Meg 316 - American Reaper

[Pete Wells]

Only three strips this month but three fooking corkers.

Cover - Veeeeery nice American Reaper cover from Clint.

Dredd - Excellent. A really nasty first parter by Mike Carroll. This story made me wince several times which is always a good sign. I love the ambiguity of the main characters, I'm a rootin' and tootin' for them but am looking forward too seeing what happens when Dredd catches up to 'em! The judges names had me beaming too! Art from John Higgins is, well, it's art from John Higgins isn't it? Absolutely masterful stuff with loads of little details to make you smile (especially the little mouse on page 7.) Loved it!

American Reaper - I friggin' loved this. Big, in your face visuals that simply blew me away. I think this is going to divide the readership but I'm firmly in the Mills and Langley camp. Clint's visuals are so cinematic (yes, I know they're photos!) and reading this actually did feel like watching a rather cool movie. I really like the premise and the pages with the main character's (do we get his name?) son gave me quite a shock - genuinely chilling visuals there. I'm a fan!

Koburn - Another chiller, it seems this is quite the Halloween special! Great work from Rennie and Carlos, as you'd expect. I'm really enjoying this...

Not read the text stuff yet but a cracking Meg for me. Oh, and Team Proudfoot lead the letters again!

[The Cosh]

American Reaper - I friggin' loved this. Big, in your face visuals that simply blew me away. I think this is going to divide the readership but I'm firmly in the Mills and Langley camp.

Yep, consider it divided. I was actually sitting trying to think of how to say it nicely when you got in first. I've often said that I can take a good story with bad art a lot more readily than good art on a bad story. I can't remember ever reading something where the art works so hard to force the reader out of the story to the extent where I can barely tell whether the story was any good or not (initial thoughts: probably alright but just an update on cloning or Torquemada style possession spread out over far too many pages.)
This doesn't seem like the photo-manipulation of Slaine or ABCs, this is just a Look In photo-story pasted onto futuristic backgrounds, with all the woeful acting and jarring superimposition that implies. The skull page is the only nice thing in it, everything else I found utterly horrific.

Elsewhere, Dredd is a decent opener. I like these stories where we as readers (and the writer) get to have our cake and eat it. The protagonists get to inflict horrific revenge on the slavers but we know that, in the end, Dredd will turn up and be a bastard.

Koburn was probably the highlight.

[radiator]

I'm inclined to agree with Cosh. I don't like to criticise any artist's work, but I really can't get on with this style at all. Afraid to say that 'Look-In' photo-strip was the first thing that popped into my mind too.

I can't for the life of me work out why Langley persists with this dodgy photo-manipulated style when he's capable of so much better. I remember a year or two back someone posted some of his pen and ink sketches and they were gorgeous.

And thirty two pages of it? Really, Tharg? I don't want to harp on too much, as this seems to be a way of getting a higher ratio of strip pages per issue (I haven't counted), but two thirds of the Judge Dredd Megazine given over to a strip that was always going to be divisive?

[Steve Green]

I'm guessing it's a double size opener, otherwise I think it's going to be another Tank Girl situation.

Yeah, I'm not a fan of the photoref, and too much spoken exposition in the start IMHO, but the flashback reveal looked great.

See how it goes...

[JOE SOAP]

I'm glad the House of Tharg is still willing to risk pissing off it's fans. If Clint eventually manages to not go for too much realism with the human characters, his art will be fine.

[SmallBlueThing]

For the first time in years im now really looking forward to the next issue of the Meg- roll on Wednesday! I loved American Reaper when Comic Heroes ran a few pages in their little sampler comic, and as a dribbling fanboy of Pat n' Clint, the thought of it having an extra long opener in the Meg has my thrill-knob jiggling.

SBT

[IndigoPrime]

Reminded me of those dodgy Nemesis strips art-wise, but I thought the story had promise.

[Pete Wells]

Here's a pic of those judges who's names made me smile. We all know Gavin Leahy, but which border is Vaughan?

[Pete Wells]

I'll answer my own question, it's Locusts innit?

[Batman's Superior Cousin]

I don't think it is his last name Pete!!!

[Bluecube]

I've just finished reading American Reaper for the second time. I've not been a huge fan of Clint Langley art as I've found it muddy and hard to follow but this time round it works. It seems that Langley needs a bit of space and big visuals to breath and wow, it's come through! The downside is that the visual scale means the story will possibly suffer when we go back to normal size strip length as we're lucky to get three panels a page... And the writing is good too! Is this a film tie in? I noticed some film company was mentioned as owning the rights.

[mygrimmbrother]

Not thrilled at all at the prospect of 32 pages of Langley, I have to say. Will probably read it at some point though. Whatever happened to that Jock/Diggle strip that was mentioned a while back? I hope to grud we're back to 4 strips next month - if not, and I may find myself reconsidering my sub.

Quick word about the floppie - no disrespect to Neil Googe (his recent Hondo City Justice work was sublime), but as soon as Kev Walker took over my interest in the strip really increased. A lot of folk say they'd rather have bad art and a good story than vice versa, but here's a prime example of just how much more enjoyable an average story can be with great art. It's absolutely beautiful stuff - can't wait for the next one now (Walker plus Jock?? Sold).

[James Stacey]

no meg for me this weekend, but the prospect of 32 pages of American Reaper means Im not that bothered. After the sublime Lily and excellent Numbercruncher, I'm really not bothered with another Langley photostory. He's such an awesome artist with pen and ink it makes it worse.

[Lee Bates]

I foolishly failed to notice that my suscription ended last month, so no Meg for me. I can't afford to renew til the end of the month either.

Mind you, with 32 pages(?!) of 2 dimensional, cardboard cutout photo-story from Clint Langley to wade through, I'm not entirely gutted that I didn't get it this month.

[Proudhuff]

No Meg in Huff Mansions yet, but a nice Robohunter TPB arrived instead!