Cover: Clint Langley
Publisher: Rebellion
Judge Dredd
Script: Ken Niemand
Art: Dan Cornwell
Colours: Chris Blythe
Letters: Annie Parkhouse
Dredd figures that the best way to get through the Souther barricade is to barter with the Norts for weapons. The Sovs Dyavol and Zmeya are suspicious that he’s talking to the Baba Yaga, who seems to be the head honcho of The Oubliette. After ambushing a Souther patrol, Zmeya proves the group’s mettle, and away they go up the tower.
Dredd keeps siding with the historical “baddies” of 2000AD, which raises the question: what will happen when Dredd escapes? Will Dredd let the Sovs and Norts roam Mega City One?
What intrigues me too is that Dredd keeps chasing pieces of his uniform. It feels egotistic, like he doesn’t feel like himself without his equipment, which may lead to a dilemma in which he must choose escape, or rescue, or something else virtuous, or his uniform.
Brink
Script: Dan Abnett
Art: INJ Culbard
Letters: Simon Bowland
Kurtis, Bonner and the Chief see the footage of Leeden, who is confirmed to be on Ludmilla. Leeden was in volume 5, I guess, which I haven’t got to, but I will! Next, Kurtis visits Holly Cutwell and grills her about her connection to Leeden.
Seeing Leeden sets a ticking clock, because we know that Castanada has seen him. When she sees the footage, that will flip us into a new stage of the story. The scene between Kurtis and Cutwell was so satisfying, given how their relationship has been pants from day one, and only now, after 21 weeks, do we see their argument boil over.
I’ve reviewed this whole story negatively, without context, but now that I have some, I know why these minor actions are significant.
The Fall of Deadworld
Script: Kek-W
Art: Dave Kendall
Letters: Simon Bowland
A gunship flies in, and Soren and Agatha makes the crew realise that they’re dead, driving them mad. Vaslov touches down and joins forces with them.
Dave Kendall’s art manages to be murky in its look, but clear in its storytelling, so despite the chaos of the apocalypse, everything is easy to understand. With a nuclear weapon brought onto the board, the following story promises to be high stakes indeed.
Nightmare New York
Script: Kew-W
Art: David Roach
Colours: Jim Boswell
Letters: Annie Parkhouse
The Fodors, who allowed Lil into their home, argue about whether they should go rescue her when they are visited by John Domingo, guardian of the Five Points, and they are compelled to find her or kill her. In the Museum, Lil and Mose struggle to fight the goonies and the shevet at the same time.
Gyorg’s reason for throwing out Mose gives the Fodors some depth. Stefania gets fleshed out some more too. Despite being a stranger in a strange land, she’s still willing to go out and help a friend. I’m looking forward to hearing more about Mr Orlac, who has this refined air about him- no ordinary moustache-twirler he, surely, when he has access to all sorts of magical items. Furthermore, I hope to see why John Domingo can’t enter Professor Praetorian’s Dime Museum. What role does Orlac play against him?
Anderson, Psi Division
Script: Liam Johnson
Art: Rob Richardson
Letters: Rob Steen
Anderson explores Lucas’ traumatised mind and finds herself in his history, along with Kra’Vum, some kind of parasite. Meanwhile, Nash protects Anderson and Lucas from a rabid dog sent mad by the tower.
Once again, it’s a tight little tale with a variety of art styles and a cliffhanger which sets us up for two battles. Richardson’s art sells the inside of Lucas’ mind well, drawing Lucas’ parents without faces to show that he doesn’t remember them, or that he’s blocked them out.
Overall: 7/10
Tony Holdsworth is a comics writer based in Dundee, Scotland, who reviews 2000AD each week.
His comics can be found here: https://tonyholdsworth2.wordpress.com/category/portfolio/
