Rob Lake reviews 2000AD Prog 2218...
It's Wednesday yet again and the UK is currently suffering from the effects of the 'Beast of the East 2'. With bitterly cold winds, and most of the country under a few feet of snow, it's the perfect time to settle in with some 2000AD delights.
Simon Fraser takes the cover artist spotlight this week. With a great shot of Frank and Joe looking a bit worse for wear, things must be getting bad in Hersey: The Brutal.
Elsewhere it's all systems normal as Durham Red, Proteus Vex, Sláine and Hershey continue. Joining them this week is a nice done-in-one by Rob Williams and Simon Colby - which naturally kicks Prog 2218 off...
Judge Dredd: Health & Happiness
We get treated to six-pages of Dredd being in the background this week as Rob Williams takes us into the life of Harry Dump. Harry seems to live quite the good life. He's a physically fit, law-abiding citizen. Harry's only problem is that he lives in Mega-City 1.
After a run in with Dredd we catch up with Harry four months later. Now having lost both of his legs, Harry has been fitted with the latest prosthetic replacements. Que an attempt at revenge on Dredd. Naturally this isn't the real story and what's more worrying is what's going on at Mr. Dumps chosen insurance provider.
I love these stories where Dredd takes the back seat. It's great to dive into the nightmarish world of Mega-City 1, and Health & Happiness is a great look into that world. It's always great to see Rob Williams in the Progs and this time around he showcases something other than the big Dredd epics that we've come to expect from the veteran writer. Simon Colby is also on form and that Lawmaster is going to take some beating...I'm a sucker for great looking technology.
Durham Red: Served Cold - Part 7
It's all going wrong this week for Durham and the Warden. With the duo stuck outside the jail in a snowstorm and the prisoners now running the prison, things are looking bleak for our Vampire hero.
It's clear that there is more to the goings on than meets the eye. Alec Worley is still building the tension as to what that big reveal is going to be. Ben Wilsher gives us some great art this week, the snowstorm scenes are fantastic - and feels a bit like real life at the moment
Proteus Vex: Shadow Chancellor - Part 7
Vex's flesh pilot takes the spotlight this week as its called into action to interrogate the captured Silent soldier. It hasn't gone too well so far for Imperium Commander Tross. With a fleet of Citheronian ships coming to take Midnight home, its still not any better for Toss.
I'm really liking Proteus Vex at the moment. It's a nice strip that gives its story to you without the plentiful action sequences that you find in the other parts of the Prog. Michael Carroll instead is building a great universe full of weird and interesting characters, with the current story slowly edging towards its conclusion.
New series artist Jake Lynch has done a fantastic job in taking over from co-creator, Henry Flint. His art style is fantastically alien and really pushes the Proteus Vex universe into the readers hands. Theres plenty of border breaking scenes and off center images, which makes Lynch's work a visual feast.
Sláine: Dragontamer - Part 7
It's interlude time this week as Sláine take a breather on his quest against the Trojans. Now that he's allied himself with the Shoggeys, Sláine has turned the people of Britannia against him.
It's not going well for Brutus either as we get a look into the Emperor's family life. With two kids who are taking the pacifist route, and one kids who's...well a monster, it's hard not to feel sympathy towards him.
In terms of plot it's slowed down this week as both Sláine and Brutus reflect on the past. Thankfully Leonardo Manco gives us another opportunity to marvel at his work.
Hershey: The Brutal - Part 7
We end this Prog how we began with another tale by Rob Williams. This time we're up to the penultimate part of The Brutal.
Poor Frank, the ex-Judge has faced weeks of pain and misery both in the ring and out as Hershey delves into her plan to get to Edu. It has been on the cards for a while and this week Frank finally cracks, and announces that he's a Mega-City Judge.
Thankfully Edu is in attendance which gives Hershey a chance to finish her Ahab style quest for her white Edu shaped whale.
Simon Fraser changes his artistic tone this week with a more frenzied line work as the action kicks up a notch. Throughout his tonal work had been fantastic and it's great to see more colours come through as Frank gets down to business in the ring. As styles go it's completely different to anything that's been in the Progs before, and does a simple yet effective job that's a joy to see.
Rating 8/10
Rob Lake - For more comic book and video game chat why not follow Geek Culture Reviews on Twitter and Facebook @GeekCultureRev
Comments
Post a Comment