2000AD, PROG 2107 REVIEW
Artists: Henry Flint, Colin MacNeil; INJ Culbard; Pye Parr; Richard Elson
Colourists: Chris Blythe, Dylan Teague; Abigail Bulmer
Letterers: Annie Parkhouse; Ellie De Ville; Simon Bowland; Pye Parr
Publisher: Rebellion
Was it so long ago that Judge Dredd: The Small House was cracking jokes about Sensitive Klegg becoming a Chinese pop star and Dirty Frank befouling himself? How times have changed. Over the last few Progs, we’ve seen a mind-controlled Frank commit cold-blooded murder, learned that Smiley has waged a long campaign of extra-judicial assassinations, and had Dredd publicly denounce the Chief Judge.
Here, we dip back in time to learn how Frank became Dirty. It’s a story that’s been hinted at since Prog 1809, six years ago. It’s possibly that most delayed origin story, ever.
The tragic ballad of Dirty Frank might not be a huge surprise, but manages to be shocking and emotional. A fresh faced-Frank is broken by a terrible realisation, and finds himself lost in the snow, where he’s damaged enough to become an unwitting footsoldier of Judge Smiley. It’s a fast moving and action filled episode, simply told. Its impact however, is huge. In a Prog filled with decent stories, The Small House continues to be outstanding.
Skip Tracer: Legion continues to throw itself headlong into a conclusion. There are more explosions as Legion gradually assimilates expendable extras, and named characters stand around shouting about it. Colin MacNeil’s art appears to have become more silhouetted and less detailed as time has gone on. The dialogue could be taken directly from a 1980’s action flick, and most of its ideas could be traced to big budget sci-fi movies. Skip Tracer is a silly B-Movie: nonsense, forgettable, but fun.
The great strength of an anthology comic is the shift in tone and style it can allow. From the low budget action of Skip Tracer, we can slip seamlessly into the most Kubrickian and complex of tales...
Bridget uses a day off to meet with other Security Agents in Brink: High Society. We follow the undercover agents as she passes through security, wanders the busy streets, and attends a secret meeting. Brink takes it’s time. But it’s the details that define this world. The shifts in colour and mood, the often obtuse exchanges between characters. That three panels are given to a wordless scene in which the main character eats noodles might seem strange, but just watch for the details of the interactions and the characters quietly positioned in the background.
On a patch of sweaty and infected skin, two surviving nanobots shelter in the crater of a burst boil and discuss survival in Tharg’s 3rillers: Infestonauts Are Go!. Dispatched to combat parasites and infections, the nanobots have been quickly outmatched, and must search for a way out.
The whole plot is based on the idea that each squad of nanobot have the same consciousness, and that memories and experience are shared after each deployment. It’s a smart idea, and the reader is expected to keep up and piece it together, rather than having it bluntly explained. Infectonauts Are Go! could easily have relied on its wonderfully unique and utterly disgusting premise. Instead, it manages to also be smart and funny, making great use of design ideas by Pye Parr on both art and lettering detail.
Action suddenly takes hold in Kingdom: Alpha And Omega. After discussing the future of the planet for quite a while, it’s a relief to have characters shooting at each other. It’s all expertly done and well paced, with a sudden surprise ending...
A Look Inside
