The Monthly Megazine #489: One Good Man To Save Megatropolis?

Welcome once more to the Monthly Megazine — doing just what it says, taking you through the latest goings-on in the sister monthly to 2000 AD.

This issue of the Megazine features rather a darned fine selection of strips, six all-new strips in all. That includes the finale of the two-parter Dredd, Halfway House by Ken Niemand and Jake Lynch. In the editorial, we’re teased the prospect of the return of alt-dimension Dredd, Joe Fargo, in the forthcoming mega-epic, ‘The Oubliette‘, which is due to run across both 2000 AD and the Megazine this summer.

Alongside that, there’s also the finale to Armitage: Drokk The Ripper, another fine visit to the grumpiest of detective Judges in Brit-Cit. We’ve got the start of what’s being touted as the final Department K storyline, ‘… No More’ – which is a shame, as it was a damn fine example of something in Dreddworld that was original and a lot of fun. We’ve also got a one-off Tales From The Black Museum. There’s more futuristic beauty of an alt-Dreddworld of familiar characters in unfamiliar circumstances in the brilliant Megatropolis. And, of course, we have the second episode of the brilliant third series of Rok Of The Reds: Rok the World, quite possibly the final piece of published comics writing you’ll get from the legendary John Wagner.

Yep, six all-new strips, and six rather good ones indeed in 99 pages of the Judge Dredd Megazine. And it all kicks off under that Dave Taylor cover…

Right then, a moment of sadness seeing that Dave Taylor cover. Damn. A great cover, but dammit, the loss of Taylor still bites. Such an artist, capable of so many incredible things. But, whilst we have his art in the Megazine on Megatropolis, let’s celebrate his life and his art. And, a reminder again, Dave’s death from prostate cancer was sadly avoidable, diagnosed too late. When he died, he was still making art for Megatropolis, which, sadly, he was unable to finish. Stepping in, at some point, will be Chris Weston, who’ll no doubt be giving it his all as a tribute to Dave. Again, finally, please, if you’re 45 or older, or if you’re having urination problems, pain in the lower back or pelvis, or other symptoms – go and get yourself checked out. I’ve done it. It’s nothing. Don’t let your embarrassment over a simple finger in the ass mean you catch it too late. Just do it, it could well save your life. It’s what Dave would have wanted.

Okay then, Judge Dredd Megazine #489 was out on the 18th of February in the UK. It’s not available quite yet to readers in the Americas — that will be Megazine #491, thanks to the new deal with Lunar Distribution. So, if you are abroad and want to experience the delights to be found inside, head to the 2000 AD shop and get it digitally.

So, all that over with … shall we?

JUDGE DREDD: HALFWAY HOUSE – PART 2 – FINAL PART – BY KEN NIEMAND AND JAKE LYNCH, COLOURS BY MATT SOFFE, LETTERS BY ANNIE PARKHOUSE

Dammit, I was hoping for more than just the two parts of this. Niemand’s playing around with the whole multiversal thing has been so much fun, with all those alt-world Dredds. But with Joe Fargo, we have a serious man in a world that’s not his own, trying to live a quiet life in this fascist world so unlike his own, but getting dragged into things — it’s in the DNA after all.

After moving out of the secure Med-Facility, he’s now in Chuck Buckowski Rehab Block, and, wouldn’t you know it, trouble just seems to find him. First, it was the domestic abuser; now it’s the loan sharks. And that’s why he’s racing, gun in hand, angry but focused, after dealing with the domestic, the loan sharks, and now the body sharks, taking family as collateral for illegal loans. They were extinct in his city, thanks to the sort of liberal ideas that raised people out of poverty, the sort of liberal ideas that you can’t ever imagine taking hold in the America of 2026 — Niemand’s nudge towards us all to keep our wits about us as our freedoms get eroded. Dredd as social commentary, just as it’s always been.

As for Joe Fargo, old habits, old reflexes don’t go away, and he’s in action, all so beautifully choreographed by Lynch…

By the end, there’s an out for the newly christened Joe Fargo, a life in this strange, fascist world he has to now call his own. He’s a fascinating character, spun out of a few comedy strips where Niemand was playing with those other-dimensional iterations of Dredd, but now Joe’s become something bigger, something of a conscience for Dredd, a message that a better world is possible. Like I say, I would have loved to have had more of Halfway House, but the news that we’re going to see Joe Fargo in the summer mega-epic The Oubliette is great news indeed.

TALES FROM THE BLACK MUSEUM: HIS ‘N’ HEARSE – BY PAULSTARKEY AND BRETT PARSON, LETTERS BY SIMON BOWLAND

The Megazine equivalent of the Prog’s Future Shocks, Tales From The Black Museum gives you a one-off thing, with Mega-City One’s Black Museum, a repository of all the exhibits of all the strange crimes that have beset the City over the years. Hosted by undead guide Henry Dubble, here to tell you another tale of just how weird and dangerous things can get in the big City.

This latest has Brett Parson on art, always a treat for the eyeballs, his work on Tank Girl and Pandora Perfect a real delight. So, here he is, making this Black Museum tale look just so good.

As for the Hearse in Him ‘N’ Hearse, well, that’s an old, old exhibit in the Black Museum, an autonomous hearse used by those bereaved families of Mega-City One thinking their loved ones will get a respectful send-off – but no, there’s no such thing, everyone gets dumped to the same Resyk, no matter what they pay.

This is the tale of Vikram Burke, newly employed at the Auf Widersehen family of funeral services, there to accompany the autonomous hearse, who finds himself warming his robo hearse company. He’s doing well, earning a good wedge in a city where few do. But of course, things in the Tales From the Black Museum rarely end well. And Vikram, well, Vik’s got his own problems…

And here’s where it all goes wrong for Vik, the gambling debts leading him to a second, not-so-legit job. It’s organ legging followed by more gambling, followed by more organ legging, followed by – well, you get the picture. But then love, a strange love no doubt, by love still, rears its ugly head, and Vik’s days are numbered.

It’s a rather dark and deliciously funny Black Museum tale. Perfect for Parson’s art. Very nicely done.

DEPARTMENT K: …NO MORE – PART 1 – BY NED HARTLEY AND MIKE WALTERS, LETTERS BY SIMON BOWLAND

Oh, Department K, we barely knew you! This one’s touted as the final Department K tale, which is a real shame, as the characters and the idea surely had loads more mileage in it. A branch of Tek-Div specifically dealing with the various interdimensional threats that plague MC-1 — it’s just so full of possibilities, possibilities that have barely begun to be explored, that I can’t quite believe this is the end to this one. But here we go, time for the beginning of the end.

So, for one last time, we join Judges Kirby, Afua, Blackcurrant and Estabon as a bit of harmless horseplay turns into something nasty – a simple accident, breaking a specimen jar, turns into something deadly, as something brainy gets released, something that’s now linked to Afua, and something that’s brought Dept K to the attention of the SJS … rather too quickly if you ask me (and Judge Kirby)…

SJS Judge Spike’s solution is simple: take both Afua and the extra-dimensional brain thingy and destroy them both – one of those it’s the only way to be sure moments.

From there, things go downhill. Fast. I mean, you can see how it happens, the Dept K Judges are looking out for their own. But one of their own has been possessed by one of the extra-dimensional entities they’re meant to be guarding against.

Which is why, at the end of this first episode, it’s not looking too good at all. On the one side, there’s Dept K, trying to keep the now possessed Judge Afua safe. And on the other side, the massed ranks of the SJS, Psi-Div and Exorcist Judges wanting to take her in. Things get messy, particularly for Estabon.

Oh, it’s all gone very wrong, very quickly indeed. But it’s done so in a bloody great way. And all these great characters I’ve come to really rather love since they first appeared are up against it, with surely no way out of this one. And, since this is meant to be the final outing for Dept K, it looks all a bit bloody bleak — in a damn enjoyable fashion.

ARMITAGE: DROKK THE RIPPER – PART 5 – FINAL PART – BY LIAM JOHNSON and STAZ JOHNSON, COLOURS BY QUINTON WINTER, LETTERS BY ANNIE PARKHOUSE

Another good Armitage series from Johnson wraps up here, as we follow Armitage and ex-Undercover Division officer Victoria Shanks — and yes, they may have been a thing back in the day — deep into the heart of the cult that’s responsible for various serialkillings out in Brit-Cit. Together with Johnson, they’ve constructed a neat little bit of extra-curricular action for Armitage, working outside the Brit-Cit Justice Department here. And it’s been a damn fine little procedural thing, all coming to a head right here.

Armitage and Vic are right in the heart of things, the cult’s weapon gone wrong, and Brit-Cit at risk…

Of course, things don’t quite go all that far. But what does end up happening means Armitage loses something important, another bit of his past wiped out, another moment to grieve.

And after that, well, Johnson spends a fair bit of this final chapter setting up things to come, and does it bloody well. We’ve got Armitage back on duty, with Chief Judge Treasure well aware of just what he’s done, but willing to cover up his part in things, even when the very top brass in Brit-Cit are asking her the difficult questions.

And then there’s Armitage’s own realisation that he had help from a most unlikely source within Brit-Cit’s Justice Department in this one. Oh yes, plenty of seeds planted for the future here, in what’s becoming a damn fine series of tales.

ROK THE WORLD – CHAPTER TWO – A VERY HUMAN PROBLEM – BY JOHN WAGNER AND DAN CORNWELL, COLOURS BY JIM BOSWELL, LETTERS BY ROB STEEN

After the end of Judge Dredd: Death of a Judge in the Prog, this may well be the final comics writing we get from the legendary John Wagner — so let’s enjoy it while we can. eh? Not that that’s in any way difficult, as it’s a bloody great thing, just as the past two series of Rok of the Reds have been.

So, where we’re at … Rok from Arkady has been on Earth quite a while now, inhabiting the body of bad boy striker Kyle Dixon for the Radford Reds football team. He’s fallen in love with the beautiful game, turned around the fortunes of the club and transformed the image of Dixon at the same time. There’s only a few trusted souls who know of his secret — plus the troublesome twosome of the original Kyle and a corrupt ref, miniaturised by Rok, but still capable of causing him headaches, not to mention the two chavs who’ve got wind of what’s going on — pure comedy relief as Wagner does so very, very well.

Meanwhile, back on Arkady, Rok’s now the High Lord, ruling over his people. Well, sort of. Because sometimes his power isn’t quite what it’s cracked up to be – case in point, at the end of the first chapter of Rok The World, he was presented with this demand…

Oh. Hell. Not good for Rok, not good for Earth or humanity either. Then again, they’ve pretty much brought it on themselves by being the virus on the face of the planet.

Now, though, humanity’s got Rok in their corner, who’s going to bat for them (rather mixing up the sports metaphors there, but you know what I mean.) Humanity gets a reprieve, but only on the promise that Rok can get them to change their ways. Which surely is beyond even him?

Well, maybe, maybe not. He certainly sets about it with gusto, storming into a Fossil Fuel Forum meeting at the Savoy, in full Rok guise. And he makes his point. Forcibly…

Oh yes. You forget he’s not human, and humanity’s rules, humanity’s morals don’t necessarily apply. Wagner had promised this one goes darker, and we would see another side to Rok. And he’s making good on that promise.

It opens up a whole new dimension to the series, one that’s nasty and brutal and … well, alien. And, of course, it’s just bloody brilliant. Cornwell’s art as good as ever, Wagner’s writing is on such fine form for a series that he obviously loves. Indeed, he’s said that this is perhaps the one series that could tempt him out of his new retirement if he were to get an idea for a fourth series. Let’s keep our fingers crossed for that, but right now, let’s just enjoy the ride while it lasts. It’s a good ‘un.

MEGATROLOPIS 2 – PART 5 – BY KENNETH NIEMAND AND DAVE TAYLOR, LETTERS BY ROB STEEN

Again, every time we get to Megatropolis, two thoughts go through my mind. First, what a terrible, terrible loss to comics the death of Dave Taylor was, and second, just how bloody gorgeous this looks. And it does, it so does. Every panel has so much going on, so much detail, from the glorious art deco futurism of the architecture to the faces of the cast, all chiselled and characterful. It’s a masterful thing, where every panel has something your eye will just alight on as a thing of beauty. Of course, none of that ever detracts from the storytelling, something that Taylor was, again, just so good at.

I mean, seriously … look at this:

Sadly, we have an unknown number of episodes of Megatropolis with Taylor’s art left. Sadly, he didn’t complete this second series before his untimely death. Chris Weston, himself no slouch in the detailed, beautiful artwork stakes, will be stepping in to finish the series. But I’m sure Chris would be the first to say that he wishes he didn’t have to.

But for now, again, let’s just love what we have, as we’re deep into the heart of this alt-Dreddworld of retro futurism, where familiar characters from Dredd and Mega-City One pop up in unfamiliar roles.

The incorruptible cop in a city where he’s almost alone as such, Detective Rico, is currently looking after the DA, McGruder, as she campaigns for Mayor, seeking to depose the crooked Bob Booth. There’s an assassin in town — Orlok — and his sights are on McGruder.

Then you’ve got all those other threads running through this. Hershey, the journalist investigating Owen Krysler, a powerful and mysterious man in Megatropolis — too powerful, as Hershey’s already found out to her cost. But there’s another titanic figure suddenly appeared in her corner here. Or Marlon, Rico’s old comrade’s kid, the one he’s trying to keep on the straight and narrow. Or his right-hand officer, Jara, and her investigations into the serial killer she knows should be dead. And then, of course, there’s the vigilante, a robot in familiar armour, espousing justice in a city that has very little of it.

So much going on, so many tales all playing out together, yet all coming together so deliciously under Niemand and Taylor’s hands here.