2000AD Prog #2059 (comicbook review).

I picked up 2000AD Prog # 2059 on a whim along with Judge Dredd Megazine # 390, curious to see how they’re shaping up nowadays. These two are virtually the only serious British comics left standing, which is potty when you think how much American product is out there. Anyway, here’s my report.

The cover is beautiful with a picture from ‘Absalom’, the last strip in this issue. The inside cover has a few words from Tharg and a list of contents along with resumes of what went before. Unlike American comics, the British breed are anthologies featuring several strips, five here, and the story is told in multiple parts, hence the summary for new readers.

‘Black Snow: Part 5’ is a Judge Dredd story by Michael Carroll with art by P.J. Holden. Dredd has come to the aid of an under-siege Siberian mining facility but East-Meg forces have intervened. East-Meg is the Russian equivalent of Mega-City One. Dredd is unkind to a dog in this one but it was trying to kill him. Routine Dredd story really.

Simon Davis does the stylish art on ‘Slaine: The Brutania Chronicles: Book Four: Archon: Part Ten’. As the long title indicates, this is a small segment of a big story so hard to make much of it. There is a big bad god who tells Slaine he will rule the future and men will slave to build mighty cathedrals for him while he makes their lives miserable with his rules.

‘Sinister Dexter: Billi No Mates’ seems to be a prelude to an upcoming story. A skilled hacker is trying to track down the eponymous hit men. The art is pleasing and the script was interesting but I could find no credits for either. A tag at the end says that Sinister Dexter return in 2018 so a few weeks to go yet.

‘Thargs 3Rillers Presents: The House Of Gilded Peak: Part Two’ had a psychic stealing the location of hidden treasure from a rich lady’s mind and a woman heavily pregnant woman by a strange lover. There are secret passages and something odd in the basement. Gothic horror, then. ‘Thargs 3Rillers’ are individual stories told in just three parts. Script is by Eddie Robson and art by Steven Austin who presumably adds the last ‘n’ so people won’t think he’s bionic. You have to be quite old to get that reference.

The last strip is ‘Absalom: Terminal Diagnosis: Book One: Part Seven.’ Absalom is a crusty old policeman and head of a special squad that enforces The Accord, a diplomatic treaty made in the 16th century between the throne of England and the powers of Hell. I always knew they were in cahoots. Absalom is preparing to enter a demon stronghold to rescue his grandchildren and needs some help. Nice script by Gordon Rennie but the art! The art was absolutely gorgeous! It’s done in a black and white photorealism/Paul Gulacy style by someone called Tiernen Trevallion whose work I will look out for. It made me wonder if all ‘2000AD’ artists get the same page rates. I hope not. As a matter of fact, the art in this issue was all pretty good but sometimes strips in ‘2000AD’ and the ‘Judge Dredd Megazine’ look like they were drawn in crayon by a drunken six-year-old.

I was surprised by the £ 2.75 price on this comicbook, 27 pages of art means it’s about 10p a page, but not shocked. Paper, ink, production, discounting for retailers to get shelf space all costs money. The e-book version is cheaper but I prefer comics on paper. All in all, a reasonably good issue and almost worth buying just for the art on ‘Absalom’. Patriotic Englishmen should also bear in mind that it’s British. Buy it now and support new UK talent so that Marvel and DC can steal them away in a few years.

Eamonn Murphy

December 2017

(pub: Rebellion Publishing. 32 page comic. Price: £ 2.75 (UK))

check out website: www.rebellionpublishing.com/