tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2243012679315072030.post4786604024286530216..comments2024-03-29T10:23:10.538+00:00Comments on Thoughts Of A Workshy Fop: Strontium Dog: The Life And Death Of Johnny Alpha (2000AD #1689-1699)varalys the darkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17032083859598898676noreply@blogger.comBlogger39125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2243012679315072030.post-20811189575179515152017-06-28T00:37:23.505+01:002017-06-28T00:37:23.505+01:00The film is called Perfect Blue, dunno how I manag...The film is called Perfect Blue, dunno how I managed to miss typing that.varalys the darkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17032083859598898676noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2243012679315072030.post-30813047909663840292017-06-28T00:36:22.924+01:002017-06-28T00:36:22.924+01:00Funny you should mention Japan, I've just uplo...Funny you should mention Japan, I've just uploaded my final post of the month, a Dirty Frank tale with a distictly Nipponese flavour.<br /><br />I have no allusions about Tokyo ever since I watched an anime called Welcome To The NHK which is all about what hikkikomori life is like in the city. It's a satire but the main character is just so unhappy that it's considered a happy ending when he manages to get a menial job at the end. Has an interesting deconstruction of the Manic Pixie Dream Girl Archetype and the extreme Otaku as well.<br /><br />Also you might want to check out an anime film made in the mid-nineties about a saccharine pop starlet who starts trying to make it as a serious artist. Predicted all sorts of things about how the internet could be used as a persecution tool as well as having an obssessed incel as one of the villains. <br /><br />I am going to watch those programmes on Japanese art as I'll be over at mum's for a few days cat sitting and she has iplayer. She said they were well worth a watch too, so you're in good company (I've forced her to watch an awful lot of anime).varalys the darkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17032083859598898676noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2243012679315072030.post-56953375104607250052017-06-27T23:04:18.064+01:002017-06-27T23:04:18.064+01:00I like a bit of fan theorising. You know I do that...I like a bit of fan theorising. You know I do that a bit with sherlock holmes. As for Troi I'm just going to assume she picked up that Israeli accent because her mum packed her off to the Betazed equivalent of a kibbutz for a few years.<br /><br />Speaking of Japan though...<br /><br />BBC4 is having a mini Japanese season. Some great stuff on IPlayer. The art documentaries are fascinating. I'm not a big fan of figurative art, but I can appreciate the technical analysis. It's like how I love David Hockney's commentaries on western art. He's actually in one of the Japanese documentaries as it happens.<br /><br />One thing you might find interesting is that the original Disney artists were heavily influenced by a particular Japanese style of art. So I guess it's gone full circle now. But it's funny how some expert explanation can put a whole new slant on things. There's a famous painting called The Wave. You've almost certainly seen it (there were 8,000 copies of it made even originally!). I've always thought it was a bit meh. But when someone points out that in Japan you read from right to left...Wow! It's like a totally different painting. Culture eh?<br /><br />Also just been watching a doc called Tokyo Girls. It's about that otaku culture. Manages to make Tokyo look like the most depressing place on the planet. It's like a combination of weaponised paedophilia and desperation. You don't know whether to feel sorry for these guys or start some sort of register. The girls are interesting too. You could get diabetes just looking at them. It's almost a parody of that Japanese cuteness thing. Although in real life some of them really have their heads screwed on and are pretty funny. They're very self aware with completely normal mum and dads who are just having a bit of fun and earning a bit of cash (singing nauseatingly twee pop songs) before finishing university. I have now though learned the Japanese word for 'encore'. <br /><br />It's 'encore'.<br /><br />(Also I'd quite like a pachinko machine. They look fun)Alan Robertshawhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14509360521332746130noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2243012679315072030.post-71882529305004107402017-06-27T22:26:41.423+01:002017-06-27T22:26:41.423+01:00Marina Sirtis is great. I know she's official...Marina Sirtis is great. I know she's officially American now, but she still sounds like a cockerney in interviews. You know why she was saddled with that daft accent in TNG? She was told they couldn't have two Brits on the Bridge. Her protestations that Picard was French didn't fly. Of course neither her mum or dad in the show spoke anything other than standard USian, leading me to conclude she went to some awful Betazoid boarding school and had an aristocratic accent beaten into her which she decided to keep to annoy her mum. You may have noticed I theorise a lot about Star Trek characters, I AM NERD.<br /><br />I've never taken to Pocky myself. I do like all the gel sweets Japan churns out though, mind you I am eating a low sugar diet right now which sucks because I have an incredible sweet tooth and Macclesfield has a Proper Sweetie Shop that sells all the stuff you remember being in corner shops as a kid tempting me.varalys the darkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17032083859598898676noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2243012679315072030.post-7835281658019946702017-06-27T21:27:25.191+01:002017-06-27T21:27:25.191+01:00Yeah he was the guy in the green suit with the red...Yeah he was the guy in the green suit with the red hair. It's almost impossible to stereotype the Irish though. They (we?) love all that. It's like Yorkshire people.<br /><br />Seven was obviously a bit eye candy, but she was also (moreso) a genuinely interesting character. Pity they didn't get on. Notwithstanding my comments about how tension can often produce brilliant results, I love how the TNG cast all still get on. I'm not usually one for conferences but there are some great YouTube vids of that lot. Very funny. And it's nice how they all take the piss out of each other. I do like Mariana Sirtis though when she gets hammered and just acts like your drunk mate in the pub. I'm just amazed she hasn't started a fight yet. I'm glad Wil Wheaton's back on board with them now too. He does seem like a genuine bloke.<br /><br />Ooh, I'm a proper weeaboo now btw. Had some of those pocky things. Fucking horrible. And I'll happily eat dog chocolate.Alan Robertshawhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14509360521332746130noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2243012679315072030.post-78398176709826036202017-06-27T20:50:01.933+01:002017-06-27T20:50:01.933+01:00Well the reason Mulgrew objected was actually a fe...Well the reason Mulgrew objected was actually a feminist one. She'd been sold this series as having strong female characters and thought having someone with a nice rack in catsuits cheapened that. As for the others, lack of characterisation prior to her coming aboard and then her being a) an amazing actress and b) a very compelling one to write about lead to really the show ending up focusing on just her, Janeway and the Doctor. Robert Beltram was particularly vocal about his lack of decent episodes, so to spite him that's why the randomly shipped him and Seven together about eight episodes prior to the end of the series. Unlike TNG it really wasn't a happy set at all. Sad really.<br /><br />I reckon the portrayal of the Irish character complained about was Ennis's for A Few Troubles More, that really plays up the comedy Irishman stereotypes.varalys the darkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17032083859598898676noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2243012679315072030.post-8559413185213443652017-06-27T20:43:45.717+01:002017-06-27T20:43:45.717+01:00https://youtu.be/h2hs0oZ6JuQ
https://youtu.be/GvG...https://youtu.be/h2hs0oZ6JuQ<br /><br />https://youtu.be/GvGHIW3GQv8Alan Robertshawhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14509360521332746130noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2243012679315072030.post-5662941119472256012017-06-27T20:34:18.519+01:002017-06-27T20:34:18.519+01:00I wonder why they didn't like her? Was that ju...I wonder why they didn't like her? Was that just newcomer stealing all the limelight? Surprised dating one of the producers helped there. No matter how much they pretended to like her to her face.<br /><br />You ever seen the Frasier spoof of Voyager. Very funny. Especially Martin's chair on the bridge. I also recommend 'cockney star trek'. 'avin' a bit of a tear up with the klingons. They're proper naughty.<br /><br />You have got me thinking now about the difference in politics (or perhaps more accurately the expression of political ideology) between Crisis, 2000AD and Action. I'll ponder that further. I think it's an interesting subject.<br /><br />I do remember someone complaining about the portrayal of an Irish character in Crisis. They thought it was an offensive stereotype. Then loads of actual Irish people responding.<br /><br />"Have you even been to Kilburn High Road. You can't move for people like that."Alan Robertshawhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14509360521332746130noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2243012679315072030.post-78038992276739042302017-06-27T20:07:46.684+01:002017-06-27T20:07:46.684+01:00I can't find the bloody link where I read it, ...I can't find the bloody link where I read it, but it was a very candid interview with Ryan. She also has a good lol over the fact she was pretty much shat on by the whole cast until she started dating one of the producers (Brannon Braga) and after that all bar Mulgrew were a bit nicer to her. <br /><br />Also this Trek talk has inspired me to binge watch SF Debris Star Trek reviews. I really love his characterisation of Janeway as a tyrant who trolls and tortures the crew for the epic lulz and has an invisible spider in a cowboy hat sitting on her shoulder who gives her advice. And his characterisation of Worf in TNG as somewhat obsessed with people filling out accident forms. <br /><br />You really wouldn't like to have read my fic, about the only bad fic mistake it didn't make was a self insert character. I honestly think my first HDD combusted in shame to fully erase it from this Earth. There's plenty of places to read fanfic, the Trek Smut archive is still up but hasn't been updated in about a decade. The best place for fanfiction of any show is fanfiction.net. That's my usual go to place. You can sort via age ratings so if you just want some non sexual storytelling you can get that, if you want hardcore full on banging you just sort by Mature, pick your preferred pairing and go nuts!<br /><br />CRISIS came along at just the right time for me, I was a bit more politically active than your average 13 year old, and I think it had some good stuff, Troubled Souls and True Faith are my favourites but c'mon, that was obvious. Say we haven't had any Garth Ennis for a while, must rectify that next month.varalys the darkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17032083859598898676noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2243012679315072030.post-85434257713243854092017-06-27T18:54:49.138+01:002017-06-27T18:54:49.138+01:00Ooh, didn't know that about Kate and Jeri (hmm...Ooh, didn't know that about Kate and Jeri (hmm, now I'm envisaging them chasing each other round with brooms and frying pans). Am a bit surprised. Like you say they did have good onscreen chemistry. Mind you, it's not uncommon for some of the best creative collaborators to hate each other, in any field. Sometimes that tension can even add to the energy. The Police used to kick the shit out of each other all the time. (Andy Summers says if he had his time in the Police again he wouldn't change a thing, "except the drummer and the bass player")<br /><br />But ST backstage shenanigans are always interesting. I'll plug Wil Wheaton's podcasts again. But also recommend Bill Shatner's books. They're hilarious but also incredibly candid. He's so honest about being a twat and not realising it. There's a very touching bit where nichelle nichols opens up her heart about how much she hated him. He's obviously hurt but totally sees her point. And of course George is fantastic "Bill, it's pronounced Takei. Rhymes with toupee."<br /><br />Shame you've removed your fiction. I'd love to read it. I've never read any slash fic. Unless you count the official novelisation of star trek the motion picture. (That really flirts with the idea). That's actually a clever book all round. It explains away some of the odder TOS stuff by just assuming Kirk made stuff up in the log "First officer's brain stolen? Had you been on the Romulan ale again?"<br /><br />Yeah Crisis could get a bit student union at times. I think there's maybe a class thing going on. Like crisis was middle class kids being all earnest and 2000AD was street kids getting into fights with Nazis but then having a laugh about it over some glue sniffing.Alan Robertshawhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14509360521332746130noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2243012679315072030.post-38604038303013448702017-06-27T17:36:42.508+01:002017-06-27T17:36:42.508+01:00Boooo! Throws rotten vegetables at Alan :D
Kate ...Boooo! Throws rotten vegetables at Alan :D<br /><br />Kate Mulgrew had a theory that Janeway basically had a nervous breakdown in private not long after they got catapaulted in the Delta Quadrant and the rest of the series was her suffering from severe mood swings, to explain the schizophrenic writing. I really like Janeway for all her flaws, but was saddened to find out she LOATHED Jeri Ryan absolutely loathed her. Which I find amazing because they had so much chemistry together on screen they were the most shipped couple in the series by miles when I was hanging out on the Trek Smut fan-fiction site during the series (and also, may I fess up to writing some J/7 fanfic myself? Fortunately I managed to take it down sometime later and no one has to know about my embarassing fiction skills). Anyway, if you're interested I've covered three TNG miniseries on this blog, which are all uniformly terrible. They're under the Star Trek Next Generation tag if you have a boring half hour to fill.<br /><br />You're right I think in retrospect that 2000AD handled social issues a bit more gracefully than CRISIS, although it was CRISIS that got me to join Amnesty which I am still a member of today. I guess it was because it used fantasy and allegory to make its points rather than just baldly stating things, although I still think CRISIS deserves much credit for having a black woman protagonist in one story and dealt with gay man, bisexual man, hetro black woman love triangle in a way that would have US comic fans taking to their fainting couches.varalys the darkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17032083859598898676noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2243012679315072030.post-82697267394634280192017-06-27T15:55:30.398+01:002017-06-27T15:55:30.398+01:00"A woman as Captain, a woman as Chief enginee..."A woman as Captain, a woman as Chief engineer, a woman in charge of her own special department"<br /><br />No wonder they got lost. *ducks*. There were some very good episodes, especially for me, the ones with the doc and 7. I think the themes were very good. Basically, what is it to be human? ST really excelled when it went down the philosophical route. The actors helped so much to what that though. Not only was there a real chemistry between them, individually they had such a range of emotions. Jeri Ryan as Anneka was such a contrast to seven. She managed to portray two very different characters but you could also see the underlying commonality of person. It was a lovely balance. And Robert Picardo managed to find his own way. It would have been so easy just to riff off Spock or Data. It's perhaps ironic that the two least 'human' characters were also the most relatable and sympathetic. I did feel sorry for Kate Mulgrew. She's a great actress and did get occasional chances to shine.. But she was so let down by the writing. It was all over the place. And sometimes she was portrayed as borderline incompetent. It's the most blaring example of "Phh, women eh?"in start trek. And I'm including the TOS episode where the lass goes mad because women can't be captains. It was almost like some MRAs got to write a sequel to that to prove the point.<br /><br />2000AD eventually got great at exploring social justice issues. I think it did it even better than Crisis (which could get a bit in your face and worthy at times). I remember as far back as the cursed earth saga when dress showed he was actually human and decent with Tweak the alien. That was a proper 'humans are the real bastards' story. Even the original Robot Wars started out as a great allegory for slavery. Of course then it just got into chainsaw battles with Call-Me-Kenneth. But not bad for a 1977 kids comic.<br /><br />In fact I think if 2000AD has an underlying philosophy it's that it's always been on the side of the outsider and non conforming (as opposed to non conformist). It's the comic of the underdog. Quite literally in the case of Strontium Dogs (I like how I managed to segway back to that). Perhaps that's it's legacy from Action and even Jinty. A lot of the other comics at the time may have been aspirational, but in an escapist way. The characters were always elite in some way. The only pre Action working class hero I can think of was Alf Tupper ("the tough of the track"). But action really changed that. Roy of the Rovers played top level football and lived in an appropriate leafy subnet be mansion. Lefty (Action's footballing hero) played in a bottom of the league team and had a full time job. Both comics I think played into that 70s almost class war vibe. Bit like punk and ska. Stop dividing on tribal lines. The message was always 'remember who the real enemy is'. I'm not surprised then that it had such a strong anti racist vibe.Alan Robertshawhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14509360521332746130noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2243012679315072030.post-10260630287984268852017-06-27T06:26:02.147+01:002017-06-27T06:26:02.147+01:00I'm very fond of Voyager but only season five ...I'm very fond of Voyager but only season five onwards because I fancy the arse of Seven of Nine and thought she brought with her a host of interesting story ideas. As for TNG, Picard was French (lol, he obviously wasn't, but it's canon). I admit the writing for Voyager was a total crapshoot but when it was good, it was very, very good and it's a shame it was so uneven because it had so much damn potential. I also liked it from a feminist perspective. A woman as Captain, a woman as Chief engineer, a woman in charge of her own special department (despite her catsuits!) so I get protective of Voyager in that respect as well.<br /><br />I guess with Nemesis it was the first time I had seen the ugliness of human prejudice confronted in the media I was consuming, and it sort of buttered me up for CRISIS a couple of years later. Of course I was being brought up as a proper lefty sort, but it helps to see your views valiadated in print especially when there was so much ugliness around in the 80's.<br /><br />My favourite Nemesis moment is actually a computer game my best mate had on his Amiga. I don't remember very much about it except it was very gory and we used to play it long into the wee small hours when I was staying over.<br /><br />varalys the darkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17032083859598898676noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2243012679315072030.post-57974074434887487822017-06-27T00:29:54.691+01:002017-06-27T00:29:54.691+01:00That's an interesting theory. Personally thoug...That's an interesting theory. Personally though I think it's just cos Picard is from Yorkshire, so he's just that hard. "Turned into a zombie robot; I've 'ad worse." What I want to know though is why in the series Troi is from Betazed but in the films she's from Tottenham?<br /><br />DS9 could be brilliant. Again I think it's that classic ST 3/3/3 rule. (Although voyager didn't seem to get the memo). They were lucky to have Avery Brooks though. Like Patrick Stewart he dragged what could just be schlocky escapism (not that there's anything wrong with that) into proper drama. Support cast was great too. I still love that bit with Troi's mum taking her wig off to cheer Odo up. And the running gag with Morn's off screen antics. I found the only relatable characters in voyager were the doctor and seven. Might be the actors as much as the writing but they seemed to be in a different league to everyone else.<br /><br />It seemed a bit odd when nemesis went down the time travel route. Similar problem to Slaine really. It's not that the stories were bad. Far from it. But they just paled a bit compared to the original setting. And the racism allegory lost a bit of impact when it became literal. Torquemada as space Hitler was one thing, as actual Hitler it became a bit obvious. The baroque weirdness was just such a good background. I loved it when they ran out of people to hate, so they targeted people with freckles. And the classic "You're all white men now!"<br /><br />There's a nice bit in a Robert Silverberg book. It's set in the far future with lots of aliens. Turns out racists just gave up because it got so complicated they had to use computers to work out who to be racist against.<br /><br />My favourite nemesis story was in a summer special. Remember reading it in Scarborough on holiday. Think it may have been his first actual appearance (outside the blitzspear). Some humans hang him. Then it's a real hammer house of horror style mysterious karmic deaths of the perpetrators. Was properly creepy, in a good EC comics way. But had that wonderful sense of the alien. O'Neilll at his grotesque best.Alan Robertshawhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14509360521332746130noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2243012679315072030.post-35100401771274202842017-06-26T23:43:17.294+01:002017-06-26T23:43:17.294+01:00That's OK, cats need their petting and savagin...That's OK, cats need their petting and savaging times. Not seeing much of my grouchy one, wait until he has to spend a week shut in mum's house again with two incumbents who HATE him. Mwhaaahaha!<br /><br />Later DS9 when it got into the Dominion War arc did do some better exploration of PTSD. I'm thinking of Nog who loses an arm and comes back to the station very messed up. Considering all the shit that Picard went through though, well me and my sister had this theory that contrary to what you see on screen, Troi must have been a shit hot counsellor to keep Picard in the Captains chair all that time without Starfleet forcing him out due to mental health concerns.<br /><br />Nemesis was great. You have to remember I started reading in 1986 so that was the period that the late John Hicklenton was drawing it and Torquemada was teaming up with actual skinheads, I have such vivid memories of Nemesis taking out a gang of "Oy Boys" and thought that yeah, Nemesis was something of a dick but he was on the right side. Ah, I need to sort out the massive pile of issues at the foot of the bed and reread those stories. Oddly I had a hard time at first taking to O'Neill's depiction of Nemesis and his world, it was so... weird and ugly. Now of course I love it because it's weird and ugly, but yeah still kicking myself over waiting too long to grab collection one.varalys the darkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17032083859598898676noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2243012679315072030.post-64587390323359538972017-06-26T23:01:22.945+01:002017-06-26T23:01:22.945+01:00Hi. Sorry for the tardy response. Been snoozing an...Hi. Sorry for the tardy response. Been snoozing and playing with that little bundle of fur and psychopathy I told you about previously. He's such a cheat. Just been lolling with my arm dangling so he could rub up and down it. Then *he* walks too far so my hand goes near his tail and I get bitten. Talk about a set up.<br /><br />Anyway yeah vaguely remember both of those episodes. Thanks for the correction. It's funny cos TNG did sort of understanding the psychological consequences thing with Picard and his Locutus based PTSD. But apparently voyager and ds9 crews weren't such a bunch of snowflakes. There's a novella called something like deathship that goes into the whole 'identity' thing when there ends up being more than one of you and other you dies. In that it's based on how long range teleportation works. Essentially original you stays put and an identical copy is created at the other end. It's very good in exploring the implications. Basically people who will have to experience that go through a load of psychological training and screening first. They're encouraged to give themselves unique middle names and never communicate with each other so they can all legitimately claim to be the 'real' one.<br /><br />Nemesis was one of the stories where I'd be really excited when a new installment came around. You may know it started out as tne pilot for something called 'Comic Rock' where stories were inspired by pop songs. Hence the original being 'going underground'. You never actually saw nemesis in that. Just tne blitzspear. And Torquey was just the head of the traffic police. Loved how it developed though. So wonderfully gothic. Especially the gothic empire arc. Perhaps unsurprisingly. But O'Neilll at his grotesque best. Grobbendonk was a great little character too. Purity Brown was interesting. It's not so much she was a comic crush for me. But, a bit like Halo, a sort of role model in terms of girls I'd grow up to like. As a snot nosed middle teenager I was both a little overawed by the thought that girls only a few years older than me could be so cool and together, but also inspired. Hmm, as mentioned these nostalgia trips are good for a bit of self analysis.<br /><br />I wonder also how much the series influenced my world view? I'd like to think I'd find fascism abhorrent anyway, but there's also that thing that you want to be on the 'good' (or at least 'cool') guys' side. Makes me wonder what the alt-right lot are reading. Any thoughts on that?Alan Robertshawhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14509360521332746130noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2243012679315072030.post-58670811295927647392017-06-26T10:16:26.772+01:002017-06-26T10:16:26.772+01:00*nerd mode* Strictly speaking O'Brien was repl...*nerd mode* Strictly speaking O'Brien was replaced by himself from a few hours in the future. What your describing is what happened in the Voyager episode "Deadlock" where a parallel ship gets stuck to the main series one and their Ensing Kim dies to be replaced by his parallel universe version. Voyager wasn't very good at examining the consequences of things like that. *nerd mode off*<br /><br />The US model of comics at least from the Big Two is so alien to how the UK model works I can see how hard it would be to adjust if it's not something you grew up with. The indies seem to be a bit better about it but then I found out Clean Room is restarting at issue one in the same seasonal model as Marvel and so that's thrown a spanner in that theory. Ah well, gonna be fun figuring out how to title all these rebooted trades for the blog >_<<br /><br />I wish I'd brought the Nemesis collection one when it was still in print, it gone out of print and now goes for silly money. I think I have most of what it covers in my Best Ofs but they tended to jump about a bit. Ah well, they should come back into print sometime again I hope.varalys the darkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17032083859598898676noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2243012679315072030.post-42630142791348942332017-06-25T22:10:12.236+01:002017-06-25T22:10:12.236+01:00'what if' stories didn't seem to be a ...'what if' stories didn't seem to be a Brit comics thing, although I know it's popular with US ones. I'm not sure how I feel about them. I love real world counterfactuals. Especially military stuff like what would have happened if the Germans had gone ahead with Sealion. But that's more a contingency planning thing. The fiction that arises can be good though, like Fatherland and SS-GB.<br /><br />With comics though I'm not so sure. They're a great way of letting your imagination run riot. But at the same time it gets a little close to it was all a dream and perhaps more importantly it removes some of that 'permanent consequences' aspect that you know I've got a bit of a bee in my bonnet about. I know they're out of continuity, but I still find it easier to invest in a series if whatever happens is final and 'real'. Of course there can be good ways round that. Alternative timelines and parallel universes etc. Although that too can jar a bit. It's like there's a deep space nine episode (I think) where obrien gets killed but is just replaced with an alternate timeline version. And everyone carries on as before. It seems to devalue the characters a bit if they're just frangible products. I'll ponder further.<br /><br />But in the same vein it's why I think the constant rebooting that seems so common in US comics would jar a bit for me. It's a meta example of the comic book death syndrome. I like the fact there's one Dredd and he's pushing 70, with all that that entails. (I'm even a bit wary of the waiting in the wings Dredd replacements, although that first one, who's name I can't remember Kraken or something, was handled very well. Mainly because within story it became clear that he wasn't just a copy of Dredd)<br /><br />Speaking of reboots, why is Rogue Trooper always getting them. You're right, he's rubbish. Well maybe thats a bit unfair. Some of the early stories were very good. But they did eventually run out of steam. They should have ended the story when he found the traitor general.<br /><br />You share my tastes about nemesis etc. Those tales were very influential on me growing up. Although I did get into 'for gods sake pat give it a rest' when abc warriors went all chaos magic(k). Also they should have had more ro-jaws in it. He's a proper working class hero.<br /><br />(notwithstanding he hates actually doing any work)Alan Robertshawhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14509360521332746130noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2243012679315072030.post-19958784135698053092017-06-25T20:53:29.341+01:002017-06-25T20:53:29.341+01:00lol, I didn't know that about Durham Red :D
I...lol, I didn't know that about Durham Red :D<br /><br />In the collection I took this arc from there is a b/w one off called "What if Max Bubba hadn't killed Wulf?" Wulf still dies thanks to a combo of age and infirmity but he takes out Bubba with a hammer to the face and expires from natural causes fighting with Johnny to the last. It's very sweet. I'd like to see more "What Ifs?" in 2000AD.<br /><br />I'm thinking that maybe this year I'll ask mum for the rest of the S/D collections. You get a nice chunk of reading for your cash and I have plenty to catch up with. When I started reading 2000AD in the mid-80's I gravitated towards the weirder and edgier stuff like Nemesis, Bad Company and the ABC Warriors. But now in my old age I really appreciate the space opera with humour and bite that Strontium Dog has (Rogue Trooper is still boring though).<br /><br />Ah Electronux. As I say, I was also well into Warhamer 40K at the time and well remember sculpting little electronux onto a squad of human troopers and making up new cards for them as CQC fighters. Me and my best mate used to like inventing new rules and stuff for the game (then arguing about them) and always incorporated stuff other sci-fi universes we liked. I always felt the V.C.s must have been a bit of an influence on the look of the Space Marines at the start as well.varalys the darkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17032083859598898676noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2243012679315072030.post-30166950368187061232017-06-25T19:39:09.518+01:002017-06-25T19:39:09.518+01:00Incidentally Durham Red is a breed of cow. I love ...Incidentally Durham Red is a breed of cow. I love the quirky humour of that series.Alan Robertshawhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14509360521332746130noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2243012679315072030.post-70593296660789127242017-06-25T19:37:24.699+01:002017-06-25T19:37:24.699+01:00The Gronk is so funny, especially when (spoilers!!...The Gronk is so funny, especially when (spoilers!!!) he takes a lesson in badass as they say. There was also a cute story with the 'Gronkinator' (does what it says on the tin).<br /><br />Ah, so you've not got to the Max Bubba story yet. You're in for a treat. Looking back there were some great arcs. 'tne Schikelgruber Grab' is an interesting take on the Hitler time travel exemption act. Durham Red's introduction is also funny. It's a bit dated now as it features Ronald Reagan but it's got a bit of a spitting image vibe. Also some wonderfully bewildered but sympathetic aliens. Wulf's (sort of) origin story is good too. In fact thinking about it I'm now getting so nostalgic. Some great baddies too. Hiss, Cuss, and Silent: the Stix brothers. Ooh, it's like I'm 12 again. Although that's pretty much my constant state of being anyway.<br /><br />Now I'm inspired to get some Electronux for the Nazi punching. Johnny was a pretty cool character back then. And he got to cop off with Durham. Or at least he would have had not Reagan opted to join them in the shower. :-)<br /><br />"Don't mind me folks"Alan Robertshawhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14509360521332746130noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2243012679315072030.post-51919835568297860832017-06-25T18:54:54.887+01:002017-06-25T18:54:54.887+01:00That clip of goats on a metal sheet is hypnotic. N...That clip of goats on a metal sheet is hypnotic. Now you mention Billy the Kid I have vague memories. I was thinking more of the footsoldiers of the Chaos armies in Warhammer 40K myself though.<br /><br />Without wanting to spoil too much, Johnny has some healing to do to get his head back in the game. He has some PTSD somewhat understandably, but it isn't long before he's neck deep in another conspiracy to wipe out the UK mutant population.<br /><br />The Gronk was sweet, like I say I only have the first S/D collection so I haven't got as far as his then Wulf's demise's but yes the strip had a pretty deft way of making aliens seem alien. Even something like what is shown in this story of the Garner's thinking noses are unclean, well I don't think you'd see odd stuff like that on Star Trek.varalys the darkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17032083859598898676noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2243012679315072030.post-40259933542865236862017-06-25T13:35:43.742+01:002017-06-25T13:35:43.742+01:00If Theresa May had stuck with that slogan she migh...If Theresa May had stuck with that slogan she might have done better in the election. <br /><br />I seem to recall there was a goaty chap in SD. Billy the Kid if I remember correctly. Although I might just be imagining that. Goats are amazing though. You seen that clip of them bouncing on the metal sheeting?<br /><br />Didn't know Precious was an old mate. I'll stop being so suspicious then. Although...it's when you drop your guard that they get you.<br /><br />The two things that would make this story perfect for me would be the use of one of those 'time bombs' and an appearance by the Gronk. Those bombs were like the iconic weapon. We need a shot of some unfortunate baddie suddenly finding himself in space after the planet has moved on.<br /><br />And the Gronk. One of my favourite all time characters. My poor heartses. I love that all inhabitants of the planet Blas in the Gallego system (clever little shout out there) are called the Gronk. I still remember a rather cute scene where the postgronk shouts "Telegram for the Gronk" and everyone present puts their hand up.<br /><br />But back to the friendship motif. The relationship between the Gronk and Wulf was so sweet. I even had a little snuffles when he was dying and asked Wulf to wear his fur. It's back to that cosmopolitan thing. It's a pretty alien idea, but the series really sells it. So much Sci Fi has that planet of hats thing. The writers just think 'give them a strange characteristic just to show they're alien'. Like it's the characterisation equivalent of gluing a rubber prosthetic to their noses. But here it's totally believable. It's one of those 'the doors dilated' little world building things. You instantly understand the Gronks have a culture. It's also quite clever that later Gronks they encounter recognise the fur somehow. It's subtle but it explains why they don't need individual names amongst themselves.Alan Robertshawhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14509360521332746130noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2243012679315072030.post-12229986452266737282017-06-25T08:00:48.186+01:002017-06-25T08:00:48.186+01:00Hmmm what sort of mutation would I like? Well I q...Hmmm what sort of mutation would I like? Well I quite fancy looking liking a human/animal crossbreed. I quite fancy having a goat's head and legs. I'd have the special power of being able to nibble anything that I fancied :D<br /><br />I have the first doorstop S/D collection with all the Starlord suff. Really holds up and I seriously need to pick up the other volumes as you get some serious value for money with them. Of all the characters, Johnny Alpha is the one I want to catch up with most. Not Dredd, not Slaine, but ol' mutie eyes himself.<br /><br />I don't think Precious will turn out to be the baddie. She's an established mate of Johnny's and also has three boobs. If you can't trust a woman with three boobs, who can you trust? varalys the darkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17032083859598898676noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2243012679315072030.post-55846326701522684212017-06-24T22:33:52.725+01:002017-06-24T22:33:52.725+01:00What would your mutation be?
It's an interes...What would your mutation be? <br /><br />It's an interesting contrast with, say, xmen that SD mutations tend to be purely negative rather than giving you superpowers. Johnny of course being one of the rare exceptions. I think that gives an additional layer to the racism allegory. It is based on pure prejudice against an oppressed and vulnerable group. Whereas I can see a point that people might legitimately be concerned about 15 year olds having access to the equivalent of nuclear weaponry.<br /><br />I like your 'cosmopolitan' thing. It was interesting how they fit in with the mores and laws of different jurisdictions.<br /><br />Which reminds me. Have you heard Wil Wheaton's days of futurecast podcasts? They're hilarious commentaries about the early TNG episodes. I was just thinking about the 'Justice' one.<br /><br />But back to the story. The quest was a common early SD theme. They were essentially detectives so travelling from place to place picking up clues along the way makes sense of course. Nice to see it here. Although if true to form then it'll turn out Charity will have some ulterior motive for helping them so she'll dissappear for a bit before returning as actually the villain and end up having to be killed in the climax. Alan Robertshawhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14509360521332746130noreply@blogger.com