Comic Book Review - 2000 AD Prog 2348

Mega-City Crackdown…

It’s that time of the week again where I delve into the latest offering of 2000 AD. It’s a bit of a cracker this week as the latest (and possibly last) outings for Former Chief Judge Barbara Hershey and Former Judge (and Ex-Titan Inmate) Kyle Asher come to their penultimate episodes - all under a brilliant Jake Lynch cover! 

Joining A Fallen Man and The Cold in the Bones this week is the usual band of suspects of Azimuth and the 3Riller, Die Horde. Completing the famous five is the one-off Future Shock Fear and Loathing of Las Vegas. 

So with five tales to delve into, shall we? 

Judge Dredd: A Fallen Man - Part 7 (Ken Niemand, Tom Foster, Chris Blyth, Annie Parkhouse) 

We’re heading towards the end game for Kyle Asher as this episode marks the penultimate part in the Asher trilogy. Across the whole series we’ve seen Former Judge Kyle Asher overcome the obstacles brought on by his return to Mega-City One. Ken Niemand has also moved into vigilante territory as Asher has attempted to repent his past crime, and bring his own sense of Justice to the Mega-City streets. While A Fallen Man potentially charts Asher’s fall from Grace, let’s not forget he’s also been anonymously reporting his Mob employers to the Justice Department. Which is also where Dredd fits into the story 

While Asher’s attempting to help the daughter of the person he unlawfully killed escape the Meg, Dredd is closing in. Over the last seven weeks Asher’s wave of vigilante violence has arguably attracted more attention than he may of wanted. And due to his past dealings with Dredd, he’s naturally the number one suspect to Dredd’s manhunt. On the Dredd side of things, he’s slowly piecing things together and with Zoila now in the Justice Department’s steely gaze, how long does Asher have left?

I really hope we get to see a Kyle Asher trade collection as Ken Niemand, Foster and Co. have crafted a real thriller. It’s been one of those Judge Dredd strips where we see a side to Mega-City One without the Lawman truly in the spotlight. Instead we get to dive into the mind of Kyle Asher - A Penitent Man,  A Honest Man, and now A  Fallen Man. But how far does he fall?

Future Shocks: Fear and Loathing of Las Vegas (Ned Hartley, Joe Currie, Simon Bowland) 

Welcome to Las Vegas - City of the future, and home to DIVA (Digital Intelligence for Vegas Activities). Since DIVA’s activation, ‘Sin City’ has been reborn under an age of digital expansion. So why are people mysteriously disappearing? And does DIVA have anything to do with it? 

Where the threat of Artificial Intelligence is a topic that’s starting to be more prevalent within mainstream media, it’s always been a welcome topic in the Prog. While this particular Future Shock does go down some clichéd roots, it’s still a welcome distraction from the more serious strips in this Prog. 

AZIMUTH: The Stranger - Part 6 (Dan Abnett, Tazio Bettin, Matt Soffe, Jim Campbell)

The Rogue A.I. theme continues as we’re back in Azimuth (or is it Downlode?) as Dexter goes deeper into the grid. Last time out and we got a glimpse of the real world as Dexter momentarily attempted to show one of the Lords his long forgotten past as a basement dwelling hacker.  

Quite how Azimuth fits into the wider Sin/Dex narrative is still up for interpretation, however knowing Abnett things will slowly come together in between the bullets and the crazy set pieces. Bettin has also played a great part in selling Azimuth to us readers with a great selection of art. All it’s weird and wonderful which really puts the blinders on the whole thing being part of the hyper realistic Sin/Dex environments. 

Will we see a second series? Well more that certainly. But the question is whether it’ll be Azimuth, or back to normal business. Regardless, for now Dan Abnett and crew are bringing new life to the long running series.

Tharg’s 3Rillers: Die Horde - Part 2 (Eddie Robson, Nick Brokenshire, Annie Parkhouse)

We’re back in the haunted house for the second part of this three part series. With Earth having experienced interplanetary war, a lot of human history was lost to time. But when a group of salvage workers discover a hidden trove of information nestled within the belonging to a dead scientist - it’s too good to ignore. 

Things soon go sour as the properties A.I. activates a security protocol, and the group are trapped inside. With shifting allegiances, revelations, and a few more hidden secrets, Die Horde has a one more part to clear it all up. 

Robson does head into some familiar territory with this second chapter, yet it doesn’t outstay its welcome. The small threads that remained in the background of the opening issue are plucked and frayed to become more noticeable. Normally at the midpoint in a 3Riller, you get the sense of how it’ll end. But with Die Horde, it a little murky - and isn’t that a good thing? 

Hershey: The Cold in the Bones - Part 7 (Rob Williams, Simon Fraser, Simon Bowland) 

As the book of Barbara Hershey starts to close, she finds herself back where it all began - Mega-City One. With Judge Smiley’s network of Enchadus shenanigans coming to an end, Hershey has time to reflect on her own past and how the current Chief Judge walks down the same path. 

This episode feels a bit of a low point for Hershey as her investigation into the whole Smiley affair is felt it’s final blow by Dredd. While she’s there at the end, she’s just another faceless Judge in the sea of Justice. Granted it’s her decisions during her tenure as Chief Judge that caused all this mess, but not being able to ultimately finish it is a kick in the gut. Yet as Dredd reminded her last week - no one comes back from the Long Walk - dead or alive. 

From the get go we’ve all known that it was a distinct possiblilty that this could be the definitive end to the characters long running history - and with one part remaking it certainly feels that way. Regardless of what happens to Barbara Hershey, Rob Williams and Simon Fraser have really pulled out the stops to send her out with a monumental performance. Across the three series’ we’ve seen a different and almost desperate side to the character as she’s attempted to clean up her mess. Yet, Williams has never lost sight of who Hershey is, and her duty to her city whether it’s as Chief Judge or operating in the shadows. 

Rob Lake - For more comic book and video game chat why not follow us on X/Facebook @GeekCultureRev, TikTok/YouTube @Geekculturereviews, and BlueSky @geekculturereviews.bsky.social