Prog 1675 - Die Laughing!

[Martin Howe]

Quite apart from all the subplots, is Inga showing too much negative emotion? Sex meks are supposed to be "ideal" partners; they want what the owner wants and have no real desires of their own; any emotions they display are faked by programming.

Even then, dressing up and role playing as other people would surely be a natural (well if you know what I mean) aspect of a sex mek's programming so why would Inga object to being asked to do or be anyone or anything her owner wants?

We already know Inga can kill an unarmed human, so doesn't this "jealousy" represent a safety risk for PJ? Better hope he has a logic bomb in her program as a fail safe: hurt PJ --> shutdown. Knowing PJ he probably has planted a real bomb in her too.

[George Dread]

Its good when you you pick your prog off the shelf and it illicits a confident chuckle from you. You know its gonna be a good week. How 2000ad attributes to this theory is anybodges guess.
In Dredd, my favourite said is the two halting panels of Dredd's return to the townships. I think Higgins' got into his stride of this story. A nice loosening of the plotting, focussing on Maybe and Beeny. It keeps it interesting. Hope Dredd tells Beeny the truth when its all over. She deserves it. An exemplary judge.   

[postcardjackuk]

Great prog as ever. How hot is Inga in that see through negligee? Although I am thinking it's a double bluff and JW wants us to think that it's Inga dressed up but it actually isn't as can't see such an important cliffhanger being used for a practical joke on us unless of course it has some further plot ramification to do with her impersonating Hershey.
Great to see Zombo back, re-read series one before this prog and am buzzing to see Zombo take these naughty boys apart.
Agreed the battle ended a bit quick but still good of course.
Very emotional finish to ND, and good to see only a short break till next series. Still prefer Simon Frazer's art but JB on fine form of course.
Stickleback good as ever but the weakest at the mo but that not an insult at all
 

[TordelBack]

JW wants us to think that it's Inga dressed up but it actually isn't as can't see such an important cliffhanger being used for a practical joke on us unless of course it has some further plot ramification to do with her impersonating Hershey.

I confess I assumed it was Inga dressed as Hershey, come to give PJ that good thrashing... Be cool if she'd deliberately interpreted PJ's instructions to put n her 'ugly face' as a request for Hershey's face.

[Colin_YNWA]

Again wild speculation but her dressing and looking like Hershey gets PJ thinking can he impersonate a Judge = the big important plot ramification for what might seem like a trivial event.

[Jared Katooie]

Cover: A brilliant cover with a stupid tagline that barely makes sense. I love the detail in HF's art here, it shows that changing your your art stle need not mean "using less lines".

7/10


Dante: Jeez, this was awful. I can't imagine a more boring way of resolving years of conflict and struggle.  It's like Mr. Morrison is trying to find the most boring way of resolving things. It reminds of the moment when Konstantin was revealed to have been the Lord Protector. It was a mild surprise. How much more devestating would it have been if this was only revealed to us at the same time Dante had found out?

It speaks vlumes that this is the only series to employ the reprehensible practice of "comic book death" - no less than seven times! Dante, Konstantin, Viktor, Lulu, the Kraken, Luther Emmanuel, "Papa" Yeltsin, all have "died" only to return to life again.

I wonder if Dante's (completely out of character) decision not to kill Konstantin will end up coming back to haunt him? Golly I wonder. Next he'll be trusting the Tsar to keep his word - oh no, wait, that happened in Prog 1669...

2/10


ABC Warriors: Blah blah blah, plonky plonky ploo, plickety plockety pliggety plah, Bloopyloopy looble wabble blim blim.

Neneneneneneneneneneneneneh.

Pbl.

3/10


Stickeback: More characters die! This is just so shocking and dramatic, I think I might have to go stare at the wall, just to calm down.

I was somewhat confused by the fact that the burning lad suposedly couldn't burn anything, for fear of igniting the gasses in the balloon (bit stupid letting him on the balloon in the first place, but that's nitpicking), and yet there was no problem with smashing his burning head into the ground and spraying flaming bits of him everywhere.

Also: I have no problem with period pieces, but do we have to have it hammered home to us constantly that it's 18xx? One more colourful turn of phrase and I'm gonna be on the ran-tan!

4/10


Zombo: I wasn't really looking forward to this at all. I felt that the first series went nowhere, and the Christmas special was completely pointless, and yet, somehow this held my interest.

I really liked the fact that it cut away from the deathworld to a cheap hotel in space where a man was carrying suitcases full of bees. This bizarre change of direction reminded me of the 2000AD of old, where anything could and would happen.

I don't know though. It could be that Al Ewing doesn't think that ZOmbo can carry a story on his own. It could be that he's throwing some sort of Ocean's Eleven type stuff as an easy means of padding out the story... But, I'm reservng judgement.

5/10

Dredd

Great stuff here, of course. I'm still a little concerned that Mr. Wagner hasn't dealt more with the setting up and running of the townships. I think he might be underestimating how interesting a story like that might be.

Having said that, I'm certainly not complaining, as we've got some truly brilliant stuff to sink our teeth into this prog, as PJ plots his next master crime. It's strange how much I've come to love a character I knew nothing about only a few years ago.

And what a cliffhanger! Say it aint so!

8/10

[Robin Low]

I mean everyone in it looks like a waxwork to me - there's just no movement in it and all the poses of the characters look unnatural.
Maybe it's just me not 'getting' John Higgins art, but in Greysuit, even with motion blur effects the characters still looked like they were standing still the whole time.

I know what you mean. Higgins used to be one of my favourite Dredd artists, but his current style is functional and nothing more.

Regards

Robin

[Cactus]

Re: Stickleback

Lift is generated by gaseous bolloxium. Mirrors made of unobtainium are, as any fule knos, very light.

Re: Nikolai Dante

The thrill for me was seeing the deus ex machina gun reach new heights by giving Kolya the means to defeat any of his siblings, even the unstoppable Konstantin.

[Mardroid]

Cover - Great.

Dredd - Very good, although I'm not sure they should have continued the Hershey gag. It was very amusing last episode but just felt a bit over milked here. That being said, it's very in character as far as the (I presume) android lady is concerned. (Or should that be gainoid, as she is obviously of female 'construction'? Meh, who cares. More importantly, where can I get one?)

Stickleback - Great episode. My view on the art remains though. (I.e it's lovely constructed, but I find it a bit awkward to make out sometimes. More solidity would be nice, even if only outlines left in.

Zombo: I'm not sure whether to be amused or disturbed. Then again, those aren't mutually exclusive are they? Good so far.

ABC Warriors: So if robo-kremlin saw that in the cards why did he continue? And the president's face... just wrong. Heh. All rather silly but fun. I wonder what happens to Mek-Quake now?

Dante:  Ptchow! Ouch. Very good ending. Apart from the slushy end panel.