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: The Fall of Barbarbara Grimm Part 2
Credits: Mike Carroll (script), Nick Dyer (art), Quinton Winter (colors), Annie Parkhouse (letters)
Matthew Blair: “The Fall of Barbarbara Grimm” Part 2 isn’t a Judge Dredd story. In fact, it’s barely a Mega City One story. It’s the story of a single person caught between two all-powerful and incredibly oppressive systems, and there isn’t much time before either one of those systems either brings her down…or the tension just becomes too much.
Writer Mike Carroll steers the story in a much more personal direction, showing the building tension behind a character who is just trying to live her life but is caught between a rock and a very hard place. The Judges want her to spy for them, and if she doesn’t then they’ll arrest her and throw her into prison for over a hundred years. Unfortunately, it’s a well-known fact that the Judges can’t be there all the time, so if she’s caught spying for the law the criminals that constantly loom over her life will kill her and her family.
The story adds to the tension with the addition of an omnipotent narrator who speaks like they knew everything about the protagonist and what really happened to her. There is the definite implication that the story of Barbarbara Grimm doesn’t end well, but we’ll just have to keep reading to find out.
Artist Nick Dyer continues to show why he’s a great artist for this story. All the trappings of lower class life in Mega City One are there: the grime, the exhaustion, and the weight of the world bearing down on ordinary people. A particular highlight of the artwork that really enhances the story is how Dyer draws faces. All of the characters have an almost blurry quality to them that makes heavy use of shadows and minimal facial detail. It really goes a long way to showing just how tired, worn out, and insignificant a single person can be.
“The Fall of Barbarbara Grimm” Part 2 continues an excellent story that masterfully crafts a sense of tension and desperation. It all feels like it’s building towards something big and terrible and it will be interesting to see what happens.
Sinister Dexter: Narrow Minded, Part 3
Credits: Dan Abnett (script), Steve Yeowell (art), John Charles (colors) Annie Parkhouse (letters)
Gustavo S. Lodi: Now this is more like it! On the beginning of a new arc, “Sinister Dexter” feels much more comfortable on mixing its genres and delivering something unique. By having the noir-like investigators take on a familiar trope of science-fiction, that of an emerging and advanced AI, this chapter was much stronger than the preceding two.
A lot of this newfound success has to do with writer Dan Abnett presenting a more compelling plot points, upon which the other elements converge more elegantly. Nothing feels out of place, and all the pieces fit together more fluidly. Newly introduced characters, from the laboratory and corporation developing said AI, feel engaging enough and show future promise.
Art is still somehow unimpressive. It is not a matter of being hard to follow or poorly design (it is not, on either accounts), but it seems to lack a more experimental angle, which would lend itself to this type of narrative better. With so many high-level concepts and surrounding, the visuals are mostly bland, the chosen camera angles usually the most traditional possible.
All in all, this was a step up in the right direction for this series, as the core premise takes advantage of what this sci-fi, noir setting can offer. Here’s hoping it continues to push in that direction.
Indigo Prime: Fall of the House of Vista Part Nine
Credits Kek-W(script) Lee Carter (art) Ellie De Ville (letters)
Michael Mazzacane: I’m actually kind of glad the ninth episode of ‘Fall of the House of Vista’ doesn’t care over that manic, comic, energy from the previous strip. It would be a hard pace to keep up and killing near zombiefied aristocratic vampires is serious business after all. This strip is more about maneuvering pieces into place for the next batch of strips, and that’s fine it was still an al around solid entry with a couple of good jokes and some solid action
Continued belowArcana and the Boys have themselves a vampire, and their familiars, problem: too many vampires not enough bullets. Overall Lee Carter’s staging for this sequence is effective, and verges on the humorous as they use the environment to hide male genitalia.
Danny becomes the main focus as he takes to and is consumed by his new found powers. That feeling of consumption and the drug like high from their use is narrated to the readers more through Kek-W’s scripting than Carter’s art. This isn’t a major demerit on Carter, they have a lot to do in very little space. Danny’s face just gets lost a bit during the sequence as the Christhulu hand snaps necks, and they make everyone realize wouldn’t it be better to be friends. Early on we get this beautiful close up of Danny as he begins to use his powers and there is a hint of the ecstasy that would follow, but as the strip goes on it lessons. Carter’s work is supported by the scripting in the final pages as the ecstasy takes over and Danny acts very rash, so it isn’t ineffective comics craft. Those final two pages just may have been more effective if we could’ve gotten a good look at and feel that high that is consuming Danny.
Overall the ninth episode is a solid read able strip. It feels like the creative team maybe working through some feelings about the state of British politics as well, feelings that are likely better understood by someone there and not a curious observer. This chapter of the series appears to be wrapped up and puts the strip in a new nightmarish direction.
Tharg’s 3rillers: Red Road Part Two
Andi Ewington (Script), Ben Willsher (Art), Simon Bowland (Letters)
Christopher Egan: The next part of ‘Red Road’ picks up right where the opening action left off. Helix rushes into battle against the convoy, still attempting to save the young alien girl they are holding captive. Andi Ewington is holding nothing back in these five pages. This sequence is all action laid out for us; and with the minimal pages used there is no chance for the story to slow down. The script is even lighter this time around, with dialogue only being used as extremely light exposition or to drive home an emotional beat. He lays his trust in the plot being fully realized by the artwork.
This feels very much like a storyboard for a big budget sci-fi action movie. Ben Willsher’s art makes you feel every leap, every explosion, and every revved up gas guzzler in each panel. His work almost makes you feel every booming sound effect thudding in your chest. This is an incredibly brutal, yet exhilarating chapter. There are some shocking moments of violence and gore that adds a bit of horror to this story. It is a welcome aspect and only raises the stakes to an already wild and exciting story. His work dances between the expected clean, too perfect, stylized pieces and gritty realism. These combined styles make for a heightened reality that only helps bring the story to life. The color work is still outstanding, but with the setting remaining the same from part one, there is nothing really new here. However his depiction of fire is gorgeous and looks nearly photo-realistic. Willsher is the star of this chapter and he should be recognized as such.
“Tharg’s 3rillers: Red Road Part Two” holds even more exciting action and crazier violence than the preceding issue. While these miniseries are meant to be quick blasts of storytelling to keep tensions high, its only detriment is that it is so short. More ‘Red Road’ could only be better!
Jaegir: Valkyrie, Part Four
Credits: Gordon Rennie (script), Simon Coleby (art), Gary Caldwell (colors), Ellie De Ville (letters)
Christa Harader: Atalia’s on the move, the team’s on the ground and it’s Souther versus Souther. Raksha doesn’t really care who dies as long as he gets his hands on Atalia, and Kovert’s keen on bringing him under his thumb.
Rennie’s writing here gives way to a bit of confusion as we juggle most of our cast at once, though it does promote tension to keep Atalia off the page for this week (save the last panel.) This choice also illuminates the general chaos of Atalia’s world, and how small she is inside of it. She’s always been one person in the midst of a seething conflict but she’s never been quite so de-powered, and the futility of it all begins to sink in. There are more explosions and action panels for Coleby to play with, though the masks and military gear amp up the chaos in good and bad ways. Likewise, Caldwell gets to pepper this one with more pops of orange and red, and keeps some visual clarity with distinct background colors that marry nicely and provide a little harmony. De Ville’s lettering is competent, as usual, with some longer tails and smaller balloons in the vertical panels to keep everything clear and orderly.
Raksha’s base might just tear itself apart, if he has anything to say about it, but we’re due some confrontational action, and Rennie and the team will need to deliver on that promise soon.
