Preview: ‘Brink Volume 6: Consumed’ — The Finest ‘2000 AD’ Strips Continues Its Essential Run

Like it says right there on the front cover: ‘Brink is a spectacularly suspenseful series.’ That was me. And yes, of course I stand by that — even more so with this sixth series, Consumed.

For as long as Dan Abnett and INJ Culbard‘s Brink‘s been going, some 10 years now, I’ve absolutely loved it. Every time a new series comes along, I have to find new ways to praise it as I’m reading it in the Prog each week, and then repeat that praise all over again with these collections. In truth, it’s hardly a chore. More a wonderful pleasure and something I carve out a big chunk of the day to catch up with one of my all-time favourite 2000 AD strips. In fact, given that Brink is always such a long-running series in the weekly Prog (Book 6 ran 27 parts, six months and more), the opportunity of cracking open the collection just means I get to dive into the whole thing once more, ready to experience the whole immersive brilliance of Abnett and Culbard’s Brink once more.

Essentially, what they’re doing here is giving us the perfect police/sci-fi procedural, giving you the sort of slow-burn intensity and thrills you find nowadays more often in quality TV series. You know, the likes of procedurals such as The Wire, Slow Horses, The Sopranos, Battlestar Galactica, Fringe, Andor (add in any you’ve personally loved — I guarantee Brink will give you that same feeling).

I once said this: ‘think The Wire with intense sci-fi, throw in some David Lynch and John Carpenter, and you’re getting somewhere near it. Except in Brink, the special effects budget is as vast as Culbard and Abnett’s considerable imaginations.’

Again, I’ll stand by that. There’s nothing that TV can do with CGI that can’t be bettered, several thousandfold, by the sort of visuals and ideas coming from Abnett and Culbard here. God, don’t you love the comics medium?

Now, seeing as we’re now six volumes into this one, a little recap might be called for. Just a minor spoiler warning here — I wouldn’t give too much away at all, especially as I really, really want you all to go out and buy all six volumes to experience the whole bloody wonderful thing for yourselves.

So, here we go — It’s the late 21st Century, where mankind finally evacuated Earth, leaving behind an uninhabitable wasteland and headed into space, millions of people, the last of humanity, crammed into vast space habitats (Habs). It’s a pressure cooker environment kept (in theory) in check by the Habitat Security Division.

We’re following HSD/HabSec officer Bridget ‘Bridge’ Kurtis, who’s found herself drawn deeper and deeper into the mysterious world of the Sects across the Habs. Humanity trapped in claustrophobic conditions fall easy prey to madness and conspiracies, all feeding into the mysterious Sect activity across the Habs. And then you add in ‘The Mercury Event’, something that happens right at the end of Book 1, a huge moment, something that transforms the world on the Habs, and something that Abnett and Culbard have taken great pleasure in having percolating in the background from that point on.

Since then, Bridge’s life has been dominated by both the Sects and The Mercury Event, travelling across the Habs, experiencing all the madness and murder that the Sects have brought to the Habs – all part of living and policing in the madness brought on by this life on the Brink.

There you go then. That’s merely an overview, there’s no way you could possibly encompass all that Abnett and Culbard put into Brink, from the incredibly complex worldbuilding to the densely layered procedural plotting from Abnett, all the way through to the climactic moments of each and every series, with all that’s been built up over the episodes coming to a thrilling, immensely satisfying finale.

And then of course there’s Culbard’s art, something I’ve long enjoyed now, ever since first seeing his work back in 2009 when he and his collaborator on another great 2000 AD strip, Brass Sun, worked together on The Picture of Dorian Grey and some of the best Sherlock Holmes graphic adaptations you could ever choose to pick up. But Brink has simply become his masterpiece — stylish, accomplished, nuanced — the line, the colours, the details, the epic vision — it’s all simply perfection.

Book 6 finds Bridge and her team of HabSec Inspector Pasqual Bonner and financial analytics officer Lars Lind en route to Luna Hab where they’ll join the HabSec Special Detail Taskforce and join that taskforce’s investigation into The Mercury Event, where Kurtis’s Sect experience is deemed vital. But that’s for a future series, perhaps Book 7 that’s started this week in the Prog, perhaps not.

Book 6 is effectively an interlude, much as Book 5 was an alternate look at the events of Book 1 and beyond, but it’s an interlude that feeds into everything that’s gone before and all that will follow.

It’s Bridge, Bonner, and Lund spending a 10-day stopover on Belleholme Hab. It was meant to be a break, a chance for some R ‘n’ R, maybe even allow Bonner a chance to brush up on his golf game (a recurring joke that’s laid in amongst all the seriousness with fine style, and far from the only recurring theme you’ll find here.)

Except things go south from the moment they land, and before long there’s a serial killer to investigate, possible Sect crimes going on, a parallel investigation by a Private investigator tying into the history of Brink, and a hell of a lot more intrigue besides, not to mention call-backs to the events of Book 5 and the wealth of dangerous facts uncovered by investigative journalist Nolan Maslow.

And then there’s this…

Brink‘s truly epic sci-fi at times, but more often than not it’s dark, nasty, dangerous stuff, taking the worst of humanity and spinning out a tale that only gets better when you read it all in one go. And that’s exactly the case here, as we follow two strands of the story to reveal horrible truths, complete with a final couple of pages that really do transform everything.

In the collections there’s none of the week-by-week waiting to experience more of the delicious slow build that Brink delivers across the early episodes. Instead, having it all in one go just lets it all breathe. And when it does, you realise that Abnett and Culbard have mastered the art of the slow build, have perfected the layering of multiple storylines and then careful, precise ramping up of tension. to a thriller of a resolution. Every single Book, every time, just perfection.

This is, as I’ve said many times before, just one of the finest things you can read from 2000 AD. It’s genuinely that good.

And through the 150+ pages of Consumed, you’re going to find yourself immersed once more, just as I was, in the world of Brink.

Although, do yourselves a huge favour. Start right back at the beginning. Head to Book 1. Devour it, love it. Do the same for Books 2 to 5. And then hunker down for the masterpiece of Book 6. You’ll thank me for that. You’ll be hooked from the off. In fact, I know what I’m doing this weekend. I’m clearing the decks and settling in with Books 1-6 once more. I genuinely can’t think of a better way to spend my time.

BRINK BOOK 6: CONSUMED – BY DAN ABNETT AND INJ CULBARD. LETTERS BY SIMON BOWLAND

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN 2000 AD PROGS 2378-2399, 2401-2406.

PUBLISHED BY 2000 AD ON 25 MARCH 2026

Finally, if you do want to read a little more of what I’ve written on Brink thus far — if you feel you haven’t heard enough, I’ve done previews of Book 3, Book 4, and Book 5.

And if you don’t mind spoilers, during the run of Book 6 in the Prog I put together an article entitled ‘The Case For Brink Being The Greatest 2000 AD Strip Ever In 15 Images‘. It deals with two incredibly well-done reveals from the run of Book 6, perfect examples of just how good Brink always is, and how Abnett and Culbard spend time and effort seeding things throughout the entire run of this greatest of 2000 AD stories. But, like I say, spoilers. Lots of ’em.

Finally, a little proper preview of the first 10 pages for you. Brink Book 6: Consumed. Just one of the best things you’re going to read this year (or any other).