Thrill-Hunter: 2000AD - Prog 2000

Borag Thungg Fellow Earthlets,

Have your optical nodes recovered yet? I'm still struggling with the after effects of thrill overload. 2000 progs, from 1977 to this very day, the Galaxy's greatest comic has been at the forefront of British comics, with a weekly dose of sci-fi action, horror, comedy, adventure and everything inbetween. Many of the names now synonymous with 2000AD are, these days, regarded as titans of the industry: John Wagner, Pat Mills, Carlos Ezquerra, Alan Moore, Brian Bolland (I could go on) all cut their teeth in this very comic. It is probably fitting then, that at this great milestone they return to their duties in a one-off greatest hits blast of all that makes this mainstay of British Comics what it is today.

What we get with Prog 2000 is something of a celebration and charted history, courtesy of The Mighty One himself. The brief single page interludes from Tharg are great fun, breaking the fourth wall in his traditional style. First up, very much business not as usual with JUDGE DREDD, in a rare moment for a 2000AD strip: a crossover. Whereas crossovers elsewhere in mainstream comics are currently more regular than ever, 2000AD has generally kept these to a minimum. This means we are dealing with a special strip, featuring several guest appearances and old favourites, despite this Dredd is still the star of the show. Wagner and Ezquerra inhabit the strip as if they've never been away, with Wagner's tight scripting and Ezquerra's chiselled line work making Dredd look every bit of his near 40 years service (those rejuve baths must be good!!).    

 

After the second interim page from Tharg himself, hinting at the variety of characters appearing in the comic over the years, to illustrate the next strip is a real rarity: Nemesis the Warlock makes his return. A real fan favourite from original creators Pat Mills and Kevin O'Neill, the plot itself comprises of a revisit of sorts to earlier events in Nemesis and Torquemada's association. Kevin O'Neill depicts the universe in typical manic style, the signature jagged lines and unusual angles being a staple of the strip. This strip seemed mainly to be present for nostalgic purposes, not a bad outing for Nemesis by any stretch of the imagination (and there is plenty of that here), it did however feel a bit constrained plot-wise with minimal room to get more of a feel for Torquemada and Nemesis, the environment, the conflicting ideas e.t.c. This didn't seem like a strip aimed at new readers, but rather a rewarding treat for longer standing Squaxx Dek Thargo.

Tharg interjects again to take us through some of the notable war stories that have featured in 2000AD over the years, which provides a nice segway into a new ROGUE TROOPER strip. On the face of it, this was the strip that seemed to have a lot of potential, with the themes of war mythology, ghost stories and legends fitting in with Nu Earth lore quite readily. Aside from the setting and a few panels however, this isn't so much a Rogue Trooper strip as it is a Nu Earth strip. That said, it's always good to get a glimpse into the wider Nu Earth universe, as per the previous run of Jaegir finishing it's run last week.  

 Tharg follows on to explain how the droids worked to build the world of Dredd, fleshing out his allies and foes with their own strips, giving the impression of a contiguous universe, one of which gives the basis for the next strip from Anderson: Psi Division. A great outing for newer and veteran readers alike with a straight-forward plot but with references beyond recent events to older characters. David Roach's monochrome artwork really compliments the noir-dreamlike quality of this strip. The Cassandra we get in this strip is the older, more overtly feminine Anderson and the strip does present her with softer, lighter mannerisms and decidedly more objectified. In hindsight, the older, hardened Cass suits the tone of the strip more aptly than the supermodel-esque Judge we get here, seemingly able to switch on her attitude when needed. Though this is a minor issue in a well-rounded strip for this milestone issue.    

Bringing 2000AD further up to date next with Dan Abnett's Sinister Dexter, a strip that has grown on me personally with their own brand of Starsky and Hutch meets Reservoir Dogs humour. This particular strip is mainly an aside, referencing side characters and call-backs to previous runs. This was probably one of the more throwaway strips in the prog, that might otherwise fit in well as a longer arc. The stronger point of Sinister Dexter is the fast paced black humour and there is a little bit of it here, probably not enough to rope in new readers, which is a shame for a strip quickly cementing itself into 2000AD's hall of fame.

Lastly we have the new strip as promised, looking to the future of 2000AD: Counterfeit Girl, a strip I had been looking forward to prior to listening to the thrill-cast, looking at the contemporary issue of identity theft, asking questions regarding the nature of identity. The visuals are very striking, Rufus Dayglo working in well.... Dayglo, giving a visual spectacle not dissimilar to Blade Runner. The principle character, Lulu Funn (or was it Sybil Mann?), changes her identity like most people change clothes and kicks off the strip with gusto. This will definitely be one to watch!

So what next for the Galaxy's greatest? Interestingly an old face is soon to be making an appearance in the guise of Flesh: Gorehead, alongside a new Dredd strip starting next week and two new strips in the form of Hunted and Savage: The Marzee Murderer. Here is to 2000 more progs eh?

Till next time. Splundig vur Thrigg