Prog 1314 - 23 October 2002
Cover by Trevor Hairsine

Just as we thought Trevor Hairsine had gone off to the States, never to be heard from in 2000AD again, he returns with a damn good Dredd cover. It's certainly easy to see more of a Bryan Hitch influence in his work these days, particularly in the inking, and this is no bad thing.

A fairly decent issue, let down by the slightly predictable Past Imperfect - yet another Future shock clone.

I note that the "story so far" part of the inside front page is woefully inadequate in getting new readers up to scratch with the latest Dredd story. Still a need for this site then...

Out of the Undercity - Part 2
Synopsis: Prager "goes wolf" just outside the medical facility, runs off. A report of a "Beast" on the loose soon comes in, and Dredd orders pursuing forces to use non-lethal force, knowing the beast is Prager. Judge Hick catches up with Prager at the entrance to the Undercity, but has a weapon jam. However, Prager doesn't kill the judge, but goes down into the undercity - with Dredd following.

Review: Not much to report this issue, as very little happens (as you can see from the summary above). The artwork's still good, but the story really hasn't had the chance to develop yet. With Dredd heading into the Undercity, next prog should hold more interesting developments.

Under the Banner of King Death - Part 2
Synopsis: The crew of the Red Wench gets some shore leave at "The Jolly Cripple" pub. Captain Dancer leaves the crew money to get wasted, and goes to see his girlfriend Isabella, referred to as "The Witch". She finds a tablet in his possession that doesn't seem "quite right". It's referred to as The Albrecht Tome by Dr Orlando Doyle, who magically watches them from afar. He sends his Zombie crewmen to retrieve it...

Review: Now back down to its regular five pages, this story still shows promise. Edgington, in his first story for 2000AD, proves to be more than capable of structuring a short strip, as the plot is nicely furthered this week and also manages to get in the introduction of 2 new characters, Mistress Meryl of the Jolly Cripple and Isabella. A nice bit of humour in the writing, indicating that Edgington isn't taking this pirating lark all too seriously, thank god. Look for a more action orientated episode next week.

As ever, Yeowell's art is wonderful, and the black and white reproduction adds atmosphere to the story.

Part 2
Synopsis: Holt is still reeling from the death of Junichi, especially as the alien that killed him was from a pacifist species. Meanwhile, a telepathic alien, Belly, is waiting in the "processing" queue, and tries to allay his friend's fears of the rumours by doing a telepathic search. Unfortunately, he sees an alien being killed, goes berserk and escapes, with another alien, Skunk, trailing behind.

Meanwhile, Holt meets with Reverend Ashcroft, who seems a little unhinged. We learn that Holt has an alien father and Human mother. Ashcroft says "After the wars the nations shut themselves off behind the domes. But they still allowed the aliens to come. Do you think that was right, Holt? Hmm?"

Responding to a beeper call, Holt and fellow hunter Megan find Belly, who swallows Holt whole...

Review: Quite a bit of plot we've got through this week, as the true nature of "Asylum" is made a little clearer. Reverend Ashcroft seems to be shaping up to be suitably deranged, but we are yet to witness any others that may be involved in what appears to be his plan for alien extermination. The introduction of Skunk looks like he could provide the alien point of view, but time will tell.

The art continues to impress, with some notable uses of computer effects to enhance the work. It's a little unclear as to what Belly saw that got him so riled, but hopefully that will become clearer in future issues...

Red Man Rising
Synopsis: General Custer is about to face his last stand. In a meeting with an Indian Shaman, he is given a talisman that will help him win. He uses the talisman to slaughter his enemy. However, as the Shaman knew would happen, this causes the Indians to rise up in hatred, forever defeating "the white man". The last shot is of the capitol building - "The Red House"...

Review: Well this seems to be "Tales of the Unexpected" in yet another guise. So add this to Future Shocks, Terror Tales, Time Twisters, Tales of Telguth and all the others I've forgotten. The premise behind this seems to be the alternative reality approach (see Fatherland or The Man in the High Castle for reference), but seems a little basic. I suppose it's too much to expect more out of 5 pages - but I hope future stories show a little more inventiveness (and less use of magic).

The art seems perfectly good enough, but the weakness of the story potentially makes it harder to appreciate.

The Off-Lode Experience - Part 2
Synopsis: Billi arrives on Toplode, a station orbiting Earth, and meets up with the designated pilot Manx McCandless. They're interrupted by alien businessman Toronto Bosch and his henchmen who are looking for Manx. Sinister Dexter arrive and blow away Bosch and his associates. The crew meet up at their rocket, and take off for their job...

Review: Still the best thing in the comic, as the new story gets up and running.Not a great deal actually happens in this issue, but it's an excuse for Dan Abnett to play around with the characters before the story gets underway. This works well, especially with Billi's sarcastic tone acting as a nice counterpoint to Sinister and Dexter's jokier repartee. And nice to see a use of the "drunken pilot" to round out the group - always a welcome stereotype! Plus - good use of comedy subtitles.

Again, Davis' art elevates the story further - and it does seem much more colourful than before - a considerable improvement to the seemingly dark episodes he previously drew. Of course, this could just be my memory playing tricks with me, but this certainly seems his best yet.