Cradlegrave is the reason I have returned to reading 2000AD after 20 years away (2009)

I think it was the cover (above) of prog 1633 that did it for me. That got my attention, and what followed from that was TWLB reacquainting itself with that fine institution 2000AD. A joy it is too.

I gave up on the comic in 1989, when other things became more important, because 2000AD had just got a lot less interesting. As I recall, Zenith was about the only thing keeping me interested, with Dredd and Strontium Dog leaving me cold (the latter due to the fact Carlos Ezquerra had been replaced by Simon Harrison on art). Also, Deadline and Crisis were titles catering more to my needs. So, after 8 years of reading and collecting 2000AD I canceled my subscription at Deer Park newsagents.

Cradlegrave is a comic strip. For the first 2 issues you would not see anything fantastical or horrific, other than the horror that can be other peoples lives, as Cradlegrave is set in the Ravenglade Estate (nicknamed "Cradlegrave" after the ‘ravenglade’ sign loses a few of the letters and an enterprising soul renames the estate).



It is set somewhere in Lancashire. It follows the story of teenage Shane Holt, who has recently been released from Thorn Hill young offenders institution. What you get is a well paced drama of a young man coming to terms with life outside of the offenders institution and trying to stay on the right side of the law.



The detail that goes into all this is superb (and the devil is in the details) – Shanes mom celebration of his homecoming, which consists of a few ‘tins’ of lager and a night in front of the television.



Or the scenes at a house party with girls taking pictures of themselves on a cell phone,

or the relative drama of Shanes dog imminently giving birth to pups, or Shanes attempts to keep his best mate, Callum, at arms length. Only slowly does information leak through about why Shane was in prison – for arson – and then at the end of the third installment, we get the first jolt, the first shocking moment. To say more would ruin it and I will say no more, but like the rest of these initial installments it is handled with superior skill – the writing of John Smith and the art of Edward Bagwell combine to give you a fully realized kitchen sink drama of a ‘rough’ estate in England with the blurry unease of terror creeping in from the edges. It is nothing less than superb, and I believe will rank amongst the best stories that 2000AD has ever hosted.

If it was just Cradlegrave, then I would be happy with my decision to try 2000AD once again. But there is more, with recent strip ‘Zombo’s bizarre mix of ‘Lost’ and a subservient, but lethal Zombie on a planet called ‘Deathworld’ providing humour,



gore and throwaway lines about clone love that give the story real depth.
Also, ‘Savage’, which is a long-running sequel to the equally long running ‘Invasion’ from the very early days of 2000AD (it appeared in the first issue, and the test pressing ‘prog 0’). In an alternate future, the ‘Volgans’ (an analogue of the Cold War era Soviet Union) are occupying Great Britain and the rest of Europe, and Bill savage is the leader of the resistance. The strip, one of the few in black and white, is a tense, gritty affair that pays tribute to the early days of 2000ad (and by association, other IPC titles of the time such as Action and Battle) while having a distinctive modern feel – gone are the Invasion tics and tropes of ‘giving the Volgans what for’, replaced with more subtle power plays, intrigue and bursts of graphic violence.



Slaine, after over 25 years of appearances in 2000AD, looks incredible in its new title, 'Slaine the Wanderer';



On top of all that, you need strong Judge Dredd stories to really make the title work, and in the recent ‘Sex Tournament’ strip ‘The Performer’,



and the powerful ‘Backlash’, you have both humour and strong political allegories that are not ham fisted, and were always some of the main attractions to the character and his world.

2000AD is getting something right - after the talent drain to the US in the 1980s and early 90's that saw the likes of Alan Moore, Grant Morrison and Brian Bolland depart the title, the likes of John Smith and the (evergreen) Pat Mills prove that the UK's longest running Science Fiction weekly is still providing the neccesary 'Thrill Power' to us Earthings.

5 page preview of Walking Dead #63 (Image, 2009)

5 page preview of nest weeks 'The Walking Dead' #63;

http://www.comixology.com/sku/MAY090359/The-Walking-Dead-63-MR-

Review - The Strange Adventures of HP Lovecraft #3 (Image, 2009)

Image Comics, in my opinion, are pretty much a vehicle for the great writing of Robert Kirkman. The Walking Dead & Invincible - that is what I think of when I think of Image comics.

However.

In the last couple of months a new title has arrived that is of such quality that my image of image (sorry) has changed. This title, 'The Strange Adventures of HP Lovecraft', is that good that you would mistake it for a Veritgo title.

The clue to the success of this title is actually....in the title. It is a fictional account of a period in the life of Howard Phillips Lovecraft, as he struggled with the perceived degradation of making a living as a pulp writer, and the "Cthulhu Mythos", that seems to be invading reality from his subconsciousness. Written with style by Mac Carter, who tosses elegant lines like this about with abandon;

(HP Lovecraft inner monologue)
"Pulps are the wastelands. And few writers, if any, will ever rise from their vulgar depths to claim greatness. i've made my peace with that simple fact."

and illustrated by the brilliant Tony Salmons, who gives every panel the eerie glow of a Universal Horror film of the past,



the book is topped off with a superbly pulp-y cover from Adam Byrne (see top of the post).

The third installment deals with the aftermath of the attack on Grayson Chesser, who is the lover of Syliva St Claire, who is coveted by Lovecraft. The attack on Chesser was the result of monsters who "have slithered out" from HP Lovecraft's subconscious and murdered 3, and with Chesser, nearly claimed a fourth victim.

With Lovecraft the main suspect, his elderly Aunts cover for him as he turns fugitive, while his fragile, mentally ill mother warns that the family doctor, Dr Brand, (who is only too aware of the madness that besets the Lovecraft family), that he could be the next victim that very night.

Verdict. It is a beautiful, wickedly entertaining book. A real achievement, in the story, the art, the way the whole package comes together. Fantastic overall, and issue 3 maintains the high quality of the previous installments. A worthy 9.5 out of 10, but overall for the series so far? 10 out of 10.

Solicitation for Unknown Soldier #12 (due October 2009)

Written by Joshua Dysart, Art by Alberto Ponticelli, Cover by Dave Johnson

It’s nothing less than epic hotel room warfare as the Unknown Soldier plays a bloodthirsty game of cat and mouse with assassins in the back halls of an exquisite five-star establishment. The real challenge will be keeping it from the high-profile guests in the banquet room next door - the guests who are all there for the Unknown Soldier’s funeral...

The Boys #34 and Herogasm #5 Solicitations for September 2009

THE BOYS #34
Written by Garth Ennis
Art by Carlos Ezquerra
Cover by Darick Robertson
32 pages FC
$2.99

Stormfront: the super-nazi, the Aryan demigod, the worst of the Third Reich’s racial dreams come true… versus what’s left of The Boys. Can our ragged little band defeat this dreadful ubermensch? Will the Female ever awaken from her coma? Will the cavalry arrive in time, or ever? All this and more, in the bone-snapping, gut-rupturing conclusion to The Self Preservation Society.




THE BOYS: HEROGASM #5 (OF 6)
Written by Garth Ennis
Art by JOHN McCREA
Cover by Darick Robertson
32 pages FC
$2.99

Welcome to The Supies, a night of glitz and glamour beyond any awards ceremony mere mortals could devise. Who will win Best New Team? Greatest Hero? Best Meat In the Sandwich? Exactly what is the Homelander hinting at in his acceptance speech? And in light of last issue’s developments, how do Vought American’s plans for the Presidency impact on the world of all things supe-ish? Find out in the penultimate episode of Herogasm.

Forthcoming Attractions (anticipated releases this week - 08.07.2009)

Here are my picks for the week - not a huge list........

THE STAND AMERICAN NIGHTMARES #4 MARVEL COMICS
STRANGE ADVENTURES OF HP LOVECRAFT #3 IMAGE COMICS

Got to say that HP Lovecraft has been brilliant up to now, with care and love going into the story, dialogue and art. The Stand continues to be a worthy adaptation of the finest book Stephen King has produced (in my opinion).

Strange Adventures of HP Lovecraft #3
Innocents are dying gruesome deaths. The police are closing in fast. And H.P. Lovecraft has forever lost the faith of the woman he adores. Is all hope lost? That’s how it looks to our poor, young writer who now believes his nightmares are coming true, springing from his head into the real world – with deadly results! Afraid he might be unleashing hell on earth, Lovecraft fights against sleep with all his might. But it’s a battle he can’t win. So he turns to the only person he believes he can trust. Is it a mistake? And will Lovecraft solve the mystery of his curse before his nightmares kill again?

The Stand American Nightmares #4
The penultimate chapter of the second volume based on Stephen King's horror epic! The survivors of the Captain Trips plague have started to team-up. Stu Redman and Glen Bateman trade origin stories--and horror stories about their mutual nightmares--while Randall Flagg sets out to recruit his first soldier in the ultimate battle between Good and Evil: Lloyd Henreid. But will the starving madman accept the dark man's offer? And either way, will he or his soul survive?

http://comicbookresources.com/?page=preview&id=2996&disp=table CBR previews HP Lovecraft #3

Review - Destroyer #4 (Marvel MAX, 2009)

So, I get to the end of this issue and I realise that Destroyer Max only has 1 more issue to go. So far it has been pretty entertaining (the first issue was great) and the art has been really good - especially this months, when Destroyer and Turret take on the legions of HORDE with some military backup.

But there is a problem. It all feels a bit dragged out now. This could have been an amazing double sized one-shot, but at 5 issues it just feels spread a bit too thin. Destroyer hunts down the bad guys, feels a bit ill, finds his family in peril, a scattering of domestic scenes - that is about it really. I like it, but it is not going to rank amongst Kirkmans best work - in fact it plays like an abridged version of Invincible, with an old man replacing the young man as the central character.

Verdict. This issue had some fine moments, the action was well staged, and Cory Walkers art was lovely to look at. I just think it would have worked better with more economy - still, it gets a 7 out of 10.