Peter Hogan takes over Strontium Dogs, reintroduces Durham Red (a sexy vampire bounty hunter) and resets much of the series's default formula. The S/D agency is back in operation! The SCC are no longer hunting mutants! The political situation on Earth has changed and we don't need to worry about any of those Ennis-era problems.

"That's politics for you. Some days you eat the bear, some days the bear eats you. But it couldn't last. I mean, who else are they gonna get to clean their dirty laundry for them? Who else would go trekking after desperate killers on backwater dustballs like this one? Nah, they need mutants. We're nice and expendable.

"Anyway, that was all just Earth stuff. You know, local politics. And Earth's a mess. 26 minor wars, a couple of big ones brewing... you ask me, the whole place is gonna blow, and soon."

The resulting story is low-key. Some S/D agents are doing their job, hunting people with bounties on their heads. Some Japanese gangsters on the planet Hokusai (named after the painter?) want some killing done. There's nothing wrong with any of this, but it's generic. No reason to remember or care about any of it.

It also stars Durham Red. The next story in this series will be her solo, without Feral or Gronk. I'd been planning to continue with this Strontium Dogs reread, but no. Durham Red did nothing for me when I first read her stories thirty years ago and I've got better things to do with my time. I don't dislike the character, but I don't see any point to her either. She's a sexy vampire. She hunts people for money. Yes, and? I find her neither likeable nor interesting.

This particular story's okay, though. It's still drawn by Nigel Dobbyn (whom I like) and the script doesn't do much wrong. Three episodes of 2000 AD violence, with the Gronk in it. You could do worse.