2000AD #2230 review

Writers: Kenneth Niemand; TC Eglington; Kek-W; Arthur Wyatt; Dan Abnett
Artists: Tom Foster; Simon Davies; Dave Kendall; Pye Parr; Richard Elson
Colours: Chris Blythe
Letters: Annie Parkhouse; Simon Bowland; Pye Parr; Jim Campbell
Publisher: Rebellion

There’s an electric ending to Judge Dredd: The Penitent Man this prog, as former judge Asher, Dredd, and the Special Judicial Squad collide.

Asher has found himself the target of internal affairs brutality since completing a twenty year prison sentence. Dredd hates murderous ex-judges, but he hates corrupt current-judges even more. A tense pursuit through the sewers, reminiscent of The Third Man, is topped-off with some shouting at gunpoint

It’s an ever-escalating power play over five pages, and ends with a really nice twist...and a final panel that either allows everyone to live happily ever after, or hints that there’s more to Asher that meets the eye.

Seema confronts Malcolm in Thistlebone: Poisoned Roots. After we discovered the mystery of the doomed camping trip, the murderous pagan Malcolm reveals his devious plan and his willingness to poison people. Thistlebone is a large part a series of tense head-to-heads, interspersed with weird imagery. Simon Davies’ sparkly art can make two people sitting outside a pub seem lie the most tense thing imaginable.

In the Vanaheim Station, deep within the arctic territories, the last remaining engineers and soviet troops face off against the Dark Judges. Last week’s set up quickly descended into gore and carnage. This week, well, things get more gory and carnagey.

With the world on the verge of collapse at the hands of the Dark Judges, the mining station is the next step in their plan to kill every living thing. As ever, Dave Kendall’s dark, muddy art is perfectly suited to a world dominated by hideous mutations and twisted, walking corpses.

Visions of Deadworld: Transpolar is another story in the Deadworld universe that pits ordinary people against an unstoppable darkness that the reader knows will eventually win.

At the other end of the scale, Intestinauts stories are colourful, action packed adventures filled with upbeat, slightly gross humour. They’re the story of a troop of nanobots who battle infections and infestations within the warzone of the human body. It’s like an old-school, Saturday morning cartoon, but with gunfights.

In Tharg’s 3rillers: Intestinauts: Symbiotc Love Triangle the teeny warriors go up against a Venom style suit that just wants to be helpful. Packed full of inventive detail, Pye Parr’s art and design are absolutely beautiful. Intestinauts should really be an ongoing series by now.

Feral & Foe is a big adventure made up of a series of small adventures. Last prog, the trio were ambushed by some forest dwellers and set upon by a monster. This prog, that problem gets suitably resolved.

There are a few jokes around the ongoing body-swap sub-plot, a whole bunch on innuendo, and some lovely colourful action.