Welcome, Earthlets, 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.
This week brings us an all-new Prog, so let’s dive right in!
I. THIS WEEK IN PROG 1980
Judge Dredd: The Lion’s Den, Part 3
Credits: Michael Carroll (script), PJ Holden (art), Annie Parkhouse (letters)
Mike Romeo: Well, that’s certainly a turn of events.
There’s no dancing around this one, so let’s just cut to the spoilery chase.
This is a pretty well-executed chapter, I think. There’s been a lot going on between this story and last, and I get the impression Carroll gave us a peek at where all of this is headed this week. Obviously, the big news this week is the cliffhanger we’ve been left with: apparently Dredd ain’t so dead after all. I had a suspicion that Carroll had given himself an out back in Prog 1977, but I’m honestly a little surprised to see the big guy brought back around so soon. I won’t go so far as to say that I’m disappointed in this turn of events, simply because there’s still story to be told. Time will tell if all of this will pay off.
I’ve got a bit more to say about Dredd and his non-death, but first let’s have a look at Judge Hershey. The Chief Judge has had a tough go of it lately, overseeing a massive disaster and the Meg’s slow recovery that’s followed. But these past few weeks have felt a bit dire for her. Now, in an act of desperation, she’s asked for Texas City to assist Mega-City One.
Here’s where I’m going to start pulling on threads.
Texas City Chief Judge Pamelina Oswin has arrived in Mega-City One to personally visit Hershey and see the hand off of 1,000 Texas City Judges. In the conversation between the two Chief Judges, it’s clear that there is a play for power and dominance happening. Oswin is a little cocky in her assessment of Mega-City One, and Hershey seems to carry herself like a defeated woman. Between Oswin’s talk of uniting the two cities and no regime lasting forever, I can’t help but assume that her lending of a thousand Judges is less an olive branch than a move at subversion. I mean, that’s a lot of Judges, potential operatives, being left with the run of Mega-City One. With that many Texan Judges in place, a coup would be an easy feat in a city so wounded.
Meanwhile, the Brits have snatched up Judge Dredd and are holding him as some sort of captive. With the already heightened tensions between Brit-Cit and the Big Meg, I cannot see how this doesn’t lead to war. But how can Hershey possibly expect to win that sort of conflict? She’s living on borrowed Judges, who may or may not have some nefarious endgame in mind, and is already strapped for resources. At one point British Judge Mayhew says that Hershey is less a politician and more of a caged animal, so maybe we’re supposed to believe that she’s at a point where she’d react to these events as an animal would: with violence and disregard for the outcome.
My prediction: the Dredd feign was to get us to lower our guard. He’s back, and we all roll our eyes expecting business as usual, but it’s all a set up. I don’t think Barbra Hershey is long for this world.
Sláine: Psychpomp, Part 2
Credits: Pat Mills (script), Simon Davis (art), Ellie de Ville (letters)
Adrian Johnson: Sláine has unleashed his infamous Warp Spasm to combat Gort and defeat the demonic Cyth. This installment is pretty much just a brawl between Sláine and Gort. However, Pat Mills scripts some very interesting exposition from the observations of the Cyth as they watch the fight. Of note is how Mills has the Psychopomp relate that it has “seen this kind of combat before” being “some kind of strange homo-erotic ritual humans… beat each other senseless… but somehow never quite killing each other.” (Perhaps Mills’ own commentary on boxing and MMA?)
Continued belowSimon Davis continues to astound me with his artwork. It’s amazing what Davis can do with essentially four colors and make the storytelling and figures fully realized. Admittedly, there are a couple of panels where the figures do threaten to become swathes of red, but otherwise Davis’ layouts work in every way. I also admire the texturing and chunkiness Davis gives his figures, imbuing them with a weight akin to the work of Richard Corben.
Survival Geeks: Lord of the Ringers, Part 3
Credits: Emma Beeby & Gordon Rennie (script), Neil Googe (art), Gary Caldwell (colors), Ellie de Ville (letters)
Greg Matiasevich: Since Kevin, the Ringer in question, is the antagonist of this piece, I feel it is my duty to refute his claim that Star Trek transwarp technology would automatically grant Federation starships a tactical advantage over an Imperial fleet of any significant size from the Star Wars universe. Given that warp drive (which is what I’m assuming he actually meant, since transwarp technology as a method of travel hasn’t proven stable enough to support his theory) is tethered somewhat to actual physics (however tenuously) and hyperdrive technology is linked to a reality where a parsec is considered a unit of measuring time, I think the Force wins this argument. Also, I think that flamewar he was engaging in (pun intended) probably sounded something something like this.
Ahhhh, much better. But this week’s installment isn’t about the intricacies of cross-dimensional theoretical warfare! Nor does it dive into the age-old dilemma of who actually placed the bomp inside the bomp-she-bomp-she-bomp! But rather: does Clive’s improvised extra-dimensional whozis return him and Rufus to Sam and Simon? Do Simon and Sam dare cross Kevin’s explicit instructions to completely ignore two absolutely empty and uninhabited bedrooms that have no significance whatsoever? Is Kevin a <emStar Wars geek or a Buck Rogers geek? And most importantly: what the hell are the Geeks going to do about Kevin?
Since the strip is wrapping up next Prog, they’ve got seven days to figure out a plan!
Brink, Part 3
Credits: Dan Abnett (script), INJ Culbard (art), Simon Bowland (letters)
AJ: Investigators Brinkmann and Kurtis continue their investigation of a murder aboard an orbiting habitat as the story takes a respite at a bar aboard. I’m enjoying how writer Dan Abnett is revelatory regarding this particular world with his doses of ‘future-speak’ as I like to call it. Kurtis has a conversation with another character that regards the eating habits of those aboard the habitat that flows very nicely and further grounds the story in its reality. The same can be said for the dialogue prior between Brinkmann and Kurtis discussing the various cults that exist on-board and how they may play a role in this mystery.
As I remarked in my review of last week’s installment, INJ Culbard’s artwork is superb. This installment showcases his storytelling and pacing rather adroitly. I find myself in recent years working to stray away from making the correlation between comics and film as they are respective mediums with their unique qualities. However, there are times like Culbard’s pacing and layout here where it can feel like the two mediums are very similar in terms of the shot selection with the exclusion of motion obviously. It’s very assured and confident; making the page count seems that much denser. Culbard’s color palette is subdued and consistent as the pacing itself. His rich earthtones of oranges and brown almost set a rhythm in time with Abnett’s dialogue: direct and to the point.
Tainted: The Fall of Deadworld, Part 8
Credits: Kek-W (script), Dave Kendall (art), Annie Parkhouse (letters)
MR: Well, the gang’s all here. Mostly.
A few familiar, and long awaited, faces emerge this week: Fire, Mortis, Fear and the Sisters of Death Phobia and Nausea. Granted, their roles at present are slight, but we could probably expect that to change before long.
As welcome as the Dark Judges are, I must admit that their appearance felt a little sudden. I’ve been trying to watch for hints as to their whereabouts, but always came up short. Have they been behind the scenes? Or have they always been there, but our focus was simply on a much smaller story? It’s possible I just haven’t seen the signs, but if I missed them then what would reading this be like for someone who took advantage of the ‘jump on’ issue that launched this strip?
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II. FREE COMIC BOOK DAY 2016!
It’s finally here! The latest slab of gratis Thrill-Power direct from his dictatorial benevolence Tharg the Mighty! All hail Tharg! So if you happened to get your hands on this last weekend, or at some point in the future, you’ll not only be treated to even more free comics by way of QR code technology, as well as a downloadable sound slug from that legendary Mega-City One band “Pug Ugly and the Bugglys”, but these fantastic strips!
Judge Dredd: Uncivil Partnership Alec Worley (script) & Eric Powell (art)
MR: I can’t believe that it took this long to get Eric Powell on a Judge Dredd strip. There’s so much overlap in the sensibilities of 2000 AD and his work on “The Goon” that it seems like a no-brainer. To make the pairing feel even more harmonious, Powell is teamed with long-time script-droid Alec Worley to tell a tale that takes aim at the superhero summer blockbuster phenomenon.
Fiends of the Eastern Front: Fodder Hannah Berry (script) & Dani (art)
GM:‘Fiends of the Eastern Front’ is a strip originally written by Gerry Findley-Day that’s popped up in the Progs a few times over the years. And given how much I enjoyed this one-off by Berry & Dani, it can keep popping up as much as they want to work on it! The basic premise is Romanian vampires on the Eastern Front of WWII. So what kind of story can you make out taking that premise and plopping it down smack-dab into 1968 Vietnam? A pretty damn effective one, by the looks of things!
The Order: Part 1 Kek-W (script) & John Burns (art)
AJ: Here’s the first of several plucked-from-the-vault stories reprinted in this issue. But since it debuted after the start of this column, you can go here and get in-depth coverage about Anna Kohl and the strip people referred to as a medieval Expendables!
Bad Company: First Casualties, Part 1 Peter Milligan (script) & Rufus Day-Glo and Jim McCarthy (art)
AJ: Another blast from the recent past? Another chance to dig into the Multiver-City One coverage archives for this classic strip’s most recent run!
Strontium Dog: (Untitled) John Wagner (script) & Carlos Ezquerra (art)
GM: Yet another classic Thrill, but this one was a little before our time…by about 35 years or so! But since it’s a classic ‘Strontium Dog’ strip by creators Wagner & Ezquerra, you know there’s no expiration date for this kind of comic. We get to see Wulf Sternhammer, who hasn’t shown up in the current ‘SD’ strip in a while, as well as Ezquerra coloring his own work in something other than digital brushes. I have to say that I prefer this slightly muted end product than more of his current work. The stuff he’s doing now is good, don’t get me wrong; it just feels like it could be toned down a tad a times. I’m sure there’ll be more time to get into it the next time Johnny Alpha returns to the Progs. If he survives the distress call he & Wulf answer in this strip…
Tharg’s Terror Tales: The Death of Death-Man Barry Island (script) & Henry Flint (art)
GM: New Henry Flint is awesome Henry Flint. Henry Flint on a superhero story? Even more awesome! Henry Flint on a 2000 AD ‘superhero’ story? The most awesome indeed!
Ratfink: The Big Empty Matt Smith (script) & Joelle Jones (art)
GM: While this story is new and features US artist Joelle Jones quite exquisitely, the character of Ratfink is not new to this comic. Ratfink is one of the Angel Clan, that family of cannibal Cursed Earth hillbillies that show up periodically in ‘Judge Dredd’ strips to give the Mega-City Lawman trouble. And from the looks of things, Ratfink doesn’t seem to mind spreading the misery to anyone else happening to be passing through the irradiated wasteland he and his family call ‘home’!
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III. 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 1980 is 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, and
- Finer comic shops everywhere
So as Tharg the Mighty himself would say, “Splundig vur thrigg!”
