Mark Allen reviews 2000 AD Prog #1999…
The penultimate issue of 2000 AD’s second millennium rockets along, concluding many of the comic’s current storylines and offering a gloopy, cautionary Judge Dredd one-off.
Most of the prog’s content is full of none-more-goth pessimism, from Jaegir: Warchild’s rabid child-monsters to both Scarlet Traces and Outlier’s world-shattering endings. Despite its political conspiracy leanings, Judge Anderson: Psi-Division has the most upbeat ending of its peers. Okay, one person dies and there’s all sorts of problematic mind control ethics to consider, but at least only one person carks it instead of a whole solar system. Writer Emma Beeby and artist Ben Willsher bring things to a close with a taut, satisfying coda, with Willsher’s elegant panel layouts and cinematic visuals allowing the story to breeze by with a commendable clarity.
As with the last prog, if you’re a new reader you might be a bit lost, but the standalone Judge Dredd tale “Well Gel” makes for diverting reading regardless. It’s a goofy concept breezily executed, with a few welcome cameos from British politicians and TV personalities in the form of street names. An oddly child-friendly instalment of Dredd, the art and dialogue places tongue firmly in cheek with protesting elderly citizens (#OldLivesMatter), fame-hungry scientists and, of course, a rampaging pink Triceratops. What more could you ask for?
Next week brings a whole new set of stories and many fan-favourite creators to 2000 AD’s most momentous issue in the history of its publication. If you want to jump aboard, now would be the time to do it.
Rating: 7/10
Mark Allen
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Originally published September 22, 2016. Updated April 14, 2018.
