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Don't know if this has been posted before, but just in case it hasn't, I saw this masterpiece in Moorgate today.

[Strontium Dog]

This is an excellent prog this week!

The cover is Carlos on Stront, and it's a really fitting image. We've seen it or part of it before in an advert before the story started, and I assumed at the time that it was an image from the first episode when Alpha and Kenton meet, but it's actually how the story ends.

It's the last episode of Strontium Dog, and it winds everything up perfectly. That robot they decided to go after last week steals the show with his antics and one-liners, and he's a strong enough character to have been the main bad guy for a whole ten episode series, but Wagner just used him for a total of five pages and still created a very memorable character. This story ends perfectly.

A new series began with a very strong opening episode. Skip Tracer by James Peaty (I feel like I recognise that name but can't place it -- what else has he done?) does a good job of setting up the scene of the story and introducing its main character, and getting the plot going at once.

There's a fun Judge Dredd one-off by Rory McConville and Dan Cornwell. Can't say much about it here as it would spoil the story to mention anything, but this is the sort of thing I like to see. Rory is shaping up to be a safe pair of hands on Dredd (that isn't damning with fair praise; for me "a safe pair of hands" is a high bar on Dredd).

SinDex finishes, and I've enjoyed this one.

And Fall of Deadworld is back, as usual with excellent and macabre art by Dave K. I like the robot horsey thing.

[Cadet Dredd]

(Hope nobody minds if I start a new thread for reviews, since the other one is called previews.)

This was really good this year. I wasn't expecting to like it much because it was said to be aimed at younger readers (which I don't object to in itself -- we need new readers -- but the rather basic cover art made me assume that it was going to condescend to them by being infantile) but thank goodness I was wrong.

It opens with a Cadet Dredd story, which was pretty fun, mostly because of one particular panel which I won't spoil here. (Bottom of page 5, but don't look until you get there.) I was put off by the Cadet thing at first, because I remembered that as a child I didn't want to read about comics about children, I wanted to read stories about grown-ups -- but I needn't have worried, it was a fun little story.

Strontium Dog by Alec Worley and Ben Willsher tells of how a young Johnny Alpha became a Search/Destroy agent. Again, I had low expectations for this premise but the story got better than it sounds, with some strong supporting characters and in one crucial bit of the story a good callback to something that had been mentioned earlier but which didn't seem important at the time, which I thought was a good bit of story-telling. I don't want to see non-Wagner SD very often, but this one time was alright by me.

A one-page comedy by Arthur Wyatt called Intestinauts was good.

The highlight of the whole issue for me was, very unexpectedly, not even a story but a puzzle! Now I normally would never want to see a puzzle in a comic, and I think that having pages of puzzles in children's comics instead of pages of comic story is an abomination. But Chet Jetsworth: Hell Island was great! It's not credited but I'm guessing Al Ewing? (Would like to know.) It was funny and very, very difficult. I'd like to see something else like this, and that is something I never thought I'd say. I might have to go and have a lie down now.

There's a decent Future Shock from (I think) some new people. I don't normally like this cartoonish style of art, but it fits the tone of this story well. And finally there's a D.R. & Quinch story by some new people (I think). Not as good as Alan Moore but then that's a very high bar and possibly not a fair one. It was fine taken on its own merits.

No damp squibs here.

Prog 2079 gets a Class of 2079-themed cover by McMahon, fittingly.

A new Dredd story by Alec Worley and Karl Richardson, presumably a 2- or 3-parter. I liked the funny bit on page 4 (but don't look now).

A completely ridiculous and over the top SinDex story which is quite fun.

Apparently this episode of Anderson is the second from last, and ends on a good cliff-hanger. I think when it's finished I'll have to go back and read the whole thing in one go, but I like that Karyn has come back and the use that has been made of her in this story.

A Future Shock by (I think) newcomers. Not a serious story, but it is based on a good and solid idea so it works for me.

Strontium Dog takes an interesting turn, but I don't want to say more here. No complaints from me about the art here.

It's a good prog this week. My only criticism is that on the cover, Rico Dredd's badge says Rico instead of Dredd. That always galls me whenever it happens.

Just re-read all of Outlier in the last three floppies, and it was much better than I remembered. I really like the bleak ending. I feel like this series deserves to be remembered more fondly, and that it would be suitable for the Mega-Collection.

Also, both Caul and Carcer are dicks.

I've enjoyed this one. Dredd is still good. I still don't remember who Lamia is but I like her and wouldn't mind seeing her in more stories (assuming she survives this one).

Blackblood gets his comeuppance and reveals himself to be the snivelling little turd I'd long suspected him to be.

But the standout episode this week is Brass Sun. I'd gone off it a little, but this week it's excellent and it's redeemed itself. When it finishes I think I'll go back and re-read the whole series.

Savage is much like it was last week. I like this for Patrick Goddard's art, which is some of the best the prog has seen in recent years.

Bad Company is still okay. I enjoyed reading it, although looking over it again now as I write this I'm now a little concerned that it seems to [spoiler]undo the sad ending of last week's chapter.[/spoiler]

[Judge Dredd]

Actually, that's not the real cover strapline, I just wish it was. It's really "LEADING THE THRILL-CHARGE!"

It's a good prog.

Judge Dredd carries on from where we left off last week. Don't want to say too much more about it here so as not to spoil anything, but it's taken an interesting turn. It's part one of a series.

There's a very good Fall of Deadworld one-off which introduces a new character, of whom I am looking forward to seeing more in later stories. There's also an advert for the first volume of Dark Judges hardback graphic novels, starting with Fall of Deadworld.

ABC Warriors gets off to an excellent start. Even if you didn't like the last series, give this one a go. Clint's art is beautiful, and Pat's writing is top stuff, and he makes his point well without being too preachy about it. I'm glad this is back.

There is a very funny Tharg-type one-off story about Starlord, by a new writer and some great art by Henry Flint. This made me laugh. (I wonder if Rebellion's Treasury of British Comics imprint will reprint anything from Starlord in its 40th anniversary year? Mind Wars was good.)

I've got to make this comic last for three weeks, so in saving the other four stories for later (I hope that's not cheating for thread-bagging purposes). But there's also Droid Life, a feature where creator droids choose their favourite bit of the prog over the last 40 years, and adverts for new Strontium Dog and Chopper stories in 2018.

The rest of the prog is Savage, Brass Sun, Bad Company and an Ace Trucking Co one-off.

A very good way to round off the year.

What an extraordinarily good prog this week!

A very good Dredd one-off by Arthur Wyatt and new artist Simon Roy (his style reminds me of the art on The Vort and Wastelands). I really liked this story, a strong plot, some good characters, good jokes.

But the real stand-out this week is episode four of Indigo Prime. Extremely disgusting, imaginative, top action, and it actually reads as if John Smith wrote it himself. I think that Kek-W has really found Smith's voice. Looking forward very much to see where all this is going.

Something actually happened in Slaine.

Absalom is back with a strong start.

Grey Area concludes with an action-packed finale, and sets up next year's story in a way that makes me wish we didn't have to wait that long -- and I normally don't even like this series.

Very good issue.

Does anyone remember this from Scream!? Is it suitable for a six-year-old?

[Judge Dredd]

Well I'd better start a new thread or else all the reviews will just end up on that Zenith thread.

I thought the new Judge Dredd story would be a one-off, but it's episode one of something longer. Quite funny, especially the first two panels on page 4 (but don't look ahead).

But the highlight for me is the art in the Rogue Trooper one-off. The way Leonardo Manco draws Rogue with his bayonet that looks like it's about to emerge from the page and stab the reader in the face is outstanding. It's also a well-written synopsis of who Rogue is for new readers, as it's been seven years since we last saw him in the regular prog. There's also an advert for a new Rogue computer game.

Grey Area is back for the start of a new storyline, this time in the Middle East. New readers might be puzzled by why Resting Bitch Face keeps being called Bitch, given that it's not obvious that this is in fact her name and not just harassment in the workplace.

Slainé  plunges straight in with a massacre.

Indigo Prime is by John Smith, and not by someone else as in the new Devlin Waugh story in the Megazine. Fantastic art by Lee Carter (of course). I've been looking forward to this one, since the last series ended in such a mental place.

(There's the Zenith article but it has its own thread.)

There is a run-of-the-mill Sinister Dexter one-off. Not my cup of tea really, but the people who love this series might like it, and it's back next week. Art by Steve Yeowell.

The Fall of Deadworld does't really work as a one-off, since it follows on directly from the end of the last series and won't make much sense to anyone who hasn't read it. New readers might forgive it for the art though. The whole thing is suitably revolting, and it promises to all kick off in the next series.

Tharg, with these 48 pages you are really spoiling us...

Amazed no one else has started this thread yet! Postal problems?

I won't spoil this one, but there's a very interesting cameo in this week's Dredd, one which I think will please a lot of people. Will be fascinating to see how this story ends.

We finally find out what happened to the missing kid in Hope, and it's brilliantly done. I'll definitely re-read this one as soon as it finishes. My only gripe is that the second and third pages were clearly designed to face each other, and yet they don't. Hopefully this will be fixed if there's a graphic novel one day (there certainly deserves to be, this story is good enough to be included in the new Hachette collection).

The Alienist is storming towards a conclusion. It's been a good story, but it's supposedly lead character, Vespertine, hasn't really done anything and has been upstaged by her supporting cast throughout, much like Dredd in the recent Paradox Vega story. I've enjoyed it though.

Greysuit: my favourite bit was the line about [spoiler]not winning the lottery[/spoiler].

I liked the Future Shock. Keep them coming, Tharg.

[Droid Life]

A very good issue this week.

There's a particularly good Droid Life.

Judge Dredd: War Buds features some nice art by Dan Cornwall, especially the bit with someone's brains being blown out on page 1. He's a good fit in the prog, and I'd welcome seeing more of his work in the future. (Having said that, given what this story is about I do wish they'd got Carlos to do this one, but there we go.) The action gets under way.

The Alienist is moving along nicely, and Greysuit is building up to its conclusion.

Mechastopheles is on this prog's cover, and inside we see [spoiler]a lovely big monster.[/spoiler]

But by far the best thing in the prog this week (and every week since it came back) is Hope. I don't know if this story will have a sequel (it's certainly not going to have a happy ending), but if it doesn't then these creators definitely need to have a go on something else. Looking forward to seeing how it all pans out.

Is anyone watching Blood Drive? It's mental. It's got the sort of feel I hope the Dredd TV show will have.

It's two episodes in, but you can still watch them on repeats.

Nick Percival's art, as always, is fantastic.

["Fart-gusting rectum!"]

Best bit: [spoiler]"Fart-gusting rectum!"[/spoiler] 

Wow!

A phenomenally good Dredd one-off by Michael Carroll, and in my view he's now made it as one of the top Dredd writers. This feels like an '80s (in a good way) Wagner & Grant tale. It's got a solid sf idea underpinning it, it's funny, it has a decent plot, and it introduces a fun character who I really hope we'll see again.

I'm so delighted with this one that I haven't even waited to read the rest of this issue yet - although this has the last episode of Lawless and a new Anderson story.

Pat Mills's new e-book, Be a Pure! Be Vigilant! Behave! is now on sale:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B072JYY2NF?utm_source=Millsverse+Newsletter&utm_campaign=b07b689078-Secret_History_Release_2017_06_07&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_cf425f8ae5-b07b689078-160308709

Does anyone know if this first and only issue of Judge Dredd fortnightly was actually published or just a dummy for internal consideration? And what were the Dredd and Anderson stories inside -- new or reprints? And if new stories, have they appeared anywhere since?

Surprised no one has started this yet -- am I the only squaxx who actually made it to a participating shop?

Anyway, a very good Dredd take by Matt Smith, his best yet I think. Can't say much more about it without giving away the ending, so I won't. But it seems like a story that will appeal to new and veteran readers alike, and the opening page is an excellent way to start a story. And there's some nice art by Phil Winslade.

There's a decent Blackblood one-off by Pat Mills and a new (to me anyway) artist called Kei Zama, and I'd like to see more of his/her work in the prog some day. There's also a digital link to the first Blackblood one-off, with some beautiful painted art by Kevin Walker.

There's an Anderson story by Dan Abnett, featuring (this isn't a spoiler) the return of Trapper Hag. This grated with me a little at first because Trapoer Hag was killed in 1999, but I suppose this story could be set before that happened, and it works on its own terms. There's link to the first TH story.

There are reprints of Hope and Dreams of Deadworld. And there's a one-page Tharg the Mighty story by Henry Flint, which promises (I hope) some interesting reprints to come later in the year.

The whole thing is printed on top quality paper, which is nice. And there's a tribute to Steve Dillon on the back cover.

All in all, this is a strong FCBD prog and it should entice some new readers.

Just finished Serial Killer today and thoroughly enjoyed it. Thought it was pretty funny, especially the interludes describing the comic stories, and I liked how most of the characters are obnoxious dicks. It also gives a good insight into what it was like to work in British comics in the '70s.

The second book in the series will apparently be about (it at least include) the story of how 2000AD started, from Mills's and O'Neill's perspective.

Not for you if you hated the Megazine excerpt, but if you're in two minds then I'd say take a punt, you definitely haven't read a book like it!