*** Prog 2000 ***

[Frank]

... assuming (Judgement Day)'s when the timelines diverged

You say it yourself, Rich - the fact Alpha's shown up in MC1 means the date the timelines* diverge is still sometime in Dredd's future. There's no reason to assume Dredd or Alpha cause the split either; it's not as if they're the only ones Rod Tayloring time to fit their cloth.

Maybe Torquemada dropped his chainsaw while being pursued by Gorehead through the time wastes, causing the ABC Warriors to defeat the Harlem Heroes in the Super-Aerobowl. A fight breaks out in the crowd, pitching Bruce Wayne versus Lobo versus Alien versus Predator versus Original Rogue Trooper.



* Wagner doesn't regard Dredd and Alpha as sharing a timeline. He says their team-ups are just a bit of fun, making this discussion irrelevant but entertaining fanwank.

[Colin YNWA]

A Prog like this can never live up to the hype, how can it possibly live up to the expectation and anticipation? It always runs the risk of being a little twee and self indulgent, well earnt and deserved, but not necessarily making for a satisfying read.

Well incredibly Prog 2000 actually gets close to the former and while it dances with, it avoids the latter. Its just a bloomin' good Prog and I think Magnetica nails it when he says

Great Prog. Reads like a summer special only better.

I got the Burnham cover and my poster was backwards.

But onto the more important matters of the thrills.

Dredd probably snuggles up to self indulgence more than any of the other stories but Wagner and Ezquerra are experienced enough to keep it on just the right side and this is a fun well structured story that uses its nostaglia well, to turn what could have been forced and uncomfortable into something fun and uncompromised. Great thrill.

Nemesis danced a similar fine line and did it almost as well. My one gripe is it turned the fitting fate of our leads from the end of Book 10 on its head and gave us a winner and a loser, which just doesn't seem right. Nemesis and Torquemada locked in grim union was such a great ending so the events here while fun rather remove that fantastic full stop on the original stories... mind all that said it was fantastic to see them duel again and maybe in ten years we'll get the tables turned to restore the balance. So ya know what all in all I'm happy this exists.

In a Prog of many great thrills its possible the one I'm least invested in was the best. LOVED Rogue Trooper a great set up (I'm assuming) for hunted starting next Prog. Everything was spot on. It worked on its own but perfectly set up what I think is coming. A supremely neat little tale fantastically realised.

Anderson was a delight on the eye and a great punchy tale. Again it could have felt indulgent but didn't. Two masters using all their experience to entertain and indulge us. Nice.

Now I'm going to say this one more time but this next one could also have been the best thing in the Prog. Sinister Dexter looked stunning but played a lovely game of setting up things to come toying with the fact forgotten and hidden identity of the Edsel is as memorable as its owner and partner. Just fantastic.

Finally as is so fitting we have a new thrill to top things off Counterfeit Girl gives us the other best thrill of the Prog. What a GREAT opener. We're on very familiar ground from Milligan here and identity will be the main theme here and its laid bare in front of us here. Its also clear that the exploration will again be twisty and compelling, fantastic and adventurous as ever. I'm so looking forward to this one.

Interweaved with all this is a cute little journey through time with Tharg and a cast of glories from the past. Its fitting possibly that lovely though these pages are the best is the back cover revealing that next week we have a great team on Dredd, Flesh back, Hunted carrying on the Rogue story here (I guess) Savage returning and more Counterfeit Girl. As Tharg says "Here's to what lies beyond!"

A massive well done to all involved. You know what you thrilled me, for the 2000th time!

[artdroid Roach]

Thank you- I'm more than happy to be a delight to the eye!

[artdroid Roach]

Thank you Magnetica- I wasn't sure how the review was going to go sat first! But I'm really glad you liked the strip.

[Geoff]

MOTHER'S ASHES in the NOSEBAG of the Arch-Deviant! What a prog!

Cliff Robinson cover and then Bolland Dredd on the first page. Dredd perfection - we need a full strip from that man.  Please give him another fatties script Tharg. (or any other for that matter)

Loved the Dredd tale, as has been said before very much like one you'd get in an annual or special.  McMahon up next and whilst his new style seems to be like Marmite - I love it.  Nemesis - see the quote above - hilarious.  Gibbons on the VCs and Bad Company was nice to see and is Rogue Trooper back? Always liked him, but lost track after Will Simpson and Friday. 

Nice to see Robin Smith in the prog again and leading into a sublime vision of Anderson - balm to my eyes.
Was never a big fan of SinDex but liked this one - maybe it's because of the car and Sexton's art..

Counterfeit girl is my only wobble 'anyone fighting the system.. gets my services for free' mmmn But it's action packed, full of life and the art's so vibrant it's hard to be too hard on it.

Fantastic Prog - great mix of past glories and visions for the future. Loved it, thanks to the old Droids for chipping in and to all involved!

Gushing enough....   

[artdroid Roach]

Sublime! goodness me- thank you!

[Hawkmumbler]

'Takes up position in bed, facing calendar, preparing the hibernate until Wednesday'

[Richard]

...making this discussion irrelevant but entertaining fanwank.

Yes but that's what the Internet is for (besides porn).
It's hard to believe that Alpha's generation wouldn't remember Sabbat and a global zombie war, which is why Judgement Day seemed like the most likely suspect. But you do have a point about the fact that lots of people have been messing around with history, so we can always chalk it up to something we just don't know about.

[PsychoGoatee]

Going back to the Top Dog crossover etc, I had thought the consensus or explanation was just that Johnny came from a parallel reality, or another dimension/timeline, like in that show Sliders or something. Or maybe that's just what I thought made sense.

Kind of like the Batman crossover around that time, which is canon. Somebody blips into Dredd's word, I just look at it like that. Though I know it's also fun to tie them all together, I also remember discussions on here about ABC Warriors timeline and Dredd etc.

Knowing that each other likes to do their own thing with their fictional playground, and all the inconsistencies, I just look at them as separate universes/realities.

[Rogue Judge]

I'm stoked to read this prog! It will be my first prog, and jumping on point for current stories, I will be getting the Chris Burnham Cover.

How is it that so many of you have read it? According to the website it comes out Sept. 28 (this Wednesday). I'm hoping my comic shop will have a copy. I have avoided all spoilers thus far...

[CalHab]

Subscribers get them early.

[Pete Wells]

Did anyone get the Cliff Robinson cover? Is the logo really printed wonky? 

Yes you are right it is wonky. I hadn't notice that, but it is. But you see Tharg has his hand on it and is using it to steady himself and is pushing it up a bit.

I'll be writing Cliff's cover's 2000AD Covers Uncovered piece today, but the original idea was that all the 2000AD logos of old were being sucked into a black hole and the mighty one was saving the current one. Read more later today!

[James Stacey]

Well that was huge fun. Dredd / Alpha felt a bit rushed (Dredd heading off to the future without calling it in was remiss of him) but that's the nature of a one and done story and it was so much fun it's churlish to complain. No problem with the Cal clones. They could have been found in tanks or some mad professor finds the DNA in alphas time or anything. Really enjoyed Nemesis and my first thought was it leaves Nemesis free to have a new series (by Flint) too. In a prog with Bolland, McMahon and Gibbons its Dave Roach's art that stands out. Stunning

[A.Cow]

I'll be writing Cliff's cover's 2000AD Covers Uncovered piece today, but the original idea was that all the 2000AD logos of old were being sucked into a black hole and the mighty one was saving the current one. Read more later today!

Nooooooooo!!!  How could they miss out my second favourite* -- the stripey one?  A logo which (rather handily) complements the Starlord mention by name-checking Tornado?



Probably a good thing they changed the picture, then.  I still haven't got over Tharg killing-off M.A.C.H.1 back in 1978 ... I don't know if I could have coped with a logo snub too.

(* Of course the Kev O'Neill original logo is my first favourite.)

[Magnetica]

Going back to the Top Dog crossover etc, I had thought the consensus or explanation was just that Johnny came from a parallel reality, or another dimension/timeline, like in that show Sliders or something. Or maybe that's just what I thought made sense.

Kind of like the Batman crossover around that time, which is canon. Somebody blips into Dredd's word, I just look at it like that. Though I know it's also fun to tie them all together, I also remember discussions on here about ABC Warriors timeline and Dredd etc.

Knowing that each other likes to do their own thing with their fictional playground, and all the inconsistencies, I just look at them as separate universes/realities.

Exactly this.