Reviewer: William Cooling
Editor: Matt Smith
Publisher: Rebellion
Judge Dredd
Story Title: Brothers of the Blood Pt. 3
Written by: John Wagner
Art by: Carlos Ezquerra
Lettered by: Tom Frame
Last week, Rico showed Dolman the family with a quick visit to Dredd’s niece, Vienna, which was followed by giving assistance to Judge Dredd himself in his handling of a riot. This week, we see the three Dredd’s storm one of the block’s involved as they fight to end the riot. This gives us an action packed part as we swamp the focus on dialogue of previous parts for urban warfare, with door-to-door gunfights.
Wagner excels at this, writing excellent action scenes that beautifully and efficiently establish the character of Dolman in such a subtle and unobtrusive way. The best example of this is when Dolman actually barks out orders to Dredd and Rico; Claremont would have had a caption that pointing out how this shows maturity beyond his years where as Wagner just has Rico and Dredd exchange glances and the deliver a gentle rebuke to Dolman.
Of course, in such a visual issue the contribution of the artist is essential and here (as always) Ezquerra comes out tops managing to convey the action with the verve and style that makes him one of the greatest comic artists ever. There really isn’t anymore to say save that Wagner and Ezquerra have skilfully introduced and established a new character and made us interested in his dilemma, which is an amazing feat to achieve in only 18 pages.
Tharg’s Future Shocks
Story Title: War For Sale, One Previous Owner
Written by: Richard McTighe
Art by: Simon Coleby
Lettered by: Annie Parkhouse
These short stories of futures and galaxies far, far away returns with a take on an old idea; namely the turning of war into a game so as to save its combatants money and man power. Not the most original idea, with Wagner having done it within the first 50 issues of 2000AD but McTighe makes it slightly more original by concentrating on the owners of the Conflict-Sphere. This gives it a new spin as we see the effect that such a place would have on the “war business,†which results in an effective twist at the end.
Indeed, McTighe’s writing is effective all the way through as he efficiently and quickly establishes the parameters of his story, whilst maintaining the sense of languid irony that such stories always demand, for example we get the obligatory examples of a blasé and commercial attitude to war.
However, the star of the story is the art of Simon Coleby whose idiosyncratic linework that is as near a mixture between the bigness and epic nature of Bryan Hitch and the grotesque and messy tone of Chris Bachalo as you’re likely to get. Coleby really shines with this strip excelling at portraying the myriad of aliens contain and giving the script a “weirdness†that is appropriate for a Future Shock. Together with McTighe he delivers a very good story with excellent art.
Sinister Dexter
Story Title: Just Business Pt 1
Written by: Dan Abnett
Art by: Andy Clarke
Coloured by: Gary Caldwell
Lettered by: Ellie De Ville
Sinister Dexter is a definite “love/hate†strip with 2000AD readers either seeing it as one of the worst strips ever or lauding it as an excellent source of gangster laughs. Just on the off chance you’re interested, I’m in the middle, in that I like the odd story but there have been some stinkers. Sinister Dexter is basically a rip-off Pulp Fiction with two gun sharks (bounty hunters), one white and one black basically cutting a swathe of violence and wisecracks through their city of choice (Downlode in their case). In the last run of this story our two anti-heroes agreed to take Kal Cutter as an apprentice as a favour to a friend. However as we find out in this opening episode Kal’s beginning to resent them for not giving him a fair crack at the whip.
Abnett is definitely at home with Sinister/Dexter, the two characters that saved him from the chop around eight years ago. This comfort has often been a double-edged sword as it’s toppled over into complacency so Kal is a welcome change to the dynamic of the series. Indeed Kal is placed firmly at the heart of this part with Sinister/Dexter only get one page to themselves as Abnett focuses on him getting a bit of action as Sinister/Dexter talk business. Abnett once again shows himself to be very good at terse characterisation with him quickly getting across the sense of frustration in Kal. Where he is less successful is making this story a fully satisfying read as not only does not a lot happen but the way its written feels more like the first five pages of a 22page story not a five page episode in its own right. That’s not to say what is written isn’t enjoyable, it most certainly is with the introduction of Isobel handle brilliantly but it would’ve been welcome to have a bit more meat to this episode.
What is welcome is the excellent art of Andy Clarke who gives the strip a sense of cool and sexiness that it needs. Not only does he have Sinister and Dexter bang on but he gives Kal and Isobel a Baz Luthrmann’s Romeo and Juliet style beauty with the introduction of Isobel managing to be sexier than even the cover of New X-Men Issue #151. He’s brisk, breezy linework is perfect and helps gives Abnett’s script a cinematic feel. Overall, a good if slightly light read, which continues this series’ rehabilitation.
Valkyries
Story Title: Untitled Pt. 3
Written by: Steve Moore
Art by: John Lucas
Coloured by: Len O’Grady
Lettered by: Ellie De Ville
Last week, Kara and co were left out to dry by their high command after learning that the Male Terrorists are collaborating with flesh eating aliens to develop an army to overthrow Feminist rule. To make matters worse, an alien spaceship, far more advanced than Kara’s, has appeared in view and is about to blow them to smithereens.
This week, they try and do a Han Solo as they attempt to rescue their obsolete but spunky ship from the clutches of the more advance one using ingenuity. In addition we finally learn the story behind Egil, the old man who has implanted his conscience into Kara.
This is better than last week with Moore adding more weird and wonderful action to act as a counter-balance to general silliness and smuttiness of the story. Yet this story still suffers from the fatal flaw (for a comedy anyway) of not actually being that funny. I mean it’s a pleasant if unessential read but it doesn’t raise the laughs that such a farcical and frivolous approach needs to be considered a success. In many ways it resembles Moore’s more recent Tales of Teleguth just with the silliness and smuttiness being turned up to the max. Yet this approach may well be too simplistic and shallow to make a multi-part story successful especially when you are essentially stretching one joke for a whole series. Still there are some worthwhile things in here, including a rather nifty space-flight sequence to make it passable.
Rogue Trooper
Story Title: Realpolitik Pt. 1
Written by: Gordon Rennie
Art by: P.J. Holden
Lettered by: Tom Frame
After a rest of almost a year Rogue Trooper returns to the pages of 2000AD, with what will be his current writer’s last run. During his time on the character Rennie has taken the character back to basics with a “Hidden Years†approach as we see Rogue, the last of the Souther Genetic Infantrymen try to gain revenge on the general who sold them out to their enemies the Norts and then blamed the resulting massacre on Rogue. The whole story takes place on Nu Earth, which is essential Flanders on a planetary scale, as it has become a battleground in the galactic battle between the Norts and Southers. Last time we saw Rogue the Norts had captured him and were about to begin their equivalent of the Ludendorff Offensive as their War Marshal threw everything into winning Nu Earth.
One of the by words of Rennie’s runs has been to minimise the amount of Rogue we see, which is a good thing as Rogue is an awfully dated and one-dimensional character. Here he concentrates on effect of the new Nort offensive as it sweeps across Nu Earth, overrunning Souther line and how the Nort High Command (excluding the War Marshal of course) are becoming increasingly worried that the outlay in resources to capture Nu Earth may loose them the wider battle. Rennie shows both well, with opening two pages being a brisk introduction to the offensive while the next two pages are an excellent discussion between the High Command as to what to do. In many ways their conversation is similar to the one sections of the American military are currently having in Ultimate X-Men.
Rennie is helped by the excellent artwork of Holden, whose detailed linework complimented by excellent shading (its non-colour) gives the art a similar texture and tone to Punisher Max’s Lewis Larosa. Together Rennie and Holden create a foreboding and tense atmosphere that expertly sets up the premise for this promising story arc.
