The Weekly 2000 AD – Prog 2145 Previewed: Will Pin Bury Dredd For Good?
by Richard Bruton
All the very best of the Galaxy’s Greatest Comic previewed here at Comicon.com – it’s time for the Weekly 2000 AD.
Cover by Chris Weston
Another finale here, as we reach the thrilling climax to the showdown between SJS Pin and Dredd. Alongside we get continuations of Indigo Prime’s madness and Jaegir’s interrogation troubles, plus a Future Shock from debut writer Erica Schultz and artist Liana Kangas and the beginnings of a brand new adventure for those bad-luck gun-sharks Sinister Dexter in Dolores 4 Ever.
Prog 2145 is out in the UK and on digital from 21 August, with international copies coming out later – ask for it by name at your local comic shop.
JUDGE DREDD: CONTROL – PART 5 – Rob Williams, Chris Weston, colours Chris Blythe, letters Annie Parkhouse
It’s a common complaint I have with Dredd adventures that really take hold – that they’re simply too short. And here it’s a real issue, with everything seemingly done and finished here way too quickly.
It’s possibly the case that I was just too invested in it all and really wanted this to be the huge epic that pitted Dredd against Pin, when perhaps Williams’ agenda was something different, a simple case of pitting Dredd against another psychopath, dangerous certainly, but critically flawed and, in the end, no match for the sheer force of will that is Dredd.
Whatever, it’s been five episodes of glorious Chris Weston artwork, that’s without question.
INDIGO PRIME: FALL OF THE HOUSE OF VISTA – PART 7 – KEK-W and Lee Carter, letters by Ellie De Ville
Little touches, General Tebbit, Keith Josef, minister of the interior, and Harrods Internment Centre, William Burroughs realising the Glancers and IP are here and active on his world… great opener to this episode of Indigo Prime.
And then in waltz Redman, Dak, and Jinks, three horsemen of the weird apocalypse hitched up to a giant monster hand? Or, as Major Arcana puts it…
There’s nuthin’ like takin’ on a totalitarian hi-tech regime armed with the three stooges… the human finger-bob.
Bizarre battle time is coming next Prog and that suits me down to the ground, as IP seems to work best when it’s going full-on bizarre.
SINISTER DEXTER: DOLORES 4 EVER – PART 1 – Dan Abnett and Steve Yeowell, Colors John Charles, letters Annie Parkhouse
The regular return of Finnigan Sinister and Ramone Dexter, two of the best triggers money can buy in the future city of Downlode. Since taking down Moses Tanenbaum, reality has reset and no-one knows who they are, all except hacker Billi Octavio.
Now they’re at work for the Lizard King and for some reason not yet made clear, Ray is still having something in his head thinking out loud for him. Abnett will get round to it at some point I’m sure, but until then we’re wondering just who Dolores is as Finn heads off to old stomping grounds. It’s a strip I’ve really grown into enjoying, and this looks like another fine series for the pair…
And for Steve Yeowell fans, of which I am one, his art really is taking huge leaps here, with such beautiful detailing in his linework that you might nor normally associate with his art. But bloody hell, he’s on fire here.
FUTURE SHOCKS: THE SWITCH – Erica Schultz and Liana Kangas, letters by Simon Bowland
Just another Future Shock, five pages, twist in the tale, all done really well from new to 2000 AD writer Erica Schultz.
But what I’m particularly loving here is Kangas’ colors throughout The Switch, with those vivid pinks a particular treat we don’t see all that often in 2000 AD.
JAEGIR: VALKYRIE -PART 2 – Gordon Rennie, Simon Coleby, colors Gary Caldwell, letters Ellie De Ville
Kapitan-Inspector Atalia Jaegir is under hard interrogation from psychopathic torturer Colonel Raksha. But his fellow Southers are concerned that Atalia is going to die before she has chance to be handed over to them to extract the vital information she has, and they’re sending an extraction team in for her.
But… someone on the Souther side is feeding the Norts intel, and now that Raksha and his troops will be preoccupied, Sgt Klaur and his band will be able to jump in… and oh boy, this really is being set up for a damn good series here.
