Comic Review 162 // 2000 AD Prog 1326

Time to travel back in time, to a simpler time. A time before COVID (remember that!). Today we are going all the way back to February 2003. I am on a solid run of rereading 2000 AD, and I love it. Just look at the cover of this issue, a bright, eye-catching orange, showcasing Slaine in all his glory with a faded Molch lurking in the background. Is it hinting at the story today? Will we have revenge? Time to find out.

Strangely there are only four stories this week. Last week and before, we had five with Sinister Dexter, so I can only assume we have some longer tales this week. As always, we start with:

Judge Dredd vs Aliens: Incubus Part 6. Big Man of Mega-City One Judge Dredd goes toe to toe with a Xenomorph in this one. As Judge Dredd attempts to tackle the alien away from the children's ward, they smash through a window plummeting onto a Zoom Line. We have Dredd facing the Xenomorph only with flares on a high-speed bullet train in classic nail-bitter cliffhangers!

You all know by now I love the artwork, I love Dredd, and I love Xenomorphs. A great story to kick us off.

Slaine: Moloch Part 6. The last issue was brutal, and this issue starts a little slower as we have the funeral for Niamh. During this, we discover Slaine is standing down as the High King of Ireland, and he adventures off to track down Moloch. Jump forward one year, and we are in Albion watching Ukko get information for Slaine on the whereabout of Moloch; we then get an awkward farewell as Slaine seemingly says his last goodbye to the Dwarf sidekick.

Using the information given to him by Ukko, Slaine heads off to an arena to Face off against Moloch. Here Slaine grapples with the demon, and they both plunge towards a pit of Lava, and with that, Book One ends.

What an epic way to end the first part of the series. I will naturally assume Slaine survives but damn, how epic was that!

Caballistics, Inc. Going Underground Part 6. Following on from Miss Simmon's sacrifice, we discover things didn't go as Ravne expected. Instead, it would seem she became a conduit for maybe a demon? Either way, she helps purge the tunnels of the infestation and saves the other team members. As this series comes to an end, we discover that following this mission, the team is renamed Caballistics and that Mr. Ravne is actually a lot older than he appears and is possibly an ex-member of the occult nazi branch. Which explains a lot.

Interesting series. I thought I was coming into a fully fleshed-out story when in fact, it is just the beginning. I am excited to see where it goes.

Nikolai Dante: Hell and High Water Part 6. A bit of a dull episode for Dante this week. After a classic love scene, we see him manipulated to help out the Black Dragons in exchange for the well-being of the two children. The most exciting part of this section was the title of the next installment: The Ballad of the Pirate Queen. Is this hinting at Dante's mother?

Overall this issue was good. Judge Dredd continues to amaze. Slaine was a great ending, and Caballistics, Inc. has me hooked. Dante was meh, but you can't win them all.

Want to learn more about 2000 AD? Why not start with the 2000 AD Encyclopedia (link is via Amazon, and I get a kickback). Thank you for reading, and if you want to chat more, come find me on Instagram.