The Misty 2024 Special is out now, a 48-page horror anthology with four brand new stories!
And if you want a digital copy today, get this: anyone can buy it direct from the webshop DRM-FREE! That means you get a PDF with your purchase - you actually own it FOREVER! shop.2000ad.com/catalogue/RC...
Harry Ex stumbles into a psychiatrist’s office, carrying a gun and apparently shot in the stomach. He tells his story to the therapist - after returning from war, one of his comrades approached him with an offer.
And now he can’t stop killing people…
Ex military are being approached by powerful figures across the UK and asked to take part in paid fights to the death. After Harry is asked to take part, he tentatively agrees - only to be almost immediately attacked, and forced to fight for his life!
But he enjoys it? And decides to keep going…
Across the next few stories he goes on fight after fight - each one different, and in different parts of the UK. But Harry is ex military and knows that when he’s too powerful, he’ll be quietly taken out. So he investigates the voice on the phone, and slowly tracks him down…
After… events, Harry wakes up in a hospital and is greeted by someone who says she’s his wife.
I haven’t said yet but YES, Arthur Ranson is one of the all time greatest comic book artists. EASILY
Now in America, a senator brings Harry into the US version of the game, which is higher budget and higher stakes. One fight is in a New York museum - and spills out into Central Park.
I visited this statue last year at NYCC!
As you’d expect, Harry once again expects to get cut loose if he wins too many fights - and his “wife”, although friendly, is clearly manipulating him. It all comes to a head and Harry goes on the offensive, storming the senator’s house
I have hidden a LOT of Button Man on this thread.
But LOOK AT THE ART, remember it’s written by THE GREATEST COMIC BOOK WRITER OF ALL TIME, and go READ BUTTON MAN
IMO!!!
Do you remember where I left off with Nikolai Dante? Um, months ago?
Fear not, because Volume Six brings us a status reset from Robbie Morrison, John Burns, and the returning Simon Fraser!
Last we met them, Nikolai was living a pirates life with his mother, the Pirate Queen. He was blackmailed into surrendering her to a rival - so the first part of this volume brings us to the end of the story.
John Burns, who has drawn all of this arc, returns to bring it to a stylish close
Nikolai is brought back to face the Tsar - the man who brought down Nikolai’s father and family and killed almost Al of them. Nikolai is still in love with the Tsar’s daughter, but being the greatest outlaw on the planet makes things complicated.
Until…
Dante has no choice but to accept working for his greatest enemy, and betraying his people. But while trapped in a role he doesn’t want - may as well cause a bit of PR trouble, eh?
A lot of this volume follows Dante as he follows the Tsar’s orders… but undermining them as often as possible.
The missions are a variety of random capers, normally oversexualised in true Dante fashion. But one mission is designed to close off a thread - only one of Nikolai’s siblings, Lulu, is still alive, and the Tsar orders him to track her down and kill her.
This one gets very dark very quickly
Another mission forces Dante to try and break the criminal gangs who work the undercity. This puts him directly back in touch with several old “friends” as he tries to insert himself into power so he can then take down the mafia from the inside. This is a really satisfying story - closes a circle
The main thread of everything here is that Dante and Jena have been in love with each other since the very start of this series, although they can barely say that to each other. There’s a terrific story here where they are sent after her old mentor, who has been “sowing dissent”
The pirate stuff was apparently not popular, which is why they moved back to the political storylines instead - I liked the pirate stuff personally!!
Nikolai Dante has three volumes left to go - no idea what comes next, but for now it goes on the shelf! Fun, flashy, but smarter than it lets on
People often write about the first issue of a new comic book series. But how often do they write about the last issue?
Dust To Dust, a series of essays about finales: shelfdust.com/tag/dust-to-...
John Hellblazer: Constantine sounded the chimes of doom for modern Britain, a hellish place, and we followed the story from its start to the bloody Land’s End: shelfdust.com/tag/lands-end/
