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 Removal Man, Part 3
Credits: John Wagner (Script), Colin MacNeil (Art), Chris Blythe (Colours), Annie Parkhouse (Letters)
Christopher Egan: Part 3 of ‘The Removal Man’ is an interesting blend of detective yarn, violent cyberpunk, and a sort of spy intrigue story. Wagner sticks to his guns with the narration heavy, Noir style dialogue. Secrets are revealed as Judge Dredd continues his hunt.
The further Dredd finds himself in this case, the more questions arise. The script is a little wordy for a short chapter, but compelling nonetheless. It warrants more than one read-through.
MacNeil’s work is strong throughout, playing with the ideas, themes, and genres in the script. We see everything clearly, even the ickier side of experimental brain surgery, but he keeps things cartoonish, yet detailed enough for our brains to fill in the rest. Blythe’s colors are nicely done and really make the environments and emotions pop.
Wagner covers a lot of material this week and it’s full of a little bit for every reader and every type of “Judge Dredd” fan. This chapter continues everything seen in the last two chapters while confidently bringing in new information.
Aquila: Rivers of Hades Book 1
Credits: Gordon Rennie (script), Patrick Goddard (art), Dylan Teague ( colors), Annie Parkhouse (letters)
Greg Lincoln Greek and Roman mythology are so well known that it’s easy to catch into the tread of a story set in the anteroom of of the Hellenistic hades. Gordon Rennie seamlessly weaves a bit of character and plot background into the opening panels, so even is this your first encounter with “Aquila,” you’re not at a loss for long. The characters we meet are clearly defined by their actions. It’s interesting that just a little bit of snark, or an act of open defiance, or a call for a moments sanity can define a character for us very clearly.
Patrick Goddard and Dylan Teague make a great team, creating some grand, sweeping images befitting a mythical Roman age adventure. Their depiction of Hades is full of mythic grandeur but without the hell and brimstone you sometimes get. They create a sense of mania from the masses of the dead without channeling the feeling of zombies. The adventure they depict is familiar and fantastic, somewhere between superhero and “Conan the Barbarian.” The character designs mirror the impressions that Rennie sets up for them. The pages that they created are pleasantly reminiscent of the rich, detailed “Wonder Woman” pages by George Perez or Phil Jimenez.
Department K: Cosmic Chaos, Part 5
Credits: Rory McConville (script), Dan Cornwell (art), Len O’Grady (colors), Simon Bowlnad (letters)
Brian Salvatore: It is always nice to see an artist embrace their inner Jack Kirby and just let loose some big, dumb fun on the page. Dan Cornwell does exactly that in part 5 of ‘Cosmic Chaos,’ quite literally channelling Kirby for the Locust. A mix of Sentinel, Galactus, Kalibak, and a dozen other Kirby creations, Cornwell even pulls in some dots and krackle, really bringing the Kirby. The Locust stands out, like a creature from another dimension would, and is a singular presence on the page, presented with a totally different color palette. The blur helps the otherworldly nature, and for the first time, gives a really strong sense of just how powerful and unusual the Locusts are.
Unfortunately, the Locust flashback, though gorgeous, limits the amount of story that can be pushed through here. We get a brief check in with the crew inside the Locust, and the rest of the installment involves a strange spaceship landing and the mystery of who is inside of it. Rory McConville’s scripts for “Department K” are just a little too decompressed for my taste. Each installment seems to open on something interesting, then labor for a few pages, and end with a tease for next week’s cool thing. A little more meat on the bone would go a long way here.
Continued below
Skip Tracer Eden: Part 2
Credits: James Peaty (script) Paul Marshall (art) Dylan Teague (colors) Jim Campbell (lettering)
Matthew Blair: So Skip made it to Eden, seemingly without much hassle. Unfortunately for him the journey was the easiest part, since things go right down the tubes almost immediately. What has the psychic tracker gotten himself into?
James Peaty wastes very little time getting to the point in “Skip Tracer Eden: Part 2”, although there is some classic 2000AD humor thrown in at the beginning with a half crazed, heavily tattooed street prophet called “The Annihilist”. Peaty uses this part of the story as a way to move things forwards as quickly as possible, which means the story doesn’t have a whole lot of time for character development or backstory. Still, it uses the mechanics of the detective thriller story very well to engage the audience and increase the tension of the mystery.
The classic 2000AD future humor continues in the artwork for “Skip Tracer Eden: Part 2”, but with even more far future twists. Artist Paul Marshall shows off some fun looking future tech that is both familiar to long time fans of the 2000AD universe, but is even more futuristic and strange looking. Another great little detail that Marshall provides are some very interesting and intricate tattoo work on some of the characters, which doesn’t really add to their characters but still looks cool. Dylan Teague’s colors add to the story by making the setting of a new planet look brighter and more washed out, adding to the atmosphere of the story in a way that only a good colorist can.
“Skip Tracer Eden: Part 2” does a very good job of building the mystery while providing more interesting visuals and action. It’s a great blend of familiar tropes and visuals, but with an even more distant future spin that looks even stranger and cooler than a lot of the stuff found in previous stories.
Chimpsky’s Law: The Talented Mr. Chimpsky Part 5
Credits Ken Niemand (script) PJ Holden(art) Chris Blythe(colours) Simon Bowland(letters)
Michael Mazzacane: We’re at the point where if this was more like Columbo, Noam would be telling everyone “One more thing,” and explaining who the murderer was and forcing a confession. That sort of monologuing takes time, time that this strip doesn’t have with the 6 pages it’s allotted. There is also the matter of all kinds of debris circling the station, which is also on a descent. So, props to the creative team for coming up with a litany of reasons why this comic doesn’t have time to marinate in the reveal that the mysterious benefactor and House A.I. isn’t artificial but the still living consciousness of Amanda Jepperson. A “Surprise Twist” 1 of 2 the comic consciously calls out.
The surprise reveal is quite solid and helps everything line up, but surprises are momentary the lasting impact comes in the fallout. Getting to explore that fallout is where I wish this strip could’ve stayed. Noam Chimpsky face to face with the woman responsible for his existence. To their credit PJ Holden and Ken Niemand render what would’ve been the extended version of their interaction in a single panel. Holden and Chris Blythe do a wonderful job rendering the knowledgeable disgust on Chimpsky’s face, it isn’t just that he is angry but the weight of history comes through. Niemand and Simon Bowland add the right amount of punctuated prose to the image “Butcher. Torturer. Murderer – but creator isn’t one of them” he replies to Jepperson’s attempt at deification.
The fifth part of ‘Talented Mr. Chimpsky’ has a lot going on in it, but it still manages to find time for a few effective sight gags. The best of which is the third page showing how Noam takes out a fleet of station repair droids. The page orbits around a single image, that in other formats would’ve been an effective splash, and becomes a good example of how smart comic booking in “2000 AD” strips can evoke something more and still work within the page budget.
With half of the twists revealed I almost dread what’s to come.
