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: End of Days, Part Six
Credits Rob Williams (script) Colin MacNeil(art) Chris Blythe(colours) Simon Bowland(letters)
Michael Mazzacane: Dredd strips are obviously not Fight Manga, but there is something slightly unsatisfying about the showdown with Famine in the sixth part of ‘End of Days.’ This is supposed to be like a new mega epic and Famine is dispatched in three pages. It isn’t the want for an extended highly choreographed fight between Dredd and Famine, but more of a chance for them to talk it out inbetween the punches. Forcing Dredd’s body to consume himself has he is forced to admit what it is he hungers for, it isn’t death or justice, had some potential. And then a round from Judge Jonas comes and cuts the tension and bodies.
Colin MacNeil and Chris Blythe’s art work is well done in these sections, as Famine transforms into a tentacle monster with many gaping maws. MacNeil takes the motif of giving Dredd the strong silhouette and giving it to everyone else and setting them against this putrid mixture of green and brown by Blythe. It captures the horror and mood as Famine turns into this new form. Which isn’t given much of a chance to show off as Ichabod Azrael quickly finishes the job on the fourth page. Much like the cliffhanger to the previous strip, the structure of this page, a near full page pinup by MacNeil, feels inelegant. At least in the previous strip it was our first good look at the horseman. We’ve had plenty of looks at Azrael before this. MacNeil’s composition and Blythe’s work make for a strong image, but it just eats up so much space.
Moment of awkwardness aside this is a tidy little strip that takes care of a horsemen and sends the adventurers on their way to the Artic for the next one. Williams writing lands a couple of really nice moments in this strip that hopefully recur going forward. Dredd is treated visually as this stoic icon, a somewhat unknowable figure, so moments of his inner monologue and the vain hope that some kind of reset button would be pushed is interesting and maudlin for the character.
They still have a long and dangerous road ahead and now they don’t have their medic. Guess they’ll have to improvise.
Full Tilt Boogie #5
Credits: Alex De Campi (script) Eduardo Ocana (art) Simon Bowland (lettering)
Matthew Blair: This is it. This is the moment where everything clicks and it all fits together. “Full Tilt Boogie” #5 is the moment where everything seems to hit its stride and becomes the story that is worthy of this creative team. My only regret is not trusting the people involved and now my previous review is going to look very silly.
Writer Alex de Campi brings the story back to the four people who were voluntarily turned into Luxian Knights in the opening parts of the story, along with the princess who was turned into a leader against her will and doesn’t want to fight. Not only does de Campi do a great job with introducing each of the new recruits and giving them clear personalities and motivations for why they decided to join, she also does a great job of strongly hinting that something is going on behind the scenes and that the planet that raised and trained these knights might not be as noble and well intentioned as previously thought. The characters are great, the mystery is great, the story segment is perfectly placed, and it finally does a great job of providing a complete story that leaves the reader wanting to learn more.
While the story and pacing has shown the most improvement in “Full Tilt Boogie” #5, the artwork continues to be great and elevates this part of the story to something fantastic. Since this is a character heavy part of the story Eduardo Ocana has the seemingly boring task of using most of the story space to show people just sitting and talking, but he makes it work. We already know about the tech and aesthetic of this comic universe, now Ocana dives deep into tiny nuances and little emotions of individuals and it works. Each of the knights are incredibly expressive and you can tell what they’re thinking at a glance. Like the script, the artwork does a great job of hinting at future conflict and it all comes together in the best part of the story so far.
Continued below“Full Tilt Boogie” #5 is great and has the kind of story telling that would have been nice to see sooner. The characters are quickly developed with interesting personalities, the story is well paced, and it introduces some great intrigue for future stories. Now, things should get interesting.
The Diaboliks: Profondo Rosso Part 2
Credits: Gordon Rennie (script), Antonio Fuso (art), Jim Campbell (letters)
Greg Lincoln: Gordon Rennie does a week of set up for what looks like it will be a bit of a longer story arc. This week’s slow burn deals with Damien Dellamore reluctantly joining Solomon and Jenny’s group after losing the one part of him that makes his life worth living, his libido. It’s the only bit of levity in what is otherwise a grim story. Rennie sets up the Coven of the Five Sisters to be frightening heavyweights among the evils of the world of crime, religion, commerce and politics. We’re treated to a cautionary tale about facing the least powerful of the sister, the Red Madonna, who controls crime and is payed to by mob bosses. It’s a bloody tale and it’s a disturbing fable but one that is a bit predictable in this story.
To be honest, last week it was kind of hard to notice that Antonio Fuso had taken over the art chores on the title. His combination of thin like work, swaths of solid blacks and his character designs so closely resemble that you have to check the credits to see that the artist had changed. Fuso is a bit more low key with the demon effects on Jenny and the inhumanity of Sebastian. It was also evident that his approach to the regular humans differs a bit from Dom Reardon, they are a bit more moderate in tone overall. The final panel though promises turning up the tension for next week’s attach on the Red Madonna, or her attack in them.
The Order: Land Of The Free, Part Six
Credits: KEK-W (script), John Burns (art), Simon Bowland (letters)
Rowan Grover: KEK-W has a great way of centering on different characters within “The Order” from week to week whilst still maintaining the natural pace of the overarching narrative. This week is no exception, focusing on Anna, the German soldier as she escapes from Francis Bacon with Captain Belair in tow. It only takes a two page sequence of Anna and Belair jumping into a body of water, but KEK-W uses the silence of the water to really let readers stew with Anna’s thoughts. It’s a quiet moment that sits beautifully amidst the action, ruminating on Anna’s past, and feels like we’ve had our heads thrust back above water once it ends. The prog ends with more action after this, and there are some pretty heavy moments that occur towards the end of the prog, but this opening sequence stole the show so much that I almost feel bad that my focus was taken away from these final scenes.
Burns’ art functions beautifully in tandem with the script for the underwater sequence, losing the busy detail of previous progs and instead opting for much more textural shots of expanses of water mixed with Anna’s past. There’s some great panel breaking as water rushes up from the corner of the page into the panel of Anna being dragged to the surface, which creates a great sense of momentum and movement whilst immersing readers completely in the shot. I do also love the way that Burns draws fighter planes, and especially here as we have ground infantry fending them off. This comes to life spectacularly as soldiers fire off cannons in such a synchronised way that it comes off as staccato and well-sequenced.
“The Order” still continues to be a fun blend of history and sci-fi, and pulls it all off with bombastic and inventive storytelling in this prog.
The Out, Part 3
Credits: Dan Abnett (script), Mark Harrison (art), Annie Parkhouse (letters)
Brian Salvatore: Two weeks after saying that almost nothing happened in the first chapter in “The Out,” the third chapter sets up a planetary invasion/evacuation outta nowhere. This is a somewhat jarring change in tone, but it shows how Abnett is structuring “The Out” in a way that feels unfamiliar and engaging. All three installments have had major tonal differences, and Harrison’s art has adjusted with each chapter, too.
In the first chapter, Harrison’s art was all wonder and awe. In the second, it felt exciting and ripe for exploration. In this chapter, it now feels lived in and home-y, before being pulled out from under us by the move off-planet. Abnett and Harrison do a great job putting us in Cyd’s shoes, allowing us to empathize with her through their storytelling.
The story continues its ‘fish out of water’ approach, and it more or less works. The story’s ever-changing nature makes it a little hard to pin down, but it’s an exciting prospect to open up each prog and have legitimately no idea what the strip will be like. Next week’s installment will likely be either off-planet or in the escape ship, but that’s all we know. For such an open ended book, this story feels personal and lived in. It’s quite the trick Abnett and Harrison are pulling off.
