2000AD "Prog 2004" - 17 December 2003
Cover by Duncan Fegredo

Synopsis and review by Gavin Hanly
2nd Opinion by Richmond Clements

Summaries and reviews contain spoilers for this issue.

GH: As usual, we get a "big name" cover for the end of year special. This year, Duncan Fegredo puts in an all too rare appearance with a great picture of Tharg. Now, that's all well and good, but is Tharg really the best selling point for what should be the greatest issue of the year? And to make matters worse - what's with the teeny writing announcing what's inside the comic? Or the "Thrill Power" heading that makes the comic look like it's called "2000AD Power"? This cover seems aimed squarely at people who already buy 2000AD as opposed to attracting new readers. Maybe "Tharg only" covers work, as they tried this last year too, but this just seems like a wasted opportunity to me.

RC: Yeah, it’s a nice piece of work, but it’s just too black. I don’t think a cover this dark is going to stand out on any newsagent’s shelf. And I have always thought that these type of covers should shout loud what the comic is about, and that means a big bold image, like the Bolland Iwo Jima one.

The Good Man

Dredd gets ready to rumble

Synopsis: Christmas Eve - Dredd is caught out in a Cursed Earth blizzard while bringing a captive on a remote trailer back to Mega City 1. He finds a settlement and seeks cover. Inside he finds a host of mutants ready to attack them but they are stopped by their doctor who has taught them to forswear violence. The doctor grants Dredd and his perp sanctuary and begins treating the captive's wounds. The doctor tells Dredd that he has found peace helping the people in the colony, while Dredd tells him that the captive is Vinnie Vomit, an ex Vicious Boys enforcer. Dredd watches the doctor look after the mutants, treating and teaching them. Dredd is impressed and wants to believe the "Doc" is a good man...

The next day, the storm clears, and Dredd checks the Doc's prints on his bike. Nearby, the Vicious Boys have come looking for Vinnie, holding a young mutant hostage. The Doc is appalled that Dredd has brought violence to the community, but Dredd tells him he knows his real name, "Pinkie". Dredd goes out to meet the Boys, followed by Vinnie, tied to the trailer. Dredd sets the trailer off as a distraction and gradually takes out all the Vicious Boys until only Vinnie is left.

The Doc asks him to leave. Dredd agrees, but says the Doc, real name Pinkie Stollemeyer, is coming with him. He was guilty of impersonating a doctor leading to the death of two patients. Pinkie pleads that he's a changed man - but that doesn't cut any ice with Dredd. Despite threats from the mutants, Dredd takes him back to Mega City One to face justice...

GH: An end of year Dredd tale that is particularly notable for one thing - the return of Jim Murray to 2000AD. He puts in a truly astounding job here, and like many former painters proves to be a considerably better artist when using primarily ink (or its equivalent if this is computer rendered). His work here shows a phenomenal amount of detail all through the strip, and helps him to jump to the top of the pile in "best Dredd artists".

Everything, from a superbly rendered Dredd to some wonderfully unique mutants and the bizarre Vicious Boys gang, is of an extremely high quality add makes for a great opener for the end of year issue. In addition, Murray is brilliantly adept at the action scenes between Dredd and the Vicious boys. An almost stationary Dredd, while all hell breaks loose around him makes for a classic scene, laced with blackly humourous uber-violence. And he draws one hell of a good lawmaster..

Murray's colouring is also of note, not surprising given that the bulk of his work has been painted, but the snow covered high-noon scene uses a palette that seems to accurately convey the sense of cold and quiet that then erupts into violence. Hopefully we'll see much more of Murray in 2004, but given the quality of this strip I wouldn't be surprised if the American publishers started knocking at his door again.

As for the story, it's a perfect Christmas Dredd story. There's an initial fear that Dredd is going to slip into schmaltz territory, but Wagner easily juggles the slightly softer side of Dredd we're seeing lately with the rock-hard judge who enforces the law, no matter what. And any strip which has a character called Rat-Arse, someone "with a rat's backside grafted to his face" deserves the highest commendation. After a year of slightly underwhelming Dredds (Dredd/Aliens aside) this is a great way to end the year for the character.

RC: The master returns to his greatest creation, and shows us how Dredd should be written, with the characters of Vinnie and Pinkie realised in just a few economic lines. Fun, funny and ultra violent, it has everything a classic Dredd tale should have, drokk, he even says Those Three Words! This is the type of Dredd tale that should appear in a re-launch prog!

After all those weeks of Siku, and his highly stylised Dredd, Jim Murray brings it crashing back to reality with some truly astounding work. He draws with amazing confidence, be it the odd angle he draws Dredd from in the third frame on page one, or his nice tweaks to the uniform gloves and boots, and that’s before I mention his super cool Lawmaster and Lawgiver designs. Let’s keep the new bike, please Tharg!

Twilight of the Idols

Dancer's nemesis

Synopsis: In the Jolly Cripple Captain Jack Dancer drinks himself into submission, accompanied by the two headed dog in a jar he gained in his first adventure. Isabella has left him, gone away to "find herself" and learn more about her powers. his friends have left him with only Swinging Billy still looking out for him. Dancer goes to relieve himself, soon followed by Billy who goes to check up on him. They are both watched by a mysterious stranger in arabic dress. Ouside, as Dancer finishes off, he is knocked out, and Billy is too. They both wake up in the brig of a British ship along with all his former shipmates. It's captained by James Syme, an old acquaintance of Dancer's from his days in the British fleet. He plans to take them back to England to face trial and hang for piracy.

But they are interrupted as the ship shakes - under attack from a strange looking vessel which launches fire at the British ship, tearing it asunder. Dancer and his crew decide to take their chance and escape before the ship gores down. But before they can, the strange ship rams into their brig. The front opens and out steps the man from the bar: "Gentlemen, I am Alhazred...I am your salvation!"

GH: A surprise hit from late last year, The Red Seas also proved to be impeccably timed in that it preceded the "Pirates are cool again" fervour that followed in the wake of Pirates of the Caribbean. While this is, once again, primarily a rollicking action piece and we shouldn't come to it looking for anything particularly deep, Edginton and Yeowell do a good job. They've setting up a nasty bad guy, a mysterious benevolent stranger, and assembled the crew together in one double sized episode, getting us right into the action from day one. I'm also glad to see they got rid of Dancer's dull witch girlfriend (although I assume she'll turn up again in time), but it is a shame the two headed dog got left behind in the pub.

A worthy return for one of the more surprisingly enjoyable new creations of the last two years. Edginton has been a major asset to the comic, let's hope he stays around for a while yet, while Yeowell is a perfect match for him. One to look forward to over the coming weeks.

RC: I really enjoyed the first series, and have been looking forward to this returning. Then you turn to the second page of the story, only to find a drunken man talking to a couple of dog’s heads in a jar, you laugh, and fall right into the story. It’s hard to write about this story without resorting to words like rollicking, romp or caper, because that is exactly what it is! Bloody good fun.

Steve Yeowell does a splendid job here, but then he always does. Captain Pugwash and Blackbeard I recognise, but I’m sure other denizens of the Jolly Cripple are known, either to you or Mr. Yeowell.

There… I made it through the review without mentioning… that movie!

GH: Every issue has to have a low point, and unexpectedly, this was it for me. The sequel to "Reefer Madness", an episode that seemed to have something of a coherent plot to it as well as the hook of being based on a well known public information film, this is simply all over the place. I could quite easily have cut down the summary above to "Monster police kill concert goers" which is pretty much the scope of this storie. Rennie may have fun picking holes in festivals and the reaction of the press to them, but it all seems terribly outdated seeing as I haven't seen this kind of anti-festival press in many years. Without a plot to hold it all together, this unfortunately acts as something as a waste of Irving's talents. He draws a mean Tharg, but otherwise, there's not enough to hold my interest.

RC: Surprisingly, being that this comes from the team of Rennie and Irving, this for me is a bit of a bum note (pardon the pun). While it is sort-of funny in places, it ultimately ends up being of no consequence, but then, maybe that's the point?

Frazer’s work is as good as ever, though I do prefer it in black and white.

The Books of Invasion 3 - Scota Part 1

Slaine gets carried away

Synopsis: Slaine faces down the golamhs that surrounded him at the close of the last book. He starts taking them down as the golamhs tell him he's destroying his tribe. But a tentacled golamh grabs him from behind and begins to tear into him. Slaine calls out for his spear which returns to his hand, killing the golamh, and also its host who pleads for release. Watching, Odacon says it is time for the awakening, and that Slaine will have to fight an army of Golamhs.

Slaine returns the spear to the battle, and tells his fellow warriors they must get the serpent staffs - believing there is a way to circumvent the "words of power" needed to work them. But as he does Fergus is struck down. After Slaine dispatches his attacker, Fergus pleads not to be put into the cauldron of rebirth and be brought back a zombie.

Watching the battle, Amergin is shocked, realising that it's extermination and that the Golamhs do not want to share power. He tells Gael that the weapons are a mistake and led to Atlantis' fall in the first place. Elsewhere, Princes Meritaten realises that she must do everything to help Gael, as it's his only hope of freedom, and leaps into the battle.

GH: Ah, Sláine. A major dividing point for current 2000AD readers. Some seem to love the continuing adventures of the "not based on Conan at all" barbarian, while others, myself included, are growing ever tired of the Warped Warrior's posturing. This episode will be catastrophically confusing to any new readers, since the last book perplexingly finished in the middle of a scene (try the link above if you need a refresher). It features much of what bored me last time around, namely big battles where Slaine keeps telling people how much he's going to hurt them. With luck, the story might start again next issue, but until then it's same old, same old.

Meanwhile, Clint Langley has become better and better as the Books of Invasions have continued, with the darkness of earlier episodes replaced by much more vivid creations. His depiction of the Zombie soldiers is a high point this issue, although the rendering of Scota (who, incidentally, is highly irritating with her blind belief that Gael will be freed) at the end looks just a little too photographic for my tastes.

RC: So, he's back, and this week at least, he's welcome. This is a good solid start to the new book, with Mills scripting some exciting action and hard man dialogue. The only caveat I have is this: next week the script could easily be a pile of pants, mired with expositional passages slowing down everything. But I'll take Slaine one week at a time, and be happy that I enjoyed this one.

I bet you didn’t think Langley's art could not get any better? Judging by this week's effort, you’re wrong. Somehow he has managed to raise the bar of what can be done with computer art yet again. And Clint, about that last page… that costume would make Durham Red blush!

Krystallnacht

Ravne proves capable of looking after himself

Synopsis: Simmons and Brand argue about spending Christmas with Brand's family when the mansion is stormed by masked soldiers. They take them away to be with the others, telling them they wish them no harm unless they interfere. Ravne, called Dominus by his two companions, is upstairs preparing a luger to defend himself with. Elsewhere in the mansion, Chapter and Verse prepare to protect themselves, but Verse makes Chapter put down her weapon as he won't fight humans.

Locked up with the others, Chapter surmises that the invaders are Israeli special forces, and they hear them start to attack Ravne. Upstairs, Ravne kills all the invaders coming for him, but the old man steps into the room and fires. Downstairs Brand complains at their treatment and is cold cocked. Simmons rushes to his aid but is gunned down. Brand tries to go to her, but Chapter warns him away, as Simmons transforms into her demonic alter ego. She rips through the guards, until the golem comes into the room and attacks. The battle ensues as the old man staggers bleeding down the stair, suddenly falling as the golem's head rips through him. Simmons demon says "There's nothing to worry about now" but upstairs Ravne lies dead...

GH: Unfortunately, this is a one-off (I was hoping this would be the start of a new series). But, Rennie does a wonderful job of pulling the carpet out from under us. The revelation of Simmons' inner self and the death of Ravne are major shocks, both well worth a special double sized episode. While this would once again remain highly confusing to any newcomer, it's perfect for the rest of us who have been clamouring for more and more Caballistics. Reardon too pulls out all the stops on this one showing a greater confidence that has led to a major improvement in his art when compared to this time last year. He's evolved into a fantastic artist, and also seems to be settling into the action pieces, something which he wasn't too comfortable with in the early episodes. All in all, a great way to end the series for this year, but let's not leave it long until the next series?

RC: Probably the most consistently good strip of the past year, and it does not disappoint here. The background action of the last series explodes to the fore here, and changes everything. Kudos to Rennie for his courage here. With Jenny revealing her Other Side and the apparent death of a major character, he has us desperate to find out what happens next!

And I've just discovered that Verse wasn’t just dressed like a priest, he was one. But you all probably knew that already..?

I've nothing to add to what I said about Dom’s art in my review of prog 1364. It's still perfect.

Like a Virgin - Part 1

Hoagie meets a new Slade...

Synopsis: Hoagie arrives at the Rub a Dub Club, looking for Sam. He's using a DNA tracker to find him, which leads him into the corner of the room. As he does, he stumbles over a young woman, who then punches a man who fondles her while helping her up. On stage, Robostogie is rapping, but soon gives up when he sees Hoagie. They are both thrown out of the club. Hoagie tells Stogie that he's a movie star, and is looking for Sam as he needs help. But the DNA tracker tells them that Sam's on the move and they track him down to an apartment. They scale the walls, looking to surprise Sam in case he holds a grudge for spending all his money. They see he's asleep in the bed, but as they stage their surprise it turns out to be the woman from the club. She's Sam's granddaughter, Samantha Slade, and says that if she finds sam she'll" take great pleasure in blowing his scumbag head off"

GH: This one could go either way. Even before the abominable Mark Millar retread of Robo Hunter, the last episodes by Grant and Gibson with an older Slade were starting to show their age as much as the lead character. So I treated news of this resurrection with some trepidation.

At least they've avoided the obvious route of somehow re-juving Slade, or setting it earlier in continuity, so we can avoid the same problems that Strontium Dog can suffer (i.e. knowing that your character can't die - as he has to later on). So far, it is highly pleasing to see Gibson back on his signature creation (possibly even more so than Halo Jones), and getting both Stogie and Hoagie back was essential, even if their meeting seems just a little too "handy". So far, this is impeccably drawn, and blessed with an entertaining and lightweight script. Whether this is enough remains to be seen over the course of its relatively short 4 episodes, but let's give it the benefit of the doubt for now.

RC: I think we can safely use the phrase "long awaited" here, can’t we? Big things were expected from this new strip… but does it deliver?

Oh come on! What the hell do you think? Alan Grant. Ian Gibson. Grant gives us a script that is like putting on your favourite album. All the right notes are hit; Hoagy says "Yup", Carlos Sanchez Robostogie talks about himself in the third person and gets all the best lines, and in her few lines, Samantha comes across like a chip off the old block. Trying to write about Gibson’s art on this strip is pointless. Like Halo Jones, it is impossible to imagine anybody else working on these characters and doing them right.

One major problem, though. We already know the series is only four weeks long. That’s only going to be enough time to get the story started, and grud knows how long it will be until Tharg can get these two creators back making more of this magic!

Part 1 - Down

Smith strikes back...

Synopsis: Smith lies unconscious and wounded on Charon beside the wreck of his ship (which crash-landed at the end of the last series). He staggers back to the ship, on the way finding he body of Jupe. As he reaches the ship, he realises the rest of the crew are dead. His tracker goes off and he sees two Geek ships coming to survey the wreckage. Two geeks start searching, and Smith kills them both. He's about to kill a third, when he realises it's Keege. He sees the images of his dead comrades behind Keege and starts ranting, before he passes out. Later, after his head wound is dressed Keege tells him that they are the only survivors - and they're in a tent salvaged from the wreck. Smith says they're as good as dead, but Keege is appalled at the defeatist talk telling him they must get news of the weapon to Earth, and they must find Jupe's data log. They don't have much weapons. Smith says it's suicide to take on the Geeks, but they're going to do it anyway...

GH: I had severe problems with the last series of the VCs. Whether it was the bitty nature of the series, given that it was constructed of single episodes with little plot running through them, or the somewhat jarring nature of Anthony Williams' computer aided art.

But I'm pleased to see that the strip may be making a U turn, as this episode has done a great job of rekindling my interest. First of all, killing almost all of the crew, especially Jupe, was an extremely welcome event. Last time around there were no characters that jumped off the page, with the exception of Smith and Keege. Luckily, Abnett's decided to wipe the slate clean and start again. Hopefully we won't discover any other survivors later on, as a two hander with Smith and Keege could be a far more interesting read than putting up with more under-developed characters.

And there's also a great improvement from Williams. He's said on the official site's message board that he's toning down the over-use of computer effects and concentrating more on the basic art, and he's certainly lived up to that this week. The stark nature of Charon is well realised, with his more restrained computer effects doing a much better job of enhancing the art as opposed to overwhelming it. Now if he can concentrate on designing some more compelling space craft, I'll be much happier.

Overall, a major improvement.

RC: Earlier, I heaped praise on Gordon Rennie for killing off a major character. Well, now we’ve got Dan Abnett killing off all of them but two! And you know something? It looks like this is just what the strip needs. This week's strip does exactly what any good comic strip does: it makes me want to read the next episode. If Abnett can keep up this momentum, I’ll be a happy man.

The art of Anthony Williams has come on in leaps and bounds in this new series. His art here is a lot grittier, and suits the tone of the strip nicely.

The Sea Falcon

Dante boards in style

Synopsis: Spatchcock and friend are stowing away in a cruise liner's life rafts when they hear the voice of Dante, who says he's come to take the valuable from the ship's passengers. (Flashbacking to 2 days earlier, we learn that Dante has been given a small ship by his Mother, but he must find his crew elsewhere). The ship tries to ram Dante's vessel, so Dante Boards, besting the guards. He starts to take the valuables, when confronted by a woman in a veil. He removes the veil and is suddenly attacked by a wave of creatures. Under the veil is Lulu, who says someone gave the Tsar the codes to the Winter Palace, which allowed the Raven corps to over-run them and she believes it was Dante. He tells her she's mistaken, but she doesn't believe him, unleashing more demons at him. The demons begin devouring the crew and Lulu prepares to kill Dante. His former compatriots swing down to help him, but miss, crashing into the wall. But it's enough to distract Lulu. Dante throws her back, pointing the Huntsman's Rifle at her - one of the few weapons that will kill her. Lulu attacks anyway, but the ship runs aground an Dante is thrown clear, along with his two friends - now part of his crew. They leave Lulu behind...

GH: Nikolai Dante is always a welcome addition to any 2000AD issue, and this week is no exception. While I have to say I prefer Simon Fraser's art, John Burns is still greatly suited to the Russian rogue. Burns once again shows that he can draw a great action set-piece, and it really feels as if Dante and Lulu are going at it no holds barred. He adeptly illustrates the viciousness of Lulu, making it very clear by the end that Dante's had a lucky escape.

As for the storyline, it's the usual Dante hokum, even if the meeting with his old guard and Lulu seems a little too contrived. I can't help wishing we could get back to the main plot and find out just what Dante has had to agree to do for Akita back in issue 1326. Hopefully it won't be too long before another full series.

RC: Not so much a tale, as a segue between the last and the next big adventures. Like Robo Hunter, this strip contains all the beats we want to see in a Dante tale. Smart arsed arrogance and dynamic swordplay, by way of a bevy of busty beauties. This is a welcome return for one of 2000AD’s brightest stars, and sets up the next series brilliantly. I hope that "next year" does not mean next winter. He's been away for long enough.

John Burns' painted work is a sight to behold. The subtle expressions he manages to give his characters are nothing short of beautiful. Perfect figure work and punchy action scenes are complemented by his lovely panel layouts. I can't fault this.