2000AD, PROG 2079 REVIEW

Writers: Alec Worley, Dan Abnett; Emma Beeby; Martin Feekins; John Wagner
Artists: Karl Richardson; Steve Yeowell; Mike Collins; Cliff Robinson; Joe Palmer; Carlos Ezquerra
Colourists: John Charles; Jose Villarrubia
Letterers: Annie Parkhouse; Simon Bowland; Ellie De Ville
Publisher: Rebellion


Dredd is up against some elderly bikers in Judge Dredd: Nans of Anarchy, as the eldsters from Betty White Block come up with a plan to fight eviction. Coupled with a cover from Mick McMahon celebrating Dredd’s place as one of the few remaining alumni of the Class of ’79, it’s another subtle reminder of Dredd’s advancing years. Nans of Anarchy features fast moving and fun script from Alec Worley with some lovely detailed art from Karl Richardson, including the hilarious sight of a bowler-hatted hipster eating noodles from a traffic cone, and a somewhat niche eating establishment.

Like some of the very best Dredd stories, rather than focussing on the Lawman facing off against some supervillains, this is Dredd as the symbol of a faceless authority standing against ordinary citizens who are just doing their best to get by. Supporting characters take the lead, and there are some memorable and interesting citizens.

Professional hitmen Sinister and Dexter play augmented reality games in Sinister Dexter: The Gangbusters. Their latest target spends his weekends taking part in World War Two simulations, so it's chocks away as the duo take to the skies in a spitfire dogfight high above the city of Downlode. Steve Yeowell’s art is as fun and fast moving as ever, but The Gangbusters also makes intelligent use of the skills of letterer Annie Parkhouse to mimic the lettering style used in the classic Commando war comics. With smart and funny writing, including Dexter suddenly becoming aware of his own thought balloons, this looks like another well produced, lighthearted and throwaway Sinister Dexter story.

Anderson PSI Division: Undertow gets even more confusing as it barrels towards its conclusion. A series of individual conflicts are coming together, just as even more elements are added at this late stage. A bunch of Hondo City judges show up to battle against a horde of PSI judges, and Anderson’s out of body experience is put to good use. Will the gang be able to free Karyn from possession? Is there time enough for Judge Echo to do anything interesting? Will we get any explanation as to what is actually happening? There is some great detailed character work from Cliff Robinson and Mike Collins, but the overall plot is confused, with jumps between scenes that are a bit jarring.

One-off Futureshock: An Inconvenient Tooth is a sci-fi super-agent story which revolves mostly around dental puns. The British Security Service battle against super villain The Tooth, and his criminal syndicate W.I.S.DOM, using a variety of futuristic weapons. Attention grabbing and original, there’s a lot going on here and plenty of threads that fall by the wayside, but it’s a fun ride, well executed.

Things go badly for Kenton Sternhammer as he confronts the Glazers in Strontium Dog: The Son. Whilst the plot hasn’t done anything unsurprising, it’s a nice story which has set Alpha on the possibility of a new path. Ezquerra’s art is a little rough around the edges in some panels, but does have yet another typically icon full page panel, and has an interesting twist in that some of the action takes place in the shadows...and things get much darker towards the end as Alpha's self loathing takes hold.