The Weekly 2000AD – Prog 2142 Previewed: Indigo Prime In The Clutches Of Christhulhu

It’s a slightly late Weekly 2000 AD this week – blame Comic-Con for that!
It’s more of the same, as we see continuations of the thrilling tale of SJS Judge Pin in Judge Dredd: Control, more bizarre brilliance of Indigo Prime, continuing psychic shocks for Anderson, the penultimate Absalom in Terminal Diagnosis, and more of the fabulous fear-laced Thistlebone. Prog 2142 is already out in the UK and on digital, released 31 July and available internationally through your local comics shop. Right then… if you’re all sitting comfortably, shall we begin?

(Indigo Prime get the cover from Adam Brown)

JUDGE DREDD: CONTROL – PART 2 – Rob Williams, Chris Weston, colours Chris Blythe, letters Annie Parkhouse
SJS Judge Pin, the psycho killer who takes down Judges she sees as wanting has set her sights on Dredd, just as Dredd’s investigations into her begin to ramp up. It’s all speculation, rumour, circumstantial strands pulling together right now, but that’s the joy of this, as Williams slowly increases the tension to breaking point alongside Weston’s stunning artwork.

And here, as Pin makes her move, it’s unexpected, sudden, calculating and brilliant, exactly like I was hoping Control would play out.


 
INDIGO PRIME: FALL OF THE HOUSE OF VISTA – PART 4 – KEK-W and Lee Carter, letters by Ellie De Ville
Redman and the others are inside the Christhulhu, Major Arcanna, as you’ve seen on the cover, is trapped in its clutches. After the first three episodes of chaos and confusion, this is a more straight-forward affair, with Kek-W falling back on the trope of the double-agent turning out to have been playing everyone to root out the infiltrators, leaving a merry little band left as all that remains of IP.

And it’s a little too obvious, to be honest, a little too played straight. I might not have been completely following IP, but I was really enjoying the madness. Now that it’s playing out more obviously, there’s something missing. However, that’s not to say that Lee Carter isn’t knocking it out the park art-wise.


ANDERSON PSI-DIVISION: MARTYRS – PART 6 – Emma Beeby. Aneke, colors by Barbara Nosenzo, letters by Simon Bowland
All comes to a head here, as we find out the secret behind the cult that has Psi-Judge Karyn, and it’s an unexpectedly good call-back to past MC-1 nightmares.
All of which serves to set-up another showdown between Anderson, having played fast and loose with things in her desperation to protect Karyn, and the Justice Department, with Dredd heading in to lay down the law.


ABSALOM: TERMINAL DIAGNOSIS – BOOK TWO -PART 7 – Gordon Rennie, Tiernan Trevallion, letters Ellie De Ville
The penultimate Absalom, before the strip bows out for good next Prog. And given the threat they’re up against and the body count already, you can’t bet against anyone making it out alive from this one.
Rennie’s played everything out quite perfectly, teasing out the threads of the tale, drawing us in, putting everyone in mortal danger. But it’s Trevallion’s artwork, gorgeously stark, b&w with atmospheric grey tones, that really shines.


THISTLEBONE – PART 8 – TC Eglington, Simon Davis, letters by Annie Parkhouse
Paranoia runs through Thistlebone, finally infecting Avril as she succumbs to the idea that the cult is still here, insidiously influencing the whole village.
She’s set her mind to something now, resolute and driven, but has she been driven mad? Things threaten to blow next time.

It’s been a beautifully tight and menacing strip, perfectly written by Eglington, incredible art from Davis.
How it’s going to end, I have no idea, but it’s fascinating to see it play out.