Several stories are ramping up for their endgame this week in 2000AD Prog 2444, on sale today, fronted by a cover from Lee Carter. Among them, “Scarlet Traces”, investigators under fire – as it turns out, literally…

Also this issue, Judge Dredd takes to the dangerous jungle in pursuit of his quarry, the dominos continue to fall for “The Ravilious Pact”, and all manner of hell breaks loose in “Azimuth”!

Plus, we’re treated to a complete “Nu Earth War Tale” this week, which reveals new secrets about The Traitor General – Rogue Trooper’s arch-nemesis!

2000AD Prog 2444
UK and DIGITAL: 6th August July £3.80
NORTH AMERICA: 1st October $26.99 (Prog Pack)
DIAMOND: JUN251428
COVER: Lee Carter

In this issue:

JUDGE DREDD // TUNNELS
by Rob Williams (Writer) RM Guera (Artist) Giulia Brusco (Colourist) Simon Bowland (Letterer)

Mega-City One, 2147 AD. Home to over 250 million citizens, this urban hell is situated along the east coast of post-apocalyptic North America. Tensions are on a knife-edge, crime is rampant, and only the Judges — empowered to dispense instant justice — can stop total anarchy. Toughest of them all is JUDGE DREDD — he is the Law! Now, he’s tracking a terrorist in the Amazon jungle, following an attack on a Sector House…

THE RAVILIOUS PACT
by T.C.Eglington (Writer) Steven Austin (Artist) John Charles (Colourist) Simon Bowland (Letterer)

London, 2025. Jason Ravilious is an enforcer for the notorious Boucher mob, one of the capital’s more feared underworld organisations. But they are no ordinary gangland outfit — they have connections with demonic entities that have helped them build their criminal empire. Jason was loyal to the Boucher patriarch Archie, but he’s now died and power has transferred to his unstable son Todd…

AZIMUTH // ABANDONED BY GOD
by Dan Abnett (Writer) Tazio Bettin (Artist) Matt Soffe (Colourist) Jim Campbell (Letterer)

Welcome to the city of AZIMUTH, a data-driven metropolis, where anything is possible. Ruled by an aristocracy of the New Flesh, such concepts of life, death, and body-forms are fluid. Anyone can take any shape, if it can be conceived by the imagination. A stranger has ridden into town — none other than Ramone Dexter — and revealed that Azimuth is in fact Downlode recrafted by a rogue Artificial Intelligence…

SCARLET TRACES // EMPIRE OF BLOOD
by Ian Edginton (Writer) D’Israeli (Artist) Annie Parkhouse (Letterer)

England, the late nineteenth century. Earth has come under attack by Martian war machines, devastating huge swathes of the country with their heat rays and harvesting enormous numbers of people. Finally struck down by the planet’s viruses, the Martians’ assault collapses. Now, humanity is picking up the pieces and coming to terms with the aftermath, but there appears to be vestiges of the aliens left…

NU-EARTH WAR TALES // TRAITOR
by Gordon Rennie (Writer) Silvia Califano (Artist) Barbara Nosenso (Colourist) Simon Bowland (Letterer)

Nu Earth, site of a galactic war between the Norts and the Southers, where the atmosphere has been rendered poisonous. So the Southers created the Genetic Infantrymen, immune to the pollutants — G.I.s like ROGUE TROOPER, the last of his kind. As he, together with biochip buddies Helm, Gunnar and Bagman, search for the traitor that sold them out, stories swirl around the characters involved in this conflict…

• 2000AD Prog 2444 is available in print from: 2000AD webshop, newsagents, select supermarkets, book stores, Amazon, and comic book stores via Diamond | Available in digital from: 2000AD webshop, 2000AD app for Apple & Android

• About the Author
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John Freeman

John  is the founder of downthetubes, launched in 1998. He is a comics and magazine editor, writer, and Press Officer for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He also runs Crucible Comic Press.

Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine and Overkill for Marvel UK, Babylon 5 Magazine, Star Trek Magazine, and its successor, Star Trek Explorer, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics; and has edited several comic collections and graphic novels, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”, and Hancock: The Lad Himself, by Stephen Walsh and Keith Page.

He’s the writer of  comics such as Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs”, with Dave Hailwood.

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Categories: 2000AD, British Comics, British Comics - Current British Publishers, Comic Previews, Comics, downthetubes Comics News, downthetubes News

Tags: 2000AD, Azimuth, downthetubes News, Judge Dredd, Lee Carter, Nu-Earth War Tales, Scarlet Traces, SF Comics, The Ravilious Pact