Prog 1997 - got that back to school feeling?

[Trent]

Pete Doherty's best work to my mind was in the opening chapters of Judgement Day. Bastard drew me in to a seriously dodgy story before I knew what was happening.
Belardinelli's pinnacle for me was Flesh Book 2 probably because I started reading from Prog 85 so his DPSs were among my first impressions of 2000AD. I was astounded at the detail and visceral nature of his dinosaurs (okay, exclude the humans) a fact that was sadly underlined when Carlos Pino finished the strip in ignominious style.

[ZenArcade]

Simon Harrison on Final Solution.  Z

[Greg M.]

Simon Harrison - Revere Book II

For me, Revere Book III. Harrison's art reaches a new level of detail and atmosphere (and the pages of his original art for it are massive!)

I think Meltdown Man probably is the Belardinelli magnum opus, even though I prefer Ace Trucking Co. as a story. If I had to pick a specific Ace story, it's 'The Great Mush Rush', as Belardinelli's rendition of the Titan of Peem is sublime. Or maybe the 1989 annual story.

Purely on art and nothing else, I think Mechanismo is better MacNeil than Song of the Surfer, although 'Song...' is a far better story.

[Timothy]

Surely it has to be America for Macneil. It's the perfect marriage of art and story.

[sheridan]

Simon Harrison - Revere Book II

For me, Revere Book III. Harrison's art reaches a new level of detail and atmosphere (and the pages of his original art for it are massive!)

You both beat me to it - though I was thinking of Revere as one complete work rather than in separate books.  Having said that, I can't get the black and white splash image of the Milton Keynes ghetto from Strontium Dog out of my head now.

I think Meltdown Man probably is the Belardinelli magnum opus, even though I prefer Ace Trucking Co. as a story. If I had to pick a specific Ace story, it's 'The Great Mush Rush', as Belardinelli's rendition of the Titan of Peem is sublime. Or maybe the 1989 annual story.

He did such a great deal of fantastic work, but there are loads of memorable vistas in Meltdown Man that I have to vote for it.  I'm working on a D&D campaign for some friends, and the travels of the Yujees around  are so inspirational.

[Spaceghost]

Ian Gibson - Halo book 3

[Satanist]

For Belardinelli I'd go with The Dead

[Hawkmumbler]

No no no! Belardinelli must be any and all his Dan Dare serials!

[ZenArcade]

Mark Buckingham's work in Tyranny Rex and Paul Marshall's tour de force in Firekind also leap to mind as of course does Mark Harrison's Glimmer Rats as well. Z

[Magnetica]

McMahon on Sky Chariots, I should think. And that includes the modern reimagining he did recently.

For me McMahon's best work was in the mid 100's on Dredd on stories like Xmas Comes Early to Des O'Connor Block, Uncle Ump's Umpty Candy, Judge Minty, The Judge Child, The Aggro Dome, and Monkey Business at the Charles Darwin Block.

Speaking of masters without masterpieces, is there a definitive Belardinelli masterwork?

I can't choose between Blackhawk, Meltdown Man and Ace Trucking. But I would also throw in his Slaine. The man was just a genius - but his one and only episode of Dredd sucks big time IMO, a bit like Fabry's Dredd.

Surely it has to be America for Macneil. It's the perfect marriage of art and story.

For me he has two (if that is allowed) - America and early Insurrection. America is awesome but some of the anatomy is a bit dodgy. Early Insurrection was done in a style we had never seen in the Prog or the Meg before, or since for that matter.

[Steve Green]

I thought Henry Flint's Deadlock was astonishing - the twisted cities of Overland were amazing. Possibly a toss-up between that and Shakara for really allowing him to let rip.

That's not to demean anything since, just sets the bar so high that you assume that his work will be brilliant.

[sheridan]

So glad I'm not the only one that spotted Parsley the Lion making a special appearance in this Prog with his friend the octopussy.   

Now we need Taragon the Dragon to make an entrance!