Comic Book Review - 2000 AD Prog 2289

Rob reviews 2000 AD Prog 2289...

After last week's break for another instalment of those special all-ages Regened Progs, Tharg is back - and he's brought a new Dredd story with him. 

Kicking off this week is 'Special Relationship' which sees Rob Williams and Patrick Goddard revisit those threads left behind from 'The Hard Way'. Joining Dredd is another return to Bulletopia as Dexter continues his solo outing, 'Reel One' ends as Hope...In The Shadows end its current arc. Rounding this trip into the Thrillverse off is yet more conspiracy theories in Brink and everyone's favourite Skip Tracer. 

Judge Dredd: Special Relationship - Part 1.

After the events seen within 'The Hard Way', the Red Queen has vanished yet again, and the undersea Atlantis facility is currently being rebuilt. With tensions still running high under the Black Atlantic, the "special relationship" between Mega-City One and Brit-Cit is starting to feel the strain. 

One episode in and Rob Williams wastes no time in laying the seeds that will drive this narrative arc forward. There are a lot of plot points playing out at once, which makes for a very intriguing tale. Just how it all comes together is going to make for a very interesting read. And, as we all know - Williams isn't a stranger when it comes to writing an excellent Judge Dredd strip. 

Hope...In The Shadows - Reel One: Part 12 (Final Part) 

I've lost track of what's going on in Mallory Hope's world for a few issues now. Much like Brink, Hope is one of those strips that benefit from reading all in one go. As such, with this being the finale to 'Reel One', it's time I went back through the previous Progs to try and piece it all together. 

While I get lost within Guy Adams's writing and Jimmy Broxton's fantastic monochrome art, Hope seems to have finally found his wife. Yet, it's not a happy ending as Adams has a few more tricks up his sleeve for Mallory Hope...

Dexter: Bulletopia - Chapter 10: Malice In Wonderland - Part 1

Dexter is still flying solo as his rag-tag group is still on the run from the A.I. that's taken over Downlode. With Sinister currently under control from the A.I., it's hard to see when - or even if - the band will get back together. 

This latest chapter seems to leave the sci-fi slightly behind as we follow Dex and Carrie as they attempt to procure transport. Of course, it isn't that simple, and the local gangs don't take too kindly to folk from Downlode. 

Queue bullets, guns, and more bullets as Dan Abnett continues to build towards whatever is coming further down the path. Much like 'Hope', I have no idea what's going on - but the action is pretty great! 

Skip Tracer: Valhalla - Part 3

Former Skip Tracer Nolan Blake and daughter Eden thought they had put the past behind them. However, the universe (or should that be James Peaty) had other ideas. With a few familiar faces in need of Blake's services, it begs to question - what's going on? 

Blake is also asking that same thing as he wakes up in unfamiliar territory with India Sumner, Abel, and Nerin Tan for company. With everything pointing back to The Cube, just what does Nolan's past have to do with his future? 

While Skip Tracer isn't everyone's cup of tea, -'Valhalla' does feel like it's the character's swansong adventure. With Peaty wrapping things up, could we see a more risky side to Nolan Blake?  

Brink: Mercury Retrograde - Part 18 

Eighteen parts in, and Maslow is still no closer to uncovering the whole conspiracy. With Mercury now in the dark, things are getting a whole lot more intense on the remaining habitats. 

At the moment we're at the between point between Brink Book 1 and 2. Bilder is currently bringing Maslow up to speed on Kurtis' movements and her involvement in solving the Boilerhouse's poisoning problem. However, Mas has his problems as he's seeing HabSec at every turn. While it's portrayed by Abnett and Culbard as simple paranoia, we are soon reminded that Maslow has been living "clean". As such he wasn't affected by the poisoned water supply, so he could well be being tailed by those looking to silence him. 

Away from Mas, Bilder is convinced that Mercury being silent is part of a much larger Sect conspiracy. With chaos on the horizon, shall we let Bilder in on the secret? 

Every week Dan Abnett has me revisiting the previous Brink outings as I attempt to fit in Maslow's story with that of Kurtis' own. While Brink may seem to be a dull strip, it's a storytelling masterpiece. Not only does Abnett weave plenty of plot threads, but they all also interconnect and tangle with each other to craft a compelling sci-fi conspiracy. There are so many ways that Brink can end, I don't even think Abnett knows exactly how! 

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