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 2000 AD
Judge Dredd: Succession Part 2
Credits: Ken Neimand (script), Leonardo Manco (art), Chris Blythe (colors), Annie Parkhouse (letters)
Greg Lincoln: ‘Succession’ continues the relentless bloodletting at Curare Corp in its second outing. Ken Neimand barely introduces a new victim before offing them in some flashy, widescreen moment of murderous violence. Leonardo Manco has his work cut out for him this week, as he must carry the weight of the storytelling as he creates gravity lifts, new model Lawmaster motorcycles, sniper nests, and some very slick looking digs for the Justice departments digital forensics enforcement wing. There is little new information about the plot in this action heavy week, but Manco makes the story visually interesting and immersive despite the details remaining pretty scant as of yet.
What we do learn is an interesting twisty little tidbit. It seems that the employees caught up in this murderous corporate climbing scheme are loathe to be caught and would rather die than give themselves up. So in addition to all the suspected corporate malfeasance, there may be some psychological modification done to the employees here at Curare. Dredd tries to take in one of the bloodthirsty employees for questioning and has a curious interaction with them. They seem to be programmed to want to die in this circumstance, in addition to wanting to kill their coworkers. There is clearly something deeper going on here then just trying to climb the corporate ladder and white collar crime.
Joe Pineapples Tin Man 11
Credits: Pat Mills (script), Simon Beasley (art), Simon Bowland (letters)
Matthew Blair: It’s the finale of the story and Joe Pineapples is still trying to fight the literal ghosts that have been hounding him since the beginning of the story and the much more difficult metaphorical ghosts that haunt his processors.
It may be a battle for the ages, but at least he isn’t alone. In fact, the old gang is here to help him out with witty quips…and overwhelming firepower.
Yes “Joe Pineapples Tin Man 11” is the final chapter in this particular story, and writer Pat Mills has done such a good job with it that you’re going to wish the whole thing was longer than it actually is. While the ending is a bit rushed and certain elements of the story feel unnecessary and underwhelming, Joe’s reunion with his old squad mates is well done and the last page closes the story out on a bittersweet and haunting note that makes the audience feel that a robot can in fact have a soul. Plus, there are plenty of moments that hint at future stories to come, so that’s nice.
If it’s possible to apply narratives to an artist’s journey in a comic, then Simon Beasley’s story is one of simplifying and clarifying gorgeous art into something that goes from chaotic and confusing to ordered and much more readable. “Joe Pineapples Tin Man 11” is the culmination of that narrative and the art presents the audience with the simplest layouts yet that are the easiest to follow. This story follows much more traditional panel layouts, but at the same time it continues to have gorgeous character designs and make use of simple but effective color schemes. Whether these artistic choices were made out of necessity, editorial oversight, or artistic development is unclear, but whatever the cause, it was a gorgeous book to look at.
“Joe Pineapples Tin Man 11” is a finale that feels a bit rushed, but it closes out on a great narrative note and treats the audience to great, over the top characters and very pretty artwork.
The Out: Book Three, Part Eleven
Credits: Dan Abnett (script), Mark Harrison (art), Simon Bowland (letters)
Brian Salvatore: Cyd makes a really interesting observation in ‘Part Eleven,’ which essentially amounts to “I used to be of no import to the Out, and now it seems I’m the most important person in it.” I’m a little embarrassed that I didn’t make this connection myself, though to be fair, it’s a big Out, and we only see if from Cyd’s perspective, so she’s always been the most important person in the Out to us. But while this may sound like a solipsistic way to view one’s own life, Cyd really isn’t wrong. There’s almost nothing that she’s been a part of since the start of ‘Book Two’ that hasn’t led to huge, life-altering consequences, not just for her but for millions of strangers around her.
Continued belowHer debate the with the Prior starts out with Cyd making bold claims about the nature of the Up and the Prior refuting them. But Cyd’s persistence doesn’t falter, and by the end of the chapter, she has more or less confirmed that her daughter is part of the Up, and that she has spoken to Cyd. Both of these are presented as borderline impossible, but so was Cyd’s interaction with the Bowie-esque pop star, and Cyd escaping the control of the Tanikar, and everything else she’s encountered. Dan Abnett’s script for this issue is impressive because of the way it uses its limited space to dole out information in a way that allows the reader and Cyd to arrive at the checkpoints together. The final reveal of the blue butterflies is perfectly paced and acts as a triumphant cliffhanger for ‘Part Twelve.’
One of the interesting parts of Mark Harrison’s art is that, despite drawing dozens of settings and creatures, there emerge some consistent elements, and the Prior’s sanctuary seems like a confluence of some of the more common elements of the Out: swirling electricity, amorphous and shifting colors, geometric patterns repeating on themselves. If the Up is real, and if it has a hand in all, then it makes sense that its holy spaces would feature signs of its wonders from all over the Out. Harrison’s faces sometimes verge on the over-emotive, but his Cyd is pitch perfect this week, with her wide eyes at the mention of the blue butterflies one of the purest expressions of joy and hope you’re likely to see in any comic.
The Order: Heart of Darkness Part Six
Credits: Kek-W (script), John Burns (art), Jim Campbell (letters)
Chris Egan: This week the action, commentary, and extreme genre blending all get ramped up. This chapter has it all! The absurdity of this swashbuckling creature-feature historical fiction is at an all time high making for one of the most fun to read entries yet. Not as outright scary as the early entries, and not as heady as the previous few, this is a really enjoyable read.
There aren’t enough stories like this and no matter how successful you think it might be, whether it is tackling more serious or ridiculous ideas, it goes a long way to make something interesting and that says a lot. The strength of its wild storytelling is far more than enough to keep readers wanting to come back for more.
I’m happy to keep on reading this story and while it isn’t something that should or could go on for a long time without straining its story’s strength, it will absolutely hold my interest for some time.
Proteus Vex: Crawl Space Part 11
Credits: Mike Carroll (script), Jake Lynch (art), Jim Boswell(Colours), Simon Bowland(letters)
Michael Mazzacane: The final battle begins in the eleventh entry of ‘Crawl Space’. The visual language employed by Jake Lynch in this strip is often a bit alienating, the strip, in general, can be a bit alienating. This is part of the point that is being made along with Mike Carroll’s use of overlapping narration and point of view to complicate the supposedly secure notion of history – even if it is a fictional history in this case. What marks this episode as different isn’t some major shift in point of view or narrative style, it’s the plain build-up that occurs in the obvious and thudding groundwork that is being laid. This thudding quality isn’t bad; it is delightful as they capture the enormity of shutting down the Scorcher’s favored weapon of choice: metal cubes. It is a shocking moment of undoing, an emotive reaction that is supported by how plain-spoken Carroll and Lynch are in illustrating it.
The setup of the strip is simple, our heroes need time to fix the Planet Splitter engine, and the Scorchers want to stop them. Sure, around it is a first page or two of ironic historical narration, but it is marginal in the scope of the strip. The sort of cold honesty captured in the “we would’ve done the same” statement underscores the fractured and treacherous demonstrates the stakes of the scenario. With the stakes clearly demonstrated, all that is left is for Jake Lynch to show the gravity engine take effect and turn the wall of steel hurtling at the minuscule imperial fleet to slow down to a state of harmlessness. Lynch achieves this by showing us the wall of steel cubes both up close before and after, as well as through various wide-screen and computer read-out versions. The readouts that model everything is perhaps most effective as they appear in the background as the armada approaches, a sort of constant reminder. The moment the engine goes on and takes effect is just a well executed moment in comics.
It is also an unimaginable moment for the Scorchers, who do not take kindly to their preferred weapon and tool of fear reduced to space trash. The interplay with the King is a bit standard, but it is an effective movement that helps to further sell what is to come in the final leg of this story. The Scorchers have other weapons at their disposal, and we’ll see them next week.
