2000AD prog #2170 review
Publisher: Rebellion
Writers: Cavan Scott, David Baillie, Karl Stock, Leah Moore, John Reppion, Rory McConville
Artists: Nick Roche, Rob Davis, Luke Horsman, Davide Tinto, Ilias Kyriazis
Colourists: Abigail Bulmer, John Charles, Jim Boswell, Gary Caldwell
Letterers: Simon Bowland, Jim Campbell, Annie Parkhouse
Cadet Dredd: School trip
In this prog we get a glimpse into the early days of Dredd when he and Rico were still cadets in training to judge the citizens of Mega city one. In this particular story the Fargo clones are on a field trip with their class to a lab that’s developing technology to assist in law enforcement. Suddenly aliens from another dimension start appearing and it’s up to Dredd and co to take them down. It’s a fun little one-shot with decent art but it definitely lacks the maturity and nuance that’s so strongly associated with most other Dredd titles.
Finder & Keeper: Dead signal
Next up we have Finder & Keeper. For those who don’t know they’re a pair of teens called Meera and Eliot who’ve stumbled across gadgets that allow them to see and catch spirits. It’s Ghostbusters with kids. In this fun little story we see them investigating a graveyard in hopes of finding something supernatural. They do of course and we’re treated to a fairly basic but well-written story as a result.
Future shocks: Live your best life
This short story starts off with an advert from NooU claiming that the company will allow its clients to be immediately reincarnated into any form they want. Naturally, a spoiled rich guy sees the ads, decides this is for him and starts bullying his way to the front of the NooU queue. Unfortunately for him the process relies on the client having good karma and you can guess how it goes. This another simple story about how being a bad person will come back to bite you. It’s still fun though so it’s worth a read.
The Gronk: The trouble with gronkses
Here we have another child-friendly story. In this case we see the titular Gronkses being forced to deal with an evil reality TV star/Tyrannosaur called Atlantis Valentine. Atlantis is attempting to build a new home on the Gronk planet due to the sadistic thrill he gets from scaring the weak-hearted race. It’s a lot like the previous story in terms of the message and way it plays out but thanks to the artwork and some inspiration from Dr Seuss The Gronk manages to stand apart from the Future shock.
Rogue trooper: Savage swamp
Finally we have commander smurf, I mean Rogue trooper. This is definitely the most mature story in here and it’s a great way to end the prog. In this story Rogue is exploring a swamp when he comes across a group of rejected clone soldiers. Eventually one of these rejects is captured and taken for experimentation by Nort scientists. Of course it’s up to Rogue to save the day. It’s an enjoyable tale with a nice little message about how even small victories can be important.
Overall this is a good prog. The stories are all straightforward and they’re clearly aimed at a younger audience than most 2000AD content but that’s not a bad thing. The comic industry as a whole needs to bring in a continuous stream of young readers and books like this weeks prog are great for that. Plus the fact that it’s an entire prog full of one-shot stories will make it a lot easier to re-read. I’d highly recommend this prog to anyone looking to get a child into the world of 2000AD or into comics in general.
Writers: Cavan Scott, David Baillie, Karl Stock, Leah Moore, John Reppion, Rory McConville
Artists: Nick Roche, Rob Davis, Luke Horsman, Davide Tinto, Ilias Kyriazis
Colourists: Abigail Bulmer, John Charles, Jim Boswell, Gary Caldwell
Letterers: Simon Bowland, Jim Campbell, Annie Parkhouse
Cadet Dredd: School trip
In this prog we get a glimpse into the early days of Dredd when he and Rico were still cadets in training to judge the citizens of Mega city one. In this particular story the Fargo clones are on a field trip with their class to a lab that’s developing technology to assist in law enforcement. Suddenly aliens from another dimension start appearing and it’s up to Dredd and co to take them down. It’s a fun little one-shot with decent art but it definitely lacks the maturity and nuance that’s so strongly associated with most other Dredd titles.
Finder & Keeper: Dead signal
Next up we have Finder & Keeper. For those who don’t know they’re a pair of teens called Meera and Eliot who’ve stumbled across gadgets that allow them to see and catch spirits. It’s Ghostbusters with kids. In this fun little story we see them investigating a graveyard in hopes of finding something supernatural. They do of course and we’re treated to a fairly basic but well-written story as a result.
Future shocks: Live your best life
This short story starts off with an advert from NooU claiming that the company will allow its clients to be immediately reincarnated into any form they want. Naturally, a spoiled rich guy sees the ads, decides this is for him and starts bullying his way to the front of the NooU queue. Unfortunately for him the process relies on the client having good karma and you can guess how it goes. This another simple story about how being a bad person will come back to bite you. It’s still fun though so it’s worth a read.
The Gronk: The trouble with gronkses
Here we have another child-friendly story. In this case we see the titular Gronkses being forced to deal with an evil reality TV star/Tyrannosaur called Atlantis Valentine. Atlantis is attempting to build a new home on the Gronk planet due to the sadistic thrill he gets from scaring the weak-hearted race. It’s a lot like the previous story in terms of the message and way it plays out but thanks to the artwork and some inspiration from Dr Seuss The Gronk manages to stand apart from the Future shock.
Rogue trooper: Savage swamp
Finally we have commander smurf, I mean Rogue trooper. This is definitely the most mature story in here and it’s a great way to end the prog. In this story Rogue is exploring a swamp when he comes across a group of rejected clone soldiers. Eventually one of these rejects is captured and taken for experimentation by Nort scientists. Of course it’s up to Rogue to save the day. It’s an enjoyable tale with a nice little message about how even small victories can be important.
Overall this is a good prog. The stories are all straightforward and they’re clearly aimed at a younger audience than most 2000AD content but that’s not a bad thing. The comic industry as a whole needs to bring in a continuous stream of young readers and books like this weeks prog are great for that. Plus the fact that it’s an entire prog full of one-shot stories will make it a lot easier to re-read. I’d highly recommend this prog to anyone looking to get a child into the world of 2000AD or into comics in general.
A Look Inside
