The Weekly 2000 AD Prog #2238: Hello Hades My Old Friend
by Richard Bruton
The Weekly 2000 AD, Comicon’s weekly preview of all the thrill-power the UK’s finest sci-fi comic has to offer…
This week, as you might guess from yet another great Cliff Robinson cover, we have the return of the immortal gladiator looking for his way off this mortal coil, Aquila. Alongside that, we have more of John Wagner and Colin MacNeil’s Judge Dredd ‘Removal Man‘, more outer space aping around in The Talented Mr Chimpsky, more weird interdimensional intrigue in Department K, and the second part of the new Skip Tracer serial.
2000 AD Prog #2238 is out on Wednesday 3th0 June. And remember, although your local comic shop might have reopened, it’s still desperate for your trade… so head on down and give them your cash. And if you can’t get in, give them a bell and grab your comics through mail order.
All right then, Prog #2238 awaits…
JUDGE DREDD: REMOVAL MAN – PART 3 – John Wagner, Colin MacNeil, letters by Annie Parkhouse
This is really something of a joy to read. Three episodes in and all Dredd’s done is stand next to a hitman’s target and then carry out a low-key investigation. He’s been in maybe a quarter of the pages of ‘Removal Man’, but that’s worked just fine, as it’s a classic bit of Wagner’s Dredd procedural, the slow build-up, the quiet determination on Dredd’s part to get to the bottom of the thing that’s bothering him.
Which is why our hitman is up against it and he knows it. He’s got to get everything sorted, get his beloved wife the operation she needs, get rid of the witnesses on the murder tour bus, and get the hell out.
Will he make it? Well, the smart money always says he won’t, not when Dredd’s on his case, slowly working the clues, following the evidence, getting ever closer.
It’s a great, simple Dredd, nothing overly flashy, nothing explosive, just packed with wonderful little moments, all building cumulatively to brilliance, from both Wagner and MacNeil.
AQUILA: THE RIVER OF HADES – BOOK 1 – PART 1 – Gordon Rennie, Patrick Goddard, colours by Dylan Teague, letters by Annie Parkhouse
The return of the slave-turned-Gladiator Aquila, given immortality by Ammit the Devourer in return for keeping her fed with the souls of evil men. But immortality weighs heavy and now Aquila has ventured into Hades, looking to confront Ammit and free himself from his life.
Of course, first, there’s some slashy stabby stuff to get out the way, as the dead entering Hades are just that little bit pissed at Aquila and his party.
We’re on the path through hell, which never looked more gorgeous than when Patrick Goddard is drawing it.
DEPARTMENT K: COSMIC CHAOS – PART 5 – Rory McConville, Dan Cornwell, Colours by Len O’Grady, letters by Simon Bowland
The rookie on the team, Afua, isn’t having a great day – nabbed by weirdo alien thingies, now she’s having bizarre visions featuring those Locust things – the huge dimensional gatekeepers that Department K keep coming across on their interdimensional travels.
So, why is it that Afua gets to see the last moments of the dead Locust? Why is it the nasty aliens up and run when Judge Kirby pulls Afua out?
Questions, questions, and plenty of them, as McConville keeps the feel of Dept K nice and fresh. And matching him every step of the way, it’s Dan Cornwell – with an absolutely perfect opening page – that’s how you do impressive space-Kirby stuff!
SKIP TRACER – EDEN – PART 2 – James Peaty, Paul Marshall, colours by Dylan Teague, letters by Jim Campbell
In the Cube, the vast city floating in space and used by the Earth-led Consociation to solve the housing problem of where to put all those undesirables and criminals. And Nathan Blake is there as a SKip Chaser, bounty hunter, investigator, and increasingly, a trouble magnet.
Case in point, last episode he was the one stepping in to rescue a deserting Consociation grunt, and now he’s been contacted by old flame Hastings, so it’s off to St Jude’s Spaceport for some as yet unknown reason.
And now we’re into Operation Saviour – whatever the hell that is… although I’m guessing it’s not good news for Nathan Blake.
A lot more questions than answers as yet in Skip Tracer, but as with previous series, it’s already an enjoyable romp.
CHIMPSKY’S LAW: THE TALENTED MR CHIMPSKY – PART 5 – Ken Niemand, PJ Holden, colours by Chris Blythe, letters by Simon Bowland
This really is a blast, so much fun, with Holden and Niemand filling the story with loads of fun details that all add up to a great read and a great character.
In the latest episode, Noam Chimpsky finds himself in a bit of a high-stress survival situation after figuring it’s down to the space station’s A.I. that all these humans keep on being killed… you know, like this:
There are so many delightful little parts to Chimpsky, Holden’s fabulous artwork accompanying Niemand’s fast-paced story, the wonderful twists and turns, the ongoing ridiculousness, even those great captions…
It’s all part of making Noam Chimpsky one of the best new characters to come out of MC-1 for a long time.
