The latest issue of 2000AD is on sale today in all good newsagents, comic shops and a variety of digital platforms. With Rufus Dayglo‘s “Bad Company” cover leaping from shelves in your face, how can you miss it?
Inside, Tharg pays tribute to the late Jim Baikie, while Judge Dredd‘s Siberian mission goes from bad to even worse – with writer Michael Carroll apparently steering the strip to in a “Cursed Earth” epic direction, none of it good for everyone’s favourite lawman. (Colin MacNeil‘s art is standout on this).
But my favourite strip this week has been a bit of a slow burn recently, yes, despite its all-out action! “Savage: The Thousand Year Stare” is great fun, not just for having another of 2000AD‘s “founding characters” as the lead, but the lovely way Pat Mills is throwing in and threading 2000AD universe continuity together without it getting to fan boy.
Artist Patrick Goddard, clearly enjoying himself on the strip, tells me he’s as curious as I am as to where Pat is taking is taking this story. “I’m more than happy to go along for the ride,” he says.
Oh, and “Bad Company” – it’s just out an out throwback weirdness and mayhem! Love it.
In this issue:
JUDGE DREDD: ECHOES
by Michael Carroll (Writer) Colin MacNeil (Artist) Chris Blythe (Colourist) Annie Parkhouse (Letterer)
Mega-City One, 2139 AD. Home to over 72 million citizens, this urban hell is situated along the east coast of post-apocalyptic North America, where unemployment is rife, boredom universal and crime is rampant. Tensions rest on a knife-edge and only the zero-tolerance Judges can stop total anarchy. Toughest of them all is JUDGE DREDD — he is the Law! Now, he’s flying away from a mission that took him to Siberia…
SAVAGE: THE THOUSAND YEAR STARE
by Pat Mills (Writer) Patrick Goddard (Artist) Ellie De Ville (Letterer)
In 1999, Britain was invaded by the Volgans, and lorry driver BILL SAVAGE’s family were killed. He led the resistance to victory in 2010, when the enemy surrendered. Now, in 2015, Savage has been stationed in Volgan-occupied Berlin under the guise of bar owner Herr Wilder, but his hatred of Volgans caused him to go on killing sprees. He has teamed up with Volgan police officer Nika Volodina to investigate Volgan experiments…
BRASS SUN: ENGINE SUMMER
by Ian Edginton (Writer) INJ Culbard (Artist) Ellie De Ville (Letterer)
The Orrery is a clockwork solar system, a clutch of planets orbiting a vast BRASS SUN, but the outer worlds are freezing as the sun dies. Young Wren must find the elements of the key that will restart the sun, and has embarked on an epic quest with conductor novice Septimus. An aspect of the Blind Watchmaker, The Orrery’s creator, was implanted in Wren’s head, and she’s now transferred it to Arthur, a robot assassin…
BAD COMPANY: TERRORISTS
by Peter Milligan (Writer) Rufus Dayglo (Artist) Dom Regan (c) Simon Bowland (Letterer)
It has been a decade since man fought the Krool on the planet Ararat. Danny Franks was just a raw recruit until he was drafted into the guerrilla unit known as BAD COMPANY. Kano, Fly-Trap, Mad Tommy and Thrax were living in a veterans’ compound, dosed in psyche-chem to keep the memories at bay, when they realised the truth about the war had been hidden from them. They busted out, and are now enemies of the state…
ABC WARRIORS: FALLOUT
by Pat Mills (Writer) Clint Langley (Artist) Annie Parkhouse (Letterer)
Mars, the far future. War droids created for a conflict that ended centuries ago, the ABC WARRIORS are resistant to Atomic, Bacterial and Chemical warfare. Charged with bringing peace to the civil war-ravaged frontier colonies on the Red Planet, the Mek-nificent Seven have recently recruited the mechanic Tubal Caine, who was once Happy Shrapnel. Now, they’re determined to take down the villainous Howard Quartz…
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The founder of downthetubes, which he established in 1998. John works as a comics and magazine editor, writer, and on promotional work for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He is currently editor of Star Trek Explorer, published by Titan – his third tour of duty on the title originally titled Star Trek Magazine.
Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine, Babylon 5 Magazine, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics. He has also edited several comic collections, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”.
He’s the writer of “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.
Categories: British Comics, downthetubes Comics News, downthetubes News, Reviews
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