Prog 1969: Klegg Nicked?

[Frank]

I'm just bewildered by some people's inability to grasp tone and authorial voice.

I had to report a co-worker for racially aggravated threats after he said he could murder a Chinese. If folk don't want to be misunderstood they shouldn't speak in such damned riddles.

Anyone struggling with the new knowledge that Dredd harbours suicidal thoughts (hint: he doesn't) can take comfort from swotting up on the contested place of the free indirect style of narration in fiction. Given their arch tone, you should take the pronouncements of Undercover Klegg's unnamed narrator as literally as Judge Austen's declarations regarding eligible bachelors*.

Agree with Cosh that everything about D'Israeli's art is ASTONISHINGLY good except for Dredd (and the perfectly rectangular bike). Lord Sewell joins the list of Parliamentarians to grace the pages of the Galaxy's Greatest in only slightly transformed aspect (Malcolm Rifkind being his immediate predecessor). Brooker even retains the fetching orange of his bra for the ambassador's jaisket:




* the next prog box - SENSE AND SENSITIVITY - alludes to Austen, but that's also a Blackadder The Third episode title

[TordelBack]

I've recently confessed that despite respecting Williams' worderer skillz, his version of Dredd does little for me: but I really enjoyed this week's story, just the right amount of silly with some terrific dialogue. And D'Israeli's technicolour art is a treat such as we haven't seen since McCarthy's Zaucer - and I love his Dredd. Particularly like how Hershey's fringe echoes the shape of Dredd's helmet. Gorgeous stuff.

In face, everything finds favour with me this week: a 6/6 Prog.  Even the gag in DroidLife was brill, and I thought Reynold's stylised Dredd chin on the cover was ace too.

[JPMaybe]

Re: the pun on the cover, see this Guardian article

[JPMaybe]

...which even makes reference to the Klegg-Sino alliance from The Corps that this story missed.  John Crace must be a Squaxx.

[Proudhuff]

...which even makes reference to the Klegg-Sino alliance from The Corps that this story missed.  John Crace must be a Squaxx.

perhaps not, that may be why they chose there for the treaty signing? and nothing to do with Dragon statues

[TordelBack]

...which even makes reference to the Klegg-Sino alliance from The Corps that this story missed.  John Crace must be a Squaxx.

perhaps not, that may be why they chose there for the treaty signing? and nothing to do with Dragon statues

This is what I also was thinking.

[Dark Jimbo]

Proper laughed out loud at Droid Life. It's indulged in this same basic joke more than once before, but it was the 'I spent 12.7 million pounds to say that!' and cheery thumbs up that got me.

Dredd was not as bad as I was expecting from this thread, but there were a few small things that niggled. The story wears its 'knockabout comedy' intentions very much on its sleeze though, so it's hard, really, to feel annoyed. In fact the only bit that bothered me was 'Not during Chaos Day... That was fine.' Fine? Chaos Day was fine?! Rob must have been reading a different strip to me! If that iconic 'The city he loved, dying before his eyes. And there was nothing he could do.' panel was not a gun-in-mouth moment then I don't know what was! Anyway, Kleggs. And my current prog crush Maitland is back, so that's good too.

Kingdom really gets to the meat of the story now and is all the better for having a plot that goes a little deeper than the usual 'Get whet!' shenanigans. Feels as though it's gearing up for the imminent, actual end of the strip!

ABC Warriors continues in the same vein as previous weeks, with a pretty clear hint of where the ABC's story will be going moving forward, and some nice exploration of the rabid anti-robot feeling that always permeated Ro-Busters.

The Order, like Kingdom, kicks into another gear this week. All the players are assembled and we get a proper statement of intent. I really love the cast and the elliptical, non-linear narrative that's gotten us to this point. Love the art, love the setting. Hope it's due a repeat performance.

Strontium Dog feels like the least of the offerings this week, which should be seen as indicative of the high quality all round and not any sort of slur on this fun but undemanding crime caper.

[Frank]

...which even makes reference to the Klegg-Sino alliance from The Corps that this story missed

perhaps not, that may be why they chose there for the treaty signing? and nothing to do with Dragon statues

This is what I also was thinking.

We all are, but I'll admit that only occurred to me following JP's mention of the (for me) long forgotten Sino-Klegg alliance component of The Corps. Cheers, JP!

Particularly interesting in light of John Wagner's recent revelation that the looming war between Sino-Cit and MC1 was actually something he and Grant cooked up before they went their separate ways, and not the hellish product of unnatural union between Mark Millar and Alan MacKenzie.

If the clash with Sino-Cit had ever actually happened, the amount of ground work devoted to setting it up over a fair length of time and various strips might have rivalled Wagner's masterful positioning of the pieces between Oz and Necropolis. Except it would have been shite, obviously.

LED Belly in Robusters is supposed to be read L.E.D, right? Also, because I forgot to mention it last week (cue wanky bass riff):

[JPMaybe]

...which even makes reference to the Klegg-Sino alliance from The Corps that this story missed.  John Crace must be a Squaxx.

perhaps not, that may be why they chose there for the treaty signing? and nothing to do with Dragon statues

This is what I also was thinking.

Yeah me too but I thought there'd explicit mention of them having an alliance or something.

[The Enigmatic Dr X]

LED Belly in Robusters is supposed to be read L.E.D, right?

Um. No? Isn't it a play on words on leadbelly and should be read as such?

[The Enigmatic Dr X]

LED Belly in Robusters is supposed to be read L.E.D, right?

Um. No? Isn't it a play on words on leadbelly and should be read as such? What with him being a blues musician and all?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lead_Belly

[The Enigmatic Dr X]

Fecking modify

[Frank]

LED Belly in Robusters is supposed to be read L.E.D, right?

Um. No? Isn't it a play on words on leadbelly and should be read as such? What with him being a blues musician and all?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lead_Belly

I get the reference, Doc, but he's a robot in a strip where the main robots have names which reflect the defining, roboty feature of their anatomy. Like a hand that is a hammer, or their jaws, which are roboty.

I can't say for certain that LED BELLY has light emitting diodes on his belly, but he does have what looks like a semispherical version of the old Simon game just above where his Little Red (robot) Rooster would be. Sorry, wrong blues man.

[Muon]

Great to see D'Israeli in the prog. This week I got a great kick out of examining the way he rendered light playing on different characters' faces. I also loved all the detail he poured into the cursed earth township.

The writing was great too. The long-suffering Dredd gradually getting forced back into dealing with the Kleggs had me cracking up. I just took the references to DREDD killing himself as humorous exaggerations to stress how annoying the situation is for him. And it's always fun to see DREDD getting annoyed. The ambassador was hilarious too. This is shaping up to be a goodie.

[Dandontdare]

This was just about the perfect prog for me - Liked the cover and I'm a sucker for these stupid-pun Droid Life stories.

I can see how Dredd won't be to everyone's taste, but I don't mind mixing things up occasionally with something a bit silly. D'Israeli isn't my favourite artist (particularly that cubist Lawmaster!) but he suits this strip

Kingdom has always been rollicking good fun and doesn't disappoint this week. What are the Masters planning?

The Order was crying out for an exposition-heavy episode. Whilst enjoying it before now, I've always been rather vague on what's actually going on from week-to-week, this fills in the gaps nicely.

Strontium Dog - a classic old-school caper - what's not to like? (and does anyone think that if Kid Knee survives, Johnny's going to give him a good kicking when this is over?)

And the cherry on the cake - Ro-Busters. Retelling one of my favourite evr strips with a twist, I could read this sort of stuff till the cows come home. Unlike Bad Company, THIS is how you revisit old thrills!

Top proggage!