Prog 1986 Fight for Justice!

[pauljholden]

Are we really still expected to pay for the sins of our forefathers?
No country in the World is more forward thinking in terms of women's rights and the rights of those in the LBGT movement.
Be proud of this.

this is only true as long as you ignore all the other countries that are more forward thinking and then try and forget the regions of the U.K. Like Northern Ireland where forward thinking is the defined as any thing people in the 1950s would do.

There's lots to like about the UK, there's lots to hate about it. It's entirely an accident of birth (and .. Uhm ... Great Britain's remaining vestiges of empire) that make me British. i find any kind of non-ironic national pride a bit weird (and these days a bit scary).

But I haven't read this letter. I assume it praises my recent run on dredd and is, therefore, a good thing.


-PJ

[GordonR]

This has been one of the most wretched weeks in British public life that I can remember, culminating in - on the same day - a mainstream political leader unveiling an openly racist poster and an MP being nurdered by a right-wing terrorist.

I'm not sure "three cheers for us wacky Brits!" is the mood most of the rest of us are feeling right now.

[Leigh S]

I don't want to read anything into the letter being sent from the "Royal" town of Sutton Coldfield, home of Andrew "Plebgate" Mitchell, but when i saw where it came from it did make me laugh.

I'm proud to be a Brummie, because it gave us Sabbath, and there are things I think the UK has done that are marvellous and we can take weird vicarious pride in.... when you start trying to add up all the sins versus all the good stuff, you are probably best assuming that even if one outweighs the other, be drawn to what we did good, and stand up against (and don't deny) what we did badly.

Or else don't go aligning yourself to any identity that you aren't willing to see both sides of

[ZenArcade]

Cmon, someone post a scan of this offensome missive?? Z

[Magnetica]

Great Prog this week.

Brilliant cover from Tom Foster who did a great Bolland impression on Storm Warning in the Meg recently. Would love to see him do a Dredd story.

Dredd. I think some recently asked if we were in the middle of an epic without it having been announced as an epic. The answer to that must be a resounding yes. Indeed these linked multi parters seem to be the way of it now (and Wagner said as much in the recent Thrillcast). Just top stuff from the Carroll and MacNeil droids.

Brink. This has gone from "it's ok"  to "it's great" in the last 3 weeks. Really hope to see this run and run. And has Abnett pulled a double bluff on us [spoiler]- Brinkmann will be a regular character, just as an Edge of Darkness style ghost accompanying Kurtis. hmm not to sure about that, [/spoiler]but Dan Abnett can basically do no wrong in my opinion, so let's see how this pans out.

Slaine - seems to flip flop from a return to form to a bit dull. This week it is return to form country.

Black Shuck. As with Brink I have really started to like this over the last 3 weeks.

Grey Area.  More Abnett goodness. I might be in the minority here but I would like to see Karl Richardson or Patrick Goddard back on art duties at some point.

Overall really liking this run of stories, which is much better than the previous set in my opinion.

[Colin YNWA]

You know its not you it me...I think... maybe...  I'm sorry I've been blowing hot and cold of late. Is it the subtle changes in the way you threat me week to week. The tiny ebbs and the flows of quality magnified by the scale of my love for you. Our is it just me and my moods, my temperamental nature sometimes reacting badly to things, sometimes allowing me to shug my shoulders and allow the little irritations to pass cos you make me such a better person...

... or am I just reflecting on all this cos I'm in the loving after glow of a damned good progging. Bloody hell relationships huh, so complex.

See I loved the Prog this week, were as last week I wasn't so keen. The line-up is exactly the same.

Dredd takes a massive stride forwards as it opens up the final act of this wonderful epic by stealth by firmly placing all its pieces neatly on the board as its final moves are about to start. glorious on every level.

Blink is just comics heaven. Its just supreme storytelling, when you think Abnett is doing this and Lawless at the same time and giving us a nice bit of slap and tickle with Grey Area as well, we really should be glad he keeps coming back to us. This wonderful story present by the genius that INJ Culbard brings to the party. Once again the glorious lighting really sets the atmosphere so perfectly. Its so cinematic and I hate myself for making the comparision between the mediums, but it is.

Slaine really cranks up the quality this week... or is this me... I mean Slaine's supreme bowmanship is a bit there. But its wonderously realised and I just rolled with it. Superb stuff.

Black Shuck still kinda stutters along, I'm not sure I know the difference episode to episode they all read kinda the same BUT I suspect when read back this will all be well.

The aforementioned slap and tickle that is Grey Area is just immense fun.

So there I've read the Prog and loved it and think we should all wait to see if the nation of ours is dumb enough to leave Europe before we slag it off too much. The letter thats course such a storm in an Input is a bit silly mind. All the fun of different opinions.

Great Prog.

[Echidna]

Blink is just comics heaven. Its just supreme storytelling, when you think Abnett is doing this and Lawless at the same time and giving us a nice bit of slap and tickle with Grey Area as well, we really should be glad he keeps coming back to us. This wonderful story present by the genius that INJ Culbard brings to the party. Once again the glorious lighting really sets the atmosphere so perfectly. Its so cinematic and I hate myself for making the comparision between the mediums, but it is.

Couldn't agree more. I have to admit I was dubious about the absurdly prolific Abnett taking on yet another new story but it's turning into one of the best thrills of the last few years. It's astonishing how much quality work the man churns out. As for Culbard, I can see why he's not to everyone's tastes but I think he's a Goddamn genius. Despite his deceptively simple style, the characters are distinctive, convincing and full of life. He's a consummate storyteller too - I don't think I've ever looked at a panel of his and not known immediately who I'm looking at and what they're doing.

And yeah, the letter from Sutton Colfield is pretty silly. We Brits have many things we can be proud of but our track record regarding slavery and imperialism isn't one of them. 2000 AD is.

[mejustnow]

Brink is one of the best things to come out of the prog in ages. Stick the landing and we're in instant classic territory here. In fact sod the landing, Annette, we're lucky to have you.

The correspondent bemoaning a lack of patriotism in the prog... I'd be happy if he stopped reading, frankly. That kind of mindless tub thinking force fed garbage is what I understood the great 2000ad inoculated us all against. I feel slightly grubby for realising we share a piece of the pie chart now.

[mejustnow]

... So Abnett auto corrects to Annette...huh. Sorry Dan.

[Tjm86]

No prog again.  Sigh.

Just not been the same since RM has been privatised (no seriously, it hasn't!)

Hey ho.  Just have to indulge in some vicarious gratification courtesy of those who have received theirs on time again.

[JPMaybe]

I enjoyed the Brit-Cit portion of Dredd much more than the Meg side bit, so not really looking forward to the rest. Part of it's been the Texans being so basically sketched, with the TC CJ being so nakedly villainous from the start that I can't see what Hershey possibly thought she had to gain from the merger- hopefully the "alternative solution" will tidy that up. I've found some of the narrative turns made for plot expediency irksome as well, TC CJ just wandering in. on Hershey's private call, for example.

I know it's a holdover from the days of every other city having stupid stereotype judges, but do the Texans really have to keep those fucking hats? They look ridiculous.

[I, Cosh]

I know it's a holdover from the days of every other city having stupid stereotype judges, but do the Texans really have to keep those fucking hats? They look ridiculous.

It's a small point but, with Texas, this is actually based on the reality of how cops dress now.

[JPMaybe]

Fair enough, I just find the aesthetics of biker fascist and cowboy clash terribly.

[Jim_Campbell]

I just find the aesthetics of biker fascist and cowboy clash terribly.

That's basically my wardrobe!

Cheers

Jim

[ZenArcade]

I'm with JP Maybe block....didnt Alex Reynold do them with helmet in that Missionary Man Story? Z