For those who are unaware of 2000AD, it is a British anthology series that features different stories from different writers and artists in each issue. It is actually nearing its 40 year anniversary and is probably best known for introducing us to the character Judge Dredd and his violent futuristic world. This issue contains four stories that feature Judge Dredd, Flesh Gorehead, Savage, and Counterfeit Girl, with a cover from Clint Langley.
The first story is “Judge Dredd: In Denial” and was written
by Michael Carroll, illustrated by Andrew Currie, colored by Chris Blythe, and
lettered by Annie Parkhouse. It is about Judge Dredd and the ongoing tension
between the judges and the citizens after a deadly event occurred that killed a
very large amount of people. It is a story that has been going on in that world
for some time now and this is just a small slice involving Dredd and one
citizen that is thematically applicable to the current social climate. Currie’s
drawings look like superhero characters that you would expect from one of the
major comic book companies, but they are slightly exaggerated and look a little
cartoonier than you might expect. He does give the character good facial
expressions and his use of having someone breaking into and across multiple
panels is excellent. The color from Blythe is what you expect from a typical
comic these days, but it does look nice.
The second story is “Flesh: Gorehead Part 9” and was written
by Pat Mills, art by Clint Langley, and lettered by Ellie De Ville. This is
continues an ongoing story about a group that is sent time traveling into the
past to hunt dinosaurs for a food source. They run into an angry T-Rex called
Gorehead who wants revenge for the murder of his kind. The art from Langley is
nothing short of brilliant and absolutely beautiful. His combination of
painting, photography and digital art may not be for everyone’s taste, but it
sure looks great. It is an action packed story with a hot babe and some wicked
looking dinosaurs, just pure fun all around.
The third story is “Savage: The Marze Murderer Part 10” and
was written by Pat Mills, illustrated by Patrick Goddard, and lettered by Annie
Parkhouse. The story is pretty much the classic buddy cop movie but with a
twist, similar to Alien Nation or The Hidden. It involves a female Volgan
and a man who hates Volgans investigating deadly robots that could destroy
everyone. It looks like a noir tale, sticking to black and white panels to
create that effect. Goddard’s cars and buildings look fantastic and his strong
use of black shading adds to the noir effect.
The fourth story is “Counterfeit Girl: Part 10” and was
written by Peter Milligan, illustrated by Rufus Dayglo, colored by Domic Regan,
and lettered by Ellie de Ville. The story involves a futuristic society where
your ID is regulated and a part of you, controlled by corporations. Libra Kelly
is a counterfeiter that must take on a diseased identity in order to escape a
corporation, only that it is now killing her. The combination of the drawings
and colors in this is magnificent and is reminiscent of classic sci-fi art from
Heavy Metal Magazine and Tank Girl. It should come as no surprise
to know that Dayglo illustrated Tank Girl previously, as you can see the
similarities in the female protagonist. This is a great story that sci-fi comic
fans need to check out.
If you haven’t been following 2000AD, now is the time to
jump in and start. Go grab several back issues and get caught up on some of
these wonderful stories and artwork. The appealing aspect of this comic is that
it offers up four different stories with four vastly different styles of
artwork, so odds are that you should end enjoying at least one part of the
whole.