This week there’s another 2000AD #1865 with the usual science fiction offerings. 2000AD #1865 continues the recent trend with Judge Dredd, Ulysses Sweet, Maniac for Hire, Grey Area, ABC Warriors and Strontium Dog, so let’s get stuck in.

First up, as usual, is Judge Dredd. This is a continuation of Rob William’s Titan arc and, while definitely a slow-roller, William’s is excellent at writing tension and action all at once. The narration adds to this touch, while the moody artwork of Henry Flint helps define the dark and cramped setting perfectly.

Next up is Ulysses Sweet, Maniac for Hire. As usual, Guy Adams writes a story that is somewhere between bizarre and bonkers, but brilliant and hilarious along the way. It’s light reading for sure, but that doesn’t stop it being fun and engaging. This is helped by the art style of Paul Marshall alongside Chris Blythe’s grey-scale colors.

After this comes more Grey Area and the start of a new arc by Dan Abnett. This one takes a while to get going, with this week serving as more of an exposition, yet it’s interesting nonetheless as it goes into a setting not often seen in Grey Area. Likewise, Patrick Goddard’s visuals help define this new setting, although much of it is in darkness with little detail shown.

This is followed by more ABC Warriors, with Pat Mills offering a fantastic script which, although part of a wider arc, makes for a good one-shot in and of itself. Or maybe I just enjoy reading about awesome robots, which Clint Langley goes to great lengths to depict and detail. However, I would argue there is little background here, which is a shame for anyone who wouldn’t mind seeing more of Mars itself.

Finally, we have Strontium Dog. This is a slow issue, courtesy of John Wagner, that adds plenty of tension with a subtle sense of escalation. It goes hand in hand with the artwork of Carlos Ezquerra and definitely feels like Strontium Dog.

3.5/5