2000AD 1404 - 25 August 2004
Cover by Mark Harrison

Synopsis by Gavin Hanly
Review by Liam Greene

Summaries and reviews contain spoilers for this issue.

LG: Another seemingly bog standard shot of Dredd pointing a gun at you. We seem to be getting more and more of these every time Dredd gets a cover, but at least it's nice to see that this one actually HAS something to do with the story inside.

Nice work by Mark Harrison, yet again using his pixelated style to full effect. Nice use of colour, Dredd is suitably stern and there's good detail on the playing card. My only gripe with it is with the two bars of white at either side of the cover. This could be to emphasise what's going on in the centre, but to some, it could come off that Harrison got bored halfway through doing the background.

Big Deal at Drekk City - Part 5

Words you don't hear from Dredd very often...

Synopsis: Dredd continues to lecture the perps on the cards while the group of cadets work their way to him. Realising that something must have happened to Vance, Dredd calls in his Lawmaster on remote, and prepares to go down fighting. Finally he reaches the "King" and all hell breaks loose, as the cadets join in the fight.

After the gun battle, one of the cadets, Hoyte, has fallen. Dredd is annoyed and asks where Vance is, and they take him to her. The cadets tell him that even if their careers were over, they'd do the same thing again, as they had to protect the best judge in the department. Dredd saves his assessment for the morning, but it seems likely he'll let them off with a reprimand.

LG: And so the Drekk City story ends, fizzling out a bit, I might add.

This wasn't the type of story that reached out and grabbed me as Terror did, but all in all it was a good yarn. The Cadet Judges make a predictable "rescue attempt", though I was left feeling that, since Dredd had his handy Lawmaster Bike on remote, he didn't really NEED the backup that much. The day is saved, and the Cadets are given a "stern well done" from Dredd, and with only one casualty. Dredd kicks arse and takes names yet again, but was there EVER any doubt?

Wagner's writing is on top form as usual, the highlight being some of the gangs actually becoming INTERESTED in Dredd's descriptions of the cards. But once the Cadets make their rescue attempt, this story becomes a bland rehash that I'm sure I've seen before, somewhere...

Still, I can't fault Cam Kennedy's beautifully gritty and dirty artwork, which suits the Cursed Earth locale down to the ground.

The Shadow Warriors Book 2 - Part 5

The Doctor is in...

Synopsis: Warmonger is identified as a state- of-the-art war machine, free of the feelings that the ABC Warriors exhibit and recently returned from fighting Zombies addicted to the military version of Neuropeptide A - "courage in a can". The President is unsure about the last warrior, Mr Lovebomb, but his wife Juanita tells him that they must use him.

Elsewhere, Deadlock meets Doc Maniacus who hits him with a neuroshell charged with the deaths of 100 patients, but Deadlock just soaks it up. He pierces Maniacus with his sword, but is booted off the craft and plummets to the ground. Although apparently defeated, Deadlock reveals that he has planted a nanobat on him which will send them back details of the Shadow Warriors' plans. They leave to tell B Boy's father, Jeremiah, that his son has died as the nurse, who has now joined them, tells them she knows where Neuropeptide A comes from...

Kudos to Pat Mills for a nice enough script, but it's really Henry Flint's art that makes this one shine out. His portrayals of the A.B.C Warriors are getting better by the week, and his Shadow Warriors are just superb. Add to that his final panel of the Neuropeptide "A" ridden soldiers at the end, and it rounds off an amazing part.

One minor hash, however. Now that he's dead and gone, did ANYONE really know what the point of B.Boy was?

Hell to Pay - Part 3

Kawl's army...

Synopsis: Kawl's former enemies confront him, but it soon becomes clear that they want him to fight for their cause and prevent the privatisation of hell. Back on Earth, Bec enlists the help of her neighbour Norm, and start investigating "Fiends reunited".

Kawl is busy leading his new army towards the castle containing the evil Mrs Thatcher demon, and gathers up more and more supporters on the way. They attack, but can't get past the front gates. Bec appears, with Kawl's Uncle Nick in tow, who they found in a hippy commune in Putney. He's still completely off his head and metamorphosises into a huge demon, before accidentally tripping up and destroying Thatcher's keep.

Later, Bec & Kawl return to Earth, and everything is back to normal. Kawl is granted a favour from his uncle who sends a hell-o-gram on his behalf to Bec. But before it can reveal that Kawl is in love with her, she destroys it...

LG: Other reviewers may differ wildly with me on this point, but (and I'm taking a big risk here) I actually LIKE Bec and Kawl. I don't know why, but I have since the beginning. And this issue is no exception.

Kawl, who we last saw at the mercy of every demon he ever sent to hell, is now the valiant leader of them all. The reason? Even Demons don't like Margaret Thatcher that much. With a massive, if somewhat comical army behind him, the stalwart stoner leads the final assault on the evil one herself, with the rousing speech of "...um" to rouse his troops to victory.

The writing is brilliant. It isn't meant to be taken seriously in the slightest, and makes a welcome break from the seriousness of Dredd and Caballistics. From the too "Cliche" devils to Bec having Thatcher in a jar taunting her with "Who's the biggest bitch NOW? SAAAAAY IT" it's just for laughs and the rising talent that is Si Spurrier knows it too.

Add to that a Stoned Satan, the biggest Nerd on Earth, and a love poem gone awry, and you've got a classic "we're just taking the piss and loving it" kind of story, all rendered by the pen of Steve Roberts, who really seems to revel in his creations. His art has come a long way since he first few Sinister Dexter stories, and long may it continue.

The Shape of Things to Come

The family dog nears his end..

Synopsis: A meteor crashes to earth near a lone farmhouse. The inhabitants believe them to be invading aliens, and true enough the house is soon gassed, while tentacles start to devour the family car. The tentacles sweep through the house destroying everything in their path, including the family dog. They almost kill the son of the family before mysteriously evaporating. They manage to clear 100 acres in half an hour and it soon becomes clear that more meteors are crashing to the earth. It's not an invasion force, but plants programmed to clear the earth "for whoever's on their way..."

LG: A solely collaborative effort between Chris Blythe and Steve Parkhouse, and the prog suffers for it.

This isn't a future shock, really. You can't fault Blythe when it comes to his amazing colors, but this really is one of those stories that just screams FILLER! right off the page at you. It's only five pages long, but still seems drawn out to a level that makes it so strained that it might break. Despite Steve Parkhouse's valiant efforts to keep the action alive, there's very little in the script to keep it there in there in the first place.

This is, to be sure, a dark and moody tale, as most Future Shocks ARE, but despite good attempts by the author and artist, this falls flat on it's face.

Harsh that it may be, but I'm sure I'm not the only one who thinks this is just a stopgap until the return of Strontium Dog in two weeks.

Creepshow - Part 4

Verse shows off his moves...

Synopsis: Chapter tries to make Professor Brand remember his true self. He looks through her things as she tries to make him remember that he comes from 2004 and that he's living in the remake of an old movie. He almost calls someone Jenny by mistake and the illusion starts to crumble just as a monster appears from the crash site. Elsewhere, Verse seems to be back in Wallachia in 1470 and is fighting off zombies, while on his way to a castle...

LG: After a suitably ballsy start involving the planned exorcism of Demon Jenny, I think this story might have lost it's way somewhat. Being trapped in a horror movie is an old idea, but Gordon Rennie had given it that nice twist, at least that's what I thought. With Hannah remembering everything about her past life, it seemed to make a bit of sense. But what with Dr. Brand convinced he's "Professor Quinterman" the interrogation scene in the tent comes off as a bit muddled. Saying that, I like how this story is progressing, with enough links to keep the "I know that from SOMEWHERE" people happy. Also, a nicely done panel where "Prof Quinterman" examines some new sterling and remarks: "Nice to see her majesty's still with us in 2004", which is classic Rennie wit.

Dom Reardon's art is coming along nicely, once you get used to the stark black and whites. I actually found myself impressed with the last page of this issue, with a final image as good as Reardon's introduction to Mikey Ness.

All in all, a good, if somewhat confusing episode, but I'm still intrigued as to where this is going.