Review: 2000 AD – Prog 1877
I do love it when Judge Dredd is on the cover of 2000 AD‘s Progs. I mean, I know that he’s the flagship character and he makes regular appearances on the front of the weekly book, but my inner fanboy does a little dance every time. Provided by Ben Willsher, this piece is easily the most eye-catching I’ve seen in a little while. The brilliant blue of the shattered glass shards and Dredd looking as vehement as ever really works to captivate you before a page is even turned. Good job on this one, very good job indeed.
It’s a Max Blixen chapter this time in Mega-City Confidential. This story is just fascinating, it’s so mid-paced but still retains a lot of the intensity that populates Mega-City One and it’s citizens. At first it was a cat-and-mouse style thriller, now it’s become a political tale and we might see another shift in plot before the story is out, too. Colin MacNeil’s art here reaches a delicious high-point as the fluctuating layout only proves to heighten the action and really accentuates the firm and steady pace of the plot. The implications of this narrative are bigger than the players involved and as such the tension is being tightly wound before any kind of pay-off will be seen. I’ve maintained the last three progs that this story is going to demonstrate Dredd’s character depth more than his ruthlessness. While he is a ruthless character, he’s also a very dynamic kind of hero and John Wagner has been writing Judge Dredd long enough that he knows how to show off the lesser seen nuance of his character. One of the more interesting facets of the Judge is his refusal to follow anyone, or anything, blindly. He works for and with the law, but does not act rashly even when his superiors and co-workers push him to and this story is now, towards the beginning of it’s big conclusion, showing that aspect of his character.
There’s a genuine feeling of almost video game-like narrative in the shift from the sci-fi metropolis to the jungle as Outlier kicks into gear next. The targets begin to feel like dastardly bosses who’re at the other side of a shape spike in difficulty and our protagonist looks and acts like a lead character would in a between levels cinematic. This story has maintained a high degree of action thus far and thankfully the pace has evened out to allow said action to breathe with nice little jabs of exposition and a consistently unwinding historical context. From a story of increasingly diverging paths in Dredd’s current outing, Outlier is telling a story of multiples paths converging – some wanted, some unwanted. T. C. Eglington, Karl Richardson and Annie Parkhouse are doing very well with this thrill – I truly can’t wait for next week.
From something new to something old, something very old. Simon Davis’ continuous demonstration of beautiful art and unconventional layout is as mesmerizing as it is gripping in Sláine‘s A Simple Killing. That’s not to sell Pat Mills short, either, or Ellie De Ville, the team 
are firing on all cylinders altogether. Utilizing two gorgeous two-page spreads we finally get a nice slab of action from the mythical warrior. Paired up with the female accomplice from last week, some Gloops (big monsters) appear to spoil the fun and things get bloody very quickly. Sláine‘s a great, great character for dialogue and creative mythology but the action almost works as a medicated reminder that, yeah, he’s also an axe-wielding warrior and he will at some point kill something good and bloody. So it is written, so it shall be done.
The fourth part to one of the longer build-ups in the current roster of stories comes with Sinister Dexter next. I say longer build-up because all this story has done so far is create an increasingly disastrous situation that will inevitably end in bullets flying everywhere. Sinister Dexter aren’t necessarily characters that thrive on narrative and exposition and this story seems like it’s increasingly biding time for some reason. It’s odd, on one hand I want to buy into the obvious attempts at tension, but I just don’t feel it as much as the writer obviously intends. Much like when an action film tries too hard to make you care, this is suffering a little bit from a distinct lack of action at this stage.
Ending these books with Jaegir, the second new thrill currently running, is an increasingly impressive piece of masterful thinking. This story just keeps evolving in the best ways possible; each issue has added an extra layer to the narrative and expanded the historical context even further. I’m a sucker for a merging of science fiction and fantasy in creative ways and with the first shot being that of a huge castle in the mountains, it sent shivers down my spine. Our heroine Jaegir is making a move on her prey and while the action in previous weeks has been very welcome, it’s her first person narration of her team and her memories that really keep this story so fresh and stirring. The dark and dreadful tones don’t let up, either, as her character development reveals an even darker past than first though with throwaway lines talking about looking at the chemical clouds of war as a romantic rendezvous. Rennie, Coleby, O’Grady and Bowland are onto a serious winner here; my favourite story currently running and if the quality continues one that will hopefully garner the attention it deserves.
2000 AD – Prog 1877 is available now.
[easyreview cat1title=”The Arcade Verdict” cat1detail=”Great book this week, lots of tension and plot development. Only let down a little with Sinister Dexter’s sagging plot.” cat1rating=”8″]
