2,000 A.D. #2343 // Review
The guy lives at Stuart Millard Estate. The hitman told him to leave and get out of town, but the apartment that he’s in has sentimental value to him. Now the hitman has returned to make good on his promise: if the guy didn’t leave, he DID say that he was going to kill him. Now he has a decision to make in 2,000 A.D. #2343. Writer Ken Niemand continues his “Fallen Man” Judge Dredd story about a hitman in Megacity One with artist Tom Foster. Writer Dan Abnett’s new tale of Azimuth takes a turn for the more interesting as he continues his exploration of the city with artist Tazio Bettin.
Dredd spots the perp as he’s leaving the estate. Things could get tricky for the reluctant assassin. Meanwhile, in Azimuth, Ramone and his associate enter a restaurant called “Weekend at Béarnaise.” The waitress has four arms. There is no menu. Just ask for what you want, and they’ll give it to you. Ramone orders a burger, onions, a side of fried, a malt shake, and three boxes of nine-millimeter hollow points. The waitress has four arms, but she’s going to have her hands full with Ramone. He’s searching for a rogue A.I. He’s going to need to rest and eat if he’s going to be able to track it down.
Niemand’s story has some intriguing moments in it that speak to particular contemporary concerns shared both in the U.S. and the publication’s native U.K. The story opens with a few people being smuggled into the city vis cryogenic tube, which is a clever iteration of the anxiety. The journey through Azimth might have felt ever so slightly derailed by the sudden absence of Suzi, but Ramone is turning out to be a pretty exciting guy in his own right as Abnett reveals just a bit more about the city with his characteristically clever dialogue and some rather interesting, little concepts that are firmly embedded in the script.
Bettin once again fills the streets of Azimuth with a weird landscape of different beings of every imaginable shape. What he’s developing is sort of a Casablanca-looking place filled with a diverse population of near-humanoid people. The visual drama of the mystery that rests in the heart of the story is engaged in light around the surreal elements of the city. Ramone’s encounter with the four-armed waitress is brought to the page in a way that feels as fantastic as it does mundane.
Writer David Barnett also delivers a fun opening for a story of a guy named Herne who is looking to save a young girl from the cult that is on her trail. The contemporary fantasy makes for a nice addition to the rest of this week’s offerings in one of the most reliably good sci-fi anthology comics in history. There I.S. some dead weight to this issue, but there is more than enough to carry the momentum from one cover to the other.
