It's been a while since I reviewed a prog, but I'm getting back into the swing of weekly prog and monthly Meg reviews.
2000AD is well on its way to prog 2000, a massive comics milestone that shows the staying power of excellent stories. No doubt 2000 will be a BIG issue, but until then we're reviewing 1981. HERE BE SPOILERS!
Cover: After the reveal of the last issue, we now know that The Law Lives. This is a nice cover, and one of the rare times Dredd is holding his helmet (face obscured by shadow, obviously). He looks pissed.
Judge Dredd: The Lion's Den Part Four - Joyce has been extradited to Brit-Cit and is on the run. The plot thickens more, with the Judges that form Team C on the hunt for Joyce, with orders to capture him by any means necessary. There's a lot of running and, unfortunately despite the cover, Dredd doesn't make an appearance. Back in Mega City One, Texas has joined with the Meg to make up its law enforcement numbers. They're not too thrilled that citizens aren't allowed to carry fire-arms (Texans, lol). It's a good installment and the conspiracy is getting to a boiling point, but it's a shame we didn't find out anymore about Dredd.
Survival Geeks: Lord of the Ringers Part Four - Oh guys, you had me at the Fighting Fantasy reference in the first panel. Honestly, I didn't see myself liking Survival Geeks when I first started reading it. It's chock full of nerdy references, which can be a little annoying, but thankfully Gordon Rennie and Emma Beeby are decent storytellers. We're at the conclusion of this story, which saw weird Kev weasel his way into the gang's lives, holding a weird power over them, pretty much solely to have them play Star Wars Monopoly with him. Kev goes full lich and we discover a lot about the shortcomings of our protagonists - including how Rufus is a secret Brony. The ending is unexpected and fun - I look forward to Survival Geeks returning.
Slaine: The Brutania Chronicles - Psychopomp Part Three - This is by far the most beautiful art in the Prog at the moment. Simon Davis is a bloody god - his monochromatic, chaotic style is just wonderful. After the Gort/Slaine slog out last time, both warped ruffians have turned on Lord Weird, but Gort draws the short straw and get boffed early on. The warp doesn't last for long as Slough Thruc has carried out a ritual to prevent the Earth Power from reaching the two. Bummer. There's some good slogging and a lot of "I'm going to despoil you after death" talk. I can't help but think not a tonne has happened over three Progs, so let's hope we have more next week, but the art alone is worth the price of admission.
Brink Part Four - I love Abnett and I think Brink is a really nice concept, but the last installment pretty much put me to sleep. Thankfully, we're in full investigative mode as Brinkmann and Kurtis move into Ludmilla Habitat on the hunt for the sect. There's a funny scene where they're choosing bunks, one of which is covered in topless women and Kurtis says that the "nipples follow you around the room". We get to learn a little more about the sects as an unknown informant gets in touch with Brinkmann and explains how all the cults are essentially worshipping the same god. I really like the world building around The Brink and its habitats and how everyone eats synthetic food while keeping dosed up on drugs.
Tainted: The Fall of Deadworld Part Nine - The sprawling Deadworld story comes to a close this issue with an explosive and somber ending. This has been a great series that has cast a new light on what a zombie apocalypse story can look like. Kek-W is an outstanding scribe and Dave Kendall's art is dripping with a grim, dirty look that fits perfectly with the story. I won't go too much into this, you'll just have to read the entire thing yourself.
Overall, a fantastic Prog.
I was provided a copy of this publication for review. All thoughts are my own.
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