It’s a dog’s life

Perhaps due to it helming short-lived sci-fi title Starlord in the late 1970s, Strontium Dog always felt like it could happily take the leading role in 2000 AD if Judge Dredd ever nipped off for a quick holiday. Following the exploits of mutant bounty hunters, most notably Johnny Alpha, it was a remarkably fully-formed story right from the off, and is a piece of politically laced science fiction with a smidgen of Western that seems to modern sensibilities to marry X-Men, Firefly and typically British 2000 AD grit.

Rebellion’s Strontium Dog line has been nothing short of astonishing—a remarkably complete collection, charting the strip from its earliest days, even unearthing the most obscure related content (including strange text pages from long-forgotten 2000 AD annuals). With the suitably named Final Solution, the story reaches its end.

To talk in any depth about the epic tale would give too much away, but the general premise has a corrupt British government using a combination of magic and technology to deal with the ‘mutant menace’, teleporting mutants to a deadly dimension under the guise of sending them to utopia. As Alpha and his allies uncover the truth, they have to do all in their power to stop mutants being wiped out once and for all.

Although the original Strontium Dog artist Carlos Ezquerra was absent from this tale, his role was ably taken by Simon Harrison and Colin MacNeil, although the shift from one artist to another mid-story is jarring, due to their different styles. However, Harrison’s dynamic energy works well in the early part of the story, as does MacNeil’s more considered painterly approach during the tragic ending.

Not to be outdone by its forerunners, the book also dutifully packs in a bunch of extras that weren’t squeezed into previous trades, including morality tale The Town that Died of Shame, and the fun Judge Dredd crossover Top Dog, along with the usual selection of covers. And while this collection doesn’t quite hit the dizzy heights of the previous two books in the series, it still comes highly recommended to fans of Strontium Dog and damn good comic-books alike.

Strontium Dog: The Final Solution is available now for £13.99, as are the previous four volumes, all of which are essential reading. For more information about 2000 AD graphic novels, check out the 2000 AD Books website.