2000AD #2246 Review

Writers: Liam Johnson; Michael Carroll; Gordon Rennie; Emma Beeby; Karl Stock; David Barnett
Artists: Duane Redhead; Simon Coleby; Neil Googe; Steve Roberts; Nick Roche
Colours: John Charles; Dylan Teague; Gary Caldwell; Pippa Bowland
Letters: Annie Parkhouse; Simon Bowland; Jim Campbell
Publisher: Rebellion

Relax everyone. The child friendly issue of 2000AD is here again.

The semi-regular 2000AD Regened is designed to draw in younger readers. To refresh the rank of middle-aged, bald guys with beards and graphic t-shirts who make up the traditional readership with new blood. Funky youngsters, with their “apps” and “social awareness”.

So gone are the regular stories of post-apocalyptic violence and fascist cops, making way for family friendly tales of post-apocalyptic violence and fascist cops.

In Cadet Dredd: The Block With No Name, a young Dredd goes undercover and infiltrates a gang of youthful ne’er do wells.

Set in the earlier days of Mega City One, these young upstarts are occupying an old building which the judges are eager to demolish to make way for a shiny new mega-block.

Quickly glossing over the darker elements of how the judges have helped create a lost generation who turn to crime in desperation, instead The Block With No Name provides a clear villain who deserves to be punched. It’s a light story, but a nice introduction to Dredd stories for younger readers.

‘Splorers is a sequel to Survival Geeks. Simon and Sam have grown up and moved on in their lives, settling down to raise two kids in the their suburban, semi-detached homes which also happens to be a dimension-jumping spacecraft. It’s told from the point of view of youngster Jaina, who just wants to enjoy the life of an adventurer without interruption from her two year old brother, Jaycen. Mum and dad have been demoted to support roles (and are not even referred to by name). It’s a fun set up, and Neil Googe and Gary Caldwell’s art is as colourful and welcoming as ever, with a child-eyed view of the world where parents are frequently capture mid-exasperation. It’s certainly a nice one-off, but I’m hesitate about whether this has the same legs as Survival Geeks did.

Mayflies is another well received spin off from the Rogue Trooper universe. In an unending war, soldiers are lab-grow and genetically engineered to fight. Mayflies: The Way Forward follows a squad of child soldiers who have escaped their masters and conditioning.

It’s a nicely put together ensemble cast providing a hook for readers who often don’t find representation in comics– there’s a gender mix, a character with a physical disability, a character struggling with issues of identity – each of them valued and playing an important part in the larger story. The child soldiers become refugees in the hands of cruel people smugglers. It’s an insightful and mature look at an important issue where the point of view of the most vulnerable is often ignored.

One-off Future Shock: Trash Culture is a simple tale. Cordy rummages for treasure in the Great Debris Plain, discovering one day a partially functioning tablet, which seems to contain a treasure map. Suddenly, Corby’s map is the centre of attention, with scavengers competing to reach the treasure first. A sort-off-Mad-Max-for-kids, the story is fun, if light. There are plenty of small details building this strange world: massive palaces on tracks, pigeons with cameras strapped to their heads and a villain who looks to be a local Councillor from the 1970s.

Finally, I have mixed views about Chopper: Chopper Don’t Surf. Marlon “Chopper” Shakespeare is a fantastic character who stands out as one of the most interesting people in the Dredd-verse. A smart, anti-establishment teen graffiti artist who later took up the dangerous sport of skysurfing, Chopper was intelligent, funny and quietly hard as nails. The heart breaking ending of Song of the Surfer, which saw Chopper die whilst taking part in a stupidly violent sporting event, brought an emotional end to his tale and is one of my favourite comic book moments.

And they keep bringing him back. Chopper Don’t Surf, at least, delves into the untold backstory of Marlon’s misspent youth. It’s fast moving, wacky, and functions as a decent introduction to the denizens of Mega City One.