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Prog 1990 - Standing Tall

Started by Colin YNWA, 16 July, 2016, 05:19:30 PM

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AlexF

I had a re-read of Black Shuck I in order to try to make sense of the latest series. I enjoyed that story a lot more reading it in one go for certain, although I'm not convinced it's made it any easier for me to follow book II, which seems almost entirely unrelated, apart from featuring the same main character. There's obviously some sort of trick to writing episoidc fiction over long-form stories, but I can't put my finger on it in this case. I really like the Slaine-ish way the writers are tapping into actual UK mthology, less taken by the characters for some reason.

Batman's Superior Cousin

Quote from: Tordelback on 25 July, 2016, 01:26:07 PM
Incidentally, I've just noticed Carroll's covert colonisation of the Dreddverse. He's created the new MC-2 status quo, he's installed his Lewis in Texas City, he's reworked Joyce and Emerald Isle, made free with Armitage and Brit Cit, visited Uranium City and even reintroduced the Lawlords! What's next, Mike: pan-Africa?

Eh? When was this???
I can't help but feel that Godpleton's avatar/icon gets more appropriate everyday... - TordelBack
Texts from Last Night

Proudhuff

Quote from: Tordelback on 25 July, 2016, 01:20:20 PM
Seldom thoughtless are the words of The Cosh,

You've obviously never been pished wi' the man!  :D

No nobody dig out the 'geeshateena' photae!  ;)
DDT did a job on me

Leigh S

A less bang bang ending might have worked better for me - Oswin and her Texas City Judges retreating having been kind of caught out (but nothing really concrete/ no real way for MC1 to do anything other than let them).  Bit like the ending of Pirates of the Black Atlantic, where you know the Sovs attempt has failed, but they will be back - it was all a bit to neat and old style epic to ahve Dredd bust in and save the day. Might have underrlined just what a predicament  the Big Meg is in post Chaos

Dan Banks

Quote from: Batman's Superior Cousin on 25 July, 2016, 04:16:56 PM
Quote from: Tordelback on 25 July, 2016, 01:26:07 PM
Incidentally, I've just noticed Carroll's covert colonisation of the Dreddverse. He's created the new MC-2 status quo, he's installed his Lewis in Texas City, he's reworked Joyce and Emerald Isle, made free with Armitage and Brit Cit, visited Uranium City and even reintroduced the Lawlords! What's next, Mike: pan-Africa?

Eh? When was this???

Memory's a bit shaky but was this the cadet judges with the baby?

Batman's Superior Cousin

Quote from: Dan Banks on 25 July, 2016, 06:44:13 PM
Quote from: Batman's Superior Cousin on 25 July, 2016, 04:16:56 PM
Quote from: Tordelback on 25 July, 2016, 01:26:07 PM
Incidentally, I've just noticed Carroll's covert colonisation of the Dreddverse. He's created the new MC-2 status quo, he's installed his Lewis in Texas City, he's reworked Joyce and Emerald Isle, made free with Armitage and Brit Cit, visited Uranium City and even reintroduced the Lawlords! What's next, Mike: pan-Africa?

Eh? When was this???

Memory's a bit shaky but was this the cadet judges with the baby?

Ah yes, I remember now!!!
Thank You!!!
I can't help but feel that Godpleton's avatar/icon gets more appropriate everyday... - TordelBack
Texts from Last Night

Richard

Quoteit was all a bit to neat and old style epic to ahve Dredd bust in and save the day.
But at least that was fun and interesting, instead of the full and inexcusable alternative you suggest where nothing really happens. You can't compare that to Pirates of the Black Atlantic, which ends with a massive fight followed by a nuclear explosion.

Leigh S

Quote from: Richard on 25 July, 2016, 06:59:03 PM
Quoteit was all a bit to neat and old style epic to ahve Dredd bust in and save the day.
But at least that was fun and interesting, instead of the full and inexcusable alternative you suggest where nothing really happens. You can't compare that to Pirates of the Black Atlantic, which ends with a massive fight followed by a nuclear explosion.

My alternative wasnt really full, so not sure how inexcusable it would be - for me, fun isnt Dredd storming the Halls of Justice for some shooty action - that is expected.  You could still ahve some fun and shooty set pieces and even some big explosions along the way - I just felt something a bit less on the nose from Oswiin (and following on from that the ending) could have set up a more interesting World where MC1s closest neighbour has made an aborted attempt to stealth colonise the Meg, and the Judges at best could only reverse that, leaving them with the knowledge that they were this vulnerable and unable to shoot their way out of the problems they have, as tnye have with every other epic. 

Sounds, if not more fun, possibly more interesting (and for me more interesting than Dredd saving the day and blowing up the main villain).. sorry you don't agree!  Horses for courses, but I love the we have a much reduced MC1 that mightnt have the simple "blow em all up"  solutions of the past to fall back on, no matter how much fun they might have proved previously

Richard

I see what you mean now. And I do like that MC1 is no longer the superpower it once was. But I thought that teleporting Oswin to the missile silo and then killing two birds with one stone was quite a satisfactory resolution -- it wasn't all just shooty shooty.

TordelBack

It was particularly apt because it tied the Texas City, Cursed Earth and Brit Cit threads together in a single action - as well as gathering up most of the cast and making them relevant.

If I was to offer a substantive criticism of the story it would be Hershey's passivity - I understand that she's a pragmatist, and isn't going to throw her badge on the table like Dredd or take the Volt solution, but it's hard to see how she can retain the respect of the force after this latest cock-up: this was a serious error of judgement, and other than a bit of finger painting she did feck all to try to reverse it.

Tjm86

True, but as with current British politics:

a) who is left to take up the mantle

b) who would be daft enough to?

TordelBack

Quote from: Tjm86 on 25 July, 2016, 10:51:57 PM
True, but as with current British politics:

a) who is left to take up the mantle

b) who would be daft enough to?

Gimme a 'B', gimme an 'e'...

Pop Culture Bandit

Here's our take on the Prog:

http://www.popculturebandit.co.uk/2016/07/2000ad-prog-1990.html

Have to say that the Megazine epilogue definitely elevated the end of "Reclamation" for me - offered a nice introspective glimpse of Hershey's mindset - something that felt muted during the whole mega-epic. Not sure whether I will be continuing to read the Megazine after this, but I must admit I did like the added page count to the episodes.

Great to see Outlier back too, and that it has a finite ending. I also like how the concept has switched completely since the initial series with Carcer now under the thrall of the Hurde instead of Caul.

73north

The stories in the Prog 1991 are all very good , except Black Shuck , liked the 1st story , but this second one
leaves me cold - cant get into to it - I hope it doesn't return , sadly

I hope that the New Story that replaces it , is Gordon Rennie's Jaegir -
which will be called War Child
( he revealed that at the Edinburgh Comic Con in April )
I loved the 1st and 2nd series ( and bought the collected stories from 2000ad )
plus the art from Simon Coleby is simply tremendous .

JOE SOAP

Quote from: Tordelback on 25 July, 2016, 10:57:02 PM
Quote from: Tjm86 on 25 July, 2016, 10:51:57 PM
True, but as with current British politics:

a) who is left to take up the mantle

b) who would be daft enough to?

Gimme a 'B', gimme an 'e'...

A little too early for that but it may not be the inevitability we expect.