Judge Dredd: Climate Crisis
- Annie Parkhouse (Letterer)
- Rob Williams (Writer)
- P.J. Holden (Artist)
- Ned Hartley (Writer)
- Jack Davies (Colourer)
A final act perspective change is difficult to pull off but these folks are seasoned pros. Delightfully, Facechange takes centre stage here and it’s so much fun. FC’s internal monologue is one part Danny Ocean one part Ben Grimm and his cheerful reaction to getting the tar beaten out of him by Dredd is charming. So charming in fact the fact this is another Dredd story setting up something massive down the line and it isn’t remotely annoying. This has been a blast and I’d love to see this team bring their burly, big tech, big punch approach back for something longer.
Brink: The Call of the Void
- Dan Abnett (Writer)
- INJ Culbard (Artist)
- Simon Bowland (Letterer)
Kurtis bonds with an old friend on the gun range and does not bond in ANY CONCEIVABLE WAY with two new colleagues. Abnett’s measured, calm approach feels less like a cliffhanger pulp and more like a serialised novel and it’s stronger for how much it commits to that. The deliberate choice to have two scenes contrasting like this is very smart, and shows us not just how good Kurtis is but how alone she is. It’s still a pull for someone who hasn’t followed the other parts but it’s enough of a draw to make me want to check them out. Bowland nails the different dialogue styles and info boxes, and Culbard does not know how to bad work. Great stuff all around.
Tharg’s 3rillers: Who is Adrian Apollo?
- John Charles (Colourer)
- Steven Austin (Artist)
- Rob Steen (Letterer)
- Liam Johnson (Writer)
Three twists in one part! This swings for the absolute fences and Johnson lands every single one of them and a fourth for good measure. The title gets answered, the nature of the story is explored, there’s a complete reversal of everything we’ve seen without being cheap AND a subtle riff on my favorite James Bond fan theory. All wrapped up in some great colours by Charles, expressive art by Austin and great letters from Steen. I’d read more of this but as a stand-alone it’s not just great, it’s a template for how to do great things with this format. Strongest one off of the year for me so far.
Tharg’s Future Shocks: Lucky Number Six
- Annie Parkhouse (Letterer)
- John McCrea (Artist)
- Andi Ewington (Writer)
Friend of the Lid Andi Ewington brings us a story about a man who can’t stop winning and can’t look the fate coming with it in the eyes. Andi’s a wickedly smart writer and this story’s twin motifs of the snake and addiction are cleverly handled and explored. The inability to acknowledge imminent doom, the sense of just one more score before the big score, that’s the sweaty palmed gambler in all of us and Ewington sits the story inside the milisecond of denial between one last roll and one LAST roll.
This looks like nothing else 2000AD has put out this year and like nothing else McCrea, beloved in these parts for Hitman, has ever done. It’s scratchy and nervous, all caffein panic and nicotine prayers and it bounces along incredibly, like Halls of the Mountain King played on electric guitar. Parkhouse nails every beat of the patter and while I’d have liked a slightly extended ending, that’s personal preference not a problem with the story. The shorter and experimental work in 2000AD is on an absolute tear right now and this is one of the best.
The Discarded
- Peter Milligan (Writer)
- Simon Bowland (Letterer)
- Jim Boswell (Colourer)
- Kieran McKeown (Artist)
Veera discovers there’s no such thing as being recycled as the story comes to an end. I’ve had such a complex relationship with this piece. The third act has been the strongest for me and this, by and large, continues to be true. McKeown’s art is great and Veera’s combination of youthful exuberance and hard-bitten cop vibes really hits here. The big, up close and personal first page is fun too as is the slightly ‘OR IS IT?!’ of it all. The entire team have done good work but the last panel has an ache to it that hits beautifully and i wish more of the story had carried.
If this came back for a second run, I’d give it a try. The first tried my patience mmensely but it ends pretty well.