Luke Graham reviews 2000AD’s Prog 1886…
“Is Sláine too late to save Sinead and what will happen when he confronts humanity’s dark overlords? The final episode of Book One of The Brutania Chronicles blazes into 2000 AD Prog 1886 along with more Judge Dredd, more Indigo Prime, more Grey Area, and a brand new Future Shock featuring art from newly discovered artist Tom Foster!”
Borag thungg, Earthlets! Prog 1886 is a step-up from last week’s issue which I found to be fairly lacklustre.
Things are going from bad to catastrophically insane for Judge Dredd in part 4 of Trauma Town. As the nightmarish manifestations sweep through the Meg, Dredd tries to get to the bottom of what is causing them. Meanwhile, Chief Judge Hershey is preparing to exile Dredd, as it seems he himself might be the cause! Writer Michael Carroll tries to weave a little humour into what is otherwise a harrowing tale, while artist Nick Percival delivers more chilling, Lovecraftian imagery in his photorealistic style, depicting, monsters, ghouls and cadavers in almost every panel.
Replacing Tharg’s 3thrillers, which concluded last week, is a one-off Terror Tales. Done Deal is a ghoulish short story set in an urban estate. This humble bit of kitchen sink drama has a neat twist, with great art by debutant Tom Foster.
Those expecting an action-packed third part to Dan Abnett’s Nearer My God to Thee in Grey Area, as the writer decides to slow the story’s pace and raise the stakes. As the giant egg-shaped ship, the God Star, continues to incite riots around the world, Bulliett seeks answers by speaking to a hulking Rookuk. This alien species claims to have encountered and killed a God Star and this Rookuk has some chilling revelations about the nature of the God Star for Bulliett…
Things take a turn for the bizarre in Indigo Prime, as Viktor, Danny and Unthur visit Jerusalem around the time of the crucifixion. Viktor takes centre-stage in this segment, as he pursues his potentially sinister agenda. The art by Lee Carter is gorgeous and John Smith’s story keeps taking new twists and turns.
Scrotnig Story of the Week
The stand-out of the issue is the exciting conclusion to Book One of the The Brutania Chronicles, as Slaine launches an all-out assault on the Drune Lords and duels with the Psychopomp. The action is as blood-stained and chaotic as ever, with beautiful art by Simon Davis in a classy, sketchy style, but the dialogue by Pat Mills is fantastic. There are revelations about Slaine’s past that provide the woad warrior with some much needed depth, and Sinead’s defeatist personality is a great way to portray the extent of the Psychopomp’s villainy. The close-ups on Slaine’s face depict the range of emotions he is going through: fear, anger, doubt. And the final image leaves us with an exciting cliff hanger. has Slaine finally been defeated?
The combination of writing and art here perfectly captures the power of comics, and demonstrates that this is a pair of artists firing on all cylinders. I can’t wait for Book Two.
Luke Graham is a writer and works in newspaper production. If you enjoyed this review, follow him @LukeWGraham and check out his blog here.