Cover: Anthony Williams
Publisher: Rebellion
Judge Dredd
Script: Ken Niemand
Art: Dan Cornwell
Colours: Chris Blythe
Letters: Annie Parkhouse
With the help of Sovs Dyavol and Zmeya, Dredd breaks through the Souther barricade. After the skirmish, Dredd saves Zmeya from a fall.
It’s an action-packed encounter showing how topsy-turvy Dredd has become. Helping Sovs and empowering Norts? Anything for Mega City One.
Brink
Script: Dan Abnett
Art: INJ Culbard
Letters: Simon Bowland
Cutwell, revealed last prog as an IIA agent, co-operates with HSD and spills her guts. Despite her willingness to share what she knows, it turns out that she knows little about the Mercury Event, but she knows a lot about the agency’s reaction to it. Leeden, AKA Denny Reardon, is part of the Tactical Solutions division, which was sent in after the event, and may have been driven over the edge by the Sect mindset. The whole chapter fleshes out the antagonists and builds Leeden up to be a huge threat, and then leaves us on a cliffhanger with Castanada having drinks with him.
It’s exposition-heavy, but there are a few points that make this part of Brink sing. Firstly, INJ Culbard shows his mastery of subtle storytelling by intentionally breaking the 180 rule. Cutwell starts the interrogation facing page left, but quickly takes control of the interrogation and thereafter faces page right. Second, Cutwell’s unexpected lack of resistance to giving us all of this information. It makes her feel genuinely helpless. She knows it’s the end for her infiltration, so she might as well come out and share everything. It makes me wonder what the IIA may do to her now that she’s compromised. Third, the lack of full understanding on the part of any of the main factions. It feels like Leeden is the most informed, given that he’s been to the Mercury Zone (is that what we’re calling it? Totally willing to be corrected on the nomenclature), so his vendetta against Castanada, Kurtis and Maslow intrigues me. What is he trying to protect? Why does he want to kill them so badly?
I just can’t believe I was such a wet lettuce about this series for so long, and I can’t believe how hard I flipped as soon as I read the first volume. With another payday comes another volume of Brink, so expect more effusive praise in the weeks to come.
The Fall of Deadworld
Script: Kek-W
Art: Dave Kendall
Letters: Simon Bowland
This episode, Deadworld takes a breath. With the battle done, the living band together to plan their next attack on the dead. The future of the strip will feature a backdoor nuking and an assault by Fairfax and Ava on Sidney De’ath.
It’s an episode light on action, but it’s a welcome break from the chaos so that we can re-orient ourselves and fully appreciate the moment. The tides are turning in Deadworld. If the living manage to win the war, will their old rivalries re-emerge?
Nightmare New York
Script: Kek-W
Art: David Roach
Colours: Jim Boswell
Letters: Annie Parkhouse
Professor Praetorian arrives on the scene, drugs Doctor Orloc, and takes Lil and Mose downstairs, where he keeps the rest of the mystical creatures. The rich pay dearly to see the supernatural. Lil is apparently the key to Heaven and Hell, where the professor can acquire even more exhibitions.
I’m enjoying this story so far, but much like Deadworld, it’s a slower-paced chapter before the action kicks off again. That being said, there are enjoyable moments scattered throughout, like Doctor Orloc being shown a vision of all his victims laughing at him, and all the while we have the tense question of when the Fodors will turn up.
Anderson, Psi Division
Script: Liam Johnson
Art: Rob Richardson
Letters: Rob Steen
Johnson ends the story well this prog, neatly saving Lucas from his demons and Nash from dogs at the same time. It even manages to tie in with the ongoing Oubliette. This might sound strange, but it’s a politely written story, where the stakes are concrete but intimate, not too high, so that The Oubliette isn’t overshadowed.
I love this kind of thing. Smaller stories in the apocalyptic meg flesh the world out so much. Mega City One takes up so much space and homes so many people that these stories make the world feel like a world, rather than a background for Dredd to stomp perps alongside.
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/
