Another in good long run of excellent, original
covers. The Statue of Tooth is beyond freaky.
Dredd still looks amazing (love the subtle differences of Patsy's lawmaster), and there's plenty of fun things to look at, but I do feel the story itself is dragging its feet a bit now: there's not much happening that couldn't have been fitted-in last week, or alternatively a conclusion could have been reached his week. This may just be a personal bias for punchier humour stories, and it's hardly The Ecstacian yet either.
Speaking of unfortunate Wagnerian pedigrees, I'm not a fan of the casual use of the stun-shot: that's what Grud gave us daysticks for, and I was pleased when Dredd finally put the boot in. Remains a fun read, but with a bit of compression I feel it could have been a wee classic.
Stickleback. Now here's a story that didn't outstay its welcome. Initially I was a bit irritated to learn that all the mystic hoops that we jumped through were smoke and mirrors, but on reflection that works well thematically. This is a transitional story about alternately deploying and shedding illusions, and as the shade of Hastur hoves into view at the dockside I'm more than keen to see this reworked strip return.
Sinister Dexter. Ugh, green not-zombie consumers and blandly rendered shopnames. I was glad to see Yeowell retake the reins, but this is a pretty uninspiring backdrop for some soul-searching. I'd feel better disposed towards this episode if I didn't suspect that any momentum that may be regained is promptly to be lost in another too-short run. Give SinDex the Skip Tracer treatment please, Tharg.
Fiends. Didn't expect that! Constanta continues to over-egg his origin (descendant of a shape-shifter, usurped by a patricidal brother, raised by magic wolves, prophecised by a dragon, trained by a troll, transformed by witches/goddesses,
who he then slaughters and drains...), but the effect is still somehow completely delicious. What did happen to Skade, then? Wasn't Constanta's plea for healing so that he could go back and save him? Great stuff altogether.
But best in show is
Deadworld. Kek-W and Kendall return to the grand-scale worldbuilding Dreams that got us into this mess in the first place, describing a future for Deadworld more terrible than even the endless plain of bones we know. It's a long strange road from the bees to here. (My money's on
Fairfax).
Oh, and is this a
Survival Geeks epilogue I see? Excellent.
