2000AD 1563 - 14 November 07

Cover by Simon Davis

Sue Doyle: I love this cover, its bright punchy and definitely catches my attention - the burned out lettering also helps with the idea of heat.  When I slide my pristine copy of 2000AD out of my envelope on a Monday morning this is exactly what I’m after.  This is a real candidate, for ‘best cover’ of the year. 

Chris Landless: Obviously this is supposed to be an exciting action pose, captured in the middle of a shootout. What you've actually got is Finnigan Sinister nonchalantly draped over an explosion, wearing a Freddie Kreuger jumper. His hair doesn't look right, and his legs look out of proportion. The weird combination of colours actually make the cover quite unpleasant to look at. I can't see this appealing to anybody browsing the shelves in WH Smith's.

Mandroid - Instrument of War Part 9 Script: John Wagner Art: Carl Critchlow Colours: Peter Doherty Letters: Annie Parkhouse

Mandroid takes on the judges...

Synopsis: The Mandroid breaks through the invading judges and manages to escape - killing seven judges in the process, but not without his arm getting damaged. He manages to track down the robot doctor and tells it to bring him to Kitty...

SD: I can’t believe we’re in the ninth instalment of this story, it’s flown by.  The art has been of an extremely high standard, the story fast paced and with its plot twists and turns is a real winner.  While most stories are a pleasant, fleeting distraction, the original Mandroid is one that, when I looked back on the last year, I remembered well.   This second chapter, of what I hope will become a saga, is continuing the high quality in both story and art and, although I want to know what’s going to happen, I’ll be sorry to see ‘The End’ on the last page. 

CL: The general consensus seems to be that this doesn't match up to the original Mandroid series. I've never actually read the original, so I'm judging this strip on its own merits.

For me it's a solid, entertaining Dredd series. The action in this week's episode is gripping and tense, matched by the fantastic artwork. There's a real gritty, brooding weight to the characters, and Dredd himself looks like he's been carved from granite. It's also satisfying to see the aftermath of the operation, with casualties being stretchered away and Dredd musing over the failure. Not sure how Slaughterhouse finds the doctor so easy though, maybe I've missed something.

The Chaperone - Part 4 Script: Robbie Morrison Art: John Burns Letters: Annie Parkhouse

The young Elena escapes from Skar...

Synopsis: We find out more about Elena's history. Her father was a Mongolian blademan and her mother an aid worker who died from exposure to a reactor explosion while tending its victims. Her father taught her what he knew until the Tsar sent in mercenaries, led by the warlord Skarak, to bring down the city he was sworn to protect. In the aftermath of the battle, Elena's father lay dying and told her to go and protect the evacuation convoy. However, Skar's men attacked and slaughtered most of the evacuees. As Elena's transport escaped, she gave Skar his facial scars, slicing at his face.

Now, Elena, Dante and the rest have to cross a rope bridge to safety. Arkady and Sonja make it across - only to run into a horde of barbarians - while Elena is caught by Skar's flying demon - with Dante holding onto its back...

SD: I like the way that the colour is drained from the pictures to show the flashback and the explanation of just how a small child could slice and dice the Skarak. I’m enjoying John Burn’s art as it lends itself to an historic feel and the detail is excellent.  Story wise though, I'm not sure of Dante’s role in this and not sure where the story is going, but I am still willing to keep reading to find out. Dante is always full of surprises so I’ll reserve judgement for now. 

CL: I remember the good old days when Nikolai Dante used to be set in the future, with aliens and technology and guns and stuff. Nowadays we have Mongolians armed with crossbows, swords and petrol bombs, and it's all a bit boring and daft. It's the pirate series all over again…

John Burn's paintwork seems rushed, with the character's faces looking like undefined blobs of flesh, and the flying creatures looking a bit stupid. It's nowhere near as good as his Tsar Wars work.

All in all, a pretty disappointing story considering the top quality of Hellfire earlier this year. The only high point is that conniving little shit Arkady is getting a chance to shine.

Life is an Open Casket - Ep 4 Script: Dan Abnett Art: Anthony Williams Letters: Simon Bowland

Croak avoids croaking...

Synopsis: John Croak and Sinister have a firefight, but Croak manages to get away, wounding Sinister in the process. Sinister confronts Cutter - wanting answers.

Elsewhere, Croak returns to Moses, warning him that Appellido is in fact a clone of Moses himself...

SD: I know that Ant Williams is not always considered the favourite artist for Sinister & Dexter but I like his work and particularly enjoy the strips he does.  The story however is a bit of a let down.   It’s almost as if they are replaying previous storylines to ensure the reader knows the salient points in preparation of the next instalment.  I’m hoping that things will improve.  S&D have had their ups and downs in the past and it’s when you least expect it that the story excels. 

CL: I've never liked Sinister Dexter. The dodgy moralising has always irritated me, particularly the idea that the gunsharks are actually good guys because they take care of the villains who the cops can't touch. Rubbish, they kill people for money. In recent stories they've came back from the dead and in a particular low point Dexter managed to strangle somebody with his bare thighs in the middle of an operation despite being paralysed for a year. So it's fair to say I normally approach a Sinister Dexter strip with pretty low expectations.

The problem is, I really like this current run. What's going on? How is Moses Tanenbaum still alive? Has Ramone lost his cutting edge? Why is the plot actually interesting for a change? The art is atmospheric and efficient, and the dialogue is blazing along at a fair pace. This might very well be the first strip I turn to in next week's prog.

War Stories - Part 2 Script: Ian Edginton Art: Steve Yeowell Letters: Simon Bowland

John gets a wake up call ...

Synopsis: Jim resurrects the boy, John Silence, a process which gives him all of Jim's memories about his battles - and also of Captain Jack Dancer. Erebus says that they still need to find "Toten or Jack's Stash" and Jim tells john that they are looking for Kenge and Carboys solicitors. John tells them they;re looking in the wrong place - but someone is watching them from above...

SD: There is life in the old dog yet.  Sorry couldn’t resist.  Red Seas has been a strip that, although I appreciate the art and enjoy the story, couldn’t be classed as one of my favourites.  It never really grabbed me in the way other strips have.  However the last instalment with Isaac Newton and this new story line with half a dog, a boy risen from the dead and an alien version of an old character has made me rethink my opinion of Red Seas and I may yet be converted.   

CL: It's hard to review this, since I've never read any Red Seas stories yet, and the cockney lingo reminds me of the recent Mighty Boosh episode. You keep expecting a green nutter to show up singing about eels. But anyway, it seems quite good, the artwork is Yeowell's best since Zenith, and surely you can't go wrong with World War 2 and pirates? I'll wait to see how this story progresses before deciding whether or not to pick up the Red Seas collection.

Eels! Eels! Eels! Eels!
Eels! Eels! Finding an entrance where they can...

The Hitman's Daughter - Part 12 Script: John Wagner Art: Frazer Irving Colours: Fiona Staples Letters: Ellie De Ville

Adele vs Harry...

Synopsis: Adele is winged by Harry's shot, but manages to escape down an escalator, wounding Harry with a throwing spike in the process, while the spectators place bets on the outcome. After a pitched battle, Adele gets the better of Harry and holds him at gunpoint. She tells Harry why she wants to kill him, but he says that he wasn't there when her father died. He reaches inside his pocket to show her proof only to retrieve the spike she threw at him - throwing it back at Adele...

SD: I really like the fact that this story has been given real time to develop.  We have been given insight into the main character, shown her motivation and the people behind the scenes trying to manipulate her.  This level of depth in the story would have been lost in a shorter run. 

The artwork adds to this feeling and continues to impress.  Heavy emphases on black gives the tale a dark and dangerous feel with very little dialogue, allowing the pictures to tell the story.  I’m looking forward to seeing whether she wins the day.  I really hope she does and I’ll be turning to this story first next week to find out. 

CL: The Hitman's Daughter has been a story of two halves so far. The episodes focusing Harry are great. The episodes focusing on Adele have dragged a bit. Though it's actually more a 70/30 split in favour of Adele. In any case, the two protagonists are finally facing each other now, and it's been worth the wait. The abandoned mall is an atmospheric battleground, and Frazer Irving makes the most of it. It's particularly cool to see the undisguised glee on the faces of the voices as Harry and Adele go at it and draw blood. At this point in the series it's quite difficult to see what will happen next – this fight could go either way.

SD: Overall a good prog, just missing the potential to be an excellent prog.  Looking forward as always to the next week 

Best Story: Button Man

CL: Dante is disappointing, but apart from that it's a strong, entertaining issue, although with no obvious standout strip and a rubbish cover. I really enjoyed it, looking forward to next week.

Best Story: Judge Dredd