The Weekly 2000 AD – Prog 2139 Previewed: Anderson’s On A Mission

It’s the Weekly 2000 AD here at Comicon, taking a good look through the various delights of the best sci-fi comic in these British Isles. Settle down and enjoy…

This week, it all kicks off under a great looking cover from Anderson artist Aneke. Inside, you have the finale of Judge Dredd: The Samaritan, more Anderson in Martyrs, more Absalom battling demons in Terminal Diagnosis, the continuing folk horror brilliance of Thistlebone and a return to the strange world of Indigo Prime in new series Fall of the House of Vista.
Ok then, here we go with Prog 2139, coming out on digital and in UK comic shops on 10 July.

JUDGE DREDD: THE SAMARITAN – PART 4 – Kenneth Niemand, Staz Johnson, colors Chris Blyther, letters Annie Parkhouse
With a bed-bound Dredd recovering from more surgery from The Samaritan, Rico and the gang are breaking down the doors to rescue him. She’s done him a solid for sure, but Rico won’t be as understanding as Dredd might be. Bad news for The Samaritan and a
A solid Dredd tale heavily integrating the new robo-Judges into MC-1 lore and some great artwork from Staz Johnson.

INDIGO PRIME: FALL OF THE HOUSE OF VISTA – Part 1 – KEK-W and Lee Carter, letters by Ellie De Ville
The multiverse contains an infinite number of parallel realities, and it’s up to Indigo Prime to troubleshoot these realities. Their agents are recruited post-death and trained to deal, in their own unique ways, with all the space/time catastrophes.
When last we were here, we had the Christhulhu event, where Major Arcana forced the Lanzer Corporation into the open. Now Indigo Prime’s HQ is breaking apart and old friendships are stretched to their limits.
Hardly a strip to jump into, as the first episode drops us straight into the chaos following the last IP adventure. However, it’s a fascinating, intriguing chaos that looks pretty good with Carter’s artwork.

ANDERSON PSI-DIVISION: MARTYRS – PART 3 – Emma Beeby. Aneke, colors by Barbara Nosenzo, letters by Simon Bowland
Anderson’s search for the missing Psi-Judge Karyn continues as she looks into the cult who’ve kidnapped her. And as for Karyn, she’s discovering more about the cult of the Lotus and how it’s affecting her transformations.
A slow and steady Anderson adventure with some attractive artwork from Aneke.

ABSALOM: TERMINAL DIAGNOSIS – PART 4 – Gordon Rennie, Tiernan Trevallion, letters Ellie De Ville
Absalom’s nightmare trawl down into the depths of the Mills opens with a particularly fabulous sequence of Trevallion at his artistic best, as Harry and Harry have a quick chat over the death bed of another Harry. It’s just getting worse and worse for poor Harry and his team as things go on.
But damn, it’s a fabulous little adventure this last run out for the grumpiest of old school coppers. And Trevallion’s artwork is just perfect this nightmarish tale.

THISTLEBONE – PART 5 – TC Eglington, Simon Davis, letters by Annie Parkhouse
The slow build of Thistlebone continues, the tale meandering wonderfully with a palpable sense of menace pervading every single page, all just spectacularly brought to the page by the incredible artwork of Simon Davis.

But Thistlebone is far more than just lovely art, as Eglington really does have a wonderful way of wringing every bit of tension from the littlest things. Take the moment here where a telephone conversation turns strange, is it just interference or is it something more, that strange semi-language of the cult coming through?
It’s a perfectly crafted thing, with art and storytelling both contributing so much to the tale. Where it’s actually going I have no idea, but the journey is a wonderful thing, a world made real, a place of all