Comic Book Review - 2000 AD Prog #2390

Tharg is back once again with his menagerie of thrills with the weekly 2000 AD Prog…

Last time out, Michael Carroll and Jake Lynch brought the long-running sci-fi Proteus Vex to its conclusion. But fear not, while Vex and Midnight venture into the blue yonder, Carroll teams up with Joe Currie to bring new strip Silver to Prog #2390.

Alongside Silver we have more CalHab trouble in Judge Dredd: Bam-Hunters, Honor Vincent and Mike Walters bring us a Futureshocks instalment, there’s more sinister going on in Brink, and finally, Rogue tangles with trouble in Southern Belle. 

So with introductions out of the way, let’s dive in and see what delights Tharg has in store…

Judge Dredd: The Bam-Hunters (Ken Niemand, Richard Elson, Annie Parkhouse)

After the events of the last episode, Dredd’s all but forgotten his encounter with Bam-Hunter Hieronymus Skelly. While Dredd gets back to business patrolling the streets of Mega-City One, he can’t quite shake the feeling that something is a miss. Naturally, as the night progresses, Dredd’s suspicion grows until everything comes flooding back. 

And I wouldn’t want to be in Hieromymus Skelly’s shoes when Dredd catches up with him! 

Meanwhile, the CalHab duo of Callum and Moira get their run-in with the mysterious Skelly, who doesn’t take kindly to their bumbling goings-on. 

Much like Niemand’s other outings with Callum and Moira, this one’s full of silly moments that contrast the super serious side of Dredd’s involvement. The whole sequence with Skelly bursting into Deadworld Designs does a great job of building the characters' mystery, whilst throwing humour into the mix. 

Richard Elson does a great job of capturing it all. Not only do we get some energetic and intense scenes with Dredd’s patrol, but we also get yet another superb shot of the Lawmaster that opens up this episode. 

Brink: Book Six - Consumed - Part 12 (Dan Abnett, INJ Culbard, Simon Bowland)

Kurtis gets into hot water this week as she continues her investigation into the sect crime that’s plaguing the Belleholme Habitat. Not only has her investigation ruffled the collar of Belleholme’s head of HSD, but she’s also managed to piss off her boss too. However with the findings of a certain picture, just how deep down the rabbit hole will Kurtis go? 

I bloody love Brink! I’ve written that exact line numerous times across my reviews for the series so far. While it’s not the most action-packed strip, Abnett gives us plenty goings on to draw you into the wider conspiracy - whatever the hell it is. Throw in INJ Culbard’s phenomenal artwork, and Brink continues to be a sci-fi masterpiece done right! 

Rogue Trooper: Southern Belle - Part 5 (Geoffrey D. Wessel, Dan Cornwell, Chris Blyth, Jim Campbell) 

While Brink gives us a slow-burning thriller, Rogue Trooper is full-on blockbuster action. With plenty of explosions, close-up fistfights, and gruff dialogue, Southern Belle is everything that makes Rogue Trooper what it is. 

It’s not going to win over many new fans, and for me, the Traitor General storyline is going on a little too long now. We’ve already had the brilliant Blighty Valley which took the Nort-Souther War in a different direction, why can’t we get more of the same? Granted the upcoming film by Duncan Jones has gained new traction into the Rogue Trooper universe, but war never changes…

Futureshocks: Station Madness (Honor Vincent, Mike Walters, Annie Parkhouse)

Gorgeous but of sci-fi here from Honor Vincent and Mike Walters. As a fan of the films Event Horizon and Pandorium, I got a right kick out of the claustrophobic atmosphere that Vincent brings to this terraforming attempt gone wrong. 

Of course, with every good Futureshock, there’s “always a twist at the end”. With Station Madness it’s one that you won’t see coming, which is a great testament to Vincent’s storytelling and Walters’ art. 

Silver: Book One: Unearthed - Part 1 (Mike Carroll, Joe Currie, Simon Bowland) 

It’s a good time to be a fan of Mike Carroll. Not only is the veteran writer enjoying quite the ride with Dreadnoughts over in the Megazine, but he’s just wrapped up a phenomenal sci-fi opera, Proteus Vex here in the Prog. Not one for “taking it easy”, Mike is back with a brand new tale. And if this opening episode is anything to go by it’s going to be a blinder! 

Taking place in 2001, we follow a group of survivors as they scavenge a ruined house. It’s clear from the get-go that this group are after something and that it’s buried within the grounds of the house. Carroll soon throws us some bait as the group's salvation soon turns to tragedy as the thing they find starts to slaughter the group. 

As the group's numbers dwindle, a point to the skies makes us second-guess everything so far. Could we have been duped? Well, we’ll find out next week. 

Brilliant work here from Carroll who captures our attention in just five pages. It’s quick, sharp and doesn’t hold any punches, yet manages to pack plenty of weight behind its world-building. Currie’s artwork is phenomenal throughout and the use of red stands out against the twilight blues and grey’s. 

Simply fantastic, and that’s after one episode! 

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