The Weekly 2000 AD Prog #2505: The Brutality Of An Alien War In ‘Ghosted’

Taking a look inside the UK’s greatest sci-fi comic, the Galaxy’s Greatest, fast approaching 50 years of brilliance — it’s the Weekly 2000 AD.

Another week, another set of cracking stories in the very best weekly sci-fi comic you can find. Since 1977, 2000 AD has been bringing you the future, and doing it so damn well. Oh, it’s the very, very best of Brit comics. You should really get on board.

As before, all five strips continue here. And they’re a great five strips. It all kicks off with another fabulous political Judge Dredd, where ‘The New Future’ by Rob Williams, Arthur Wyatt and Henry Flint delves deep into the world of Mega-City One, brilliantly, perfectly. Backing that up, you’ve got cover-featured Ghosted, by Guy Adams and Megan Huang, a complex, very different take on the idea of alien invasion that will leave you enthralled. There’s more from Durham Red in ‘Hungry City’, where the mute vampire bounty hunter continues to wonder what the hell she’s doing on a world where a hell of a lot of people are trying to kill her. Then you have the latest Azimuth, where Ramone Dexter makes his way through a glittering and strange tech world, with a mission to destroy the AI that’s taken over his world. And finally, we get the magical comedy drama of Herne & Shuck, where the bumbling magician attempts to make good.

All in all, five very different strips, but all of them showing you just how much variety, how much diversity of storytelling you’ll regularly find in 2000 AD. Seriously, it’s something you won’t regret starting to read. Why not give it a try?

And it all kicks off with a rather stunning Simon Davis cover for Ghosted …

2000 AD Prog 2505 was out in the UK on 21st October. If you’re in the Americas, it’s available from 11 November. Run, don’t walk, into your local comic shop and get them to order it in for you. Yeah, I’m late with this one. Very late. There’s been a lurgy that’s hit us all at Bruton Mansions, and we’re just getting out from under it.

Okay then, with all that done, why don’t we take a look inside the latest Prog.?

Judge Dredd: The New Future — Part 5 — By Rob Williams, Arthur Wyatt, Henry Flint, letters by Annie Parkhouse

Again, let me say it, ‘The New Future’ is a worthy successor to Williams, Wyatt and Flint’s quite perfect ‘A Better World’, expanding on that storyline, giving us a quite wonderful exploration of the politics of Dredd’s world. It’s going to be my favourite Dredd of 2026, I reckon. Hell, my favourite Dredd since A Better World, and oh boy, I loved that one.

Quick catch-up: ‘A Better World’ was where Accounts Judge Maitland figured out a radical way to solve crime in Mega-City One, a solution that involved diverting resources away from the Judges and into education and social programmes. She’d run the numbers, was amazed that it would work, and eventually got the go-ahead to run a trial in Sector 304. And yes, it was working; crime was down, a system had changed,  ‘A Better World’ was absolutely within her reach. Sadly, Maitland and her experiment were cruelly cut down, as her radical reinvention stepped on a few too many toes. One of those was Street Division Head Judge Hernandez, a nasty piece of work, worming his way up to the Council of Five and tipped for the Chief Judge’s job when Logan either takes the long walk or gets removed. Hernandez is in cahoots with media mogul Robert Glenn, a nasty piece of work (completely unlike any characters we’ve ever seen here right now — yeah, right.) He’s a power-hungry little man, whose vision of control involves selling the masses whatever lies and distortions fit to make them angry at whatever target Glenn sees fit. And having the possible next Chief Judge in his pocket is just part of his long-term plan. Both of them were involved in bringing down Maitland and her dream.

Meanwhile, here in ‘The New Future’, Dredd’s on Hernandez’s case, knowing/suspecting that he had his paws all over her death. He hasn’t made the link to Glenn yet, but you can’t help thinking he will.

Although right now, Mega-City One has bigger problems to deal with. Wanda Strank’s stolen bomb, for a start …

And then there’s ‘The New Future,’ the mysterious organisation hacking into all MC-1 comms, broadcasting their message of revolution, talking of a future stolen, and starting a countdown …

Dredd’s on the case, of course, interrogating Strank about her bomb and those who stole it, with the very real possibility that they’re building more bombs.

And then, of course, there’s also the small matter of Oswald Roth, the journalist, currently in possession of all of Maitland’s data and info, something that could be incendiary for the future of the City.

Oh yes, ‘The New Future’ is doing absolutely everything I hoped it would do. It’s a taut political thriller with bite, delving deep into all that ails both Dredd’s world and our own, just as all the very best sci-fi always does.

And of course, if you need reminding, having seen his art week after week here, Flint’s just knocking it out of the park here. He was already the best of a really great crop of Dredd artists, but he’s absolutely making a case for being elevated to that small crop of truly iconic Dredd artists here. Trust me, in years to come, when we look back on Dredd, we’ll talk of Henry Flint alongside the likes of Ezquerra, MacMahon, Bolland and Dillon. Yes, he’s that good.

Ghosted Book Two — Part 6 — By Guy Adams and Megan Huang, letters by Simon Bowland

Again, the pattern continues; even episodes of this second book of Ghosted are set in the now of the series, dealing with the alien invasion that’s subjugated the whole world apart from the shielded city of Kinshasa.

Here, we have Benu, one of Kinshasa’s spoilt children, previously inured to what was happening thanks to the ruling elite’s methodical torture and utilisation of the lower classes of the city, turning those considered lesser into warriors against an alien menace outside the shield. And right now, she’s struggling through the wastelands, her neural-linked warrior on her back … and the enemy is fluid here … human or alien, they just can’t work out which.

Again, that element of what the hell here … that bit of ‘Makes no sense. Certainly if you insist on believing this is a war.’ What the hell does that mean? And just which side is Benu on anymore? After all, she’s been experimented on by the aliens, turned into their spy … or their bomb? This, from a couple of episodes ago…

Yes, Ghosted continues to frustrate, but in all the best ways. It makes me question what I’m reading, makes me second-guess everything. Certainly not a simple, linear tale, but one that really does reward you, all those frustrations paying off as we get deeper and deeper into it all. Guy Adams and Megan Huang are creating something really very, very good here.

Durham Red: Hungry City — Part 6 — By Alec Worley and Ben Willsher, letters by Simon Bowland

In complete contrast to Ghosted, Durham Red is something way more linear, way more simple … or is it? The whole thing here is trying to work out just what the hell Red is doing here on the Resort Station of Mondo Carnivallo, waking up with a giant rabbit’s head in her lap, a bloody scene all around her, with Red having as little idea of why she’s here as we do. Yes, it comes off as a simple thing, packing in the action, but it’s also full of a certain mystery and so many questions as to what’s going on here.

But for this episode, we’re in full-on action mode, where Worley writes it fast and furious, and Willsher’s art just rises to the occasion, gorgeous, eye-popping colours, kinetic movement, a wonderful flow and style to the pages, as Red gets herself into a little firefight, complete with a crappy, back-firing pistol …

So, blinded, no, gun … but this is Durham Red we’re talking about, one of Search Destroy’s best, and that’s not going to stop her one bit …

When it’s done this good, there’s an unmistakable thrill of seeing action this way, an unmistakable moment of, wow, that’s just cool. And it comes at you all the way through this super fast episode.

Azimuth: How To Train Your Dagon — Part 6 — FINAL PART — By Dan Abnett and Tazio Bettin, colours by Matt Soffe, letters by Rob Steen

Well, I didn’t expect this one to end quite so quickly. Was expecting something double the length. But that’s the thing with Abnett’s stories: he writes just what is needed to make it work and no more.

Here, we’ve gone deeper into the bones of Azimuth, this weird techno city of so many mysteries, seen the truth behind the curtain, where the rogue AI behind Downlode’s takeover has extended into many different worlds, different multiverses, meaning Abnett gets to play with all manner of alt-versions of 2000 AD characters.

Case in point, as we leave this latest Azimuth series, we get a version of Venus Bluegenes looking to off Dexter, after finding out he’s got his own AI inside his head, Lilith, perhaps the key to defeating the rogue AI… perhaps.

Anyway, ‘How To Train Your Dagon’ has taken us to exactly where Abnett wanted, giving us that little bit more of what makes Azimuth tick, a fascinating and fun little diversion on Dexter, Cass and Suzi Nine Millimetre finally getting to Funderland. Cue one of those oh so gorgeous scenes that Bettin does so wel l…

Dexter’s taking a different path from the other multiversal characters, and the Hronir aren’t going to be happy about that when they find out. All of which means that Dexter’s now not just got the Rogue AI on his tail, not just got the AI-controlled Finn after him, but now got a very pissed-off Venus Bluegenes after him as well. Things really don’t seem to go Dexter’s way all that often, do they?

Azimuth takes a break now, but it’s promised to be returning soon. And I can’t wait for it to come back. Since it began, Abnett and Bettin have been dishing up something very special, an extension of Abnett’s long-running Sinister Dexter, but a tale that’s given it fabulous new life. Yeah, the sooner it returns, the better as far as I’m concerned.

Herne & Shuck: Storming The Stone — Part 6 — By David Barnett and Lee Milmore, colours by Quinton Winter, letters by Annie Parkhouse

So, we’re right in the middle of things here in Herne & Shuck, with the story that started way back in the initial Tharg’s 3Riller seemingly coming to a head, as Herne and his gang of misfits pitch up at Stonehenge, looking to go underground, to the base of the St Michael group, the same group that took Caris, the same group that’s now being run by demonically-possessed Tory MP Alex Ramsey-Hall, the same demon that happened on this plane of existence thanks to Herne screwing up an exorcism way back when. Yep, everything’s connected, and everything does seem to be coming to a head.

So the demon sets his plans in motion; Herne and his little gang of merry warriors are on their way down below Stonehenge, and things are about to get interesting.

As always, Herne & Shuck is a delightful mix of the magical and the silly, Barnett writing a tale of a failed magician type, one we’ve all seen before, yet he’s found a way to make it interesting and fun, whilst Milmore’s art on the series has been something that’s developed so well, as we get to see an artist find his style, and a fine, fine style it is too.