2000AD #2248 review

Writers: Kenneth Niemand; James Peaty; Dan Abnett; Robert Murphy; Gordon Rennie
Artists: Nick Percival; Paul Marshall; Tazio Bettin; Steven Austin; Simon Coleby
Colours: Dylan Teague; John Charles; Matt Soffe; Len O'Grady
Letters: Annie Parkhouse; Jim Campbell; Simon Bowland
Publisher: Rebellion

 

If you’re one of the many readers waiting for an evil-building-AI to turn up in Judge Dredd: The House on Bleaker Street, you’ll be waiting a while longer. This week, the dark secret of the abandoned building is revealed...sort of.

Here’s how good mystery man Kenneth Neimand is. Last week opened with a brief and comedic scene which set up everything the reader needs to know to enjoy this entirely uncomedic story. An effortless, almost throwaway reference to Dredd’s history which reminds us that this gritty, post apocalyptic city is also one where supernatural stuff is real, and where people continue to be tainted by the horrors of the past

Dredd’s stilted dialogue and absolute focus as he searches for a way to escape the horrors of Bleaker Street is just superb.

Do you enjoy Skip Tracer? I’m assured that many people do. They like the fast moving action, and the straightforward storytelling. I’m not a fan. In fact, I criticise Skip Tracer so frequently, I’m starting to feel bad about it.

It’s not that Skip Tracer is terrible. It’s not offensive. It’s just...too generic for my tastes. It feels a bit hollow and unoriginal, combining stuff from a variety of different sci-fi stories and just not doing anything hugely original.

This week, I’m going to say something nice. Paul Marshall has does some interesting things in the last couple of weeks with recurring shapes, and it shows what an impressive talent he is. In fact, I’d whole-heartedly recommend you check out his work in Firekind, a weird fantasy from the mid-90s that Rebellion have re-released digitally this month.

Dexter: Somewhere, Beyond The Sea continues with another exceedingly efficient action sequence. Another long running character who had disappeared for a while makes a return and there’s a bit of brutal violence as Dexter flees from the city of Downlode and his reanimated former partner.

This story feels like a clearing of the decks, as threads are tied up. Could Dexter actually make it to the land of Mangapore and make a fresh start?

After last week’s set up Tharg’s 3riller: The Mask of Laverna dials up the action. An evil businessman uses supernatural means to attack a former business partner, and mystical lady Adelphi tries to stop him.

Finally, in Jeagir: The Path of Kali, Atilla takes a break from the frontline of an unending war, with some relaxing nightmares and pillow talk about torture. The slow burn of Jeagir, the political manoeuvring and the glimpses of a culture defined by warfare is what makes this a so compelling. It also means, however that there are lots of threads on the go at one time, which with extended delays between stories might make it more difficult to follow.