Synopsis by Gavin Hanly
Review by Susan Doyle
2nd Opinion by Richmond Clements

Summaries and reviews contain spoilers for this issue.

The Monsterus Mashinashuns of PJ Maybe - part 4

Maybe finally goes to his grave?

Synopsis: Judge Stalin brings Judge Geraldi to Inga who forcibly injects him with SLD 88. She orders him to make some changes in the judicial records.

In Barranquilla, the Mega City One delegation is meeting with Montez (AKA Maybe). Dredd apologises to Montez before the tour, while Montez points out the bonfire the peasants are building for their yearly festival. Dredd still suspects Montez, but has nothing on him. Later Inga returns to Maybe and tells him how Geraldi falsified all the reports for them and then walked out in front of a slabroller.

Dredd returns to Mega City one without Maybe but still feels he missed something. He suddenly remembers that Montez’s bandaged finger didn't match up with the injury he received at the party earlier. Dredd thinks he's been had. He makes some further investigations and interrogates Stalin. While Stalin doesn’t remember anything, they manage to work out that Maybe could have escaped the apartment during the Fairy murders – and finally manage to pick up Psu footage of Maybe driving a bus on the night of the murders. It’s enough to convict him – but Dredd decides to do this one off the books – without involving the Barranquilla authorities.

Stalin – still under the influence of SLD warns Maybe – and in return Inga tells him he should take his own life. Maybe prepares Doctor Ambrose for the “big finale”, as Inga leaves. Later that night, the judges attack and see Montez riding away on a horse. They shoot it down and Montez climbs the bonfire. He sets up a judge's lawgiver on remote with a loudspeaker to make it look as if the judges opened fire. The bonfire goes up in a blaze as montez falls into the centre. Inside the bonfire is a space where Dr Ambrose is lying. Montez leaves him there to die while he escapes.

Later, the Judges examine the embers and discover the doctor’s body. Back at Mega City 1, they match up the artificial heart and find it consistent with the operation on Maybe – they also compared the DNA with everything they had on record (records now falsified) for Maybe and conclude that the body was Maybe’s. But of course, Maybe has survived and has taken on the doctor’s identity with a face change – and with one for Inga too. He was now in line for the Ambrose millions and returned to his home city – Mega City 1.

SD: This story’s ending has really frustrated me. I was hoping that Judge Dredd would finally get his man and dish out justice (well, he is the LAW), but PJ Maybe proves to be the ultimate villain and gets away to murder another day leaving Dredd thinking he’s dead.

This has been a truly entertaining story which was well thought out with twists and turns creating real tension where you didn’t know what was going to happen next. The way that PJ has everything planned out from the start and his manipulation of Dredd coupled with the lack of any remorse at killing people to get his own way gives it the big thumbs up from me. What a cliff-hanger - looks like we will be seeing PJ again now that he’s returned home.

The artwork was superb throughout this story, showing exactly why Carlos is an ultimate master craftsman when it comes to drawing Dredd.

RC: I’m in two minds about this tale. One part of me sees it as a bit of a cop-out. I’d have loved to have seen Maybe finally getting him comeuppance, and Dredd outsmarting him once and for all. That part of me sees this as fulfilling the same function as the recent Chopper tale, where 10 weeks or so did nothing more than reintroduce the character. Here you could argue we’ve spent four months on a story just to get maybe back in the Big Meg.

The other part of me can sort of see what everyone else can. The whole thing with the heart of Byron Ambrose was clever, but I’m puzzled as to why the forensic Judges stopped examining the bonfire when they found the body. Surely they would have gone through all of what was a crime scene, and found the escape tunnel? And wouldn’t it have been obvious that the fire was hollow, as it would have collapsed in on itself in a few minutes?

It sounds like I didn’t enjoy this story, but I did. It was a fun ride while it lasted, but nowhere near a classic.

Playing Futsie - Part 1

A classic futsie...

Synopsis: Jack Point is thrown into an iso cube already occupied by Zigbie Archer. He accuses Archer of being the reason he’s been thrown in as the judges saw him coming to Point's office earlier. Archer appears paranoid and begins to tell Point why… He says that he worked as a janitor in a fully robotic office – not much of a job, but a job all the same. One lunchtime a flea ridden citizen approached him and asks for money. Archer refused and the cit tells him his story about how he was once a bat-glider courier. He had noticed that it took a load of people to deliver a simple parcel and it didn’t add up. So one day, he opened a parcel and found there was nothing inside – he decided that the judges were creating jobs, hobbies and more to keep citizens distracted. Archer left the park – shaken by this news…

Back in the present, Point is taken away for interrogation – but he’s soon released from his cuffs. Sector Chief Daveez has placed him with Archer as acting senior judge on his case – something which sets Point’s alarm bells ringing given his recent history with Daveez.

Back in the cell, Archer continues the story – how he finally stayed late one night and looked at what the robots were writing – only to find blank sheets. Archer went to a bar to calm down, but suddenly he started seeing robots everywhere. Archer then proceeded to kill everyone in the bar…

SD: I have enjoyed Judge Point’s previous escapades and this one looks set not to disappoint. The artwork is striking with heavy black ink and the use of white to set off the characters expressions. I also really liked Frazer Irving’s use of colour when the Zig was recalling meeting the tramp. The way in which the frames are set out interspersed with text helps the flow of the story and makes the look quite unique.

The story itself was entertaining with those distinctive snappy comments with the underlying humour. What with the Sector Chief gunning for our main character and him trying to get the truth out of the guy in the ISO cube future is not looking too bright. Definitely looking forward to the next installment although I have no idea how the story is going to progress as this story could easily have been a stand alone.

RC: I don’t know about you, but I was gutted when the sublime Zancudo finished after only three episodes. That disappointment has been swept away by the return of this strip. Crazy, I think is the only word that can describe this script, full of gorgeous twists and turns, and every panels containing a gem of a line.

Frazer comes back to the colour coding technique he used on From Grace, which serves to give the art that extra zing.

All that remains to be seen is to sit back and wait as we find out if we’re in ‘The telltale Heart’ or ‘The Man Who Knew Too Much’ territory. Though this being Jack Point, we no doubt are moving down a whole new road of mentalness.

All Hell - Part 4

Waugh sacrifices his wardrobe again...

Synopsis: The bad guys have set a trap for Devlin while they get closer to their goal: Grand Master Tsung’s mother, Lura, in the “final hell”. Elsewhere, Devlin’s crew is making their way through hell with difficulty but finally make their way deeper, through the catacombs and to the Fourth Law Court. Their sniff freak picks up a scent, but Devlin is suddenly aware of the smell of bee pheromone. Killer bees swarm towards them, but Devlin rolls a "snake eyes" and they are incinerated. But the demons of hell are now alerted to their presence and attack – so they rush onwards – but they are still far behind the Catechist.

Later, they reach the seventh court, and begin to wonder what the bad guys could be after – especially as an alliance between the Catechist and Kolkiss seems unlikely. Devlin wonders if they could be on a rescue mission, when they finally find someone else – Eddi Whiteman – although half of him has had the flesh torn from his bones.

SD: This will be the second storyline with Devlin Waugh that I’ve read. On the first time out, I caught the tail end of the story so didn’t really get an insight into the character.

New to this, I have found it difficult to get into the story which, so far, seems to have boiled down to: you run and we’ll chase. The characters are, however, eccentric enough to hold my attention and I particularly like the creatures they have met on the way, my favourite being Devlin’s little hell pet who’s sniffing out the baddies.

Not being particularly knowledgeable about the various levels of hell I have been confused regarding the reasons behind their trip but it seems that Eddie Whiteman might save the day and explain all in the next installment.

I’ll hold fire on judgement yet because the artwork has been excellent, especially with the characterisation and the colouring of the frames.

RC: In the past, Devlin Waugh has been a strip that I’ve enjoyed, but not been overly keen on. But this current series has been top notch fun. I’ve really enjoyed reading this one, and I think my new found enthusiasm for the strip has coincided with the same thing from Smith and MacNeil.

The script fairly sparkles with invention (magic cufflinks, I ask you! You couldn’t make that up!) and one liners and MacNeil's repeated use of page wide panels gives the epic widescreen feel that it so deserves.

Midnapped - Part 1

Middenface and Charlie return...

Synopsis: After the slaughter at Killoden it became a bad time for mutants in Scotland, as they were rounded up and killed or sold as slaves. Around that time a young boy, Davie Numpty, went to visit the House of Numpty with a package for his uncle. After being tasered at the door, his Uncle Hamish finally lets him in. Hamish’s place is well stocked with guns and rations – he says it’s in case of a mutant attack. Davie gives him the package a computer disk – but Davie does not know what is on it. They head to the docks to see Captain Hooser who can help them read it.

Elsewhere, out at sea, Middenface and Bonnie Prince Charlie attack a Kreeler boat and destroy it. They get ready to head back to Medusa and the others but need to catch dinner first.

Elsewhere, Davie, Hamish and Hooser are looking at the disk contents, named “The Evil Secret of Hamish Numpty.” Hamish has Hooser knock Davie unconscious before he can see more – and they decide to put him on a boat full of mutants being sold as slaves. Davie wakes up on the boat and despairs – but unknown to him, the boat has just crashed into and destroyed Middenface and Charlie’s boat – leaving them stranded in the water…

SD: The artwork provided in this Scottish saga’s new installment by Shaun Thomas is unexpectedly mean and brooding for this strip. I cannot however fault the quality which is very detailed, showing the expressions of the characters well. I particularly liked the frame where the view looks up through the water, past the corpses and flotsam at Charlie and Middenface sitting in their boat discussing the importance of having a good breakfast, having just blown up a boat.

The mean horrible Uncle sending the orphaned nephew into slavery isn’t exactly a ground-breaking story but the involvement of our two Highland warriors will certainly spice things up and I look forward to the next installment and to finding out exactly what the Evil Secret of Hamish Numpty is. I particularly like the use of Numpty as a surname as this means in Scots someone who never has and never will have a clue about what they are doing.

RC: So, where do you start with this? I suppose it has to be with the jaw-dropping art from Shaun Thomas. After a few, is has to be said, lacklustre outings, finally we get to see what Tharg and Alan Grant had seen in this artist all along. Perfectly pitched between grim and funny, the work from Thomas here is superb. Not sure about a couple of the sound effects, but balanced with the rest of the art, this is a very minor quibble.

Now, I have to hold my hand up in shame and admit that I have never read ‘Kidnapped’. Which is a pity I’m guessing, because if I had I think it would open a whole new level to this script for me. As it is, it’s still an entertaining romp. It’s always nice to see a writer having fun with a character he clearly loves.

See Naples and Die - Part 1

Michelle suffers spillage...

Synopsis: In a hotel on the Riviera a group of 3 men are ogling a bikini-clad woman by the pool. One of them buys her champagne just as another guest sweeps her up in his arms and kisses her. One of the waiters tell the men that the couple are on their honeymoon, but as soon as they get back to the room it’s clear they’re only working together – and they were trying to attract the attention of the men deliberately.

A month earlier, the Bendatti meet on the island of Capri. They are targeting the Neopolitan Mafia, the Camorra, and Antonio Nicolini in particular as the strongest Don, together with this lieutenants Bruno and Carmine Zaza (the three men by the pool). It was rumoured that Nicolini even had his own son killed as he was threatening to testify against him. Faulkner and Michelle are given the identities of John & Michelle Campbell, honeymooners. However, if anyone digs deeper, they’ll find the aliases John Robie and Michelle Beart – a couple of thieves/con artists.

Back in the present, one of the Zaza brothers drives alongside Michelle’s sports car and tries to pick her up again. A chase ensues, but she then drives him off the road, taking a laptop from the car wreck. Zasa survives, but is unable to tell his associates what happened. They are worried about what was on the hard disk – and then they turn on the news to discover that all details on the hard drive have been forwarded to the press…

SD: Not having come across this strip before, I recognised the artist and the author from the Dante strip where I’ve enjoyed their work. It seems pretty light-hearted stuff, akin to Charlie’s Angels with the team up against a mafia cartel. The woman trying to charm the socks of the Italian stallion, who looks very like a young Terry Wogan, had me rolling my eyes.

However with regards to the art work, I cannot fault it. I like the fact this strip is obviously painted, Burns excels at painting people and has a real talent for skin tone which comes in handy for this strip with its up close and personal interactions between characters.

Reservations regarding the story aside it is early days and if they come up with something on a par with Dante then this strip could be about to get more interesting.

RC: This is a new strip to me, as it’s last outing was during the period when I’d stopped buying the Megazine. But it’s good fun, in a Mission: Impossible/ James Bond type of way.

Burns is near genius as always, giving us some exquisitely subtle facial expressions.
All in all, I’m looking forward to reading the rest of this.

City of Dead - Part 4

Anderson tries to return to her body...

Synopsis: Deep inside Fauster’s mind, Anderson worries that she may be carrying the virus and infecting him – but she soon sees that something is wrong as she comes across a sea of dead bodies. She goes deeper into his mind coming across imagery of a serpent crucified on a cross (death of the lower passions) a broken orobouros (which, intact, normally indicates the eternal cycle of time) and an infinity image.

Elsewhere, violence is erupting around the city and the judges are having trouble keeping control as the plague spreads. The spaceship Goth, packed with Emigrants heading for another world is brought down by an explosion, killing countless citizens.

Inside Fauster’s mind, Anderson realises that Gistane was a plant sent into her mind only to get infected with Half Life – and Fauster used Wain to deflect suspicion. He wedded the virus to nanobots and has done all this so he could become immortal. But finding this out springs a trap in his mind – as Anderson is attacked by a winged demon. The demon keeps her from returning to her body, while Fauster mentally orders Gistane to Kill Anderson. Gistane approaches with a knife…

SD: “There is something rotten in the state of Denmark” - I always enjoy a quote from Hamlet and it certainly fits with this week's installment of Anderson. Although some critics have said that she should never have woken up, I’ve always enjoyed Anderson’s private war with Judge Death and the half-life virus and will be looking forward to the finale of this strip - If only to find out how she will defeat Fauster and Gistane. The text has been snappy, to the point and the strip beautifully illustrated.

This story has definitely been off the wall and I have particularly enjoyed the mindscapes and the way in which they have been drawn by Ranson. My favourite frame is the one of Lilith – the taker of souls, fighting Anderson on Fauster’s mindscape. I just hope that the finale is as off the wall as the rest of the strip as the build up to the finale has been a steady trickle of tension.

RC: Our patience throughout the seemingly interminable ‘coma’ storyline has paid off during the last couple of Anderson adventures. While we may have worked out the identity of the bad guy months ahead of Cass, that hasn’t got in the way of the enjoyment of the tale.

This month features some pretty spectacular work from the ever fantastic Ranson, with the highlight, of course, being an appearance by 2000AD Review’s very own James MacKay. Well either that or the sequence with the spaceliner crashing, or page 5 with it’s Promethea like layout. I can’t decide which...

The best thing of all though, is that I don’t know how it’s going to end. I can only hope that, given the final panel, Anderson won’t end up in another coma as a result from a headwound.

Miscellaneous Material inc.

• Robbie Morrison Interview part 1
• The Avengers feature
• Dreddlines
• Charlie's War
• Metro Dredd
• Heatseekers

SD: Avengers - Have to admit that I didn’t read the Avengers article in much detail. I scanned through and I daresay to a fan this would have been fascinating stuff. Of interest though was the fact that a series of books based on the TV series was published in the 1990’s and the art was by Ian Gibson of whom I am a big fan.

Robbie Morrison - I just like to say I love the picture on page 52. Thank you, Jason Brashill. The interview was fun and informative and I enjoy reading about the people who create some of my favourite strips. I am looking forward to learning more about him in the next edition.

Charley’s War - When this reprinted in the Meg I always save it till last and I’m never disappointed – what can I say it is a real classic.

Heatseekers - I have to admit I usually pick and choose what to read in this section depending on what grabs my attention, however in this edition I actually read all the Heatseekers (and not because I was reviewing it!). They were pretty good of note - the article on Flaunt the Imperfection.

Judge Dredd: Big Sister - I quite like the story in a page they do at the back of the meg and David Bishop and Andy Clark have not let us down, quirky fun strip where reality TV gets the ultimate reality of Judge Dredd most amusing.

RC: The Avengers article was quite interesting, though it did descend into a list of stuff towards the end, and would have been brightened up no end if they had printed that picture of Mrs. Peel. And I quite liked Tara King, but what do I know? Nice first half to the Robbie Morrison interview too, I’m looking forward to hearing about Dante next month.

Weather you like the Heatseekers is, as always, entirely dependant on you being interested in the subject matter in the first place. So for me Cult TV and Orient were interesting, the others not so.

Charley’s War was it’s usual self. If you don’t like it by now, anything I say isn’t going to change your mind. I can take it or leave it myself.

The Metro Dredd was harmless enough. I wonder just how many of these game shows Dredd has actually appeared in? The strip is saved by some splendid work from Andy Clarke.