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 week brings us a new Prog, so let’s dive right in!
I. THIS WEEK IN PROG 1986
Judge Dredd: Reclamation, Part 1
Credits: Michael Carroll (script), Colin MacNeil (art), Len O’Grady (colors), Annie Parkhouse (letters)
Mike Romeo: Dredd’s back and he’s brought Colin MacNeil with him!
This was a really cleanly done strip, I think. Writer Michael Carroll was able to concisely recap recent events while setting the stage for the story to come. I’ve commented on this in the past, but I find that when Carroll is in this position he has a tendency to burden the early parts of his stories with a lot of information and exposition. I get it, he’s a writer that loves to pull on threads. His Dredd comics are an ongoing, direct continuation of what’s come before, where small story points can balloon into major plot development months down the road. It’s what makes him one of the more revered Dredd writers currently working, but can also hamstring him from time to time.
This week, though, the story is simple: Judge Dredd has returned to Mega-City One and is unhappy with what he’s found! Now he’s setting the board for some big, big doings. Take heed, light spoilers to follow!
First, do I remember that Rico’s apartment was actually Dredd’s once upon a time? You know, back when he had a robot butler, took baths and slept in his helmet? If I’m wrong on that, I’m going to pretend I’m not. I like the idea of Dredd subletting his place.
Anyways, Rico returns home to find Dredd and Joyce in his place (probably because Dredd’s still got a key?), with plenty of questions about what exactly has been going on over the last few months. Reasonably, Rico’s only got a half of an idea, seeing as how he’s been out in the Cursed Earth for a while. Since info is scarce, Dredd decides to call in some Judges he knows he can trust, which yields some interesting info for the reader. It seems that after the whole Titan debacle Judge Matiland earned Dredd’s trust, as her name comes up. There’s also mention of Judge Pax, who is on a mission that no one knows anything about. Well, no one in-universe. Readers will remember that Pax was last seen in Mega-City Two as an escort for the Judge-turned-private-investigator Galen DeMarco. I thought it was curious that Dredd did not want to make contact with Chief Judge Hershey yet. Is it to give her deniability when things get ugly? Or is it more a matter of trust? Then there’s Giant…
Meanwhile, Texas City Judges have made their way into every facet of the Mega-City One Justice Department. Every MC1 Street Judge is now partnered with someone from TC, with the apparent goal of provoking hostilities between the two cities. It seems as if TC Chief Judge Oswin’s getting everything she wants, which will make things very difficult for Judge Dredd.
Sláine: Psychpomp, Part 9
Credits: Pat Mills (script), Simon Davis (art), Ellie de Ville (letters)
Adrian Johnson: Sláine and Sinead mount a rescue of Zana, the ‘mother of humankind’, and the three of them must face the onslaught of the PsychoPomp Lord Weird and his legions of undead Trojan warriors. Pat Mills makes the scripting rather sparse here in order to establish the frenzied battle taking shape. Sláine takes heed of his mother Macha’s archery lessons as a child. In fact, Mills has captions of Sláine’s mother instructing each type of incredible archery style almost like a master would do in an old Shaw Brothers kung-fu movie. You could almost hear the soundtrack of blaring horns and percussion from one of those movies as Sláine performs each style. I really got a big kick out of that.
Continued belowAs hyperbolic as the scripting, Simon Davis really delivers a punch with the artwork here. With a gorgeous double page spread opening this installment and some of his most chromatic painting since the previous arc of ‘Brutania Chronicles’, Davis gives us passage to what promises to be a classic Sláine battle royale! Davis is well-known for his widescreen compositions. Here, however, he dedicates himself to hitting a rhythm with the visuals and using panels of the same size to mark ‘beats’ in time with the instructional captions of Sláine’s mother. It’s something that we rarely see from Davis as an underused element of his artwork and storytelling; yet always more than welcomed to his already superb craft.
Brink, Part 9
Credits: Dan Abnett (script), INJ Culbard (art), Simon Bowland (letters)
AJ: Despite suspension from duty following the incident that left her partner Brinkmann and two suspects dead, investigator Kurtis continues to follow the path leading to the secret of the cults aboard their orbiting habitat. This installment opens with Kurtis seemingly talking to herself as she recounts the story to date. One may dismiss this as pure exposition until you realize that Kurtis is absolutely alone with no friends or anyone to relay her feelings to. Dan Abnett adds this note of characterization abundantly clear with his scripting. Kurtis speaks as though talking to Brinkmann himself in a dual purpose of dealing with the grief of her partner’s death and the loss of her mentor/counsel. Abnett imbues Kurtis with a determination tinged with a sadness that is very much felt as she deals with this in her own way.
The scene that closes Part 9 is gorgeous, as Culbard sets it awash in rich greens and blues with red from an unexpected source. It’s very easy to glaze over the exemplary work that Culbard puts into his colors in each installment. As economical as his linework, the color palette employed is almost another character in this strip and every bit as essential. Culbard has had at least one scene in every installment thus far that has made me read back over it several times just to admire the chromatic choices he made.
Black Shuck: Sins of the Father, Part 4
Credits: Leah Moore & John Reppion (script), Steve Yeowell (art), Chris Blythe (colors), Ellie de Ville (letters)
Greg Matiasevich: Tactics change this week, as Shuck and the bishop seek an audience with King Eadwald for his counsel and consent on their next course of action: protecting Dunwich from the inevitable interest of Coenwulf, the King of Mercia who annexed East Anglia after the Norsemen raiders left it too weak to mount a proper defense.
The immediate connection between this goal and Shuck’s uber-goal of saving his wife and twins from the curse he bears isn’t exactly clear, although there are many different plot points already in motion that make this decision in character for Shuck: protecting Dunwich and the arcane lore amassed in the abbey is in his best interest, no doubt. Plus his pride in seeing his birthplace back under home rule is certainly a motivating factor. Maybe the bishop made Shuck an off-panel bargain that causes this shift in focus? Like I said, not entirely clear, but that could very well just be on me.
The game you see laid out on the table before Shuck and Eadwald looks like a form of chess, but it’s actually a Tafl game. Shuck namechecks it in the page prior to this, and then sets up the board after these panels. What you see there (or here if you want to do a little side reading…) is a Tafl game; a turn-based board game that shares a lot of similarities with chess, but in actual fact has some significant difference. One of which, picked up by Moore, Reppion, and Yeowell, is that instead of facing off against each other from opposite sides of the playing board, the game starts with one player’s pieces in the center of the board, and his opponent’s lined up along the outer perimeter. Given the underlying fear of assault from any direction, land or sea, that the Anglicans live under, this spatial relationship gives a shorthand for their worldview: surrounded and outnumbered. But while one side starts off with a clear disadvantage, that side does have options, including a king piece with unique abilities.
Continued belowNow we’ve been shown that there is some…THING wolf-like out there in the lands of East Anglia. It would be easy to think it as Shuck himself, overtaken by the moon’s call and sent into killing frenzies while night-hunting for food. Personally, that’s too on the nose for these creators, so I’m thinking there’s another cursed wolfman out there. And if I can take it a step further…I think it could very well be Eadwald. Yes, you would think that King Shuck would be the human counterpart to the regal game piece. But he specifically hands the King piece over to Eadwald as he speaks his intention for Eadwald to be the king of East Anglia once more. I’m probably totally wrong on this, but I think I’ve got a better chance at being closer to right that not.
Here’s hoping we don’t have to wait too long to find out the real answer!
Grey Area: Congruence
Credits: Dan Abnett (script), Mark Harrison (art), Annie Parkhouse (letters)
MR: Behold: The Congruence!
I like these guys. They show up late for the party, fire off a rocket or two, claim to be the saviors and applaud themselves for being so bold in their decision to make ‘first contact.’ For being enlightened space-beings, there sure is something very human in their self-absorption. I mean, let’s be real, it was the Harmonious Free’s psychic balst that drove off the God-Star, all the Congruence did was shoot it in the back. And first contact? That’s a curious notion, considering the fact that this is a planet with their own Grey Area and any number of non-native species running about. Now, granted, the whole running about thing is a recent occurrence. It wasn’t so long ago that they were all held captive, but my point still stands!
II. MEANWHILE, IN JUDGE DREDD MEGAZINE
Judge Dredd: People Like Us
Credits: Ian Edginton (script), Dave Taylor (art), Simon Bowland (letters)
MR: “2000 AD” has a long history of skewering politics and politicians, sometimes directly, other times in a more roundabout manner. If you want a pretty clear example of what I’m talking about, look no further than the magazine’s debut issue. In the pages of Prog 1 readers were treated to the public execution of Margaret Thatcher. So this sort of thing predates ol’ Judge Dredd himself.
In Mega-City One, xenophobia has long been a running theme. The barring, and eventual admittance, of mutants who were born out in the Cursed Earth has long been the source of contention amongst the city’s populace. Further, the admittance of extraterrestrials into the city has made for even more squabbling about who should be let in and what they’re allowed to do once admitted. Mega-City natives are generally written as resentful towards the idea of sharing the streets with ‘muties,’ or perusing the wares of an alien-owned business. These fictionalized sentiments are a reflection of the world we find ourselves in, regardless of which side of the Atlantic you happen to be on.
Whether it’s UKIP and the garishly coined ‘Brexit’ in the UK, or the hyper-contentious presidential campaign here in The States, parts of the western world has found itself in the midst of a pretty dramatic social reshuffling. People like Nigel Farage or Donald Trump make it their business to stoke fear of and resentment towards anyone who can be labeled an ‘other.’ Distrust is being used as an excuse to turn away from a humanitarian crisis that continues to unfold, and in the case of The United Kingdom, make a case for secession from the European Union.
So what does all of this have to do with our favorite, well-chinned lawman? Well, it seems like local politician Bilious Barrage (who, coincidentally, looks an awful lot like the aforementioned Farage) has chose a Block that has been transformed by recent immigrants to make his case for the ‘Meg First’ party, an obvious play on the Britain First movement. Despicable things are said in that dog whistle, neo political speak that’s currently all the rage and, surprisingly, tempers flair.
Continued belowAs dire as the situation satirized by this strip is, Edginton and Taylor manage to sneak in a fair bit of humor, which is very much in the magazine’s tradition. Whether it’s the absurdity of Dredd’s actions, or the way Taylor’s art fluctuates between detained rendering and cartoonist shorthand, the moments of levity become something like little oases amidst the comic’s spot on, and therefore deeply distressing commentary.
Artist Dave Taylor has certainly outdone himself with this strip. His willingness to adapt his style from page to page, or even panel to panel, is something that really helps land a lot of Edginton’s story beats. As shown in the example above, Taylor is able to leap between a line style that, while certainly far more expressionist that representational, is able to accentuate and enhance moments in the narrative. Just look at how, during the exact moment of impact, the security guard’s eyes turn to little black dots and the spikes leap off of his head. Then, in the last panel on the page, the reader is shown a Looney Tunes-esque hole in the man’s foot. Keep in mind that these panels come on the heels of Taylor’s meticulous attention to every detail of Dredd’s lawmaster, multiple panels featuring the Mega-City landscape, and page after page of crowd scenes featuring futuristic fashions and aliens of all stripes. Then, as if his linework alone weren’t enough, the whole strip os masterfully colored with magentas, greens and teals accenting the earthy-yet-technological setting the story takes place in.
This was a fantastic one-off tale that encapsulates so much of what makes “2000 AD” such a great publication. The combination of top-of-the-industry art with narratives that blend wild science fiction with current day social issues has proven to be a winning combination for nearly four decades.
III. 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 1986 is on sale today and available digitally worldwide on:
- The 2000 AD Newsstand app for iPad and iPhone,
- The 2000 AD app for Android devices,
- 2000ADonline.com in DRM-free PDF and CBZ formats.
They are available in print today from:
It is also available in print in North America next month from your local comic shop.
So as Tharg the Mighty himself would say, “Splundig vur thrigg!”
