2000AD - January 2016 Progs Review

It’s February now. Bet you didn’t see that coming, “Alas poor January we hardly knew ye” (Yes I know that’s not the correct quote). We’re fast heading into 2016 on our chrono rocket skates and with January past us it makes it the perfect time to review the most recent 2000AD progs and the current stories filling their wondrous pages.

I’ve recently returned to reading 2000AD after a small 20 year hiatus, my thoughts on which you can read in my “Getting Back Into 2000AD – A British Institution” article, so whilst I don’t have an encyclopaedic knowledge of character history and plotlines you can rest assured that I’m no nonscrot!

(That’s 2000AD slang for those uninitiated in its glorious works - FYI)

Cover Me, I’m Going In

The first thing I have to talk about is the fantastic ABC warrior cover art from Clint Langley for issues 1962 & 1964, with 1962 being my particular favourite.

1962 can be described in two words “Electric Blue”. The whole cover is crackling with power as we see Hammerstein holding back his iconic Hammer Fist ready for a swing to take off some poor robots head matrix. Everything is alive and on full power in this cover, his singular red eye vision panel glowing fiercely as we can only imagine what preceptor sensor input’s he’s received to enrage him so.

1964 is more theatrical in composition, with Hammerstein holding the seemingly lifeless body of Ro-Jaws as flames lick at their ferrous shells. There’s a grimier, rustier feel to both the artwork and the colouring here keeping it more thematically in line with the art of the inner pages for the Ro-Busters story, something I have more praise for later.

The other cover work is great as you’d expect but Clint’s work here and later really stood out for me and I really loved the energy and vividness of colour in the 1962 cover.

Now, for the stories…

 

Dredd // Ghosts

Script - Michael Carroll, Art - Mark Sexton, Colours - Len O'Grady, Letters - Anne Parkhouse

The Ghosts story started a little tame and has fast moved towards a more compelling theme of secret societies and skulduggery. Starting with rather mundane cases of missing children who failed their Judge exams the story has fast developed to reveal the revelation that the highly trained and lethal Judges of the Halls of Justice may be being watched and policed themselves from the shadows by an as yet un-encountered Judge division named Sector Zero, as well as by the existing SJS.

It’s an enjoyable read and the soon to be released prog 1967 really kicks it up a notch with some impactful action, the reveal of a secret society under the nose of the existing continuity is a theme that’s been explored in other main stream comics but it feels quite a natural addition to Dredd, not something forced for the sake of it, Meg-City-One is a place with 101 secrets and surprises around every corner!

In analysis it feels there could be a missed opportunity I think to explore what the reveal of Sector Zero has on the faith of the existing judges in those above them, with yet another policing force watching them, but I suppose that could be something to come depending on if Dredd’s planted mole manages to report back to base, time will tell.

 

Kingdom // Beast Of Eden

Script - Dan Abnett, Art - Richard Elson, Letters - Ellie DeVille

Them be coming Gene!

Kingdom is one of my favourite strips currently running, as I’m a big fan of post-apocalyptica style stuff, and it can be best described as Mad Max meets Starship Troopers meets those strange kangaroo guys from the Tank Girl movie (of course they’re dogs here but tomato tomato).

Gene The Hackman, a name I chuckle at every time, is a pure bred Aux and a lethal fighting machine against the rampaging bug hordes on this unknown planet and he’s constantly kicking ass and taking names in frequent action scenes which are dynamically drawn and eye catching. The colouring is an interesting part of the strip as the vivid greens of the writhing insect hordes really stand out making them feel very alien and insectoid.

With a slightly cheesy dialogue style, that’s reminiscent of a bad impersonation attempt of a Native American, it’s not a particularly deep story but the opening episode promised some interesting plot twists later with a human colony of some kind seemingly still lingering in orbit but that thread hasn’t been revisited yet and I think it needs to soon to juxtapose the more action driven narrative so far, definitely one I’ll continue to read for the thrill power for sure.

 

The Order // In The Court Of The Wyrm Queen

Script - Kek-W, Art - John Burns, Letters - Ellie De Ville

When I was younger I certainly had a preference to the types of strips I enjoyed in 2000AD and I think The Order would have been one that, at the time, I might have skipped over. Not that I’d have read it and decided it wasn’t for me, I was just into what I was into, I’m glad that’s not something I do anymore.

I’m very much enjoying The Order, it’s a bizarre mixture of ye olde days adventuring with vague sci-fi undertones and steampunk contraptions,  it’s all reinforced with a watercolour style artwork and palette choice that is vibrant and strangely lurid, perfect in the grimy renaissance locations of this x-teenth century setting.

I’ve found the plot a little difficult to follow at times, the plot moves forward quickly with some new character being introduced each week, but I trust to the story and I have past issues to refer back to if I’m that bothered about plot particulars, but the gist is carrying me forward and it’s an enjoyable ride. I’m curious to see how the sci-fi elements eventually develop and especially just what the main protagonist was infected with way back in the first issue, roll on the next prog!

 

ABC Warriors // Return To Ro-Busters

Script - Pat Mills, Art - Clint Langley, Letters - Anne Parkhouse

Hands up here, I never got to read too many ABC strips back in my heyday so I’m not too well acquainted with the rag tag band, the name Joe Pineapples rings a bell and Mek-Quakes shenanigans seem familiar (Big Jobs!) but that's it, so it’s some really fresh eyes that I read this strip with.

With the title ‘Return to Ro-Busters’ and lack of back story development to the setting I’ve assumed this is the revisit and extension to an old plot maybe and so have just ran with the story as I find it, robot civil rights and evil owners being the general gist, which is fine fare, although again some of the finer points are lost on me issue to issue.

There is a twisted zaniness to the strip which is really the core of the story anyway, for all its conspiracy theory threads this is a tale of whacky robots and the mischief they get up to, with Ro-Jaws being a constant delight. There’s a lot of 2000AD running through this strip, the humour, the cynicism, the dystopian future, and it’s the kind of story I love the magazine for, completely something you won’t find anywhere over the other side of the pond.

A final word on the art, I love it. I’m always a fan of highly detailed B & W work and Clint Langley’s panels are a feast for the discerning eyes, the level of detail enthralling me and keeping me hypnotised as I follow the many carefully and lovingly placed lines. The page is almost crowded with Ink but it works perfectly with this heavy clanging creatures and the grim future setting.

 

Strontium Dog // Repo Men

Script - John Wagner, Art - Carlos Ezquerra, Letters - Simon Bowland

Strontium Dog is another 2000AD staple, with the exploits of Johnny Alpha having been chronicled for many years, but this current story takes the form of a pretty standard caper with Johnny and his re-formed down on their luck gang taking on the daring repossession of ‘The Rock’.

This is another strip that really has that hallmark 2000AD tongue in cheek-ness about it, but in a more light hearted way, featuring mutants with heads on their knees and brigands with thick Scottish accents. The plot soon evolves into a Ocean’s 12 style heist caper and took an interesting turn in the most recent prog 1967 and it will be interesting to see how that moves the plot forward.

It’s probably my least favourite strip running currently, I like a story with a bit more meat on its bones, but it’s fun and a good read as the misfit team get up to hijinks as they try to pull off their robbery, I’m looking forward to the Stix Brothers likely kicking things up to 11 at some point as well.

 

End Of The Line

So that’s it folks, that’s my round up of the great stories running in the mag at the moment, as my previous piece says it’s a great time to get back in the 2000AD game and get some thrill power back in your life, if you’ve never given it a go before then it’s just a good a time to start especially seeing as you could grab all of Januaries progs from Ebay or similar if you’re lucky and get back in sync with the weekly releases.

That’s all for now Earthlets.

Splundig Vur Thrigg!

(so long, farewell)