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Multiver-City One: 2000 AD Prog 1905 and Winter Special 2014

By and | October 29th, 2014
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Welcome, citizens, to this week’s installment of Multiver-City One! Every Wednesday we examine the latest offerings from Tharg and the droids over at 2000 AD, the galaxy’s leading producers of thrill-powerful entertainment! Between the weekly “2000 AD” itself, the monthly “Judge Dredd Megazine”, an extensive library of graphic novel collections, and new US-format one-shots and mini-series, they have decades of zarjaz comics for you to enjoy.

There’s a new Prog and as well as this year’s Winter Special to talk about this week, so let’s get right to it!

I. THIS WEEK IN PROG 1905

Cover by Dave Kendall

 

Judge Dredd: Block Judge, Part 6

Mega-City One’s Judges are able to exist largely because of the façades that’ve been built around them. While The Meg has had its share of elected mayors (Byron Ambrose, serial killer PJ Maybe posing as Ambrose, and Dave the Orangutan), they’re mostly just ineffectual figureheads. Any sort of government in Mega-City One serves entirely at the will of the Justice Department. There have even been gaps in time where there has been no elected government in the city. But, when the citizens need placating, or the Judges need someone to bear the brunt of criticism, a mayor is allowed to be elected. So if the government is ineffective, and exists solely to serve the Judges, that’d make Judge Dredd one of the most powerful people in the city, wouldn’t it?

So why am I bringing up puppet mayors and pointing out The Justice Department as the true seat of power in The Big Meg? Because of a conversation between Chief Judge Hershey and Judge Dredd that takes place in this week’s strip. Quite understandably, Hershey is upset about Dredd stringing together a bunch of minor charges to keep Dwight Knight locked up long enough to pin a bigger crime on him. Hershey now has Knight’s lawyers on her back, but Dredd says he needs more time to complete his investigation and doesn’t want her to release Knight. Dredd then pushes back, saying that Hershey should expect, “a few more like Knight coming in.”

So what’s this all mean? Dredd is clearly exploiting his relationship with Hershey to get what he wants. I can see how that could happen, even if one or both of them was unaware of it. Hershey was, after all, mentored by Dredd from her earliest days as a Judge. All these years later, despite holding the highest position in the Justice Department, it’s easy to assume Hershey sees Dredd as someone to answer to. And while this could be highly beneficial to Dredd, it can ultimately weaken the position of Chief Judge. Like any Mega-City One mayor, the position of Chief Judge could now be a puppet for the true seat of power in the city. But could that really be Judge Dredd?

Credits: John Wagner (script), Carlos Ezquerra (art), Annie Parkhouse (letters)

 

Stickleback: The Thru’Penny Opera, Part 6

Man, I think Marvel’s going a little overboard in their attempts to make the FF different in the comics than from the upcoming movie, if this new take on Ben Grimm is any indication.

I kid. I kid.

But it is, indeed, clobberin’ time. And Stickleback has had just about enough of being on the receiving end of it from the Sisters. Miss Scarlet was right when she kept telling him he was in a funk, and know we get to see what the old Stickleback is like. I’m not feeling too confident about the Sisters’ chances at this point. Well, as long as Stickleback and crew manage to make it past Mr. Punch, that is.

Credits: Ian Edginton (script), D’Israeli (art), Annie Parkhouse (letters)

 

Greysuit: Prince of Darkness, Part 5

It’s amazing what can unlock a memory, isn’t it? A familiar sight, the smell of food, a turn of phrase.

“Prince has to be stopped. He’s getting away with murder.”

And, just like that, it all comes back to you. All of it. Every horrid detail. Or, at least, that’s what’s going on with our friend John the Greysuit. All it took was that one, desperate plea from a man who’s work is not yet done. Now all of John’s conditioning may have been for naught. But I’m sure his superiors have a Plan B.

Continued below

Credits: Pat Mills (script), John Higgins (art), Sally Hurst (colors), Ellie De Ville (letters)

 

The Grievous Journey of Ichabod Azrael (And The Dead Left In His Wake): One Last Bullet, Part 5

Readers of this strip know that Ichabod is in a nether-realm where all manner of weird things are possible. Including the most awesome talking horse ever, but more on him in a second. So when the plot demands that some type of barrier appears between Ichabod and his would-be assassin, how do Williams & Dowling decide to make it look particularly bizarre? See above.

There’s no off-panel barricade. The border IS the barrier.

That and some other things in this strip are Grant Morrison/”Animal Man”-level WTF shenanigans going on. And I love it. Almost as much as I love the horse’s commentary during the above fight as things look at first good, then bad for Ichabod:

Ah…

It appears Ichabod is succeeding in his violent endeavor and shall be successful hitherto.

Hooray!

Still, I am but a horse…

And incisive punditry regarding the outcome of murder is not particularly within my skill set.

Just as a head’s up, you might be seeing that last line again soon, as the outcome of murder should be very much in doubt for the rest of this strip.

Credits: Rob Williams (script), Michael Dowling (art), Annie Parkhouse (letters)

 

Kingdom: Aux Drift, Part 6

Gene the Hackman does not jump from frying pan to fryer. Instead, he jumps from frying pan to frying pan, battling all manners of foodstuffs in his way.

That’s a metaphor, of course; there’s not a food fight to be had in this strip. Instead, readers are thrilled by the sight of mutants battling enormous insects in strange environments. Elson’s monster designs are terrifying, with many sets of eyes and teeth. When paired with Abnett’s idiosyncratic way of writing Gene’s dialogue, you get a hell of a finale for this week’s issue.

Credits: Dan Abnett (script), Richard Elson (art), Abigail Ryder (color), Ellie De Ville (letters)

 

II. 2000 AD WINTER SPECIAL

With the success of the Sci-Fi Special earlier this year, Tharg has deemed it necessary to put out a new Winter Special, the first in almost ten years! The Special gives up-and-coming droids the opportunity to work alongside seasoned veterans on some tried and true – and brand spankin’ new – 2000 AD stories. Don’t let that “new robot smell” fool you; the greenhorns in this crop have been vetted by Tharg himself, so you better believe there is some serious thrillpower on display in this issue. Each strip is self-contained, making this issue another great place to begin reading 2000 AD. Here’s a rundown of what to expect:

Cover by Ben Templesmith

 

Judge Dredd: Sorebone

After reading this strip, I found it difficult to believe that “DMZ” artist Riccardo Burchielli has never drawn a Dredd strip before this. He seemed to instinctively take to the role like a (Judge) fish to water, creating some interesting visuals and using an artistic shorthand you would expect from someone with a longer history with the character. The way he’ll draw an imposing Dredd in silhouette or obscure him in shadows makes for not just compelling visual storytelling, but pushes the strip to be something more horror-tinged than we generally see from this character. The terror-inducing tone that Burchielli’s art sets works magnificently with the narrative that Eglington creates. The strip draws heavily on what seems to be ‘70s-era slasher flicks, throwing cursed items and demon possession into the mix.

Credits: T.C. Eglington (script), Riccardo Burchielli (art), Luca Saponti (colors), Annie Parkhouse (letters)

 

Rogue Trooper: The Feast

Can we just give Guy Adams a ‘Rogue Trooper’ ongoing, already?

This is his second time at-bat with the character; the first was in this summer’s Sci-Fi Special. Adams and artist Lee Carter tell, in just a few pages, a ‘Rogue Trooper’ tale that will delight long-time readers as well as give those new to the character everything they need to get started.

Continued below

But it’s not just how they’re handling the character, it’s what they’re doing with him. The stark representation of Rogue literally wearing his fallen brothers-in-arms is haunting and illustrative of the character’s battlefield torment. I was crushed when I read that EIC Matt Smith had already told Adams that a series for Rogue Trooper was off the table, but hopefully he’ll change his mind after reading this pair of stories.

Credits: Guy Adams (script), Lee Carter (art), Simon Bowland (letters)

 

The Alienist

New strip starting here! New strip starting here!

Madelyn Vespertine is here to save us, and not a moment too soon by the looks of things. We don’t know where she’s from but we do know where she is: an early 20th-century London that doesn’t think a woman’s place should be anywhere near the types of things Madelyn is going to have to deal with. Her solution borrows from one of my all-time favorite Sherlock Holmes films, and is something I’ll be looking forward to discussing in greater detail, along with the rest of this strip, when it hits the Progs later in 2015.

Credits: Gordon Rennie & Emma Beeby (script), Eoin Coveney (art), Ellie de Ville (letters)

 

Terror Tales: Phantom Pains

Credits: Eddie Robson (script), Jeff Anderson (art), Simon Bowland (letters)

As this one-off thriller makes clear: some bargains just aren’t worth it. Trust me on this.

 

Defoe: Frankensteiner

Oh, great. Another post-apocalyptic zombie tale set in…17th century England? Interesting!

With a new ‘Defoe’ strip coming later this year, Mills & Gallagher give us a refresher story on Defoe and his predicament. Zombies have begun scouring the countryside of this alternate post-Civil War England after a comet not only starts the Great Fire of 1666 but also raises the dead. Although fighting for the winning side of that conflict, Defoe was still betrayed by factions inside and retired to a peaceful life that lasted right up until the comet showed up.

I’m looking forward to more ‘Defoe’, as this tale of England’s Zombie Hunter General pushes all the same buttons in me as Rennie & Gallagher’s ‘Aquila’. Period fantasy with genre conventions and an intermingling of fictional and historical characters. Plus, Gallagher draws really gnarled zombies, which is a plus.

Credits: Pat Mills (script), Leigh Gallagher (art), Ellie de Ville (letters)

 

Anderson, Psi-Division: Horror Comes to Velma Dinkley

Regular Multiver-citizens know how much we love Alan Grant’s work on Judge Anderson stories; he understands her like very few other writers do. But since we’ve spoken enough about Grant’s take on Judge Anderson in the past, let’s focus on Darren Douglas’s work with her now.

Douglas’s art looks like the British-raised love-child of the styles of Eric Powell and Norman Rockwell. His painterly style, in conjunction with dynamic panel and page compositions, make this strip the standout of the magazine in my estimation. And that’s saying a lot considering the praise I gave to Burchielli drawing Judge Dredd. It’s astounding to me how sure-handedly he crafted this strip, given how little comics work Douglas has done. His art appeared in the aforementioned “Rogue Trooper” strip in the 2014 Sci-Fi Special, which we heaped praised upon then. If someone had told us then that in six short months he’d resurface with even better work, we still wouldn’t have seen something this good coming. If it sounds like I’m gushing, it’s because I am. Here’s hoping for more frequent comics output from him.

Credits: Alan Grant (script), Darren Douglas (art), Annie Parkhouse (letters)

 

III. FUTURE PERP FILES

dredd cpu

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…

Continued below

 

That’s gonna do it for us this week! Both “2000 AD” Prog 1905 and the “2000 AD Winter Special 2014” is on sale today and available from:

So as Tharg the Mighty himself would say, “Splundig vur thrigg!”


//TAGS | Multiver-City One

Greg Matiasevich

Greg Matiasevich has read enough author bios that he should be better at coming up with one for himself, yet surprisingly isn't. However, the years of comic reading his parents said would never pay off obviously have, so we'll cut him some slack on that. He lives in Baltimore, co-hosts (with Mike Romeo) the Robots From Tomorrow podcast, writes Multiversity's monthly Shelf Bound column dedicated to comics binding, and can be followed on Twitter at @GregMatiasevich.

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Mike Romeo

Mike Romeo started reading comics when splash pages were king and the proper proportions of a human being meant nothing. Part of him will always feel that way. Now he is one of the voices on Robots From Tomorrow. He lives in Philadelphia with two cats. Follow him on Instagram at @YeahMikeRomeo!

EMAIL | ARTICLES


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