Synopsis and 1st review by Gavin Hanly
2nd opinion by Edward Berridge

Summaries and reviews contain spoilers for this issue.

GH: Despite the rather unfortunate typo (only noticeable if you really look hard) this is a great cover from Adlard that more than makes up for his last one for the Satanist. It particularly shows up just how cool these cold weather suits really are...

EB: A nice appearance from Charlie Adlard after a slightly disappointing previous cover (prog 1356). The cover is also nicely laid out, with the taglines running along the top letting the reader know which stories are in the prog, a feature which the comic has needed for a long time. Of course it does lead to straplines like "RAPID FIRE ACTION WITH THE GUN SHARKS!" but then you should try writing a different line to describe the same story each week. The logo itself is slightly obscured, which I know gets some peoples bonnets particularly bee-filled, but I have to admit that I don’t particularly mind. For myself, it gives the impression of the logo of being part of the story, which helps draw prominence to the cover itself, but also gives a good indication of the attitude of 2000 AD itself. The cover has always seemed to be an integral part of the comic, and the logo it’s most definitive mark. Everyone has a favourite logo, usually connected with the period that they began reading the comic, and the stories themselves have always revolved to a kind of ‘2000 AD’ aesthetic: namely extreme violence and blacker than black humour, and the logo has always been a kind of ‘identifying marker’ of this, if you will. But the act of obscuring is also indicative of 2000 AD’s continued refusal to take itself too seriously. Or it could just be that they didn’t want to obscure too much of Adlared’s lovely cover. Whichever sounds more plausible and less ‘pseud-like’.

Of course this brings us back to the subject of the cover itself: this introduces us to Dredd’s new winter uniform. It certainly looks snazzy and pretty cool, as well as being properly thermally insulated. Sharp eyed readers will have also noticed the word AND on Dredd’s utility belt, which of course everyone knows is a special Mega City device for confusing their slow-witted Sov-Bloc counterparts during hand-to-hand combat. No, it’s true; I read it in my Boys Bumper Book of Facts. It’s nice to see a revision of the Judge’s uniform, as these changes very rarely happen, although it does say something about fandom when we get all hot and bothered about a character wearing a slightly different version of his usual clothes!

Gulag– Part 4

Ocks goes down fighting...

Synopsis: The judges fight back, with Med judge Mortina proving especially useful with a dart that causes an explosive reaction when it comes into contact with human blood. The Sovs close in, but the judges cover all sides. Giant goes down, taking a serious hit, while Karyn uses mind control to make a couple of the Sov tanks destroy each other. The north perimeter is cleared, so Dredd orders that as their retreat point, saying they'll be safer on the tundra. Ocks is trying to save Kleinman, who's also down and is surrounded by Sovs. But he's not going down without a fight. Sov Grav sledges appear, cutting off the judges from their retreat points, and things look grim. But the sleds are destroyed by two justice class ships which appear in the sky...

GH: Rennie is managing to produce one of the best Dredd tales in ages - in many respects at a level that's even as high as the recent Brothers of the Blood storyline. The team dynamic continues to work particularly well, with none of them being wasted, all having their bit to do (even if it's "being carried out wounded"). Starting off with the very Dredd like comment "You're wasted at Med Division, Mortina" this gets better with every page and even though the siege looks like it'll be wrapped up quickly, this is one instance when it doesn't matter since Rennie manages to pack so much into one episode.

Adlard too excels himself, producing some highly kinetic art that is possibly his best yet in the comic. Matched with Blythe, he creates a distinct feeling of battlefield chaos, where the "Fire and Ice" headline on the front cover is particularly apt. The last shot of the "cavalry" appearing is a standout image, as is Ocks' last stand. I told you he wasn't going to last...

EB: This week we are treated to a slam-bang all action episode from Gordon Rennie and Charlie Adlard. It’s nice to see Rennie get his teeth into a multi-part Dredd, and he clearly shows himself to be the heir apparent. This is Dredd at its high octane, action movie best. The situation clears owes a great debt to the Apocalypse War, both in situation (Dredd and co. go to rescue Apocalypse War P.O.Ws) and in structure (Dredd versus Sov Judges; Dredd takes small group in suicide mission deep into Sov-Bloc territory). Yet it clearly wears its influences on its sleeve, as it is a kind of sequel/continuation of the original story. Of course the typical Rennie humour still shines through: “COULD HAVE PICKED A BETTER TIME FOR A FIRST FIELD TEST, MORTINA…”

The death of Ocks, who featured prominently in both the Apocalypse War and Shanty Town storylines, came as something of a surprise although perhaps in retrospect it should have been obvious. It's always nice to see the little touches in Rennie's Dredd strips which show the care he takes over the character and his world, and the inclusion of Ocks, Guthrie and Karyn adds that feeling of legitimacy only usually felt by those strips penned by John Wagner. That the editorial team allowed him to kill off an (admittedly perhaps forgotten) recurring character shows how much trust has now been placed in him as Dredd scribe. The death of Ocks itself is nicely handled: like Jupe in the V.C's a few issues back, we only see him prior to his death, about to take on half the Sov army unarmed, and to be honest they look like they’re going to come off worse. This gives us that last iconic image of the character, the kind of "remember the Alamo" image, which lets the character leave with some measure of dignity, as opposed to the indignity of seeing him face down with a bullet in the brain. It's also nice to mention of the teaching of Applied Violence at the Academy of Law, a reference to the Judge Dredd story My Beautiful Career by John Wagner and Simon Coleby (Megazine 215).

It’s also good to see a return for Charlie Adlard, both to 2000 AD and Judge Dredd. His last tale, The Satanist, was perhaps not best received by the 2000 AD readership but nevertheless had some very nice moody art. I have to admit to being quite a fan of Mr. Adlard’s work outside 2000 AD, particularly The Establishment with Ian Edginton for D.C’s Wildstorm imprint, so I have been rather looking forward to his return. This strip acts as a kind of a warm up for the upcoming Savage series, something I’ve noticed that seems to have become 2000 AD editorial policy: before some big new upcoming series they will run a Future Shock or Dredd drawn by the artist drawing the new strip. Not that I’m complaining of course, I’m always happy to see good artists. Adlard certainly gives us a foretaste of what we can hope to expect to see from the sequel to Invasion with all the shooting, tanks exploding and low flying attack craft we could hope for.

I’ve always thought that one of the things that helps to give a sense of continuity to ongoing strips like Dredd which have, over the years had many, many different writers and artists, is the letterer. Tom Frame has been lettering Judge Dredd now for more than twenty years, barely missing a week. He has even done more Dredds than John Wagner! So his appearance week in week out gives a coherent sense of unity to Dredd’s world, lets the reader know that this is all part of something constant. Similarly, Chris Blythe has now become a part of the Dredd firmament. His colouring here is certainly very complimentary with Adlard’s style, probably one of the best combinations I’ve seen him in (the others being Cam Kennedy and Andy Clarke). Blythe always seems particularly suited for big action scenes, gunshots and explosions, so his work here is particularly well received by this reviewer at least.

Of course we’re still left with lots of questions about next weeks final episode. Who was the mastermind behind the trap (to my mind this is almost certainly some itinerant clone of War Marshall Kazan)? Are the Mega City forces all that they seem? And most of all, what was the whole thing about? I get the feeling that we aren’t going to see the full resolution here, but that this is instead the preamble to some later tale, and that Rennie is just laying the groundwork for something else. I suppose only time will tell.

Job Jobbed - Part 3

Sinister eschews subtlety...

Synopsis: Kal is confronted by two gun wielding goons while he's trying to bury Mal Folio. just a he's about to be shot, Sinister and Dexter appear on the scene and save him. They say that the goons were Reminders - paid to avenge a person "if the minders screw up." But before they can regroup, many more "Reminders" appear over the hill surprising Sinister and Dexter and a gunfight starts. They're no match for the gunsharks, though, who take them out with relative ease, and then pack up for the night. They tell Kal that he passed, and the final lesson is that even the best gunsharks have to be ready for anything.

GH: A much better direction for Sinister Dexter concludes, and I'm feeling far more positive about the gunsharks than I have been for a very long while indeed. This is just what was needed for the strip. While extensive character development for the main two characters could have destabilised the strip, concentrating on the training and development of the up and coming Kal Kutter has breathed new life back in. As long as things continue along this path, then there's certainly a good future ahead for Sinister Dexter for the time being at least. Let's just not get distracted by too many pointless stories involving the main two "heroes" at the expense of this plot.

I note that it almost seems as if Abnett wants to use only Andy Clarke for the main Kal Kutter stories. I can understand this, as he adds a "noir" feel to the strip that's been missing recently. But if we have to wait for Clarke to catch up - then lets do that instead of diluting this series with too many pointless interludes.

EB: Normally I have to admit to not really being a fan of Sinister Dexter. Apart from the Christmas tale in prog 2004, I can’t say that I’ve ever especially enjoyed the series, which is why this recent tale has come as something of a shock. I have to say that I’ve found myself really enjoying this. Dan Abnett has successfully returned to the Kal Cutter storyline which began last year, before the wedding of some people no-one remembered. The introduction of Kal has really given the opportunity to open up the series, and make it more accessible to newer readers (and some older ones, I think). Watching Kal trying to cope with his first solo hit gives the series a fresher feel, something of a new start, as well as providing the reader with a character to associate with, which can sometimes be hard with the super-slick gun sharks. Of course, if it weren’t for Sinister and Dexter then Kal would now be buried in the grave he dug himself. Of course Abnett still adds those traces of black humour that we have come to expect in these stories. But starting each episode with lines like “AND THIS IS DOWNLOAD, THE CITY THAT ISN’T SURPRISED TO FIND YOU STANDING IN A HOLE IN THE MIDDLE OF BARRENS OUT PAST POGMOI…” not only gives us a sense of the continuity of the story, but also shows us the humour of both the city and its inhabitants, and ultimately Abnett’s skills as a writer, which many readers are often too quick to forget (this one included).

The main reason, perhaps, that I’ve been so enjoying this recent tale is the return of Andy Clarke to the series. I’ve always enjoyed Clarke’s appearances in Sinister Dexter, and he’s probably my favourite artist for the series alongside Simon Davis. Clarke always seems to me to be an artist desperately in need of a complimentary series: he previously worked on the disappointing series 13, to which he wasn’t really suited, and Snow/Tiger which, quite frankly was absolutely perfect for him, but since Andt Diggle signed a golden handcuffs deal with DC, seeing more episodes is about as likely as the Pope getting a circumcision. Clarke seems to specialise best at what in Hong Kong they call ‘heroic bloodshed’, but what we might describe rather less charitably as ‘some blokes with different types of guns blowing ten tonnes of shit out of each other’. Luckily, this episode calls for such art in spades, so Clarke is kept suitably busy.

Out of the writers I’ve seen him work with, Abnett and Diggle seem to have the best hook on what makes Clarke work best. For example we have two pages of straight-up action, and on page three whilst Sinister flambéed some of their attacker, Dexter’s happily shooting some others, seemingly unaware of a figure approaching behind him – that is until he shoots him with the gun we couldn’t see he was holding in his other hand. It’s this keen visual, and particularly action, sense that really allows Clarke to show his colours as one of the best of the new breed of artists currently working for 2000 AD. Added to this are the keen colours of Gary Caldwell, which add much to the already impressive work by Clarke, making the explosions and gunfire that much more realistic and ‘in your face’, as it were. In my opinion, Caldwell is the best colourist for Clarke’s work, perhaps second only to Chris Blythe, although Len O’Grady has certainly produced some notable work with him before as well.

There has been some mention in the past of the lines that Mr. Clarke uses for definition on his characters faces, with some of the opinion that it is too much, and distracts from the story at hand. I have to admit to having been of the same opinion myself, but, I don’t know, I seem to have grown used to them, even begun to anticipate their appearance. I do actually look forward to seeing the lines on the faces now, recognising it as part of Clarke’s individual style, and I wouldn’t wish him to change it now.

Of course, with both Abnett and Clarke firing on both cylinders, it leaves me in the position of having to say something that I’ve never had to say before: I’m actually sorry that Sinister Dexter has finished its run!

Realpolitik - Part 6

Rogue vs Arkhan...

Synopsis: Arkhan continues his brutal put down of the uprising as the conspirators are all killed. Rogue is held securely as Arkhan interrogates him, but Rogue can't see why he's being kept alive. Arkhan reveals that it was he who effectively killed Rogue on Nu Earth, completing his initial mission, and sees no reason to do it again. He tells Rogue that he has the identity of the traitor general, and will give it to him. This is to replace the initial deal he made - that if he killed Zell, Kinsella would go free. Arkhan says that Kinsella will instead be working with the Norts if he takes the data on the general. But Rogue refuses, going back to Nu Earth empty handed, allowed free by Arkhan. Kinsella is to be handed over to the Southers in the next prisoner transfer, while Arkhan takes on the position of War Marshall.

GH: This is something of an unsatisfying ending for this latest Rogue Trooper tale. It's not helped by the admission in the Input section that this is the last Rogue tale for the "foreseeable future". While this wraps up the tale of Arkhan rather neatly, and indeed most of the threads laid out by Rennie, I couldn't help but feel that there's scope for Rogue Trooper if the writer is able to treat continuity with more of a cavalier attitude. As mentioned in last week's review, the references to the traitor general seem a little too retro for me - and if Rogue is to work, he needs new motivation. The idea of expanding the scope of the war beyond Nu Earth was worthy of exploration, and it seems a shame that we're not going to get that.

However, this series will be most notable for the making of PJ Holden. His artwork has been revelatory, and the six part series has allowed him to visibly improve. The greyscale effect works wonders, and is something that Holden should be allowed to try out on another series with more long running potential. One way or another, he's now been noticed by the majority of 2000AD readers, so let's hope he's already got another juicy commission out of this.

EB: Last time Rogue Trooper appeared in the pages of the Galaxy’s Greatest I had to say I was less than impressed. It wasn’t the artwork: Staz Johnson, Mike Collins and David Roach did a decent job. It wasn’t even the writing: Gordon Rennie did his best. I suppose it was just that, though I used to love Rogue as a kid, there comes a point in your life when you reach a certain age that stories about blue men and their talking hats just don’t really cut it anymore. Having said that, I have to say that I’ve found myself enjoying this series immensely. Rennie seems to have decided to finish the series with a bang, as was shown by the opening episode where he demolished half the landmark sites of Nu Earth from the previous history of the strip. Of course, now all the dust has settled, we are left with this somewhat quieter concluding episode. I say quiet, even though it does start with the execution of various dissident facts of the Nort leadership. What lifts this story above simple exposition is, surprisingly, the character of Arkhan. Really, the whole series has been all about him, and the shady deals he has been doing in order to make himself War Marshall. As Arkhan himself says to Rogue “THE HUNTER IN ME WISHES I COULD OBLIGE YOU, BUT NOW THE POLITICIAN IN ME WILL NOT ALLOW IT.” Arkhan really is a political animal, as well as a soldier, and it is this political edge to the stories which have given a depth of interest, for me at least, to this new story, and has led me to dig out the last series for reappraisal.

One of the best things about this new series, as I’m sure almost everyone else agrees with, was the artwork of P.J Holden. His is such a different look from the Dave Gibbons-Colin Wilson-Cam Kennedy school of Rogue Trooper that it really seems to reinvigorate the character. His destruction of the landmarks of Nu Earth, such as fort Neuropa of the Neverglades, bring a sense of both importance to the tale, as well as a sense of purpose, even to those who haven’t read the original progs. And Holden is an intrinsic part of this, the most crucial part, you might say, since he has to illustrate the whole thing, and give us the sense of scale that this whole game is being played on. And who would have thought that you could have gotten such amazingly effective results with a simple grey wash. I am particularly looking forward to seeing whatever project Mr. Holden decides to turn his hand to next. I don’t know about anyone else, but I really would relish the opportunity of a couple of episodes of just Arkhan and his political double-dealings.

It’s funny, but I wasn’t looking forward to this series at all. Yet Rennie and, especially, Holden really have tried their best for us. Despite all the pyrotechnics, they haven’t really changed anything. Rennie has kept down the usage of Rogue’s ‘bio-chip’ buddies (they don’t even appear in this episode). He’s shaken the series about a bit, but in the end all the pieces have coalesced back into the shape they originally inhabited. They’ve held onto the essential decency of Rogue – he refuses knowledge of the Traitor General’s whereabouts in return for the safe release of Doctor Kinsella. So Rogue has left the comic for the foreseeable future, and although nothing has really changed, the creators hardly had a choice did they? As a ‘flashback’ story, this had to stay within the accepted lines of continuity. Of course they could have provided us with a new story, re-write the history of Rogue Trooper, but then it might well be argued that this was no longer the character people had loved for so long. It’s a double-edged sword. Perhaps the best thing that can be said is that Rennie and Holden treated the character and his world with intelligence and respect, and that they returned him as they found him, and that I’m sorry to see it all end so soon.

Toothache - Part 3

Kawl & his iron

Synopsis: As Bec is assaulted by the tooth fairy, Kawl remembers that Faeries have an aversion to iron and he knocks out one of the faerie's huge tooth with a handy electric iron. Taking the tooth with them, they dive out the window and retreat back to the League's headquarters in the pub.

Using one of the League member's powers, they teleport round the world for supplies, as Bec cooks something up in the kitchen. As the rest of the league gets wasted in the pub, the tooth faerie finds them and bursts in.

GH: Hmm. My aim of approaching this series with goodwill and the desire to see the best in it has unfortunately gone to the wayside for this issue. I really, really didn't like this, I'm afraid, as it just seems like a mish mash of not particularly good satire of obscure (to most 2000AD readers) Vertigo creations, coupled with the still intensely annoying antics of the two main characters. Its just not for me, and the sooner it ends, the better.

EB: I hate Simon Spurrier.

There, I’ve said it, I feel cleansed. Why do I hat him, you ask? I hate all those ‘young’ (I use the word advisedly) hotshot writers like Spurrier and Diggle because they make me feel so old. Such a sheer amount of work, as well as a variety of styles and a level of invention, that those of ourselves who would like to think we could make a living in the same arena are made so green with envy that we are often mistaken on the street as some promotional gimmick for Jolly Green Giant.

But Bec & Kawl was almost my saving grace. Like a security blanket, it reassured me that these writers couldn’t be that good. Bec & Kawl was always something that I could feel reassured by the fact that I didn’t like it. What was it, after all? Just a few pop culture references tied together by an annoying slacker/toker platonic double act. Of course, I never complained about its presence. I knew someone who liked it after all, and I don’t deign to say that something should be dumped just because I don’t like it. And after all, if the variety is the spice of life, it’s the essential lifeblood of any successful anthology title. Yet I felt reassured that it failed to tickle me, that Spurrier’s skill as a writer could not touch me here at least.

That was until now. I don’t know whether this is because of the ‘spot the mystic’ references which play closer to my heart than previous ones may have done, or whether I’m just finally giving in and admitting that I’m just a grumpy jealous bastard. Whatever, the point is that, like Sinster Dexter earlier, I’m surprised to find that I’m actually enjoying the current tale. Whatever I might like to think, Spurrier does appear to have a wonderfully active sense of humour – take, for example, the toothless tooth fairies, or representing the traditional satanic fear of ‘earthing’ through iron by simply whacking a great big monster in the face with an actual iron (and not a cordless one surprisingly).

Of course I do always try to find something in every strip that I can enjoy. In Bec & Kawl this is, for me, Steve Roberts. I always think that the comic benefits from having as many diverse strips as possible, and I personally think that it’s important for one of those strips to be a cartoony, less realistic strip. Kevin O’Neill and Alan Davis used to be great exponents of this during their tenures in the comic, but since the mid-eighties, there hasn’t really been a proper cartoon presence, apart from the odd appearance from Steve Parkhouse. Steve Roberts has nicely filled that role, and is clearly an artist concerned with getting all the little details needed to make the strip work. Lots of people forget that to make a truly good humorous story work, you need an artist who’s prepared to spend getting all the little details right, otherwise it won’t work. Roberts is clearly one of these breed of artists, and again I feel that, like Andy Clarke before him, he would be greatly advantaged by having another series of his own to work on. I’m not saying that he should cease all work on Bec & Kawl, but merely that he should try his hand at another series, something to stretch his range a bit. One of the most interesting things, for me at least, was that he made all the character references instantly recognisable, so that you knew straight away that you were supposed to be looking at John Contantine from Hellblazer, Morpheus from Sandman, or Slough Feg from Slaine, which clearly shows that the man has range.

Still, it’s nice to see these oh-so serious characters come in for a bit of a kicking. Of course we’ve all enjoyed one or more of their tales at one time or another (for me it was the first eighty-odd Hellblazers and Slaine up until The Horned God). Yet it does no-one any harm to have the piss taken out of you every now and again. After all, given a long enough distance of time all these stories start to look a bit po-faced and assured of their own greatness (I for one was never a fan of Sandman). So it’s nice to see someone take the Mickey out of them, gently though, so as not to offend their fans too much. Its fun, throwaway stuff and I doubt I’ll bother digging it out in five years time to read again, but I’m enjoying reading it now. I do still get then feeling that perhaps this story could have been an episode shorter, but I suppose we’ll find out when whatever devilishly diabolical plan Bec & Kawl have been plotting this episode comes to fruition when the story finishes next week. However, I get the feeling that the writer will pull it all to a satisfying conclusion.

Like I said, I hate Simon Spurrier.

The Empty Suns - Book 2 - Part 4

Red vs the Offspring.

Synopsis: The Offspring attacks the vessel Zora, but only manages to deal it a crippling blow, not destroying it as he should have been able to, as the fracture is limiting his powers. The humans are still fighting a lost cause, though, so the lead ship destroys a local red giant, the resulting nova destroying both fleets. The Offspring begins to feel unsure, as he confronts Red.

Red says she finds him guilty of the murder of the human race and starts shooting at him. The Offspring attacks back - but they both seem fairly evenly matched in battle and Red manages to damage the Offspring. Inside, Haema realises that she's going to kill the Offspring instead of reverting the curse, but Goldokin decides that maybe it's for the best. She shoots him, and turns on Father Syte, but the younger Red, Johnny, puts on his camouflage before she can shoot him too. She turns to the ship's battery systems, and aims all guns towards Red's position...

GH: Things are coming to a head, and as with last week's I'm really beginning to enjoy this again. The fight between Red and the Offspring looks good, as finally the Offspring looks less than invincible. The turning of an increasingly deranged Haema was unexpected (at least by me) and provides enough of a cliffhanger to draw readers back for what is being billed as the "final ever episode of Durham Red". I'll have much more to say about this in next week's review, so I'm keepng it short here, but for the moment this is back on a high.

EB: The penultimate episode of Durham Red, supposedly for good, and I have to say that I for one am sad to see it go. It seems too short an amount of time to run a strip before it finishes forever. I think part of this is down to editorial policy, someone deciding to split what is one straight cohesive tale into two separate "books" to fit the schedule of the comic better. But no matter, what's really important is the actual story at hand. Before the Book One of The Empty Suns last year, I hadn't read any Durham Red since she was a Search/Destroy agent with Johnny Alpha. With that taken into mind, it was something of a jump, and I had quite a bit of back story to contend with. When I first heard about this new look Durham Red, I immediately took against it, thinking it sounded like a terrible old bag of pretentious bollocks.
Imagine my surprise then when I found that, actually, I rather enjoyed this new Durham Red. I’m still not rushing out to buy the collected "graphic novel", but I would like to read it.

Dan Abnett has very obviously tied in this final series to get Red back to the core of her character, and to make her appealing to readers in a similar way to the way that she used to. There have been a lot of references to both Johnny Alpha and the Search/Destroy work that she used to do. Abnett throws in enough twists – the extinction of the human race, an unexpected son and a traitorous ally – to keep us on our toes and interested enough to keep on reading. However, in the end I think that it’ll end up with just Durham Red and the Offspring facing off against each other. I don’t know whether Red will survive, but I’m sure she’ll come out on top.

However, the main thrill of this story is the art of Mark Harrison. This is genuinely unique, with only Clint Langley employing any techniques anywhere similar in the comic. The use of blended paint and computer techniques is something entirely different in a magazine of generally more traditional comic art. I do have to admit to sometimes have problems making out what’s going on a given page, because the colours are often quite dark, making it harder to distinguish between objects. This doesn’t prove to be a problem in this issue however, as the number of exploding space ships and such-like make the situation all too plainly obvious. The stuff in the Fracture is also rendered particularly effectively by Harrison using a quite simple, yet shocking use of red. The nearest type of art I can think of that is similar to this is that of certain European artists, such as Aleksi Birclot, and it should certainly be interesting to see how the recent Rebellion collected Durham Red plays in Europe – reports that the first printing has already sold out certainly bode well for the future. Although it may not precisely my ‘cup of tea’, I not only find myself enjoying the art immensely, but also proud that its appearing in a British comic, and that that comic is 2000 AD.