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2000 A.D. Prog #1949

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    Ian Jane
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  • 2000 A.D. Prog #1949



    2000 A.D. Prog #1949
    Released by: Rebellion
    Released on: September 23rd, 2015.
    Writer: Various
    Artist: Various
    Purchase From Amazon

    BORAG THUNGG, EARTHLETS! The latest issue of 'The Galaxy's Greatest Comic' features four new comic book stories for your reading pleasure!

    First up is Judge Dredd: Ghost Town - Part Two written by Ian Eddington and illustrated by Dave Taylor. Recent attacks on Mega City One have left the Judges severely understaffed and so Dredd is trying something he's never tried before - a Ranger program. The Journal Of Jane Doe (one of Dredd's Rangers) serves as the narrative device here, as she looks back on what she learned in the Academy and how she learned, years later, as a Judge she was part of the problem, not the solution. She theorizes that by trading security for freedom that the people of Mega City One have become enslaved by those sworn to protect them. Dredd and his rangers cruise through the city on their bikes, and run into a gang of 'Droid Jackers.' A firefight breaks out and there are casualties… and then The Black Atlantic Pirates show up.

    We won't spoil the ending but this is a solid finale to the two-parter. Nice action, good tension and some completely relevant social commentary all make for top-notch Dredd comics and this one has all that and more. Dave Taylor's artwork is also excellent. There's a ton of detail here and the layouts are great. Nice design work in the backgrounds of every panel and he draws the human, mutant and robot characters really well too.

    The next story is Future Shocks Re-Incarn-8 scripted by David Baillie with story and art from Nick Brokenshire. At a dive bar, a kid celebrates his eighteen birthday by tying one on with the local bar flies. One of the older guys tells him what it's all about - how everyone is reincarnated, the memories of their past lives locked away for legal reasons 'until you're old enough to handle them.' Is eighteen old enough? It would seem so… and then we learn the truth about WHY memories are really blocked for such a long period of time.

    This is a dark little self-contained piece well worth reading. Brokenshire's grey scale artwork is slick and he's got a great eye for interesting panel layout. As the action heads outside of the bar and memories flutter across the pages he gets to go pretty wild with the art here. The story is appropriately dark and plenty interesting - this is a good read.

    Our third story is Dreams Of Deadworld: Death, written by Kek-W and illustrated by Dave Kendall. Judge Death has gathered his minions to tell them of Judge Omen's passing, neither accident nor suicide but murder. Before Omen was killed he warned of a bloody coup - and he was right, Judge Death learns this the hard way. And then he teaches them the rule of law…

    Kendall's absolutely gorgeous painted artwork is the star of the show here. This is darkly gorgeous, the various characters inhabiting this dead world looking like Cenobites in a lot of ways. Still, the story gives Judge Death the chance to do what he does best: judge those in need of judging and, upon a guilty verdict, doling out punishment. This one is pretty twisted, but completely awesome.

    The Alienist: The Haunting Of Hex House Part 6, written by Gordon Rennie and Emma Beeby and illustrated by Eoin Coveney finishes up the issue. Madelyn tells Reggie they're inside a pan-dimensional entity that's about to journey off to another plane of existence. Will they be able to maintain their psychic link and if so, will either of them be able to make it out of there on time and intact? Madelyn knows, when the creature manifests, that she won't be able to beat it in battle, but she's got a plan…

    A fine finish to this storyline mixing elements of gothic horror and high concept sci-fi. It feels like something that might have come out of Hammer in the seventies when they were getting a bit trippier with some of their movies and moving away from their more traditional horror films. That's a good thing. Also a good thing is Coveney's artwork, presented here in black and white and looking like a cross between early Tim Vigil and Brian Bolland. Lots of great line work and detail here to ogle over.

    Also worth noting? Dave Kendall's absolutely gorgeous painted cover. Judge Death has rarely looked as awesome or as ominous as he does here.








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