Several cups of tea later... :-)
Cover(s):
Love the B cover (the Bolland homage) which subs get as the outer cover. Not as keen on the A cover - it's a far weaker image, and it looks more like a sketch for a final image than a finished piece.
Still, as a spawny subscriber, I get two for the price of one, so I'm not complaining too much ;-)
Dredd: Sturm and Dang
Loved this. The Cursed Earth was my favourite Dredd locale when I was younger, and it's always a pleasure to see a story return to this setting. It's even better when you've got Carlos Ezquerra providing the art, and Gordon Rennie turning out another polished piece of writing.
The tension between Koburn (!) & Dredd is thoroughly enjoyable:
DREDD: "Keep it up, Koburn. It's all going in my report."
KOBURN: "Now *there's* something I'm liable to lose sleep over."
...and comedy mutant Nazis are always entertaining:
"Ack-tongue! Der Mega-City Judge shrine-hoonts!"
The story reads like an affectionate poke-in-the-ribs at old Battle strips (Major Eazy, obviously), and the timing couldn't be better, with the Meg reprinting classics like Darkie's Mob & Charley's.
Good stuff.
Death: The Wilderness Days
The remaining members of the family we met in episode 1 are still hot on Death's tail, as the superfiend himself enjoys a little Micky & Mallory action.
This is still one of the stand-out strips in the Meg, but it does seem to be in danger of outstaying its welcome if it carries on like this. At the moment, each episode reads like "Death turns up, kills a bunch of people we've only just met, and moves on".
For a couple of episodes, this is enjoyable, and when it's coupled with the hints of a larger story - as in the episode last month - it works perfectly well.
Just a minor worry, really - and it's hard to be churlish when you've got exchanges like the one between Death & Nirvana on page 7 ("Ssstill, iff we're talking fffulll penetration...")
Blazing Battle Action:
Another solid installment - though I suspect my unfamiliarity with the history of Battle helps.
Charley's War:
At last. There's nothing much for me to say about this series, except that I'm absolutely delighted to see it being reprinted. I only hope that we get to see it in its entirety.
The intro is typical Pat Mills - read it & you'll see what I mean - but it sets the reader up for the story nicely. I'm glad to see Dave Hunt getting a prominent mention for his decision to publish the story in the first place - it's rare to see writers & artists thanking editors publicly, and in this case it's well deserved.
Harry Twenty on the High Rock:
Again, not much to say here. A minor classic from the vaults - here's hoping more are on their way.
Devlin Waugh:
Whoever described this as the comic version of Dino Crisis was spot-on. Unfortunately, what works brilliantly on your PlayStation stinks in the Megazine. Most of the failings have been covered here extensively, so rather than repeat them, I'll just keep my fingers crossed that this comes to an end soon.
Interrogation Cube:
A fairly throwaway interview with Frazer Irving, with a little hint of what he's going to be up to in the future ("Monsters of Rock" in Prog 2004? Sounds fun)
Xtnct:
Slightly confusing episode - at least initially - and a bit of a let-down after the previous two. Although it's got some very funny scenes with Raptor - "Gorgeous yet unsatisfying terminal exclamation"; "Satisfying death squeal" - it's a little unclear exactly what's meant to be happening, and it doesn't seem to bear much relation to the events of the episode last month.
Hopefully it'll be back on track next time.
Apocalypse Soon:
WHEN WILL IT END? Please, somebody, kill this strip - hell, you could replace it with just about anything right now & I'd be happy.
The Bendatti Vendetta:
...And so another pointless, dull series comes to and end (though I've no doubt it'll return)
Just think - all of the time and energy spent on this non-story could have been put into a series of Dante one-offs...
Dreddlines:
As the title says - "Battle Battles Continue" with another letter from someone who appears not to have read any of the "Blazing Battle Action" series, and who seems to have missed the point of reprinting Darkie's Mob entirely.
I hope we're not in for more of this now that Charley's War is being reprinted, but I suspect we will.
Here's an idea - give Pat Mills a right to reply slot in Dreddlines. It would certainly be more interesting than reading yet another complaint...
Verdict: B+
Another solid Meg, and hopefully the replacement of Bendatti with Armitage and the ongoing reprints of Charley's War will push the monthly into a new high.
