3 out of 5

Body horror is definitely a choice theme for a 2000 AD sci-fi special; I’m not wholly sure what could’ve pushed this over the line to meeting the potential of that match, but nonetheless: we don’t quite get there.

T.C. Eglinton and Boo Cook’s Dredd contribution is one of the best stories of the set, as it both syncs with the theme and feels like a classic, anarchic Wagner-y style story, covering the science experiment(s)-gone wrong of a couple of twins. There’s room for some cleanup – the flashback structure is required, but feels a bit underbaked in execution; Boo could’ve added some more variation to the experiments – and that room-for-improvement vibe kind of lingers over the whole special, but still, as a one-off story, this one is a lot of fun.

Edginton’s Stickleback return, however… like, why is this in here? Because Stickleback himself qualifies it as body horror? It’s not a bad bit o’ vengeance, and for Stickle fans, a nice inclusion, just ultimately off-theme.

Anthony Williams takes over art on a Dead World tale with Kek’s next Young Death entry, which has Sidney trying to do some cleanup of his last schemes. As with (to me) a lot of Kek, the narrative feels a bit overwrought – like it always seems like the text is telling you there’s more going on than there is – but I loved Williams on this one, and he really leaned into the body horror (overcorrecting from Stickleback!) for some fantastic imagery.

Andi Ewington and Gary Welsh give us a solid Future Shock concerning rampant technology, in a sort of Twilight Zone spin on the Dredd story. Welsh has some truly killer (no pun intended) images here, and I like that Ewington took it to a logical conclusion without trying to be moralistic about it. Like – yup, that’s what happens.

Finally, Karl Stock and Colin MacNeil on a Strong story, doing Stock’s casual navigation of years of lore (and MacNeil’s unshowy mastery of panel layout) as Johnny is called in as a favor to clean up some New Britain government affairs. There’s a great (kinda) cameo leading up to a truly what-could-possibly-be-behind-this-door moment, and a fittingly Dredd-like shoulder shrug conclusion. It’s a good way to go out, matching the opener in terms of being a good match for the book and solidly delivered throughout.