This is a big week for conclusions, it seems. In the weekly “2000 AD” we’ve got the wrap-up to “Get Sin,” while over in the once monthly “Judge Dredd Megazine” readers will bear witness to the close of the two-parter “Monkey Business.” Speaking of the Megazine, there’s some fresh blood over that way, as Judge Anderson gets her first movie-verse lead with “The Deep End,” and Pa Angel returns for the second installment of “Angelic.” Plus, in real work news, there was the big announcement of the 2000 AD 40th anniversary celebration, so we’ve got a lot to cover this week. Let’s get to it!
I. THIS WEEK IN 2000 AD
NOW DEPARTING
Judge Dredd: Get Sin, Part 3
Credits: Rob Williams (script), Trevor Hairsine and Dylan Teague (art), Dylan Teague (color), Annie Parkhouse (letters)
It’s good to see Williams dip into his own continuity without feeling like he needs to spin another multi-arc yarn like “Titan” or “Low Life.” Now, don’t get me wrong, I love Williams’ long-form storytelling. Hell, it’s “Low Life” that hooked me on these comics, after all. But the shorter, in-between tales have a real charm to them. It’s like they’re written to stand alone, independent of continuity, while also enriching the larger narrative by tying up the smaller loose ends. It seems to be a tricky thing to do, but Williams sticks it every time. For a second example of this I’d point to “The Heart is a Lonely Klegg Hunter.”
The art on this strip continues to impress, though I’d say that I’m glad we’re wrapping up where we are. Every passing week seems to see the art loosening up a touch as, I presume, lead time got shorter and shorter for Hairsine and Teague. There’s nothing in this installment that’d be called ‘bad’ by any measure, it’s just that it isn’t as tight as the Hairsine/Kitson combo we started with. Again, I’d say deadlines are the culprit here, as the colors on this strip and this month’s Megazine cover prove Teague to be an immensely talented artist.
If you’ll humor me, I’d like to complain about one more thing: can we get an art guide for Judge Anderson? I’m not saying that she needs to be on-model or anything, that’d be antithetical to the magazine’s handling of artists and their styles, but I think there does need to be some tightening around what we can expect Anderson’s appearance to be. The easy thing to point to would be the hair, right? Yes, it snaps back and forth between long and short, but I don’t really care about that. I’m more focused on her age. It seems really odd to me that, even though Dredd has been shown to carry his years in real-time, Anderson remains a perpetual thirty-five years old. While that’s not a universal truth, as seen in Nick Dyer’s recent rendition of the character, it seems that this is how she’s drawn more often than not. I think it betrays her years, experience and ranking within the Justice Department to present her as younger than she should be. She’s a woman who’s spent decades in her line of work and, sci-fi or not, I really believe that she should be shown in that light.
I’ll step down from my soapbox now.
While I was bummed to see that this strip was ending, I was heartened to see that not only will Williams be back next week, but that he’ll be teamed again with artist extraordinaire Henry Flint. I think that these two are the definitive modern-Dredd team, and I can’t wait to see what they’ve got in store.
CONTINUING IN PROG 2003
Flesh: Gorehead, Part 3
Credits: Pat Mills (script), Clint Langley (art), Ellie De Ville (letters)
This strip’s got a lot of interesting commentary going on. There’s a clear dependance that Mills’ 23rd century has on the aptly named Flesh products that are once again stocking shelves. But that’d indicate a dependence on the part of Trans-Time Happy Foods, the makers of Flesh. If they didn’t have their customer base, well, there’d simply be no money to be made. Despite that, this week we learn of the type of contempt that Trans-Time has for the consumers of Flesh, as the topic of humans falling into meat processing machines is touched on. Turns out that there may be a bit of accidental cannibalism happening in the future.
Continued belowThere’s also the idea of the Trans-Time Cowboy. Hunters and ranchers who travel through time to secure the raw materials needed for Flesh: dinosaur meat. This is seemingly Mills’ commentary on capitalism and the need of mega-corporations to strip-mine every resource available to them. Caught in the middle are these cowboys who are just trying to make a living in a world where, clearly, ethical decisions will only hamper your own security.
Hunted, Part 3
Credits: Gordon Rennie (script), PJ Holden (art), Len O’Grady (color), Simon Bowland (letters)
So, did Rennie just backdoor a Rogue Trooper strip? It’s my understanding that this is a character who, despite Rennie’s spin-offs, has been mostly kept off the table. Sure, he appears in the specials, but there hasn’t really been a proper “Rogue Trooper” series in an age. Yet here we are, it seems.
So far this is a series that, despite my fragmented knowledge of Rogue Trooper history, reads really well and helps me understand the scope of the world. It also has served to entice me, piquing my interest in those “Tales of Nu Earth” volumes that’re available. Sure, all of Rennie’s Nu Earth stories are great, but seeing Rogue play an active role in one of them is really fantastic.
And, of course, Holden and O’Grady continue to do some incredible work here. I’ve sung their praises for the last few weeks now, so just know that the love-fest continues with this installment. This is some of their best work so far, without a doubt.
Savage, Book 10: The Märze Murderer, Part 3
Credits: Pat Mills (script), Patrick Goddard (art), Annie Parkhouse (letters)
I’m a fan of police procedurals, so it’s really interesting to see one set in an alternate-history Berlin. Interpersonal drama and office politics abounds in this week’s installment!
I continue to be impressed by Goddard’s art on this series. The type of clarity he’s able to achieve is sort of astounding, considering that he really renders everything in these panels. It shows a lot of forethought in the work, I think, as you don’t just achieve this type of balance between detail and readability by accident. It takes a fair bit of planning and design to pull of what Goddard’s doing, and he’s doing it really, really well.
Meanwhile, Mills is weaving a twisty narrative filled with the afore mentioned cop drama and a healthy serving of ‘holy shit’ moments. Did you see that twist coming? Because I sure as hell didn’t!
Counterfeit Girl, Part 4
Credits: Peter Milligan (script), Rufus Dayglo (art), Dom Regan (color), Ellie De Ville (letters)
Where this series started with bombast and world building, this week’s installment turns towards the more personal story of Lulu, or Virginia, or Libra. What you’d call her would depend on a couple of things, I suppose. I’m inclined towards Lulu, seeing as how that is how we met her, but others may tend towards her most current persona. There are also a number of readers, I’m sure, who will go with her recently revealed original name. It’s this type of ambiguity that the strip leans on this week, as the question of identity takes center stage. Mild spoilers ahead.
It’s an interesting thing that writer Peter Milligan is doing here, as he peels the layers of self-imposed identities off of his lead character, which has seemingly resulted in a person without any identity at all. It’s dangerous ground for a writer and his protagonist, because without identity how do you define a fictional character? History can inform motivations, right? The accumulated knowledge of a life lead results in a worldview, and can thus be a predictor of behavior. So what happens if your history is actually the amalgamated experience of a litany of strangers? Further, what does it mean, in this world, to strip away these identities? Does that somehow negate experience? What state does it leave someone in?
So many questions, now I feel like I’m chasing my own tail a bit.
But it’s this sort of slipperiness that creates intrigue in the story. We don’t know what any of this means yet, so we’ll surely be back for the answers (and, presumably, more questions) next week. The one thing that is certain, though, is the consistently astonishing work of Rufus Dayglo and Dom Regan. What Milligan is doing in narrative is quickly becoming surreal and psychedelic, which is ratcheted up to the max by Dayglo and Regan. The colors are hyper-saturated, optically searing readers in the most joyous way possible. This strip is like a candy store for my brain, but the kind that only sells the finest, hand-crafted rock candy available. There’s not an ounce of any aspartame bullshit in sight, this is all organic, pure-cane sweetness.
Continued belowSorry if I got a little over-indulgent there. Where was I?
In addition to color choices, there’s also an astonishing amount of thought and labor put into these pages. It’s like Dayglo doesn’t have it in him to shortcut a crowd scene or cityscape, rendering every inch of his panels in meticulous detail. And the instances where there maybe isn’t a background to be drawn? Well, that’s where Regan steps up to render things out with his color art. These two make a hell of a team and, together, are the perfect compliment to what Milligan is scripting.
II. THIS MONTH IN JUDGE DREDD MEGAZINE 376
NOW ARRIVING
Anderson: The Deep End, Part 1
Credits: Alec Worley (script), Paul Davidson (art), Len O’Grady (color), Ellie De Ville (letters)
Judge Anderson is back in the Dredd movie continuity, this time in the lead position. Coming out of the events in Peachtree, she’s clearly got a lot to prove to herself, chief of which is that simple fact that she will be able to survive on her own. Remember that in this alternate universe, Anderson is still a rookie and that the events shown in Dredd were her first experiences as a Judge. Things got pretty dire for her there, and now it all seems to loom over her head.
I’m really enjoying artist Paul Davidson’s approach to this strip. He’s following the aesthetics of the movie to a point, but obviously isn’t slavishly adhering to style guides in order to ‘fit’ with the movie. His version of Anderson has some visual clues to tie her to the big screen version of the character, but at no point does it look like Davidson’s trying to nail Olivia Thirlby’s likeness.
I’m always excited when a new Anderson strip launches, and this being a movie continuity tale adds a little bit more t the mix. I’ve probably said it before, but there are moments when the Dredd comics seem to carry some of the spirit of those early Ultimate Marvel titles. Everything is long-familiar, but presented in a fresh new way.
Angelic: Home is the Hunter, Part 1
Credits: Gordon Rennie (script), Lee arter (art), Simon Bowland (letters)
Ah, hmm, ok. This one took a turn that I didn’t expect at all! Let’s unpack it, and maybe let’s just say now that there’ll be spoilers.
“Angelic” returns for it’s second series, and thing are getting off to a roaring start. The opening features characters who very well could be Junior and Mean Machine, as well as a white haired Pa. By the way, this Pa looks as if he is being played by David Lynch, which I find to be an interesting casting choice. So, given the first series, I assumed that we were maybe looking ahead to the future, with the young Pa Angel scenes being what we could refer to as present day. This all gets turned upside down but the end, though.
The last “Angelic” series left me with a number of questions, and the start of this new run has added to the list. I wonder about Ma Angel, and their oldest son Fink. Are they out there in the Cursed Earth, waiting for an inevitable reuniting? Or is this even before all of that? See, Pa’s second oldest kid is named Link, which, if you ignore spelling, can help line up existing history with what Rennie is writing. Though, the question must be raised, are Linc and Link the same character? This is where my question about whether or not this all comes before established history comes from. Maybe this isn’t a between-the-raindrops story at all, instead pushing the character of Pa back in time further than we’ve seen before.
Of course, whatever Rennie has in mind for Linc, Link and the rest of Pa’s ilk, there’s still the question of the family at the top of the story. This is the sort of stuff Rennie does really well, I think. He seems to be a writer who enjoys filling in gaps and exploring the peripheries of these long established worlds. He’s also doing it to great success right now with in the world of Nu Earth and Rogue Trooper. I’m really intrigued by this series, and can’t wait to see where we’re headed.
Continued belowNOW DEPARTING
Judge Dredd: Monkey Business, Part 2
Credits: Arthur Wyatt (script), Jake Lynch (art), Richard Elson (color), Annie Parkhouse (letters)
The life and times of Harold Heston Jr., jimpanzee.
What in the world would lead someone like Harry to become a Judge impersonator, or ‘jimp’ as they’re known in Mega-City One? Well, that’s what Arthur Wyatt digs into this week. Now, I know Harry is a transplant to this universe, having first appeared in the 2000 AD fanzine “Class of ’79.” I can’t find whether or not his origins have been explored previously, so my assumption is that this is new ground for the character. That said, I really like the way Wyatt handled it. The facts of Harry’s origin aren’t particularly groundbreaking, and can maybe even be considered cliche at some points, but I think that sort of commonness works really well when you have such an uncommon character experiencing it. Harry isn’t a man, he’s a giant gorilla who lives in The Burbs, which is a pejorative name given to the community that exists just outside of the walls of Mega-City One. So to give him what is essentially a backstory that is a blend of Clark Kent and Bruce Wayne’s, it humanizes him. Suddenly this character who appears to be something we’re not familiar is given a touchstone. We understand what he is because we’ve done this dance before. Now we’re ready to accept Harry as he is, whether we’re viewing him as a non-human or even a non-canon character.
On the art side of the ledger, Jake Lynch continues to turn in exceptional work. I’m always impressed by how fluid he is, as he adapts his approach to the task at hand. His covers, his run on “Orlok,” and now here on “Monkey Business,” Lynch has shown not only incredible versatility, but also a seemingly unending reverence for classic 2000 AD art. He channels bits and pieces of those who came before him in order to influence his own voice. He does this not only with his approach to the art, but also with his approach to collaboration. The aforementioned “Orlok” strip was all Lynch and presented in black and white. Because of this, he was able to get really involved in the line work, adding tons of halftone in order to create lighting and texture. Now on this strip Lynch is paired with Richard Elson on colors, so instead of relying on the same tools and techniques, Lynch opened up his style leaving lots of room for Elson to work. It’d only have hampered the colorist if Lynch had gone heavy with his pert of the work, which seems to be a lesson few others care to learn. The result here is a strip that was an immense joy to read.
I can’t wait to see Harry return to one of the magazines.
CONTINUING IN MEGAZINE 377
Blunt, Part 6
Credits: TC Eglington (script), Boo Cook (art), Simon Bowland (letters)
I don’t think artist Boo Cook can do wrong by me. Between his sense of design, his figure work and his color choices, everything about his art lights me up. There’s such energy and bombast in what he does that I just can’t help but fall face first into his comics. His pairing with Eglington is resulting in a wildly imaginative story that I think will sit nicely with some of the great Dredd World fringe comics. I’m thinking of strips like “Insurrection” and, more recently, “Lawless,” stories that have their roots in Mega-City One, but are so far flung that they almost create an orbit of their own. The difference here, though, is that “Blunt” feels far more removed than its aforementioned counterparts. Having strips like this, from top notch creators like Cook and Eglington, give new readers an easy in to this world. Years of continuity are of no consequence here, all you need are the broad strokes of the world, which Eglington laid out in the opening chapter. From here, if readers have the interest, they can start to explore other like titles, until they have eventually made it to the main Judge Dredd series. It’s exactly how I got where I am as a reader, and don’t know that I’d have ever made it this far with out this type of strip.
Continued belowIII. FORTY YEARS OF THRILLS
This February 2000 AD will celebrate its 40th birthday, and they plan on throwing themselves a hell of a party! Here’s the statement from the Nerve Centre:
Tickets for the 2000 AD: 40 Years Of Thrill Power Festival are now on sale!
The ultimate 2000 AD experience is coming for one day London mega-event coinciding with the 40th anniversary of the long-running science fiction weekly comic!
Next February, Rebellion toasts 40 years of the publication of legendary British weekly comic 2000 AD by presenting a huge celebration in the UK capital. The main event, a one-day ‘immersive live extravaganza‘, will take place at Hammersmith’s Novotel and includes a jam-packed schedule of prestige events, original programming, world exclusive merchandise and one-of-a-kind spectacles befitting the legacy of the finest comic book export the UK has ever produced.
The most ambitious single occasion in the history of 2000 AD publishing, the festival will be the culmination of a whole slate of nationwide signings and events, and features an unprecedented number of writers, artists and editors to have graced its pages including: Pat Mills, John Wagner, Carlos Ezquerra, Alan Grant, Dave Gibbons, Mike McMahon, Steve Yeowell, Rob Williams, Si Spurrier, Al Ewing, Sean Phillips, Duncan Fregredo, Simon Bisley and many, many more!
It’s going to be a hell of a bash, to be certain. Tickets are available now.
IV. 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!”
