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Prog 2015 - Invaders Must Die!

Started by flip-r mk2, 20 January, 2017, 01:48:51 PM

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Frank

Quote from: Eamonn Clarke on 23 January, 2017, 08:17:40 PM
IIRC Sector Zero was a secret group of Judges who were recruiting academy rejected cadets to build up their forces for a coup. The story Ghosts from this time last year was part of it, I think.

Mike Carroll and Mark Sexton's Invisible Ninja Academy (Ghosts, 1963 - 1968) is not to be confused with Trifecta's invisible ninjas.

Those ninjas were invisible, whereas in Sector Zero's case it's the ninja academy that's invisible - not the ninjas themselves. The Trifecta ninjas didn't used to be invisible until Judge Sam brought back some cavorite from Enceladus during Titan.

The Trifecta ninjas used to work for Bachmann, but now they're invisible they work for Smiley, who used to be good but now he's a baddie. The Sector Zero ninjas worked for The Badger, who seems like he was always sort of a dick but now he's dead.

So there were two groups of invisible ninjas in MC1, who were invisible to each other and to Justice Department. Happy to clear up any confusion!



Dark Jimbo

Quote from: Eamonn Clarke on 23 January, 2017, 08:17:40 PM
IIRC Sector Zero was a secret group of Judges who were recruiting academy rejected cadets to build up their forces for a coup. The story Ghosts from this time last year was part of it, I think.

A nice simple coup would have made more sense than what they were actually up to.

They were a layer of secret judges above even the SJS formed to 'protect the citizens.' Except we're meant to believe they've been going in secret for the last forty years - so you have to wonder if they were sat on their hands during Cal, the Apocalypse War, Death and the Sisters, Grice's lot, Sabbat, Narcos, Total War, the Chaos Bug and Bachmann's lot. It's a concept that makes even less sense than Smiley.
@jamesfeistdraws

Frank

Quote from: Dark Jimbo on 23 January, 2017, 10:13:21 PM
It's a concept that makes even less sense than Smiley

I'm pretty sure Smiley's a bad guy *, which would explain why he stayed put inside the walls while various Chief Judges fell and successive calamities eroded confidence in the established order.

I'm not sure if that was always the intention or if Rob Williams is just trying to address our complaints about the implausibility of a benign Smiley drinking tea as Inferno and Doomsday raged outside.

Just as Williams solves that problem, Carroll creates one that's even worse. If you're being generous, you could argue that Badger's ethos encouraged the elimination of the weak to improve the strength of the herd. The 50 million citizens and few thousand judges who survived Chaos Day must be pretty good stock.


* See Act Of Grud, prog 2006, by Rob Williams & Henry Flint (Nov 2016)

jabish

Ah lads I gave up on looking for sense in non-Wagner Dredds a while ago. It can be frustrating reading and really seems to me that if you are going to have different writers on the strip it needs a very strong showrunner to keep it all together and on the same page. Obviously the main voice on the strip is Wagner's so there's not a whole lot other writers can do to make big shake ups or have lasting consequences other than with concepts he doesn't want to go back to. Dredd by Williams works best when its dealing with his own concepts. Sensitive Klegg being great and bringing plots from lowlife into the main strip a la titan. The two sets of underground ninjas and multiple secret passageways in the halls of justice is a good example of messy continuity in what should be a tighter ship. Its 2000ad's flagship strip. But I've banged this drum before sure.

Hope is terrific. Full of atmosphere and amazing art. I enjoy the Order in an old school way. Not much is happening in Kingdom but I like it nonetheless and Dan Abnett is someone I would like to see do Dredd. Lawless in the Meg is terrific. I like Kingmaker stunning art again but like any Ian Edgington strip it will read better in one go. People are writing for the collection more and more. That's why I love me binders.

I still love the sound of the prog coming through the letterbox every Saturday cos you never know what might be in store.

My two pence.

JB

Proudhuff

When Did Smiley become a baddie? I'd always assumed he was like LeCarre's Smiley and operating in the shadows, aware of the dubious morality of what he does but his is the preferred system of govt.

DDT did a job on me

Colin YNWA

Well we do have good proggage don't we.When the worst you can say is that Kingdom has a quiet episode you know you're in a good place thrillswise.

Dredd - superb, Hope for the Future - pretty and getting better, The Order - absolute genius.

The cover is a wonderful design too.

I'll make special mention of Kingmaker however, by George this strip is getting better and better and really growing on me. The comfortable odd couple relationship might be treading old ground but tis doing it so well and with such superbly exercuted verve that I'm loving every moment. Worth saying Leigh Gallagher's art has never looked better either. Fantastic stuff in a quite fantastic prog.

Well done that green alien editor.

DrJomster

Another excellent prog, good people! Roll on next week!
The hippo has wisdom, respect the hippo.

Pegasus P Artichoke

Fantastic cover and a fantastic issue

Dredd is getting better and better, loving this story and the art

Kingmaker has a really strong issue, really enjoyed it. The blend of fantasy and science fiction is very enjoyable

Hope also has a good outing and very much liking it

still following The Order and still with it so that's a very big tick

Kingdom sets up the next issue really well, looking forward to Gene Hackman getting whet

Another thumping good read
We'll give them back their heroes

JamesC


BPP

Sector zero... Such a threat they were taken out by a collapsing gangway.
If I'd known it was harmless I would have killed it myself.

http://futureshockd.wordpress.com/

http://twitter.com/#!/FutureShockd

TordelBack

Not to be sneezed at - it was a collapsing gangway that killed Captain Kirk.

My guess is that we're about to learn that the MC branch of Sector Zero is just one cell in a global network dedicated to imposing a unified justice system.



JaHawkDroid

Bloody hell the Prog is glorious at the moment. Best lineup since I started reading weekly (Prog 1990) in my opinion.

Dredd is solid, which is basically the minimum you can hope for from 2000AD.
Hope is giving me Hellblazer vibes, which I am all about.
Kingmaker is, despite initially not being an interesting concept to me, holding my interest firmly.
The Order is... well, weird as sin but quite glorious in the process. What else would we expect from Kek-W?
Kingdom is acceptable. I read it, I enjoy, but I don't necessarily get excited for more.

I really hope the momentum on the Prog isn't stalled by the 40th special forcing everything to, well, end. It's been a fantastic start to the year.

Hawkmumbler

I've said it once and i'll say it again, the c rrent line up is everything I hope for in 2000AD.

Dredd- Superb.
Kingmaker- Brilliantly refreshing.
Hope- Gorgeous and picking up for a slow burner.
The Order- An absolute modern masterpiece.
Kingdom- A  joy of a proven formula.

One thing I will say though, was I the only one who thought the shadowy master of swordplay in Dredd would turn out to be [spoiler]Shimura[/spoiler]?

Dandontdare

Quote from: Hawkmumbler on 28 January, 2017, 12:02:31 PM
One thing I will say though, was I the only one who thought the shadowy master of swordplay in Dredd would turn out to be [spoiler]Shimura[/spoiler]?

Probably!  ;)

Proudhuff

Quote from: Dandontdare on 28 January, 2017, 12:15:21 PM
Quote from: Hawkmumbler on 28 January, 2017, 12:02:31 PM
One thing I will say though, was I the only one who thought the shadowy master of swordplay in Dredd would turn out to be [spoiler]Shimura[/spoiler]?

Probably!  ;)

Well that's a fair bit of backstory too fill in...  ;)
DDT did a job on me