Welcome, citizens, to this week’s installment of Multiver-City One! Each and every Wednesday we will be examining the latest Prog from Tharg and the droids over at 2000 AD, and giving you all the pertinent information you’ll need headed into this week’s Thrill-Zine!
I. THIS WEEK IN PROG 1865
Judge Dredd: Titan, Part 4
The mission goes from bad to worse this week as air runs low, plans go awry, and deceivers reveal themselves. There is a lot of tension in this strip, and it’s not just because of the lack of trust Dredd seems to have in his teammates. I mean, sure, that’s where it all begins, but the fact that they are all in such a harsh and unforgiving environment is what compounds it. If any one of the members of this crew wanted to sabotage the mission, they would not have to work very hard. It’d be as simple as, say, running out the clock on the oxygen supply or accidentally opening up an airlock that really shouldn’t be opened.
This week’s installment ends with a pretty big reveal. In hindsight, I guess I could have seen something like this coming, but I didn’t, probably because I was too wrapped up in Dredd getting old. I really want to spoil this, but I won’t. However, if anyone wants to get into it, tweet me and we can talk about the goods.
In closing, I want to touch on what an absolute art-stud Henry Flint is. This strip is, no pun intended, out of this world. From his take on the Judicial space suits to choices in color to just bringing the grit with the gleam, the visuals for this are absolutely top-notch. This is some of the best-looking stuff I’ve seen from him, and given how much Dredd I’ve read, that’s saying a whole hell of a lot.
Credits: Rob Williams (script), Henry Flint (art), Annie Parkhouse (letters)
Ulysses Sweet, Maniac for Hire: Centred, Part 4
How do you find enlightenment? By riding a giant worm until a neon sign tells you you have, of course!
Wait, that can’t be right. Let me try again.
This week’s installment sees Ulysses, along with the enlightenment seekers he’s been hired to protect, making their way into Cloud World. It’s here that, after a little ‘help’ from an unsuspecting cherub, Ulysses Sweet finds enlightenment. Or, if it’s NOT enlightenment, then he’s found a synapse-frying, bliss-inducing disco ball in space. As long as he’s happy, I guess.
Credits: Guy Adams (script), Paul Marshall (art), Chris Blythe (greytones), Ellie De Ville (letters)
Grey Area: Short Straw, Part 4
Like any port of call, Grey Area deals with Bulliet and his team trying to police the travelers and keep them from bringing any unwanted things on and taking any wanted things off Earth. Like we have today. if you were coming back to the US from visiting some relatives in, oh say, Amsterdam and wanted to bring a little of that city’s finest herbs to share with your stateside buds, chances are our TSA finest would detect said plants and confiscate them. Maybe even by cavity search, if you were fearless in your choice of hiding place.
Why bring this up? Because an alien is trying to bring benzinotrite powder or crystal maze into the Grey Area. The dogs sniffed it, and the dogs are never wrong. But the alien is, shall we say, huge. Cavity searching would be like a scene out of James Cameron’s ALIENS. Guess who drew the short straw on that detail?
Credits: Dan Abnett (script), Patrick Goddard (art), Abigail Ryder (colors), Ellie de Ville (letters)
ABC Warriors: Return To Mars, Part 4
So the ABC Warriors make it to Mars, ready to kick ass now that Harry Shrapnel is back in the game. The not-so-fine Jung Cannibals won’t know what hit them when the eight Warriors bring the… wait a minute. Harry’s sitting this one out? Wants to be the mechanic? Ummmm, okay. But the next time…
Continued belowHe still wants no part of it. And now he’s changed his name to Tubal Cain.
what’s it going to take to get Harry fired up again?
Credits: Pat Mills (script), Clint Langley (art), Annie Parkhouse (letters)
Strontium Dog: Dogs Of War, Part 4
Johnny Alpha is a dog in the lion’s den as he goes undercover into the Brotherhood’s base camp to do a little advance recon. Suss out their strengths and weaknesses, get a handle on their numbers, try not to blow his cover by strangling every last one of them for their anti-mutant hate. Johnny does indeed get the answers he came looking for, but can he make it back to his base without letting the facade slip? Do you think that brother dining on mutant meat is getting out of this Prog alive?
i wouldn’t bet on it…
Credits: John Wagner (script), Carlos Ezquerra (art), Simon Bowland (letters)
II. OF INTEREST
Once again, we’ve struck gold scouring the Twitters and Tumblrs out there for Meg-approved goodness to share with all you humes. This week, it’s a Francesco Francavilla piece from 2011 that popped up on his Twitter feed. Gaze into the face of Justice!
Here’s another Judicial treat form this week, this one courtesy of Monday’s The Colbert Report…
Seeing this pop up sort of surprised me for two reasons: 1) It was not Stallone, and 2) the gag seemed to go over really well. Colbert is, of course, no stranger to funny books. Not only has he penned a few himself, but he’s also got Cap’s shield mounted on the wall behind him during every episode. The whole thing came up as part of a bit about a judicial decision regarding state executions. Judges, executioners, get it?
III. AN ORAL HISTORY OF JUDGE DREDD
The tale of Judge Dredd has been continually published since 1977, and has been brought to us by some of the most creative minds to ever work in comics. As a result, there have been some out-of-this-world story beats woven into the fabric of the character. We thought it would be interesting to talk with the writers and artists behind Mega-City One and see what their favorite bits of Dredd’s history are. This week, Michael Molcher gives his favorite Dredd story and points out a few things people need to keep in mind when reading the adventures of our favorite Judge.
[audio:http://traffic.libsyn.com/robotsfromtomorrow/mvc1molcherstories.mp3]
IV. FUTURE PERP FILES
ATTN: ALL CITIZENS OF THE MEG! Be aware that there is always a Judge watching you. Each sector is equipped with millions of HD-CCTV and bioID units. They are there for your protection. If your intent is upright citizenry, then you have no qualm with our surveillance. And remember: if you see something, you are now an accessory to a crime. That’s six months in an Iso-Cube, creep! Random CPU algorithms has selected this citizen for immediate surveillance and assessment…
V. ALSO OUT THIS WEEK
In addition to Prog 1865, this week finally sees the release of IDW’s Judge Dredd: Mega-City Two #1. This new five-issue mini-series takes a younger Dredd out of the East Coast gloom of Mega-City One and drops him smack-dab into the West Coast glamour and glitz of Mega-City Two! Swimming pools! Movie stars! and a police procedural culture shock so jarring Dredd will have to do some hours in the Rejuve tanks for whiplash!
Writer Douglas Wolk and artist Ulises Farinas (with colorist Ryan Hill) really bring their A-game with this series. I’ve had the privilege reading issue #1 already and this spread that we’ve been showing you to get you pumped for this series?
The whole ISSUE looks this good. Seriously. So look for either of these covers at your shop today, and come on out to the coast!
That’s gonna do it for us this week! Prog 1865 is on sale today and is available from finer comic shops everywhere, from 2000ADonline.com, and via the 2000 AD Newsstand app for iPad and iPhone. So as Tharg the Mighty himself would say, “Splundig vur thrigg!”
