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 have a Prog AND Megazine today, so let’s get started!
I. THIS WEEK IN PROG 1972
NOW DEPARTING
Judge Dredd: Undercover Klegg, Part 4
Credits: Rob Williams (script), D’Israeli (art), Annie Parkhouse (letters)
On the claws of lovvvvveeeeee!
Oh my goodness, what a wrap-up! Dredd riding (shotgun) on a dragon, the world on the precipice of war, tasty human flesh, and a singing Klegg all mashed together to punctuate a strip unlike any we’ve had for quite some time.
It’s always a treat when D’Israeli’s art shows up, but there’s something here that made this story feel extra special. The whole thing comes across as fearless, like he’s pushed hard against what it is that makes his work so idiosyncratic to create an ultra-absurdist version of Dredd’s world. The cartoonishness, the sight gags, the fluorescenceness… all of these things came together to emphasize the ridiculousness of William’s script.
But why did I use the word ‘fearless’ before? Because not only did D’Israeli commit to such an exaggerated version of an iconic character, but he did it with total confidence. Yes, every artist will, in one way or another, present their own version of Judge Dredd. But even the most expressive artists seem to stick to an unofficial style guide. What we have here is a Judge Dredd that teeters on parody. His helmet is bizarrely shaped, streams of spit flow from his twisted maw, his limbs are slender and his torso truncated. Come to think about it, the Kleggs seem to have a more normal appearance than a lot of the humans in this strip!
I said this a couple of weeks ago, but it’s worth repeating: it’s great to see Williams turn up the humor again. The last few stories he’s done certainly had a bit of heft to them, so it’s good to see him lean on some of his other strengths for a spell. The tone of ‘Undercover Klegg’ was, at times, reminiscent of the writer’s work with another undercover character: Dirty Frank. Sure, the D’Israeli art helps me draw that conclusion, but there’s also the protagonist who seems to lack any type of self awareness. Like Frank, Sensitive Klegg is an isolated, lonely soul trying to make his way in a world that can’t quite seem to figure him out. Is that a little sad? Sure. But does Williams squeeze every ounce of humor out of that? Yup!
Kingdom: Beast of Eden, Part 12
Credits: Dan Abnett (script), Richard Elson (art), Ellie de Ville (letters)
Guess that’s why he’s called Gene the Hackman!
In the grand tapestry of Dan Abnett comics, I can’t help but feel as if “Kingdom” is a bit of an anomaly. That’s not to say that he’s a narrow writer; nothing could be further from the truth. It seems instead like Abnett is actively working against his natural inclinations in an effort to produce something different. For example: a hallmark of a Dan Abnett story is the examination of gigantic ideas through ground-level characters. Whether it is intergalactic travel from the perspective of a customs agent (‘Grey Area’) or religion from the vantage point of a sentient robot (‘Insurrection’), Abnett uses concise, matter-of-fact writing to make these things feel common and easy to understand.
“Kingdom” seems to have very little of any of that.
The cast of this series is anything but common. They’re mutants and monsters. Or bugs. Even the handful of humans we’ve met are scientists. That common man perspective is gone, and so are the mind-bending big ideas. Actually, let me walk that back a touch. There are big ideas under the surface, they just aren’t explored in any meaningful way. It’s like Gene is incapable of wrapping his brain around the big picture, so because of that, the reader is denied.
Continued belowIf it sounds like I’m grappling with ‘Kingdom’, it’s because I am. I really do enjoy a good barbarian bash-em-up comic, and this is definitely that. But I think that, because it’s Dan Abnett, I keep wanting it to be more than that. Then I get worried that it is more and I just don’t get it. Which is totally possible.
The Order: In The Court Of The Wyrmqueen, Part 12
Credits: Kek-W (script), John M. Burns (art), Ellie de Ville (letters)
Much to the dismay of those loyal readers of ‘The Order’ these past few months, when the Wyrmqueen gazed upon the full force of the brave cadre of heroes assembled in this final installment to thwart her invasion into our dimension, she did indeed surrender peacefully, for even a non-human intelligence such as hers could see no possible end for her plans of conquest save defeat. And so, did this series end with nary a pistol fired or blade swung.
And if you believed THAT, we have some beachfront Cursed Earth condos we’d like to talk to you about…
Things actually end not with just one bang this week, but several. Is that any surprise? Forget the Prog’s Thrill-Power mandate; do you think Kek-W and John Burns would skip this last opportunity to pull out whatever stops were left? Nope! But even if the Wyrmqueen is vanquished (no spoilers), Kek-W has someone mention the date of the next overlap of dimensions that allows the wyrms to cross from theirs to ours. It’s years in their future, but as this volume proved, decades and even centuries can pass between strips without dulling the sharpness of this particular blade. This is (presumably) the last time we’ll see this particular line-up, and while Kek-W gives us closure, the confined page count makes it feel like a slamming door rather than a closing one. But Burns’s luscious artwork keeps the sting brief and manageable, although the wait until we see more from this strip will feel like anything BUT brief.
I’m curious how far we jump ahead in time next strip. Early 20th century? The present day? The future?!?!? Only time will tell!
A.B.C. Warriors: Return to Ro-Busters, Part 12
Credits: Pat Mills (script), Clint Langley (art), Annie Parkhouse (letters)
This ‘Return to Ro-Busters’ strip has been a bit of a puzzler to me since Part 1 and I think I’ve figured out why.
Being a (relative) newcomer to the Progs, there are a bunch of fan-favorite strips that I know OF but don’t really know ABOUT. Not in the way that long-time readers do. ‘Strontium Dog’ and A.B.C. Warriors’ are two such strips. But while Wagner & Ezquerra have put forth a concerted effort to really make the last few Johnny Alpha capers easily understood and popcorny good stories, Mills hasn’t aimed for, and certainly hasn’t hit, the same level of new-reader inclusiveness. ‘Ro-Busters’ does a decent job of making sure plot information is passed along in understandable chunks, but the storyline’s flashback device manages to rob the strip of spontaneity. And I feel weird saying that because ‘Return to Mars’ was heavily flashback with a look back at the life of Happy Sharpnel/Tubal Caine, and I enjoyed that a lot more. Maybe because it wasn’t trying to weave together earlier disparate plot elements with new threads and just give us new material (even though it took place in the past).
Longtime readers can forgive ‘Ro-Busters’ excesses and indulgences because Mills is pushing their nostalgia buttons, and there’s nothing wrong with that. I’ve been in their exact position on other books. But as someone looking for a reason to follow ‘A.B.C. Warriors’, I can’t help but look back at this past strip as missing an opportunity by devoting way too much time to straight-up flashback, instead of cross-cutting the essential Ro-Busters beats with more present day plot.
Also? The flashbacks forced most of Langley’s art to black & white in an attempt to evoke more of the late 70s ‘Ro-Busters’ era. He handled it well enough, but his work really benefits from color. Which we FINALLY get a whole installment of this week.
Continued belowSo, Pat: it’s been a few years now. We’ve returned to Mars and seen the return of Ro-Jaws. Can we please please please see a return to forward movement? Pretty please?
Tharg’s Future Shocks: Lifosuction
Credits: Rory McConville (script), Joe Palmer (art), Simon Bowland (letters)
The departure of ‘Strontium Dog’ last week left us a wee bit short of strips for Prog 1972. But never fear, earthlets, for Tharg would never let you go a week with anything less than maximum Thrill-Power. Therefore, there shall come… a Future Shock!
This particular installment of the venerable one-off twist sci-fi series is even more special than usual, as it marks the Prog debut of script droid Rory McConville and art droid Joe Palmer! These two were the winners of the 2000 AD Talent Search from last year’s Thoughtbubble comics festival in Leeds. Having now read McConville’s story and seen Palmer’s artwork, I understand why Tharg snatched them up! It’s too short for another other than the barest details, so I’ll simply say that time travel and surgery never went so well together!
II. THIS MONTH IN JUDGE DREDD MEGAZINE 370
NOW DEPARTING
Judge Dredd: The Gyre, Part 3
Credits: Michael Carroll (script), Nick Percival (art), Annie Parkhouse (letters)
The things people will do for beachfront property!
Quick recap: The Day of Chaos that wiped out a huge swath of Mega-City One’s population was orchestrated and carried out by Sov operatives working in retaliation for Judge Dredd nuking East-Meg One back in The Apocalypse War. To protect the Sov citizens who were living in the Meg from retaliation by other citizens seeking revenge, they were moved into internment camps for safety. After Chaos Day, those Sov expatriates were allowed to relocate to the former Mega-City Two on the West Coast and allowed to set up their own encampment, later called SovSec. Still with me?
In this last part of Michael Carroll and Nick Percival’s ‘The Gyre’, mutant leader Krait is sailing his floating tsunami of social and literal detritus on a direct course for SovSec, with plans to take it over and set up a new settlement for his mutant brethren. Working in his favor is a reverse-engineered weather satellite and The Gyre’s tendency to completely screw with electrical devices of all forms. So what SovSec defenses Krait can’t knock out with the electro-whammy he can probably convince Mother Nature to wipe out for him with a well-placed tidal wave or three (which, incidentally, was a Sov tactic against the southern half of Mega-City One back in the aforementioned Apocalypse War). Nasty stuff, so it’s a good thing Dredd is on the case with all the power the Big Meg can muster.
Which is to say, Dredd and one other Judge. Against a floating city in the middle of a perfect storm of perfect storms.
Find out what happens with the irresistible force of nature slams headfirst into the immovable object of our favorite lawman of the future!
DeMarco, PI: Damocles, Part 4
Credits: Michael Carroll (script), Steve Yeowell (art), Ellie De Ville (letters)
Steve Yeowell’s art is so good. He’s able to accomplish so much while using so little. His character design, action, and direction are all so concise, and done without ever sacrificing clarity. And that fact that he does all of this without color to aid him only makes it more impressive.
All said, this was another fun DeMarco story. It certainly had it’s fair share of names and moving parts which, when spread over four months, made this strip a little tough to keep up with. “Damocles” is an extension of Michael Carroll’s last couple of years with the character, so there was that stuff to keep up with, too. But, once I went back and reread what came before, and reviewed past Multiver-City One columns, I was able to enjoy this riveting adventure.
Realm of the Damned: Tenebris Dios, Part 2
Credits: Alec Worley (script), Pye Parr (art), Annie Parkhouse (letters)
In the month since this strip’s debut, readers have sure been talking about it. And I don’t think I’m wrong when I say ‘Realm of the Damned’ is the most controversial strip to run in either the Megazine or Prog in years. Some humes weren’t prepared for the language & situations Worley & Parr let loose like bats out of hell on their readers. On the one hand, I can see their point; while some of the curses used seem to be more accepted in UK company than in a similar US situation, that doesn’t mean they aren’t still offensive. And the Megazine has never branded itself as adult in the way, say, “Heavy Metal” has for decades, so this certainly came as bolts from the blue to some. That said, it is a horror strip advertised multiple times as being no-holds-barred and inspired by/infused with the devil-horns-displaying spirit of Swedish death metal, so you have to know you’re not reading “The Beano” anymore, lads.
But what about the strip itself? Is it blasphemous against the sensibilities of good comics as well as polite society?
Definitely not in the art department. One of the benefits afforded the Megazine is a higher page count per strip installment; at least twice if not three times the size of their Prog counterparts. With greater leeway comes greater experimentation. Part 2 opens with a 4-page silent sequence by Pye Parr (including title splash page) that really helps solidify the mood and establish the tenor of the story before word one is said. Even forgoing the linework and focusing on the colors, Parr uses a damp green palette with spots of red to emphasize a kind of rain-soaked saturation and decay a la the setting of David Fincher’s Se7en. And as much as spot-red pops when used on clothing, brake lights, or lots and lots of blood, it still feels like it can’t quite break free of the mold inside everything else. I think Parr uses it to as great an effect as Burns does in ‘The Order’ with Calhoun’s hair, but it certainly is the same color in name only.
And for the script? Look, this strip isn’t for everyone. Vampire-fueled dystopian fiction with free reign to shock is going to appeal to only a certain audience, to be sure. But I don’t think Worley is going out of his way to shock just for shock’s sake as we follow Alberic Van Helsing as the last member of The Congregation being hunted by his former undead targets. I’ve seen comics where that no-holds-barred approach is used in excess and boy are they tough to read. This isn’t that. Worley (and Parr) just feel like they are pushing a boundary here and a boundary there a little further than some readers are used to, instead of launching an all-out war on decorum and coherent storytelling.
But then again, I haven’t seen Part 3 yet…
DREDD: Dust, Part 4
Credits: Arthur Wyatt (script), Ben Willsher (art), Chris Blythe (color), Simon Bowland (letters)
Arthur Wyatt digs deeper into the DREDD movie-verse as he explores mutants and the Cursed Earth! This has been the first time we’re really seeing some sort of extra-normal powers in this series, and this is surely the perfect venue for them. Establishing that there are mutants and that everything outside of the Mega-City is irradiated is a quick and easy way for Wyatt to clue the readers in on how this sort of thing is possible.
We also saw the idea of Marshals introduced in this chapter. Regular readers will know that, in Judge Dredd’s world, Mega-City One has Colonial Marshals who are tasked with upholding the law outside of the city, specifically in the places where there is a financial interest. In this instance, the Marshal is out in the Cursed Earth overseeing an excavation, where I’m more familiar with this type of Judge serving in an off-planet capacity. Could this be a clue as to where Wyatt sees this strip going?
III. MEGAZINE FEATURES
The Megazine forgoes the usual collection of interrogations and prose fiction to bring you some extra excavated Thrill-Powered comic goodness from Tharg’s vault: “GOLDTIGER”! Tying in with the collection hitting stands today, we’re treated to not only a retrospective of the practically unseen 1960’s comic strip by Antonio Barretti & Louis Shaeffer, but we get to see story pages not included in the collection.
Continued belowYou see, “GOLDTIGER” was nearly revived in the early pages of the Prog alongside the more well-known property “Dan Dare”. But even as outre and boundary-pushing as “2000 AD” was back in its infancy, the particular cocktail of science fiction, adventure, and sex that “GOLDTIGER” was going to serve up proved to be too much for even Tharg to get past the Prog’s publisher of the day. But times have certainly changed, and Rebellion is willing to go where no publisher has gone before: bringing “GOLDTIGER” back from obscurity and into your hands. Enjoy!
IV. 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.
That’s gonna do it for us this week! “2000 AD” Prog 1972 and Judge Dredd Megazine 370 are on sale today and available from:
- The 2000 AD Newsstand app for iPad and iPhone,
- The 2000 AD app for Android devices,
- 2000ADonline.com in print or DRM-free PDF and CBZ formats,
- Select US newsstands, and
- Finer comic shops everywhere
So as Tharg the Mighty himself would say, “Splundig vur thrigg!”
