Thursday, August 01, 2024

Hopefully, no twist endings today--aw, damnit!

I honestly thought I had posted more of these: from 1988, Time Twisters #8, cover by Richard Larson and Sam de la Rosa.
This of course was Quality's book reprinting mostly short "Tharg's Future Shocks" from 2000 AD, opening with Alan Moore and Mike White's "Eureka!" An exploration craft in search of aliens, maybe too late realizes, what if an alien is just an idea? And what if everyone has the same idea...Next, P.E.S.T. agent Joe Black risks life and limb on an alien planet, but comes out of it with replicator technology. It couldn't make heavy elements, and Joe sees the downside of counterfeiting, but he does find at least one good thing to use it for. ("Horn of Plenty!" Written by Kelvin Gosnell, pencils by John Higgins.)
I had guessed Peter Milligan at first glance, but it was Grant Morrison! In "the Invisible Etchings of Salvador Dali" a lunatic has come to terms with the insane nightmare he lives in, but he might be the hero the world needs after the detonation of a "reality bomb." (Art by John Hicklenton.) Then, some nice facial expression work doesn't quite sell "Now You See It..." followed by another Alan Moore story, with art by Mike White: a Flash Gordon spoof, "The Regrettable Ruse of Rocket Redglare!" (I feel like 2000 AD took the piss out of Flash more than once that I've seen, and I haven't read every prog, so they could've more than that!)
One more from Alan, this time with Dave Gibbons, as aliens from space invade in "Skirmish!" If you're old enough, you'll almost be able to hear that one. Close out the issue with some role-reversal in "Nigel Goes A-Hunting!" and a Judge Dredd one-pager. ("Nigel" written by Alan Grant, art by Jesรบs Redondo; "Tales from Mega-City One" written by John Wagner and Alan Grant, art by David Wyatt.)
It's once again my birthday, and we've made it through another horrible year of twist endings: we can make it through some more. See you then!

3 comments:

Mr. Morbid said...

First off I know I sent you a birthday greetings on Bluesky as well, but it felt appropriate to do so here on your blog as well, so Happiest of Birthdays to ya Goo-goo-catchoo! ๐ŸŽŠ๐ŸŽ๐Ÿฅณ

I more than hope your special day treats you well and you get to honestly enjoy it. Mine’s Sunday (oh joy ๐Ÿ™„) So it looks like I’ll be celebrating mine this weekend.

The cover to this one definitely looks like it’s from a deleted scene from the movie Heavy Metal. Just does.
I definitely love the gags & twist endings to these. Dredd is really living up to his rep as a right, proper bastard as they say across the pond. Funny ending though.

Mr. Morbid said...

I know I already wished you Happy Birthday already on Bluesky, but it feels appropriate to do here too, so Happiest of Birthdays to ya Goo-goo-catchup!๐Ÿฅณ๐ŸŽ๐ŸŽŠ I sincerely hope your special day is fun & exciting, plus you can celebrate all weekend like I’m doing, since mine’s this Sunday. I don’t think I’m in a dry county anymore here on Sundays๐Ÿค”

The cover definitely looks like a deleted scene from the Heavy Metal movie. Idk why, it just does to me.
Very interesting gags & twist endings from what I’m seeing, especially the arcade story & the Dredd one. Wow, Dredd really is working hard/hardly working to keep his rep as a hardass here, isn’t he?

H said...

Yeah, happy birthday goo- whatever that may mean to you.

I feel like there weren’t as many Flash Gordon takes as it seems- more like Dan Dare stuff and we just don’t know him as well (or at all) over here, or generic movie serial villains. There were actually a bunch of Joe Black adventures in the prog though- guess that working class planetary explorer thing has some mileage to it. I think things ended up working out real well for him in the last one.