2000AD "Prog 2008" - 1 January 08

Cover by Clint Langley

Gavin Hanly : A suitably mean Dredd, along with some stock imagery makes for an acceptable cover, but it's still got some way to go to match up to the Kev Walker masterpiece of a couple of years ago. But it's not the cover that will get the most attention from the aging readership - but the addition of a brand new logo. Or two logos, as some have been complaining about.

My own thoughts? I actually quite like it. It marries the use of the existing logo, which while well established can occasionally be lost on the cover, with a bold new heading that clearly announces the comic to all newbies/lapsed readers. And that's who 2000AD should really be trying to attract, so I have no problem with its identifying features evolving this this way.

Of course - questions remain. Is this a one-off for the end of year issue? If not, how will other artists adapt to the reduced illustration space? And how long before the title gets obscured again? As for the latter point, we're already on a slippery slope, with the announcement of the "galaxy's ...test comic" - which looks more than a tad silly. Still - something to watch in the new year.

Adam Crabtree: Does it count against resident giant robot Clint Langley that he decks this particular hall with what look like stock images of other artists’ characters? I certainly was hoping for a bit more, given the quality of the last two seasonals, and the ascendancy of this particular art droid over the past twelve months (it actually seems hard to imagine a time before Langley’s game raising performance on The Volgan War debuted).

Still, it’s Christmas... and we can focus on the appealing ghostly-blue and black colour scheme and the technically proficient rendering of Dredd (“I am the law and this is my penis.”).

The Spirit of Christmas Script: John Wagner Art: Colin MacNeil Colours: Chris Blythe Letters: Annie Parkhouse

Joe gets into the festive spirit...

Synopsis: Dredd pays a Christmas visit to Vienna, giving her new boyfriend a hard time (understandable after her last affair). Dredd hears a report of a break in at Strictly Medical - the facility where he and Rico were first introduced to Fargo. As he deals with the break-in, he starts to reflect on the events of the past year, especially his reaction when the Mutants of Fargoville came to the city. Then, when it came to the vote on mutant rights, he sided with the Council of Justice and asked his "relatives" to leave - but he always felt it was the wrong decision, and the time has come to do something about that.

He visits Chief Judge Hershey and asks for the mutant question to go for another vote. Hershey abstained last time, and Dredd feels that she could sway the vote. Dredd hands her his resignation letter and tells her that his leaving the force is where things will come to if she doesn't help. Hershey reluctantly agrees to help - worrying to Grud what will happen if it all goes wrong.

"There's no Grud. We're on our own. We'll just have to make it work. Merry Christmas, Chief Judge."

GH: There's no hiding the fact that some of us were ever-so-slightly let down by Origins this year. On its own merits, it can still be recognised as a tour-de-force by Wagner and Ezquerra, but it failed to live up to its hype of changing our opinion of Dredd and his world. However, the last few pages of that epic, gave us the impression that it was building the groundwork for a far greater upheaval in Mega City One. In the months following Origins, this was made more apparent with Dredd backing mutant rights only for him to eventually act like a bit of a wuss and fail to stand up for his (new-found) beliefs.

However, it now seems clear that Wagner's been doing what he does best with Dredd - playing the long game. Finally it looks like the status quo of Mega City One is about to get something of a jolt - and I'd be very surprised if this goes smoothly.

Let's just hope that Wagner carries this thread through the year in greater frequency and that by Prog 2009 we'll have seen some repercussions from this slow-burning topic.

AC: Well, if it ain’t the most wonderful time of the year? While last year saw Origins soldiering on without much in the way of ceremony, here we return to John Wagner’s particular vein of taciturn sentiment, always so singularly refreshing after another year on the hard streets of MC-1. Hanging loose in the background, the “Mutants in Mega City One” throughline has been the concealed threat gliding under the otherwise still waters this past year, the legacy of Origins that may well change the strip, and it’s central character, as we know them.

The story itself opens by showcasing Wagner’s keen sense of dark humour, an understated “artificial snow” motif running throughout the story, and a hilariously blunt bit of domestic comedy as Uncle Joe makes nice with his niece’s friend. The action sequence that forms the crux of the strip could feel a little hollow by comparison but Colin MacNeil, who has worked a lot of magic this year at Wagner’s side, imbues it with dusky atmosphere, if not necessarily a lot of edge when the conflict reaches its crescendo. “Edge” isn’t quite so important here though; there are very skilled and careful hands at work here, crafting a simple, quiet, yet pivotal story that could form the hinge of future change.

Here’s to the coming year.

The Defiant - Part 1 Script: Robbie Morrison Art: Henry Flint Letters: Annie Parkhouse

A Shakaran Legend...

Synopsis: We are told the tale of the Shakara - of beings who were originally split into two factions on the Shakaran homeworld. One was led by Judah Quaballa and the other by Sybarrant Brenneka. After being lured into a trap, the Quaballa killed the ruling Brenneka and only Judah's son Cinnabar escaped. He was captured by slave traffickers and became a gladiator on the planet Obidos, earning a reputation as an unbeatable fighter.

After winning his freedom (and then slaughtering his former owners) Brenneka returned home to take vengeance on his father's killer - and then united the clans. Peace reigned on the Shakaran homeworld, while the Shakaran Avengers brought the Galaxy under their control. However, the tyrannical regimes that the Shakarans defeated joined up and killed Brenneka, and unleashed a deadly virus on the Shakaran homeworld - killing them all - and then destroyed the entire planet.

Now, Eva Propcopio wants to know why a vengeful being, calling itself Shakara, killed her mother last year (unknown to her, her mother engineered the virus that killed the Shakarans). She is warned that what she finds may change her...

GH: I found myself rather unimpressed with Shakara Book 2 - as it seemed to be little more than a by-the-mill team-up against Shakara. After the excellent first series, it just felt a little unoriginal.

Thankfully, this series looks like we're in for something far better, with the story of the Shakaran's destruction already kicking things off with a sci-fi edge that was missing from book 2. Here's hoping that Eva's search for knowledge doesn't turn into a by-the-numbers revenge saga - but judging by the first episode and the depiction of the Shakaran Empire's rise and fall - Morrison certainly seems to be back on his game.

All of this is backed up by Flint on stellar form. While I haven't been as impressed by some of his recent work on Dredd over in the Megazine, he seems to come into his own when working on his own creation. With excellent use of spot colour throughout, this is among the best examples of 2000AD pushing the boundaries of what's possible in sci-fi graphic fiction, and remains a joy to marvel at.

AC: When Robbie Morrison and Henry Flint team up on Shakara, the reader may find his or herself somewhat overwhelmed. So many concepts and choice pieces of deliriously imaginative artwork... it’s like bloody carnival day! Where do you go first? Do you lavish attention on the army of cyborg dinosaurs, yuk it up over the brain-in-a-jar-in-a-gun, or dwell on panels of planetary destruction that Warren Ellis would “write” two full pages of? (soz, Woz...)

This strip has always specialized in panoramic views of the most alien landscapes you could conjure- bold, archetypal tales of otherworldly might, with just a dash of 2000AD’s trademark cynicism to make sure things don’t get stodgy. Just as Dredd and Devlin Waugh took a backward glance this year, here we have the promise of an origin story for our articulate hero, and a compelling perspective on the extinction of the Shakaran race seems to be in the offing.

It’s gonna be a good few weeks...

The Promised Land - Part 1 Script: Dan Abnett Art: Richard Elson Letters: Simon Bowland

Gene scrapping once again...

Synopsis: Gene the Hackman wanders what is left of planet Earth, avoiding fights with "Them" and only scrapping when necessary. He comes across a huge nest of Them but decides to avoid it. Nearby he witnesses groups of Them with things feasting on them like ticks - causing them to become sick. Others, not sick, attack Gene so he is forced to hide in the swamp - but that is where the tick-like things live - and they start to feast on Gene...

GH: Kingdom was one of the surprise hits of last year's Prog 2008 line-up - the tale of genetically bred "dogs" that essentially had failed to prevent humankind being wiped out.

It's Still too early to tell how the sequel can further the story, but as long as it doesn't turn into another series of scraps - and quickly unites the Hackman with some more dogs or humans - i.e. someone to talk to - this could be one to watch. Elson, too, is on top form with some particularly nasty tick-like creatures feasting on poor Gene.

Promising.

AC: It shouldn’t work. But it does.

Dan Abnett proves he can still knock a strip out of the park, even as SinDex slumps tiredly back onto its arse. There’s something weirdly pure about Kingdom, something in its stripped down storytelling, something in the extraordinary art of Richard Elson; I have known this guy’s work since the Sonic the Comic days, and I have never seen anything of the like from him, nothing that steals the breath as much as the double page spread of The Promised Land, part 1.

Every time you think you’ve become used to his creatures, he rolls out a new one, with the leechy crab things seen here a case in point, and his abilities as a graphic storyteller (those fight scenes!) allow him to bring a kinetic energy to the proceedings that has few parallels. Meanwhile Abnett’s minimalist and, let’s not muck about, pretty damn formalised script somehow manages to wring every screed of empathy out of the story; you’re right there with Gene in every battle.

We have here the makings of a modern classic.

Destiny's Child Script: Robbie Morrison Art: John Burns Letters: Annie Parkhouse

Keeping things under wraps...

Synopsis: A young girl, Odessa, was born with precognitive abilities - the strongest of which was to be able to learn when and how someone would die. Later, she was sold to the Tsar, who kept her on as a personal oracle - asking her only things which pertained to matters of state and never about himself.

However, she is captured by a group called the Devil's martyrs - a cult dedicated to the Mad Monk, Rasputin. She is, however, rescued by Dante who takes her to a party in Rudhenstein - as she lives most of her life locked up. She tells him that she lied to the Tsar and said that Dante would remain loyal to him and asks him if he wants to know anything else. Dante says if he'd never do anything if he knew how it would all turn out. But at the end - he gives in..

"How am I going to die?"

"Spectacularly"

"Spectacularly... I can live with that"

GH: Clearly getting closer to an end-game of sorts (although it's difficult to work out how long there is to go at this stage) Dante has been going from strength to strength in the last couple of years. Benefiting from a greatly increased frequency of appearances, the story once again feels like it has real momentum.

Here, Morrison and Burns turn in a Christmas tale which manages to best last year's excellent effort from the same team. Burns has clearly been revitalised after hard few years at sea with Dante, and he's a excellent choice for a story which is more contemplative than many of Dante's adventures.

It's good to learn why the Tsar is so trusting of Dante, but better than anything is Morrison delivering the last exchange between Odessa and Dante, which is just what we all want to hear. We know a happy ending isn't really on the cards for Dante - but he'd damned well better go out in style...

AC: Never sure what you’re getting with Morrison’s Russian Rambunctionator (work in progress) these days. Since last year’s kick in the pants, Dante’s adventures have toed the line between essential and disposable. Fortunately, both Morrison and John Burns have put their best game-face on for the holidays, with the latter giving a particularly good account of himself; the lush artwork on display here is some of the most “complete” I’ve seen from him, and it really holds together as a comic, creating the essential illusion of movement that has eluded past efforts.

It’s a credit to Morrison as well that he can not only deliver a tale of such simple, compelling humanity, but add a freakin’ clairvoyant to the Tsar’s personal staff without undermining years of apparently un-clairvoyant-aided doin’s...

England's Glory Script: Ian Edginton Art: D'israeli Letters: Ellie De Ville

Having a quick bite ...

Synopsis: A man runs through the streets of London, only to be killed by Oriental Vampires - controlled by a third - unseen - party who retrieves a gem from the now-dead man.

Elsewhere, Stickleback is having a meeting with his heads of business. Now that he's in control, and the Fathers are out of the picture, he thinks that the villains who report to his people are treating him as a soft touch. He orders his men to lead the underworld in a much more vicious fashion - but is interrupted by huge steam powered machines which burst into his lair - all controlled by the police. A man with the police introduces himself as Alexander Ashenden, and hands Stickleback a letter. "I represent a certain... agency of her Majesty's government. And now, sir, so do you!"

GH: Again, Prog 2008 shows echoes of Prog 2007 with the much anticipated return of Stickleback.

Edginton continues to make amends for Stone Island with a strip which has invention pouring out of every panel. Managing to fit in Oriental Vampires, Steampunk policemen, a poorly toothed villain and also flesh out Stickleback's bizarre crew in the first installment is no mean feat. He also indicates that this series should take a different turn from the first, by presenting Stickleback right up at the front from the outset.

And then of course there's the astonishingly versatile D'israeli, who continues to experiment with the style that he established in the last series. It's quite unlike anything else out there in comics, and like Shakara before it shows how 2000AD can allow its creators to try something that would never be possible in the American market. An excellent start.

AC: I had a difficult relationship with last year’s Stickleback; early installments promised a bit of a fantastical romp, with an utterly individual artistic vision by Edginton stalwart D’Israeli. As the weeks went on, the more thrilling and fun elements were peeled back like the layers of an onion to reveal a shockingly cruel and vicious little beast, in which the title character was little more than a bit player who snatched an unearned victory at the last moment.

This year, with the opening instalment of England’s Glory there’s more of a sense of place, consistency of tone, of immediate focus that I couldn’t discern in the first series. This is a twisted fantasy thriller with a hard and flinty edge; this is Tim Burton if Timmy wasn’t playing no more games with your ass; the kind of gothic fiction that wrestles other gothic fiction to the floor and stands on its neck. It was a bit of a trek to get there, but now we know this strip IS cruel, and that’s kind of where the magic lies; in a brutal and primitive world of strange creatures, you’ve gotta be the strangest, most brutish, most primitive motherlover of them all.

The makings of a huge cast/menagerie are established as Asian vampires and Civil War era colonels  (by the look of it) jostle for space with the dock-working, street-walking denizens of Victorian London. I’ve got high hopes for this one...

Inner Waldorf Hire and Dice Script: Dan Abnett Art: Simon Davis Letters: Ellie De Ville

Alas, what many people think about the series...

Synopsis: Sinister And Dexter go to see a trailer for a film based on their lives, in which they are played by "vactors" of Eddie Murphy and Bruce Willis respectively. They are unimpressed with the results...

GH: Alas, the low point of the prog arrives. This isn't a terrible story, it's just that it seems far too lazy - simply working out which stars would play the characters in the strip and trying to be funny with that. Alas, it fails on most counts - except for some decent artwork from Davis.

Abnett had a real opportunity, like Morrison on Dante and Rennie on Caballistics, to do some nice foreshadowing here - but the ball was well and truly dropped.

AC: This time last year we were all in awe of Dan Abnett’s reinvigorated veteran strip, which was approaching (dare I say it) literary heights with the paralysis of Ramone Dexter and hopeless incarceration of Finnigan Sinister.

With terrifying speed, we’re back on the same old streets, with the same old “heroes”, with the same old “humour”; you know some actors you say? Deep joy.

It could have been a contender.

The Nativity Script: Gordon Rennie Art: Dom Reardon Letters: Simon Bowland

Kostabi may not be out of it yet...

Synopsis: The heads of government's covert occult operations get together: Harry Absolam, Yolanda, and a third man who appears to be some sort of celebrity. They discuss what to do in the wake of Kostabi's death. They think Kostabi is dead, but have to wonder where he has gone in case he actually isn't - believing that Jenny's child may have been created to house him. They summon the corpse of Lt Francis X Little John from his grave in the Sudan to deal with it...

Meanwhile, Ravne learns that he is the sole heir to Kostabi's fortune. He returns to the priory to discover that Gustav and Gretchen have been killed by Jenny.

GH: Many of us spent much of the last series of Caballistics worrying that it was to be the last. Thankfully, that turned out not to be the case, and we're seeing the seeds for further plots being sowed by this one-off. Is Kostabi going to be reincarnated as the spawn of Ravne and Jenny? Are the government agents good or bad? What happened to Chapter and Verse?

Whatever happens next, this shows that there's plenty of life in (what's left of ) the Caballistics yet and here's hoping that we see them back in action sooner rather than later.

AC: Nobody really knew what to say when Cabs came back on the scene earlier this year... and then seemed to streak towards the finishing line! With the destruction of all-encompassing figure of story instigator Ethan Kostabi, the strip seemed to have come to an end, without fanfare, without showiness... just a dirty, punishing scrap on the moors, crippling injury (if not death) for all our heroes and a chilling final shot that said nothing and implied everything.

Yeah, it was unheralded, and some would question the wisdom of retiring a strip in such rude health, but damn... raw, man!

But it’s back. And with Jenny up the stick with a witchy demon-angel-homunculi-wossname child, there’s plenty of mileage in those dear old arcs yet.
Dom Reardon’s two-tone style has never looked better than here, and Gordon Rennie’s typically slick (if frequently overwritten) scripting serves up a taut and atmospheric tale.

The Glum Affair - Part 1 Script: John Wagner Art: Carlos Ezquerra Letters: Annie Parkhouse

Glummer than usual...

Synopsis: Billy Glum is in jail and Alpha goes to visit him, only to be treated harshly by Glum who still thinks he's a traitor to his kind. Alpha investigates the case - Glum was at an illegal picket trying to protect a school and shot an arresting officer. Alpha notes that there was no autopsy, but the police say that cause of death was obviously Glum shooting.

The next day, Glum is about to be executed, but Alpha and Sternhammer arrive to break him out...

GH: Wagner ends the comic in style, just as he began it. Going for the more sombre tone of Traitor to his Kind - to which this is a direct sequel, Wagner gets right to the point in the first issue by putting the two bounty hunters directly on the wrong side of the law. Wagner is also particularly adept at getting across Glum's hatred of Alpha which seems perplexing as the character was so level headed before. Is there something else at work here - changing Glum's personality? generally, there's much to be admired in such a brisk set-up and getting to the jailbreak so quickly. He doesn't waste time, that Wagner.

As for, Ezquerra - he's back for the first time since Origins and lost none of his style on the strip which he's perhaps best beloved for. Good to have them all back.

AC: There’s a special place in my heart for the strip that first hooked me into 2000AD, and it’s anybody’s guess why Johnny Alpha can’t expect more than an annual visit from his fans these days. Carlos Ezquerra’s art brings this world to instant, weird, weathered life, experimenting with panel layouts that flirt with the danger of confusing the reader and always come out unscathed. The story itself is a decent opener that stays with the fallout of the last big arc, and I’ll be watching keenly to see where they take this next.

GH: This is, without doubt, an excellent end-of-year special and a great end to another fine year for the Galaxy's greatest Comic. Only Sinister Dexter lets the side down, and if I missed anything I'd say that it was a shame that a brand new series didn't get the opportunity to launch from this year's special. Oh, and let's hope that the "coming soon" strips do actually arrive, this time...

But besides that, it promises a fantastic start to 2008 with 5 of the best stories continuing in January - so we're in for a good few weeks of stratospherically high quality.

Best Story: Nikolai Dante

AC: It’s Christmas!

People will fuss, as people do, that it’s all commercialised, that it’s all about the material possessions, but hey... you’re paying for it. You might as well enjoy it!

With more lovingly rendered “Great moments in Thrill Power History”, and a ‘Sunday strip’ format for Droid life, Tharg knows how to gift-wrap. More emphasis on what we can expect from the coming year (or even a decent retrospective on the year past) would be very welcome for these end-of-year specials, but it’s not like anybody’s about to relinquish page-space to anything other than strips. It’s regularly “finest hour” time when Prog 200_ rolls around, and as hours go, this one is very fine indeed.

Merry drokkin’ Christmas!

Best Story: Kingdom