Comic book review: 2000AD PROG 1912: Back to the beginning

Released: 7th January 2015
Publisher: Rebellion Developments
Writers and artists: Various


The last time that I read an issue of 2000AD was when I got the 1991 annual as a Christmas present. That’s a long, long time ago, and things have changed quite a bit over the past twenty-four years.

So, what changed? For myself personally, I’ve read a bit, changed my old liberal drip ways, and come to look at the world in a dramatically different way as I’ve got older, wiser and more distanced from my feminist, liberal socialist, Marxist schooling/indoctrination. I saw the lie, woke up, and started to talk about it. Yeah, it took me a while, but at least I got there in the end.

The big bad world itself also changed quite a bit over the past twenty-four years didn’t it? Terrorism used to be Irish, but not any more. Today we have had a horrible massacre in Paris where some Salafi nut bag cowards murdered CARTOONISTS because they offended the precious memory of a paedophilic cult leader. It’s a different world, and the most important thing that I can say about it, is that we have to stop self-censoring, stop stopping ourselves from saying something because it might offend somebody. We need to offend people. We need to say what we want to say, because without the freedom of expression, the freedom to offend, we have no freedom at all, and that’s exactly what murderous cult following scumbags want.

When I last read 2000AD I remember hating Judge Dredd for his authoritarian ways, but I didn’t stop reading because of him alone. I stopped reading for the same reason that we all stop reading the comic books that we read as kids. I grew up, put the childish stuff aside, and made a good swing at being a proper, fully functioning, sensible, mature and serious adult. Guess what? I failed, and so I’m back with 2000AD. So what did I make of the latest (weekly) issue of 2000AD in January 2015?

First off, I loved the cover art by PJ Holden. It did it’s job, it attracted the attention of my roving eye as I scanned the magazine rack, making me pick up the comic, buying it, reading it, and ultimately putting up this review here on my blog. Job done. Nice one Mr Holden.

Page two of the book features good old Tharg, talking first person to the reader, just like he always did. It’s nice to be back Tharg, you’ve aged almost as well as myself.

There are five serial narratives within the thirty (A4) pages of the book, and as a returning reader I really appreciated the quick blurbs on page two that summarise the individual stories and gave a brief description of the protagonists involved. Without that I would have been lost, but with it I had a comfortable reorientation into the individual stories.

It wasn’t easy for me though, as I’ve become used to the American style comic where you have a much longer serial narrative taking up the entire comic, so to have five individual narratives in one relatively short magazine was definitely a bit strange for me. The stories felt very truncated, very quick. I had a quick chew, and then it was over, on to the next stick of gum. I still feel a bit dizzy about it now, but I like the vertiginous feeling. It reminded me of something old, something that I had lost. Yeah, I liked it.

The first tale was about my old nemesis, Judge Dredd. I never liked the guy you know. He always came across as a power-tripping nut, and whenever I read the old stories I was always rooting for the villains. That part of my world-view/personality has not changed over the years. I still hate the guy today, and his form of ‘control’ is Police state bullshit, anti-freedom, anti liberty, anti humanity. This particular story features some nice artwork, but the story didn’t really impress me all that much. So, a bad start, but things do get better.

The second story (Savage/Grinders by Pat Mills, and with art by Patrick Goddard) was a lot better. I got drones, facial recognition software, a falling totalitarian regime, definitions of ‘terrorism’ and what happens next is an exploration of what comes after a revolution. Great stuff, plus the art was very old school, just how I remembered it as a kid.

The third tale (The Order, by Kek-W and John Burns) featured gorgeous colouring and a likeable protagonist. It was funny and touching and it captivated me immediately. It was very short, but also very bloody good.

The fourth story was a funny one. The character (Ulysses Sweet) was deliberately daft, and the dialogue created a throwaway tone of silliness, of lightness that made me chuckle, and made me enjoy it thoroughly. It was perfect for a short, and a good editorial choice to have it as the penultimate story before a much more serious concluding tale.

That concluding narrative (Orlock by Arthur Wyatt and Jake Lynch) was very serious, and there was a lot packed into it’s five pages, too much at first, but I re-read it and it did make sense (eventually) to my rapidly reorienting mind. It was an okay tale about a secret agent type turning on his dodgy masters, and not bad at all.

Looking back at all five narratives my favourite was probably Savage/Grinders, mainly because the narrative content was very aware of Police state/new world order issues that are prescient today in the real world of 2015. Special mention also goes to the coloured artwork produced by John Burns in ‘The Order.’ That was great stuff, lovingly created and a real treat for the eyes.

So, that’s almost it, near the end of my review now, but I’ll finish it up on a positive note and declare that my revisit to 2000AD is NOT going to be a one and done. I only picked up three (American) comics at the comic book shop today, as the usual Batman and Avengers Police state worship nonsense simply doesn’t appeal anymore. From this day on, and once per week, I’ll be going to my local newsagents shortly after I leave the comic book shop, and I’ll be picking up my weekly copy of 2000AD. I’m back Varg. I missed you. I’m sorry it’s taken me so long to return, but I’m back now, back to a place I never should have left in the first place.

Rating for 2000AD-PROG 1912: 8/10