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
Cadet Dredd: Deep Trouble
Credits: Paul Starkey (script), Ben Wilsher (art), Simon Bowland (letters)
Greg Lincoln Ben Wilsher’s striking, simple, animation-inspired designs and art make this fun early Dredd and Rico tale a real winner. Rico has disappeared into the undercity late at night and concerned cadets worry about waking Dredd to go and rescue his impetuous clone. Rico got himself mixed up in a weapons theft being committed by a failed cadet helped by some colorful thugs and well dressed troggies. Wilsher brings life to all of the colorful characters in the otherwise predictable story. You feel the worry in the faces of French and his fellow cadet as they debate waking Dredd. The clean lines are very appealing and easy to look at; he obviously has a lot of fun styling the fashions adopted by the troggies who sport styles that are pretty recognizable, pulled from classics like Paddington Bear and seventies pop group the Village People.
Wilsher spend time filling panels with details that bring the world to life, which helps because Paul Starkey’s story is pretty straight forward. You can see the reason why the Academy looks so clean, as one panel clearly spotlights a Justice Department mop and bucket framed by the characters. He also adds realistically drawn train engines for the ex-cadets getaway and a very convincing VW bug carcass for Dredd to shelter behind. He’s got a great sense of panel layout and perspective.
Lowborn High: Fire & Frost
Credits David Barnett(script) Mike Walters(art) Pippa Bowland(colours)Jim Campbell(letters)
Michael Mazzacane: It’s the season finale of “LowBorn High” and as most finales go it’s all set up for what is to come next wth summer break looming. This would normally lead to an unsurprising sort of sendoff, but this is “Lowborn High” and when we last left off our cast of characters were stuck atop the blizzarding Ming plateau in their formal wear. There is a lot of, immediate, drama to this scenario which the creative team lean into. By the second page they are all being threatened by a polar bear through the justified use of a single page splash image. “I don’t think the cold is going to kill us” is the best gag the strip pulls. Even the sudden reversal that happens a few pages later, mostly works.
As the strip goes on David Barnett’s plotting becomes more an exercise in “and then” thinking versus character based action. First Andy’s sister shows up out of nowhere, and then the Coven of faculty from Lowborn, and then the big bad butler! And then Andy gets kidnapped! And then they might close the school down after all come Fall term, which means how are they going to rescue Andy from … wherever it is he was taken to. Even the deal that justifies the sudden prisoner swap between him and his sister is hand waved away for “they must have their reasons” thinking. This episode of “Lowborn High” crams 4 strips worth of plot into 20 pages but isn’t structured to be a 20 page episode.
All of which is a real bummer because “Lowborn High” is one of my favored strips in these ‘Regened’ specials that come out on the fifth week. The high school drama of it all worked, the character dynamics worked. All of this is brushed aside in the name of plot. A plot which I am nominally interested in seeing going forward but would’ve been more interested in if it felt like the characters actions justified it beyond the cast being pulled into a mysterious much larger game they didn’t even know existed in the first place.
Hopefully the next time the strip comes around it’ll be able to relax and not get through it all in one go.
Continued below
Future Shocks: Content Provider
Credits: Karl Stock (Script), Joe Currie (Art), Rob Steen (Letters)
Chris Egan: In the future when content is king and A.I. programs are replacing true artists; a very average man is about to become the center of everyone’s attention. A game show, All Eyes On You, in which the contestant must not be seen by anyone has set its sights on one Pluto Norgaz. Pluto has always wanted to be somebody and now he has his chance, but it not be in a way he wanted.
Not unlike Richard Bachman (Stephen King)’s “The Running Man,” Pluto must run, hide, and try to win five million credits without setting off any facial recognition tech. For someone who may have craved celebrity at one point, Pluto is about to have a crash course in the worst aspects of being a famous face. That, and actually getting his hands on all that money is going to be a hell of a lot harder than he imagined.
This is a fun sci-fi yarn that pulls inspiration from all sorts of dystopian stories. The writing g is clear and concise while being mildly clever. It’s nothing less than obvious, but it nails the premise. It’s classic 2000 AD satire that pairs perfectly with the silly, but oddly gritty art of Joe Currie. A timeless and easily accessible examination of capitalism and celebrity. Nothing new, but it will absolutely find its audience.
Bladers
Credits: James Peaty (script), Mark Simmons (art) Gary Caldwell (colors) Simon Bowland (letters)
Matthew Blair: It’s the distant future, and the known universe can’t get enough of the sport known as blading. The sport may just be modern roller derby with a sci-fi twist, but it turns out that this story doesn’t really need to explain the rules because it’s actually about one of the universal constants when it comes to sports and money: cheating. It turns out coach Ali Cane used to be one of the best bladers in the galaxy, right until a woman named Judi Neutron sabotaged her and forced her into early retirement due to injury. Now, it’s a showdown between the two women, only this time the livelihoods of their careers and the teams they coach are at stake!
“Bladers” is written by James Peaty, who does a great job of delivering a classic sports story with high stakes, plenty of action, and some good old fashioned “cheaters never prosper” morality. The best part about the script is that Peaty understands how this kind of story works. You don’t need to explain the rules, you don’t have to include unnecessary exposition, and you don’t have to do an exhaustive amount of worldbuilding. This is a story that understands how the themes and message of an idea are universal and can be understood no matter who is reading it or when they’re reading it and it is greatly appreciated.
The artwork for “Bladers” is provided by Mark Simmons and Gary Caldwell and it has a nice blend of modern and retro aesthetics. The modern parts of the story include narrow lines, not overly focused on details, and great use of facial expressions and unique character designs. The retro aspects of the artwork allow for weird settings and a traditional sci-fi aesthetic that ironically feels like it could be included in an early Judge Dredd story from the 70’s. It’s a fun and functional style that allows the story to shine and allows the audience to see and understand what’s going on. In short, it’s artwork that does its job.
“Bladers” is a sci-fi take on a classic sports story that doesn’t really rock the boat or add anything new to the genre, but it does its job well and is a solid read.
