2000AD #2210 REVIEW
Artists: Steven Austin; Dave Kendall; D'Israeli; Steve Yeowell; Tiernen Trevallion
Colours: Chris Blyth; John Charles
Letters: Annie Parkhouse; Simon Bowland; Jim Campbell
Publisher: Rebellion
With a main character who mostly doesn’t emote, and where character development can take place over decades, the real joy of many Judge Dredd stories is in the details of the world itself, and of its absurd inhabitants. Kenneth “pseudonym” Niemand shows a fantastic understanding of the sheer silliness of Mega City life. Both the Judges and the outlandish Simp Underground are planning a raid on a “conversion clinic” in Judge Dredd: Simply Normal - but who will get there first? Starting as a nice commentary on the treatment of minority groups, the third act is just silly action, as a swarm of clowns dish out their own brand of justice.
Amid the weirdly dressed crowds there are some nice moments of character. Judges Patsy and Wrexler’s growing friendship is a really nice detail, as is Dredd pausing to thank a robot.
An era ends in Stickleback: New Jerusalem, and everything it tied up with a nice scene in the sitting room of 221B Baker Street. New Jerusalem was really one for the fans, calling back to stories from six years ago as it revealed long hidden secrets and had a wide cast of characters do battle. Some of the story’s stranger elements are explainedaway, whilst others become ever stranger. “Lord, when did this all become so convoluted” remarks Sherlock/Stickleback, quite understandably.
This final episode opens up the possibility of new and fresh beginnings, with a lovely nod to Edginton and D’Israeli’s previous work on the stand-alone horror Leviathan.
The Deadworld saga has spent some time veering into the realms of action/horror, as mirror-universe versions of familiar Dredd-world characters did battle against an inevitable Death.
Visions of Deadworld: Last Man Standing reverts back to earlier stories. It’s just as nightmarish as it always was, but without the action sequences or wide cast of characters. Instead, in horrific scenes painted by Dave Kendal in shades of rust and congealed blood, Last Man Standing is set in the awful aftermath of the Dark Judges conquest of the Earth. Countless eons after the final battle, a being that may once have been a man walks the windswept ruins of the world. This strange tale is like a glimpse into the deepest recesses of a troubled mind.
Formerly one half of smart-walking crime duo Sinister & Dexter, Ramone Dexter has his first solo adventure in the concisely named Dexter: Bulletopia Chapter Four; The Funt Outta Town: Part One. It’s not quite solo though. Much of the joy of Sinister & Dexter stories was the witty dialogue and wordplay, so here Dexter is accompanied by a couple of accomplices as they escape via a zombie infested shopping mall.
The real issue with Sinister and Dexter stories has always been the publication format. It’s always been an occasional story, appearing for a few weeks and then gone ago for a few more. With massive story arcs spanning years and decades, so much of the page count in any new adventure is given over to a recap of everything that’s happened so far.
This episode, other than the basic framing of a mall-based adventure, almost all of the dialogue is recap. It’s very well done and manages to remain interesting throughout, but could feel like a wasted few pages for readers who have been paying attention.
Constanta finally gets his teeth on Fiends of the Eastern Front: Constanta. The recurring villain's backstory is almost told, his decent into vampirism complete. It’s been a bit of a rambling saga at times, but fun throughout as it skirted around history and into mythology. The real highlight, however, has been Teirnen Trevallion’s outstanding artwork.
A Look Inside
