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: Special Relationship: 03
Credits: Rob Williams (script), Patric Goddard (art), Quinton Winter (colors), Annie Parkhouse (letters)
Greg Lincoln: Thrillers sometimes become a bit cryptic as the plot builds and we have hit that point in ‘Special Relationship.’ It may have been the limited page count in 2000AD that leaves this weeks chapter feeling a little unfinished or then ending was intended to be abrupt and disorienting. Other than it’s ending the story Williams builds a solid tense political spy thriller. Most of this week features talking heads scenes between people with special and tense relationships. Confrontations between the law departments heads and interagency strife between influencers in Brit-cit politics play as big a part as the threats and violence that takes place on the black Atlantic base. The storytelling may not have been as clear and clean but Rob Williams still masterfully creates a tense and complex story around the conflict between onetime allies. He is also clear it was the clear manipulation of the controversial Mechanismo units and the slaughter they caused that is at the heart of the hack that stated this. It’s nice that the officers lost have names and that they were important to the people around them.
Patrick Goddard and Quinton Winters art make this story feel very like a movie thriller. Like good storyboards they create a clear flow through the story and pace the way you read it. The talking heads scenes are punchy much like the dialogue. The art though really shines in panoramic street scenes drenched with rain and the open expanse of sea and a HOV transport arrives at the Black Atlantic base. Their use of extreme closeup framing action is pretty masterful in drawing in the eyes. It only falls apart when the story focuses on the wounded animal in the end that seems out of place or a bit disjointed compared to the rest.
Brink: Mercury Retrograde Part 20
Credits: Dan Abnett (script), INJ Culbard (art), Simon Bowland (letters)
Brian Salvatore: After last week’s installment somewhat turned the Unions story on its head, this week, we see Maz attempt to, once again, lay out all the information to the reader to catch them up. This feels like at least the third time this exact ploy has been taken, but with the plot having so many moving pieces, it is understandable that some recap is needed. This issue also has two pieces that make it more than just a clip show: the final page and the confrontation between Maz and Berenger.
Berenger, like most of the Hab-Sec, is all bark and no bite, but cuts an imposing figure. INJ Culbard doesn’t get a chance to draw too many folks as hulking and intimidating as Berenger in this strip, and so he appears even more intimidating when next to Maz. Dan Abnett does a nice job of making him a presence that raises the tension, but there’s never really a sense that he can do all that much.
But that last page, when “Leeden” and Maz finally meet, sets up the end game of this strip in an exciting way. While I sort of wish we could’ve done less recap in this chapter, what it is setting up seems like it will be worth the wait.
Dexter Bulletopia Chapter 10: Malice in Plunderland Part 3
Credits: Dan Abnett (script), Tazio Bettin (art), Matt Soffe (colors) Annie Parkhouse (letters)
Matthew Blair Dexter and his friend are now fully aware that they are in the middle of a mob war while being outgunned, outnumbered, and a case of mistaken identity means that they are now stuck in whether they like it or not. Fortunately for them, this identity mix up has given them the ability to lie their way out of this situation without any bloodshed. Unfortunately, it seems like the power of human greed and idiocy is going to put a damper on their plans.
Continued belowDan Abnett’s writing is fantastic in “Dexter Bulletopia Chapter 10 part 3” and it kind of mirrors the stuff you might see when comic book greats like Alan Moore were at the peak of their powers. Abnett splits the party, having one of the characters go off to negotiate and lie to one side while the other stays behind and talks to the other side. Abnett does an amazing job of having each conversation mirror the other in terms of theme, pacing, and panel layout which gives the reader a sense of rapid pacing and comes off as a bit humorous as well. Naturally, while it may seem that things are going well for the protagonists, Abnett does leave room for further shenanigans to ensue, opening the door for even more violence to follow.
The subject of mirroring theme and dialogue is also made prevalent in Tazio Bettin’s artwork in “Dexter Bulletopia Chapter 10 part 3” and from a mechanical perspective it is fascinating to watch. Bettin’s artwork maintains its usual quality, but his use of a large number of small panels really enhances the staccato pacing of the script and his clever use of splitting character’s faces between panels and having different characters adopt the same posture while saying similar things is a lot of fun to read.
“Dexter Bulletopia Chapter 10 part 3” is a war of words instead of bullets, and shows that having a bunch of characters just sitting around talking to each other can be entertaining if done correctly. It also proves to be a great set up for future violence, so stay tuned!
Skip Tracer: Valhalla Part Four
Credits: James Peaty (script), Paul Marshall (art), Dylan Teague (colours), Simon Bowland(letters)
Michael Mazzacane: For a good while now I’ve been wondering why this iteration of “Skip Tracer” was titled ‘Valhalla’, while the strip has a lot of variety (space) Viking hasn’t been one of them yet. The promise to what Valhalla means is the hook for the next strip as our group of explorers find the residents shouting “Valhalla” amongst carnage that blocks their path. That final page features a noticeable shift by colorist Dylan Teague who is able to punch in lots of reds, resident eyes glow an ominous shade, and orange. These two colors contrast with the heavy amount of green-yellow up to this point. While the imagery in Paul Marshall’s work is horrific and a step above previous displays of violence, the coloring is what tells me they have entered a new space of danger.
While the team may have made it to the Cube and begun the quest the strip doesn’t mean the plot is off and running. Writer James Peaty instead structures this strip to lean into the length they have to travel from the 100s to the 700s by splitting this across pages. They also insert a single page with Eden back on the monitor ship that underscores the emotional connections and relationships that make this an engaging strip. It reminds the reader of the emotional stakes that make the physical threats feel threatening. Now I guess we’ll see if this turns into a zombie strip of some sort next week.
Jaegir: Ferox Part One
Credits: Gordon Rennie (Script), Simon Coleby (Art), Len O’Grady (Colors), Jim Campbell (Letters)
Christopher Egan: You can feel the heat, humidity, sweat, and blood in this newest chapter of Jaegir. Fighting is at the forefront. Fighting and anxious fever as an attack is imminent. Rennie keeps the script tight and it will keep you at the edge of your seat.
Coleby’s artwork feels both at home in the distant future and captures modern warfare. Especially the desperate discomfort of it all. Between his sleek and energetic illustrations and O’Grady’s colors there’s an interesting mix of James Cameron’s AVATAR and the “Alien vs Predator” universe…so I guess a few Cameron influences are at play in their own way.
While this is a story that looks at fierce battle, it is scary as well; and not just because of the warfare. The character designs are haunting and the inhospitable environment all come together to make some beautiful, but horrifying imagery. An exciting and brutal start to this arc that knows its audience.
