2000AD Prog 1447 - 13 July 2005
	Judge Dredd (Rennie / Currie) Sinister Dexter (Abnett / Davis) Shakara (Morrison / Flint) Atavar 3 (Abnett/Elson) Caballistics Inc. (Rennie / Reardon) Synopsis by Gavin Hanly 1st Opinion by Martin Charlton 2nd Opinion by John Amans Summaries and reviews contain spoilers for this issue.

MC: So, two and a half years after the strip’s debut, we finally get a Dom Reardon Cabs cover. And what about it? I personally think it was well worth the wait, that it’s possibly the best cover in years and will certainly feature in my end of year ‘best cover’ thoughts. I’ve nothing against Langley or Irving, far from it, but this is superb. I guess they’re holding the cover teased in prog 1399 for the trade then?

JA: A rather dull Caballistics cover by Dom Reardon. The captions are good but it’s all a little lifeless and staid. Doesn’t really do this week’s prog justice.

Blood Trails - Part 8

Rico's jaw drops in shock...

Synopsis: The Judges search for Pasha and Vienna while Roffman turns up a lead - an apartment leased to Hammy Michaels (Pasha's main contact is Michael Hamlyn). Dredd feels the clue is too easy and warns Rico to wait for back up. Elsewhere, Giant, Guthrie and two street judges find a heat signature in Travis's apartment - they burst in but find a heated decoy dummy and a bomb. Giant pushes Guthrie back and the bomb explodes, killing at least one of the judges.

Back outside the apartment, Rico sees someone being taken out under a blanket and thinks it's Vienna. He heads in despite the lack of back-up and discovers that it's a trap as another sov spy is under the blanket. Rico takes them out, but there are more in the windows above while micromines in the road destroy his bike. Wounded, he takes out all of the attackers, but not before the last one gets off a shot totally severing Rico's jaw from his head.

Soon, back up arrives, but too late. Things don't look good for Rico and they're still sifting through the wreckage across town to see if anyone survived there. Dredd gets a call from Pasha, telling him he has Vienna and that he has instructions for him...

MC: When Gavin offered up a review on the site, I though, yeah, why not. Then, after accepting I realised I’d have to cover potentially the most controversial single Dredd episode in memory.

Where to start? A real attempt by Rennie to move things along here, and to get the readers worried/intrigued. Is Giant Dead? Cue much debate over the ethnic origins of the nose sticking out of the helmet on page 3. Is Rico dead? Cue much deliberation over the Jaw shot, and the line ‘he’s lost clone brothers before’. What’s the deal with the art? Cue much discussion of the art’s varying quality, and differing justifications of Tharg’s decision to go with Currie on this strip.

I don’t know the answers to these questions, but I’m certainly looking forward to finding out the answers. Except for maybe the last question.

JA: Without a shred of doubt, this has been the best Judge Dredd story in ages. Though Andrew Currie’s art is not exactly awesome, it rather suits the story. This is less of a visual feast rather more a feast of characters, suspense and story telling. Credit must go to Gordon Rennie. It has been a very long time since I’ve finished a prog and have really felt saddened.

Is Rico a goner? I certainly hope not! I also hope that Guthrie and Giant aren’t splattered all over MC-1. Like Dredd I feel an empathy with Rico. Perhaps it has been the skilful way that the character has been developed over the last few years. I don’t want him to die!

What greater accolade can be bestowed on Mr Rennie’s writing?

2000AD at its best!

Slow Train to Kal Kutter - Part 5

Sinister and Dexter's relationship goes to the next level...

Synopsis: The armoured train full of Albus and Fuscus clones closes in as Isobel tells them that she worked for a clinic in Rio that specialised in clones. The train starts opening fire on them as Sinister and Dexter start telling people to get down to the front for safety.

(The Monday before - in Downlode, Appellido has decided that Sinister and Dexter aren't working out - and he doesn't want the "truth" getting out, so he orders Fuscus and Albus to take care of them.)

Back on Thursday, Sinister and Dexter release the end carriages to slow down the oncoming train, but the heavily armoured vehicle just tears through the carriages and gets ready to ram them...

MC: After a promising start, this has given way to somewhat bog-standard Sin/Dex, only with better art. I noticed in the coming soon section of this very site that a major Sin/Dex event was scheduled for the summer. If this is it, I’m very disappointed. The Poirot character has been disappointing, the story has lacked decision, and the non linear narrative hasn’t worked all too well.

The art’s been bloody fantastic though…

JA: I’ve grown to enjoy the two gunsharks’ adventures and though some of their latter material has had “filler” well and truly stamped all over it, I’ve still enjoyed the series.

On the face of it Slow Train to Kal Cutter has everything going for it. Simon Davis is the best S&D artist and it has the usual witty script. My problem is that the series is rather confusing and more importantly I don’t give a toss about Kal and his love interest (see I can’t even remember her name). Christ I'd just throw the dozy bitch off the train myself!

The in-jokes about the orient express and the gun totting clones are good but it all a little contrived. Good but nothing original. But hey, since when has S&D been ground breaking and original?

I’ll just sit back and enjoy the guns!

The Assassin - Part 4

Void becomes just that...

Synopsis: Phaze calls on her alternate reality doubles and they all open fire on Shakara's ship. The ship crashes, but Shakara ejects, beheading a number of Phaze's selves on the way. D'eath sends Void after the assassin who rushes into a building. The building is full of ancient Shakaran weapons technology - enough to take out a dozen galaxies. Void notices that a weapon is missing - but too late. The Shakaran assassin throws a gravity spear through him which collapses the gravitational fields of the worlds within him - he implodes. The Shakaran assassin watches D'eath and Phaze react to Void's death from above - but is now surrounded by Phaze's duplicates...

MC: More top notch insanity from Morrison & Flint this week, but a slight dip of quality as we enter the phase(!) of the story ‘where our intrepid hero makes mincemeat out of the baddies™’. Now, there’s nothing wrong with this, but it is a real shame to say goodbye to Void, given the possibilities of this character. Very inventive way to kill him off though, although I wonder somewhat which came first – weapon or character with weakness to it. Seven weeks in and it’s still the strip with the most ‘classic’ sense of thrill power.

What do you want me to say about Henry Flint? Ok, here goes. He can’t draw, his panel composition looks rushed at best, he lacks the presence of mind to visualise the ideas given to him by an author…

Of course, this is all bollocks. Superb art in every way, as usual.

JA: I loved the first series of Shakara and this sequel is equally superb. The art is as always peerless from Henry Flint and the supporting characters add some depth.

To me this delivers what it promises. Though not devoid of story, it is basically a hack-fest with lots of violence, weaponry and imploding aliens!

It is a put your brain in neutral and enjoy the ride. It leaves the reader with a neat ending to get us ready for next week’s episode. How will he get out of this one?

After the sombre tone of Judge Dredd a perfect remedy!

Part 5

Atavar V1.2

Synopsis: The Binod fleet, 4 champion constructs and Atavar face the invading UO war machines. Atavar is attempting to get near a primary UO gestalt node so that he can control them against the greater threat. The construct Earthquaker is destroyed, so Atavar reaches out to the nearest UOs and orders them to combine with his weapons sheath, completely upgrading it.

They push on to the node and as they approach Voidshaker wonders why it's not attacking them. Atavar goes into a closer look and a ship approaches. Atavar identifies himself and asks for a response. The reply comes that he cannot be Atavar - the figure gets closer and is revealed as a human woman - "because I am Atavar".

MC: Couple of things stick in my mind here. Firstly, I have NO idea how Dan is going to tie this up in the 12 (poss. 18) pages he has left, secondly, I hope the ending he chooses doesn’t involve the two Atavars functioning as some sort of Adam & Eve ‘recreate the human race’ cobblers, and third and fourthly, doesn’t Atavar’s retooled ship look like A.H.A.B., and doesn’t the female Atavar look like the lead character from The Scrap?

In terms of the story, it’s progressing nicely, but the characterisation feels a little more ‘distant’ this time, like there is less of the characters to care about, giving a somewhat ‘documentary’ feel to the whole thing – we’re watching it, but we aren’t in their with them. This isn’t really to my taste, but I appreciate the style.

JA: I really want to like this, honest! So why am I having problems trying enjoy it. I liked the first Atavar, the second was a little tedious but still entertaining, while this is just baffling me. The first episode didn’t help and I’ve rather lost the plot!

Is this a story that really needs to be told? I thought the first Atavar ended rather well. It was nicely contained and hit the mark. Is this really a trilogy or something that has been put together individually?

It is not the artwork. I’ve always liked Richard Elson’s work. All the space, mechanoid theme really suits his style. I just have a problem with the basic story. It’s not bad; it just doesn’t grab you like Shakara.

So, good, but just not gripping.

Northern Dark - Part 5

Jenny meets her match...

Synopsis: The police vainly try to fight back the monsters. All looks lost until Caballistics Inc arrives. Dispatching with the attackers, Brand gets the Prince to safety while Ness and Ravne look for the source of the problem.

Back in London, Demon Jenny has attracted another victim but is interrupted by Inspector Absolam who tells her companion to leave. He turns to Jenny and says that she has broken the Accord and would like to sort things out the quiet way. Jenny isn't going for that so his bodyguards attack her. She kills one of them to Absolam's annoyance but there are plenty more to take her down.

Back at Balmoral, Ravne and Ness have caught up with the priests who have raised the demons. Ness kills one of them as Ravne demands to know who put them up to it. Elsewhere, on Smallpox Island, Michael Magister smiles...

MC: So that’s what’s going on in the world of Caballistics then? Cue some head scratching on the part of those not really paying too much attention, I feel. Must admit, at every turn this just impresses me more and more. From the ‘action’ part of the story in Scotland, to the ‘meanwhile, elsewhere’ Jenny story, to this weeks moment of revelation, It’s the absolute highpoint of the prog, and that’s really saying something.

On one other note, I must admit to finding myself fascinated with the character of Inspector Absolam, and hope to see more of him in the future, with his ‘you’ll wish you stayed in the sticks with the rest of your ghostbuster squad mates’ comment suggesting that he will play the part of another foil for the team, one who will be dispatched in gruesome style, no doubt.

Not much to say about the art, other than the usual ‘blah blah… top notch… blah blah… American companies… matter of time… Hellblazer’ ramblings. Slightly off topic, if anyone has seen J.H. Williams III’s recent art on Desolation Jones, it seems he’s been looking at the style of Dom, Jock et al and taking notes. Interesting.

JA: Am I the only one who thinks this tale is starting to self repeat and tread water? The demon possessed demur girlfriend plot is wearing a bit thin now and though the appearance of inspector Absolam is intriguing I just feel that many of the loose threads that have been dangling need to be tied up once and for all. Sometimes stories just need to be wrapped up. I know it is a fan favourite and it has many plaudits thrown at it. I just would hate to see it dragged on and on like my beloved Nemesis the Warlock.

Caballistics needs to be tightened up, some of the story threads tied up and possibly someone killed off. It can then either be finished up and remembered with great fondness or revamped and sent in a new possibly exciting direction.

At the moment it’s becoming a little stale.