2000AD 1548 - 1 August 07

Cover by Dylan Teague

Martin Charlton: It’s Dylan Teague, It’s Robo Hunter, It’s a bit dull, really. 

Stephen Watson : I like Dylan Teague’s work generally but this one doesn’t do it for me. The premise of Samantha Slade dangling from a precipice is a good one, but the
image lacks a sense of danger. It looks like gravity has been forgotten and she’s hanging on to avoid floating away rather than falling. It can’t hurt sales to have a pretty girl on the cover, but it’s one that worsens the more you look at it.

The Secret of Mutant Camp 5 - Part 2 Script: John Wagner Art: Colin Macneil Colours: Chris Blythe Letters: Annie Parkhouse

Dredd gets riled...

Synopsis: As Dredd watches the show, he orders Beeny to investigate the camp. She discovers that all the Newmonia patients have died and are being taken away for burning in a transport. Beeny follows the transport and discovers that the bodybags are being loaded into a hovership. Dredd and Rico are soon on the scene and bring down the ship which was on an organ legging run. The doctors started the operation before they realised that they should do something good for the mutants, but then it was too late to quit. Dredd arrests them and warn Beeny what happens when she starts looking for the good in people...

MC: More awesomeness from the kings of awesome. I loved this, getting probably more than I got out of Origins week by week. MacNeil brings pure quality to this, and the sense of continuity here is worth a thousand summary executions. It’s marvellous to see that Dredd is going somewhere, in a slow build/Necropolis kind of way. Top notch. 

SW: I was a bit disappointed with the conclusion of this twp parter and (I assume!) the ‘Mutants in Mega-City 1’ arc. There has been some debate over Dredd’s general attitude and whether  he’s getting too touchy feely. Calling Dredd a social worker is unfair as his rock hard character has always been tempered with a soft side when the law allowed. That said it’s not a facet of his character that we should see pushed to centre stage as it has been in recent weeks. We want the bad guys blown away not carefully rehabilitated.

Of course these stories are the fallout of ‘Origins’ and it’s right that the old man should be a bit introspective given the skeletons he’s recently dug from his closet.

This two parter was pretty standard fayre. The mutant camp seemed too good to be true and so it was. No surprises, no great revelations just an organ legging ring bust that seems painfully routine. You have to wonder why such an enterprise is needed, in a future no doubt replete with lab grown organs as well as the paper lungs that Dredd himself has.

Cadet Beeny acquitted herself well but with no real flair or character. I don’t want to see her wackified or given super human talents, but is it too much to ask that she stands out from the crowd a bit more? Hopefully this will come as the character develops.

Given my gripes it’ll be no surprise that I actually enjoyed the episode, and if it were my first Dredd I’d definitely be back for more. Colin MacNeil is one of the definitive Dredd artists and Wagner Dredd is always essential reading.

I, Jailbird - Part 4 Script: Alan Grant Art: Ian Gibson Letters: Annie Parkhouse

Apparently, being hung by the neck doesn't hurt in the future...

Synopsis: Gerald the scarf helps Samantha escape, so she uses the left-luggage token to get the box that Frenchy Debrie told her about. She heads back to her office, where Hoagie and Stogie are waiting. In the box are a bunch of documents and ten thousand creds. Slade wonders what to do...

MC: Alan Grant’s recent stuff just seems to be going through the motions, and I expect more from 2000AD, damn it. Never having read the Millar Robo Hunter, the Williams connection doesn’t bother me, and I like his art as a rule. It’s not spectacular, but it tells a story, and what else do you want? 

SW: I think I’d prefer five blank pages in my Prog to any more Robo-Hunter. Harsh I know, but what purpose does it serve? It’s not funny or exciting, witty or interesting. It’s just there making a mockery of poor old Sam Slade who along with Ace Garp are the exceptions that prove the comedy doesn’t work in this comic rule.

This week Samantha swings about on Ace’s, sorry her scarf and that’s about it. After 4 episodes she’s finally out of jail and now has a mission to pursue. Maybe things will now hot up but I wouldn’t bet 5 creds on it!

Unlike some I welcomed Anthony Williams to the art chores as some of Ian Gibson’s in recent week looked more like his preliminary sketches rather than the finished article. Anthony’s work is more detailed and vibrant although he does seem to have a problem in maintaining a consistent look to his characters. Look at Sam in the last panels of pages 4 and 5 - it’s a different woman!

I’m not going to go on, this lazy and dull story depresses me too much.

Project Monarch - Part 9 Script: Pat Mills Art: John Higgins Colours: JH & SJ Hurst Letters: Ellie De Ville

Zil tries a new aftershave...

Synopsis: Blake and Zil fight. After some vicious hand to hand action involving common household objects, Blake wins by shoving Zil out the window. Zil retreats, ready to try again, as the head of the division realises that they are being bugged by Blake and that he knows their every move...

MC: I didn’t like MACH1, and the links to this had me worried. Turns out I should’ve been worried, just not by that. This has been interminable dull start to finish, with plenty happening, just none of it being particularly interesting. Most unlike Pat Mills, who specialises in plenty things happening, at least. I’d e interested to know how people split colouring duties though… 

SW: I’m not a great fan of ‘Greysuit’ and this outing did little to change my mind. It seems that a four part premise has been stretched beyond breaking point and there seems to be plenty more to come. This week five pages out of six were taken up with a single fight with that that being the norm most weeks. I’m all for the slow burn but this is padding of the highest order.

The strip is a hard one to like, with it’s cartoon violence showing jaws flying about and indecent subject matters that include bestiality and paedophilia. The main character doesn’t have any personality and is therefore impossible to like and the baddies lack any colour or originality.

I do rate John Higgins and his work here is fine although  the blurred backgrounds add nothing. The fight with household items was straight out of the ‘Bourne’ films and the only enjoyable aspect was the deadpan cleaning woman.

Grendel - Part 5 Script: Gordon Rennie Art: PJ Holden Colours: Eva De la Cruz Letters: Simon Bowland

Stalov makes more friends...

Synopsis: 6 years ago, Stalov's rebellion failed and he was locked up in a Kashan prison. However, he escaped and returned to his men, telling them that the Nordland that they fought for had died - so they had to join the Southers to fight against their betrayers. In the present, Stalov tells Rafe that the Grendel is tracking them using DNA taken from their relatives. Rafe discovers that the Grendel has been wounded just as the asteroid comes under attack. Missiles cause a rockfall and Stalov is trapped with the Grendel.

MC: I like this, but I don’t know why. After the superb Christmas episode, this has been a bit less exciting, but there’s place for future war in 2000AD and with no more Rogue or VCs on the Horizon, this will do. I just wish a bit more would happen. 

SW: Two series and five parts in and I’m still to be taken with this Rogue Trooper spin off. Rogue himself proved to be a pretty flimsy premise that proved the law of diminishing returns, and it seems his world has little more to offer. You’d think a future war scenario would have endless thrilling theatres but instead we’ve been stuck with a bunch of talking heads in a grimy basement for five weeks.

I know the claustrophobia is intentional as is the unknown identity of the villains but all it’s done for me is provide a thick  fog of confusion and indifference. At times it’s a chore to plough through all the talking heads and work out who is on who’s side.

Although I have great respect for artist PJ Holden the stuff presented here is too murky an impenetrable. Again I know it’s meant to add to the air of decay and  unease but it’s just hard work to get through it.

This week things do develop somewhat with Grendel being revealed in the penultimate panel. He looks like Shakara - now that would be a plot twist that could turn things around!

1666 - Part 8 Script: Pat Mills Art: Leigh Gallagher Letters: Ellie De Ville

Defoe sends for the artillery...

Synopsis: Defoe and the others attack the zombies who are being led by the head of Cromwell. Defoe brings out Da Vinci's machine gun to even the odds while he confronts his old friend Jack. Jack tells Defoe that he was responsible for killing Defoe's family and Defoe lunges after him in a rage, while Newton continues his bombing run.

MC: Oh dear, and it started so well. I read a book recently which dealt with the ease of writing interesting opening chapters, but how hard satisfactory conclusions are. Case in point here. The first episode was great ,and I’m sure Pat Mills has put a lot of work into this, but I just wish he’d turned it into a well told story instead. 

SW: Defoe is a strip I had high hopes for but after starting well it’s floundering somewhat. It seems to me that about ten minutes have passed in the nine episodes so far which, despite a couple of flashbacks, doesn’t leave much space for development. Basically it’s Defoe shooting stenches with exotic weaponry, escaping and then doing the same thing next week.

The scenario of zombies, plagues, and DaVinci inspired weapons and technology is a good one, but as Detonator X amply proved you need more than a scenario to bring off a successful series.

I do like Leigh Gallagher’s black and white art and he does well to avoid confusion with so many character heavy action scenes. The constant rain must be a real hassle for him (her?) and his recreations of the DaVinci weaponry and flying machine are excellent.

Pat Mill’s script lacks the urgency the situation clearly needs and the slow pace means that going into the tenth episode Defoe is only now getting his hands truly dirty. The fusion of real characters like Oliver Cromwell into a fantasy setting is a well worn one and I at least wish this energy was transferred to a new outing for the far more satisfying Cannon Fodder.

MC: Dredd is great, 86ers must try harder and the other 3 are just filling pages. One of the worst runs in 2000AD since I started reading. 

Best Story: Judge Dredd

SW: Quite a weak prog for me with nothing a stand out success. As always there
are hits and misses but the hits are mild and the misses wide. There is still enough for me to look forward to my prog each week  but I’m not feverishly tearing at the envelope as I used to. Still, new thrills on the horizon such as Button Man 4 mean I’ll be around for the foreseeable future.

Best Story: Judge Dredd