Thrill-Hunter: 2000AD - Prog 2002
Reading time: 3 minutes
Borag Thungg Fellow Earthlets,
Another prog, a fresh batch of new strips, Tharg really is too good to us. A healthy mix of the old and new in the current line-up following on from 2000 starts with JUDGE DREDD taking the fight back to the Sov's in the current Get Sin storyline. A punchy plot so far that kicked off with great gusto last prog, with the emphasis on action so far, but sizing up to be an epic throwdown. With references abound to the Titan arc, we get snippets of follow on material here and its good to finally get more of a look at the world the Soviets inhabit in Dredd's universe, even if it is mainly being blown to pieces. The twist involving a certain character appearing was something most seasoned Dredd readers would have seen coming though this particular offers levity in an otherwise grit-packed strip thus far.
Next up we revisit an old favourite, Flesh makes its return proper this prog, following on from the recap last week (which was great actually, these things never hurt, especially for long standing strips). The initial outlook looking somewhat grim for Reagan, Carver and company, with dino flesh becoming a banned imported commodity. In terms of the artwork I've been blown away by the monochrome shading which gives a grim backdrop for the action, in similar effect to the recent Lawless strip in the megazine, sometimes lack of colour is considerably more effective. Flesh sets out its stall early with a particularly gratuitous opener, an element which may alienate some readers. Personally I've always felt these strips fit in nicely with the overall editorial line of the comic as a whole, laden as they are with gritty strips, heavy with satire and plenty of action.
We return to Nu Earth once again with HUNTED, a busy place of late with Jaegir closing prior to prog 2000 and a special Rogue Trooper one-shot in prog 2000 itself which in a fashion leads to the events in this strip. A different perspective on the Nort/Southers war, the traitor general continues to flee his pursuer: Rogue. Another fast paced strip, the most interesting aspect of the strip is Gordon Rennie's scripting, to the point of making the Traitor General not entirely dislikable, simply a ruthless survivor, as Rogue is. I can see this turning into the strongest element of the strip, plus its unusual to see a comic treating war in an more even handed manner.
After this we pick up with SAVAGE: THE MARZE MURDERER, an alt-history noir espionage tale. I've been a bit lukewarm on this strip so far, until it becomes a little clearer on the direction it takes. The references to the 'Thousand-Year stare', with its feel of the Third Reich struck me as very vague. That aside, this week sees things get poetic, with the bar scene being a particularly chilling highlight. The oft-mentioned allusions to Punisher are not wide of the mark, as there is a definite unapologetic aspect to 'Wilder's' persona. Regarding the artwork, this strip feels very polished, Patrick Goddard's bold lines and shadow are very evocative and emphasize the noir aspects of the strip. This strip has plenty of room to pick up pace and develop character though, despite it lacking any unique elements in 2000AD's line-up, it will be interesting to see what direction the strip moves in.
Lastly we have Counterfeit Girl, really getting psychedelic this week as things take a turn for the considerably worse for Lulu Funn (or y'know whoever...). The way this strip has disseminated the various aspects of identity piece by piece has made for great material. This week sees Mary Sue's (or whatever...) own body get a mind of its own as the home of self-aware, Scottish (which really brings the laughs) identity-transmitted disease. The strip's vibrant feast of colours, the opposite of the monochrome Flesh and Savage elsewhere in the prog is pushed into overdrive in this prog, with Rufus Dayglo throwing a whole colour palette at each panel. Another standout feature of the strip has been the humour, often in the background at the expense of a cyberpunk take on hedonism and body-modification gone awry. Events this week up the pace somewhat, such that the humour takes a back-seat, but it is good to see the strip finding its feet and looks to promise great things to come.
Till next week Fellow Earthlets,
Splundig vur thrigg.
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