Prog 1944 - House of the Unholy

[I, Cosh]

Mmmm Prog 1944...WTF! McCosh and Burdis! Is it Comic Relief Day already?! I didn't know letters in crayon and drool were allowed!

An already excellent line up gets that unassailable stamp of Zarjazzness! Was it my terrible Enceladus joke or the one fawning over Grennie?

[Buttonman]

It was the torturous 'Encleadus' one - 'Low Life' - 'Nae Life' more like!

[sheridan]

Nice cover by Cliff Robinson (and Dylan Teague) - not what we're used to.  When was the last time he supplied a pic for a prog or meg that wasn't Dredd/Mega-City related?

[Steve Green]

1855 - Grey Area according to Barney.

[Frank]

WHUPP-WHUPP-WHUPP-WHUPP-WHUPP-WHUPP-WHUP


Robinson's an apt choice for cover artist; maybe the desire (expressed above) for him to return to strip work will be fulfilled if Eoin Coveney succumbs to RSI from the insane levels of cross hatching to which he's committed himself. The seance scene, with all the books in the background, makes Simon Jacobs's use of hatching seem sparing, but it's appropriate for the period setting and genre.

Though D'Israeli's mania for design finds ideal expression in creating the aviation technology and environments of Helium, I'd missed the fine detail and polish seen in strips like Saudade and Ordinary. It's only in recent weeks I've realised the bold black lines and economical modelling are in service of Edginton's unusually straightforward, decompressed action movie* storyline.

Obsessive rendering would slow down the pace at which the reader moves through the narrative, and Matt Brooker's delivering a masterclass in the use of stylised colour to create atmosphere, draw the reader into the page, and immerse them in the story. Two very different artists and approaches, each perfectly suited to telling their tale.


* a scene where characters have to escape from an aircraft hangar is only ever going to end in them shooting their way through the doors. I'm sure I've seen that resolution in a dozen movies, but it seems fitting here

[TordelBack]

Bit of a slump for me this week, but a minor dip in a long-running high.

Despite deeply impressive stylings, the Dredd stirred too many memories of Judgement Day and even (gulp) Helter Skelter, and so for me fell short of last week's perfect pages.

Helium was as utterly gorgeous as ever, but detention level to hangar doors is ground well travelled, and I wonder if worthy ofva whole episode.Can I say again though, utterly gorgeous.

Outlier ended well, and I sincerely hope this has at least another run left in it. Very enjoyable, striking-looking SF yarn.

Sorry to see Jaegir go, this is a thrill that could easily handle a long residency, if only Coleby could give up sleep, food and other trivial drains on his time. 

New thrill The Alienist was as superbly crafted as pretty much any single episode bearing Rennie's name is, I've enjoyed everything Beeby has done thus far and Coveney's art seems spot on for the period/tone. However it didn't really engage me straight off, possibly because I missed the opener in the Winter Special, possibly because I wonder if this isn't territory already partially covered (in very different ways) by Dandridge and Crucis, both of whom I'd like to see back.

[Hawkmumbler]

Dredd continues to be utterly superb. The claffhanger, though lacking the obvious "Will they make it on time? Tune in next week, same Dredd time, same Dredd channel." vibe to it, was still a real thumping good action scene. Napalm the shit out of those Titan inamtes for all we care! Bastards had it coming.

Helium and Jaiger where both excellent as per. Not an awful lot I can add to the praise that's already by showered on them, but hope to see the latter return soon.

Outlier was kinda of a meh ending. Obvious set up for third part and a natural conclusion to the saga is next on the agenda, but I doub't it'll be a title i'll remember much about years down the line.

Finally The Alienist. I adored the protoype in...what was it, the Winter Special 2014? Prog 2015? Anyway, it was a good story and this lives up to the potential as a truely great gothic horror tale. Got a great Talons of Weng Chiang vibe to it. Good, good stuff.

[IndigoPrime]

You gotta wonder whether every other city has it nearly this bad, or if everyone's thinking: "Why the hell would anyone want to live in Mega-City One?" Mind you, I can't imagine immigration law would be softer in that kind of world, and so unless you're really rich, you're probably stuck where you were born.

Still, if things keep on going the way they are, Wagner won't have to do any more pruning, because Mega-City one will have roughly the same population as Walton-on-Thames.

[Grant Goggans]

Bit of a slump for me this week, but a minor dip in a long-running high.

Despite deeply impressive stylings, the Dredd stirred too many memories of Judgement Day and even (gulp) Helter Skelter, and so for me fell short of last week's perfect pages.

It's very Purgatory/Inferno for me, I'm afraid.  Lots better, of course.

[staticgirl]

I'm glad TotalHack remembered the names Dandridge and Crucis as I was trying to think why Alienist seemed a bit over familiar. It's the first episode though so I hope it branches out and forms its own identity.

[Theblazeuk]

You gotta wonder whether every other city has it nearly this bad, or if everyone's thinking: "Why the hell would anyone want to live in Mega-City One?"

Well.... Mega City Two had a horrific plague that needed MC1 to save it. And that was before zombies ate everyone and MC1 mercy-nuked it. Judgement Day took out almost all of the nicer options! I would move to The Emerald Isle. Potatoes are probably nicer than Munce anyway.

[Fungus]

So-so prog for me.
Dredd coming over all Arnie action movie, though not completely, as it's Williams and Flint. Needs resolution...
Jaegir is meaty as usual and the Alienist was Emmerdale by ouija board. Enjoyable, for all that.
Outlier has been turgid from beginning to end, sometimes I want to re-read from the very beginning because perhaps I'm being thick, but I then realise it's not my fault and I unclench.
Helium began gloriously, now it's a car chase.

So, so-so.
Note that the standards these days are ridiculously high. I'm probably spoilt. And I had a bad day.

[IndigoPrime]

Potatoes are probably nicer than Munce anyway.

Even though they're [spoiler]made from rice[/spoiler]? I'd go to Oz, I think.

[The Adventurer]

Finally The Alienist. I adored the protoype in...what was it, the Winter Special 2014? Prog 2015? Anyway, it was a good story and this lives up to the potential as a truely great gothic horror tale. Got a great Talons of Weng Chiang vibe to it. Good, good stuff.

Winter Special 2014. I had to go back and read it after finding out it was returning this Prog. Not a prototype, just a one-off first entry to the series. Based on some of the comments in this thread I think more then a few people may have missed/forgotten about it.

I'm very excited about this series becoming a regular strip, I think it has a lot of potential to go places. It's great that it made the cover for its return.

[Ghost MacRoth]

a few people may have missed/forgotten about it.

Definitely!  Must dig out the appropriate special!