Cover work by Culbard – up to his usual standards, excellent colouring and hinting at where things might be heading.
Dredd: Iron Teeth (2) – Percival is definitely the artist to go to for dark, moody and atmospheric. He's made a name for himself in that respect and long may it last.
Niemand nicely intertwines the info-dump with Dredd's slow descent into the Undercity. The introduction of Judge-Professor Hobbes and her droid is quickly dealt with.
Loving the Bakhtin-esque reference with "Call-Me-Rabelais". This delving into the multiple levels of grotesquerie that reveals the contradictory forces at work in MC1 – total authority versus monstrous anarchy as Dredd digs deeper into both the physical and metaphorical undercity is intriguing.
It certainly taps in neatly to some of the other allusions noted from last weeks prog and the allusion to King's It as well as the Gorbals vampire. Aligning Dredd with the monstrous of MC1 urban folklore is a deft touch. There has always been this element to the judicial system and to Dredd himself.
This sets up a neat contrast between Dredd and Hobbes' brief discourse on these and that of the children further ahead of Dredd and closer to IT. Sharing their takes on the different stories. Shades of Stand By Me there (if we're going to keep up with the King allusions here).
... and we start to see them picked off one by one but to what fate? As IT carries off the first of the children, Percival and Niemand impeccably contrast the serenity of a child at perfect peace with the horrors that surround him. As horror tales go, this is up there with the best.
Intestinauts: Busted Flush (2) An interesting narrative structure to this one as Wyatt leverages the old Livingstone Adventure Books approach. Following the story takes a bit of effort but the approach serves to underscore the confusing nature of the situation.
I know I commented last week on the various questions the episode left rolling around. Understandably I was challenged on that and I would have to say that this week does serve to underscore the validity of that criticism.
Answers of a sort are revealed this week to draw a link between the containment lab and the threat the Intestinauts face. In some respects, more questions are posed by events than are answered. The difference this time is that events serve to intrigue rather than confuse.
It might have been better to have started this run as a double episode as this one leaves off in a far more interesting place. Certainly interest is now piqued for this somewhat sceptical (of this strip) reader. Be interesting to see where this tale goes.
3rillers: Blue Skies Over Deadwick Well, the episode serves to set things up neatly. Characters and setting are deftly established. There is still plenty to wonder about as the story progresses but this is definitely a strong opening.
Brokenshire's artwork is first rate. A hint of European influence, possibly? Either way there is a fascinating shift between tight, personal scenes and grand vistas. Strong, dynamic action is no problem either.
Two episodes to go but the key questions are lain out. Hopefully this will be landed as well as it is launched. If so, there is certainly scope for further exploration as a fascinating world is established in a few short pages.
Brink: Consumed (6) There are parallels with Dredd here as the tour of Belleholme Habitat serves as a backdrop to talking heads once again. Another parallel as Kurtis is led into those hidden parts of the habitat few often go to and even then only when necessary.
This tale is burning slowly as the audience are left to wonder about the body dump last week and Kurtis' colleagues are simply left to their own devices. The theme of food overwhelms this episode, pointing towards the title of this run. Of course. there is the question of how the food is 'treated' from earlier runs to consider. At this point in the run though, little is seriously revealed. Rather, far more is hinted at.
Proteus Vex: Devious (9) As we've already noted, the utterly alien of this strip is its standout. Then again, it's also interesting how terrestrially familiar it can seem as we learn more about Midnight and her species.
Where last week events switched to Vex, once again we get another shift as well as a fascinating historical reveal that speaks so much to current events. As much as it points to the past though, it also points to the future and what is undoubtably going to be a serious confrontation.
Overall then, this is the Prog firing on all cylinders. Action, intrigue, horror, new worlds ... something for everyone. It might not be its finest but it is damned close to be sure.
Dredd: Iron Teeth (2) – Percival is definitely the artist to go to for dark, moody and atmospheric. He's made a name for himself in that respect and long may it last.
Niemand nicely intertwines the info-dump with Dredd's slow descent into the Undercity. The introduction of Judge-Professor Hobbes and her droid is quickly dealt with.
Loving the Bakhtin-esque reference with "Call-Me-Rabelais". This delving into the multiple levels of grotesquerie that reveals the contradictory forces at work in MC1 – total authority versus monstrous anarchy as Dredd digs deeper into both the physical and metaphorical undercity is intriguing.
It certainly taps in neatly to some of the other allusions noted from last weeks prog and the allusion to King's It as well as the Gorbals vampire. Aligning Dredd with the monstrous of MC1 urban folklore is a deft touch. There has always been this element to the judicial system and to Dredd himself.
This sets up a neat contrast between Dredd and Hobbes' brief discourse on these and that of the children further ahead of Dredd and closer to IT. Sharing their takes on the different stories. Shades of Stand By Me there (if we're going to keep up with the King allusions here).
... and we start to see them picked off one by one but to what fate? As IT carries off the first of the children, Percival and Niemand impeccably contrast the serenity of a child at perfect peace with the horrors that surround him. As horror tales go, this is up there with the best.
Intestinauts: Busted Flush (2) An interesting narrative structure to this one as Wyatt leverages the old Livingstone Adventure Books approach. Following the story takes a bit of effort but the approach serves to underscore the confusing nature of the situation.
I know I commented last week on the various questions the episode left rolling around. Understandably I was challenged on that and I would have to say that this week does serve to underscore the validity of that criticism.
Answers of a sort are revealed this week to draw a link between the containment lab and the threat the Intestinauts face. In some respects, more questions are posed by events than are answered. The difference this time is that events serve to intrigue rather than confuse.
It might have been better to have started this run as a double episode as this one leaves off in a far more interesting place. Certainly interest is now piqued for this somewhat sceptical (of this strip) reader. Be interesting to see where this tale goes.
3rillers: Blue Skies Over Deadwick Well, the episode serves to set things up neatly. Characters and setting are deftly established. There is still plenty to wonder about as the story progresses but this is definitely a strong opening.
Brokenshire's artwork is first rate. A hint of European influence, possibly? Either way there is a fascinating shift between tight, personal scenes and grand vistas. Strong, dynamic action is no problem either.
Two episodes to go but the key questions are lain out. Hopefully this will be landed as well as it is launched. If so, there is certainly scope for further exploration as a fascinating world is established in a few short pages.
Brink: Consumed (6) There are parallels with Dredd here as the tour of Belleholme Habitat serves as a backdrop to talking heads once again. Another parallel as Kurtis is led into those hidden parts of the habitat few often go to and even then only when necessary.
This tale is burning slowly as the audience are left to wonder about the body dump last week and Kurtis' colleagues are simply left to their own devices. The theme of food overwhelms this episode, pointing towards the title of this run. Of course. there is the question of how the food is 'treated' from earlier runs to consider. At this point in the run though, little is seriously revealed. Rather, far more is hinted at.
Proteus Vex: Devious (9) As we've already noted, the utterly alien of this strip is its standout. Then again, it's also interesting how terrestrially familiar it can seem as we learn more about Midnight and her species.
Where last week events switched to Vex, once again we get another shift as well as a fascinating historical reveal that speaks so much to current events. As much as it points to the past though, it also points to the future and what is undoubtably going to be a serious confrontation.
Overall then, this is the Prog firing on all cylinders. Action, intrigue, horror, new worlds ... something for everyone. It might not be its finest but it is damned close to be sure.