Cover: D’Israeli
Publisher: Rebellion
Judge Dredd
Script: Ken Niemand
Art: Andrea Mutti
Colours: Pippa Bowland
Letters: Annie Parkhouse
Dredd speeds toward the perp on a commandeered vehicle, all the while answering his questions, questions about his favourite freezy-whips and smashball teams. All seems lost until it turns out that Dredd’s mount can fly, at which point he jets up to the perp and saves the day.
The reveal of the bike having a jet is a real deus ex machina, and I feel like my curiosity was a waste. I had no chance to guess how Dredd was going to get there. In any Dredd strip, it’s pretty much guaranteed that he’s going to get the antagonist; it’s just a question of how, so when a jet appears on the back of his bike, it’s a poor answer. How will Dredd get the perp? Flying bike.
Brink
Script: Dan Abnett
Art: INJ Culbard
Letters: Simon Bowland
While Kurtis and Maslow theorise about the sect, “Bowen,” the spy hanging around Castenada, closes in.
This week, I enjoyed cutting between Bowen and Kurtis, but I was most interested in Bowen. I must admit, I’ve missed the first five series of Brink, so I don’t have a great deal of context, but Kurtis’ conversation has a lot of nebulous talk of organisations of whom I am not aware. It lacks concrete characters to whom I can anchor any of this conversation, so try as I might, I can’t bring myself to care about any of what they’re talking about.
Silver
Script: Mike Carroll
Art: Joe Currie
Letters: Simon Bowland
Alain carries Desilva to The Shepherd’s, Esteban’s compound, where she kills the guards. Nevertheless, Esteban takes her in. We get some background to Procurator Morrison too, an opportunistic piece of work even as a youngster.
There’s some brilliant action in Desilva’s scene. Currie chooses to show all the action from a level, consistent view, so that the only thing “moving” in the frame is Desilva herself, so it all happens so fast that no one has any time to move.
Tharg’s 3rillers: Poster Girl
Script: Paul Starkey
Art: Paul Marshall
Colours: Dylan Teague
Letters: Rob Steen
Jenna breaks into Peggy’s house. Back at the office, Nic shows her editor the footage found in the last prog, but by then it’s too late.
I’ll not spoil what happens to Jenna and Dev, but it’s not a happy ending. The reveal of Peggy in the present day is horrific. After seeing Peggy in the previous two parts, a picture of ideal womanhood in the 40s, her current monstrous form is a shock.
I hope Poster Girl returns as a series. It’s clear that there’s a lot to this world, and I would love to see more of it.
Helium
Script: Ian Edginton
Art: D’Israeli
Letters: Annie Parkhouse
Hodge finds Grimsby in pieces. Francis takes the opportunity to fight back, revealing that he is a robot in the process, and he’s winning until Grimsby powers up.
Some stunning art and action here. The creators do a wonderful job of layering action and exposition, so while it IS a tense standoff followed by a comic-booky fight, it’s a series of revelations and complications too. Helium is my pick of the prog.
Overall: 8/10
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/
