2000AD Prog 1439 - 18 May 2005
	Judge Dredd (Rennie / Richardson) The VCs (Abnett / Williams) Slaine (Mills/Langley) Bec & Kawl (Spurrier/ Roberts) American Gothic (Edginton / Collins) Synopsis and review by Nick Margerrison Summaries and reviews contain spoilers for this issue.

NM: I’ve got to be honest: Dredd covers can sometimes be a bit lost on me. This one however is pretty nice. Karl Richardson’s work on Dredd gives the character an edge, which I think is badly needed. Most of what I like in this picture is the detail, scuffs on his uniform and so forth. It makes the image look more real and the universe Dredd inhabits feel more lived in. I’m loving the fact that 2000AD is gloriously violent at the moment and big fan of this being portrayed on the cover.

My only criticism would be that the two purple characters facing Dredd on the right hand side look very alike. That’s not in itself a problem but the fact that the other two combatants share the same skin tone makes me feel Dredd’s fighting two sets of twins. It’s a minor point which I almost feel I shouldn’t make because I love this cover. It’s a great image and I love the little bloke’s tooth coming out! Lovely.

Radstock - Part 3

Obviously from out of town...

Synopsis: The final part of the “Radstock” story where Death Rattle, and their fans receive their inevitable comeuppance. Having flown in from Brit-Cit to perform just outside the perimeters of Mega City One in the “cursed earth” to avoid the jurisdiction of the city’s Judges the band and their followers have been attacked by cursed earth mutants who are religious nutters and apparently deserted by the outlaw biker gang who were protecting them.

The spectators are being battered by a gang of armed mutants who’re driven by a religious agenda which tells them that Mega City One citizens are “children of the stone city” who must face “judgement”, which in this instance means death. This is a reference to Dredd’s most famous enemy Judge Death, whom the rock stars worship. Secondly these spectators are being battered by a radioactive storm cloud and thirdly no one is taking care of the panic as they flee back to the city.

This story shows Dredd and the judges deciding that the whole thing is actually within their jurisdiction because: “That’s what you might call a ‘moot point’ creep (…) jurisdiction extends to wherever the lives of Mega-Citizens are endangered.”. We see the Judges beat up the gang of religious cursed earth nutters and dish out some well deserved justice to the concert organiser. The epilogue tells us that the lead singer later finds religion and that Dredd’s musical preferences are unknown.

The story has a dedication to the memory of Martin Emond who passed away last year.

NM: I’m aware it’s possible to over analyse Dredd “romps” like these. If you’re a fourteen year old kid who wants to see some great violence and pick up on a few references to rock culture this has been a great tale. It’s been a long time since anyone thought I was in my teens but there’s still a part of me that loves thrills like these. How can anyone not enjoy the sequence where the MTV presenter splats against the camera? That’s great ‘sequential art’ and if you don’t then enjoy the blood then being wiped off and a mutant shouting at you, you’re crazy!

However I must admit I felt kind of let down when Dredd explained the gig was suddenly his business because “wherever the lives of Mega-Citizens are endangered”, his jurisdiction extends. This simply isn’t consistent with his attitude earlier in the story (Prog 1437) where he tells Guthrie that there are plenty of ways the concert could go, “none of them good”. Surely meaning the citizens are already endangered?

There’s a missed opportunity here for me. At his best Dredd’s an anti-hero who provides a satiric take on the relationship we all have with authority. In this final episode of “Radstock” he suddenly becomes a “superman” flying in to save the day at the last minute. I was expecting more, perhaps the citizens pleading with Dredd or returning to his arms or at least something with a bit more bite. I’m a bit disappointed that its only point is that it’s a “romp” without a point. I’m a fan of strips that reward repeated reading and this isn’t really one of those, unless we’re talking about the artwork which has loads of lovely touches in there and for me elevates the whole strip.

Good but not great.

Part 8 - Contact

The Polity revealed

Synopsis: The Polity have found Major Smith and his team! They apparently freeze them all and then descend to look in more detail. They then inspect the minds of the five characters and express their enjoyment at the violent memories they find in Smith’s mind. We learn that it is they who are behind the disappearances that he’s investigating and that their motive is the pleasure they take in observing violent memories.

It’s at this point that the Major breaks out of his bonds and kicks off!

NM: I was unsure about this story when it began. It was hard to follow at first and I was having difficulty remembering what had happened in the previous week, partly because I didn’t care. I also felt it was flipping from place to place too much. I’m glad I wasn’t reviewing back then as I’d be eating my words right now. Some of the best 2000AD stories are like this one in that they grow on you out of nowhere. I can’t wait to see what happens next week and there’s no way I’m forgetting this Prog’s instalment.

I think the problem was the artwork. It looks a bit childish and cartoony. I’m not a big fan of that style and it put me off the strip. However like the story itself there’s a subtlety to it that you start to enjoy. The hairline cracks on Smith in the third panel of the last page, the great scene where these aliens descend, the mind beam striking each different character on page three. I’m thinking that this strip will certainly stand up to some great re-reading once it’s finished. I hope I don’t end up eating these words any time soon.

Odacon - Part 4

Slaine cleanses the village...

Synopsis: The episode starts with four villagers frolicking in the water nearby the village that Slaine and his companions are destroying. They realise he’s discovered that they are all inhabited with the children of the Ocadon and he turns up by the lake to finish them off as well. In the confusion Cullen, one of Slaine’s men becomes infested by the creatures and is killed by Slaine.

Slaine then uses one of the captive demons to investigate the lake. After nightfall the demon’s boots rise to the waters surface along with a fair bit of blood. These boots are discovered to have magical properties which allow the wearer to “walk and talk underwater as if it were air”. Gael and Slaine go underwater where he comes face to face with Odacon and the Mother of the Fomorians.

NM: I’ve read 2000AD for years now and in all that time I’ve never subscribed. I decided that had to change when I heard they were doing this new series. The artwork is genius. The story is genius. This is by far one of the most exciting thrills I’ve ever come across. I couldn’t bare the thought of missing an episode. I don’t even know where to begin praising it.

There’s so much detail in this whole story it’s impossible to appreciate without at least several readings. The meaning of the strip for me personally is so spot on, a society that’s dealing with the fact there are parasites living off it. What better metaphor for the way our world is today? I wish Slaine’s solution was realistic in our world, guess that’s why it’s called “fantasy” writing.

The specific praise would firstly be the stories characters, they feel human to me. This is partly because of the writing and partly their facial expressions which always convey an emotion. Secondly I get a kick out of the subtle jokes that are put into it. Like Amergin who always looks red eyed, presumably because he’s been at the “hemp” too much. Thirdly it’s packed with great comic book technique, the pages read perfectly from left to right in that they take account of motion as well as dialogue.

There’s more but I don’t want to bore you. Suffice it to say, I always save this story until last as it’s my favourite by far, I spend as long as I can reading each box from left to right as judiciously as I can and I frequently read all the back issues I can find in sequential order to spot the themes present in the story. If you’re one of the people who did not initially enjoy this new Slaine stuff I plead with you to get your old 2000AD copies out and re-read this. It’s great, it’s always been great you can’t argue with genius. I promise you.

Attack of the Cones - Part 3

Bec has a crisis...

Synopsis: We learn more about the alien cone empire as General Skragg tells us how it is an integral part of human history, particularly in reference to our habit of building “big useless monuments”. The leader is keen on getting Bec to be their figurehead for the forthcoming enslaving of the human race. The two heroes decide to escape as we are reminded that the rest of humanity is under a giant hovering cone attack. After a quick argument about one of Kawl’s joints which ends up in the ventilation system the two stumble into a room where a deformed clone of Bec’s has been assembled from her DNA.

NM: Simon Spurrier’s interview on this website made me like him. He’s clearly one of the goodies in life, so if he ever reads this review I hope he respects my opinion on his work here. I’ve always felt his stuff is a bit hit and miss, but for me that’s part of the attraction. The way I look at it is this: he takes some really big risks with what he does and the whole point of a risk is sometimes it’s not going to work out. This story is not one of my favourites in 2000AD at the moment but the prog would be a whole lot poorer without it.

This particular instalment is more a hit than a miss, though, and it gives me the impression I’ll enjoy a rewarding re-read of the tale at the end of its run. I’m enjoying the Star Wars references and some of the jokes in this prog work well. However, there’s a lot of information and effort in this script, some of which I think is a bit unnecessary. As a writer he could learn well from Pat Mills and the trick of what to leave out of a piece. That said I think most writers could learn a lot from Spurrier’s creative bravery. 2000AD needs more of his attitude, in my opinion.

As for the artwork it’s a constant source of amazement how frequently Tharg gets the symmetry between artist and writer right. Steve Roberts’s pictures here keep the urgency going and go with the story perfectly.

Chapter 7

Zaroff takes a dive...

Synopsis: The Hunters are gathered around a campfire with the remaining monsters tied or chained up. They bitch about what a “piss-poor” selection of creatures they’ve travelled across the world to collect. Some accuse Zaroff of keeping the best prize, Phillipe, to himself. They also say that there are rumours that there is more to Zaroff than meets the eye.

LaChance and Philippe ambush them and in the excitement Zaroff is shot by one of the hunters as he tries to warn them it's a trap. They chase after a figure on the hill. As they leave, LaChance and Phillipe reveal themselves in the camp, ready to free the captives. But Zaroff is still there, and appears to be a monster himself...

NM: I hate to have to say this but for me this “thrill” has gone from initially promising to frankly, I borrow the phrase, “piss-poor”. I’m unsure what’s going on half the time and I couldn’t give two turds what happens to any of the characters. For me this is the opposite of the VC’s and represents a classic 2000AD balls up. Commission something which is great as an idea but ends up being rubbish as an actual comic strip! Don’t forget this thing started really well and had some lovely initial contrasts with the mythical and the western iconic imagery next to each other, now we’re down to the actual story it’s a total mess.

The artwork has gone from clear and visually stunning to 6th form drivel. What’s going on in that first picture? What’s the deal with having little stick men in panel four, page three? What’s happened to the idea of a character having a facial expression? The fact its in black and white is annoying as well. There’s, I think, an attempt to account for this in the form of over zealous shading which doesn’t work for me.

The whole thing has become a painful “so-what-story” with nothing in this particular prog to recommend it. I hope it picks up big time because I’m not sure I’ll bother reading it next week to be honest, so without a good review on this site, that’ll be the last time I’m troubled by it.