2000 AD prog 1250
Story:
Art:

Written by Garth Ennis, John Tomlinson, Robbie Morrison, Dan Abnett
Art by Carlos Ezquerra, Kev Walker, John Burns, Mark Harrison
Letters by Tom Frame, Ellie de Ville, Annie Parkhouse
Cover by Glenn Fabry

Published by Rebellion.
Price: £1.40

Notes: The final issue of "season one."

My Verdict: Worthy ending for now.

Four new stories kick off in the latest prog. A scientist with a phobia for Judges suddenly has a bunch of pissed off ones gunning for her. A blue warrior with a large gun wants to get off-world with a quickness. A warrior in a future Russia leads his troops to battle with all manner of tech--not to mention sharks on crack. And finally, a sexy vampire is on a quest to take out religion. Or something.

No one you normally talk with, on this side of the pond anyway, knows anything about 2000 AD. It's just that strange shadowy netherworld from whence sprang untold numbers of artists and writers we now know and love over here in the States. But what the hell is it? We know it has Judge Dredd. And we know that the movie version gave us all kidney stones. So now after finally having read a damn prog for the first time, what does it all mean?

Well, the rumors are true. Suck factor is low. Even if you don't know what's going on, it's still a sackload of fun. Mega City One, the stomping grounds of the Dredd guy, has a huge history behind it. Don't know a shred of it, but it doesn't make much difference. Durham Red, the aforementioned vampire, apparently is a spinoff from another series and is now 1200 years removed from that. Could care less. Nikolai Dante has some history too, but it's okay. These stories are all pretty much designed to not have a great deal of baggage to deal with. Just grab on to the train and pull yourself up.

Now I must admit, I've never been a fan of anthologies. Nothing hacked me off more than getting to read six pages of a story and then having to wait a month for the next dose. Hell, I wouldn't even follow The Phantom in the funny papers. The good news for Brits is that the thing is weekly, so it's not too painful. Further, the stories are good enough to where its worth waiting for. That's a first. Something very different from say, Marvel Spotlight, or any of the anthology series of old that gave me hives.

All of that being said, the Judge Dredd episode still feels a little short. There's something about most of the stories in here where you're tricked...you don't realize you're only getting six pages. Density, perhaps, is the word I'm looking for. The Nikolai Dante story at first seems like flashes of The Red Star, which of course made me convulse--but it's got colorful interesting characters and a plot, so it couldn't be more different. And damn, but isn't Mark Harrison's artwork on Durham Red gorgeous. DR is basically what Vampirella and the lame Vampi spinoff wish they were. But they're not. She's sexy, she's conveniently naked at one point, and she kills things quickly and efficiently. You gotta love it.

This stuff is just fun. And it's a helluva fine import. An anthology where I'm actually looking forward to the next ish. Go figure. Next thing you know I'll be reading Prince Valiant or something.

Quote: "Ho yeah! Type O, my favourite tipple."