Prog 2348 - Mega-City Crackdown!

[Richard]

A consistently good prog this week.

There's another good Dredd cover by Jake Lynch, a Droid Life, and Tharg tells us what's in store for prog 2350.

Then there's the penultimate episode of A Fallen Man, and the story suddenly makes progress, setting us up for its conclusion. People have complained elsewhere about this story being a bit of a slow burn; they won't be disappointed this week! I especially enjoyed Asher's misinterpretation of Zoola's motives.

There's a decent Future Shock by Ned Hartley (is he new?) and Joe Currie, and a revelation in Azimuth. It will be interesting to find out what is really going on here.

Die Hoard is just brilliant, way above par for a 3riller. I want to see more stories from Eddie Robson. Barney tells me he has done 3rillers and Future Shocks before; I'd like to see him do his own series now.

There's a decent episode of Hershey. (But can anyone tell me if the last two panels are a flashback, or is that where she is right now?)

5 out of 5 for me!

[broodblik]

Cover by Jake Lynch:

[IndigoPrime]

There's a decent Future Shock by Ned Hartley (is he new?)

I think he might have done stuff for Regened. Those of us with smol people will best know him as the Bananaman guy.

[Colin YNWA]

Right let's be clear from the start this isn't all down to 'Portals and Black Goo' finishing, its simply not, but by jiggers this is such an uplift from last week.

Now to be clear the swop out of Porblgoo (I'm getting lazier I know) for an excellent Future Shock is a significent uplift in itself. And what an excellent FS it is. So much story packed in, more fantastic Joe Currie art and okay while the twist isn't the most twisty its a really satisfying ending. All in all an absolutely excellent example of the 5 page done in one and such an step up. Packing it in but keeping it clear and unfussy. Superb.

But the other stories pull their weight as well.

As Dredd heads to its conclusion, all the pieces in place Niemand shows he's still a master of Dredd and this is just excellent.

As is Azimuth old school action perfectly placed in this new world, things leap forward and we get a very welcome return. Great stuff.

And Tharg's 3riller does a good shift too. Much like the FS it covers a LOT of ground but with great storytelling to make it all absolutely clear and it somehow doesn't feel rushed. Its built on a solid start to have a very strong middle. Now that trick so many 3rillers trip up on, it needs to stick the landing. Fingers crossed, this one deserves it.

Finally Hershey the colour on that opening page tells you so much, its such a welcome contrast to the cliched opening last week. Seemingly so little, doing so much. Hershey loves the life in Mega City One and its all there in that opening and through the story. Just a shame Rob Williams continues to feel the urge to underline the points that the story and art puts across so well. What I call doing a Kirkman.

"As though I am really a ... Ghost" - look we go it, its all there in the art and colours.

"I love that city more than..." - yeah yeah that too.

Stop labouring the point and trust the reader and the art. That said unecessary underlining aside superb episode.

So yeah from a bit of a low last week we rise to the almost perfect example of how to fill the gaps as we head to a relaunch. Funny how these things work huh!

[JudgeJudi]

The future shock was good but I guess the writer has never been to Vegas if he thinks the whole city makes twenty million dollars a day and that ten times that is a big number 

[IndigoPrime]

I imagine that came from a Forbes piece that said the Las Vegas Strip's revenue was ~$8bn last year. Divide by 365 and you get ~$22m/day.

Anyway: a really good prog overall. Nice over. Amusing Droid Life. And then Dredd continues to what will presumably be Asher's demise. Note also how Zoola is responding to Asher. Nuance. He's full-on white knighting. She's terrified of him.

The Future Shock from a narrative standpoint felt a little outside the norm for 2000 AD, and I believe this is Ned 'Bananaman' Hartley's debut in the prog proper. I enjoyed it. A nicely 2000 AD premise that felt like a classic Shock with a modern spin (AI). Amusing juxtaposition with Azimuth. Nice art. Multiple twists. Quality.

Azimuth also was really really good. I imagine at some point, we're going to see a big ol' reset switch, but I'd be quite happy if Sin/Dex remained in this world for a while.

Die Hoard was solid, with some twists of its own. And then Hershey gave us the penultimate episode of a divisive strip I've really enjoyed. Two notes. First, I don't think it was a Kirkman episode myself. I get that thinking, but he'd have had 10x as much text and it would have ended up like a soap, with endless unnecessary squabbling. Secondly, the sole negative in a vanishingly rare comic strip about an older woman was how odd it was that there was one other judge identifiable as female. Perhaps it was a contrast thing. But, well, I do wish predominantly white, male artists would recognise how 122 years into the future would look.

Future Shock > Azimuth > Hershey > Dredd > Die Hoard, but it's all good this week.

[broodblik]

Even if Azimuth hit the reset button for Sin/Dex I can always see a scope to return to Azimuth.

I really enjoyed this series of Hershey and accordingly all the adds I have seen it looks like this is the end of the road:

[IndigoPrime]

Yeah. I don't think we'll be seeing books 3, 4 and 5 of Hershey, given that she's basically got a stay of execution but is still being ravaged by some kind of pathogen.

[Barrington Boots]

I thought this was an excellent Prog.

GreatDredd - some felt this story was running a little slow before but this is non-stop heartpounding suff. IP is right about Zoola and Asher: he thinks he's doing the right thing but he's in full on white knight mode and well on the way, if not already there, to being a monster himself. All in place for a thrilling and likely glum ending.

Also enjoyed the Future Shock. An awful lot crammed into just four pages - it could have ended after page 3 with the customary exclamation mark but we got a further twist. Cool stuff.

Now I'm over the initial disappointment I have to concede Azimuth is excellent. Intruiging plot, fantastic art, no idea where it's going. I'd rather Suzi was the protagonist than bland old Dex but I'm digging it for what it is and it's great. I also hope this is the future for the strip, although I suspect a reset is coming.

Die Hoard going really well - feels like a very well set up three parter: last weeks intro, this week ups the ante with multiple twists. I second the comment that the storytelling is very well done. Looking forward to part 3.

Last up Hershey, another strip I was initially against but has won me over with the last couple of runs. This is the sort of gloomy, introspective end I'd have hoped for rather than a crash-bang ending, and also we'll have to see what the next episode brings, I think it's ending on a well done, poignant note. I didn't find it too wordy, but I agree that some of the art could have stood on its own without words: the panel of Hershey alone, all that space around her, on page four or the penultimate page with the contrasting panels of Hershey and Logan. Lovely stuff.

My namesake in this episode as well - personally a really lovely thing for a longtime reader. Very grateful to Simon Fraser for that.

Enjoyed everything in the Prog then, full marks. And a lovely cover from Jake Lynch as well.

[norton canes]

Delighted to see Joe Currie back on art duties so soon after the latest Regened prog. I feel like he really needs to be let loose on an ongoing story, it could be quite something. It helps that the Shock is pretty decent too! I was worried that after the first couple of panels gave us so many names to remember it would be a bit of a mess, but it quickly pulls itself together and wraps well.