I don’t know about you’re spot on the Earth, but mine has become quite autumnal since we last spoke. A few days of rain have left a damp, windy chill in the air that pairs nicely with the change in foliage and early dusks. In a nutshell, it’s sort of the perfect weather for reading the new, cold-weather Dredd serial that continues in this issue. While my local clime is a far cry from the frozen Serbian setting of “Get Sin,” it’s cool enough to get me in the mode.
Meanwhile, “Counterfeit Girl,” “Flesh,” “Hunted” and “Savage” are all back to pick up where we left off last week. This week’s cover is an especially striking work from long-time 2000 AD cover artist Jim Murray. Let’s get to it!
I. THIS WEEK IN 2000 AD
Judge Dredd: Get Sin, Part 2
Credits: Rob Williams (script), Trevor Hairsine and Dylan Teague (art), Dylan Teague (color) Annie Parkhouse (letters)
What a chapter! Lots of twists, turns and fantastic art. The team of Hairsine and Teague are doing unbelievable work on these pages. Where last week’s inaugural installment impressed me almost purely on rendering, this week is all about the action. There are some really incredible panels here, as you can see above. As impressive as this strip looks, I can’t help but feel like there are some differences in line quality between this week and last, which is because I’m assuming Teague is taking over for Kitson on inks. Now, I don’t mean ‘quality’ as in good vs. bad, but in terms of features and characteristics. The inking in part one felt finer than in part two, which had linework that looks a bit bolder and chunkier. Some of the figure work seems a bit more minimal and gestural than last week, too, with just a hint of halftone for texture. These aren’t huge differences, but I caught them when actually looking at the two chapters side by side.
It makes me wonder if and how Kitson and Teague are sharing the work. Are they alternating inking chapters? Was Kitson a one-off thing? Whatever their set up, it’s been producing some really stellar results, especially with Teague’s colors on the story. There’s a vibrance to these pages that I really appreciate, as Teague uses reds and yellows as accents against an otherwise cool palette. There’s a lot of texture in what he’s doing, too, which helps the color sit nicely within the strip’s sturdy inks.
So let’s talk a little about spoilers, eh?
Williams is really working his magic here, as he leans even harder into the events of “Titan” than he did last week. As if the appearance Gerhart wasn’t thrilling enough, we also see what the true focus of Dredd’s mission is: the Sovs are holding former Chief Judge Martin Sinfeld captive! This revelation squares things up for me; after the high of last week’s story wore off I was left wondering why exactly Hershey would authorize Dredd to lead a team on a mission like this. Sure, it was framed as revenge, but Mega-City One is in no position to be risking major conflict like this. That is, until you introduce Sinfeld, who’s been hooked up to a brain scanning device by the Sovs. Obviously, if anyone has Mega-City secrets, it’d be a former Chief Judge, and the Sovs clearly want them. Dredd’s primary concern seems to be nuclear codes, but I can’t imagine that’d be the only prize.
It was a little heartbreaking when Sinfeld appeared grateful to be rescued, because that was so clearly not the case. That became especially apparent once our second mystery player was revealed: Psi-Judge Cassandra Anderson! As soon as she pulled that cloak off you knew there was no intention to leave with Sinfeld; they’re just going to check what the Sovs got from him, wipe his mind and split. And now that we’re in the spoiler zone, I want to circle back to art and declare my affection for the page that revealed Anderson’s presence. Not only was it laid out nicely, but it was also only three panels, which added to the emphasis of the moment. Where as every other page in the strip is either six or seven panels, only having three allowed for larger, weightier imagery than we’d seen so far. It was really well done, to say the least.
Continued below
Flesh: Gorehead, Part 2
Credits: Pat Mills (script), Clint Langley (art), Ellie de Ville (letters)
So, I don’t really know too much about “Flesh.” It’s a series that has been in print in my time reading the magazine, but it’s always felt like it was just outside of my grasp. Like everything I needed to know had just happened, and I came in too late to catch it. This comes the fact that there seems to be a big cast, and that the world’s go a lot going on in terms of mechanics. There are dinosaurs, cowboys, a mega-corporation and, somehow, the president of the United States all involved in this thing. So if I end up missing some of the finer points, please forgive me. I’m learning on the job.
The story features plenty of that snappy, sassy Pat Mills dialog I know and love. His storytelling has so much bit to it, like he’s writing irredeemable characters in order to allegorically convey his world views. In this week’s strip, we’re shown men who seem to exist on the edges of a shitty world, seemingly because they couldn’t stand to be any more involved than their survival necessitates.
On art Clint Langley is turning in the type of photo-realistic pages we’ve been seeing a lot from him recently. He’s an interesting artist, in that he seems to have an incredible range of styles. He’s done Bisley-esque airbrushed work, hyper-saturated paining and, my personal favorite, dramatic black-or-white ink work. He’s a really talented guy, but that said, I don’t know how keen I am on his photo-real stuff. It feels a little too real, too photographic for my tastes. Obviously he’s good at it, right? You just have to look to see the craft at play here, but it’s just not for me. That said, we’re still getting to see some really fantastic looking dino-action, so it’s not like reading this strip is a chore. I just wish for a Langley that’s a little closer to what we saw in “ABC Warriors.”
Hunted, Part 2
Credits: Gordon Rennie (script), PJ Holden (art), Len O’Grady (color) Simon Bowland (letters)
Goodness me, PJ Holden! Give this guy a round of applause because this week’s strip is outrageous. The figure work, his line, the action, it’s all spot on and bubbling with energy. I feel like he’s incorporating a little bit of Guy Davis into his art, right? There’s something about the way he renders that musclebound infantryman that does it. That’s not to say that he’s trying to clone anyone, but rather that he’s digested an influence to the point where he can fold it into something that is still his own voice. And it’d be remiss of me if I didn’t share some of this love with Len O’Grady, too. His color work is exactly what it needs to be for Holden’s storytelling. the colors flatten when panels get gestural, and come alive with texture when things get a little more fleshed out. Not only that, but he’s able to work really nicely with Holden’s halftones, which is something a number of colorists seem unable to cope with. So often I’ll see an artist add halftones to add some texture to the inking stage, only for a colorist to steamroll them to the point that they may as well not even be there. But not O’Grady, his touch is soft enough to let that type of detail shine through. This helps to create a really seamless collaboration between artists.
Spoilers follow!
Writer Gordon Rennie continues to enjoy his exploration of the world and war around the Rogue Trooper, this time with an ambiguous monster man who claims no allegiance at all. He sets his violence against Norts and Southers alike, as he works his way towards his ultimate goal. This is where things get a little Wizard of Oz-y as a wish is asked of a giant floating head. Well, three actually. This is where the specter that haunts these comics comes in, as Rennie leaves us with a second Rogue Trooper cliffhanger in as many weeks.
Savage: The Märze Murderer, Part 2
Continued below
Credits: Pat Mills (script), Patrick Goddard (art), LETTERER (letters)
The second Pat Mills penned strip of the magazine, and it is a world away from the first. Where “Flesh” starts from a place of fantasy, “Savage” something more of a Berlin-based secret agent story. There’s murder, moody bartenders, personal politics and, of course, violence at play here. Mills is taking a quieter approach to storytelling, as he dialogs characters with a type of ambiguity that makes the reader suspect of everyone. Even his narration takes a turn towards the soft touch, as a scene is told through lyrical excerpts.
Patrick Goddard’s art works really well for a story like this. His stark black and white approach sits in contrast to the world in which the narrative takes place, which seems to be made up of infinite shades of grey. Goddard doesn’t hesitate to go into great detail with these pages, as he meticulously renders almost every background. This is a tricky sort of thing to do without color, because the inks need to be able to sell everything to the reader. There are no hues to help communicate what’s happening in a busy panel. Hell, there aren’t even any tones! Through it all, Goddard’s art never loses clarity, which is great because his dramatic approach really builds a moodiness in these scenes.
Counterfeit Girl, Part 3
Credits: Peter Milligan (script), Rufus Dayglo (art), Dom Regan (color) Ellie de Ville (letters)
Things take uninteresting turn, as a second, more immediate conflict presents itself. Last week, it seemed as if the conflict between Lulu, or NAME as she was originally known, had to contend with her past dealings with NAME, the head of CORP NAME. Known to us as an ever present mega-corporation in this world, CORP NAME has their eyes, ears, and various olfactory sensors in everything. This would surely make settling old scores easy for the person at the top of this particular food chain, and NAME is obviously concerned about that.
II. 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 2000 and Judge Dredd Megazine 376 are both 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:
They are available in print in North America next month from your local comic shop.
So as Tharg the Mighty himself would say, “Splundig vur thrigg!”
