The Weekly 2000 AD Prog #2377: Tharg Beats The Thrill Suckers, Dredd’s On A Wilderness Horror Tour And More

Since 1977 2000 AD has been the UK’s greatest sci-fi weekly comic, and every week we give you a glimpse inside the new Prog… it’s the Weekly 2000 AD.

 

This week have a farewell and a welcome back – the farewell happens with Full Tilt Boogie as Book 2 comes to a close, the welcome back comes with the return of Aquila for The Rivers of Hades Book Two – expect blood and vengeance in equal measure.

And of course, we have three continuing strips doing great things – there’s Judge Dredd in the frozen and very inhospitable North and in deep trouble in Rend & Tear With Tooth & Claw, more multiversal strangeness for Indigo Prime and Tyranny Rex in Black Monday, and plenty of galaxy-spanning brilliance in the new Proteus Vex tale, Devious.

Prog #2377 comes out on 10th April in the UK. You North American readers should get to their local comic shops and demand they get the four-weekly Prog bundles in – it’s the right thing to do. Once more, ahead of myself with these previews – but don’t hold your breath on it continuing. Still have chaos all around us here at Bruton Mansions US – puppy still tearing round like a loon and news from the homeland meaning phone calls at all hours to sort things. Oh, the joy of being the ex-pat eh?

 

JUDGE DREDD: REND & TEAR WITH TOOTH & CLAW – PART 2 – by Rob Williams and RM Guera, colours by Giulia Brusco, letters by Annie Parkhouse

So, last week we were right into things, Dredd and his handpicked team, including Cadet Moon shot down in their mission – as yet unknown to us – in the radlands that used to be Alaska.

They’ve already suffered casualties in the crash and at the hands of the radlands muties, they’re now down to just four and things just got way worse with the appearance of a singularly pissed-off giant bear.

Page 1 of part 2 – four becomes two and the whole mission appears to be going straight to hell. It’s Dredd and Moon left in a frantic escape into the frozen waters – pursued by said pissed-off bear.

 

Well, this one really isn’t letting up at all, is it? It’s Williams really going all out for the action in these first two parts, spreading the death and devastation around until there’s very little left to do for Dredd but make a difficult truce, stick on some pelts, grab Moon, and run like hell.

It’s opened so well, Williams writing tight action sequences and Guera’s art just looking so good, a nicely different look at Dreddworld, way outside the sort of environment we normally get and with plenty of stylistic elements to make Dredd his own.

 

FULL TILT BOOGIE: BOOK 2 – PART 11 – FINAL PART – by Alex De Campi and Eduardo Ocana, colours by Eva De La Cruz, letters by Annie Parkhouse

And so we come to the end of the second book of Full Tilt Boogie, with a quiet, reflective end that sees Tee and everyone else in her party processing the next stage of what they’re going to do.

And what they’re going to do is a biggie, as voiced last episode they’re going to dethrone the Empress of Luxos, bring down an Empire ruled by an ancient Titan parasite…

 

This last part is planning and getting ready for what’s to come, full of a last look at Ocana and De La Cruz’s artwork here, all glorious sunshine colours and a sense of both hope that there’s enough support out there to make what they’re doing just a suicide mission.

The third book will presumably be taking us back into space, back to the Luxine Empire and straight into a fight for the future. But looking back on this second book, as I said last week, it’s been something of a second act in a three act play, a fun diversion that’s worked well. However, the prospect of getting into things properly for the third book is looking plenty exciting indeed.

 

AQUILA: THE RIVERS OF HADES BOOK TWO – PART 1 – by Gordon Rennie and Patrick Goddard, colours by Dylan Teague, letters by Annie Parkhouse

Aquila’s a slave-turned-gladiator who was granted immortality by the demon Ammit the Devourer after his crucification alongside Spartacus and the others in the failed slave revolt. The downside is that he has to keep his mistress well-fed with the souls of men. A lot of killing followed until Aquila grew tired of the deaths and the killing and looks for a way out, a way to break his bond. To do that, he needs to find Ammit’s location, resulting in a trip to Hades with soldier Felix and necromancer Scarabatus to search for the soul of former emperor Nero, who can tell Aquila just where the demon is. Nero’s payment is to get his soul across the River Styx.

Now… the travels of Aquila and his group have brought him before Spartacus – but witch Cruciata is also seeking vengeance.

Right now though, as this one opens, Cruciata is the last thing on Aquila’s mind – he’s just trying to survive saying hello to Spartacus, giving us an opening two pages that set the scene nicely, lots of Aquila setting his stall out and swordplay, which is a pretty good summary of Aquila all the way through to be honest.

 

So, once all is calmed down, it’s Spartacus and Aquila getting reacquainted, setting up the next steps of Aquila’s quest. To get out of Hades and get his soul back, Aquila’s not going to be able to just simply cross the Styx, he’ll need to immerse Nero in the River Acheron, washing away the sins of the dead and restoring Nero to mortal form. Only then can they get him across the Styx.

So, with all that set up, time to check in with Cruciata for the last page, where a pound of flesh buys you a wedding gift to Orcus. Usually, diamonds are a good idea from the groom, but Cruciata has a different sort of gift list – one that requires raising all the forces of Hades to stop Aquila.

So, here we go again – fun and slaughter, Roman style with Aquila. It’s another strip of questing, doing a thing to get to point A, spilling a load of blood in the process, then having to do another thing to get to point B, spilling another load of blood to get there. And repeat. However, it’s all entertaining stuff and Goddard’s artwork is an absolute joy to behold here.

 

INDIGO PRIME: BLACK MONDAY – PART 7 – by Kek-W and Lee Carter, letters by Jim Campbell

We’re starting off with a bit of black and white Clive Vista back story here in part 7, but then we’re straight into the quite wonderful chaos of Indigo Prime, a monster to do away with and then a little bonding with his alt-universe son/not son Mickey Challis before a reunion that’s not a reunion with the b&w, not Mickey’s universe version, of various members of IP.

Next up, a backdoor into the toxic realities, a way of crossing back over the upgrade event horizon, a way for Mickey to get back into colour where he belongs.

 

Plenty to enjoy in this Indigo Prime, not least the way Carter’s art shifts so beautifully between the deliberately flat b&w art of the pre-upgrade universe and the colours of Mickey and his universe, those images given an extra weight and depth that really does work quite wonderfully. As for the plot, it’s one of those hold on tight, let it happen as you read, and just enjoy the entire experience of it all. I’m doing that and having a grand time with Black Monday.

Oh, and as an end to this one, we’re back to catch up with Tyranny Rex and her own mission on parallel zero – where her team’s being, bizarrely (although what else would you expect here?) blamed for the financial crisis of Black Monday by ‘Prime-Chancellor Truss, a lovely little touch of politicking there by Kek-W. Her current plan – ‘Move fast and break things.’ And that’s just what she’s doing.

 

PROTEUS VES: DEVIOUS – PART 3 – by Mike Carroll and Jake Lynch, colours by Jim Boswell, letters by Simon Bowland

More absolute belter of a big, big, big story now with Proteus Vex, albeit one that’s still, for the moment at least, Proteus Vex-less. We know he’s going to come back at some point of course but the beauty of the world building that Carroll and Lynch have done with Proteus Vex is that there’s so many rich and fascinating characters and worlds here that there’s plenty to be getting on with and plenty to really enjoy.

And wonderfully, we have an episode her focusing on the Citheronian rebellion led by Midnight Indicating Shame, which is always a fabulous thing, where the revolution and the feasting comes with plenty of the funny as well.

 

Citheronian Streamline Depicting Flack is rescuing Measure Red Renunciation and Blessed Initiate Rehearsal (and no, never going to get tired of those Citheronian names) in a ship that’s somewhat less than cutting edge and explaining the current situation with the revolution. Midnight’s been taking on pilgrims, turning them against Hive Regalis.

Which is why Streamline is recovering Measure and Blessed, to bring them back to Hive Regalis. There’s just a little issue with bounty hunters to be dealt with on the way…

 

The whole episode gives us an insight into Citheronian culture and the upheaval that Midnight’s revolt has brought upon their empire and Hive. And by the end, we have another favourite Citheronian who’s learning to follow her own path.

Anyway, this Proteus Vex-less Proteus Vex is absolutely nailing it in every way. Lynch’s wonderful designs of both characters and craft make it a very outer, outer, outer space thing, far from the obvious forms we’re used to seeing in your average space thing. As for where the story is taking us, I’ll say again that it’s one you need to be reading actively, concentrating on things, as there’s so much that Carroll has up in the air at any one time. But put the effort in and it rewards you many times over as one of the best strips from the Prog in the last many years.

Oh, and speaking of best strips in the Prog in many years, next week we have another fabulous return, with the next book of Brink joining Proteus Vex in the perfect stories category. Oh, it’s a fine time with 2000 AD right now.