2000AD Prog 1613 - 19 November 08

Cover by Karl Richardson

WR Logan: Karl Richardson’s cover isn’t bad, it just isn’t good either. There’s something about it that I can’t quite work out. Whether it’s the layout and the fact there just seems to be so much wasted space around the image or that most of the cover doesn’t even register a spark within my thrill receptors, I'm not sure. For all that I dislike about this weeks cover I will say that you can just make out the eyes behind the visor, and wish that the cover had played on that slightly more. Oh and before I forget, I really didn’t like the candle. 

Alex Frith: The concept of a Skull inside a Judge's mask is a strong one. But there's something about the execution of this one here that falls a bit flat. The eyes peering through the visor are excellent and creepy, but the candle is too small and seems more childish than spooky or poignant. Karl Richardson has done far better, and I'm sure he'll deliver stronger images than this in future. 

Birthday Boy - Part 1 Script: Pat Mills Art: Vince Locke Colours: Chris Blythe Letters: Annie Parkhouse

Klesa plays it straight...

Synopsis: In 1989, Paul Klesa is sentenced to 150 years in prison for killing two women and placing 25 candles on each of them. He serves his sentence completely, and doesn't age, finally being released in 2130, by which time he'd developed a hatred for the judges - particularly Dredd.

Once released, he asks two slabwalkers to meet him at an address later. Dredd visits him too - although Klesa says he's reformed. Dredd isn't so sure and asks Justice Dept to look into his case. Finally they come across a similar murder in 1830 - with 74 candles in total placed on their bodies...

WRL: Vince Locke has a style you either like or you don’t. On Wagner’s ‘History Of Violence’ I like his art and it suited the story, for everything thing else I’ve ever seen and I must admit that’s not much I haven’t. I wasn’t that bothered with the first 4 pages - I wouldn’t say I was enjoying it but it didn’t jar. Then, on page 5, Dredd turns up on his fairground ride Lawmaster and my thrill receptors went in to hibernation.

As we're only on part one it’s too early to say much about the story but it’s a Pat Mill’s Dredd and I’ll keep an open mind until it’s complete. Although I would like to see Wagner write an ABC Warriors story, or maybe a Slaine episode - or how about Wagner pitting Dredd against Satanus, now that could be fun.

I'm only rolled out occasionally when 20000AD Review breaks the glass on the grumpy reviewer and lets me loose. However, something I have been saying for quite a while is - when did Dredd stop being the main deal within the pages of The Galaxies Greatest Comic? He still gets the galaxies greatest writer more often than, John Wagner, but art-wise Judge Dredd stopped being the strip art droids really have to earn many moons ago. Dredd should be ring-fenced and kept away from mere mortals who can hold a pencil, reserved only for those artists who have truly earned the right.

I may be barking up the wrong tree but where have all the good artists gone? It’s OK rolling them out for the occasional key story or the end of year Prog, but week after week I wouldn’t give the Dredd artist my shopping list to draw up. 

AF: Wonderful stuff from Mills and Locke. The idea of a Dredd foe who's immortal and has lived through the 20th and 21st centuries is one of those 'why didn't anyone think of that before' ideas. Mills sets it up nicely in this opening episode, leaving it with Dredd is on the chase. The reason for the man's immortality is a bit X-Files, but I'll forgive that given that the strip is delivered very nicely.

Vince Locke provides the best  seedy and scratchy atmosphere since John Ridgeway, taking Dredd back to his 1970s/early 80s look. 

Part 14 Script: Tony Lee Art: Jon Davis-Hunt Letters: Ellie De Ville

Holland ends Mother's brief stay at the top...

Synopsis: The humans think that the only way to stop the Shh'keen's doomsday device is to shunt it off course. Meanwhile, Holland is down on the planet - killing Mother and taking over the communications tower. He contacts Chapman, who's trying to divert the weapon with repulsors, but it's not working...

WRL: Has it really been 14 weeks? 14 weeks of pain, 14 weeks of the brownest brown art that would look great in the pages of a fanzine but I'm not sure if it’s yet ready for such a prolonged appearance within the pages of 2000AD. 14 weeks of a story that I blame Gordon Rennie for, and he knows why. 14 weeks of wishing it would come to an end.

In the history of Tharg’s publications on our green and blue planet there have been far worse stories to appear, both artistically and story-wise and unlike some of those I’m still reading Stalag 66 each week. I don’t completely ignore it, although it is about Wednesday and during a prolonged toilet break that I finally get around to it. I’m still reading it so there must be something there, it’s just that I will be glad when it’s over. 

AF: Well, the end is nigh. The POW cliches continue (and there's nothing wrong with that, if done well), although I will credit Tony Lee for slipping in a nice twist by having Chapman's long expected moment of heroism end up as a failure. Holland gets his moment of clumsy revenge, which is at least satisfying if not memorable. Jon Davis-Hunt continues to create a wonderful sense of place with harsh, black space contrasted with brown, mud-flecked camp. But he's still having problems with his figures, and his facial expressions have a way to go. 

I can't help but feel that this series has suffered a little from a lack of communication between writer and artist. Sure, the plot has been weak in places, but much of this could perhaps have been fixed by more art direction (for example, directing the artist to draw more backgrounds so we can see where the action is taking place in the camp); similarly if Lee had been aware of Davis-Hunt's strengths, he might've called for fewer scenes of people running around in no particular direction, and more stuff with the lizards. Ah well. 

The Volgan War - Vol 3 Part 9 Script: Pat Mills Art: Clint Langley Letters: Simon Bowland

Not enough sun block...

Synopsis: The G-Man kill Kroll and, after a fight, capture Zippo and take him up to Police Headquarters - Der Kran. There, Doktor Grobari, whom Zippo scrawled in an embrace with the Detektiv, is waiting to interrogate him...

WRL: Where to begin? Many moons ago I did say that it must be great to be paid to retell a story that you wrote many years previously and heavily expand upon it. It also must be great to only write multi book, multi volume stories. Although we have moved on from the forming of the Warriors, for a long time this strip has been the emperors new clothes of 2000 AD. It just seems not many people have noticed that, while Clint Langley’s art may be breaking new ground, it covers up the fact that the story is complete rubbish. If this was by any one else other than the father of 2000 AD, would it even make it out of the slush pile?

I will just add that while I really like Clint Langley’s art, over recent weeks it has become increasingly more difficult to make it out. It’s just so dark, so for me the only previous saving grace of this volume has become too dark to save it. 

AF: This series has really kicked into gear, although it's taken it's sweet time to get here! Langley has taken his already spectacular art to the next level by bringing a paintbrush to his human characters. Sure, the photo-stuff was neat but it was always too static and it really took me out of the story. I don't quite know how he's done it, but now I'm sucked in for the whole ride.

I'm also glad that Mills has finally started to deliver new ideas, and no shortage of them at that - the mad architect with his constantly re-building city; the sinister G-Men; Der Kran. In the tradition of Judge Dredd, he doesn't even need the starts of the strip to appear to get the feel right and keep the appeal high. For the first time in ages, I care about the ABC Warriors. 

Vile Bodies - Part 3 Script: Ian Edginton Art: Simon Davis Letters: Ellie De Ville

Ampney and Cromwell get into a bit of a jam...

Synopsis: Cromwell and Ampney are attacked by the huge insect but it escapes before they can restrain it - retaining only a stinger as evidence. They decide to follow the trail to Sir Devon Redfers...

WRL: I like Ian Edginton, I really like Simon Davis, I like Ian Edginton’s writing, I really like Simon Davis’ artwork. I’m sure Ellie De Ville is great too. So, why am I not getting Ampney? Have my thrill receptors become so used to not being charged that it takes more than this to get them fired up again? Or more than likely it’s one of those stories that I read in one go when its all over or after I’ve got enough episodes to read in one chunk?

Next week is episode 4, so maybe that’s the week to sit down and give it a go. I hope so because, you may not know this, I really like Ian & Simon.

AF: Yup, this sort of thing is right up my street. I like the 1920s setting, I like the hints of war-induced insanity in our hero, I like the inter-class banter.

However, I'm not sure where I stand on giant bees. Davis draws it perfectly well, but much like the giant monsters of 1950s movies, it ends up being silly when it should be scary, and just plain odd when it should be funny. I'm aware that the tone of this story is humour over horror, but for me this worked better in the quiet moments seen up till now rather than in this all-action episode.

In any event, I'm sold on the concept and hope to see more from the character in Progs to come, compete with subtle, slow unwinding of his back story.
 

Prisoner of the Tsar - Part 2 Script: Robbie Morrison Art: John Burns Letters: Annie Parkhouse

Dante finally gets closer to the truth...

Synopsis: The Tsar orders his Lord Protector to pay Dante a visit. Meanwhile Jena is visiting him with Arkady, and he asks her never to come back. Arkady says he only let Jena in so that she'd have his shoulder to cry on. Later, the Lord Protector finally reveals to Dante that he's his half-brother Konstantin, and starts torturing him...

WRL: With my thrill receptors looking like winters already set in and they’ve begun to hibernate, a quick thaw happens in the guise of the Russian Rogue, Nikolai Dante. Only 2 weeks in and I’m absolutely loving the latest adventure of the man who’s to cool to kill. Robbie Morrison has written many stories for 2000 but it’s for Dante that he’ll always have a place in Tharg’s hall of fame.

John Burns is on art duties for this latest adventure and he may be one of the old generation of steam-driven droids but he can still kick the arse of many of the younger fusion-powered whippersnappers. 

AF: There comes a point when it's almost not worth reviewing Dante any more. It's just always good, isn't it? Morrison clearly knows where he's going with his cast (or at least, knows how to make it look as if he does!), and he's not steered us wrong yet. If you didn't love Dante before, a) you're a fool, and b) there's no point getting into it now.

One complaint - Burns isn't showing Dante looking nearly tortured enough, although his face shows a horrible mixture of resignation and resilience which captures the mood. Of course, there's a major moment in this episode that's been coming for about 5 years now. Next episode is going to be kick-ass for sure. 

WRL: In a prog filled with mediocrity, three stories didn’t raise a spark, one story I have hope for but only one set my thrill circuits buzzing. After reading the review of a fat, grumpy 2000 AD reader who’s well past his best you can’t be surprised by my choice. However, in a Prog filled with charged Thrills, in a Prog with a Wagner script, an ABC story that made sense or a Prog filled with robots, future war and spaceships my choice would still stand a chance of beating them because it is Thrill Power of the highest order.

When I’m older, have less control of my bodily functions and can only just hit the keys to write reviews for 2000AD Review, the best story of this Prog will still be one of the best stories that has ever appeared...

Best Story: Nikolai Dante

AF: An outstanding Prog, with the only weak link on its way out, and even that strip provides a tonal difference which makes 2000 AD work. I'm almost less excited by the promise of thrills to come in Prog 2009 than by the current line-up... 

Best Story: ABC Warriors