Astonishing prog this week, not least because it took ages to read.
Willsher's cover was a bit nondescript, which is a pity since Pete's blog reveals a more dramatic (if more traditional) composition was pitched to TMO. I too was puzzled by the metal bits on the judge's arms - I love how Ben, like Cliff Robinson, works little updates into the judges' gear, but it's a bit confusing out of context.
As to the rest... what can be said? It's all amazing, so just a few thoughts:
I know I'm late to Day of Chaos, but I love the 'stateless terrorism' aspect of this story. It's a lovely development of earlier themes of conflict - in The Apocalypse War we had superpower-on-superpower, in Total War we had internal terrorism, here we have an enemy with no homeland bent on complete annihilation of MC-1. How does any state, even one with borders as relatively secure as MC-1 handle an enemy with nothing to lose and no static C&C or civilian population to threaten?
I also love the many-headed threat here - why should villains pin all their hopes on one man (Orlok) or one one strategy (hidden nukes) - why not attack from all sides and levls at once, using other dissident groups, sleeper agents, multiple bio-warfare vectors... it's a clever, realistic scheme, and playing out brilliantly.
Oh, and Dante: YAY! Loved the TV broadcast, loved what is presumably the very last Arbatov, loved everything.
