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So that Durham Red book sold out insanely quickly. I was about to grab a copy from Hachette last night and it's already gone. Hopefully it'll rock up again at some point if Hachette gets some returns. Very few sales on eBay, mind, and Forbidden Planet isn't listing it. So maybe these books are now getting tiny print runs, or Durham Red is insanely popular. Perhaps both.

Anyway, you snooze, you lose, I suppose. I'd been really looking forward to this one and should have grabbed a copy when I had the chance. Lesson learned...

The original design had a small armour piece as well. This is like marrying the original Ezquerra eagle with, I dunno, a Bolland armour piece. But whatever. I'm fine with it, and the giant bear was fun.

I thought it still looked Dredd enough, although the teeny tiny eagle looks a bit weird next to the gigantic armour on the other shoulder. Bit unbalanced.

[Droid Life]

I like the cover. Striking. Painterly. Droid Life is fun, and Dredd opens with a bang, some throwing up, and a sticky situation. If nothing else, this one's already got my attention. Nice sound effects too, including the little THAC!

Antumnos was atmospheric and looked great, but felt more like part one than a standalone. I assume the twist is old geezer's life was burned from him. So: a bit frustrating.

Full Tilt Boogie continues to zip along with each episode, while Indigo Prime confounds. And then Proteus Vex gives us a meaty finale.

I thought this was a really good Prog – lots of stuff going on. Plenty of variety. Top stuff.

I mean, it's not out yet. Presumably when it is, more places will stock it.

She'd have been a good option to fill the Sláine hole, to some degree. Also: another prominent female character in 2000 AD wouldn't go amiss.

final, final, final extension

Depending on subscriber numbers, presumably.

Bloke on bike was tactically inept. A showboater. They get you killed.

Curious that this book is a fiver cheaper than the McMahon one. I wonder why? Fewer pages? Shifts in materials costs?

My brain will of course now use this to justify buying a copy.

Aha. Brain no workee.

Hoping The Order isn't in one of those single slots, so we can get the entire run.

On Rogue, I forgot to mention that black and white aspect of atrocity. There was a bit of that in the original strip – that notion the Southers were mostly moral and the Norts were a bunch of psychos. But I thought Rogue's own thinking was more nuanced – he mostly fought for 'his' side, but had been burned enough to recognise that everyone was pretty bad. That simplism of having to believe we're the good guys, or what else is there all felt a bit weird. Especially for a more modern incarnation of the character.

It's a nice image. But it would be deeply weird for a limited print to not be art by the artist who the book is about.

I hope it's great and I also kind of hope it's a test run. Half of me wishes Tharg would cross the streams a little more. I mean, I don't want the Prog to become infested with everything Battle, Action, Misty, Smash, etc. But it's not like UK comics don't have a tradition of mergers. And—

OK, I just want more Black Beth. Maybe that would have been a simpler thing to say.

[Dredd]

I mean, I like John McCrea art, so I'm on board. I find the criticism of "Shoulder pad and Eagle way too big" quite a funny one, given Dredd over the years (including the gigantic Ezquerra armour). Rogue looks a bit weird, but the tribute Ezquerra dotted lines made me happy.

But what of the issue itself? Well, it's better than any of the recent Regened ones, that's for sure. And it has a reasonable crack at onboarding new readers. It's a bit weird to say "new readers start here" and fully end one tale, but there you go. The double hit of Proteus Vex was wise, as was the new Dredd and one-off Rogue Trooper. It'll be interesting to see how things go for the next bumper prog in terms of scheduling. More of this mix? Or a few new series alongside sone one-offs?

Anyway, the strips:

Dredd shows the aftermath of the previous run, with Dredd clearly annoyed at Logan, and Logan lacking the strength/authority to push back. Here's hoping Moon doesn't get horribly killed in the next series. Also, I got caught out by that colouring error.

After a Slaytime (Worley + Coleby!) ad, Full Tilt Boogie dials things up a notch. Still very much enjoying this. I hope De Campi is OK, given her recent post on Bluesky about work and asking for good vibes to be sent her way. Then Thistlebone ends in predictably gruesome fashion, albeit not in the specific way I'd have predicted. Not sure what happened to Mr Glassed, although maybe that doesn't matter. So an odd one for me, in that it does stick the landing, but I feel less satisfied than with previous series. Not sure I'll be picking this up in HC.

Indigo Prime surprised me, in how much I enjoyed it. Yes, it's all terribly meta. And you have expect Kek and Lee to make an appearance, the way things are going. But it's weird and fun. Rogue, meanwhile, was... fine? I'm not a massive fan of the character anyway, but when it's done well – Ennis; Cinnabar; the IDW run – I can be drawn right in. This felt like an annual story head beamed in from 1986. Perhaps that's apt for a bumper Prog.

Then Proteus Vex gets a double helping to kick off the new run, which – as I said – was in my opinion a very smart decision. There's enough her to get new readers on board, and to help existing ones refresh their memories. All very good indeed.

Oh, and there's a letters page. Which is nice.

Indigo Prime > Proteus Vex > Full Tilt Boogie > Dredd > Thistlebone > Rogue