2000AD, PROG 2095 REVIEW
Artists: Staz Johnson, John Burns; Andrea Mutti; Karl Richardson; Mark Harrison
Colourists: Abigail Bulmer; Eva De la Cruz
Letterers: Annie Parkhouse; Ellie De Ville; Simon Bowland
Publisher: Rebellion
The Sons of Booth return in Judge Dredd: the Booth Conspiracy. The “patriotic” group attack a justice department facility, as part of what is quickly revealed to be a bigger plan. The Sons of Booth are an interesting group, satirising the rise of the far-right in US politics. This opening episode, however, feels a little flat.
Previous Sons of Booth stories have commented on media manipulation and political intrigue, but this is a fairly straightforward robbery. Characters dressed in identical, featureless, bouncing suits and backgrounds which lack detail leads to the art feeling a little underwhelming, and the twist ending will be lost on anyone who doesn’t remember a somewhat obscure story from 1983. It looks like this is just part of an ongoing arc, however, so this may well pick up. Strange through that writer TC Eglington would avoid mentioning the wonder material “boing”, whilst picking up on a far less well known reference.
The Order: The New World struggles to get itself back in shape after dragging 90’s strip Armoured Gideon into its orbit. The characters reflect on their troubled pasts, before preparing for another adventure.
Tharg’s 3riller: Appetite ends in an entirely expected way. Having infiltrated the mysterious spa with possible dark motives, journalist Adrian Jones discovers it is indeed mysterious with dark motives. Appetite was a perfectly functional story, but it exposes the flaws of the “3riller” format: that it often takes the plot of a one-part story and expands it, rather than taking a longer tale and condense it. Appetite was a full of character, if a little lacking in surprises.
Mechastopheles: True Faith lumbers on, as the steampunk giant tries to gain access to the fortress city of Benedictia. Battling against both the demons that beseige the walls, and the city’s own defences, action jumps between characters on both sides. There’s some great world building from writers Gordon and Lawrence Rennie, as the politics and culture of the city are hinted – subtle mentions of “prayer walls” and the faith of the population reveal a great deal about this world. Mechastopheles has been a bit slow so far, but looks to be picking up pace.
Grey Area’s big reveal last prog is examined further, as a conspiracy is slowly revealed in Objectives. Having faked the death of two characters in order to recruit them to a black-ops squad, its hinted at how this new force will be used. Mark Harrison’s busy, crowded art, really captures the chaos of the Exo Zone. The decision to fake a couple of characters deaths, though, needs a big payoff. We'll have to wait and see if that happens.
A Look Inside
