Cover: Cliff Robinson & Dylan Teague
Published by: Rebellion
Judge Dredd
Writer: Rob Williams
Artist: RM Guera
Colours: Giulia Brusco
Letters: Simon Bowland
The prog is renowned for its sheer density, and this week is no exception.
Pace is the name of the game here, and Williams packs the first 2 pages with panic as the Judges flail, desperately trying to show that they are still in charge of Mega City One. The strip slows down and gives us time to see the anxiety building in the council before they send Dredd to Banana City, where he bulldozes toward his target. This is a masterclass in pacing, and I’m absolutely rabid to find out what happens.
Guera and Brusco work together flawlessly. Guera’s moody inks and Brusco’s watercolour style is gorgeous, and together they drive the drama forward.
The Ravilious Pact
Writer: TC Eglington
Artist: Steven Austin
Colours: John Charles
Letters: Simon Bowland
Tension rises between the gang’s new boss, Todd, and Jason Ravilious. Jason pursues a lead and carefully prepares for a job before Todd pulls the rug out and says the robbery needs to happen right now. Oh, and his brother in law is going to be a host for a demon. No big deal.
The raw materials for a great story are here, and I do like the characters, but this is the third chapter, and I need to see something big happening next time, or my interest is going to wane.
Thargs 3rillers
Writer: Honor Vincent
Artist: Lee Millmore
Letters: Simon Bowland
Stephen the time-travelling rat’s heroic journey hits its second act, where they set off to find bug larvae. Stephen drafts in more ageless rats to help along the journey, but betrayal upsets Stephen’s plan.
The art strikes a wonderful tone, but inconsistency in storytelling robs a key moment of its significance. They muzzle Grizz the biter and put a mitt on his hand, but we see his hand bare sporadically until Grizz escapes, so I found that I had to read it more than once to know what was happening.
That being said, I enjoy spending time with Stephen, and I look forward to seeing the conclusion next week.
Azimuth
Writer: Dan Abnett
Artist: Tazio Bettin
Colours: Matt Soffe
Letters: Jim Campbell
A joy. I imagine that Dan Abnett has a leather bound tome on his desk, absolutely crammed with tech-related puns, each entry with at least 3 other words scrawled next to them in red. I get the vibe that Abnett is having a tonne of fun, and so am I.
For weeks, I’ve wanted to shout about how great Tazio Bettin’s designs are. Chest tattoos of ouija boards with a planchette necklace. Anderson has never looked so cool. Figures are drawn so dynamically, and the work is elevated by Bettin’s tactful level of detail in the backgrounds; there’s just enough detail to ground the characters in space, so the action shines all the way through.
Scarlet Traces
Writer: Ian Edginton
Artist: D’Israeli
Letters: Jim Campbell
The investigation continues, but is interrupted by the Martian cry, bringing the B-plot to the boil.
Germans smuggle a Martian killing machine into London, and all seems to be going well when suddenly the cables bearing it along snap. It’s like an industrial accident video but with the knobs turned up to 10. When it hits the ground, the machine activates and sings the iconic OOOOLLAHH.
The sound strikes fear into the hearts of Londoners. Edginton and D’Israeli dedicate two pages to people all over the city reacting with one-line exclamations.
Jim Campbell’s lettering is key to the sequence, with OOOOLLAHH weaving its way through the streets, behind scenery and looping between figures. It’s the most pleasant kick in the teeth I’ve ever had.
It’s a quick read, but it sets up next week nicely.
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/
