2000AD Prog 1450 - 3 August 2005
	Judge Dredd (Wagner / Winslade) Savage (Mills / Adlard) Leatherjack (Smith / Marshall) Robo Hunter (Grant / Gibson) Synopsis and 1st opinion by David Knight 2nd opinion by Paul I 3rd opinion by Gavin Hanly Summaries and reviews contain spoilers for this issue.

DK: It is reasonable to suppose that with this issue’s number ending in a 50, and with 4 new stories starting, making it a ‘jumping on’ point, it needs a special cover. Thus the cover has been enhanced with thicker, glossy paper, and it sports what looks like the biggest 2000AD logo ever, on a wraparound image of the Mega-City skyline. I have read a lot of online praise for Jock’s cover image. Whilst I would agree that the artwork is nice, I’m slightly worried that I’m becoming aesthetically illiterate, as I can’t see what raises it above the cover artwork of other Progs seen so far this year. Sorry, Jock.

PI: If Gavin had asked me to review this cover from the online preview that surfaced a couple of weeks ago, then I'd have probably been much more skeptical. Especially where Dredd is concerned. On the previews, he didn't really stand out very well on them. He wasn't an imposing figure, didn't leap out and grab you.

Well let me tell you, in print, nothing is further from the truth! The front of this cover is a real attention grabber, and despite my reservations about Dredd having no face it stands out rather well. And there's no mistake about what comic you're buying either, with a lovely use of the logo on this.

The hectic yet beautiful Mega-City landscape is also nothing short of stunning, and of course, it's always a joy to have a non-Langley, non-Slaine wraparound cover. Especially with the improved paper quality, which felt quite nice coming out of the bog-standard paper envelope.

GH: After months, nay years, spent bemoaning the times the 2000AD logo was covered up by ill laid-out pictures, I have finally been granted my ideal cover. Or at least one ideal for a 2000AD "jump-on" point. This one, in particular, seems to tick all the right boxes. The logo is bloody huge, so that there's absolutely no chance that anyone can miss it - and old readers passing by may even be tempted to glance at this issue to see what's happening in the comic these days.

This cover really seems to strike at the comic's strengths: Dredd, 2000AD's biggest icon, the 2000AD title itself to try and win back the nostalgists out there, a huge "4 news stories" banner, and a big name artist. This is what we need for these issues, not another rendition of a pouting Tharg. I even like the new way they've listed the stories inside. Oh, and the pic by Jock's not bad either...

Caught in the Act - Part 1

Dudson comes up against the full weight of the law

Synopsis: Judges stage a night-time raid on the Blunkett Tower home of citizen Dudley D. Dudson. The judges cuff and interrogate Dudson, but he appears to have no idea what he is supposed to have done wrong. The judges search Dudson’s home for explosives and other evidence of criminal activity, but find nothing illegal. Dudson is taken to a sector house for forensic examination and questioning, but the judges find no evidence against him other than whatever led to his capture.

During his interrogation, it is suggested to Dudson that the judges have evidence of his involvement with the terrorist organisation Total War, but under the Security of the City Act they do not have to tell him what the evidence against him is. Judge Dredd demands a confession, but Dudson says he doesn’t know what crime he is supposed to be guilty of. Again invoking the Security of the City Act, Dredd sentences Dudson to an indefinite prison sentence for unspecified crimes.

DK: I really enjoyed this story. It reminded me of procedural Judge Dredd stories from the 1980s. Both writer and artist have captured something of the vintage flavour in this story. Not surprising then that it’s written by Judge Dredd’s creator John Wagner, who wrote most of the stories this reminded me of!

A quick glance at the 2000adonline website’s creator profiles tells me Phil Winslade began drawing for 2000ad with ‘Frozen Stiffs’ in Prog 1374. Here, his naturalistic style helps to capture that 1980s feel by reminding me of Kim Raymond’s Judge Dredd work, and brings out every ounce of tension in the situation, with all the forbidding shadows, the terrified expression on Dudson’s face, and Dredd alternating between sneering and indifference.

You know how when you’re watching figure skating or gymnastics, and the panel of judges holds up score cards, and it’s 9.5s right across the board because the competitor has executed all the set moves perfectly? Well, that’s the kind of performance Wagner and Winslade have managed to pull off here.

PI: Ok, I love Gordon Rennie, don't get me wrong. I think he's done some marvellous things with Dredd. The recent(ish) Descent (despite misgivings at the start) and Missing in Action are testament to this. But between Rad-Stock and Blood Trails, I've felt suitably underwhelmed. Not to say they were bad, but Caught in the Act really shows that, while Rennie might well be Wagner's heir apparent, he still has quite a way to go.

I know some people may draw comparisons with earlier Dredd strips and say how they've seen it all before, but when it's this well executed, who cares? There are the rather chilling images of what seems to be a whole battalion of Judges storming one unarmed sleeping mans apartment. Equally disturbing was the interrogation scene where the only evidence they seem to have is an essay from his Juve days. But possibly scariest of all is that he seems, against all Dredd's accusations and rather brutal tests, to be completely innocent and yet... they can still hold him.

This story couldn't really have come at a better time. I mean, who isn't just that little bit apprehensive about what will happen in the aftermath of the attacks on London now the dust has settled a little? Who isn't a little worried about what social rights will be thrown out the window for the sake of 'National security. This is classic Dredd satire at it's best, today's headlines exaggerated to their bleakest conclusion.

My only real complaint with this story is the colouring. Mainly as it shouldn't be there. The black and white preview on this very site looked nothing short of fantastic and the colouring really does spoil the over all effect a bit. Still, this is only a small quibble considering how good Paul Winslade's art is. I can't tell you how much of a relief it is to have nice consistent art where Dredd actually has a nose and the only cameo in sight is a former Labour MP (and Winslade does indeed draw a mean David Blunkett!).

So, all in all, a fantastic, perfectly timed instalment of Dredd that has left me dying to know exactly what Mr. Dudson has or hasn't done, and what this infallible evidence the judges have on him is...

GH: The previous Dredd tale, Blood trails, was an enjoyable exercise in "Judge Dredd as a Hollywood action film". It did the job very well in that we were kept highly entertained for the 10 week period, without ever really being challenged - pretty much what a Hollywood film strives for.

But this latest tale is something different. Judge Dredd,the series, works particularly well because of the myriad types of stories that can be told within the confines of Mega City One. Much of this is down to the good number of writers that have been let loose on the world, offering us a varied view of the city and its "hero". But there will always be one writer who will be the one to beat when it comes to the ideal Dredd tale, and that's Wagner himself.

Here, he's on top form with an almost too topical tale of the Judges on full assault against terrorists. As a resident of London, the events of the last few weeks do have the unfortunate results of making me and many others rather too accepting of the government's raft of plans designed to "combat terrorism". However, all these laws do chip away at our liberty and this is a subject that has come up time and time again in Wagner's Dredd stories, and it has the effect of making them look less and less like fiction with every passing year. This tale of national security gone mad has, like the best Dredd tales, some unwelcome parallels with today's world and shows Wagner on his best satirical form. Dudson's fate will remain one to watch out for next week and, as such, it'll be interesting to see where Wagner takes this. I originally thought this would be a one-off tale of another poor citizen, but Wagner has a habit of blind siding us.

As for the Art, it's great to see a big name like Winslade back on the comic, turning in some breathtaking art. From the viciousness of the original arrest via Dudson's rabbit-in the-headlights appearance to to the claustrophobia of the interrogation room, Winslade turns in a fantastic job. Let's hope this isn't just a one-off return for a truly great artist.

Book 2 - Out of Order - Part 1

Savage starts channeling the seventies...

Synopsis: Continues from book 1. It is 10:00am, 26th October 2004. In the custody of the traitor secret policeman Inspector Chantry, captured resistance leader Bill Savage is being interrogated en route as he is transported across south London in a mobile police station escorted by military trucks and armoured cars. Chantry’s vehicle incorporates holding cells for the detention and interrogation of prisoners. Graffiti on the cell walls tells how captives were betrayed by friends and neighbours, and bears testaments to the capture of resistance soldiers in the Free European Army.

Chantry explains why a British Fifth Column aided the Volgan invasion of Britain. It was the treachery of a ruling elite whose hegemony was overturned by the election of the True Labour government. In exchange for installing Marshal Vashkov as Britain’s Volgan dictator, the elite sought and obtained guarantees to protect their interests.

Fortunately for Savage, a resistance unit attacks the convoy to free whoever is Chantry’s captive because they suspect the prisoner must someone important to their movement. The destruction of an armoured car gives Savage the diversion he needs to fight off the Volgan guards holding him down, and execute his captors with a machine gun. Taking control of the police van, he rams it into the lead vehicle of the convoy.

On the radio, broadcast of Mozart’s Requiem is announced. Savage suspects this to be a warning to listeners that after ‘Freedom Day’, the Volgans have set a trap for those who defy their occupation.

DK: I’m glad to see Savage back in 2000AD, after Book I stopped so suddenly. Pat Mills has set up a great situation that affords innumerable opportunities for satirical digs at contemporary political targets, and he exploits it well for a combination of polemic and gutsy action. It’s a lot of nonsense, of course, and no doubt we’ll be seeing more tinfoil guns, anti-tank detergents and napalm tarmac quite soon. I hope so. This time round we get the hard to swallow revelation that it was the toffs wot sold us out to the Volgans because ‘True Labour’ had broken their stranglehold on politics, wealth and the economy. What the Volgans gave them in return for selling out their country isn’t obvious. Maybe they legalised hunting again?

What’s good about this is Charlie Adlard’s terrific black and white art, and the fact that the script gives him plenty of violent scenes to draw – punching, shooting, and things blowing up. That and Savage’s shouty cockney dialogue (“it’s your lucky day, you slag!”).

The graffiti in the cells gave a good insight into the political climate of Volgan-occupied Britain, with informers ratting out all and sundry to the enemy, but was a bit overdone and reminded me I was reading a comic. It was stretching things to believe that prisoners were locked up without their magic markers being confiscated, though the very existence of the graffiti might be attributable to Chantry’s confidence that no-one would ever escape to pass on any of the intelligence scrawled on the cell walls. Not wanting to open old wounds and debates about homophobia, but I’m so glad Chantry’s dead now, because we won’t have to read him going on about cottaging in his police van with its own little cubicles.

Anyway, Savage is fine if you accept all of its conceits and don’t take it too seriously. It is a satire, like Alice in Wonderland, and not a faithful depiction of real life.

PI: Unfortunately, I started collecting the prog not long after the first book of Savage had finished so, having only read one or two instalments and a few of the Invasion issues, I'm a little lost as to what exactly has gone on before. But I like what I'm seeing, all the same. I think I could pretty much sum up this story and end this review with 'It's your lucky day, you slag!'. The only thing stopping me is I'm afraid of what Gavin might do to me if I did...

Settling quite perfectly between having a message and being an entertaining story (given Mills past record of rather preachy stories, this will most likely come as a relief to many) this first episode was well worth the wait. In it we learn that aristocrats are right bastards, never have a full military escort for an arctic van, ever, otherwise terrorists (who look rather like bank robbers from where I'm sitting) WILL attack you and of course, most vital of all, the Volg prison van operatives, in their infinite generosity, provide complimentary chalk to their prisoners... Lessons to live by, eh?

All this aside, Bill's escape from the Volg's and into the wheel of the van was nothing short of thrilling with Adlard rising to the challenge and providing some purely fantastic art. The facial expressions in particular are quite stunning and the talking over the scribbled over walls was quite entertaining. Chantry wasn't overbearing in his speech, he came across as quite balanced - not frothing at the mouth evil, but the kind of sleaze that decays society from within. In fact, I think I could say that for the whole story, it was balanced - not quite an out and out, all guns blazing attack, not quite a mindless action-fest. It managed to carry a message while still being entertaining, and in that light, I think this has been a great start and can't wait for more!

GH: Ah... we move from a fascistic state's heavy handed response to terrorism in the previous tale to... hmm, something quite similar. Of course, in Savage, we're placed right behind Britain's top psychopathic freedom fighter Bill Savage versus the evil Chantry, who only seems to be missing a cat to stroke during his interrogation of Savage.

But don't get me wrong, while this may seem too heavy handed, especially compared with Wagner's comparably subtle approach, it's still highly enjoyable. I have to say, I can't quite work out what Mills is trying to achieve here - it seems to be a more simplistic version of V for Vendetta in many ways. But rather than trying to look too deep into Mills' politics, it's far better to watch Savage go to work on his tormentors. How can you not enjoy a series where the "hero" starts calling people "slag!" (although surely he should have called him a "funking slag" just for good measure...)

It just show how enjoyable it could be to bring back either the Professionals or the Sweeny, with the trademark tastelessness intact. As long as things stay at this level, this'll be a guilty pleasure to enjoy for weeks to come.

As for Adlard's art, it is once again the perfect match for Mill's slightly unhinged story. His work on Savage has made me a great fan, and prompted me to pick up collections of the Walking Dead, just to catch up on what else he's been doing. I've already seen much of the art we see in the comic in earlier previews, but it looks even better on the printed page. To me, this is simply some of the best black and white art to grace 2000AD in recent memory.

Chapter 1

The Spinsters prepare...

Synopsis: Aboard a slamship in the heavens above the planet Shibboleth, antiquarian folklorist Dr. Hedren is brought out of suspended animation before landing. The planet is blockaded by the censorships of the Empire of Spinsters, who are waging a war of attrition against the Khmer Noir, and smut, and literature in general.

Shibboleth, an entire planet honeycombed with library shelves and archives, is protected by an energy grid shield:field. The Spinsters’ battle craft constantly rain down modulated energy pulses, probing for weaknesses in the barrier, but have so far been unsuccessful.

Meanwhile, on the planet Skirl, it is Quintember, and Lord Qwish announces that he is going to abandon his goal of prolonging the life of his bloated, diseased and dying body. He has spent years of Khmer Noir resources on developing Leatherjack, an apparently vat-grown assassin which he intends to teleport into the Library on Shibboleth, bringing about its destruction; granting Qwish an alternative route to immortality to that offered by medical science.

DK: Despite this being a double length episode, I haven’t all that much to say about it. John Smith has lots of great ideas for off-beat gimmicks and word play, and the Censorships are the stars of the show this time. Look – they’re shaped like scissors! The disapproving old biddies of the Viewers’ and Listeners’ Association and their ilk (although Mary Whitehouse was married, and not a spinster), are a bit dated as a target for satire. The library planet is a wonderfully romantic idea, although the siege scenario is not unlike the one with the surrounded nunnery in the Tyranny Rex story a few years ago.

Although the first read was difficult as a result of the obscure language liberally sprinkled throughout the story, it was better the second time around when I knew what waited over the page. Due to the fact that Smith hasn’t given everything away in the first part, there is a sense that almost anything could happen. Leatherjack will be an interesting strip to watch over the coming weeks.

PI: Hurrah! New story! Hurrah! John Smith! Of course, I was already expecting this story to be fun in an 'Um, excuse me?' way, but I don't think I was quite prepared for what was on offer. Leatherjack has a lot of rather interesting ideas put forth in the first double-length episode. Possibly too many. There's a great overload of information, no mistake there, but I still found myself gurning like an idiot and of course having a good old chuckle at the 'Censorships' (they're even shaped like scissors! Hilarious!). For now there's not much I can say other than I'll have to join the rest of the readership in hoping that it'll all make sense in the end. Not that we ever have any guarantee of that happening, if past work is to go by, but I shall be watching it with interest and reading avidly.

Artwise, a few panels are a bit patchy. I'm currently baffled at how exactly Tejin's costume is supposed to, well, stay on for example, but for the most part it's only minor niggles. And I can't help but be amazed with the floating puddles of fish (seriously, If I could I'd have some of them in my bedroom... Must be quite a struggle to feed them though.) And the aforementioned Censorships. Top stuff for the most part.

GH: The team of Marshall and Smith has been much lauded in recent months, thanks to timely reprints of Firekind and Darkside in Extreme Editions. The former, in particular, has always been the target of much praise from long-time 2000AD readers and the recent chance to relive it in one chunk was a good opportunity to discover that it was indeed a highly accomplished piece of work. It was, however, a little impenetrable at times, as some Smith work can be (something he has in common with contemporary Grant Morrison).

So there was a concern that the much anticipated Leatherjack - first advertised back in December 2004 - would be a worthy piece of work, but perhaps hard to keep up with on a weekly basis.

So congratulations to whoever's idea it was to run the first episode as a double length piece. The 12 pages on show here are extremely effective at setting up the universe-wide conflict, the ideas being fought over and the importance of the library at the heart of it. There are a number of great touches already littered throughout, from the Spinsters and their scissors shaped censorships through to the description of Shibboleth and the library. As with Firekind before it, Leatherjack is doing a wonderful job of setting up the universe before getting down to the meat of the story - something which a story like Synnamon could learn from. At the end of this tale, we have enough background for the main plot to start moving without leaving us lost along the way. As a result, I'm looking forward to this continuing much more than I was expecting.

Marshall is still on top form, and he seems much more suited to non-Dredd work, with the designs of the aforementioned Spinster's ships being an hugely entertaining high point. He even manages to make the double page spreads readable - something even the best artists have problems with. All in all, a great job in which he combines well with Chris Blythe to produce art that matches well with the ingenuity of the script.

Stim! - Part 1

Samantha buys her new robo hunter outfit...

Synopsis: With 70,000 credits in the bank, Samantha C. Slade, Robo-Hunter, decides to go shopping for deadly weapons and a little black dress to wear to the Robo-Hunters’ Ball. Unfortunately, when she goes to pay for her shopping, Samantha finds her bank account has been emptied.

She is taking out her frustrations on a robot advertising sandwich board paid to advertise her business, which is stupid enough not to recognise her, when a robot domestic servant rampages through the shopping centre, having stolen jewellery from the department store. When a shopper tries to apprehend the droid, it kills him with one punch and runs out the door. Samantha brings the robot down with a flying drop kick. The dress is ruined in the scuffle. Samantha claims her 1,000 credits reward for the robot shoplifter from the store owner, but has to reimburse him 999 credits for the ruined dress, leaving her with a one credit balance. As Samantha is leaving the store the rogue robot butler’s owner hires her to investigate the cause of his rampage.

Back at her office, Samantha meets 8 more of the sandwich board robots which should be advertising her business anywhere else but right outside it. She hacks into police computers to find out the results of the robot butler’s autopsy, and uncovers seriously bad news.

DK: Like Leatherjack, this was a strip that improved on re-reading. The difference is that Robo-Hunter is lightweight by comparison, and the plot makes use of so many convenient occurrences to move the story along. Ian Gibson’s babe art is always welcome, and has quite a following among 2000AD readers, but his recent 2000AD work, including that which he has done on Robo-Hunter, hasn’t been his most highly regarded, due in no small part to the lack of backgrounds. Well, there are backgrounds throughout this new story, but Samantha’s face keeps changing between panels. Note in particular how she goes from looking like Sigourney Weaver at the bottom of page 1 to erm… Una Stubbs (?) at the top right of page 2. I dare you to look out for Sharon Osbourne and Maggie Philbin too.

It’s enjoyable, but no great shakes. Whilst it is nice to see some attractive ladies drawn by Ian Gibson, it’s always great to see his take on futuristic fashion too. Here we get not only a Robo-Hunter outfit – with a cape!!! – but also a slinky black evening dress. As long as the story doesn’t end up eating itself and actually goes somewhere, and as long as we get to see some women, some cool sexy outfits, some funny looking robots and some shooting, I’m fairly happy to see Samantha Slade getting a short run of episodes in 2000AD.

PI: Alright, alright, I'll admit it... I'm part of the seeming minority of people who actually like this strip. As far as I'm concerned it's harmless fun and I suppose it has some nostalgic value, as it featured in some of the first progs I read.

The current story feels pretty lightweight compared to the rest of the line up, which is fine as I don't think I could have handled much more than this after Leatherjack anyway. The art is defiantly an improvement from the last extended tale, reaching (and possibly exceeding?) the standards it reached in the one-off in Prog 2004. The story offers up quite a few enticing questions, such as exactly where Sam's money went, and the start of a long running in-joke in the form of the Ad-Droids. It looks like it's going to be a wild ride... I just hope it doesn't all collapse like a hose of cards in a hurricane by the end...

GH: The return of Robo Hunter in the first two series was met with somewhat muted reaction from many readers, and outright dislike from others. There was certainly a feeling that there hadn't really been much thought about the direction of the series beyond the "female Robo Hunter" idea. But the last one-off appearance in Prog 2005 surprised by being actually quite entertaining - so once again I had hope for this series.

So far - I'm not completely sure. It does look like there might be more to this than the ones that preceded it, with already a few subplots developing. The idea of insane (or drugged?) robots could be one to run with and as Samantha has finally become a fully fledged Robo Hunter, let's hope we can get down to some more in depth storytelling - with Grant producing work that's more on par with his recent Megazine outings.

So - I'll bide my time on this one. Although, If he'd only get rid of Stogie and Hoagy, I'd be much happier.

Meanwhile, Gibson puts in a good effort in the art chores, relishing in the skimpy dress of the heroine. There's also a lot more backgrounds on show in this series, after considerable fan criticism regarding their absence in previous installments. It's still not quite the best we can expect from Gibson, but even his passable artwork is streets ahead of many other artists.

Overall, the jury's still out on this one - but so far it's not bad at all...