2000AD, PROG 2090 REVIEW

Writers: Rory McConville; Kek-W; Paul Tobin; Dan Abnett
Artists: Lee Carter; John Burns; Dan Cornwell; Dave Kendall; Mark Harrison
Letterers: Annie Parkhouse; Simon Bowland; Ellie De Ville
Publisher: Rebellion

The loneliness of the regular commuter is the subject of Judge Dredd: Commuter Pain. Ordinary citizen Marge Bostock struggles with public transport delays, crushed by an overly complicated and uncaring system. It's a short and blunt story from Rory McConville, heavy on narration, which captures the crushing monotony of Mega City One, but doesn't provide much by way of plot or character development. Artist Lee Carter provides some beautifully ugly citizens, dwarfed by a grey city. Dredd himself appears as little more than a background character, but ironically provides one of the few splashes of colour in this downbeat tale.

There are more problems with public transport in Terror Tales: The Ticket. A late night bus journey takes an odd turn in this slight, macabre short. It’s a fun short story, with some interesting art from Dan Cornwell, who takes a two-header in a small space and carries it over five pages.  The twist might not be a complete surprise, but it has an original way of doing things.

The Order: The New World is...confusing. Shifting through time and place, with various groups of characters. Its a period drama/science fiction/horror, with history being re-written. John Burn’s painted art is at times lovely, with some great historical detail. The plot, however, is often very difficult to follow, bouncing back and forth between characters whose motivations are obscure.  With a story from Kek-W, this will probably be well worth reading in a single sitting once the story comes to an end.

The end game draws near in Damned: The Fall of Deadworld. The rebels have assaulted the capital, taking the fight to the Dark Judges in an effort to save Fairfax and kill Death. There are some wornderful details which will appeal to long tern fans, with identities being slowly revealed. Blending bloody violence and complex political machinations, Fall of Deadworld is a story which may well have lost many readers along the way. It's a story well worth the effort of keeping up with, as the pieces slowly fall into place.  the nightmarish images of Judge Fear and the symbolism-heavy scene of Death playing chess is worth the cover price.

Grey Area: KIA kicks of with some familiar nationalistic fear mongering. The Earth’s border control agency are back on duty, protecting the planet from immigrants and immigarnts from the planet. After a very slim-line introduction we are thrown into action, with the agency battling against an oversized foe. Mark Harrison’s art is full of detail, colour and craziness, often difficult to follow but perfectly capturing the madness of warfare.