Columns 

Multiver-City One: 2000 AD Prog 1863

By and | January 8th, 2014
Posted in Columns | % Comments

MVC1 TItle

Welcome, citizens, to this week’s installment of Multiver-City One! Each and every Wednesday we will be examining the latest Prog from Tharg and the droids over at 2000 AD, and giving you all the pertinent information you’ll need headed into this week’s Thrill-Zine!

I. NOW ARRIVING

Grey Area: Did You Pack Your Own Luggage?, Part 1

Dan Abnett. Oh, man. You know what that guy does? He writes the bananas out of outer-space stories. Most Multiversity readers will know him as one-half of the Abnett & Lanning writing team that did some pretty big stuff over in the Marvel Cosmic playground, and I’m sure that some of you are familiar with his Warhammer 40K work. Also, if you cast your memory back to this article a few short months ago, I was all giddy about the Insurrection strip he was writing for the Megazine. A strip that, by the way, took place in outer space.

So what’s the big deal? Lots of guys write endlessly about space and aliens and all that noise. Why get all gooey over this story in particular? The answer is simple and complicated at the same time. Simply put, Abnett does good work. Great, we established that, but let’s suss out why the work is so good.

I think when you look at the approach Abnett takes to character, the rest of that falls into place. The best example I can come up with is his Warhammer 40K story Titanicus. In the midst of a universe with city-sized robots and mutant future solders fighting wars for all manner of who knows what, Dan Abnett pens a story where the titular character is in a wheel-barrow and he makes it work like a motherfucker. He doesn’t get too wrapped up in gadgetry or technobabble; he always keeps a human angle or logic twist in play.

So let’s (finally) talk about Grey Area. The story is set right here on Earth, but WAY in our future in an age of intergalactic travel. Opening in what can be best described as an Earth-bound spaceport customs facility, it seems that a new race has decided to make first contact by way of just stepping off the ‘plane’, dropping off their bags, and saying “Hello”. The only problem is that when they got to the “Hello” part, they stopped talking altogether. Which, given the whole first-contact/unknown-race-thing they have going on, makes Capt. Bulliet and company quite nervous, but makes me excited to see where it goes from here!

Credits: Dan Abnett (script), Patrick Goddard (art), Abigail Ryder (color), Ellie De Ville (letters)

II. THIS WEEK’S PROG

Judge Dredd: Titan, Part 2

There’s trouble on the Mega-City penal colony on Titan, and it’s up to Judge Dredd to lead a team of Marines on a mission through space to assess the situation!

Last week I talked a little about how I felt that questions about Dredd’s advancing age have been coming up more and more frequently, and this week the point was really driven home!

But before we get to that, can I say how intense I thought these first three pages were? Cripes. The ‘space debris’ reveal was horrifying in that unavoidable-tragedy-you-see-from-literally-100-miles-away sort of way.

Back to Dredd’s age. Some of the referencing in this strip is subtle, but it’s there. Right on the first page, as the Marines were preparing themselves with some pre-battle chants the narration reads:

“Unconventional. It annoyed him. But everything annoyed him these days.”

If Williams isn’t trying to describe a man with the shortening temper of an oldster, I don’t know what he’s doing.

The strip swings back and forth in time, between the planning phase of the operation and the fateful first moments of the out-of-orbit drop Dredd leads. This shifting of time really helps to ratchet up the tension in the strip, as we see the drop quickly spin out of control and Hershey plan for the worse case scenario simultaneously.

Once again, all hats must go off to Henry Flint for his stellar work on this one. The last two weeks I’ve really been struck by his approach to designing Judge Hershey. She’s a bit more angular in his hands, a bit harder. Her eyes are darker and deeper, probably from a lack of sleep and bearing witness to an endless string of horrors in her city.

Continued below

I gotta say, in what’s been a pretty solid run of recent Dredd strips, this is an incredible start to a new storyline. If things keep up at this pace, Titan will easily be my favorite Dredd strip of the past year.

Credits: Rob Williams (script), Henry Flint (art), Annie Parkhouse (letters)

Ulysses Sweet, Maniac For Hire: Centered, Part 3

Yes, that is a dolphin’s head Sweet is wearing as a hat while he eats barbecued dolphin and shows his utter incapacity of doing anything remotely helpful other than kill and make inappropriate remarks. Turns out Sweet decapitated said dolphin because he thought it was endangering Arlyne Glebe (the woman on the far left), the pop star he is hired to bodyguard. Although knowing Sweet, he could just have easily been really in the mood for dolphin dinners and decided to seize the opportunity. One never knows, what with him being a maniac and all.

But who hires a loose cannon like Sweet to look after a diva seeking spiritual enlightenment? What genius thinks THAT’s an idea even worth forming let alone act upon? Someone who doesn’t have that singer’s best interest at heart. Someone with an ulterior motive. Someone…whose name Sweet can’t remember but whose ranking on his personal shag-a-bility list he’s more than established.

Credits: Guy Adams (script), Paul Marshall (art), Chris Blythe (greytones), Ellie De Ville (letters)

ABC Warriors: Return to Mars, Part 3

Our look into the past of Harry Shrapnel/Tubal Caine continues, as we see Tubal recover after the events of the last strip. But it seems that he’s been out of commission for a while. Did I say a while? I meant centuries. And there’s a new element on Mars that has the residents running for the hills, and Tubal looking for a little bite to eat at the Road Kill Kafe.

In what has to be the biggest shift in art from one Prog to another in the same strip, Langley does a complete 180-degree turn from the CG-sculpted colored textures from last Prog, into a ink-scratched black-and-white style with this one. Seriously, go check out last week’s preview and this one. TOTALLY different. And yet? Still works. Because when you have nasties like the Jung Cannibals in your strip, you want them to look as grotesque as possible. Fine art just won’t do; you have to bring the grit.

Credits: Pat Mills (script), Clint Langley (art), Annie Parkhouse (letters)

Strontium Dog, The Life and Death of Johnny Alpha: Dogs of War, Part 3

The Mutants have been conspired against. The governments of the world have sterilized them through food aid, robbing them of their ability to ever have children and effectively committing genocide. This will not stand. Johnny Alpha will not let this stand!

After bloody and violent fighting erupted, and negotiations failed, there was only one man left for the norms to call.

Dad Nabbett and The Norm Brotherhood. This is NOT good!

 

 

Credits: Pat Mills (script), Clint Langley (art),
Annie Parkhouse (letters)

III. OF INTEREST

Here’s a little something that came across our Twitter feed a little earlier this week, courtesy of our friends at 2000 AD! It’s a little peek into Henry Flint’s creative process. To keep pesky things like perspective and shape correct, he’s fashioned himself a nifty little Judicial rocket, complete with eagle and shield.

IV. AN ORAL HISTORY OF 2000 AD

The tale of Judge Dredd has been continually published since 1977, and has been brought to us by some of the most creative minds to ever work in comics. As a result, there have been some out-of-this-world story beats woven into the fabric of the character. We thought it would be interesting to talk with the writers and artists behind Mega-City One and see what their favorite bits of Dredd’s history are. This week, we go a little wider in our definition of Dredd history and talk with Michael Molcher about the origins of Tharg and just what the hell a Prog is, anyway.

Continued below

[audio:http://traffic.libsyn.com/robotsfromtomorrow/mvc1molchertharg.mp3]

(Here’s the direct download)

 

V. FUTURE PERP FILES

dredd cpu

ATTN: ALL CITIZENS OF THE MEG! Be aware that there is always a Judge watching you. Each sector is equipped with millions of HD-CCTV and bioID units. They are there for your protection. If your intent is upright citizenry, then you have no qualm with our surveillance. And remember: if you see something, you are now an accessory to a crime. That’s six months in an Iso-Cube, creep! Random CPU algorithms has selected this citizen for immediate surveillance and assessment…

 

That’s gonna do it for us this week! Prog 1863 is on sale today and is available from finer comic shops everywhere, from 2000ADonline.com, and via the 2000 AD Newsstand app for iPad and iPhone. So as Tharg the Mighty himself would say, “Splundig vur thrigg!”


//TAGS | Multiver-City One

Greg Matiasevich

Greg Matiasevich has read enough author bios that he should be better at coming up with one for himself, yet surprisingly isn't. However, the years of comic reading his parents said would never pay off obviously have, so we'll cut him some slack on that. He lives in Baltimore, co-hosts (with Mike Romeo) the Robots From Tomorrow podcast, writes Multiversity's monthly Shelf Bound column dedicated to comics binding, and can be followed on Twitter at @GregMatiasevich.

EMAIL | ARTICLES

Mike Romeo

Mike Romeo started reading comics when splash pages were king and the proper proportions of a human being meant nothing. Part of him will always feel that way. Now he is one of the voices on Robots From Tomorrow. He lives in Philadelphia with two cats. Follow him on Instagram at @YeahMikeRomeo!

EMAIL | ARTICLES


  • Columns
    Multiver-City One: Judge Dredd Megazine 466 – Shoot ‘Em Up!

    By , , , and | Mar 27, 2024 | Columns

    Welcome, Earthlets, to Multiver-City One, our monthly look at the “Judge Dredd Megazine!” Let’s get right to it.Judge Dredd: Ravenous Part 3Credits: Mike Carroll (script) Anthony Williams (art) Annie Parkhouse (letters)Matthew Blair: All seems lost for the heroes of Mega City One. They’re facing off against the perfect predator and nothing they have can stop […]

    MORE »
    Columns
    Multiver-City One: 2000 AD Prog 2375 – Bumper Issue!

    By , , , and | Mar 27, 2024 | Columns

    Welcome, Earthlets, to Multiver-City One, our “2000 AD” weekly review column! Every Wednesday we examine the latest offerings from Tharg and the droids over at Rebellion/2000 AD, the galaxy’s leading producers of Thrill-Power entertainment. Let’s get right to it!This Week in 2000 AD Judge Dredd: Next Man Up Credits: Rob Williams (script), RM Guera (art), […]

    MORE »
    2000 AD Prog 2374 Featured Columns
    Multiver-City One: 2000 AD Prog 2374 – A World of His Making!

    By , , , and | Mar 20, 2024 | Columns

    Welcome, Earthlets, to Multiver-City One, our “2000 AD” weekly review column! Every Wednesday we examine the latest offerings from Tharg and the droids over at Rebellion/2000 AD, the galaxy’s leading producers of Thrill-Power entertainment. Let’s get right to it!This Week in 2000 ADJudge Dredd: A Dimensional Travelers Guide to Mega City One Credits: Ken Neimand […]

    MORE »

    -->