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Review: 2000 AD – Prog 1957

The wrap-around cover on this one makes it worth owning, and this Prog's innards ain't half bad either. 2000-AD-Prog-1957-1I think it's been awhile since I've said it, but I'm pretty sure that I have: Alec Worley's Dredd one-shots are excellent.  If you're in the business of submitting Future Shocks to 2000AD, or interested in writing comics, or just a plain-ol' nerd about the form like myself, then these one-shots are a damn clinic in telling a fun story in a handful of pages.  "That Extra Mile" is a Dredd story that comes from an awkward fusion of running culture and the typical horrors of Dredd.  It's hilarious in its absurdity (imagine a running coach hollering tips at Judge Dredd as he chases someone, and add a twist), but still manages to function as an interesting little story and more than just a gag, helped by Richardson's contrastingly serious artwork.

Another one-shot clinic in this Prog comes from the creative team of writer John Smith and artist Peter Doherty with an iteration of Terror Tales, “Night Shift."  Despite my love of most things in the Progs, I'm not huge on horror comics, mostly because I'm lukewarm regarding the horror genre in general.  But this particular comic is less of a genre comic and more of... well, I'll let you read it so that I don't spoil anything.  Regardless of how you choose to classify this story, the pacing is outstanding.

The first page is just a guy sitting, getting up, and walking down some stairs to see if his flatmate is having trouble getting inside.  That's boring; but, Doherty renders it as visually interesting, while maintaining a claustrophobic sense of foreboding with the small, bite-sized, pedantic assault of story beats present on the single page.  As things continue on to the monstery action, the comic just flows while maintaining the dreary black/white/gray aesthetic throughout.  The sequentials are great, the monster designs are great, and the story in "Night Shift" is just pure good fun with a really clever twist.


Score: 4/5


2000 AD – Prog 1957 Writers: Various Artists: Various Publisher: Rebellion Price: £1.99 (Digital) £2.55 Release Date: 11/18/15 Format: Weekly; Print/Digital