Multiver-City One: 2000 AD Prog 2015 and Judge Dredd Megazine 380

Welcome back to Multiver-City One, the cleverly named 2000 AD review column! Each and every week we break down the galaxy’s greatest magazine, giving you thoughts and insights into each of the mag’s strips. This week is an especially exciting one, as not only do we also have a Megazine to cover, but we’re also welcoming a raft of new colleagues to the column. From this week forward Bobby D., Ryan Perry and Liam Sunner will be joining me, filling the Greg-shaped void the column’s been sporting for the past few months.

In other exciting news, even more details about the 2000 AD Thrill-Fest have emerged. This includes a full list of guests as well as the complete list of events, which include a panel and two live drawing events that’ll be hosted by our very own Mike Romeo. More info on all of this follows our Megazine reviews.

Speaking of the Megazine, we’ve got a lot on our plate, so let’s get to it!

I. THIS WEEK IN 2000 AD

Cover by Leigh Gallagher

Judge Dredd: Deep in the Heart, Part 4
Credits: Michael Carroll (script), Tiernen Trevallion (art), Annie Parkhouse (letters)

Mike Romeo: Let’s start with the art this time, because it’s looking like spoilers will be unavoidable. Trevallion’s work continues to knock my socks off, as this week he’s reaching even greater heights than we’ve seen before. Just look at the excerpt above, specifically the guy getting his face shot off. Then check out that little yellow star meant to indicate an impact. What’s happening here is a take on hyper-violence that uses cartoonish elements to communicate just how horrific this fight is. Dredd later shoots another guy’s fingers of, which Trevallion played in an almost Looney Toons sort of way. I find the juxtaposition between the art style and its content to be jarring in exactly the way it’s supposed to be. If this were a realistically rendered scene the violence would still be horrendous, no doubt, but I don’t think that it’d have the same sort of impact. Here, in Trevallion’s idiosyncratic style, the reader’s mind fills in the grotesque blanks that’ve been left in the artist’s economic line work. So where, on paper, they guy getting his face blown off is nothing more than a few marks and a flat red shape, in your mind it becomes a mess of bone, meat and blood frozen in time.

For most of this week’s installment, things seem focused on Dredd’s task at hand. Then, on the final page, writer Michael Carroll kicks the narrative wide open, tying it to a whole mess of stories he’s done before. Readers should cast their minds back to the stories “Cascade” (Progs 1894-1899), “Ghosts” (Progs 1963-1968) and “Dust to Dust” (Megazines 371-373). Readers should also note that there will be some spoilers ahead!

Carroll’s been tying all of his stories together, and it’s making for a hell of a mega-arc. This is the sort of stuff that I love about “Judge Dredd,” that long-haul writers can have their own casts and narrative threads. They’re afforded the room to grow a story as they see fit, weaving between the raindrops to make something that slyly becomes huge. Of course John Wagner is the king of the mountain in this regard, Rob Williams is another who comes immediately to mind, and after the last couple of years Carroll has defined himself as this type of storyteller.

So let’s break down this last page a bit, panel by panel. There are a couple of holes in my knowledge here, so hopefully a reader can help me out with this. Panel one is a set up for panel two, which features a dark figure, sword in each hand, battling it out with some giant bugs. My first thought was, ‘oh, that’s Thorn, isn’t it?’ Thorn, of course, was the Cursed Earth mutant Rico was on the tail of during “Dust to Dust,” but he died at the end. So who is this fella? The questions continue in panels three and four, as we see a Psi Judge tinkering with the head of someone Dredd describes as a ‘specific prisoner’ while eluding to the empath Gideon Dallas. Long-time readers will remember that Gideon was prominent in three stories, the final of which was “Cascade.” He’s also got ties to the big thing Dredd brings up in the final panel of the story: Sector Zero, an urban legend turned real in Carroll’s “Ghosts.”

Continued below

Carroll’s not just pulling on threads here, he’s yanking the shit out of them. I was blindsided by this final page in the best way possible, and it’s left me eager to see where things are going.

Kingmaker, Part 5
Credits: Ian Edginton (script), Leigh Gallagher (art), Ellie De Ville (letters)

MR: I’m really enjoying this sword and sorcery buddy story! It feels like Edginton and Gallagher are on exactly the same page with what they want to do. Part fantasy story, part sci-fi epic, “Kingmaker” is the perfect blending of two distinct genres. The way both writer and artist are able to blend a clean space opera with an earthy D&D inspired tale takes a huge effort in both art and writing, which Gallagher and Edginton nail.

Gallagher’s rendering of the glamor our heroes happen upon is startling in it’s detail. The trees and foliage are rendered gorgeously, as is the moody light that seems to be bushing through a thick forest canopy. Reading this installment, I could almost feel the cool humidity of the forest on my skin. Then when the environment decided to get up and protect itself? Well, lets just say that I could not have predicted how that was going to happen.

Hope: …For the Future, Part 5
Credits: Guy Adams (script), Jimmy Broxton (art), Simon Bowland (letters)

Ryan Perry: Guy Adams injects the world with subtle humor and clever wordplay; he has a real gift for characterizing Los Angeles and the fictional time period the story takes place in. This issue takes extra time to develop the cinema industry of the day from both the audience’s perspective and the creators’. Adams uses comparisons drawn between religious devotion to describe the public’s love of cinema when he defines the movies as “The Holy Temple of Los Angeles, the House of the Latter Day Idols.” Despite how well he develops a setting, his characterization of our protagonist really stands apart. Hope’s narration is laced with indulgent sarcasm and self-deprecation such as when he remarks to himself, “Wish I’d brought my gun…” so that, “…I could have shot myself with it.” when faced with a talent agency waiting room. It reads like Rick Deckard walked into an issue of Hellblazer. He’s haunting and haunted and, to this issue’s benefit, it never lets you forget it.

Jimmy Broxton directs the action in a way that dictates action but avoids specific depiction of emotion in order to let the script breath. He tells the story with sharp contour lines which prevent shadows from smoothly wrapping around in any place and pushing to the fore his heavy use of contrast. It avoids a prevalent modern issue of being over-drawn; it feels influenced by minimalism in that nothing that doesn’t need to be there is, but adheres to a strict attention detail such as in the depiction of the talent agents office or the street corner vendor. This is all wrapped up in a mood setting use of color and light. From the joyless color palette to the use of symbols that float off the page you’re given the sense that you’re privy to the presence of something ancient and unnerving. This plays into his use of light which he uses to blot out color at points, and create the semblance of an overexposed photograph.

The Order: Wyrm War, Part 5
Credits: Kek-W (script), John Burns (art), Annie Parkhouse (letters)

Liam Sunner: Following the old trope of an order of warriors protecting mankind from an unknown threat (in this instance the Wyrms), the strip opens on a conflict within the group made worse with an impending time constraint. Kek-W’s script shows the urgency of the situation but still finds moments to play to character traits and dynamics in the form of moustache based insults. The humour balances well with the grim reality the group face. Burns does a great job of capturing the confined space of the dungeon, mixing light sources to highlight or hide elements of the plot. His combat panels are quick and efficient, while keeping the movement and flow. This is enhanced with the clever placement of speech balloons by Parkhouse, furthering the confined and hurried action but never overly restricting the readers’ eyeline. Kek-W works an interesting balance in pacing between flash-forwards from the present, contrasting nicely to the hook on the last page. Not seeming out of place, rather playing nicely off the previous panels. Overall, The Order is a great instalment of the story pushing plot and character forward in the strip but never allowing one at the expense of the other.

Continued below

Kingdom: As it is in Heaven, Part 5
Credits: Dan Abnett (script), Richard Elson (art), Ellie De Ville (letters)

Bobby D.: This strip follows the adventures of Gene the Hackman, an Aux dog/human hybrid who must find his way out of a facility that he and his friends seem to have been held captive in by a group of Aux. While he is escaping, two Aux soldiers use his friends as bait, forcing Gene to ponder if a fight is worth the risk of botching the escape.

The designs, by Richard Elson, for the Aux Dog people really stood out for me. Their expressions are very animated and each character seems to have their own unique physique. Gene actually looks very subtly smaller than the two Aux who are holding his friends, Michelle and Cutback, hostage. The Aux called Bull in particular is drawn with a very heavy wide frame. He even has those weird backwards dog knees to make him look more dog than human. Most of Bull’s dialogue is actually bolded to make it seem like he’s yelling every other word. The lettering, done by Ellie De Ville only uses this for other characters when they’re afraid, aggravated or to put emphasis on a certain phrase. That fact that Bull’s dialogue is mostly in bold even when he’s just pushing his captives around really accentuates how bestial the character is compared to the other Aux. Especially going along with his design.

The background art however, leaves a lot to be desired. Maybe it was intentional, but in most of the panels the backgrounds are just blotches of muted blue. In a few panels you can see pods on the wall that seem to contain other Aux, but besides that there isn’t really much to set the tone or make the setting itself distinct or interesting.

One other part of the strip that stood out for me was actually a couple of panels with a character whose identity isn’t revealed yet. There’s a part where a silhouetted figure looks at a live feed of Gene and his traveling partner, Leezee Sower as they have a conversation about how to escape. The next panel is a close up with every feature of their face silhouetted except their eyes and the bridge of their snout. There’s something very intense about the way their stare was drawn that seems to convey a certain hatred upon seeing Gene.

Overall, strip itself kind of felt like a placeholder for events to come. Despite this, I’m still interested in back reading and following up on this series to see where it goes. I’ve been a big fan of Dan Abnett’s work in the past and this strip gives me the same enjoyment that’s gotten me into his work before.

Cover by Jesus Redondo and Chris Blythe

II. THIS MONTH IN JUDGE DREDD MEGAZINE 380

Judge Dredd: The Rubicon, Part 1
Credits: Michael Carroll (script), Ben Willsher (art), Chris Blythe (color), Annie Parkhouse (letters)

MR: So where “Deep in the Heart” started with a straightforward case and expanded later, “The Rubicon” seems to be taking the opposite tact. The story opens with Texas City’s newest Chief Judge Lewis in talks with a Brit Cit diplomat. Lewis has recently been installed by Mega-City One’s Chief Judge Hershey after TC last Chief Judge met an untimely end. It was the culmination of a deep conspiracy that ties TC and Brit Cit together, as the two powers sought to take control over a weakened Mega-City One. Now it seems that the co-conspirators, whose plans failed, have to make right and get good with one another, all under the unknowing supervision of Hershey and Mega-City One. Then, after all of that is laid out, things take a turn towards a focused case: the aforementioned diplomat has a kid who’s run into a bit of trouble with the law. Seeing as how he was in TC anyway, Judge Dredd is on the case.

I really like how Carroll set this one up. It feels different for him, and I wonder if that’s just my own perception. I feel like his usual strips start small and reveal their scope later, where this one opens with the big picture and uses that to push characters forward. It’s interesting to say the least.

Continued below

I sometimes find Ben Willsher’s art to be a little stiff for my taste, but he’s done some fantastic work on this one. In particular, I love his acting when it comes to Lewis. She’s new to the role, but her body language would lead you to believe that she’s been doing it for years. She’s relaxed, sitting spread eagle on a sofa talking to a diplomat with her swagger turned up to 10. Maybe this is because she’s a Psi Judge, so she already knows she’s got the upper hand? Or maybe she’s just a natural cowboy and TC is going to be a great fit for her. Whichever the case may be, Willsher has done a fantastic job telling readers all about Lewis and what she’s like, without Carroll ever having to devote a word to it.

Anderson, Psi-Division: Dragon Blood, Part 1
Credits: Alan Grant (script), Paul Marshall (art), Dylan Teague (color), Simon Bowland (letters)

BD: In the first few pages, writer Alan Grant purposely uses dialogue sparingly. There are only a few exchanges between Anderson and some of the Mutant citizens; the rest of the words are her internal thoughts. The story sets up a pretty bad ass action sequence that goes from a one page splash to a 7 panel page where Anderson absolutely demolishes a gang of mutants in a firefight.

Something that really stood out for me is that Paul Marshall draws Anderson to actually look like she’s in her mid thirties. Being someone who mostly reads cape comics, it’s rare to see an artist draw a woman over 30 who looks like she’s over 30, which is refreshing. Dylan Teague uses colors very interestingly. The chalky blues and yellows used to color the sky, dust and desert hills played really well off one another.

The fire fight scene I mentioned earlier did a really good job of only using blue, yellow and black to display the action, save for a couple of Panels that focused on Anderson. The mutants are even silhouetted to draw attention to every shot they’re hit by. It’s almost like an old western, where a gunslinger falls off the balcony of a saloon after the hero one shots them. It isn’t until the action slows down that we see a full range of colors used again. And even then it’s done sparingly; it’s a good stylistic use of a purposely limited palette.

Angelic: Home is the Hunter, Part 4
Credits: Gordon Rennie (script), Lee Carter (art), Simon Bowland (letters)

MR: Now that’s how you end an Angel story! Seeing Rennie explore this alternate version of Pa Angel was interesting. Then, when he threw him up against a second alternate take of that character? That’s when things got downright interesting. It’s almost like Rennie spit the original Pa Angel into two characters: Pa, the antagonist with the buffoonish band of murderers, and Angel, the father who wants to protect his kid. I like the idea of pitting these two takes of the same character against one another, and I was surprised by how it all played out. Angel, the more ‘real-world’ protagonist we’ve been following turned out to be capable of violence on a scale I couldn’t have imagined. Meanwhile, Pa is holed up and hiding, surprised by how man Angel really is.

Lee Carter’s art on this series was really impressive this chapter in particular. He’s an artist who lives in quiet moments, even when he’s drawing characters in the heat of battle. There’s a subtlety to his work that lends him to this, and we see it clear as day in that two-page spread. As Angel looks about, remembering how he killed everyone around him, Carter alternates between using panel borders and not, indicating what is past and what is present. It’s such a small touch, but it goes a long, long way, just like a lot of his work.

So is this the end of “Angelic” as a series? I dunno. I’d have expected to see an ‘Angelic returns…’ at the end, as is often how these things are handled. It’d be a shame to not see this one return, as I really did the wild west/Lone Wolf and Cub approach to the Angel Gang that Rennie’s been giving us.

Continued below

Lawless: Long Range War, Part 1
Credits: Dan Abnett (script), Phil Winslade (art), Ellie De Ville (letters)

LS: Abnett, Winslade, and De Ville hit the ground running on this new story, the three working to set a very clear tone of what Marshall Lawton is up against, both in the immediate pages and the overall situation in the city. However, this world building aspect is not at the expense of storytelling. Each scene plays with a good mix of small character moments, a line of dialogue or a line on someone’s face. But never getting self-indulgent or wasteful.

Abnett’s script is sharp and characterful without relying on archetypes or tropes without self-awareness. Each line from the “ME?” on page two to the conversation in the bar, brings home the character of Marshal Lawton, who she is and what she is going to do. This essence of character is carried over in a perfect marriage in Winslade’s art. From the smaller details of a raised eyebrow to looks of shock to general character position, everything is as it should be to advance the story. De Ville, working with the line art helps ensure the never resting lifestyle of a Marshall work with clean and clear dialogue matching perfectly the mood of the Winslade’s art to the overall plot and pacing. While fast paced, the strip never seemed rushed or jerking to the reading, rather a consistent, yet hectic, flow is present, until the last page when all hell breaks loose, serving as a perfect hook for the next issue.

III. THE THRILL-FEST COMETH

MR: As was said at the top, more details about 2000 AD’s 40th anniversary extravaganza have been released. Let’s start with the list of who’s going to be there:

Abigail Ryder, Al Ewing, Alan Barnes, Alan Grant, Alec Worley, Andrew Currie, Andy Diggle, Annie Parkhouse, Arthur Ranson, Ben Oliver, Ben Willsher, Boo Cook, Carlos Ezquerra, Charlie Adlard, Chris Blythe, Chris Weston, Clint Langley, Colin MacNeil, Dan Abnett, Dani, Dave Gibbons, David Baillie, David Bishop, David Kendall, David Millgate, David Roach, Dermot Power, D’Israeli, Dom Reardon, Duncan Fegredo, Dylan Teague, Eddie Robson, Emma Beeby, Eoin Coveney, Frazer Irving, Glenn Fabry, Gordon Rennie, Henry Flint, Hilary Robinson, Ian Edginton, Ian Kennedy, INJ Culbard, Jeff Anderson, Jesus Redondo, Jock, John Higgins, John McCrea, John Smith, John Tomlinson, John Wagner, Jon Davis-Hunt, Karl Richardson, Karl Stock, Kek-W, Kev Walker, Laurence Campbell, Lee Carter, Lee Sullivan, Lee Townsend, Leigh Gallagher, Mark Harrison, Mark Sexton, Michael Carroll, Michael Dowling, Mick McMahon, Mike Collins, Neil Roberts, Nick Percival, Nigel Dobbyn, Pat Mills, Patrick Goddard, Paul Cornell, Paul J Holden, Paul Marshall, Peter Hogan, Peter Milligan, Phil Winslade, Richard Burton, Richard Elson, Rob Williams, Robbie Morrison, Robin Smith, Roger Langridge, Rufus Dayglo, Ryan Brown, Sean Phillips, Si Spencer, Siku, Simon Bisley, Simon Bowland, Simon Coleby, Simon Davis, Simon Fraser, Simon Gurr, Simon Jacob, Simon Spurrier, Steve MacManus, Steve Pugh, Steve Roberts, Steve Tappin, Steve White, Steve Yeowell. T. C. Eglington, Tom Foster, Warren Pleece

Lots of those folks will be stationed in artist alley, which is being referred to as ‘Artist Megaway’ and will also feature a Slaine-themed bar and a bunch of vendors selling their thrill-wares. These vendors are big shots like 3A, Ashley Wood’s toy company, so you do not want to miss what they’re offering. More info on that stuff can be found right over here.

Then, of course there are the panels! Lots of fantastic discussions will be happening, and I’ve got the pleasure of leading some of them. The entire rundown can be found here, and here’s the description of the panel I’ll be moderating:

10:45 AM – 11:30 AM
BUILDING WORLDS: Dan Abnett, Ian Edginton, D’Israeli, Ian Culbard
Hosted by Mike Romeo
2000 AD has been generating new characters and series for 40 years and two of our most prolific and popular writers, Dan Abnett and Ian Edginton, are joined their regular collaborators D’Israeli and INJ Culbard, to talk about what it takes to build new worlds and new civilisations for 2000 AD, and how these worlds evolve and change over time.

I’ll also be interviewing Henry Flint and D’israeli as they each do a live drawing. You can catch those talks at 1:45 and 3:00 respectively. I’m really, really excited to be able to take part in the festivities and hope to see some of you there! Additionally, there’s an exhibit of 40 years of 2000 AD art that’ll be going on at The Cartoon Museum in London. I’ll be making that my Friday afternoon, I think!

Continued below

IV. AN EARTHLET’S GUIDE TO 2000 AD

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” is sale today and available digitally worldwide via: