Welcome, Earthlets, to Multiver-City One, our “2000 AD” weekly review column! Every Wednesday we examine the latest offerings from Tharg and the droids over at Rebellion/2000 AD, the galaxy’s leading producers of Thrill-Power entertainment. Let’s get right to it!
THIS WEEK IN 2000AD
Judge Dredd: Control: Part 5
Credits: Rob Williams (script), Chris Weston (art), Chris Blythe (colors), Annie Parkhouse (letters)
Matthew Blair: And now, the conclusion of the ‘Control’ storyline. Hold on to your hats folks, because it’s a doozy.
“Control: Part 5” is a showcase on what makes Judge Dredd such a great character. Even though he is crippled, nearly buried, weak, and the most helpless he has ever been he still pushes forward with grim (heavy emphasis on grim) determination. Even though Judge Pin holds all the cards and has Dredd dead to rights, he still finds a way to win.
Rob Williams writes the desperate struggle between the two judges perfectly. Even though it’s just two people fighting in an abandoned hole, there’s a sense that this is a clash between titans rather than people. The writer makes the reader feel Dredd’s effort and exertion, while Judge Pin’s slow and creeping realization that she isn’t as powerful as she thought she was is wonderfully terrifying and scary. Yes, Judge Pin does die at the end, but it’s a fitting death and one that I will not spoil here.
Chris Weston continues to deliver amazing art that enhances the writing in the best way. “Control: Part 5” is drawn with explosive and dynamic action that makes the whole thing feel big and crushingly violent. There are one, maybe two, times where the faces are ever so slightly stiff and out of proportion, but it’s really nothing in the grand scheme of things.
Funnily enough, the weakest part of this story is the lettering. Most of the time it all blends in seamlessly with the comic, but there are a few sound effects that look out of place and pop out of the comic in ways that distract the reader. It’s the pettiest thing to bring up in a story that has been so consistently good across the board, but I’m getting tired of having nothing but good things to say about this comic.
“Control: Part 5” is a fitting end to a great story that deserves a place in any conversation when talking about the best Judge Dredd stories. It’s kind of a shame it’s over, it could have gone on much longer.
Indigo Prime: Fall of the House of Vista Part Seven
Credits Kek-W(script) Lee Carter (art) Ellie De Ville (letters)
Michael Mazzacane: I’ll give “Indigo Prime” this, it maybe a bit dense and convoluted in spots but it has enough of a rule set to pull off an earn surprising moments. Over the previous six entries, “Prime” has been in a bit of an Empire Strikes Back mode with the team angry with each other and separated from one another. I didn’t expect any meaningful convergence for a while, Kek-W and Lee Carter and other (better) plans.
Outside of the adjustment to yet another new reality, ‘Fall of the House of Vista’ part seven is about as straightforward a strip as one could expect from “Indigo Prime.” Rebels are overrunning their tyrannical government just as they become aware of the Indigo crew through magic. Meanwhile Arcana gets to play Bruce Willis a little bit longer with the assistance of three stooges. This is more of a plot, maneuver the pieces around, strip than major narrative or artistic one. Which isn’t a bad thing, this is still a fine strip.
This straight forward quality lets it be less intellectually funny, and more just plainly funny without having to think about it. The two panel sequence of Arcana escaping his captor is crude, action hero logic to a ‘T,’ and fittingly absurd. As it turns out the Christhulu doesn’t care about different dimensions with our trio of pilots scooting around as a large monstrous hand. Which is fittingly absurd in the hands of Lee Carter. They’re like a cross between King Ghidora and Master Hand, and one of the heads is still rather cross about this whole Christhulu thing in the first place. The interplay between everyone was a real highlight of this strip, it wasn’t super high concept just plainly good drama.
Continued belowThe use of splash pages in “2000 A.D.” and this strip in general are often a mixed bag. Going out on a final splash page tease was the right call for this strip. It smashes together the cosmic surrealism and gritty realism to make an enticing tease for the eighth part.
Sinister Dexter, part 1
Credits: Dan Abnett (script), Steve Yeowell (art), John Charles (colors) Annie Parkhouse (letters)
Gustavo S. Lodi: When done right, mixing genres can produce some truly remarkable comic book series and stories. There is a certain magic to it, like mixing the right amount of ingredients, making sure each component is still represented, but a new coherent whole is made. While still early to tell, “Sinister Dexter” seems to be going in the right direction, with an interesting blend of crime noir and cyberpunk aesthetics.
Telling the story of two assassins in an ever-changing metropolis in the future, “Sinister Dexter” on this first chapter is all about setting the mood and introducing characters. There is a lot of introspecting dialogue and a virtual exploration of this new space. Ablett seems very comfortable on introducing this new reality and its inhabitants, not relying on exposition, but rather gradually exposing his layers through dialogue and environmental signs. There is also some very clever exploration of alternative dialogues, where one character actually speaks with his own mind: instead of seeming like an internal monologue, it actually seemed like a conversation between a human being and an internal AI residing in his brain. Trippy and compelling.
The designs by Yeowell lean more on the minimalistic, which is adequate for most of the panels and pages. There are occasions, though, where a more grandiose approach to the architecture of the city, seems more suited to the pacing beats the script was calling for. The colors by Charles are moody and very aligned with the atmosphere the lead characters venture forth, and are welcomed on the general visual identify of “Sinister Dexter”.
All in all, “Sinister Dexter” is off to a good start, with a very intriguing story wrapped in an equally atmospheric art. The next chapters should be more daring on expanding the plot further, under the risk of feeling more mood than substance.
Future Shocks: The Switch
Erica Schultz (script), Liana Kansas (art), Simon Bowland (letters)
Greg Lincoln: The “Future Shocks” strip is always a odd little “got you” kind of strip. “The Switch” gets you twice, once with the little narrative twist and a second time when you are left wanting more of this horror thriller that explains itself just enough to get under your skin. The story here is familiar to anyone who’s seen a police a modern or sci-fi police procedural. The plight of Erica Schultz’s protagonist hooks you right away. It’s a standard recognizable game of good cop bad cop and it could not have gone worse for nearly everyone. Schultz lets a lot of the art tell the overall story and the art sets an amazing mood and tension for this disastrous interrogation.
Liana Kansas brings her distinct, bright clean, art style to the pages of a 2000AD magazine once again. She was one of the artists featured in last years “Sci-Fi Special,” with the strip “Tyranny Rex.” This time around she was given free reign over the colors and her pastel approach to her palette choices suits her line work. Her softer colors somehow create more tension in the scenes of this story. Her combination of pink, magenta, and the soft greens and the muted intensity of the colors increases the tension of the story. It’s a shame that this was just a one off.
Jaegir: Valkyrie, Part Two
Credits: Gordon Rennie (script), Simon Coleby (art), Gary Caldwell (colors), Ellie De Ville (letters)
Christa Harader: Things are getting pretty dire for Atalia – with daily torture and attacks by Raksha’s forces, punctuated only by a few stitches and bandages from the overworked Souther medics, she’s barely hanging on. Good thing Klaur’s en route with some muscle in tow, right?
The team utilizes a few strips of wordless panels in this installment, and the choice makes for a nice break from the first part’s expository tone. We’re deeper into the story, we’ve caught up on what’s going on and what matters now is Atalia’s predicament, and pain. Coleby’s art carries the story in this moment, so it’s a good call to make the dialogue minimal. When Raksha’s in frame he’s always talking, of course, but when he’s not the visuals carry all the pain, suffering and tension that they need to. De Ville’s lettering is competent and the pace quickly clips back to normal after Atalia’s brought back to life for what we can assume is the umpteenth time, but the break is a welcome one before we’re back in the throes of Raksha’s ramblings. Caldwell’s work adds a bit of subtlety, with antiseptic greens providing a bit of a break from the inside of Atalia’s cell and a very nice final panel of Klaur and the rescuers entering the atmosphere in a blaze of fiery promise.
Atalia’s world is violent, but this is probably the most depowered we’ve seen her in some time. Raksha’s threat remains verbal at this point despite the torture, so it’ll be interesting to see how, and if, he wades into the fray once the rescue attempt touches down.
