2000 AD #2376 - Various (Rebellion Publishing)

After a boisterous and self aggrandising assessment of Tharg’s own handiwork (this issue) we’re launched headfirst into a Judge Dredd strip with Part 1 of ‘Rend & Tear With Tooth & Claw.’ Supposedly shot down, Dredd and a handful of other judges are marooned in the Northern Radlands. A cold, unforgiving, radioactive wasteland and snow before a group of radioactive humans who are long suffering from radiation sickness ambush them. Not before a gigantic mutated bear takes on both groups at once. Tearing flesh from bone as the strip pulls abruptly to a close. Rob Williams’ writing at this point is ordinary and far from outstanding for a first story of this prog but it builds up a little suspense which is enough for RM Guera and Giulia Brusco’s combined art and coloring talents to elevate it into an isolationist survival tale starring a radioactive mutant bear. Standing at probably twenty feet tall, it’s reinforcing how Judge Dredd stories are at their best when they accentuate the blatantly ridiculous.

REND & TEAR WITH TOOTH & CLAW

Written by Rob Williams

Art by RM Guera

Colors by Giulia Brusco

Lettering by Annie Parkhouse

Rating: 7/10

The second strip, ‘Terror Tales: Antumnos,’ is one of folk lore meets science fiction with a squeeze of horror drizzled over this rag of MI6 procedural drama. Writer Jon Lock pens Agents Sharpe and Hob who investigate strange lights and sounds emanating from a local town which feels like MI6 meets X-Files as Hob, determined to link these strange occurrences to the fair folk, is embroiled in a transformation that cause him to disappear from this reality for good. It’s as Hob is consumed by the light of the ‘fair folk’ that the combined art and colors of Richard Elson give off their own soundtrack of obscurity and cosmic wonder. Sounds that would be the discordant clash of synth wankery and distorted chords as Hob journeys into the beyond.

TERROR TALES: ANTUMNOS

Written by Jon Lock

Art/Coloring by Richard Elson

Lettering by Simon Bowland

Rating: 9/10

With ‘Full Tilt Boogie’ Book Two, Part Ten; Tee’s money problems are brought to light. Well, sort of. Alex de Campi does a good job at missing the mark here. In a world like Full Tilt Boogie you’d expect the drama to be elevated with Tee’s next score evading her. Instead, she’s more preoccupied with taking her grandma out for a night on the town than with the offer of a job to smuggle Lilac out and away from the Empire whist also dethroning the Empress of Luxos. It’s the revealing of the Empress as an alien parasite wearing the skin of an Empress that’s the most intriguing here. Otherwise, De Campi has penned a filler strip at best with lacklustre artwork by Eduardo Ocana and a color palette by Eva de la Cruz which is poorly justified. It’s a missed opportunity when Annie Parkhouse’s lettering is the most interesting part of the strip. Little more than a filler episode.

FULL TILT BOOGIE BOOK TWO PART TEN

Written by Alex de Campi

Art by Eduardo Ocana

Coloring by Eva De La Cruz

Lettering by Annie Parkhouse

Rating: 3/10

Part Six of 'Indigo Prime: Black Monday' takes us down the ever winding road of Reality 0001/054 as the 4077th Mash-Ups regiment is being set upon by a troop of Lovecraftian looking mutant insectoid soldiers which eye-patching wearing rogue, Arcana, is able to handle. Thanks to a new headless friend, Leo Sphincter, who brandishes what looks like the multiverse's largest butt-hole for a face. Aptly named, this 'shaper of holes' is able to manufacture a black hole which is basically a reverse spirit-ball, sucking all their enemies within. While this is going on, Clive Vista and IP are on a mission to stop reality breaking, which results in a meeting of minds as Clive looks on at a twisted and malformed H.R. Giger-esque version of Russian born American philosopher and author, Ayn Rand. A confrontation which allows Lee Carter's black and white experimenting with visual sounds and shapes to take hold of Clive as he starts fading, bombarded by Rand's nonstop objectivist reasoning, which sees the life being sucked out of him. Moments that give Campbell's lettering a chance to be its own reality-breaking beast and the chance for the reader to take a step back and admire the mapping of Kek-W's script for what it is. For fans of Grant Morrison era led Doom Patrol, for certain.

INDIGO PRIME: BLACK MONDAY PART SIX

Written by Kek-W

Art by Lee Carter

Lettering by Jim Campbell

Rating: 8/10

Concluding with 'Proteus Vex: Devious' Part Two, 2000 AD #2376 takes us to the remote outpost Barriero Anchorage watched over by floating bird-like creature, Controller, and his compatriot, Lom, a squid-like encased in metal cyborg-thing with protruding eye. Mike Carroll uses the narrative as a historical report observing the events as they unfold which is clever, given the absurdist and nigh-satirical nature of Jake Lynch's creatures. Creatures that are as far anti-human as one gets whilst remaining still remotely humanoid. A fight breaks out between android Rabbord Rayom and eye-less thumb-looking alien Dran Gexemed which spills out into the main promenade of Barriero Anchorage. With Gexemed the victor and Rayom promising to refund the money for the defective clones he provided, we're introduced to a new level of disgust as Gexemed makes out with his female clone. Not sure whether to thank colorist, Jim Boswell, for that imagery or to send him some hate mail. Campbell's lettering, as always, is on point. Maintaining a level delivery to this universe of absurdist looking bipeds. A welcome addition to a Proteus Vex storyline which only features Proteus Vex in one fragging panel.

PROTEUS VEX: DEVIOUS PART TWO Written by Mark Carroll

Art by Jake Lynch

Coloring by Jim Boswell

Lettering by Simon Bowland

Rating: 9/10

All in all, not a bad outing for Rebellion Publishing. 2000 AD #2376 included some memorable moments with Terror Tales and Proteus Vex being the standout strips from this anthology comic book issue. Full Tilt Boogie being questionable to say the least and served only to let down the other four strips. Despite this, it makes me look forward to the return of Proteus Vex and perhaps a future reveal of the Fair Folk in another Terror Tales? Only Tharg will tell.

2000 AD #2376

Writers: Rob Williams, Jon Lock, Alex de Campi, Kek-W and Mark Carroll

Artists: RM Guera, Richard Elson, Lee Carter, Jake Lynch

Coloring: Giulia Brusco, Eva De La Cruz, Jim Boswell

Lettering: Annie Parkhouse, Simon Bowland, Jim Campbell

Overall Score: 7/10