Prog 1954 is yet another instance of proof that the quality of art in this comic makes it worth buying just to flip through, regardless of what the stories are up to. That's not to say that the stories aren't up to snuff, though.  Arthur is back on the scene in Brass Sun, one of my absolute favorite villain designs in any sci-fi series.  While evil cyborg certainly isn't a new concept, Edginton and Culbard teamed up here to design a particularly menacing character who fits perfectly in the aesthetic of Brass Sun while being transcendently fantastic as a character.

Other than designs (and Culbard's always fantastic art) in Brass Sun, one thing I'm really digging is Wren and the complexity of her character.  With this arc of Brass Sun, the depiction of her character has ranged from the kick-ass Wren we've come to love, to an exteremely vulnerable Wren.  Depicting this range and complexity in Wren's character is important and welcome, and not just because she's a female character.  Too often in stories like this when a young hero gets swept up into the mix of saving the world against overwhelming odds and supremely violent, sadistic forces, the youthful characters are unrealistically reselient in the face of horrifying adversity.  Wren, however, is supremely human, and Edginton in his script and Culbard in his art both understand that depicting her very human weakness in this shocking situation will make her triumph far more interesting.

I wasn't crazy about the latest Dredd run, "Serial Serial," but I can't fault it for art or design.  This fairly straightforward detective procedural take on Dredd isn't unfamiliar, and is incorporated into almost every run of Dredd, lest that run be particularly unusual.  I thought the ending was satisfying, and I thought that MacNeil's art (heavily assisted by Blythe's color work) was as brisk and interesting as I've come to expect from his Dredd runs.

Just in time for Halloween, this was my favorite chapter of Defoe yet.  I'm not entirely sure why the series hasn't clicked with my previously, but I was a little more comfortable with how wide open this particular bit of the story felt.  Others were, I think, claustrophobic out of necessity, and while that's well and good, zombies really aren't my thing, and this chapter made the undead bit feel like more of a sliver of what was going on, rather than the main selling point.  And, as always, the art was great.

Sinister Dexter and Bad Company were both on point for me as well, but I'll end up talking more about them next week!

Score: 4/5

2000 AD – Prog 1954 Writers: Various Artists: Various Publisher: 2000 AD Price: £1.99 (Digital) £2.55 Release Date: 10/28/15 Format: Weekly; Print/Digital