2000AD Prog 1514 - 15 November 2006
	Judge Dredd (Wagner / Ezquerra) Chiaroscuro (Spurrier / Smudge) Sinister Dexter (Abnett / Williams) The Red Seas (Edginton / Yeowell) Nikolai Dante (Morrison / Fraser) Synopsis by Gavin Hanly 1st opinion by Robert Cornell Summaries and reviews contain spoilers for this issue. Cover: Simon Coleby and Chris Blythe

Cover Review

RC: A wrap-around, no less. How retro. Simple concept and excellent execution. It works less well as a single page cover, if you didn’t notice until you’ve read most of the prog, for example. (D’oh!) Unlike some, it does have something to do with the story inside.

Origins - Part 10 - Duck and Cover-up

Dredd's method of ending a debate...

Synopsis: Dredd continues his tale of the time when Fargo shot himself. After surgery, Fargo's chance of recovery was deemed low and that even if he did make it, he would suffer considerable brain damage.

The other judges decided to cover it up and make Fargo's attempted suicide look like he was killed in a drive by (and they still expected Fargo to die). Solomon was appointed Chief Judge, and thought that Fargo could do more as a martyr as opposed to being seen as a living vegetable. He also knew that a battle was coming and the judges would have to be strong...

In the midst of the story, Dredd and the other judges mount a counter attack on the attacking Scrapyard Army and decisively beat them, executing all the survivors.

Dredd continues his tale, and says he can tell the next part first hand - because he was there to witness it.

RC: I’m not sure what I expected from Origins but it wasn’t this. Scratch that, I know EXACTLY what I expected; I expected something like the haunting poetry of America. Perhaps a little slower than your average Dredd story. In fact, this is more of an old-style epic. Like The Cursed Earth, of course, but more so The Judge Child. Some have gone as far as to call it “old-fashioned.” Perhaps it is, but so drokking what? Shouldn’t a celebration of a 1970s comic book character reflect his… well, origins? It may be retro but it’s PERFECT retro. Wagner should be admired FOR it, not despite it.

Anyway, what about chapter ten? It’s another thesaurus-bustlingly awesome episode, effortlessly combining flashback, character interplay and mutant stomping action. The Fargo story is so far off the official Justice Department-approved version we’ve no idea what’s going to happen next. Tension in the group is growing as Dredd reveals that Fargo was no saint, Solomon wasn’t wise and Goodman wasn’t a good man. The other judges’ reactions to these revelations are a fascinating development.
Then, right at the end, Dredd says, “Because I was there.” NOTHING has actually happened but I desperately need to read the next bit and no, not next week, now! It’s like some kind of conjuring trick.

Ezquerra’s artwork continues to thrill, the action scenes on pages two and three especially. The single image of Dredd’s execution of the mutie leader sums up the character for me. The cold arrogance of justice and KNOWING you are right.

Slim likes what he sees...

The film shows a voodoo ceremony, in which a voodoo priestess, a Bokor, says she will bring back a sprit called "Papa Legba Antibon" also known as the gatekeeper. The film continues with some ritual slaughter of animals, much to Slim's disdain, at which point wind fills the room in the movie accompanied by the sound of screaming. The Bokor has prepared a living person to act as a host for the demon, and when the demon takes possession, it immediately mimics the voice of the wife of one of the crewmen, Gregor Marquand. Apparently his wife died of cancer and the demon was taunting him. It worked, as Marquand killed the possessed man, slashing at his throat. The Bokor was furious and they were all ordered to leave.

Slim seems obsessed by the death he's seen on camera and Elvy tries to confirm that no one was hurt when he took the film. Apparently it was tacked onto the end of a main feature, indicated with the words "half seen" which relates to the definition of "Chiaroscuro". Slim says there was nothing remotely spooky about the film, but as he does, the demon rises behind him preparing to consume him...

RC: Perhaps Simon Spurrier is better at beginnings than endings. Rather like London Falling earlier this year, Chiaroscuro is becoming less interesting as it approaches the climax.

This has certainly been something new for 2000AD. The first eight parts have got under my skin a little bit. A horror story with grown up themes and ragged edge rather than comedy bogey men. This is what makes the final panel so disappointing. A monster with big teeth and a funny hat? Please tell me it’s a metaphor.

Perhaps Smudge’s rendering of total evil makes it seem less than scary. A shame as the rest of his artwork has been superb, greatly contributing to the atmosphere of dread that’s been building up.

Pros and Cons- Part 1

Dexter lies back and thinks of Tracy...

Synopsis: We are introduced to the Nigel and Millicent Feasy State Penitentiary, also known as The Funthouse and impossible to escape from. A new prisoner is arriving under heavy guard, and the prison is alive wondering who it is. Among the inmates are the tough armed robber Deakus Whisk, Herman Vermin - locked up for hate crimes, Bernard Philip Quint - a serial killer and William "Billy no mates" Fix - a gunshark who suffers from tourettes. Also locked up is Ramone Dexter, still recuperating after having been shot and talking to Honeycut from the DCPD who wants to cut a deal with him. Dexter is having none of it and wants to know who the new arrival is - and it turns out to be Finnigan Sinister...

RC: If only I’d reviewed prog 1512. I would have said how much I was enjoying Sinister’s new… er, sinister persona, his menacing new look, the harsher dialogue, Anthony Williams’ excellent low-key artwork.

Bugger.

Sinister doesn’t even appear until the last panel and when he does he’s got orange hair, white skin and a red nose; the Clown from Malone’s dreams, not the fascinating Angel of Vengeance developed over the last few months.

Until then this was a nicely done, if a little generic, first episode for a prison break-out story storyline. (No one mention Stone Island.) Abnett’s clipped exposition is always a high point.

Richardson’s artwork is eerily effective, although much better for the buildings, vehicles and weather than the human faces.

So, onto The Red Seas…

What’s that? Have I forgotten something? Oh yes, sneaking in on page four like an embarrassed latecomer at a staff meeting is the “twist.” Dexter is alive, if not kicking. Here, Abnett has put the rabbit BACK into the hat by discarding a plot development that had transformed this strip from a yawn-inducing waste of five pages into a must-read thriller. The twist that… OK, I’ll spare you the rant. It’s not as if we didn’t all see it coming a year ago. Now it’s finally happened, there’s not so much a sense of disappointment as the sickly feeling of a milometer reaching 9,999 and ticking over to zero again.

With a bound he was free... - Part 1

The wolfman proves impervious to 19th century weaponry...

Synopsis: Newton and Augustus confront the beast and Augustus shoots at it - but the bullet bounces off. It lunges at them, but Newton manages to throw some oil that contained wolfsbane. The beast howls in fury and runs off.

They wonder why the beast was after the woman and note that she's dropped something. It seems to be a bag of ancient Roman weapons and armour and the woman tells them that her man Reggie stole it all and she was trying to see what kind of money she could get for it. However, she saw the clothes of the beast and recognised it as Reggie. They ask where Reggie did the burglary and break into that house. Inside, they find all manner of antiquities, including a body in a coffin...

RC: Paradoxically, the least interesting of this week’s strips but also the most purely entertaining. There’s not a lot to say about this other than that it’s great fun; Edginton having made an unlikely connection between Sir Isaac Newton and gothic horror.

Yeowell’s werewolf is as menacing as a giant hamster but somehow works even better that way.

Sword of the Tsar - part 3

Dante gets into another fine mess...

Synopsis: Jena punches Dante in response to his cheek, and the whole event is reported in the papers.

Dante is sent on his next mission, to visit Peter the Great's collection of Curiosities. There he finds Captain Stolypin, who immediately announces himself as one of the White Army. Dante offers to join him to bring down the Tsar, but Stolypin only laughs at him, as it's so clearly a ruse. It seems that he and most of the crowd are White Army and are imbued with crest technology. They all attack him, sealing off the building.

The odds don't look good for Dante, until the one surviving member of the Red Guard (those who gave the Romanovs the crest technology) Khara (the one who gave Dante his rifle) materialises. Together they manage to annihilate the attacking White Army agents.

Finally, the battle is over and the Raven Corps break in, led by Jena - only to witness Dante and Khara locked in a passionate embrace.

RC: If I may take the liberty of quoting my own review from prog 1502: “if ever a character needed to live fast, die young and leave a beautiful corpse it was Nicolai (sic) Dante. Without a change of artist, direction and, most importantly, attitude, he'll simply fade away.”

QED.

This is laugh-out-loud funny, action packed and furiously paced. With respect to some of the younger Squaxx, if you’ve only read Dante in the last four years, then you’ve never read him. Until now. THIS is the Man Too Cool to Kill. Facing certain death one panel, snogging a hot trans-dimensional babe the next. And he’s SMILING again, obviously enjoying life on the edge. His enthusiasm is contagious. John Burns' artwork had been looking tired. Not bad, you understand, just jaded. Fraser’s brighter and less intense work has contributed to the unexpected surge of energy and pleasure.