Thrill-Hunter: 2000AD - Prog 1998
Reading time: 5 minutes
Borag Thungg Fellow Earthlets,
Can you hear it? In the near distance? Those familiar rumblings of the nerve centre as Tharg prepares to overload our optical receptors with the imminent arrival of Prog 2000. But first, we have some tidying up to do. That is very much what prog 1998 is about at first glance, tying up those loose ends. However, this being the 'Galaxy's Greatest', you know that this will be in spectacular style. Leading the way we have ol' Joe himself of course JUDGE DREDD, the final showdown with PJ Maybe hinted at last prog finally comes to a head and as the cover hints, someone will not be walking away. This has been a somewhat understated story arc for Dredd, acting more as criminal psychologist and less like Dirty Harry, that said, the artwork really delivers here, patches of colour thrown up by the lawmasters' headlights give the panels a claustrophobic feel. Wagner's writing here, with a bit of cut-and-thrust dialogue between Dredd and Maybe turned the spotlight back on Dredd as the catalyst, for a very brief moment. There is, as is expected an explosive end here, but I think this strip might have benefited from a more even handed stand off. This plot has been referred to fairly regularly in reviews as 'Cat-and-mouse' and it never feels more like that than this prog. Nevertheless we still get a satisfying conclusion to this arc and a nice clean move for Prog 2000 (Did I mention that yet?).
Next up, we have the current JAEGIR storyline, an industrial urban vignette providing a hard-hitting look at war, more specifically the toll war takes on the human psyche. After a slower paced first couple of progs, to give us a bit of foregrounding on the lives of the Southers, the ante is well and truly upped this time around. Atalia, having reunited with old comrade Markha in the previous progs and provided a little exposition, finally gets her hands dirty thanks in no small part to the ever present influence of her father. Though I have found Jaegir an enjoyable strip this time around, there are times when I feel that Simon Coleby's art, which definitely complements the industrial gothic setting, needs punctuating by lighter shades here and there. With Dredd we at least get punctuated colour amongst the grit and grime, that give contrast, with Jaegir the darkness, in theme and imagery is relentless. A minor issue though, this part leaves great room for manoeuvre into a great action set piece next prog, definitely one to look out for!
Following swiftly on from this and fairly juxtaposed we have the distinctly more vibrant SCARLET TRACES with its colourful 'golden-age of sci-fi' vivacity, giving us a bit of a break from the grit elsewhere this prog. I have a soft spot for the 50's/60's H.G Wells inspired aesthetic style and have found this to be a throughly enjoyable yarn so far. The pace of the storytelling has been varied during this run, but is definitely building to a satisfying crescendo. I have to add though, that the twist unveiled in this prog was visible light years away, not a detraction really and perhaps the visual clues were purposeful, but some degree of mystery might have maintained more suspense. Regardless of this, I have fervently enjoyed the characterisation of Ahron and Iykarus (or just Icarus...? Not sure), especially the earlier dialogue (Ena Sharples) and am keen to see these characters develop beyond the levity throughout the end of the strip as the drama heightens.
From here, we move on to big, bold space opera Outlier, a strip, I have to confess I have dipped in and out of, is also nearing a conclusion. Contrary to Scarlet Traces I have found the characters here a bit difficult to empathise with, maybe that is the point to an extent, this being hard-boiled contemporary sci-fi. Karl Richardson's art work however is great, the scope and scale in the exterior images especially, with wonderful use of colour and absence of... colour, give real breadth and depth. The Hurde also have been captured on the page with uber-cool technology in crisp line work and edging, as if they have jumped straight out of the latest console shoot-em-up. It might have been insightful to allow the Hurde greater depth of character as opposed to an externalised 'other' to be blown apart by the protagonists. Little short of Carcer, we get very little impression into what makes them tick (or beep, buzz, you get the idea). Even the Borg, automatons as they were had some depth. As this one starts to roll to a close, it will be interesting to see whether the door is left open for any further revisits to the Outlier universe and where they choose to go next. With each series trying something different, it might be nice to see a fresh approach.
Lastly we shift back to Mega-City One, with Anderson: Psi Division. This time Cass is facing something of a taut political thriller and the plot here has been short and ... decent. It's fair to say I've read better Judge Anderson strips than this one and worse too. The pace has certainly been consistent enough, with revelations and cliff-hangers peppered neatly along each prog, though a lot of this seems to have been missing something vital, Anderson getting to flex her Psionic powers. This prog is one of the few occasions I can think of in the strip so far where she's really has much in the way of a decisive push into the narrative. Speaking of cliff-hangers however, this prog leaves Cassandra in a real bind and it will be interesting to see what direction writer Emma Beeby decides to opt for. Without giving too much away, should she create a martyr or allow a crooked regime to peacefully take control? The strip this prog has been an example of Anderson done considerably better in what has been inconsistent throughout The Candidate arc.
What are you all looking forward to as we head toward the big 2000? The reprisal of the old greats? Or perhaps hoping for something new to put in an appearance. I'm hoping to cover every weekly prog where I can and if you like what you read, or conversely think I should stick to my day job, let us know below. Till next time.
Splundig Vur Thrigg.
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