Multiver-City One: 2000 AD Prog 1981 and Judge Dredd Megazine 372

Welcome, Earthlets, to 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 British sci-fi comic “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 worth of zarjaz comics waiting for you to discover and enjoy.

This special week brings us a new Prog AND a new Megazine, so let’s get right to it!

Cover by Jon Davis-Hunt

II. THIS WEEK IN PROG 1981

NOW DEPARTING

Survival Geeks: Lord of the Ringers, Part 4
Credits: Emma Beeby & Gordon Rennie (script), Neil Googe (art), Gary Caldwell (colors), Ellie de Ville (letters)

Greg Matiasevich: It’s all well and good to call yourself something like “The Total Testosterone Mental Crew” to boost morale and (presumably) make your enemies quake in their boots, but unless you happen to be in a dimension where testosterone lets you, say, deflect energy blasts, then it’s not really going to come in all that handy when the lasers start flying. Having a pet Cthulhu, on the other hand…

I really try to not dwell on the pint-sized Elder God when coming up with these reviews but Howard is not only adorably rendered by Googe & Caldwell, but Beeby & Rennie know just how to pop him into and out of the story without making him too much of a presbuteros deus ex machina. Granted, he really gets to shine here, but the creative team does play off the actual human Geeks as well. Sam’s dilemma and possible solution helps give a little bit of weight to this sci-fi sitcom. I’ll have a little bit more on the sitcom aspect next week, but until then, I’ll just leave you with this line of dialogue that I can’t believe was typed by either writer without a huge grin on their face: “Ha! Who wants to give me a hard time about wanting an eldritch being of unspeakable evil for a housepet NOW, eh?”

Tainted: The Fall of Deadworld, Part 9
Credits: Kek-W (script), Dave Kendall (art), Annie Parkhouse (letters)

Mike Romeo: This week sees the latest installment of Kek-W and Dave Kendall’s “Deadworld” series come to a close. While I loved the first “Deadworld” run, I don’t think I can say that this one had the same type of magic in it. Maybe it’s partly due to this being a long-form narrative, as opposed to a series of short, one-offs. Or maybe it’s because Kendall had to work in a different art style to meet shorter deadlines. Whatever the reason, this one just didn’t stick for me.

One thing I can say for sure, though: there are a lot of well-worn plot elements at play. “The Fall of Deadworld” felt very much like a by-the-numbers zombie story, which really took some of the air out of the narrative. The turned family member in the car, having to kill loved ones, these should feel like huge, earth shattering things to have happen. Instead, since that’s exactly what happens in every zombie/contagion story ever, it just feels flat.

Now, with the conclusion of this chapter, it seems like we’re being set up for a Deadworld version of “The Road”.

Judge Dredd: The Lion’s Den, Part 4
Credits: Michael Carroll (script), PJ Holden (art), Annie Parkhouse (letters)

MR: Man, what a strip! I mean, some people will probably be perturbed by the total absence of Dredd, especially given last chapter’s cliffhanger and this week’s ominous cover. But in my opinion? I think Carroll is hammering on what’s truly interesting about this story: Joyce’s falling into a Brit-Cit conspiracy and Hershey’s increasingly precarious place in the world.

But before we start dissecting that stuff, let’s rub our faces in this strip’s art. I’ve been a fan of PJ Holden’s work for a bit now, and feel like I’ve really gotten to see him grow and evolve. He’s no stranger to Dredd and 2000 AD, but I feel like I really clicked with his art back when “Numbercruncher” started running in the Megazine. The art in that series, which was later reprinted by Titan, felt brasher than anything I’d previously seen from him. I think that this was where Holden started to settle into a voice that is distinctly his and instantly recognizable. From there, his work on “Dept. of Monsterology” seemed to build on his years of honing his craft, the result of which were bearing fruit on every page. Now, with “The Lion’s Den,” Holden seems to be doing some of his best “Judge Dredd” work to date. As a reader, I’ve always felt that his work on Dredd was more constrained than when he was working on comics of his own creation. But now I get the distinct impression that he’s come to this story with more confidence in his version of Dredd than ever before.

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Of course, for every fantastic looking modern Dredd Strip, there’s a brilliant colorist supporting the artist. In this instance, Adam Brown is there to help bring this interpretation of Dredd’s world to life. His textured approach lends itself wonderfully to Holden’s sometimes slick, sometimes jagged line work. And he’s good for the little flourishes, too. Like how everyone in Brit-Cit has a little blush to them, which subtly helps to communicate the damp chill of the city.

Now let’s dig into what writer Michael Carroll is doing here. For that, I’d say there’ll be a bit of spoilers.

Joyce has really shaped up to be a hell of a Judge, huh? There was a time when I figured on him becoming one of the Judges that Dredd loathes. We all know the type: needlessly brash and reckless, on the take for something, and overly lackadaisical when it come to the letter of the law. But instead, due in large parts to Dredd’s tutelage and the example of his late father, Joyce has lifted himself above your average Street Judge. Now, with that foundation set, he seems to be falling into something of a Wally Squad approach to problem solving, letting a little bit of that aforementioned recklessness out in order to maintain control of an incredibly dangerous situation.

You see, as it turns out, the demand for Joyce and Dredd’s extradition was more of a means to an end than any sort of attempt at justice. It’d appear that some very powerful people want Joyce… dead? It’s hard to say, considering that last week we saw that the Brits have Dredd on life-support in some clandestine location. So my inclination is that Joyce is needed for something. But then there’s a LOT of death going on, all of which is in an attempt to bring him in, so it’s tough to tell at this point. All I know is that there’s a precedent for pinning British bodies to Joyce, so his situation is probably going to get far worse before there’s any chance of it improving.

Meanwhile, Chief Judge Hershey’s lot in life is becoming less desirable by the minute. I speculated about a Texas-City takeover of Mega-City One last week, and it seems that this latest chapter is leaving very little to speculate over. TC Chief Judge Oswin has made it crystal clear what her intentions are: her city is over-populated, and MC1 finds itself with plenty of room on its hands. Now, with 1,000 of her Judges within the city’s walls, it seems as if Hershey has invited a monster into her home.

And all the while Judge Dredd is… somewhere. This story has layer upon layer of concurrent conspiracies playing out, and all signs point to things becoming very messy. At this moment, it’s looking like Hershey’s best case scenario is a two-front war. At worst, she’ll be The Big Meg’s last Chief Judge.

Sláine: Psychpomp, Part 3
Credits: Pat Mills (script), Simon Davis (art), Ellie de Ville (letters)

Adrian Johnson: Slaine and Gort, previously at each others’ throats, join forces to confront the Cyth lord OdinGod and prevent his conquering of their land, Albion. This installment finally is what I expect from a ‘Slaine’ story. Mills’ dialogue approaches that classic feel that I’ve always loved. The exchange between Slaine and Gododin as they battle is simple, direct and with just the right touch of haughty bravado.

Art-wise, this installment has been the most striking thus far of the story. Simon Davis has begun to pull the camera back with his figures to choreograph the action; thus it reads much smoother to my eye. In addition, Davis’ illustration seems to have kicked up a notch to his usual high standard with some great action shots and a few different things illustratively than we’ve seen previously in the story to date.

Brink, Part 3
Credits: Dan Abnett (script), INJ Culbard (art), Simon Bowland (letters)

AJ: Brinkmann and Kurtis delve deeper into the culture of cult cells and their implication into a murder aboard their orbiting habitat. Once again, writer Dan Abnett’s scripting crackles with dialogue that moves and just enough exposition to retain the mystery of the procedural. Abnett also does some great world-building with the discussion of cults between Brinkmann and Kurtis begin to piece together leads. Something else that struck me with this installment is the realization that there is no hint of the two protagonists being romantically linked or some such banter in their interaction. They are professionals doing their job and I think it’s refreshing as much as there are correlations to the regular genre of police procedurals that this aspect thus far is not one of them.

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INJ Culbard continues to surprise me with his artwork; especially his color work that has been spot on and appropriate for each installment to date. Of note is the latter part of this installment as Brinkmann rendezvous with an informant about the cults awash in greens and oranges. The limited palette works beautifully with his open linework. There’s definitely something with the brevity of Culbard’s art keeping perfect time with Abnett’s lean scripting.

Cover by Boo Cook

III. THIS MONTH IN JUDGE DREDD MEGAZINE 372

NOW ARRIVING

Blunt, Part 1
Credits: T.C. Eglington (script), Boo Cook (art), Simon Bowland (letters)

AJ: On a distant world, a supply ship is disoriented by a cloud of Monarch butterflies and crash lands in the dangerous wilds of the planet’s jungles. A mission is undertaken to rescue the stranded ship and there is one mutant who can help them — Blunt. This initial installment was a joy to read. I love stories of ‘men on a mission’ (or ‘mutants on a mission’ in this case) in fiction such as Predator, The Guns of Navarone, or The Dirty Dozen. Eglington’s script has a great flow to it, beginning with the opening scene of the ship’s disorientation and the discussion amongst the town’s inhabitants to mount a rescue. The reaction of the townspeople to summon Blunt is akin to the character Quint in Steven Spielberg’s 1975 classic ‘Jaws’; only instead of fear they almost unanimously want Blunt because he is the right one for the job. Blunt’s introduction is very cool and well paced; coinciding with a pretty bad-ass reveal to close out the story.

Boo Cook does some fantastic work with the art here. I’m familiar with Cook with his art on the ‘Hip Flask’ comics with writer Richard Starkings. In ‘Blunt’ however, Cook gives the world a wonderful lushness with his juicy colors and brushy line work. The result has a great bounce to it and the aforementioned reveal of Blunt is made incredibly awesome by Cook’s character design.

I’m highly looking forward to the next installment as this character and watching the mission unfold look to be a blast!

Judge Dredd: Dust to Dust, Part 2
Credits: Michael Carroll (script), Henry Flint (art), Annie Parkhouse (letters)

MR: Before we dive into things, I want to address this month’s Editor’s Letter, because it felt like 2000 AD EiC Matt Smith was aiming it right at me. I know that’s not the literal case, but it hits on a lot of my thoughts about Judge Dredd and his future. The pertinent part of it read as follows:

The suggested death of the lawman seemed to catch many readers on the hop – conflated, perhaps, by John Wagner’s Thrill-Cast tease that a major figure in Judge Dredd was for the chop (which is still a thing, and expect to find out the identity of the soon-to-be-deceased character later this summer) – and there’s been much consternation, speculation and general WTF-ing across the web. It just goes to show how close many are to the crotchety future cop, and how the old ‘put Dredd’s brain in a younger clone’ solution to the age question wouldn’t be satisfying to anyone – simply put, it wouldn’t be Dredd. The guy might be getting on, but if you’ve stuck with him for forty years, accept no substitutes.

So, I think he’s telling me that I’ve been wrong this whole time. For years I’ve been beating the drum of the inevitable, steeling myself and anyone who reads this column for the day Joe Dredd will fall in the line of duty. But now it seems as if this whole ordeal was just to show readers that there’s not a satisfying way with which to put the old Judge to bed? Or, at the least, that Rico isn’t a viable path to de-aging our titular character? I dunno, I think I’m going to have to call bullshit on that whole premise. I think anyone can tell you that there’s not a single path to killing Dredd that will not ruffle the feathers of the readership. But is that any reason to declare such a thing as being off limits? What’s the point of a “no reboot” rule if you’re just going to find some other way to take the inevitable off the table? My long-running impression, and the root of my love for these publications, is that these are the big-icon comics that actually take chances. 2000 AD always seemed to take pride in flying in the face of what is to be expected, but are now trying to sooth the lathered masses with this ‘stick with the original’ nonsense?

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I dunno. I was satisfied with the course of events, and I want to make clear that any ‘WTF-ing’ in this column happened with the wide-eyes and ear-to-ear grin of a reader who was excited by, and ready to accept, everything as it played out on the page. I’m not at all surprised by the twist of Dredd still being alive, but I am surprised by the editorial dismissal of this not being a viable path forward for the character.

Meanwhile, this was a really good strip. Henry Flint, lots of jokes, enormous action. Five stars.

Lawless: Of Munce and Men, Part 2
Credits: Dan Abnett (script), Phil Winslade (art), Ellie de Ville (letters)

MR: This may be the best “Lawless” strip to date, both in terms of art and narrative. In just a few pages, writer Dan Abnett and artist Phil Winslade cast Deputy Marshal Nerys Pettifer in a brand new light, thrusting her to the fore. Last month’s installment made this strip seem like we were going to see Badrock grapple with the void left by Metta Lawson’s disappearance, which I foolishly assumed would serve as fuel for the flames that would come with her inevitable return.

Instead, this month we’re treated to something I certainly didn’t expect: the ascension of Pettifer. I mean, it’s been clear for a while how strong of a character she is, despite her lack of self-confidence. But I expected her to be stretched instead of strengthened. She’d be there for Badrock, and would work to her breaking point, which’d come just as Lawson made her way back from wherever. But that’s not the case, not by any measure. Sure, the head that wears the crown is heaviest, or however that goes, but Pettifer is wearing it well. As well as she can at the moment, at least. And she seems to have figured out how to be her own Marshal. Not the type that Lawson was, but the type she is comfortable being.

This strip is an absolute delight.

Realm of the Damned: Tenebris Dios, Part 4
Credits: Alec Worley (script), Pye Parr (art), Annie Parkhouse (letters)

GM: If I’m remembering it correctly, the old saying goes: “The enemy of my enemy is my friend”. If you happen to be Alberic Van Helsing, living a nomadic Omega Man-style life of attacks and attrition against the world’s vampire ruling class, there is no love lost between him and his targets (as you can see above). So given that, what kind of man or beast would bring those two sides together in any kind of pact?

Balaur.

Worley & Parr spend a couple of pages setting up this Big Bad as particularly big and exceedingly bad. When your name translates to “Dragon” in Translyvanian Saxon, the chances of you being a cute & fuzzy bunny of an antagonist are slim to none; and even if you were, you’d turn out to be one of those Monty Python vorpal bunnies. Think more like an angrier, death-metal version of Viggo the Carpathian. And it may seem weird to say this, but I’m feeling a kind of symmetry between this strip and the Paul Grist ‘Demon Nic’ story that ‘Tenebris Dios’ replaced in terms of having an all-powerful evil returning from the past to endanger the present. But while Grist took a more seen-but-not-heard approach to setting up his dread, Worley is making sure you know EXACTLY what kind of unholy terror is on its way.

Balaur.

Parr doesn’t do the usual flashback-palette-shift trick here, leaning a little more on giving the setting around Balaur a 15th-century-appropriate veneer. As a fan of such books like “In Search of Dracula” that reprint a lot of those period woodcuts, I noticed Parr styling the faces of Balaur’s victims to match up with those heavily bearded, wide-eyed archetypes. That last bit might not be 100% conscious on Parr’s part, but I wouldn’t rule it out.

So what could be so evil as to bring two hated foes together in a common cause? The man, the beast, the dragon…

Balaur.

IV. MEGAZINE FEATURES

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Interrogation: James Robinson – Stars & Stripes by Karl Stock

GM: Being a comics creator born & raised in the UK, one would think a talent like James Robinson would have a healthy CV of early work for Tharg’s Thrill-Mag. But while Robinson, a staple of US comics, was involved with 2000 AD in some respect very early in his career, none of it had to do with writing the characters, most likely due to then-editor Richard Burton telling him, to his face, he’d never be allowed to do it. One would also think that going on to have a critically acclaimed career, including co-creating one of the Nineties’ best superhero titles in “Starman”, would mean that Robinson had moved on from the Thrill-verse. Is that the case? Karl Stock talks to Robinson and finds out!

V. AN EARTHLET’S GUIDE TO 2000 AD

GM: At Multiver-City One, we understand trying to figure out to start with a selection of almost 40 years worth of comics can be 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?

To help all you new & potential readers, we’ve put together something we call 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 easy and simple as possible.

That’s gonna do it for us this week! “2000 AD” Prog 1981 and Judge Dredd Megazine 372 are both on sale today and available digitally worldwide on: