2000AD Prog 1503 - 30 August 2006
	Judge Dredd (Wagner / Walker) Malone (Hamilton / Coleby) Stone Island (Edginton / Davis) Banzai Battalion (Wagner / Roberts) Nikolai Dante (Morrison / Burns) Cover: Jock & Chris Blythe

Synopsis by Gavin Hanly
1st opinion by Charles Ellis
1st opinion by Sue Doyle

Summaries and reviews contain spoilers for this issue.

Cover Review

CE: I dunno how interesting this would be to a new reader, but sod them – it certainly grabs me! After the last few parts of The Connection with its hints of dark things in Dredd’s genetic past, seeing a cover like this makes you wonder just what we’re going to find out about the bloodline in this story.

SD: The very first judge Fargo, large as life, standing behind a young judge Dredd with Jock and Chris Blythe on the art work should have given an A+ cover. I love the detail in the gloves, chains and shine on the badges but I find it busy and I’m not sure where the focus of the cover is. Not a real winner for me.

The Connection - Part 4

Dredd gets closer to the truth...

Synopsis: The judges find the body of Kafka in a dumpster and Dredd is informed. He suddenly starts to have a vision of himself as a young cadet talking to Fargo about the missing box - he shakes himself out of it and puts it down to the concussion he received. He tells the judges to look out for Tooey and heads for another session on the speedheal.

Meanwhile Tooey and his host have contacted an old man called Mr Gant. Tooey tells Gant that they have a beef with the city but there plans were upset when the judges caught on. He shows Gant the box.

Elsewhere, Dredd is undergoing speedheal and starts to have more visions as Fargo warns him that something is about to happen and that it's not too late to do something about it. The session ends and the med judge comments that Dredd was talking to himself during it. PSU calls Dredd and says they have a fix on Tooey and have tracked him to Gant's condo.

Meanwhile, after stocking up on provisions, Tooey and his host head for the streets and are seen by a judge driving erratically - they open fire on the judge...

CE: The Connection continues to be tightly plotted, with violence, intrigue, Judicial investigations and eerie flashbacks – all in six pages and leaving you wanting more! What exactly is in the Maguffin and what does it have to do with Fargo? What’s going on with Dredd’s dreams? How does that old guy Gant have connections to Cursed Earth mutant criminals? And how does John Wagner manage to write something this good and keep us so interested when you’d think everyone would be just waiting on Origins?

The whole thing with Dredd and Fargo, the suggestion that Dredd might actually be reaching a point where he might stop being the hardline judicial mission and see things beyond justice… THAT is interesting. Is Dredd finally experiencing regrets that not even tight boots can abate? That’s even more ominous than the idea of Origins itself. Can Wagner really be about to change something this fundamental about Dredd?

What more can be said about the art? It’s great, it fits the gritty darkness of the story well, you can see how old and worn Dredd has become – you know this, I know this, now let’s hope there’s many pages of gory violence by Kev next issue!

SD: I’m curious as to why there wasn’t more publicity for the start of this strip as it’s proving to be as entertaining and substantive as Mandroid and it’s only meant to be a lead in to the main event of Origins 2006! This strip’s start may not have been explosive but it’s definitely grabbed my attention with it’s slow build up of tension, flashbacks giving an increasing concern for our main man and the frustration of needing to know just what is in that box, that Maguffin.

The artwork, colouring and lettering are superb. The dark feel and the start contrast of Judge Dredd old and worn and as a young cadet fresh faced and eager adds depth to the script. My favourite frame however is of Judge Dredd astride his bike looking like an avenging angel tattered and torn. We’re still nowhere near finding out just how history will be re-written that we will have to wait for, but this story is a winner in it’s own right and I’m waiting for the next instalment with baited breath.

Malone goes down

On the way back to the flat, he tells the heavies about the scary clown dreams he's been having and how the swearing is oddly dubbed out of them. The heavies bring him back to the apartment and then beat him badly for insulting them earlier. As he lies in the gutter, beaten to a pulp, the image of the clown returns...

CE: I have absolutely no real idea what’s going on in Malone, what the agenda behind the story is, or what’s the deal with The Scary Clown, but I love this strip anyway. It’s very different to a lot of what’s been in 2000AD, though I can’t quite put my finger on how. It just comes off as being a lot more self-aware of its plot and genre – where else in 2000AD do characters note that they’re using made-up swear words? – but luckily not in a condescending way. It’s clearly taking a lighter tone in the story than the art would suggest (Simon Coleby’s art is all shadowy and ugly and shouldn’t fit the script and yet somehow does), but doesn’t come off as flippant. The plot… no idea where it’s going, but hey, Scary Clown.

What Malone is and how it works makes no real sense to me, yet it seems to keep me interested anyway.

SD: It took me a while to get into this strip due to the familiarity of the story. I like Simon Coleby’s art work, even if I occasionally find it confusing. With black and white art, it takes no prisoners and can add real drama and menace to a story but the menace produced does not always tally with the script. The futuristic setting, humour of the main character and the nightmares of the Clown add real spice. However the idea of a Clown who screams at you, without swearing, no less, reminds me of a recurring nightmare I had as a child and un-nerves me in a way that has me slightly worried as to what happens now.

Part 4

Sorrel gets a beating...

Synopsis: Sorrel is beaten by one the warden, George, who thinks Sorrel is one of the monsters. Two others, a vicar and a woman try to stop him, but eventually Sorrel manages to defend himself, and keeps the truncheon for defense. They talk about his the madness and monsters spread throughout the prison, but aside from Grice turning, they really don't know how it all started except that the infestation is spreading. They're cut off from the outside world as the power has been shut off - but Sorrel says that Harry can help them escape...

CE: Ah yes, the inevitable “Meet The Other Survivors And Talk About Things” scene that you just knew was coming. Luckily, Edginton manages to make the strip come off like it’s full of action and moving fast even when the character’s are just staying in one room: we get some violence, an ominous flashback, Harry doing his Cheeky Chappy banter, and we get backstory on what’s been happening, how screwed the characters are and what exactly the monsters are up to. Outside of the violently aggressive warden George, none of the new characters have any real characterisation yet and are just doing exposition, so I presume they’re about to get eaten at some point.

The real interesting bit is that the mutated inmates seem to be deliberately working off a plan – so where did that plan come from? Why are they culling the weaker prisoners? More importantly, how much more hideous violence are we going to get from this strip? I’m hoping many prog’s worth.

SD: It’s been a real joy to see Simon Davis’s art work on this strip. Even if it gives more clarity to the gore and detail to the monsters let loose in the locked down prison, the bonus is the details and the realistic expressions on the characters faces. The art compliments the story well and I’ve enjoyed this so far with porridge giving way to horror and then to escape. I like the idea that the story is following the source of the outbreak and that the survivors will be trying to escape with Sorrel in tow. The action, detail in the dialogue make this strip a real winner. Looking forward to where the story takes us next.

Robot Wars - Part 3

Banzais attack...

Synopsis: The robots of Pest Patrol show their owner, Rosie, the remnants of one of their own - and point out that it must have been attacked with something like a small knife. Elsewhere, the Banzais are unleashing their next plan, attacking a team of Pest Patrol soldiers, but giving them just enough time to get off a signal, calling for help. Pest patrol sends in a tank to investigate and the Banzais blow it up, attacking the disorientated Pest Patrol. Rosie calls him to stop, but instead they retreat.

Later Rosie tells the Mrs Fitzenheimer that she doesn't want Pest Patrol going back out there until she works out what's wrong and calls out to Captain Bug Stomper, saying that she wants to talk. Stomper refuses to meet with her, telling the other Banzai's that he's now a human and that Humans are not to be trusted. The other robots begin to worry...

CE: Something dodgy is going on with Stomper here. The first two parts of this story made it seem like this would be a tale where the Banzais are elderly, discarded underdogs and the focus would be on them reclaiming their status from Pest Patrol, who would presumably turn out to be evil in some way. Instead, Wagner’s gone and changed the approach: the Patrol seem to just be doing their job and behaving like the Banzais normally do, while getting completely massacred by a superior and smarter foe. If anything, they’re the underdogs! And then you have Stomper thinking he’s becoming human, and seemingly becoming very vindictive and plotting something nasty. Is he really going to attack Rosie and Mrs Fitzenheimer? Not only has the strip changed direction, it’s got a very dark edge hiding behind its all-ages plot and art, waiting its chance.

SD: I see this story as a bit of humour, not least because Steve Roberts’s art is predisposed to this type of story. The idea of pest control robots being mini army men and then the old forgotten models going all out against their replacements is amusing. I also like that the main Banzai captain becomes more violent the more ‘human’ he becomes. This is a nice light hearted distraction, to break up what is quite a dark edition.

Dragon's Island - Part 2

Potentially famous last words...

Synopsis: The pirates have decided to carry out Dante's plan to ram a ship full of explosives into Sagawa's fortress, but have also chained Dante to the hull of the doomed ship. However, Spatchcock and Flintlock have stowed away in the ship to help him out. However, they didn't know about the explosives, and as soon as they hear of them, they cowardly abandon ship leaving Dante to his fate. It appears that Lauren might have wanted them to free Dante, but it's too late now.

Meanwhile, Sagawa brings the children to see Katarina when she gets word that Dante's ship is approaching. She leaves and tells her guard to put the children in with Katarina - who uses this as an attempt to escape and orders the children to run too.

Dante is getting closer to the fortress, and the guns open fire on him, shattering one of the chains holding him down, he uses the bio blades to sever the remaining one only seconds before the craft explodes...

CE: Now this is more like it! We’ve had enough exposition and putting-off – now it’s time for Dante to save the day! Well, try to save the day and really cock it up. We have humour, violence, explosions, pirate fleets and dastardly villains, what more could you want? Well, I’d like to know if Lauren’s plan was for Dante to actually be freed by Spatchcock & Flintlock, because it seems to be hinting that – but if she doesn’t really want Dante blown up, why strap him to the front of a bomb-laden kamikaze speedboat?

SD: I’m a real fan of this strip and the art work from John Burns. However the last the installments seem to have been treading water. However instalment this seems to be more like the old swashbuckling I enjoy. Thankfully more of the humour has returned with Spatch & Flintlock’s cowardice. By tying up loose ends, putting the children in with Mum, promises of battle with Sagawa coupled with more fighting action and the old "will he/won’t he survive" cliff hanger (even though we know he will) makes this more like the strip I know. Hopefully this won’t just be a blip but a return to form.