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!
2000 AD Prog 2366
Judge Dredd: a Better World Part 3
Credits: Ron Williams and Arthur Wyatt (script), Henry Flint (art), Annie Parkhouse (letters)
Greg Lincoln: ‘Part 3’ takes the story about an attempt at a better world into definitely dark space. It matters not if the opening scene is a set up created by the antagonistic elements in the Justice Department by media sociopath Robert Glenn or an honest attack on a vlogger, it is going to makes things hard for Judge Maitland. Wyatt and Williams slyly set up this expansion of Maitland’s project to correspond with this very visible moment of violence in her initial sector. It’s flashy and will get public option against her plans, whatever her year or statistical data says won’t matter against visible blood and anguish. The video escaped Maitland’s knowledge until a fellow judge showed it to her. The facial expression Henry Flint drew made further narration pretty unnecessary.
Flint’s pages in this part are a tad inconsistent. There is nothing bad in his treatment of the story and his color treatment is impeccable throughout. There are a few panels, mainly some scenes with Dredd and his fellow street judges, where the perspective is just a little off. It’s not bad art, but compared to the panels around it, it breaks a bit of the stunningly good quality of the rest of the chapter.
Thistlebone The Dule Tree: Part 3
Credits: T.C Eglington (script), Simon Davis (art) Simon Bowland (letters)
Matthew Blair: In the 1970s a film about the persecution of witches was filming in the small British town of Harrowville. We don’t know exactly what happened, but something went terribly wrong. In this part of the story it’s just after something bad happened and now the movie’s star and the screenwriter are getting to know each other, learning about the town’s history, and interacting with the less than pleased locals.
“Thistlebone The Dule Tree: Part 3” is an opportunity for writer T.C Eglington to establish the main characters and set up some themes for the story. In regards to the characters, Eglington does a great job of crafting a fun dynamic between the screenwriter and the star. Both of them are banking on this movie being a hit and a stepping stone in their careers, both of them seem to enjoy each other’s company, and both of them help each other deal with the unruly and hostile locals. On the other hand, Eglington does a decent job discussing the themes and ideas of witchcraft, but it’s all very boilerplate stuff. We’ve been talking about how natural occurrences were often mistaken for witchcraft back then and how the mass hysteria got people hurt for years now, and this story doesn’t really have a lot to add to the narrative.
Since this is one of the quieter moments in the story, the artwork for “Thistlebone The Dule Tree: Part 3” allows artist Simon Davis to focus more on the emotions and inner thoughts of the characters. Davis’ style is perfectly suited towards this kind of work since the borderline photo realism makes it easy for the reader to determine what the characters are thinking and what they might do next. Also, while this reviewer wasn’t alive in the 1970s and never visited that part of Great Britain, the aesthetic of the story feels right and very much of its time.
“Thistlebone The Dule Tree: Part 3” is the windup before the pitch and it does a great job of setting up the characters and while it may not have much to say on the broader themes of witchcraft, it does make the reader like the people in the story in a very short period of time.
The Devil’s Railroad, Part 14
Credits: Peter Milligan (script), Rufus Dayglo (art), Jose Villarrubia (colors), Jim Campbell (letters)
Brian Salvatore: While I have given this story a hard time throughout its fourteen, at times arduous chapters, I must admit that I didn’t think it had the balls to pull off the ending that it did. Should that ending have come eight chapters earlier? Absolutely, and it would’ve been twice as impactful if it did. But there’s something oddly satisfying about the ‘happy’ ending that is presented, especially because the “The End” on the final page seems definitive and not hinting at future tales.
And while that might be faint praise, that’s about all I can muster for this story. Rufus Dayglo really leaned into the gross alien business this week, which continues to be just a little too much in just about every way. Dayglo is giving this his all, but the over the top nature of the art wore out its welcome some time ago, sadly.
As is so often the case with 2000 AD, the format is the answer here. There was no need for this to be 14 chapters long; this would’ve been an interesting and engaging 3riller. But instead, we got a slog of a story that overstayed its welcome. Fare thee well, “The Devil’s Railroad.”
Enemy Earth – Book Three: Part 7
Credits: Cavan Scott (script), Luke Horsman (art), Simon Bowland (letters)
Chris Egan: As this strip rockets towards its conclusion in the coming weeks, it is beginning to feel a bit at odds with what it’s trying to accomplish. The pacing of the dialogue and action are quick as Scott puts plenty of urgency into the plot. There are some new revelations, but this week feels a lot like a rehash of what was done towards the beginning of this Book. Fighting to reach the human side of Julius, bickering and fighting for power between the various protagonists, and bread crumbs sprinkled to set up what’s to come.
The writing is quick and the art is kinetic and explosive. Like the majority of this strip, every panel is flashy and wild. It really assists the quickly told narrative and makes each entry a page turner, even if interest wanes a bit, it’s an easy story to get through. Horsman is doing something either fun or interesting with each chapter. The energy builds to an explosive ending for this week with war on the horizon. It would be almost impossible to skip what’s next based on the cliffhanger.
Feral & Foe: Bad Godesberg, Part 12
Credits: Dan Abnett (script), Richard Elson (art), Jim Campbell (letters)
Michael Mazzacane: I’m unsure how to feel about this finale. On one hand I found it shallow in what appears to be the arbitrary, unknowable nature of its resolution. This unknowable quality is put to good use by Abnett’s scripting for both humor, reflexivity, and character beats. On the other hand, the final two pages act as a bonkers teaser for the next story ‘The Beast of Sleetwood’ that I’m willing to go with it. As a unit of storytelling the finale to ‘Bad Godesberg’ falls extremely flat and might be one of the worst strips in this run. As a reading experience, it was fun!
So that metal automaton that has been lurking around like Chekhov’s gun goes off by grabbing that Lich’s skull and teleporting away somewhere. There is a shocking unknowable quality to this sudden 1.5-page sequence over 6 panels that I almost like it. This strip has been so rooted in the perspective of our characters that this ramming into the drama of the previous strips and just wiping it out like it was nothing makes sense. But as a reader it smacks of deus ex machina, which is functionally is, which is unsatisfying to a degree.
Dan Abnett’s scripting in the aftermath of this sequence is effective. Everyone reacts to this un-magic, non-magic, about how you’d expect with someone like Bode reacting with the right amount of fear. As Poor Celine says in response to the question if “we saved the world?” “We did not. Yet the world is saved.” That is such an effective phrase that gets to the unsatisfying nature of what we just read. Not because what happened is inherently “bad” but because it is unknowable. Wretchfinder General Danica’s shock slowly gives way to political maneuvering and jubilation that the event is over and that she will be able to claim victory for it.
Continued belowNow to the final two pages. The automata returns to its Masters with the shrieking skull in hand, revealing that technologically advanced conquerors from the West are coming! Richard Elson does his riff on Kirby-like “Eternals” here and they look fascinating. This promises an absurd mashup of sensibilities in the future.
2000 AD Prog 2367
Judge Dredd: A Better World Part 4
Credits: Ron Williams and Arthur Wyatt (script), Henry Flint (art), Annie Parkhouse (letters)
Greg Lincoln: ‘A Better World’ is becoming a bit of a slow burn with this week’s chapter. Williams and Wyatt build tension opening with Dredd musing on whether Maitland is breaking the law in sector 304 and diving into the street violence caused by protests, counter protests, et al. It’s really not looking good for the future experiment that she is running. Head of Street Hernandez has a long talk with Dredd about his feelings about the project, with Street Judges trying to quell the growing riot talk about how their side it winning and discuss being slow about loading the riot foam. They even add to the tension in the b-story with Dredd’s sting operation apparently going south as the chapter ends.
Henry Flint’s art this week is solid throughout the strip. He makes great use of both extreme close ups and long shots to create both a sense of tension and place. He deftly uses vibrant colors in the foreground images and a muted background to create both depth and pull your focus. He’s included lots of small details in the background that give those scenes a lot of life that you might not consciously notice. That aspect gives life to the overall story. He includes random Judges doing whatever in the background of Dredd and Maitland’s conversation. His attention to those details and how he treats them in relation to the main action of the scenes demonstrate the skills of a veteran comics artist.
Thistlebone The Dule Tree: Part 4
Credits: T.C Eglington (script), Simon Davis (art) Simon Bowland (letters)
Matthew Blair: Past and present collide and blend together in a mishmash of violence and terrible destruction. In the past, a poor girl is hung by the neck and burned for being a witch and in the present the already struggling film production suffers another setback when the truck of mannequins that were supposed to be stand ins for the actresses being burned alive actually catches fire. But it’s okay, because they’re just mannequins.
Right?
This is the part where the problems start to ramp up and in “Thistlebone The Dule Tree: Part 4” writer T.C Eglington shows that he has no problem with incredible violence. It’s actually a very short section of the story, but Eglington wastes no time jumping into the gruesome horror of someone being burned alive. There are a few pages that move the plot along nicely, but this is just a taste of what is to come.
While the writing on “Thistlebone The Dule Tree: Part 4” is functional and enough to keep things interesting the artwork of Simon Davis is what really grabs the reader’s attention and is the real star of the show. While we may never know what was said between artist and writer when creating this story, it’s very clear that Davis pulls out all the stops when showing the horror of what is unfolding here. The blood, fear, and flames of the grisly task are on full display and Davis actually delivers some fairly abstract artwork in the last panel that is genuinely creepy and disturbing. Seriously, this is not something you want to show young readers and while this is some of Davis’ best work, it is easily capable of making a lot of readers uncomfortable.
“Thistlebone The Dule Tree: Part 4” has some pretty important plot notes and events happening, but what really grabs the reader’s attention is the legitimately horrific artwork that pulls out all the stops and shows just how ugly and nasty the act of hunting witches can be.
Tharg’s Thrillers: The English Astronaut, Part 1
Continued below
Credits: Paul Cornell (script), Laura Helsby (art), Matt Soffe (colours), Jim Campbell (letters)
Brian Salvatore: Time travel is one of the great starting places for storytelling in the sci-fi realm, and one of the best parts about it is that it allows anachronisms to melt away and let storytellers do things in a less fettered way. For instance, when a nurse says “groovy” in 1963, that seems like a mistake. In 1963, culture was far closer to the 1950s than the flower child, hippie lingo of 1968. But if she’s a nurse in a time travel experiment, she might as well be saying ‘shway’ like Terry in Batman Beyond, because all of that knowledge is possible through her work.
Paul Cornell also uses the time travel to play with comic conventions like editor’s boxes and narration, and gets the reader into the mood of the story with ease. This script is spare and teases the reader with terms like ‘timequake,’ but never tries to over-explain the time travel method or bog the story down in detail. It’s a lithe script that allows Laura Helsby’s clean, classic art to take over. Helsby’s art can be a little stiff in parts, but the clarity her work provides is essential here. Because the Major is experiencing strange phenomena, Helsby’s art needs to show us just how strange, and by making the entire strip feel a little sterile and locked up, it lets the weirdness seep through those cracks.
Enemy Earth – Book Three: Part Eight
Credits: Cavan Scott (script), Luke Horsman (art), Simon Bowland (letters)
Chris Egan: Alien invasion is imminent. The unleashed mutants ravage everything in their path. The energy of this series has been ramped up even more. New powers, monstrous moments, and varied creatures take up every page. Beautiful and horrifying changes make up most of this chapter. Horsman’s work is always fun and exciting. Always capturing exactly what this story calls for, and he’s doing a huge part of the actual storytelling. Even with an accomplished writer like Scott on this strip, the artwork is carrying a lot of the load, and even outshines Scott’s script on occasion. The eighth chapter is wall to wall action and horrifying possibilities. I can only hope the ending is a satisfying culmination of the mixture of sci-fi adventure and pure insanity this story has given us over the last few months. We’ve earned it.
Full Tilt Boogie: Book 2, Part One
Credits: Alex De Campi (script), Eduardo Ocanna (art), Eve De La Cruz (colours), Annie Parkhouse(letters)
Michael Mazzacane: I have not read “Full Tilt Boogie” before and after reading this first strip I want to hunt down the first book and devour it. There is something disarming about Eduardo Ocanna’s art, it at first seems out of place in “2000 AD”. Which is to say it’s pretty and not grimy. There is a distinct lack of hatch marks. Eve De La Cruz colors everything relatively flat without much rendering, though they do create some phenomenal textures on the environments in the latter pages. Ocanna’s figure work is very contemporary, and a few generations removed from the typical manga influence. The whole thing looks like it belongs on Webtoon and that I should be reviewing it in the Webcomics Weekly. Surface level appearances are deceiving, as De Campi’s scripting and the world building it builds in these 6 pages presents a dark universe that fits right at home in the pages of “2000AD”. And that’s before they make the socialist medicine gag!
Book two picks up where the previous one left off with Tee, Grandma, Cat and the gang fleeing the empire after rescuing Princess Nix from prison and on the run from the Luxine Empire. They are in urgent need of medical aid but first Tee has to square away the docking charges and maybe do some currency conversion. But don’t worry the medical care is free, they’re not savages. De Campi doesn’t do a lot in these pages in terms of suddenly pushing plot forward; instead it all acts as a means to introduce the cast who all get a biting yet whimsical caption box explaining who they are. This strip does a fantastic job getting readers up to speed on the drama of this series, I may not know the specifics but the scenario in these first 4 pages is enough to point me in a direction and more importantly I know everyone’s name with a rough idea of their personality.
When we change perspectives to the Luxine Empire, who also get caption boxes that are decidedly less whimsical, the tone changes. Occan’s ship design and world building is this fusion of 3D printing and organic production. The costuming is this mix of western imperialism. And then on the final page we have the equivalent of Cherub Servitors from 40k helping their queen design her new children. This is a mashup of styles and objects but the art brings it all together to be its own thing. This sort of postmodern blend is what “2000AD” does best and I’m so here for it.
