Comic Review 159 // 2000 AD Comic Prog 1323

Welcome back. I am in the process of reading the Complete Case files 16. It is an enormous ass tome, so it is taking a bit of time to get through. What that does mean is that we have time for another Prog review. Issue 1323 was released on 15th January in 2003, and the cover is dominated by a stunning, horrific face image of Moloch (the villain of the Slaine strip). Honestly, this cover creeps me out 100 fold. But time to compose me and get into the stories. Up first, Judge Dredd vs. Alien: Incubus (part 3). 

Judge Dredd has to lead a search team into City Bottom to discover where the strange unknown parasite came from. As the team searches an abandoned warehouse, they soon find another body and some corpses of weird spider-like aliens. Soon the shit is hitting the fan, and we have Judge downed by a facehugger, another suffering horrific acid wounds to her hands and a Xenomorph in the rafters! I loved this story the first time around, and I still love it. The artwork of Henry Flint is bright, clean and bold, while still giving the story a creepy edge. Genuinely love this series.

Up next comes Caballistics Inc. Going Underground Part 3. I'm still extremely new to Caballistics, and playing catch-up is hard. So far, I am enjoying the character progression, and I am at least getting a handle on the characters. It does seem London is under threat from Cthulhu-style monsters and not for the first time as it is mentioned that the SAS team had once faced off against Robotic Yetis!! This story is growing on me, and based on the last panel, we have a lot of action coming our way.

Then a favourite of mine is Sinister Dexter - Relode Part 2. The duo has time-shifted with Billy Octavo into their own pass by 15 years. The issue spends most of the time watching Octavo attempting to explain time travel and the dangers that come with it. Of course, the pair don't fully understand and royally mess up everything, killing an enforcer of the Crime lord Holy Moses. Not yet knowing who they are, Holy Moses gets ready to send out his enforcers to track down the pair. This is great. I am a long-time Sinister Dexter fan, and travelling back in time is an epic way to refresh the series. I am excited to see where Dan Abnett takes it.

Nikolai Dante in Hell and High Water Part 3 is next. The loveable rogue has seemingly had some adventures since I last read a tale, but we seem to have him facing off with a creepy pirate lord in this story. The artwork on this is stunning, and the story seems simple enough. I need to revisit some of Dante's earlier pieces to get into this tale, but I am definitely interested in seeing where it is heading.

Then finally, Slaine in the cover story Moloch Part 3. Those who have read a few of my blog posts know I have a love-hate relationship with Slaine. Pat Mills is a fantastic writer, and when his stories hit, they hit well. This is one of those stories. Ireland is slowly being overrun by Lizard/Fish monsters, and Slaine, at the head of an army, drives hard into their heart to kill the leadership. Slaine and Balor's epic fight scene happens, full of body horror and gore (great for the season). As the victorious forces of Slaine burn the dead, a new creature appears and seems to suck the spirit of Moloch into itself. This is a creepy, crazy story and an epic way to finish this issue.

This is an excellent issue; I really enjoyed all the stories and feel there were no duds. I will have one more prog review up before the next Complete Case Files is completed, so expect more next week. Until then, as always, I hugely appreciate you joining me. Want to chat comics? Comment below or seek me out on one of the many social platforms I hang out on. Here is a quick LINK (Solo bio link) to my details.

Cheers to reading this.