Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

2000 A.D. Prog 1961

Collapse
X
Collapse
  •  
    Ian Jane
    Administrator

  • 2000 A.D. Prog 1961



    2000 A.D. Prog 1961
    Released by: Rebellion/2000 A.D.
    Released on: December 14th, 2015.
    Written by: Various
    Illustrated by: Various
    Purchase From Amazon

    Celebrate Christmas with Judge Dredd and friends with this one hundred page 'Christmas Mega-Special' issue of 2000 A.D. (wrapped up under a lovely Judge Dredd cover courtesy of Ian Kennedy)!

    Judge Dredd - Melt by Rob Williams and Henry Flint: This self contained story, like every story, needs a good guy, right? Dredd gets a call to head to the mall where snowmen have been sighted. He calls in S.W.A.T. teams and flamethrowers - Merry Drokking Christmas - and heads on over. But the snowman are there, and they're stealing freezers from a big box store, much to the delight of onlooker, an eight year old boy named Alex. The snowmen split the mall and head into the city, Dredd pursues because he's Dredd. He calls for more backup and gets what he wants, but why were these snowmen stealing freezers…? Alex has a theory.

    This one is dark, jaded, bitter and fucking wonderful. It ends perfectly. Justice isn't always fair, but that's life. Sorry kid. Dredd has a job to do, a job that he takes more seriously than any other man on the planet and he's going to do that job whether Alex likes it or not, magic be damned. Is this jolly? No, not at all, but it's entirely appropriate given who corporations have seized the season and turned it into an excuse to turn a profit. Great stuff. Loved the art from Flint while Williams' script really gets under your skin.

    Absalom - Family Snapshots by Gordon Rennie and Tiernen Trevallion: A message of sorts comes into the office, but Harry, he's not interested in talking about it. He wants his men to get out there and catch bad guys. And so they do, but Harry? He opens the letter, looks at the picture, puts it on the wall with the rest of them and raises his flask. From here he changes into something different, something dead, while those who report to him head out to see that justice is served. The two plot lines crossover… there are no knights in shining armor here. We won't spoil the ending but there are some pretty neat monsters here.

    This self contained story is a good one, poignant to a point but without getting sappy or over done. It's dark, twisted and exciting, offering the right mix of action and drama (unexpected drama but drama never the less) and action. Rennie writes the characters well and shows a good knack for drama while Trevallion's black and white art steals the show.

    Kingdom - Beast Of Eden by Dan Abnett and Richard Elson: Four bodies hurl through the cosmos towards a planet, their parachutes open as they get closer to the planet and all four land safely. Or did they? Sirious did not, but those who made it are going to press on, this mission is important. A monster arrives, Canis takes care of it and things, however briefly, get violent. More monsters arrive, and we learn how THEM went to war and how a man named Gene rose up against them with some help from Lord Twenty Mike-Mike and Clara Bow.

    This Mad Max style post apocalyptic tale is off to a fun start. There's a LOT going on here, a lot of characters are introduced and not with the most properly defined reasons but it seems like we'll get there. How does Gene's story work into Canis'? We'll get there. Patience. Great artwork from Elson, nice use of color too. No idea where this is going but the first chapter is strong enough to make you want to come back for the next one.

    Bad Company - First Casualties by Peter Milligan, R. Dayglo and J. McCarthy: The boys in Bad Company have come back with the truth about the Ararat War but the public at large would rather believe the lies they've been fed. They're easier to digest. Everything the guys thought they knew about the Krool has been warped and twisted, there are more flashbacks, these ones to back to the real deal, the firefights they were involved in… and then there's the smell of The Golgotha Plains! And then there's Faulks… and Doctor Malarky… “in war, truth is the first casualty.”

    And so ends the latest (and genuinely greatest) Bad Company tale to be told within the pages of 2000 A.D., and here's hoping we'll see them again soon because this latest chapter really was a fantastic return to form. Milligan's script was ripe with biting social satire and with an appropriately anti-war stance while the artwork from Dayglo and McCarthy looks like old school Bad Company comics while simultaneously seeming fresh, unique and awesome. Let's get a collected edition of this one out sooner rather than later.

    The Order - In The Court Of The Wyrmqueen by Kek-W and John Burns: A group of conquistadors attack a Mayan city. Their hopes of breaching the wall are dashed when a hot air balloon drops some bombs on them. Soon they meet some Amazonian women led by Queen Necalli - they have a mutual friend who is dying. But there's more to this as we learn of black gold, Cheap Street, and betrayal.

    Gorgeous (partially painted?) artwork from Burns makes this one easy on the eyes, it really is a great looking selection of full color pages. At the same time the story is interesting enough to hold our attention. It's not fleshed out enough yet, but it'll probably get there. One chapter in this one looks great and reads well, let's hope it keeps that up and takes us on a fun trip.

    ABC Warriors - Return To Ro-Busters by Pat Mills and Clint Langley: “The trouble with the Ro-Jaws began with the Superbowl Disaster!” So says the opening splash page, and from there a Fux News report catches us up to speed on the latest traffic news. A sexy young woman named Catharine and her older male driving instructor are driving through that traffic when she hits a robot. Not to worry, she had the right of way. But it was a War Robot, and it's coming after them - and that's not good, but hey…. Ro-Busters to the rescue!

    An amusing mix of pop culture references, double entendres and robot on robot action, this latest entry in the Ro-Busters saga is fun, funny, exciting and intense thanks to Mills' efficient script, and it looks as good, if not better, than any previous Ro-Busters serial has in the past! Langley's artwork is perfect. It's colorful, detailed and over the top in all the right ways, accentuating the story and drawing us in, leaving us wanting more.

    Sinister Dexter - Blank Ammo by Dan Abnett and Simon Davis: Our two leads are sitting on a bench outside discussing the merits of benches versus pets. From there, they set out to do what the good Lord put them on Earth to do, and set out to bring in one Albert Petanque. They run into, and pass, a random cop check on the way and they follow the one lead they have to what they hope will be Petanque - no dice. It doesn't go well, and there's a chase, but at least on that chase they get to see a naked lady.

    This is a solid self contained story with a script that deftly balance humor and action. The dialogue is the focal point here, our two leads have got the snappy banter thing down and nailed, but there's a fun twist or two along the way that makes this a fun read. Davis' artwork is top notch, great use of color and some nice layouts here.

    Future Shocks - The Mighty Mykflex by Martin Feekins and Jesus Redondo: Mik Mykflex is the most successful broadcaster in the galaxy and he's made some enemies on his way to the top. One of these enemies is a guy named Benny. Mik gets shot down but the powers that be have a need for someone like him and so they put the word out. Mykflex, however, is now running with the inner city street punks…

    This is a pretty amusing 'look back' at the possible origins of a certain weekly publication by way of some fun science fiction. Clever, entertaining and yes, even exciting. Nice job, Mr. Freekins, and the artwork, in lovely black and white, from Jesus Redondo complements the text quite nicely indeed.

    Strontium Dog - Repo Men by John Wagner and Carlos Esquerra: In Fredonia, the Mutant State, a man pulls up a 'fish' on his line but gives up once he realize that it is not worth the effort. The man is Johnny, and a gang of mutant bikers have just arrived to make his life even more difficult - Middenface McNulty Evans The Fist and his pal, Kid Nee! They, and a few others, are getting the team back together and they need him to either be in… or in the way. This isn't just for kicks, however, there's real money on the line here. All they have to do is repo The Rock! Johnny's in, you knew he would be, but this won't be easy…

    Esquerra's artwork is as beautifully scraggy as it's always been, making him a great choice for this serial while the first chapter of Wagner's story is off to a nice start, blending heist stories and sci-fi action with some interesting conspiracy theorist twists. Again, first chapter here - give it a few more installments to find its legs, but all signs point to yes.


















      Posting comments is disabled.

    Latest Articles

    Collapse

    Working...
    X