Multiver-City One: 2000 AD Prog 1943

Welcome, citizens, to this week’s installment of Multiver-City One! Every Wednesday we examine the latest offerings from Tharg and the droids over at 2000 AD, the galaxy’s leading producers of Thrill-Power entertainment! Between the weekly “2000 AD” itself, the monthly “Judge Dredd Megazine”, an extensive library of graphic novel collections, and new US-format one-shots and mini-series, they have decades of zarjaz comics for you to enjoy.

We’ve got a brand-new Prog this week, so we’ll jump right in after a quick public service announcement!

I. AN EARTHLET’S GUIDE TO 2000 AD

We understand that having such a large selection of comics to choose from can make knowing where to start with 2000 AD seem daunting. What do they publish? Where can I get it? What’s up with Judge Dredd? Can I still read “2000 AD” if I don’t like Judge Dredd?

So to help new & potential readers, we’ve put together An Earthlet’s Guide to 2000 AD. This FAQ collects everything you need to make your initial foray into the 2000 AD Thrill-verse as simple as possible.

II. THIS WEEK IN PROG 1943

Cover by Alex Ronald

Judge Dredd: Enceladus – Old Life, Part 5

No preamble this week, so be wary of some light spoilers as we get right to business!

Nixon continues her quest for revenge as she sets her sights on Judge Maitland! Head of Accounts Division, Maitland is more of what you’d call an accountant than a Judge. Dredd refers to her division as ‘pencil pushers’ and it has generally seemed to only ever agitate him. At the open of the strip, Maitland is reflecting on what has driven her into Accounts. Her ponderous evening is cut short, though, as icy retribution comes looking for her!

Meanwhile…Dirty Frank! It seems that, in an effort to make Frank’s return to these hallowed pages even more spectacular, Williams has called in an old friend. For four glorious panels, the writer was reunited with his other Dirty Frank collaborator: D’Israeli! While Williams and Flint co-created the character back in Prog 1389 over ten years ago, it was with D’Israeli that Williams descended into the Low Life and laid the groundwork upon which he would build the continuing narrative carried through to this very issue. It’s this long series of events D’Israeli succinctly recaps in less than the space of a page. From the Low Life, to Hondo City, and finally to Titan, Aimee Nixon has had a long stretch of unfortunate things happen to her. Some of it was earned, some of it not, but that sharing of the burden has done little towards squelching her fury.

It’s Dirty Frank who knows all of this better than anyone, having been there for nearly every step of her long journey from Wally Squad rookie, to crime boss, to cybernetic paraplegic, to refugee, and finally to prisoner. I’m sure that Frank sees that, if it weren’t for him, Nixon may well still be living her life in Hondo City. It wouldn’t be a good life by any stretch of the imagination, but it surely would have been better that the path she’s on today, wouldn’t it? For his gruff appearance, Frank seems to be a truly kind-hearted, sentimental character. Sure, he’s got a bolt or two loose, but he’s not a cold person. This leads me to wonder if he feels any sense of guilt in having a hand in the creation of what Nixon has become?

Credits: Rob Williams (script), Henry Flint (art), Ellie de Ville (letters), D’Israeli (special guest star)

Future Shocks: Cloud Nine

Even though we’re in-between strips at the moment with ‘Absalom’ ending last week and ‘The Alienist’ starting up next week, that’s doesn’t mean this week’s Prog is going to be short on Thrill-Power. When it looks like things are going to be a little light, Tharg has a neverending supply of one-offs (and 3-offs) ready to go. And in the case of this Prog, we’ve got a Future Shock by Hurst and Higgins lined up for you.

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It may be called a ‘Future Shock’, but this short tale with a twist looks like it came right out of 1987 in the best possible way. Higgins goes full airbrush color on this one like a classic Dickinson-era Iron Maiden album cover come to life, although given some of the horror stories I’ve heard about having to use airbrushes I’m sure he actually kept it in the digital realm for this strip. But Higgins is a madman when it comes to this type of thing. And I have to say its an acquired taste. Brian Bolland recolored ‘The Killing Joke’ at the first chance he got because he thought Higgins’ color choices were too weird and garish for the tale. That’s certainly his prerogative, but “Higgins weird” is something we don’t get enough of anymore, so seeing him cut loose here is a real treat.

Also, you’ll never think of Bambi the same way again…at least I won’t.

Credits: Sally Jane Hurst (script), John Higgins (art), Simon Bowland (letters)

Helium, Part 10

I need a Grimsby in my life. Seriously. How could things not be improved by having a seven-foot cyborg watching my back and making all manner of miracles happen like he’s just making a cuppa? Sure I’d have nowhere for him to actually live in my apartment, but let’s not let details get in the way of the awesomeness of Solace Grimsby.

Hodge certainly recognizes his greatness. He’s like a walking Swiss Army knife. Got a problem? Give him a minute and he’ll come up with the perfect tool to get you out of it. But Edginton has a really strong grasp on giving him enough to do so that he’s a part of the action, but not enough to take away from Hodge as the strip protagonist. He’s the deputy, but she’s the constable in charge.

But is she more than that? We get some info laid on us this week following the jailbreak that points to Hodge being a bigger player on this side of the Poison Belt than one would think from her living her entire life on the other side. There were hints and allegations of this last week following the incidents and accidents of the aerial dogfight the weeks previous (it’s been a busy strip!) but we get some straight dope this Prog. And while the thought of exposition can make some readers stop dead in their panel, I’m here to assuage your fears because D’Israeli pulls it off effortlessly. And he doesn’t use cutaways or extra visuals to jazz things up like he did in this week’s Dredd strip, as lovely as it was to see him cameo there. This is where all the extra effort in developing an expansive color palette and consistent application of grounded design work pays off; all those tools and effects have created such a vivid visual environment for the reader that we are as sucked into the story during a hallway confession as we are during a six-on-one sky battle.

Credits: Ian Edginton (script), D’Israeli (art), Ellie de Ville (letters)

Outlier: Dark Symmetries, Part 9

When executing a plan, if the vehicle you’re escaping in happens to crash-land, that tends to be not good. But in the case of Carcer, Caul, and the three other passengers, this crash-landing was ideal. Because it meant they had escaped the Hurde ship where four of their bodies had been held captive. Now planet-side, the grimy half-dozen could get on to the next part of their escape plan.

Little did they know Eglington and Richardson decided that plan would involve riding a giant, multi-tusked beast at some point. Maybe things were better back on the Hurde ship?

After spending so much time with Caul-as-Hurde and Carcer, it’s refreshing to literally get more voices in the mix. Seeing Jess take command over a shell-shocked Caul-as-human was a bit of a surprise but a welcome one. We haven’t really seen her much at all since she was introduced back in the first series, and even then I don’t remember really spending much real-time with her, instead of hearing about her through Caul’s narrated flashbacks. Plus we also have Carcer’s parents in the weird Cable/Cyclops dynamic of being the same physical age. They’re having to adjust to seeing their son alive and in front of them, again while astride a giant, multi-tusked beast. Pretty sure that wasn’t covered in their time’s equivalent of the Dr. Spock baby book.

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Nor was what to do when you kid goes full alien psycho on you, I’m guessing. Gotta wait til next week to see how that little bit of family tension works out!

Credits: T.C. Eglington (script), Karl Richarson (art), Annie Parkhouse (letters)

Jaegir: Tartarus, Part 8

Throughout the entirety of this strip named after her, it seems Atalia Jaegir has really sought just one thing: redemption. It’s because of this need that she throws herself into danger to uncover the wrong doings of her countrymen. She’s certainly lived a life anything but free of sin, both hers and her family’s, but now she aims to set that right. To me, this truth hasn’t always been clear to Jaegir, but right now, in this moment, I think she sees it all clear as day.

How many consecutive weeks can I praise Simon Coleby’s art? It seems that with each installment of the series, I find something new to appreciate in his work. This week, for example, is his handling of the flashback sequence. It seems like he’s pulling back for this sequence, letting shapes and gestures act as symbols for the brain to recognize and fill in. Even his line is different for this bit. It almost has that angular waver of a Mike Mignola or Jamie Hewlett peeking through. I mean , it’s still unmistakably Coleby, but he’s mixing it up just a little to help differentiate between the two points in time.

Credits: Gordon Rennie (script), Simon Coleby (art), Len O’Grady (color), Ellie De Ville (letters)

III. 2000 AD CELEBRATES FACEBOOK MILESTONE WITH FREE “JUDGE DREDD” COMIC!

Tharg’s outpost on the wild, wild west that is Facebook recently logged in its 50,000th ‘like’, and with that many humes on board, everyone’s favorite Betelgeusean decided to give everyone a present in the form of a free digital comic! How can you argue with that kind of logic, especially since that comic is 130 pages!

Pulling stories from all across Dredd’s nearly 40-year career, this free collection of 8 stories has offerings from some of the Thrill-Mag’s best and brightest script & art droids! Just check out this list:

John Wagner
Alan Grant
Garry Leach
Colin MacNeil
Colin Wilson
Henry Flint
Jock
Chris Weston
Al Ewing
Bill Ward
Brian Bolland

Although assembled to celebrate the citizens who already know how awesome 2000 AD is, this digital collection is also a perfect introductory point to Dredd and the world of Mega-City One. There’s also an interesting thread running through all the selected stories; I won’t spoil what it is here but it gave me a chuckle when I figured it out.

Did I mention it was completely free? I did? Well, let me say it again…130 pages of FREE Dredd classics! Black & white art! Color art! Painted art! No signup or contract necessary, just click right on the link and start reading. In fact, this deal is so good it’s a crime NOT to get it. I’m not saying missing this will land you in an Iso-Cube, but let’s just say I wouldn’t make any long-term plans if you decided to pass this up.

IV. RECOGNIZE THE LAW

It’s no secret that there are a great many flavors of Judges from a great deal of Mega-Cities, so we’re aiming to use this space as a way of exploring as many types of Judges as we can. Did you know that in Mega-City One there are Accounting Judges? And Exorcist Judges?

Sure, there are plenty of Judges who can bust heads, but what about those who can balance the books? Who’s going to allocate funds for cadets’ uniforms next year? Where can the budget be trimmed to expedite development of the Mark III Lawgiver? It’s in these instances that the Justice Departments turn towards the Accounts Division!

Elements of an Accounts Division Judge’s Uniform:

Visored helmet (standard issue, field work only)
High-collar synth-leather Judge’s jumper (black)
Division symbol on left shoulder pad
Right shoulder pad, standard
Elbow pads w/ rigid plastic shell
Judge’s shield with surname, chained to zipper pull

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Gloves w/ accessory pockets and knuckle reenforcement
Utility belt with shield buckle
High-impact knee pads
Heavy-duty boots with holster for Lawgiver (right) and sheath for utility knife (left)

Accounts Division may spend the majority of their time indoors, but do not let that mislead you: they have received the same rigorous training as any of Mega-City One’s Street Judges.

That’s gonna do it for us this week! “2000 AD” Prog 1943 is on sale today and available from: