2000AD Prog 1482 - 5 April 2006
	Judge Dredd (Spurrier / Campbell/ Justice/ Blythe) Harry Kipling: Deceased (Spurrier / Cook) ABC Warriors (Mills / Flint) Lobster Random (Spurrier/ Critchlow) 86ers (Rennie / Richardson) Cover: Carl Critchlow

Synopsis by Adam Crabtree
1st opinion by Adam Crabtree
2nd opinion by Gavin Hanly

Summaries and reviews contain spoilers for this issue.

Cover Review

AC: Carl Critchlow: my hero. Though the images are within the pages of the strip, they’re damn good images. The lavender background gives it a luridly luxurious feel.

GH: Carl Critchlow seems to have come so far since his days of painting, in the dark days when that style was the norm at 2000AD. This is a league away from that work and a fine, classy cover. Sure, it may be almost identical to a scene inside the issue, but it's still fab.

Dominoes

Dredd spoils another party

Synopsis: Dredd is being piloted to Neo-Cuba, where he hopes to make a prisoner exchange. He talks to Hershey via vid screen while being flown to his destination, bemoaning the trivial aspects of the assignment. They touch down and Dredd is greeted with overt familiarity by the leader of Neo-Cuba; Dredd goes a bit bashful (or maybe just coy) and insists they dispense with ceremony and get the exchange over with.

Meanwhile an operative moves through the stronghold, offing guards and musing on what it means to be on a holy mission on the behalf of the Big Meg. She infiltrates the missile control room, where she hypnotises the techie at the controls into thinking he’s a Sov agent, and slinks off to perform further mischief.

The exchange proceeds without incidence and Dredd and company blast off, leaving the Neo-Cubans wondering how to celebrate the return of their “heroic” prisoners. Suddenly, the augmented bulls bred for sport within the compound break out, owing to mating pheromones in the celebratory cigars. Attempts to escape by the beleaguered meet with equipment failure. The last resort is the sky transport; but the protective SAM forcefield is still in place, as the operator has been hypnotized, and the transport is blown to bits by missiles; only the leader escapes via grav chute.

On Dredd’s ship, Hershey is briefing the crew on the mysterious catastrophe; apparently they discovered a rogue Sov agent at the missile controls, quashing chances of a Cuban-Sov alliance. Funny how things turn out. As they head for home, the pilot lifts up the visor of her helmet: it’s none other than the operative.

AC: The first of Simon Spurrier’s three offerings in this week’s prog. People have been saying how Dredd has been coasting a tad since the genesis of 2006; here we get dirty dealings from our "heroes" and a clever twist at the end. Also, there's a good characterisation of Dredd, who we get to see showing what seems to be mildly prickly discomfort; he strikes me more and more as a grumpy old sod (in addition to the more dynamic aspects of his uncompromising attitudes) and I find I don't even mind! The final "domino" effect of the master plan is also well staged.

GH: With Spurrier's prolific writing in full force this week, this is the first time we actually get to see him try his hand on Dredd in the weekly (having already tested the waters in the Megazine). Dredd is a strip where many excellent writers have met their match, and there's a certain degree of baited breath when someone other than Wagner or Rennie tackles him these days. And the result is - pretty good. Perhaps the best sign is that he seems to have captured Dredd's character well - his Dredd isn't overly verbose and is on the mission simply to get the job done.

As for the background story of the pilot - that's where things get a little muddier. Were the pilot's actions sanctioned by Hershey all along (is that why there's a stress on the word "crew" at the end)? Was Dredd in on it? Seems unlikely. Whatever - it's as if Spurrier is following Rennie's tried and tested route (to be seen next week in Planet Gary) of dropping a new few characters into the mix in one-offs every now and again and picking up on them later. I guess we'll have to keep our eyes out to see if this gets developed further. If it turns out to be a standalone - then it's certainly a diverting story - but if it's part of a larger picture, it could be far more intriguing.

As for the art - Campbell, Justice and Blythe do a very decent job here - with Campbell in particular improving with each new outing. He manages to add the necessary level of intrigue to the story, as well as making it clear in the pay-off scene that the pilot and the "ninja" are one and the same - a crucial point. Certainly Campbell deserves to be set loose on Dredd again in the near future...

Mad Gods & Englishmen - Part 2

Kipling in all his glory...

Synopsis: Harry waits on an answer from the civilians regarding the contract on Sobek. Neesha approaches him and shows him the ring she found on her home world which, as it turns out, bears the symbol of the Neo-Brittanian Empire. The people of the town tell Harry he’s hired but he won’t be paid until the job is done. Dragging Neesha along for the ride, Harry sets off on his transport, Klux, for Sobek’s Temple.

Along the way he explains the Queen was the owner of the ring before Neesha, that she was a personal acquaintance, and that the onslaught of the supernatural beings was brought about by a Neo-Brittanian invention known as the Thinker. This supercomputer evaluated mankind and came to the conclusion that they could not have reached the levels they have without aid; prompting it to alter reality and bringing every would-be divinity ever conceived into existence.

A pitched running battle takes place in the Temple between Harry and Sobek’s various minions. They discover the pills that enhance Sobek’s strength and allow him to heal; but as they pause to examine them, the newly regenerated Sobek ambushes them.

AC: I’m beginning to think we just turn the entire prog over to the Spurrier droid.The divinity of Sobek and company within the strip have nothing on the divine qualities of Boo Cook’s intricate, lovingly painted artwork, and Spurrier’s script zooms through the inevitable exposition (which is derivative in the sense of the massive super computer deeming it’s own creators to be unworthy and (surprise surprise) bringing about infernal cataclysm), expertly juxtaposing excellent fantasy action between lusciously designed characters and flashbacks.

Kipling himself is a genius creation, who gets the most dementedly brilliant lines to chew over. I’m wondering what’s going on with him and his servants; Klux’s laconic “’ssboss?” and even the exotic design and colouration of him, as well as rustic Willy’s servitude, give the impression this strip will examine the ugly side of the British Empire, that of racial oppression, as well. How’s that for theme juggling?

This could come to dominate 2000AD.

GH: While I might question the choice to print this strip the same time as Lobster Random - there's no denying that Spurrier is able to come up with the goods when creating new characters for 2000AD. With both Random, Kipling and Jack Point all managing to create a big splash on arrival, you have to hand it to him - as it's been a while since anyone else has managed to create such instant hits (Caballistics doesn't count - being a "team" story).

The key difference between Random and Kipling, storytelling wise, seems to be the perspective from which the tale is told - with this tale concentrating on Neesha and her inauguration into the world of Kipling's god hunting. This works particularly well, as so far as it lets Spurrier drip feed plot details every week - the biggest this week being the revelation of the Royal Seal and how the Gods were created in the first place. The latter is a wonderful idea and leads to almost limitless possibilities as far as future storylines are concerned - something that mush have made Tharg and Spurrier's bank manager very happy indeed.

Cook's work is as wonderful as ever, and the idea of him being let loose on all manner of insane gods is another reason for this series to be welcomed with open arms...

The Shadow Warriors - Book 3 - Part 7

Hammerstein becomes snake food...

Synopsis: Hammerstein broods on his condition. A signal from Maniacus prompts the robotic cyber snakes within his chassis to become all the more militant. They burst forth, prompting the Warriors to fire on their old comrade. Meanwhile the Shadow Warriors are getting itchy feet; soon the Confederate cavalry will arrive and they’ll be forced to split the ABC’s bounty. They emerge from their hideout, taunting the ABC’s out to fight.

The ABC’s lay down arms against Hammerstein so he can at least try to take out Maniacus before expiring. The two sets of meks launch into battle; Hammerstein lurches at Maniacus, the snakes consuming his brain as he goes. As he reaches Maniacus, the snakes turn on their old master! His resolve steeled (sorry), Hammerstein takes a mighty swing and sends Maniacus' head flying…

AC: Henry Flint gets to play around with grotesque imagery of cyber snakes eating the clean cut hero’s brain as he runs to his doom, and Deadlock performing menacing rituals on helpless floppies; it’s the sort of thing that’d give you nightmares for years as a child and I love it.

Pat Mills’ third book of the Shadow Warriors sequence is nearing its end and as well as keeping one step ahead of the Shadow Warriors, the ABCs have resisted classification at every turn. With great relish and beautiful shady visuals, the saga defies analysis and is probably all better for it. Line of the week goes to interminably crazy demolition droid Mek Quake: “The saw is law!”

GH: This strip is totally barking - but in all the right ways. Brain eating snakes? Robots sacrificing humans? The utterly insane Dr Maniacus? It really does read as if Mills was as high as a kite while writing it, and is utterly enjoyable in a way which very few 2000AD series are.

Sure, many might complain at the lack of actual plot development here - but does it matter when everyone in the strip is so completely hatstand? Coupled with Flint's artwork, this is a high point in every issue for me and as long as things stay at this level, I'll be sorry to see it go in three weeks' time.

The Agony & the Ecstacy - Part 1

Random doing what he does best...

Synopsis: The wedding night of two alien nobles does not go smoothly; the bride requests a divorce, and when it is not forthcoming, she reveals she is in fact a robot (albeit with a human mind) Mrs Redd and has teamed up with sadistic crustacean Lobster Random (last seen in prog 1419) to extract one. Under the watchful eye of his new robotic beau, Mrs Redd, Random sets to torturing, not to be dissuaded by the alien’s slippery physiology.

Random, Redd and their little honey trap head for a highbrow (so to speak) gambling joint, the Parsitenni Club. As wealthy men and aliens fall over themselves to propose, Lobster heads out to the Club’s parking lot to steal some transport. As he does so, an unexpected arrival sets things off kilter - Jimmy the Suit, representative of the Mob.

AC: Further Spurrian lunacy as Random kicks into a nasty but uniquely appealing gear. Carl Critchlow’s art can be identified from a mile off, clearly relishing every strange and macabre oddity he is given to render. From bloated sumo apes to well furnished slug men, the art has volume, colour and verve.

Spurrier’s script is worthy enough of the art; we see a whole new spin on the tradition of slightly askew narrations by the lead character. Random is entirely comfortable with his sexual deviance and repulsive amorality, and somehow, through this honesty, so are we! The set up of the little crime outfit of Random, his robotic femme fatale and their prima donna decoy bride hustling their way across this bizarre, Moorcockian galaxy is positively riotous.

GH: The return of Random is certainly something to look forward to (has it really been well over a year since the last appearance?), and gives Spurrier a hat-trick of successful stories in this week's issue. From the casual introduction of Random's new, advanced cyber claw to the arrival of a whole new group of dodgy looking characters at the end - this looks like being fun, even if the real story hasn't really gotten off the ground in this episode. Random and Redd's new business venture allows Spurrier to come up with some neat ideas like the Holo Witness and Redd's handy "morphatonic glyph chassis" (I swear Spurrier must spend half the time writing the script and half coming up with these names.).

With excellent art from Mr Critchlow to compliment the script, this is certainly a good start, but will need a couple of episodes under its belt, as it's not as immediate as Spurrier's other strips in this issue.

Touchdown - Part 3

Rafe handily fills us in...

Synopsis: Rafe infiltrates the Citadel from which the distress call came. We see flashbacks of her receiving her orders from her commander, who makes no bones about her lack of empathy for “soulless gene freaks”. We also see her confronting the base’s resident psi, who has been following her with great interest.

As she enters the Citadel, she finds the place strewn with corpses, apparently all victims of violent death. She begins communicating in GI battle cant, a mystery to Harrigan but explained by Doctor Friedkin; she’s calling for help. Rafe and Gabe prepare themselves back on the Citadel to take on an approaching horde of Nort marked savages.

AC: The art duties are taken up by PJ Holden, and I must say, I miss Richardson’s intricate renderings; we don’t see enough of that artist, plus his version of Rafe is hotter (think what you will but there it is!). However, Holden brings an unprecedented dynamism to the proceedings, especially to the space battles. The first page depicts the aerial acrobatics required to reach the impressively designed Citadel (meteor based structures are always a good idea!) and it does so with colourful and kinetic graphics.

Rennie’s story gets on the habit of fiddling with the traditional narrative structure, tossing linearity out of the window; I’ve got to say though, what was once dynamic is perhaps becoming something of a cliché. The initial opener in part one where Rafe is going down over the hostile atmosphere of a planet is very similar to an episode of new Battlestar Galactica (which more and more seems like this series’ spiritual partner) and this prog’s structure hearkens back to Sinister Dexter’s Slow Train to Kal Cutter.

As was the case in that story, you kind of wonder what the point of utilising this technique in; what practical purpose does it serve? One might think it was a little alienating, particularly for new readers. Perhaps Rennie was simply fixing to open this instalment with some action, saving the stationary sections for later on, but I hope he gives it a rest after this.

Having said that this remains an appealing new commodity; here’s hoping it sticks to spaceship based combat (which, correct me if I’m wrong, is the most unique thing the title has to offer, and is pretty much the central conceit) and doesn’t get bogged down by foot missions. What’s with the haunted house set-up? Surely a more relevant storyline to the 86th Squadron could have been devised to introduce the strip? This will never distinguish itself from Rogue Trooper if we’re going to get more of lone GI’s shooting up lots of enemies?

GH: Only 2 episodes of this strip gone and we're already onto a new artist? Although, I have to admit that I'm rather happy with the choice. Richardson had certainly come up with some nice designs for the ships, but there was something about his artwork that wasn't working for me. Sure it was meticulously detailed, but it didn't seem quite fluid enough for me. Holden gets around this problem on his first page and, as such, the strip seems to pick up the pace.

But despite the welcoming change in the artwork, I'm not really warming to the strip as a whole. While I can see the need to keep a GI presence in the strip - I'm not sure it helps the story as the strip is too much about Rafe than the rest of the crew. Plus, given that this is supposed to be a group piece, I still feel like too much time is being spent with Rafe as opposed to the other crew. Even with the "tour" in last week's episode, I feel that it's only Kristos who has being properly set up as another rounded character in the strip. He's certainly the only other character whose name I know. I'm hoping this will pick up - but a the moment it has an air of disappointment about it.