2000AD Prog 1451 - 3 August 2005
	Judge Dredd (Wagner / Winslade) Savage (Mills / Adlard) Leatherjack (Smith / Marshall) Breathing Space (Williams / Doherty) Robo Hunter (Grant / Gibson) Synopsis by Gavin Hanly 1st opinion by Marcus Nyhoe 2nd Opinion by Richard Pearce Summaries and reviews contain spoilers for this issue.

MN: The moon as a skull weeping tears, gothic lettering, and the only real spark of light a glimpse of the sun hiding behind planet Earth. Ever get the feeling this issue is going to be dark?

This is an effective cover, possibly the best in a long time. The eerie skull dominates, which seems to serve the purpose of whetting the appetite for the new thrill (and boy, was I looking forward to reading it), and possibly attracting the goth teenage crowd browsing in the newsagents. Let's face it, 2000AD has always, at it's best, formed a connection with the slightly more disaffected members of society (how many times has it been described as the comics version of punk in the late seventies), and new readers are always welcome. One thing puzzles me though - who the hell is Pye?

RP: Simon Parr's cover for Breathing Space is an interesting idea that falls flat in the execution. While the blend between moon surface and skull is performed well, the bloody eyes and stock sun-flare in the background are needless additions that only weaken the final image.

Photo and photo-montage covers are something of a rarity in comics, and have never appeared to be particularly popular with readers of 2000AD. I can't see this one changing many minds.

Caught in the Act - Part 2

Dudson's troubles are about to get worse...

Synopsis: On Dudson's first night in the cubes he is harassed by the warden who says the only hope he can ever have of being released is by confessing to his crimes. As Dudson frets, Rudy, his Cyber councellor appears on the screen and begins to turn him around. After months of protesting his innocence, Dudson slowly begins to crumble under the councellor's questioning and soon starts to wonder whether or not he actually might be responsible for something bad. He starts to make up a confession, starts believing it himself and is locked up in a high security cube.

Later, he gets a visit from public defender 314 - (last seen in Megazine 229). 314 says the best they can do is throw him upon the mercy of the appeal officer - who happens to be Dredd. 314 visits Dredd on the streets and asks him to look at the case notes. Dredd looks at the confession and something strikes him as odd as Dudson didn't seem to be a violent type. He looks into the case further and they discover that there was a glitch in the system and that Dudson was supposed to get a good citizenship award. The man they were looking for was Jerry Futz. They raid Futz's apartment and quickly kill him as he resists arrest.

Later, they release an indignant Dudson, but tell him that elements of the confession still need investigation. He is placed under house arrest as a Total War suspect until they can prove otherwise. Dudson goes back to his apartment, and begins a life lived in fear, as his neighbours think he was behind the bombs in the city and want his blood...

MN: Let's start with a quote from front page of The Guardian (dated Monday 9th August 2005):

"How does a person refute the allegation against them if they do not know what that allegation is?" - Roger Smith (director of Justice the All Party Law Reform Group) speaking about the proposed new anti-terror legislation.

This is where 2000AD, and Dredd in particular, can be at it's most effective. In delivering a short two-part story that resonates with righteous anger at the direction modern day Britain is heading in, John Wagner shows the young Rennie pretender just how far he has to go. There's no subtlety to the tale, but that isn't what is required here. In the face of the understandable fear people are in, this hits them over the head with a sledgehammer to hammer home just how dangerous the erosion of civil liberties is (and to think, this was written well before Blair announced his willingness to amend the Human rights Act).

I don't know if Mr. Wagner has been worried about Gordon Rennie stealing his thunder, but the talent and experience of the man really comes through. There's more packed into these two parts than in all of the Total War saga. I enjoyed the lightness he brought with Defender 314 (which must have been influenced by the Dead Ringers impression of Tony Blair). It's an old dramatic trick, giving the reader a chink of light to contrast with the complete ruin of a good man's life, and it works well.

The art works well too. Phil Winslade should surely be given an extended run on a big strip like Dredd, whilst Len O'Grady provided colours that added to the atmosphere hugely. A great creative team that need to be allowed to deliver more of this quality work.

RP: Following the disappointing "Blood Trails", John Wagner's "Caught In The Act" has been refreshing; a thoroughly enjoyable short story in the best tradition of classics like "The Art of Kenny Who?" or "Bury My Knee At Wounded Heart". Wagner excels at these glimpses of everyday life for the little people at the mercy of the machinery of the Judge system, and they are always a joy to read. The closing panel is perhaps one of the most powerful - and depressing - that I've seen in Dredd for quite some time.

Phil Winslade's art is a perfect match for the dark tone of the story but having seen early previews of the art before Len O'Grady's colours I can't help but feel that "Caught In The Act" would have been something very special if it had been left black & white. Still, this is the standard of art I would like to see regularly on Dredd and I hope it's not too long before we see Winslade back in the prog.

Book 2 - Out of Order - Part 2

Svetlana takes charge...

Synopsis: Savage takes cover in the building used by the freedom fighters who helped to break him out of the convoy. Captain Svetlana Jaksic, who does not believe that he is the Bill Savage, takes her men in after him. They sweep through the buildings killing the families they find within in case they are hiding weapons. Meanwhile they find a small pocket of resistance fighters firing from a building. Savage is hiding with them, but they give him cover fire while he escapes - as he is clearly more important alive then them. Savage escapes, despite wishing he could have stayed to help, and heads back to his sister's.

As he arrives, an argument is in progress. People from the neighbourhood have shaved the hair of Vickie (last seen in book 1) and started beating her up as she's been sleeping with a Volgan soldier. She tells Bill's sister Cassie that she is going to be one of the interpreters ready for a visit by President Vashkov to London. Vickie leaves. Bill has overheard, but Cassie warns him not to do anything. Savage agrees that he wouldn't do anything that stupid: "That would be totally out of order".

MN: Nowhere near as good. As a mindless actioner it has it's moments, but it just seems like so much fluff. Maybe I should make a confession here. I've not really liked any of Pat Mills' work since Third World War. This is at least readable, unlike Slaine, but it just does nothing for me. The exposition is handled nicely, and the dialogue can be quite effective - I particularly liked Captain Jaksic's reaction to the gunmen's abusive comments, "I therefore proceeded with their destruction."!

Charlie Adlard's art has always left me cold as well, but looking at this issue again, I can't actually fault it critically. His layouts are clear and uncluttered, facial expressions are readable and the story flows nicely. There just seems to be no soul in the strip, like the creators have just turned up for the money. Nothing wrong with that, but it doesn't make for good art.

RP: Throughout the late 1980s and 1990s Pat Mills' writing for 2000AD seemed to be drifting off course. Classic characters like Slaine descended into a kind of po-faced self-indulgence, losing the wit and invention that characterised his early adventures. New strips like Dinosty and Finn had potential but were crippled by what seemed to be either loose editorial control or Mills' own tendency to concentrate on whatever message he wanted to convey rather than the story he was supposed to be telling. Perhaps with a great deal of his time and energy spent working on projects closer to his heart, like Crisis and Toxic, as well as his work in the US and Europe, his writing on 2000AD was bound to suffer but it was no less disappointing for 2000AD readers.

Then, in 1999, 2000AD published the tenth and final book of Nemesis the Warlock. The story that marked something of a return to form for both the character and for Pat Mills. Following in 2001 the ABC Warriors returned for the first time in six years and - despite Mills' conflicts with then-editor Andy Diggle - were well-received by readers. Slaine's next epic, "The Books of Invasions" was similarly popular and "Black Siddha", Mills' first new character for the Megazine, was a fun mixture of Indian mythology, soap opera and superheroics.

However, enjoyable as these stories were they were still missing the intensity that Pat Mills brought to his best work. The first book of Savage had this in spades and with its smart revision and continuation of an early 2000AD series it looked set to take a place alongside "Nemesis the Warlock: The Gothic Empire" and early Slaine as some of Mills' best writing for the comic.

It's now been nearly a year and a half since that first story but the second book hit the ground running just hours after Bill's capture and the pace is kept up here as Pat Mills pulls Savage through a vicious urban battle and sets up the next major plot point, as well as reintroducing several characters from the first series.

The street battle is dense, and the fast-moving action accompanied by lengthy captions that comment on the fight from the perspective of the Volgan commander, Svetlana. They also serve to bring new readers up to speed on events in the first book, and while occasionally awkward they work well. The transition from this to the "home front" with Cassie, Noddy and Vickie is smooth and returns us to the reality of occupation in Savage's Britain. These glimpses of the brutality that the occupied can visit on one other ring true, and with the attempts to humanise the Volgans and the mention of extremist resistance groups like "Traitor's Gate" help make Savage a more rounded, complex strip than it might otherwise be.

It's also impossible to play down Charlie Adlard's contribution. His work on Savage is possibly his best for 2000AD, eclipsing previous highs on Nikolai Dante and Judge Dredd, and is a perfect match to the story.

Simply fantastic.

Chapter 2

Leatherjack unveiled ...

Synopsis: Doctor Hedren suffers from a headache while poring over the books in the library. His guide is about to leave to help with the birth of a new hatchclan, but before he can - Hedren starts choking. He starts to recall memories that aren't his: of battles, sex and much more - until he starts to throw up blood. A hand forces its way out of Hedren's mouth, followed by another holding a gun which destroys the Shibboleth guide. Hedren's body ruptures and Leatherjack appears from within.

Back on Skirl, Lord Qwish tells Tejin that Leatherjack is going to steal the Codex Supspirorum - the Book of Sighs - which holds the secrets of occult techniques of "healing, killing and transformation". As Leatherjack is illiterate, it will be of little use to him. He has also been reprogrammed by psi surgeons and fitted with enough upgrades to make him the perfect agent for the job...

MN: Now you could never argue that John Smith's stuff lacks soul. It may not always be understandable, but it has substance, and you always feel that he is trying to say something.

Leatherjack builds on its promising start, with the horrific fate of Doctor Hedren, which is all the more powerful for Paul Marshall making the good doctor look like a cuddly children's character from the eighties (is it Dr Snuggles?). We are treated to three pages of the perverse "birth" of Leatherjack, which reminded me somewhat of the first time we see the werewolf transformation in Landis' An American Werewolf in London. Very effective, with the flash memories being something only comics can do effectively. The large panel depiction of Leatherjack dripping blood works a treat.

All in all we have a story were the major characters appear to be morally ambiguous. There seems to be a balance between dictatorial Puritanism of the Spinsters, and the decadent, insatiable appetite of the Khmer Noir, which is to be applauded. One that rewards re-reading.

RP: The second episode of John Smith & Paul Marshall's latest collaboration is a spectacular solution to the problem of getting an assassin onto the heavily-protected library world. Beyond Leatherjack's grotesque arrival this is a fairly light episode, but it keeps the story moving at a cracking pace and promises high-powered carnage in the near future.

I'm less taken with Paul Marshall's art which - while perfectly competent - seems to lack the grace and delicacy of his earlier work.

Part 1

An unjudicial liaison?

Synopsis: Judge King stumbles over the surface of the moon to "Gravity Boot Hill". He picks up a handheld device and looks at it, thinking that "Luge" did love him. He looks shocked at what he sees, collapses to the ground by an open grave with his own name on it...

4 days earlier, King arrives on Luna 1, a Mega City 1 judge for 20 years who believes he can handle Luna 1. As he gets sworn in, he meets a female judge, Julias, and takes and instant liking to her, something of a concern as there were rumours that King was assigned to Luna 1 after rumours of a liaison with a female judge in Mega City 1. Judges Goddard and Trent in particular have nothing but scorn for the new judge.

Julius fills King in on the situation. After the Judgement Day disaster, many cities from Earth felt they couldn't afford to supply judges and only Mega City 1 sends a minimal supply. Everything has been privatised, unemployment is rife and the crime rate is high.

That night, King has nightmares about the love he left on Earth as he gets a wake up call: "There's been a murder."

MN: Film noir in space are the first impressions of this new strip. Opening with a lone, wounded figure stumbling through the lunar landscape and the words "I don't want to die", we're instantly transported into the mood of the strip. Starting with a point near the chronological end of a story is an effective technique which, when handled properly, can instill in the reader the perverse desire to find out how the protagonist came to their sticky end. It works well here, and Rob Williams is accomplished enough to provide a fair amount of exposition in a fairly naturalistic manner. Luna 1 feels suitably noir - all crime-ridden and corrupt.

Peter Doherty's colour palate works well too, with dark grey and blue dominating and evoking a rather downbeat feel. There's some nice little detail in there too, such as the mugging lying almost hidden in the dark, murky colours of the right foreground whilst King and Julius ride past in the background. A very promising start.

RP: After spending several years in limbo, Rob Williams' Luna-1 murder mystery finally arrives - and it's off to a promising start with the apparent death of its leading character!

Luna-1 seems to have fallen apart in the past few years: a colony in collapse, dominated by squabbling corporations and blighted by violence. It's a suitably grim setting for a detective tale, with echoes of Williams' own "Low Life". The links with established Dredd continuity are handled well, for once, and are a logical outcome of the chaos on Earth following the various Mega-Epics of the past two decades

Pete Doherty's art is appropriately cold and bleak, capturing the mood of decay on Luna-1 and his uniform redesigns are restrained and accomplished, even if they may not be as striking as other Judge designs over the years. It's a shame that we only have one more episode with Doherty on art duties, even when his replacement is an artist as talented as Laurence Campbell. We see far too little of Pete Doherty in 2000AD and I hope a suitable project can be found for him in the near future.

Stim! - Part 2

A history in robotics...

Synopsis: Slade sees that something has degenerated the droid's circuitry and that there's been a surge in Robot crime. She thinks that the mad robot was on drugs and that Stogie and Hoagie have to go undercover to find out what's going on. She sends them down to the docks while she tries to find out what happened to her money.

Later, she visits the Brit Cit Museum of Robotics to see if she can get a lead. She talks to the curator (an old man with a pet robotic raven who helps keep people away from the exhibits). She shows him the results and he agrees to look into it further. As she leaves, she comes under attack from another robot...

MN: This is one of those strips I used to love, and I prayed it could return to former glories when they revived it with Alan Grant as the writer again. Unfortunately, rather like replaying old ZX Spectrum games now, the thrill seems to have gone. Even Ian Gibson's art seems mediocre. In four of the five panels she appears in on the first page, she has the same facial expression, like she's straining on the loo!

On the plus side, there are some great character moments in the strip, particularly Hoagy's nonchalant attempt to uncover the robot drug dealers. Still it's not enough, and whilst moments like this bring a smile to the face, the whole thing just seems too forgettable.

RP: The return of Robo-Hunter at the end of 2003 was something of a qualified success. Alan Grant's renewal of the series deftly sidestepped Mark Millar & Peter Hogan's versions of the character and simply picked up where he & John Wagner left off in "Farewell, My Billions". Unfortunately, while this and the introduction of Samantha Slade were handled well the first two stories left a lot to be desired. It wasn't until "The Davinchy Code" in prog 2005 that the new series began to live up to its potential. Happily, "Stim!" continues that trend and there are hints in this episode of the escalating lunacy that made classic Robo-Hunter such a joy.

Ian Gibson also seems to be back on form, turning in his strongest performance on the strip since it returned. The blank white backgrounds that plagued the earlier stories are largely dispensed with and the dense, cluttered environments that he brought to the classic version are in their place.

If this is, as has been suggested elsewhere, a make-or-break point for Robo-Hunter I think this story may well guarantee it a future in the prog.