A lovely, eye-catching cover by Leigh Gallagher kicks off what I found to be a top-notch Prog.
Judge Dredd was just perfect. Niemand’s tale of woe for our courier skysurfer kicked up another gear (somehow), with superb art and a sting in the tail. I was gripped all the way through to that final page.
After the letters, Proteus Vex continues to build and intrigue. Some fantastic alien design here, which reminds me a bit of Belardinelli. It feels with this series that Lynch is really making Vex his own.
Next, The Order… exists. I can’t say I’m thrilled about Golem Gideon, so here’s hoping they can patch the poor sod up with what’s found on the last page.
Kingmaker gives us a slice of action. There’s not much script here, frankly, but this kind of thing can fall flat if not handled well. But the artwork is fantastic: all dynamic angles and vibrant colours. And those sound effects are superb, really carrying the gravity of a THOOOOMM and the fizzing noises of weaponry. I mostly hate seeing effects in modern comics—they stick out like a store thumb. Here, they are part of the art.
Then Saphir wraps up the strips. Roach’s art is again wonderful, and I’m enjoying the breezy nature of the story. The Brimful back-pager then takes us through to Prog 192.
Judge Dredd > Proteus Vex > Kingmaner > Saphir > The Order for me this week, but really The Order was the only strip that didn’t properly grab me, and that was still readable. Not bad for a comic heading toward its 45th birthday.
