2000 AD Prog 2295 Featured Columns 

Multiver-City One: 2000 AD Prog 2295 – Burns Bright!

By , , and | August 17th, 2022
Posted in Columns | % Comments

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!

Cover by Alex Ronald

THIS WEEK IN 2000AD

Judge Dredd: Naked Lunch
Credits: Ken Neimand (script), Dan Cornwell (art), Jim Boswell (colors), Annie Parkhouse (letters)

Greg Lincoln: “Naked Lunch” reunites Dredd with Mor Hallam, a mall security chief who had a secret weird “psionic” talent. Being able to see everyone as if they are mostly nude is not a really useful talent, but Moe found a way to make it work for them. This time on his lunch, Moe spotted weapons being smuggled into a synth Sausage festival. The story involves Real Meat Crazies protesting synth meat and it has a lot of of sausage innuendo and, art wise, a plethora of salaciously positioned sausage shaped objects.

Real Meat Crazies smuggle weapons into the sausage fest to “protest” the synth sausages the fest is pushing. The Crazies claim the synth meat contains people, that synth meat is murder, and telling people to only eat meat that bleeds. They spout conspiracy theories that synthmeat contains addictive additives. Who knows, they could be right, but their violence just brings in the law. A final twist, a diversion, a bomber vest, and some really quick thinking on Mor’s part made the finale a bit different that you’d expect. Most of the sausage images and comments are played for laughs that mostly work in getting a grin.

Dan Cornwall most likely had fun with this story; he got to draw a lot of near nakedness covered with sausage shapes. It’s silly and, at times, makes you think “oh come on, you got away with that.” There is some subtle artwork, too. The way Moe’s ‘see through vision’ works allows us to see the outlines of the sausage costumes worn in the Loogies Synth Meat event. Cornwall got to draw sone pretty suggestive lines of sight from Moe. It’s all weird, funny and just a bit disturbing. There is one very silent panel towards the end; there is an implication that Dredd knows something is up with Moe and says nothing. It’s a great one moment of silence that speaks volumes. It’s a fun one off with a pretty unique character we are almost assured we’ll see again. This was a great follow up to the seriousness of the last arc.

Skip Tracer: Valhalla Part Nine
Credits James Peaty (script) Paul Marshall(art) Dylan Teague(Colours) Simon Bowland(letters)

Michael Mazzacane: “Skip Tracer” is in an awkward period where the reader is waiting for something to happen. Either Nolan survives and the mysterious after life sequence is left to hang there for the reader and maybe later entries or Nolan dies and we deal with what is this mysterious after life. One of these two things will happen and until that shoe drops there’s no real dramatic tension in the strip. Despite a good opening page that deals with his daughter learning the awkward truth about parents making the best of a bad hand. Marshall’s art in the final panel as she proclaims her unworthiness of this sacrifice is fantastic. And then the remaining four pages just kind of happen.

The next two pages aren’t hollow spectacle or poorly done, they’re just dramatically inert. A knowing pun about the “terminus” being reached does nothing to give these pages of slaughter dramatic heft. Dylan Teague’s coloring and the transition from cold to warm colors in consort with the action is well done. None of these formal characteristics can really overcome the forgone nature of the episode at this moment.

James Peaty and Simon Bowland do a good job of building to the reveal of Djinndorah, with the fairy tale rhyming schemes hiding in the margins of panels. It’s a sudden tonal shift that stands out against the zombie narrative of it all. The reveal of Djinndorah itself is fine, not the most effective but there’s only so many ways you can do the pinup character reveal. This strip is just a little flat because of where it is in the overall narrative. Perhaps this feeling is exasperated by the knowledge that we’ll be waiting two weeks for the next installment. So that lack of progression and tension is more evident.

Continued below

Brink: Mercury Retrograde Part 24
Credits: Dan Abnett (script), INJ Culbard (art), Simon Bowland (letters)

Brian Salvatore: After twenty three installments that mostly felt like they could’ve been condensed or re-organized, ‘Mercury Retrograde’ ends with a big, messy chapter that felt like at least some of it should have come beforehand. Some, but not all, of the motivations were made clear and some, but not all, of the lingering plot threads came together. I’ll toss a big ol’ spoiler warning here, because it is impossible to discuss this final chapter without spoiling, well, everything.

Only read on if you don’t mind being spoiled or already read the strip.

In retrospect, it seemed like the strip had to end with Maslow’s death. He was being set up as a patsy by just about everyone he encountered, and he was left to hang alone by all the people he trusted. Maz’s story is ultimately a very sad one, with his life ending for no real reason. Sure, it was in pursuit of a story, but the story didn’t get published. You could also say he died seeking the truth, but the truth was swept under the rug and may never come out. There are a few people – his wife, his editor, maybe a source? – who will miss him and, perhaps, try to achieve justice for his memory, but ultimately, Maz is a squashed bug under the foot of powers far bigger and more powerful than he. Dan Abnett’s script leaves no doubt that Maz will be forgotten quickly, and that in the Brink, this isn’t an uncommon way for someone to live and, ultimately, die.

INJ Culbard continues to walk the tight rope of hallucinations and magical thinking in this finale, drawing some things that can only be described as unbelievable, while also having to ground everything in the world we ‘know’ is real, here. He gets to stretch his palette a little bit and give us the single most beautiful and well-rendered panel of all, which is Maz’s death. It’s truly a page that feels earned and important, and it’s nice to see Culbard let loose a little bit.

Ultimately, the overall feeling that I got from this strip overall continues. There’s a lot of good in here, but probably 12 chapters worth. The other 12 were padded filler full of not always successful stalling tactics and false revelations. When “Brink” returns, I hope that the story is a little less bloated and can lean into the things that really worked here.

Jaegir: Ferox Part Five
Credits: Gordon Rennie (Script), Simon Coleby (Art), Len O’Grady (Colors), Jim Campbell (Letters)

Christopher Egan: Starting out as a quieter conversation piece, part five is setting the pieces into a place required for a cliffhanger, hoping that readers will be excited for its return in two weeks’s time. Unfortunately, the tone and quality of the strip has felt like constant reruns since the start. There is nothing about this chapter that feels any different than what has come before, so much so, that even my reviews are starting to get repetitive. The calm dialogue is short lived as various creatures, methods of torture, blasting weaponry, and deadly violence all come into play. This week would have benefited from a more subtle approach before giving us the reveal so hold us over until next time.

Gordon Rennie’s writing has us in a holding pattern. It isn’t that it’s poorly done, it’s just too much of the same. It’s hard to engage with a futuristic war story that should feel like you’re rocketing away on a motorcycle, but in reality, you’re shaking your head to feel the breeze as you pedal a stationary exercise bike. The artwork by Coleby is competent, clear, and stylized nicely. Rounded out by O’Grady’s gorgeous color work, it’s a good-looking strip that benefits far more from the visuals than it should. It’s never too flashy, but it suits the story just right. The art team is lifting the entire strip up.


//TAGS | Multiver-City One

Brian Salvatore

Brian Salvatore is an editor, podcaster, reviewer, writer at large, and general task master at Multiversity. When not writing, he can be found playing music, hanging out with his kids, or playing music with his kids. He also has a dog named Lola, a rowboat, and once met Jimmy Carter. Feel free to email him about good beer, the New York Mets, or the best way to make Chicken Parmagiana (add a thin slice of prosciutto under the cheese).

EMAIL | ARTICLES

Christopher Egan

Chris lives in New Jersey with his wife, daughter, two cats, and ever-growing comic book and film collection. He is an occasional guest on various podcasts, writes movie reviews on his own time, and enjoys trying new foods. He can be found on Instagram. if you want to see pictures of all that and more!

EMAIL | ARTICLES

Michael Mazzacane

Your Friendly Neighborhood Media & Cultural Studies-Man Twitter

EMAIL | ARTICLES

Greg Lincoln

EMAIL | ARTICLES


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