Prog 1809 : THIS ONE'LL KILL YA!

[Dominic O'Rourke]

It's been soooo long since I last posted here.

Love the Prog at the moment, got me back subscribing via the digital download. 

Particularly love Dredd, and the handling of the multi-threads over the last few months.

I've been wondering since the Day of Chaos, why so much of the city was destroyed, now I wonder what roll the new Luna city built by Mr a overdrive with what now appears to be MC1 money. Could they just launch it from the moon and rebuild the city in one go?

[Gavin_Leahy_Block]

The artwork in Dredd this week is incredible. Flint and Blythe do an excellent job, especially with the flashback.
I just checked the end of Low Life: Creation, where we see three Judges coming to save Frank. Only one of there badges can clearly be seen, Scott.

I'm calling it now - prog 1812 will be where all the plots converge and we get a Dredd/Point/Frank teamup.

Called it two weeks ago.

[Spikes]

Hey up! whats this? A [spoiler]Judge Child Quest flashback?[/spoiler] Intriguing to say the least. And to think i was never that fussed about Wednesdays..

[nicklarr]

But.. who is Judge Smiley..?
(which stories/progs have we seen him before?)

By the way - Henry Flint is GOD!!!!   

[SmallBlueThing]

Aside from the lousy cover, this was a prog that was just too good for a mere message in a forum to even begin to do justice. I cant decide upon my favourite strip- is it Dredd and the machinations therein? ABCs and the jolt of thrillpower it sent to the part of my brain that remembers meeting hammerstein and ro-jaws for the first time in Starlord all those decades ago? Or Brass Sun for being just fucking aces and a deceptive calm spot in the midst of it all?

I have no idea what's going on in the Dreddverse threeway, but i'm enjoying every panel. 2000AD is the best comic in the world, isnt it? Id even possibly buy one of those tshirts- the one that looks okay and not something an arse would wear. It does strike me though- does commando forces buy ALL of them, or what?

SBT

[James]

They would have done better having the cover for next week's prog, I spent all of Simp waiting for the ninjudge to appear. With the cliffhanger at the end of the episode the cover wold have worked much better next week.

I keep laughing out loud at Low Life, my family keep asking me what's so funny, so I told them. They just look at me funny.

[Fisticuffs]

'NinJudge' - I like it.

[Dandontdare]

Still no prog! The post round here has gone to shit.

[James Stacey]

Just spotted this weeks Prog in the corner shop a few doors down from my house. It sells papers and whatnot so I shouldn't be surprised but it made me happy nonetheless. Though I'd share

[Robert Frazer]

One problem with the theory that Dredd and Smiley have switched the list is - why are the Ninjudges pursuing Point, who is kinda-sorta-more-or-less-just-about-despite-appearances a legitimate Judge?

Perhaps that's the irony - because it's already pretty much an open secret that Point is "the Wally in the clown costume" (Hell, out of the thousands of Judges Dredd recognises him at a glance) he's the only one whose name doesn't need to be on a list to be identified? His trying to escape into Simpology only makes him more of a target.

[Spikes]

Aside from the lousy cover..

Im half and half about it. Shame, as usually Mr Trevallion's work is cut and dried brilliant stuff.

[a chosen rider]

Cover - Have to admit that Jack Point face doesn't quite work for me.  I really like the pencils for it that were posted earlier, but I don't think the flat style of inking here has done it any favours.

Dredd - I love this depiction of Hershey.  The scenes between her and Dredd are fascinating, and much more complex and interesting than just the usual schtick of Dredd vs. a foolishly short-sighted council.  I can sympathise with both their positions here.  Interesting to see Maitland having a biscuit-dunking flashback of her own; there certainly seems to be a suggestion Dredd's aware of the machinations.  Fantastic writing and great art - this truly is quality Dredd.

Low Life Are the opening scenes here implying Smiley [spoiler]created Dirty Frank[/spoiler]?  Mein Gott and blimey.  Also, love Dirty Frank's non-standard but quite effective resistance to interrogation.  Underneath it all he really is still a good Judge.  From his reaction to the list, I get the impression it's not just fake, but made up of people the Justice Department would be happy to have disposed of.  As for the art, what's left to be said?  Insert superlatives here.

ABC Warriors - Ro-Jaws!  Okay, this coasts by on pure nostalogia factor, but it gets away with it.  Love this black and white art.

Brass Sun - Must confess the background of the first page here confounded me for a bit before I realised that it was a painting.  I enjoy this, but it's so continually twisty I've given up paying much attention to the plot, since there's no way to anticipate where it's going.  Love that beautiful cityscape on the last page, and the colouring.

Simping Detective - Interesting character detail that Point doesn't like sleep machines, Dredd being of course famous for not liking normal sleep.  The lead characters make kind of a fascinating trinity here: Dredd, the ultimate straight man against the backdrop of an insane world and the platonic ideal of a Judge; Frank, genuinely crazy but still clinging to the symbol of the badge as his one true anchor; Point, pretending to be crazy to fit in among the cits and all too quick to ditch his judicial responsibilities.  Interesting stuff.  Lovely moody art, too.

Running out of things to say about this current run of progs.  So good.

Revisiting The Story So Far

Okay.  Rereading earlier progs, this is what I've got.  (Stuff in spoiler tags is my speculation.)

Maitland, investigating accounts, uncovered links between Bachmann and Overdrive.  She reported this to Smiley.  [spoiler]He then wiped her memory to avoid her tipping off Bachmann.[/spoiler]  Smiley contacted Dredd in 'Bullet to King Four' to bring him in on the operation.  [spoiler]Dredd knows what's going on, as he's the only one who can maintain a closed mind without causing suspicion; everybody else is either memory wiped or out of the loop to keep Bachmann's psis from eavesdropping.[/spoiler]

Bachmann had the Simps brainwash chief Folger into stealing the list of Wally squad Judges.  Folger was meant to hand this off to another Church Simp, but Jack Point was sent to intercept it instead.  [spoiler]It was Smiley who sent him -  the note was signed with a smiley face.[/spoiler]

Point's corrupt boss, Daveez, is mixed up with the Simps and tries to get the doll containing the list from Point.  He doesn't succeed, and Point makes contact with Miss Anne Thrope instead.  While Point is distracted Thrope swaps the doll for a substitute.  [spoiler]She's working for Smiley: the voice Point hears on the radio and thinks he recognises is Smiley's.[/spoiler]  She claims her boss is forcing her to cut him loose, and gives him the contact details of the buyer so he can sell the list.

Dredd is there in time to witness Point making the sale, but doesn't try to stop it.  [spoiler]He knows the list has been swapped out for a dummy.[/spoiler]  The buyer sends the list to Overdrive.  Point escapes, and follows subconscious programming from Smiley telling him to join the Church of Simpology.  [spoiler]Possibly to protect him?  Daveez knows he's Wally squad, so he can't be left off the list or it'll be spotted.  But Point submitting without a fight to the ninjudge at the end of this prog proves he's now a happy little brainwashed Simp, so he'll be spared.[/spoiler]

Oh, and my theory about the Cal reference in 'Bullet to King Four': given that we now know Smiley's all about the brain-manipulation, maybe he was called in to help deprogram all the Judges previously brainwashed by Cal?

[Montynero]

[spoiler]This secret city on the moon makes sense within the context of this story, but I'd be really disappointed if they just land it and everyone moves in[/spoiler]. I don't know about you guys but I've been really enjoying the MC1 on its knees. The judges make a lot more sense when the situation is extreme. Good drama comes from conflict and huge obstacles to overcome and the situation seemed ripe for a good year at least of stories exploring the new balance of an underfunded Justice Department overwhelmed by crime gradually clawing its way back to civilisation. Lot of great new possibilities for Dredd and his world there, if it was handled in a credible way.

But whichever way it goes, the cold deck is already a stone cold classic.

[Richmond Clements]

So, Hammerstein changed heads as a disguise? But kept the same name?
He didn't think that through...

[Proudhuff]

aaaahhh! still no sign of me Prog!

Don't want to harass Denise as previously when I phone it turns up the next day then the replacement follows.