2000AD Prog 1588 - 28 May 08

Cover by Richard Elson

Robert Frazer: At first glance, this cover might seem humdrum and uninspiring, but it steadily grows on you. The very act of facing away from the reader is a striking one that distinguishes it from practically every other magazine in the newsagent; the idea of one man with his weedy little pistol facing down a giant flying saucer is brilliantly good, clean, pulpy excitement to enthuse established readers, and ballsy and bold enough to stir the curiosity of newcomers, too.

The palette might seem limited but there's enough variety in shade to prevent it appearing monotonous, and the mist laid over the city show a bit of mystery attending the spaceship too. The focus is sharp and obvious, without sacrificing too much background detail to make the remainder of the page appear bland. Placing a speech bubble on the cover - rare even for the Beano nowadays - might also provoke a spark of nostalgia if you're a venerable enough reader.

This might not be the most obvious stand-out cover in the 2000AD library, but each element is precisely positioned to produce a balanced, attractive composition - it's quietly effective.

David Page: What can I say - I love covers like this one. Dredd pointing a gun at a spaceship it just makes me laugh. Even the logo works with this cover, making it a much better improvement on recent efforts.

Sue Doyle: Congratulations to Tharg on The Eagle Award, quite right that it is prominently displayed on the cover. As for the artwork: the cityscape is superb, with Judge Dredd standing on the top of the eagle giving the Aliens what for - it’s a fun cover.  Not too sure about the Close Encounter Reference but it’s a pun that’s just a bit of fun. 

Ownership - Part 2 Script: Rob Williams Art: Richard Elson Letters: Annie Parkhouse

Hershey gets all wordy...

Synopsis: After an attack on the alien mothership fails, the judges reconsider their options. They get Columbus out of his cells who tells them that aliens visited the earth in 1491 and made a deal with the locals that they would return later and take ownership (on the date that the ship arrived over MC1). However, Dredd gets Columbus to check the records and he digs up another document which proved that the old chief had given up the land to the people 10 years before. The aliens leave empty handed....

RF: "Possession is nine-tenths of the law", and it's been never so clearly demonstrated as it has here.

This strip has quite effectively blindsided me - a city-sized sky-obscuring spaceship looming forbiddingly with belaboured "Independence Day" allusions certainly seemed to be a dramatic and significant affair, and I definitely wasn't expecting it to be resolved so quickly and... cleanly, even. Still, with so many stories of the Lawman of the Future being figured in war, death, destruction and general misery having an offbeat tale like this come to the fore is quite refreshing.

There's a few doubtful elements to the plot of this tale - if these aliens show such uncommon reverence for law themselves, surely they would have understood that one prehistoric Big Chief Pow-Wow couldn't have laid claim to the entire American east coast in the first place? - but they aren't severe enough to break suspension of disbelief. There are a few enlivening touches to buff up the storyline with some character, too - while Columbus is a little self-consciously witty, he's not obnoxiously so, and the idea of Dredd stalking out to duff up a few rioters in order to blow off some steam is gently irreverent and nicely humorous.

I've always been fond of Elson's art, so there's no real complaints with his work here - the dayglo green he uses for the gloves and boots of the judicial uniform is a little sickening, but that's more of a nitpick really. I have to say that there's nothing especially standout this week, though, although showing the Psi-Judges huddled in a corner clutching their heads on Panel 3.1 was a nice show of attention to detail.

It's tempting to dismiss a strip like this as a wad of disposable filler slotted in to bide time until Wagner can finish his next mega-super-hyper-epic, but I'd hesitate before filing the Prog away - "Ownership" could well have wider significance for Judge Dredd himself. With the meaningful lingering on Dredd in the final panel, the implication that the second document was forged by Columbus on Dredd's instruction is very much obvious. We've seen increasingly over the past couple of years how he's been unhappy with the status quo - most obviously in the repeal of the mutant laws - but the situation in "Ownership" isn't the difference between "justice" and "legality", as was the case there, but Dredd quite openly and fraudulently manipulating the system for his satisfaction! While his clone-body is still keeping him tough and leathery, Dredd's pushing seventy years of age, now. Could "Ownership" be implying that he's starting to wear out, and chinks are appearing in the armour...?

DP: When is a Dredd story not a Dredd story? When it's something like this. This is a fun story but it really felt that it could have been a Future Shock or another kind of two-part story without the Dredd references.

SD: I liked this story especially because of the fact that you get the distinct impression that Dredd got Clinton to forge a document predating the one that the Aliens had.  Mega City is his City and his Law.   I know that these shorter stories can sometime feel like filler but this was a good story. This week's half was all the better for Richard Elson’s art work. 

Make. Believe - Part 11 Script: Robbie Morrison Art: Ben Oliver Letters: Ellie De Ville

Facing the guardian...

Synopsis: Malloy appears to have activated a spaceship - seemingly indicating that the Gods are just aliens after all. Jen fully activates the ship, but the guardian starts attacking them - only to enter into a fight with Root. The Scientist arrives and says he wanted to use the guardian as a test. He lets the guardian harm Root before letting Jen attack it. While Root is down, the Scientist kills him with herbicide. He tells Malloy that the "gods" crash landed on Earth, on the run from something. They shut down the core of the ship to hide their signal. They'd never be able to escape - but they could rule the planet. Now Malloy turns on the core so that whoever was looking for the gods can track them down...

RF: I owe Williams an apology.

I was quite cool towards "The Ten-Seconders" during my previous review, but when Malloy recounted his soliloquy and fired off his ejector seat to blast himself and Arachne into whirling infinity - a dauntlessly dramatic moment in and of itself - everything just suddenly clicked into place.

I've come to warmly appreciate the entirety of "Make. Believe." All of the characters have been strong, and even when they've slotted into a trope - as is the case with Harrison and his role as the comic relief - they've been rendered with full colour and conviction. While the vampirist goths were rather too overbearing in their channeling of Anne Rice, the Scientist (who is himself a fine depiction of controlling and commanding condescending cool) identifies them as a caricature for the readers in this climatic part, and redeems their concept. In any case their leader's spectacular ego, expressed with melodramatic aplomb, was truly awesome to behold and more than made up for any flaws they had.

This Thrill has experienced a bewildering variety of artists over the past three months. However, while a mid-story change of scribbler more often than not causes a comic to go down like the General Belgrano, it's really not been so much of a problem for "The Ten-Seconders". With Oliver, the same artist was used continuously for over half the Thrill's length and it's also helped that all of the artists who've served on it have been universally strong. Thomas's quirky use of colour in Part Five made him a personal favourite of mine, but there's really been no cause to fault Reardon's or Oliver's showings either.

"The Ten-Seconders" has come under some fairly intense and persistent criticism over the course of the new series's run, but like "The Guv'nor" (another strip of this season which has been underrated), I think that most of it stems from people's hang-up about not having an introductory scene and really it has no bearing on the quality of the story itself. I want to assure Williams that he has a firm supporter in me.

DP: I wish I could say that this was now done, but it really does seem to be hinting at a third series. This is mind-boggling to me. I really have not enjoyed this story and really cannot see the point in bringing it back for more. The various artist did not help, neither did the near incomprehensible story and I hate the characters.

SD: The last instalment is here and I can’t really believe that it had 11 parts. It certainly hasn’t dragged, merely confused.  The changes to the artists didn't help and there was great difficulty in linking the characters - who are they, what are their connections and why they do what they do? 

That’s not to say I haven’t enjoyed the artwork which, in this instalment is particularly clean as the colouring of the panels, the combination of line drawing and full colour all give real punch.  Ben Oliver is extremely competent.  The plot seems to get clearer towards the end, with the idea that everyone has been manipulated by the Scientist to bring about the end of all the Gods (Aliens) except him.  The dialogue has real humour (I like the use of Bowie’s lyrics) but it’s the bigger picture, the overall story I never quite grasped.   I feel that perhaps I’ve just missed the point and reading the whole story from start to finish may help. 

Part 12 Script: John Smith Art: Lee Carter Letters: Simon Bowland

Geoff has a rest...

Synopsis: Everything starts to go wrong very quickly. The government orders a full scale attack on the Drovers and the Drovers prepare to fight back. Geoff is killed by Kellett, who chases Unther and Danny. eventually killing Unther too, and also shooting Danny.

At this point, two "observers" note that "the reality just went toxic" and prepare to intervene. The war is started and the Drovers unleash a toxic weapon with 100% mortality rate. The reality is shut down and Danny is regrown into a new body. He awakes and is greeted by Winwood and Cord.

"You just got yourself recruited to Indigo Prime, kiddo. Your life's about to get a hell of a lot more interesting..."

RF: Smith owes ME an apology.

"Dead Eyes" began with some promise. Yes, the pace was more sedate and the text more verbose than is usual for thrills, but those were not in and of themselves bad things. While the slower pace seemed a little incongruous with the heroes supposedly being manhunted, not every story needs to be all action and explosions. I received the prospect of a plot entwining mystery and mythology to lay together a rich, fulfilling tale with some eager expectation. The problem lies in how the unravelling of that mystery over the past five weeks has been an utter unmitigated disaster.

It was never made truly clear exactly what interest the Cthonians had in Danny beyond him having a few psychic screws tightened, essentially degenerating the entire character into a walking McGuffin. The orgies were just pornography, and the weak attempt to pass them off as an anthropological study by Geoff didn't wash. When the Cthonians were being gunned down, the Minister asked perplexedly "why are we doing this again?". Good question, my Rt. Hon. friend, I replied. Beyond the military-industrial complex being Bad People and killing things being what Bad People do, it was completely nonsensical and there was no rhyme or reason for it.

The supposedly peaceful Neanderthals proceeding to cut down a band of super-soldiers with no more than slingshots stretched credulity. The random shootings have been quite gratuitous - the most that can be said for them is that having gunfights in places where I've been on holiday is a source of a little frisson. It's left decidedly vague whether the entire story is the memories of clone-Danny's previous life and he's being awakened into a far-future aftermath for a sequel, or if Smith is just copping out and trivialising the entire story with "I woke up and it had all been a dream!"

Really, the only thing keeping me reading "Dead Eyes" has been Carter's artwork. While it's been too grimy at times, painted art is all too rare in this world of CG and all other sorts of digital trickery and it's something to treasure. While it does endeavour to put some shine onto this doleful dirge, it's just not enough.

DP: I have been appearing on the letters' page of the Galaxy’s Greatest for a while now. In one such letter I asked for some old friends to make a return appearance. Boy, did Tharg and John Smith deliver in spades! Mr Smith, sir, you are a god and a genius. I always thought so and you really proved it in this story. A fantastic end to a fantastic series. I do wish the art was better but, my word, did that ending make me have a serious “HOLY CRAP!” moment.

SD: I really thought that I’d got the general idea of what this story was about.  Human testing to try and obtain a power source from a hidden civilisation who had been in turn experimenting on humans in order to make our lives better. A kind of pagan civilisation which tries to alleviate the savagery of the human condition.  I even got the point of them all dying. 

Yet the end of the story is merely the beginning of another ‘Indigo Prime®’ and I’m not sure that the full journey was required despite superb artwork throughout. 

RF: Dead Eyes has caused the good ship Tharg to wallow ponderously low in the water for the past few weeks. Now that it's finally been heaved overboard, the comic will undoubtedly enjoy some lift.

This year's spring lineup has been a little hit-and-miss, but with a new set of Thrills whirling up to full crackling speed next week, a new page with new potential is turning up.

Best Story: The Ten-Seconders.

DP: A nice but bafflingly undreddlike Dredd story, An unrepentant farewell to the Ten Seconders and a barnstorming and genuinely surprising ending to Indig….Dead Eyes!

Best Story: Dead eyes by a meteoric landslide

SD: The boards are cleared for a fresh start next week and they’ve ended what were both confusing tales at the same time doubling up on the page allocation to draw them to a close.  I enjoyed the art work but the scripts have left me bamboozled.   

Best Story: Judge Dredd