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davidvd's review against another edition
3.0
Compete Skizz
This collects all three volumes of Skizz from 2000ad.
Skizz 1 written by comics legend Alan Moore with co-creator Jim Baikie on art, is pretty much a British retelling of E.T.
Skizz crash lands in Birmingham and is taken in by teenager Roxy. Before being scooped up and experimented on by derranged scientist Van Owen. Roxy enlists the help of some of her Dad's mates; handsome chancer Loz and the traumatised Cornelius to bust him out.
Despite the E.T story beats, there's some subtle storytelling below the surface that really helps build the world. Cornelius' past trauma, his struggle with unemployment, the reactions of working-class people to band together etc. Good stuff.
Skizz 2 sees Baikie moving up to writing and art, this time in colour. This is a decent installment and the one I remember reading at time of publication. It introduces Baz to the main group of humans. After activating an alien artifact, our returning heroes and Baz find themselves pulled back into government hands. Meanwhile, Skizz is trying to escape confinement by his own people. It's a decent adventure, let down only by the fact that Skizz and the human story barely interact.
Skizz 3. This was published mid 90s when 2000ad was widely considered to be at a creative low. And it shows. Baikie is solo again and changes the tone drastically. Skizz is underground, trying to introduce the concept of human like chaos into Cetian society. Roxy, Baz and Cornelius are in Australia and the third and most dominant story strand concerns the "comedy japes" of 2 alien hitmen, Wayne and Trevor and their terrible comedy Brummie accented Terminator as they travel through time trying to prevent Skizz' original visit to Earth.
All time spent with Wayne and Trevor is a proper suck and you just wish it was spent elsewhere. Roxy and Baz do nothing, literally. They just wait around for Skizz to return. There is a totally insane decision late on to tie the story into main Dredd continuity, which means any future stories will need some multiverse timey-whimey gubbins or retconning.
It's unlikely there'll be any future stories though, so it's sad to see Skizz go out like this.
This collects all three volumes of Skizz from 2000ad.
Skizz 1 written by comics legend Alan Moore with co-creator Jim Baikie on art, is pretty much a British retelling of E.T.
Skizz crash lands in Birmingham and is taken in by teenager Roxy. Before being scooped up and experimented on by derranged scientist Van Owen. Roxy enlists the help of some of her Dad's mates; handsome chancer Loz and the traumatised Cornelius to bust him out.
Despite the E.T story beats, there's some subtle storytelling below the surface that really helps build the world. Cornelius' past trauma, his struggle with unemployment, the reactions of working-class people to band together etc. Good stuff.
Skizz 2 sees Baikie moving up to writing and art, this time in colour. This is a decent installment and the one I remember reading at time of publication. It introduces Baz to the main group of humans. After activating an alien artifact, our returning heroes and Baz find themselves pulled back into government hands. Meanwhile, Skizz is trying to escape confinement by his own people. It's a decent adventure, let down only by the fact that Skizz and the human story barely interact.
Skizz 3. This was published mid 90s when 2000ad was widely considered to be at a creative low. And it shows. Baikie is solo again and changes the tone drastically. Skizz is underground, trying to introduce the concept of human like chaos into Cetian society. Roxy, Baz and Cornelius are in Australia and the third and most dominant story strand concerns the "comedy japes" of 2 alien hitmen, Wayne and Trevor and their terrible comedy Brummie accented Terminator as they travel through time trying to prevent Skizz' original visit to Earth.
All time spent with Wayne and Trevor is a proper suck and you just wish it was spent elsewhere. Roxy and Baz do nothing, literally. They just wait around for Skizz to return. There is a totally insane decision late on to tie the story into main Dredd continuity, which means any future stories will need some multiverse timey-whimey gubbins or retconning.
It's unlikely there'll be any future stories though, so it's sad to see Skizz go out like this.
jammasterjamie's review against another edition
4.0
This book was tons of fun, and although it's considered classic Moore, it was new to me and lived up to the hype completely. Baikie's stories were just as imaginative and funny, and all in all this would be a good read for any sci-fi fan, especially those looking for a different take on the E.T. mythos.
robin_dh's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
thecommonswings's review against another edition
4.0
The last two Skizz stories are weird, weird things: the first sequel is actually pretty effective, nicely plotted and using a surprising throwaway moment to drive the plot. It’s scrappy but still holds to the themes of the first and is surprisingly satisfying as follow ups go. Cardew is still the breakout star of the thing and new character Baz fits in nicely, albeit sidelining Loz considerably - to the extent he’s entirely missing from the third story, although that could be a lot to do with Baikie’s time jump twist
The third story is... frankly mad. It’s silly and dumb and if it weren’t for the huge sense of humour that powers through it I could definitely see why it would annoy some people. For me it was just a baffling but highly entertaining bit of silliness, almost self referential at times. Baikie has a few big surprises up his sleeves and drops them with full impact - albeit impact that makes you question whether this is something real or just a fever dream of a comic. It’s ridiculous but joyously so and I would like to think a new creator could sympathetically pick up from the cliffhanger and create something special from it
The third story is... frankly mad. It’s silly and dumb and if it weren’t for the huge sense of humour that powers through it I could definitely see why it would annoy some people. For me it was just a baffling but highly entertaining bit of silliness, almost self referential at times. Baikie has a few big surprises up his sleeves and drops them with full impact - albeit impact that makes you question whether this is something real or just a fever dream of a comic. It’s ridiculous but joyously so and I would like to think a new creator could sympathetically pick up from the cliffhanger and create something special from it
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