2000AD Prog 1567 - 2 January 08

Cover by Cliff Robinson

Martin Charlton: Much like Carlos Ezquerra at Strontium Dog’s creation, I don’t want anyone else drawing the strip. So while this is all well and good, it seems little more than a piece of fan art allowed to grace the cover of 2000AD. That and the new layout allows for very little actual art. Perhaps by removing the ‘attention, earthlets’ banner this could have been avoided, but at present it seems somewhat cluttered without actually doing much.  

Robert Cornell: Firstly, the controversial new logo. Uh, well, er… I actually quite like
it. In isolation, that is. Unfortunately, it just doesn’t work once you put a cover on it. The little badge on the side means you can tell what you’re buying (000AD, The Ky’s Gretomic!) so why do we need the banner part?

The cover image, an excellent example of the “real men have BIG guns” action shot. It’s busy, without being cluttered, and promises copious action within.

Magic Moments Script: Alan Grant Art: David Roach Colours: Dylan Teague Letters: Annie Parkhouse

Milloy hears for the slab...

Synopsis: A demon has been summoned to Mega City 1 and Toots Milloy is on the case. She meets up with Dredd and they chase it down to a club. There, after it's eaten a few citizens, she casts a spell to send it back to its own dimension. Later, she sends a warning message to the citizen playing around with summoning spells - giving him a spiritual kick up the arse.

MC: I’ve always thought that while the end of year Dredd is important, the first of the year is equally so. If this is the case, why is this in the prog? Its 6 pages of inconsequential tosh, following up a character we last saw in prog 1407, which was the 15th of September 2004. Where were you then? I can’t even remember, so it’s safe to say that anyone just picking up the prog casually will be equally lost, while I’m past caring. It’s been too long, and Toots Milloy wasn’t interesting then either. 

RC: Oh, Alan Grant, what’s happened to you? Since becoming Tharg’s female character specialist, he’s struggled to make an impact. Toots Milloy is a pretty weak character from any gender.

The handy Tharg note informs us this is a sequel to a story from Prog 1407 and I honestly can’t remember a thing about it. Either a pan-dimensional memory eating demon has visited me or it wasn’t worth the effort of remembering. A quick visit to a certain 2000 AD fansite suggests the latter. (Phew!) If it was anything like this, I’m not
surprised. Monster turns up, monster gets its ass kicked, monster goes home. All with an annoying voice over. JD only appears so he can be humiliated. Grant undermines his feminist credentials with a nude magic show that seems pretty tame weirdness by MC-1 standards.

The Roach artwork was too bright for a Dredd story, especially one featuring a demon, but otherwise perfectly adequate.

There’s nothing especially bad, it’s just the kind of story you can forget while you’re reading it. As the lady says, “magic and the Big Meg don’t really mix.”

The Defiant - Part 2 Script: Robbie Morrison Art: Henry Flint Letters: Annie Parkhouse

Getting ready for a kicking...

Synopsis: The Psico Hierarchy descends on the planet Nirvana to wipe the minds of the population that has been harbouring thoughts of rebellion. As they activate the brain drain, which uses all the power from their ship's shield and weapons, Shakara attacks...

MC: Aah, We’re introduced to a new set of characters, everyone seems to be a bit of a bastard, and then the eponymous hero turns up and kills them. Awesome. Henry Flint’s art seems to have changed recently, resembling his 2001 model more than his 2004, but his Shakara remains unchanged. Absolutely sublime stuff, following on beautifully from Prog 2008. 

RC: I’m not Shakkies biggest fan but so far this has been the story that’s interested me the most. Not for Shakara himself – I really don’t see the attraction – but the weird aliens and imaginative backstory. (Frogs, eyes, brains… what’s not to like?) It’s strange to read a strip when the title character gets in the way of the good stuff.

Flint’s artwork, however, is an undiluted joy.

The Promised Land - Part 2 Script: Dan Abnett Art: Richard Elson Letters: Simon Bowland

Gene gets his choke-chain pulled...

Synopsis: Gene escapes the swamp and the ticks, passing out until the next day, recovered from his injuries. He wakes up to hear voices in his head - the voices of "the urgings" - "his masters' voice". They once told every pack what to do - and now the voices are back. They send him to what appears to be a small encampment - "The Promised Land".

MC: Again, another lovely episode of this strip, with the return of the urgings being an unexpected diversion, but at least it adds the possibility of dialogue other than ‘urgh’ and ‘get whet’, given Gene’s Omega Male status. Much like Shakara, this is stripped back, minimalist storytelling with a classic 2000AD feel. Tasty. 

RC: Kingdom has me puzzled. I like it a lot but I don’t know why.

Well, this is a review, so I have to come up with something. Let’s see… It’s old-fashioned but in a good way. Perhaps “traditional” is a better word. The story it reminds me of most is Rogue Trooper. Last week, Hackman was attacked by those tick things. This week he escapes by pulling them off. Very straightforward but very effective.

The whole thing is a deceptively simple idea that impresses in the small details. The dogginess of the lead character. Gems like, “the burn of dirt in his veins.” It looks like this is shaping up to be a worthy sequel.

Elson’s artwork is also unfussy and dramatic. I know there are fifty weeks to go but that dream sequence is an early contender for the “best 2000 AD moment” prize.

Fantastic.

England's Glory - Part 2 Script: Ian Edginton Art: D'israeli Letters: Ellie De Ville

Wrong place. Wrong time...

Synopsis: Stickleback says he'll only do the government's work for the payment of an honest answer to a single question - at a time of his choosing. He's told that "The Jewel of the Seven Stars" has been stolen, and a nightwatchman torn apart at the scene. They want Stickleback to find the jewel for them.

Elsewhere, the person who hired the thief in question, who appears to be a Wild West American gunslinger, and a Chinaman examine the jewel and there appears to be a living creature inside it. The crown had been ditched, and he worries that it could lead a trail back to them - at the circus...

MC: But you can’t win them all, can you? Ever get the feeling that you’re done with a genre? I love League of Extraordinary Gentlemen to the extent that I bought the absolutes. However, after that, I don’t feel the need for more late nineteenth century crime related fantasy gubbins, especially when more Tales of the Leviathan wouldn’t go wrong. Gorgeous art goes a long way to at least making the strip worth a glance, however. 

RC: Some people will have seen this episode as being dialogue heavy. For me, the verbal duel between two characters, one on the other end of a phone line, has more drama than most five page slug-fests. Stickleback is a fascinating character. The more we learn, the more mysterious he becomes.

The last page reveal, is beautifully done. Pulling a rabbit out of the hat to set up things for next week. This is shaping up to be another worthy sequel to one of last year’s top strips, as long as it doesn’t become just one of those celebrity circus strips with a string of pointless historical cameos.

The Dizzy artwork continues to be perfect.

The Glum Affair - Part 2 Script: John Wagner Art: Carlos Ezquerra Letters: Annie Parkhouse

Alpha gets into another fine mess...

Synopsis: Alpha and Sternhammer break Glum out of the prison, with Glum narrowly missing being hanged. The law is certainly out for Alpha now, and Glum is not at all happy about being rescued by Alpha....

MC: Traitor To His Kind was Strontium Dog at its best, a contemporary parallel for Portrait of a Mutant, but with modern comic writing sensibilities informing it. If The Glum Affair can go half that distance it’ll be more than worth it. So far, so good. The third strip this week with a classic feel to it, the daring escape is trucking along nicely, and it’s always a pleasure to have Johnny back. 

RC: The kind of disposable action strip that Wagner and Ezquerra could knock off in their sleep. Nice and easy on the eye and brain but with nothing to distinguish it good or bad. It’s hard to think of anything to say, other than that Glum is a real downer. (Yes, I know that’s the point but really…)

MC: The last Toots Milloy story was published while Traitor To His Kind was running, adding a sense of continuity to those strips, but while one endures in the mind, the other has simply fading into insignificance, highlighting the best and worst of the format of 2000AD. All things considered, however, a positive start to what looks to be another rousing year of Thrill Power. I can’t wait! 

Best Story: Shakara

RC: A fair to goodish prog. Two good stories. Two not bad. One mediocre. The “good boy” scene is one I’ll certainly remember.

Best Story: Kingdom