Prog 2350 - 2000ad Battle Action*

[Colin YNWA]

*Or should that be Aggro is a way of life for Judge Dredd.

There should be a lot to say about this. Its an excellent comic. The framing sequence is cute fun. All the strips are winners. All the strips are so frustrating and as they provide excellent set-up for stories I'd love to see, but for now don't expect to see more of.

Overall though I have pretty much the same thing to say about them all, so its all rather simple.

Judge (Cadet) Dredd - fantastic, retool this a little and this is exactly what we should have in Regened.

Death Game 2049 - great fun, retool this a bit and this is exactly what we should have in Regened.

El Mestizo Oh I need to know were this goes. Retool this a bit and this is exactly what we should have in Regened.

Dredger fun, with a bit more retooling this would be perfect in Regened.

Hellman of Hellforce who doesn't want Tank warfare in Hell vs Nazi - but of work and this would... of you get it by now don't you.

Major Eazy a gun toting anti-authoritarian Indiana Jones - Regened is crying out for this.

Now I think you get my point. Regened has been struggling for strips that work this last year and possible budgets don't stretch to the talent on display in this issue BUT what we see quite clearly here is the ideas to make Regened work again are there and happily on display in this very issue!

Good fun, great fun in fact but very frustrating.

[broodblik]

Cover by Cliff Robinson:

[scrotnig]

Now I'm confused, that's not the cover I've got.

Lots to enjoy here though, great fun so far, I'm off to read the rest of it.

[broodblik]

Subscribers gets a different cover:

[scrotnig]

An I see. Thanks.

Both look so good that I'm going to have to go out and buy the other one when it hits the shops.

[nxylas]

Is the Meg also participating in this? I thought the crossover covered both titles, but the ad for the next Megazine made it look like just a regular issue.

[broodblik]

The meg is part of it but a lesser sense than last year's cross-over. The regular stories like Lawless, Dreadnoughts and Spector is still in the meg.

[Le Fink]

fantastic, retool this a little and this is exactly what we should have in Regened.

Haha I read it this morning and had the same thought. Some really enjoyable fun and nasty stuff!

Dredd/Juves, El Mestizo, Hellman, Easy, I'd like to see more of. Dredger and Death Game not so much.

The thought bubbles and the over-narration... I get why but would hope those could be left behind if there's a chance these continue.

[Colin YNWA]

An I see. Thanks.

Both look so good that I'm going to have to go out and buy the other one when it hits the shops.

Yeah think I might end up doing the same! Damnit!

[Colin YNWA]

Is the Meg also participating in this? I thought the crossover covered both titles, but the ad for the next Megazine made it look like just a regular issue.

The meg is part of it but a lesser sense than last year's cross-over. The regular stories like Lawless, Dreadnoughts and Spector is still in the meg.

Yeah this Meg is running its own strips. There's not a through cutting a story in the way the zombie thing had. Rather it takes the theme of reimaging Battle Action strips if it and 2000ad had merged and as Tharg puts it in the framing sequence they went all Blackhawk on the strips coming in. So each strip is an entirely independent introduction to what might have been and the Meg will have Dreddverse versions of Rat Pack, Darkie's Mob and Johnny Red. I imagine it will all be great fun.

[Tjm86]

Just finished this week's prog and I have to say ... wow!  It's been a while since this much thrill-age has landed on the doormat in one go.  I have to agree with Colin on Dredd and possibly Death Game.  Not so sure about the score with regards to El mestizo and Dredger as Regened candidates but the Dredd / Kids Rule Okay! mash up is another level.  Niemand has really delivered on this one and Coleby's artwork is astounding.    Love some of the block-names too - Cameron Block Oinkers! That's how I like my satire served!

I would have to say that Hellman and Major Eazy have probably captured the potential for a supernatural strip far better than recent efforts such as Portal of (resist the urge to descend to juvenilia here replacing the G with a P).  Yes there is the obvious trope of Nazi interest in the supernatural that Inbana Jones tapped so well with the Raiders of the Lost Ark (and which my mother has NEVER forgiven me for conning them into seeing ...).  Both do the job equally well but I do wonder if Eazy suffered from following on the heels of Hellman.

If I'm honest though I found myself very much minded of some of Stross' Laundry novels whilst reading Hellman.  Not saying that is a bad thing, if anything I would have to say that Wyatt is picking up on a strong concept that has considerable mileage.  perhaps that is the other reason Eazy comes across as slightly weaker?  Don't know.  Who cares.  The emphasis has to be very much on slightly with Holden and Wyatt (channelling his inner Flint) on art duties the difference is wafer thin.

Arguably it is the art that lifts Dredger and El Mestizo though.  Weston is on form with that strip and delivers a rattling story in terms of pace.  Was it a bit of a missed opportunity though?  What would have been really interesting would be to see this reframed in terms of the original concept for Dredd.  That would have been an 'else worlds tale' worth reading.  This though ... It felt slightly more than a little forced.

Then the same sorts of ideas are played out in Dredger.  Granted it works better and Marshall as always delivers some cracking art.  Unfortunately there is a bit of an issue in terms of overlapping core concepts to deal with.  This time though I would have to say that Dredger works far better with it.  Mind you, this is me being insanely pedantic.

Like I say, as a prog this is one that delivers in spades.  It's packed with cracking ideas, amazing artwork and a mixture of the familiar and new. Certainly the strongest it's been for a while for my money.

[scrotnig]

I still love the "chrome" logo of the 1980s. I'm sorry. I've read all the arguments against it, but I still love it. Delighted to see it in the main Prog again after all this time. And it works so well on that cover.

Sorry. I know it's not a fashionable view to have.

Extra points for "499p Earth Money" as well.

[Funt Solo]

I still love the "chrome" logo of the 1980s. I'm sorry. I've read all the arguments against it, but I still love it.

Moi aussi.

[Richard]

Just read it, thought it was good stuff. Chris Weston's one was my favourite. But I'd happily read a whole series of Hellman of Hell Force!

[broodblik]

I still love the "chrome" logo of the 1980s. I'm sorry. I've read all the arguments against it, but I still love it.

Moi aussi.

Always was my favourite logo. when I think of 2000AD I think this logo.



I also love classic credit card