Prog 1306
Cover by: David Millgate

A very unremarkable cover this issue. Roughly drawn, and of a character that bares scant resemblance to the one in the actual strip. This isn't going to attract new readers to the comic - something which 2000AD should always be striving for. A waste of time. Look out for a future 2000AD Review feature on the best and worse prog covers...

The Nerve Centre interestingly mentions that another major character is set to die. While it seems clear they haven't learned from the Johnny Alpha debacle - we can only hope that it might be the incredibly overrated Slaine.

Rotten Manners -Part 1

Review: Wagner's back on Dredd - which is always a good thing, no matter how talented the fill-ins. However, it looks like another "Judge Gone Bad" storyline. Haven't we been here before? Still - it's well written, and Paul Marshall is a natural for Dredd, always providing solid storytelling. Perhaps this is leading somewhere else (Wagner's big epics have a habit of starting small and unannounced), so let's see how this pans out over the next few issues.

Part 7- Swarm Troopers

Review: The last episode of the new VC series. Once again, simply amazing artwork by the fantastic Henry Flint makes this a highlight of the comic (not to mention some very decent effects by Chris Blythe). The art lifts the story, which has become fairly run-of-the-mill space action in later issues, with only he leader and Keege the Geek, being particularly memorable characters. But that's enough to be starting with, and hopefully some of the minor characters will be making more of a mark in future series. Before they get killed - of course.

Part 6.

Review: A good example of how lax 2000AD has become over swearing. It just seems a little out of place in the comic, and 3 "shits" in a row seems like lazy writing. The artwork is still showing more promise in this episode, but the problem still lies in the script. With no characters you really care about, this makes for a slightly dull read. Seems a pity, as playing up the sci-fi element could have been so much more intriguing. It's not as bad as "Bec & Cawl", but then little is...

Roadhouse - Part 7

Review: Again, the best strip in the comic. Ezquerra still draws the most bizarre aliens, as witnessed by a group of artists the Stront run into this week. The artwork on this series has been fantastic, and my former complaints about the series not being in colour seem unnecessary following this week's tour de force. In the writing, the satire comes very much to the fore this week, as we find out who's responsible for the Roadhouse - and why.

Overkill - Part 1

Review: Well, the title's certainly right. A disgruntled Nort general tries to take out Rogue Trooper with a Nuke. And doesn't succeed (OK that's a spoiler, but a fairly obvious one). This series still doesn't appear to be going anywhere interesting. Big explosions and the promise of "payback" next week. Just a bit boring. And where's the constant bickering between the biochips? That was part of the charm of the old series and appears to have been totally dropped! Anyway - the art's quite good, but art this detailed would improve in clarity by being in colour...