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: A Fallen Man, Part 3
Credits: Ken Neimand (script), Tom Foster (art), Chris Blythe (colors), Annie Parkhouse (letters)
Greg Lincoln: The time and effort that Tom Foster and Chris Blythe put into these pages really shows; their attention to detail and depth lends to the sense of realism and urgency in ‘A Fallen Man, Part 3.’ The richness of the details and the color rendering throughout are amazing but really stand out in the scenes at the Black Atlantic docks and the one panel of Judge Villars as her crew approaches the ‘slave labor’ transports. The sounds of the docks can be heard in the carefully crafted lighting and somber shadows. The scenes following Dredd as he narrates, replaying the recent murders and escapes, somehow accelerate the feeling of the story as the mass of thought and narration races at the reader along with Dredd and Asher. The action Foster draws is subtle and cleverly drawn, racing to the end that sets up the showdown between Dredd and the former lawman turned mob hitman Asher.
Ken Neimand deftly retells the tale from last week in a way that informs new readers and give a new perspective to regular fans both. It’s interesting to see the thought process that Dredd is having to go through, even his questioning whether the perp is the “slab-jock” he suspects it is. Asher clearly shows who he is as he tries to deal with the one he let get away last week. The former Judge sees the quick solution to the problem and rejects it as being the less moral one in this instance. Neimand has Asher take great pains to help this possible crook to escape in this chapter, including starting a firefight with a gang of hit team sent to finish his failed mission. It’s an act that solidly puts him at least in the anti-hero camp.
Portals and Black Goo: Night Shift, Chapter 4
John Tomlinson (script), Eoin Coveney (art), Jim Boswell (colors), Simon Bowland (letters)
Chris Egan: Continuing the fun and purposefully cliché horror action from last week, we get some kickass vampire fun. This story has gone from what I thought would be strictly a sci-fi courier plot to this wild horror adventure. To be fair, the former is probably the more interesting idea, but what it’s become has been a really fun read.
There are some silly reveals in this chapter, especially towards the end, but the action and and vampire stuff is great. Like Buffy meets Blade. The artwork is full of great details and excellent brutality. It’s still giving off strong Fright Night vibes as well. This is a really great vampire romp and you should definitely be reading it.
Tharg’s 3rillers: Maxwell’s Demon, Part One
Credits: David Barnett (script), Lee Milmore (art), Quinton Winter (colors), Annie Parkhouse (letters)
Brian Salvatore: A sequel to last autumn’s ‘The Crawly Man,’ ‘Maxwell’s Demon’ picks up shortly after the first story wraps, with Herne and his enchanted dog having rescued a kidnapped little girl, Caris, who turns out to be a summoner, trying to get her to safety. Lee Milmore’s art retains a hint of classic British horror in the tone and style, but is really pushed to its limits by having to drawn an evil computer virus, which is an idea I’m not sure I’ve encountered before.
David Barnett’s script challenges a few conventions, like adding the haunted computer and adding a character of color (who is aware of his historical absence from these types of stories). Barnett, like he did in ‘The Crawly Man,’ does a really nice job of making the script both lean and dense. This feels meatier than many 2000 AD scripts, but never seems rushed or overstuffed, either. There’s a certain confidence to the writing that features heavily in the pacing. This story is taking its time, even though the very format limits its length.
Continued belowIt is a pleasure to return to these characters and this story, and with the revelation of Herne’s ex-girlfriend being on the case, it seems like the story is just beginning. Here’s hoping that ‘Maxwell’s Demon’ is the last “3riller” and the start of a more substantial story from this creative team.
Hershey: The Cold in the Bones Book 2, Part 3
Credits Rob Williams(script) Simon Fraser(art) Simon Bowland(letters)
Michael Mazzacane: In this strip we get to see a very good boy attack a very bad “nasty man” and deliver ‘justice’ in the Dreddverse. Barring that moment of humor Rob Williams and Simon Fraser use this strip to maneuver the plot forward and to a degree, have some fun with tonality.
So things are getting a little Aliens in Antartica City with the new life form quickly overrunning the city. While Fraser’s art has been moody and made great use of the sparse enviroemnt in previous strips, here their figure work is fully of life and a sense of danger as people are covered and than saved. That pattern of threat and salvation is played out maybe a little too much in this particular strip, but he managed to get me to bite on it multiple times so it was effective. These moments of sudden terror are contrasted in the middle of the strip of Frank’s near murder, only to be saved by the previously mentioned good boy. Otherwise there isn’t that much to the strip except things are starting to hit the fan and Hershey puts in the SOS.
Simon Fraser’s coloring features a series of variations in color going from that grey blue, to a red, to purple for the Justice Department headquarters. Color coding it in this way helps to both define the space in which the action is happening it begins to allow him to mix and match planes of action into larger macro images. Subtle variation is also shown on the page three as Frank is nearly smothered the vibrant red is suddenly muted as things become chillier.
There is an interesting moment where Hershey barges into the Department and a young Judge asks for her clearance, and she barks back “you recognize a Judge don’t you” which raises questions about the performativity of Judging that is likely the basis for a much longer think.
Azimuth: The Stranger Part 2
Credits: Dan Abnett (script), Tazio Bettin (art), Matt Soffe (colors) Jim Campbell (letters)
Matthew Blair: In one of the most impressive twist reveals I’ve read in a while, it’s revealed that the data city of Azimuth used to be a rogue A.I that took over a city known as Downlode, which used to be the domain of a hitman named Dexter. Now, Dexter is back, and he’s trying to figure out what the heck happened to his city and the A.I controlling it, preferably without getting killed or captured in the process.
“Azimuth: The Stranger Part 2” is a relatively quiet story, which is to say there isn’t a whole lot of action and a lot of set up. While this might seem a bit boring, writer Dan Abnett does a great job of making long dialogue chains understandable while ensuring they aren’t too difficult to follow. Abnett gives a very good sense of Dexter’s frustration and desire to see Downlode liberated from AI control and tension as he confronts a massive city that doesn’t believe him and wants him dead. It’s fascinating to see a character so out of their depth and facing legitimately impossible odds and while all may seem hopeless for a human in a digital city, it presents plenty of great opportunities for drama.
Since “Azimuth: The Stranger Part 2” is a quiet story, artist Tazio Bettin seems to have an easier time. All the characters really do here is walk, talk, and sit so there isn’t a whole lot of opportunity to showcase interesting fight scenes or layouts. However, Bettin does a great job of keeping Downlode engaging and interesting with some really cool character designs and always maintaining the sense that Azimuth is moving around the characters, which gives the story a great sense of energy.
“Azimuth: The Stranger Part 2” is a quiet story with some interesting world building moments for flavor. We’re gearing up for a showdown between a squishy human and an all powerful AI program, something that is both topical and great story fodder.
