700? And where I might be able to sell it? Thanks.

[Oddboy]

That's a beautiful cover!

[paulvonscott]

"I hope (for the sake of the people who biught digital archives) that the new "monthly" non themed EE's aren't just going to be mass reprints of series of progs in the similar format (but fewer pages)to the DA's."

Monthly :o

I dunno, I have no problem with that Dane (though I doubt that's the case) I don't think many people bought the DA's and there were only two collections available.  And look at the difference you can have.  Cheap, glossy paper, colour etc.

2000AD Best of Monthly ran for quite a while without doing this though.

Be interesting to see what they do with it!

[thrillpowerseeker]

Cover-Superb...9

Dreddlines..An interesting response by Barnes to a letter from Christy Gould who accuses him of being Homophobic, interesting in the way that he totally bottles it and apologizes even though as I reread his original letter from 220 there is hardly anything for even Peter Tatchell to raise an eyebrow at..You shouldnt apologize just because someone has brandied the word Homophobic in your direction..defend yourself man!

Dredd..Sorry to see this story end..the artwork surely cements Weston as the current Definitive Dredd artist..9

CE Koburn..this is getting better and better, lots of new charcters joining in the fun this month..8

Anderson..This is getting confusing..whose actually dead?..who are those Horsemen?..this had better improve I'm losing interest fast..5

Simping D..I love this! the story, the layout, the odd bit of colour thrown in,the Nun with a gun to her bonce..9

Black Siddha..whats happening?..did I just imagine this?..figuring this one out is giving me a headache..Bug eyed doctors indeed..is this a Mills private health rant that somehow I dont get?..6

Charleys War..More Golden age wonderousness from the 'Master'...made me forget about Bug eyed doctors...for a bit..8

Helltrekkers..lots of deaths, lots of natural disasters, hippies biting the dust, star crossed lovers being melted holding hands and acrobats..8

This was a great meg!

T.P.S

[Will@The Nexus]

Alan Barnes homophobic? Why? I mean he gave us that lovely Johnny Alpha picture so surely he's gay friendly at the very least.

Also can someone explain what's happening with the EEs? Its a bit vague at the mo.

Will

[[YT-2]]

>Also can someone explain what's happening with the EEs? Its a bit vague at the mo.

The latest Extreme went to the printers on Friday, sure someone will put up the listing soon.

[YT-2]

[DavidXBrunt]

I it was pretty big of Alan to look back at a comment he made, presumably, in jest and see it through someone elses eyes. It would be easier to ignore the complaint or defend it, it's not always easy to apologise.

Dredd - Sorry to see it end. Christ Watson performs another miraculous art job. I'd like to see him amongst the regular artists on Dredd now. And back soon.

C.E.Koburn - Ah, this is increasingly looking like it has legs. A fun episode with better art than the Stronty in the weekly.

Simping - Remarkable. This is only the second episode proper and it's great. Another great new series. (Yeah, a profile page for the Raptaur would be handy). Nice Incubus reference.

Anderson - I'm liking this. I guess a lot won't make sense until retrospect kicks in, but it looks good and reads well and that's all you can ask for.

Black Siddhe - feels like two stories told at once but it's barmy enough to be entertaining.

Charlies War - s'good.

Helltreckers - s'fun.

Spurrier Interview - s'too easy to take the piss.

[Dudley]

The cover of this week's Megazine is one of the better ones this year.  Just a shame it had to be in colour, though, as I didn't want to imagine Point in anything other than a seedy black and white.

The editorial was a wonderful statement of intent, as mentioned elsewhere.

What a shame the return of PJ Maybe was handled in only 2 episodes.  But then again, how great to see Chris Weston make the Big Meg his own.  If he keeps up this standard, Mr Weston could surpass Cliff Robinson.  It's also good to see PJ Maybe make it to the big league - 20,000 dead is a significant step up for our favourite psykopath.  And Dredd's final line makes it clear we could see a return to Ciudad Barranquilla before too long.

Cursed Earth Koburn, by contrast, takes it quite eazy this prog, with little more than and extended chase scene.  But Gordon Rennie has a good handle on Southern colloquialisms, and the way that Koburn and Bonaventura are beginning to bond paves the way to a possible naked finale(?)

Jack Point, aka The Simping Detective, has a style all his own, and is easily the best thing among some very good things indeed.  Indeed, I'd argue that this may be one of the finest series EVER to grace the Megazine.  Frazer Irving's art is beyond any superlative I might care to throw at it, and the mention of the Raptaurs and Aliens in the same story made me giggle like a loon.

While I may have said some unkind things about the first series of Black Siddha, this second one is simply cracking along at a great pace and seems strangely reminiscent of John Smith (world's greatest comics writer) in ways I can't quite put my finger on.  Simon Davies' art on the aliens and various Indian designs may be the best this particular droid has ever produced.

Charley's War is great stuff, and improves with every issue.  Glad to see the oleaginous one depart with a flea in his ear...

On the other hand, Helltrekkers is pretty rubbish, but like Bad Boys starring Will Smith, it's sort of good rubbish, if that makes any sense at all.

Even the Metro Dredd is a cut above the previous examples!

So, overall, another 9.5/10  (well, even the phrase "Gordon Rennie is unwell" can't quite make up for not actually having a Rennie column).  

But I'm part of the Wanker ratio, what do I know...  ;)

[Dudley]

Ooops, missed Anderson out.  Perfect, just perfect.

[Oddboy]

I'm glad 6ix was only a 2-parter - the best way with PJ is in & out quick. Small but regular doses are best.

Koburn, Anderson & Simping Detective are all continuing to be great. Anderson slightly less so then the others.

Not read the rest.

[The Amstor Computer]

I want to talk a bit more about the rest of the comic, but I'd just like to say:

How good is Black Siddha? This is absolutely mental, but fantastic fun. For all Pat's dislike of superhero comics, he's writing a cracking one here that reminds me of what I liked best about early spandex stuff. It's even a little of Spiderman in parts, with the conflict between duty & doing what's right, with your personal life and being able to make your own choices.

There are some problems - the pacing seems a little off, and there's a bit too much exposition - but nothing that I haven't seen in Pat Mills' strips before, and it certainly doesn't get in the way of me enjoying the strip.

Black Siddah & Savage are a *real* return to form from Pat, and I'm delighted to be able to say that.

Thanks, Pat!

[Bico]

Barnes could have made a case for his jest being taken too seriously, but he put his hands up and apologised for causing someone offence.  Fair play.
Unwell... is that what they call 'hungover' these days?
Anderson - good, but daft.
Dredd - would've preferred something longer, but this was a good tale with great art from Weston.
Koburn - more 2000ad than Megazine, if that makes sense, but still good stuff.  You can never have too much Ezquerra, in my book.
Noir - great art, good script.  I'll miss Frazer when he buggers off to America to do comics for Vertigo, and I'm sure I'm not the only one.
Siddha - I like this, though I've missed most of book 1, and have to join the dots a bit, plot-wise.  Love Davis' scratchy bits around the panels.
Charley's War - I love this. "You've upset him now!"  Class.  Colquhoun's death is a genuine loss to british comics.
Hell Trekkers - I remember having the image of that woman getting eaten away by acid rain stuck in my memory for years after seeing it somewhere, but I could never remember where until this was reprinted.  It's dragging on a bit now, though, but still enjoyable.
Metro Dredd - like your man says on Black Books "it's terrible, but it's short"  I remember thinking Inaki had real promise as a Dredd artist, too, but just needed time and the right script to blossom.


I haven't read prog 1400 yet, but it'll have a job topping this issue of the Meg.  This book just gets better.

[Satanist]

A Great issue all round.
Sorry to see the back of PJ but at least its been left open for a showdown.

A great prog & meg the same week, brilliant stuff.

[Trout]

I'm sorry, but I'm afraid I have to have a bit of a moan.

How stupid is Judge Dredd?
He's searching for a face-changing lunatic from Banana City and is made to go to a party, where he meets someone the right age, and visiting from Banana City.

Surely he would have become suspicious? At least, he might have ordered a little surveillance, or had Senor Whatever-His-Pseudonym-Was write something down, to have a look at his spelling.

It's just a tiny moan, but it annoyed me, as it affected my suspension of disbelief. I found myself thinking about how the story was written, instead of the story.

But, overall, the Meg remains bloody good.

Yes, Weston's art is fantastic. The dark nature of the Simping Detective works well - even if he's not much of a simp, really - and Cursed Earth Koburn is just terrific fun.

I'm astonished that Charlie's War is still holding my attention, but it is. I still like it.
Also, I'm keen to read the end of The Helltrekkers, which is entertaining in a how-will-I-kill-the-next-one? way.
Will any of them make it? I hope not.

However, I still cannot stand Black Siddha, I'm afraid.
It's just self-indulgent tosh, which meanders all over the place. Who are these people who keep turning up all over the place?
There are decent ideas, like Earth as a prison, but the utter lack of a structure and the piss-poor dialogue mean I'm hardly paying attention at all.

Lovely Davies art, though.

- Trout