Meg 213 // 2000 AD Megazine 213

Welcome to this weeks comic review. Not sure if anyone is truly reading these posts but I am enjoying writing my thoughts and getting some inspiration as I do it. So this is it! We have hit December 2003 issue 213. An end of an year normally means end of strips or single tale strips and this seems to be the case for a lot of the tales in this issues. We have Judge Dredd: Crime of Passion (One Shot), Devlin Waugh: Rid Tide (Part 12) Final piece, Xtnct (Part 5), Armitage: Apostasy in the UK (Part 2) Final Piece, Judge Death: Wilderness (Part 5), Harry 20 on the High Rock, Charley's War and Apocalypse Soon. So let us dive in.

Story: Judge Dredd - Crime of Passion (One Shot): The World Sex Championships is underway in MC-1, and the mixed pair for MC-1 are in with a strong chance of winning. Only issue is their son has been kidnapped and the pressure is affecting their performance. Can Dredd locate the kidnapper and save the child before the final performance? The whole issue is the highlight. I love the idea of sex becoming a sport and the artwork is great. Only downside is that Judge Dredd is not in enough. When it is a Dredd tale I really want and demand Dredd to play a bigger role, I guess this is a filler piece so really doesn't matter. But a great start to the issue.

Story: Devlin Waugh - Red Tide (Part 12): Finally we are the final stage of this tale, it has felt like ten parts of chase scenes, so I am happy to read this. All scenes have been leading to this, Devlin and Landis finally get their showdown. After a bit of to and through Devlin is pretty much beat and everything is looking bad for team, that is until Lilith actually comes to the rescue. But with all things Lilith has a game plan, following her death she claims the body of Helsing's  daughter and disappears into the Daylight. The final scene is new Lilith giving Devlin a blood kiss to grant him the power to walk in the sunshine.

Story: Harry Twenty One on High Rock: Looks like the tale has finally come to an end. Though I never got emotionally attached to the tale or even wanted to blog about it every time. I am glad I finished the tale. My main gripe was that it was too 80's sci-fi, too high science fiction for me. I enjoy a bit of humour in my tales and this was very straight edge.

Story: Charley's War: Yep, seriously can't work with real world war comics. Through it is nice to read I have no real connection to it and no passion to write about. So I am going to skip and move on.

Story: Xtnct - Part 5: I am really lost on this tale, I don't see where it is going or what the point is. I orginally remember stating being excited about this one as I thought it was going to be a revenge tale, but I truly feel this lost it's way so quickly! I just don't know what I think about it.

Story: Armitage - Apostasy in the UK (Part 2): How on Earth was this just a two part story. I love Armitage and to discover this is just a two part tale breaks my heart! Armitage is racing to save Steel from a weird ass cult that has formed around the minister from the Church of Grud. Thomas Ablom has seen across the void and discovered a parallel world were a new Judge system took root, one based on aged. Basically anyone beneath the age of 30 is killed as it is believe only the young can commit crime! I just love how this tale is mocking the Dark Judges in MC-1, this is what makes 2000 AD stories some of the best out there. This is a real highlight to the issue.

Story: The Wilderness Days - Viva Las Vegas - Not! (Part 5): I'm glad the stories in this issue are rapidly improving. Last time we left Death in the ring killing left right and centre, well that's were we begin in this issue. Death is rapidly reaching his goal on the kill tally and soon the Vegas boss will have to keep his promise....or will he? Death actually discovers he is being played and goes on killing spree hoping to get the Chief Judge. Instead he is violently gunned down and left searching for a body. I am really digging this tale and the artwork is still on point. It's a great piece.

Story: Apocalypse Soon: The Four Horsemen have been captured by Bush and Blair and are now being held in Guantanamo Bay. Looks like they are in deep shit. But things get a lot worst, when God arrives and fires the horsemen before announcing that Bush and Blair are becoming his new messengers of death.

And with that we have reached the end. Not just the end of this issue but also the end of 2003 for the megazine. This issue had some highs, Judge Death, Armitage and Dredd. Then there was lows, Charley's War, High Rock, Extnct. But ultimately this issue was a win.

So what's next? For now I am taking a break from the megazines and will instead hop over to the progs. There has been a sale on 2000 AD for yearly back logs so I just dived in and got them, so I hope you will continue to join me on this adventure. As always please comment below even if it is just to say hi! Or better yet hit the follow button.

Thanks for reading.