Happy new year, Eathlets! We’re back to weekly issues after the massive, 100-page installment that was meant to carry us into 2017. An issue which, coincidentally, kicked off every one of this week’s continuing strips! Added to the rester is Michael Carroll’s return to Judge Dredd as he picks up where he last left off. It’s a trip to Texas in this week’s issue, so let’s get to it!
THIS WEEK IN 2000 AD
Judge Dredd: Deep in the Heart, Part 1
Credits: Michael Carroll (script), Tiernen Trevallion (art), Annie Parkhouse (letters)
The stars at night are big and bright…
When I saw that writer Michael Carroll would be returning to this storyline I got pretty excited. His recent run of Dredd strips really knocked my socks off in the end, and he left plenty of loose threads behind. The most intriguing of those threads, in this humble reporter’s opinion, has to be the new relationship between Mega-City One and Texas City.
After Judge Oswin, TC’s Chief Judge, failed at her attempt to take over The Big Meg, MC-1’s Chief Judge Hershey installed a friendly Judge to run Texas. Now we see Judge Dredd himself making an appearance in Texas, as he commandeers a couple of local Judges for a mission. What that mission is hasn’t exactly been made clear yet, but this week we’re shown that Dredd is willing to go to some great lengths to achieve his goal. What Carroll’s doing here is interesting, as Dredd will often go above and beyond what would be a reasonable course of action to get his perp. Plus, it isn’t exactly surprising that he’d be tight-lipped with foreign Judges, right? So is he acting this way because he’s on a high-stakes, sensitive mission, or is it just because he’s a crotchety old thing?
Tiernen Trevallion’s art is really impressive here. I mean, his “Absalom” stuff was great, and he just wrapped up a two-parter in the Megazine, but these pages seem more spectacular that I’d anticipated. The opening scene of Dredd surveying the Texas cityscape was really impressive. I love his architectural design that’s going on in the distance, it’s almost like a Mega-City met The Jetsons with the way all of the buildings seem to be up on posts. Trevallion’s character work is something to note, as well. He’s got an instantly recognizable style, but lately he’s got a sort of Mick McMahon meets Kev Walker influence going on. It’s not like he’s aping either of those artists, but using them almost like a seasoning for his already established style.
All in all, this feels like a good start to something I’m anticipating to be another big run of stories.
Kingmaker, Part 2
Credits: Ian Edgington (script), Leigh Gallagher (art), Ellie De Ville (letters)
I love that, so far, this strip as felt like the opening of a D&D campaign that you know is going to be good. Part one was the DM explaining the world and its history, and this week sees the characters beginning to interact with one another, giving their introductions and what not. The odd pairing of a wizard and and orc works really well given the set up, I think. It feels like writer Ian Edgington is shifting the alignments we’re accustomed to for these character types. The orc, who one would expect to be a chaotic evil character has been forced into something of a good alignment. This seems to be pulling the wizard from a lawful good standing to something a bit more neutral, as he allies himself with someone he views as a neutral enemy for pragmatic reasons.
Meanwhile, Leigh Gallagher’s art is everything I want it to be for this type of story. His settings feel vast and real, while character moments have a close-cropped tightness to them. I also love the way he’s able to blend Tolkien-esque settings with high technology. He’s kept the tech at a distance to give readers a sense of what the characters in the story must be feeling, as it seems that they haven’t necessarily had a lot of close contact with it themselves.
Continued below
Hope: …For the Future, Part 2
Credits: Guy Adams (script), Jimmy Broxton (art), Simon Bowland (letters)
I’m not the only one who could see this as a “Hellblazer” story, am I?
Though, that’s not a bad thing. I’ll tell you now, I never really got into John Constantine’s adventures. And that’s not from a lack of trying, lots of good people have done good work on those comics, but none of it was ever for me. This, on the other hand? This strip is for me.
I’m a sucker for the kind of magic story Adams is laying out. You know the sort, where it’s something that’s out there for all to see but none recognize? Well, none other than those who are meant to wield it. Because of that, those folks look like loons while the blind ones see themselves as right. I guess I like this approach because it feel the most real, or plausible. Like this could actually be how it is, and all those crazies out there are actually the few who see the world for what it is.
Meanwhile, Broxton continues to amaze. His approach to every strip he does feels so distinct that he’s not necessarily someone with a fixer ‘style,’ though maybe his chameleon-like qualities could be defined as such. Any way you cut it, the guy’s an animal, and his pairings with Adams always feel spot on.
The Order: Wyrm War, Part 2
Credits: Kek-W (script), John Burns (art), Annie Parkhouse (letters)
Wyrm musk? Brain slaves? The Pope of Wyrms? This strip is absolutely bananas!
For all of the nuttiness that Kek-W is putting to paper here, I can’t help but believe that John Burns is the star of this show. His watercolor approach is so nice, and works really well with the minimalist line style he’s employing. It’s like he’s letting the line and color lean on each other, both defining shape and depth where the other can’t. His palette is not unlike the old “Prince Valiant” Sunday strips, in terms of hue and value, giving this comic a classic feel. Just looking at the pages readers are given a lot of information about what to expect, and it comes from this color and line treatment.
Meanwhile, Kek-W provides snappy dialog to accompany his on-panel antics and Burns’ pretty pictures. Though, I must admit, I don’t have all to great of a grasp on what’s happening just yet. I had a decent idea, I think, but then that ending sequence with Ritterstahl the robot man happened. Answers will come in the weeks to follow, I suppose.
Kingdom: As it is in Heaven, Part 2
Credits: Dan Abnett (script), Richard Elson (art), Ellie De Ville (letters)
This week is all about the catch up, as Abnett recounts some of the ground covered in the last two “Kingdom” series. He touches on who Lee Sower is and establishes her bond with big ol’ Gene the Hackman. Also reestablished is that Gene is a ‘wild aux,’ and that there is a social hierarchy that causes his non-wild brethren to look through their noses at him.
This type of storytelling necessity is one that is often muddled by writers, as the dialog reads like an info dump more than something someone would actually say. In Abnett’s hands, though, things are different. His recounting feels like a natural conversation, as things are eluded to rather than explained. He also does this thing where characters will step on each other in conversation, which adds to why this all works so well. Instead of concerning himself, and the reader, with nitty gritty details, he just provides the larger details as the narrative continues to unfold. This is something you see a lot of from the space-concious 2000 AD writer, and Abnett i surely one of the best at it.
That’s gonna do it for us this week! “2000 AD” is sale today and available digitally worldwide via:
- The 2000AD app for Apple iOS,
- The 2000AD app for Android devices,
- The 2000AD app for Windows Mobile Continued below
- 2000ADonline.com in DRM-free PDF and CBZ formats.
They are available in print today from:
- 2000ADonline.com and
- Finer UK comic shops throughout the UK.
“2000AD” and “Judge Dredd Megazine” are available in print in North America one month after UK release from your local comic shop.
So as Tharg the Mighty himself would say, “Splundig vur thrigg!”
