Multiver-City One: 2000 AD Prog 2008 – Mind Craft!

Welp, looks like I’m going to London!

That’s right, this lowly columnist will be traveling to the big ol’ 40th anniversary extravaganza in February. Not many details have been announced yet, but there’s already a hearty list of legendary talent set to be in attendance. Pat Mills, John Wagner, Carlos Ezquerra, Alan Grant, Dave Gibbons, Mike McMahon, Steve Yeowell, Rob Williams, Si Spurrier, Al Ewing, Sean Phillips, Duncan Fregredo and Simon Bisley are the first to be announced, with a whole ton more to be made known in the coming weeks. I’ve got a feeling that this is going to be a raucous good time, so if you’re debating going, I’ll just leave this link right here.

As exciting as all of that is, let’s turn our attention to the thrills before us. Things are ramping up to a conclusion in “Judge Dredd,” “Hunted” and “Counterfeit Girl” as we hurtle towards the triple-sized year end issue in just a few weeks. Plus, “Savage” and “Flesh” continue to rage in the sort of way only a pair of Pat Mills comics can. Let’s get to it!

I. THIS WEEK IN 2000 AD

Cover by Rob Davis

Judge Dredd: The Cube Root of Evil, Part 2
Credits: Arthur Wyatt (script), Jake Lynch (art), John Charles (color), Annie Parkhouse (letters)

Have we seen a naked lady in “Judge Dredd” before? Has Jake Lynch landed himself an obscure ‘first’ for the series?

This week’s strip takes a turn for the cannibalistic as Dredd begins to unwrap the mystery of the weird machine and missing citizens. What Wyatt and Lynch are doing here feels so classic that I can’t help but love it. The narrative that Wyatt is weaving is touching on some of the grey areas of Mega-City life. Between the ‘meat wagons’ and resyk centers, there’s a real moral ambiguity when it comes to how the dead are treated. Now we’re poised to ponder that sort of dichotomy, though not in a hand-holdy way. Instead, he simply chooses to lay these beats in front of the reader, letting them ponder them if they choose to. A choice that, given the bigger plot points being played with, would be easy enough for someone to make with out feeling like they got a light story.

To me, this is one of the more interesting parts of how Judge Dredd is handled. The best serials almost always have that dual-track approach to them: the surface and the allegorical. Yes, the ‘villain’ of this story is an old shut in who eats people, and that’s a (ahem) meaty bit of fiction to chew on. But the ties to Chaos Day and the trauma it inflicted on this woman, as well as the general treatment of the dead, are there to be considered.

Meanwhile, Jake Lynch is doing a phenomenal job channeling the same influences as Wyatt. His reverence for Mick McMahon is on full display, but that’s not all that’s there. While drawing on influences, it’s plain to see that Lynch is quickly morphing that inspiration his own, distinct voice. I mean, after this strip wraps up, I think it’s going to be pretty easy to pick this guy’s art out from a distance. It’s been really exciting being able to watch Lynch crystalize in these pages, forming the artist he will be. At this rate, he’ll be one of the go-to Dredd artists in no time.

Savage: The Märze Murder, Part 8
Credits: Pat Mills (script), Patrick Goddard (art), Annie Parkhouse (letters)

Those dang robot dogs are back! And they’re jumping out of an even bigger robot!

Still only half an idea what’s going on in this strip, but that doesn’t mean that it’s not interesting. We’re getting into questions of alliances, as Savage save the day. Sort of. It’s a mess, really.

Goddard’s art continues to impress, as he renders out fantastic events in a real matter of fact way. Most of this week’s strip is a sort of chase scene, as a gigantic robot runs amuck in Berlin. The way all of this is rendered makes me feel as if this is probably something that’s been seen before. Not by me necessarily, but by these characters. It comes from the way Goddard is able to nestle this sort of sci-fi element in an otherwise ordinary setting, like it’s supposed to be there. That, combined with his dry brush/even line work approach to his art makes this one real easy on the eyes.

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Hunted, Part 8
Credits: Gordon Rennie (script), PJ Holden (art), Len O’Grady (color), Simon Bowland (letters)

Here we go! Genetic Infantryman vs Genetic Infantryman!

As can be expected, this was another great week for “Hunted.” I was glad to have gotten a little more info on how the Traitor General’s G.I. works, and sort of surprised to learn of the difference between him and Rogue. It raises a lot of questions that I won’t get into for the sake of spoilers, though I will say they pertain to Rogue’s consciousness and personality.

I realized that Jaegir isn’t sporting her gnarly face scar in this story, and I’m baffled at why it took me so long to notice. This sort of places the story for me, though said placement is still pretty vague. This being a younger Atalia Jaegir helps to explain why things go so badly for her, though after this week I can’t help but wonder why she was even in this story at all. Was it simply for the sake of the big cross over?

PJ Holden and Len O’Grady are still kicking ass on the strip, and they really outdid themselves on the Jaegir scene. I love that Holden designed those Nort exo-suits like they’re old deep sea diving suits. They feel almost like a handicap for Jaegir and company, and seem almost like a comment on how out of touch Nort command is. Who could be expected to succeed in something like that? O’Grady’s colors on those pages was really sharp, as he gives Holden’s linework a subtle hue that adds a real warmth to the hellish scene.

Next week sees the wrap-up of this tale, and I’m going to be bummed to see it go! I really hope that this team can come together for the title’s next installment.

Flesh: Gorehead, Part 8
Credits: Pat Mills (script), Clint Langley (art), Ellie De Ville (letters)

So a priest walks int a T-Rex…

At least I think that’s what’s happening. There are a ton of cool ideas at play in this series, but I’ll be damned if I can sort out what’s happening. After all these weeks, this series has sort of become a bit of fun for me to dive into, but little more. I get to see dinosaurs and weird cowboys, but there’s not thread for me to follow here. Langley’s art is good for the most part, but I’m put off by the photographed faces. It works for the dinosaurs, but it’s just plain jarring for the people.

Counterfeit Girl, Part 9
Credits: Peter Milligan (script), Rufus Dayglo (art), Dom Regan (color), Ellie De Ville (letters)

Whew, Rufus Dayglo can draw his ass off, huh? His attention to detail is astounding, as he renders out the technology in this world in a way that I really respond to. It’s that cobbled-together type of futuristic setting that was all the rage in 80s sci-fi, but with his own unique sort of approach. It’s a mashing together of technologies, as the wearables seem obtrusive and almost painful, while taxis and communications seem to be far more refined. Floating planes show Sir Albion everything he needs, and they seem powered by some nifty operating system. In a nutshell: there is a lot of planning and imagination that goes into this world and the pages it lives on.

It’s a real gut punch that we’ve gotta wait two weeks for the wrap-up to this one, as Milligan threw us a great big question mark at the end. There’s a lot going on this week, and I get the impression that it only hints at what Albion is planning. I guess we’ll sort it all out in a fortnight!

II. GET THE BACKSTORY

Week after week we read these comics, which are mostly steeped in mythos and publishing history. Obviously Judge Dredd’s got a long continuity, but so do a number of the other strips in this magazine. To explore this idea we submit to you, the dear reader, a brand new segment that aims to figure out just how in the hell we got here.

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For the last bunch of weeks, I’ve been really enjoying “Hunted” by Gordon Rennie, PJ Holden and Len O’Grady, and it’s making me realize how little I know about “Rogue Trooper.” Despite this limited knowledge, I’ve always considered the character a favorite, as I just sort of like the idea of him. Now, after having my curiosity thoroughly piqued by Rennie’s narrative, I decided to dive into the world of everyone’s favorite Genetic Infantryman.

In the same spirit of the “Judge Dredd Case Files,” the droids at 2000 AD have assembled a series of “Rogue Trooper: Tales of Nu Earth” omnibus editions. First appearing in the pages of 1981’s Prog 228, “Rogue Trooper” is the creation of Gerry Finley-Day and Dave Gibbons. Additionally, the first volume of “Tales of Nu Earth” features a number of other big-name creators like Cam Kennedy, Bret Ewins and, probably most notably, Alan Moore, who’d later go on to create “Watchmen” with Gibbons. Curiously, the two do not work together in this volume.

This is such a good volume of comics. I think that Gibbons is the clear star of the book, which is saying a lot when you consider the company he’s got. Thanks to “Watchmen,” it’s easy to think of him as an artist who sticks to the grid, so his “Rogue Trooper” strips are a nice reminder of how bombastic he could be. He plays a lot with page layout and pacing without ever losing readability. Plus, he really gets to render the shit out of all sorts of tanks and weird landscapes. I’m about halfway through this volume and I’m absolutely in love with it.

So, if you’re like me and have been enjoying the Prog’s Rogue World offering, I can’t recommend checking out these collections enough.

That’s gonna do it for us this week! “2000 AD” is sale today and available digitally worldwide via: