Prog 1973 - You Wanna Argue With Him?

[Pete Wells]

There's something afoot in Megacity One though isn't there? Just like when we kept getting stories where everyone taking about the weather all the sodding time just before Enceladus, we're constantly getting half conversations about invasion and how weak and skint MC-1 is. I know it's post Chaos Day, but it seems a bit heavy handed...

I've got me eye on yer Thargy, ye shithouse!

[jannerboyuk]

I predict what's left of the big Meg gets relocated to Milton Keynes. You read it here first!

[Richard]

I don't know how you can say any of that. Jake Lynch's art is great. So is Fave Kendalls's. And Deadworld isn't a barren wasteland yet, you just thought it was because they all live on a farm, and farms are in the middle of bloody nowhere. But there's still a whole country out there. It's not anomalous that the TV still works.

Survival Gerks isn't meant to be taken seriously. It's a caper. Next to Tainted, it's a good balance to all the bleakness and depressing dtuff that's inherent in a story about genocide, where we already know that none of the characters we've just been introduced to will survive.

Aquila: any story where you get to see someone get stabbed in the back if the head with a trident, and you see the three prongs make bloody exit wounds in the guy's face is better than adequate. It's bloody brilliant. And I think we've just seen a new artist make his debut in the prog, and he's good. It's something to celebrate.

There's nothing pedestrian this week. It's a good prog. Suck my hairy balks and gag on them. 😀

[Richard]

I wish it was actually called "Survival Gerks."

[Hawkmumbler]

I wish it was actually called "Survival Gerks."

The Mr. Plinkett version.

"Survival Geeerks was the biiiggest disappointment since ma' son."

[I, Cosh]

There's nothing pedestrian this week. It's a good prog. Suck my hairy balks and gag on them. 😀

I wont see this Prog until Wednesday but I wholeheartedly endorse the (presumably mildly drunken) passion evident in this review.

[jannerboyuk]

I got kicked in the balks once. Painful.

[Ghost MacRoth]

Bah....no prog, so I'm afraid You'll be doing yer own reviews from Scratch for the next couple weeks Proudhuff, as I'm off to Belfast for a job.  I'll nick yours once I'm back and do a multi issue rev-yoooooo!

[Steve Green]

There's something afoot in Megacity One though isn't there? Just like when we kept getting stories where everyone taking about the weather all the sodding time just before Enceladus, we're constantly getting half conversations about invasion and how weak and skint MC-1 is. I know it's post Chaos Day, but it seems a bit heavy handed...

I've got me eye on yer Thargy, ye shithouse!

Prog price hike to save MC-1.

[Magnetica]

Whilst I like the cover as a normal cover and it is very nicely done by what I am hoping will be a regular Prog artist, for a jumping on Prog I thought it was all a bit low key...indeed apart from a blink and you'll miss it strap line at the top, there was no indication this is a jumping on Prog (and no higher quality card cover, but I guess that costs too much, so happy to not have it.).  Just my opinion...I am sure someone will be along to disagree in a minute.

Also as a jumping on Prog, the start of all the stories felt a bit underwhelming to me. The best was Dredd and I am always happy to see Colin Macneil's art in the Prog.  The rest didn't really grab my attention. 2nd place to Aquila.  Given that Slaine and Brink will be in the Prog in a month's time, I assume 3riller (obviously) and Deadword (I'm guessing) will have relatively short runs.

Also a bit sad to see some taking the opportunity of what is meant to be a jumping on Prog as a "I'll give it a miss for a few weeks Prog".

Aquila: I think we've just seen a new artist make his debut in the prog, and he's good. It's something to celebrate.

It's not his debut. He has done at least one 4 or 5 part Dredd in the Prog (the one set in the undercity with Gideon Dallas or whatever his name was) and a Megazine Dredd (I think it was anyway), the one where a Psi Judge was experiencing echos of people from DoC, and possibly others. Granted the art looks a little different. Striking thing for me about his Dredd were the massive shoulder pads.

[IndigoPrime]

Cover: Quite nice art, although I prefer Sexton's strip work. OK design, bar the smoking gun. Having that so close to the logo just doesn't work.

Dredd: Set-up a go go. Seems fine, but it's odd to hear MC-1 concerned that Brit-Cit is a dominant partner in anything. I often got the feeling in Dredd that Brit-Cit is surprisingly powerful, despite its tiny size (essentially, what, the home counties and a few other bits of England?), but MC-1 still presumably has size and infrastructure, unless it's now several US states' full of derelict wasteland. Which would all suggest Cursed Eart > Wall > Wasteland > Smallish populated area. I also still don't get the feeling anyone really knows where Dredd is going at present. Perhaps that's the point, but there's no real sense of direction.

Threeeler: Seems all right so far to me.

Survival Geeks: I apparently wasn't paying much attention, because I didn't realise the team had changed, and then when I saw the originals, I much preferred the 'swapped' lot. I quite liked the strip last time round—it reminded me of the fairly throwaway but quite enjoyable semi-humorous stuff from 2000 AD's dark days. The art's good. Just have the old team get eaten by angry squirrels and let the new lot run the show.

Deadworld: Hard to see where this can go, aside from into some really nasty, dark and ultimately doom-laden territory. But the opening works nicely, for the most part. The one thing that's always weird about Deadworld (and this is down to Doherty's art in Young Death, IIRC) is the uniforms being so at odds with MC-1's, and yet Death's being a straight parody of Dredd's. Anyway, I'm happy to see how this plays out and hope there will be some surprises.

Aquila: This one's never really clicked with me, but this opener's fine. A fresher, more colourful art style gives the series a very different feel though.

Letters: There are some.

[Citi-Def_Joe]

Cover: Nice, clean and bright.

Dredd: I love Colin Macneil's art on Dredd, great last panel. The story was quite set up heavy, I was bit confused which Judges are out in the Cursed Earth.

Thriller: Intriguing set up, and nice art

Survival Geeks: My first read of any Survival Geeks so not too sure, artwork is not totally to my taste but nice enough.

Deadworld: Again lots of set up in terms of the characters, but I really liked it and swoonsome art.

Aquila: Not a strip I am familiar with but I really enjoyed it, going to pick up the TPB of the previous runs.

Overall I really enjoyed this Prog maybe its the excitement of fresh thrills, but all off to a promising start

[Proudhuff]

Bah....no prog, so I'm afraid You'll be doing yer own reviews from Scratch for the next couple weeks Proudhuff, as I'm off to Belfast for a job.  I'll nick yours once I'm back and do a multi issue rev-yoooooo!

Damn, damn and triple damn!

[Proudhuff]

Cover: cracking and the mighty CF showing us his 7 link oddity too

Damage Report: WTF is all that about? 
Monster Ad: no sign of the Honey Monster there?

Dredd: The  MacNeil droid Is my fav Dredd artist. swoon! Less is more, I sometimes get the feeling this is what Mr Yeowell tries to achieve but doesn't quite make it. The story spot on, the Carr-Roll droid cooking with gas here.  Loved the Hot-Dog Run worked in without a big intro.

3riller: got a classic vibe about it.

Survival Geeks: Fun and frolic, more to it than meets the eye, dontcha know.


Deadworld: We know how this ends don't we? I'm totally not a fan of the art and we seem to be heading back to the Progs murky nadir of the nineties with this tale

Aquila: Fine and dandy, educational and bloody, whats not to like?

And no letters ! 

Overall a greeeat bit of proggage.

[Steve Green]

I love the art on Deadworld, I just wish it had been possible to spring it on us, as there's nothing in the first episode really to tip the reader off.