Prog 138

 Hogarth Hughes: "You are who you choose to be."
The Iron Giant: "Superman."  

-The Iron Giant 

"The Iron Giant" was loosely based on Ted Hughes's masterpiece "The Iron Man." "The Iron Man" looms large over 2000AD, and we have seen giant robots appear serval times in the first three years of 2000AD. This week we have Mad George in the A.B.C. Warriors, who is cut from the same cloth as Ted Hughes's seminal character. I only made the connection today - while Ted Hughes's Iron Man fed upon farm equipment, Mad George is ploughing a similar furrow as he destroys the company mass-producing food. The scale may be different, but the underlying idea is the same. 

You might think with this introduction, that A.B.C. Warriors is my favourite story this week. It is not. All the stories this week are strong, although all have weak points that I have tried to cover where I can. When the dust settled I found a surprising story on top, Wolfie Smith. In retrospect, I can see that it is the one story that has been building in its continuity and is now reaching the payoff. It doesn't have a giant Robot, but it does have plenty to recommend it. Next week it will be A.B.C. Warriors reaching its zenith, and one can only assume the other stories will also deliver an array of arresting images and thoughtful passages worthy of their predecessor, "The Iron Man"  

Prog 138

10th November 1979 

This week, Judge Dredd lends itself to a monster story, aptly titled "Night Of The Bloodbeast."

In the Enid Blyton block, a huge crocodile-like beast is prowling. It feasts upon its victims, and Dredd is soon on the scene, looking at the remains of two citizens who have had their hearts torn out. 

While Dredd tracks the beast responsible, we see a flashback of how this came to be during the time of Judge Cal, when the alien Kleggs operated as his mercenaries. One of their offspring was born a mutant, and when the Kleggs fled the planet, they left this mutant behind, imprisoned in a basement apartment where they had been billeted. 

The couple who owned this apartment decided to raise the mutant, thinking that as the last of the Kleggs, he would be worth a lot of credits one day. However, he had grown outrageously, eventually developing a taste for blood, and this led to their demise in his jaws. 

Immediately after this flashback, we see Dredd in the Enid Blyton block hunting his prey. Bursting into the apartment where the creature is, Dredd fires at its brain, but the creature keeps coming. Dredd is caught in its grasp, but suddenly, the monster realises it's dead and slumps to the floor. 

All that's left is for Dredd to deliver the final soliloquy and strike a cool pose for a final panel. 

A nice return by the Kleggs in this issue. They bring a menace to the page, and any panel showing the mutant or the original Kleggs was worthy of a second look. I especially appreciated the first couple of pages when we were reacquainted with their look and the way in which we were led into the story.  The very first panel grabbed our attention and helped create a momentum that carried us through the backstory.

Although not as funny as some other Dredd stories, there was still an undercurrent of humour. The very first comment about the citizen fearing visiting his mother-in-law made me smile, as did the name of the city block -Enid Blyton. I have not heard the name Enid Blyton for many years, and I found it hilarious to see her referenced here. We feel a long way from the world of Enid Blyton, and in this context, it felt absurd - in the very best way possible. 

Although the story was short, it was well-rounded and delivered a satisfying conclusion. Within the confines of only seven pages, it managed to build to a tense climax, with the story peaking as Dredd is grabbed by the throat. This gave us a memorable panel that ranks among the best in this comic and finished the story on a high. Paired with Dredd's final words, the story had an unexpected pathos that left me considering rereading it immediately. 

Rating: 7/10

Best line: "No, not evil...Urk didn't know any better. He was innocent, like a newborn child..."

The stadium ship upon which Blackhawk is held is now being attacked by a pirate ship led by Captain Psyko, a deformed pirate who has a deformed face. 

Leading an army of same-faced clones, Captain Psycho storms the ship, the only resistance coming from the gladiators onboard. These gladiators put up a spirited fight, but they are overwhelmed, and soon only Blackawk and Ursa are left fighting. 

Ursa runs to free the Zog, the dwarf, who could swing the fight in their favour. Meanwhile Blackhawk fights on single-handedly, managing to cut Captain Psyko several times with his sword. Eventually, Blackhawk is defeated, although left alive. Captain Psyko tells his men to spare Blackhawk, as their leader, the Soul-Sucker, only feeds on live food. 

I have only been briefly exposed to Captain Psyko, but I love him immediately. His unique dialogue was brilliant, as was his cool nature through the pirate attack. Sure, he was shown to have a furious side, but this wasn't pushed as hard and didn't make as much of an impact. He looked cool, had the best weapon with his sword with a skull as a hilt and got all the best lines. I often feel that Blackhawk lacks personality and that was highlighted in this issue as Captain Psyko had personality oozing out of every pore. Another day, I might say this unbalanced the story, but I enjoyed it immensely. It will be interesting to see what happens next, and I do wonder if Captain Psyko's role will be reduced before he threatens to dominate the story.

The final reveal of the Soul Sucker was the scariest moment. While Captain Psyko was portrayed as the enemy, he didn't come across as particularly threatening, a lot of his menace undone by his sharp tongue. On the other hand, Soul Sucker is nightmarish in both its look and the thought of what he could inflict upon a man. Hopefully, he will be hard to kill and will linger for several issues before Blackhawk dispenses with it. 

I was pleased to see Ursa changed size in this issue, after my comments about it last week. He is now much closer to Blackhawk's size, and I didn't even think about such things until after the comic finished. Seeing the two fight side by side was the crux of this week's issue, and we were served with plenty of images of the two welding their weapons in the face of overwhelming numbers. They acquitted themselves well, but the Soul Sucker is another level altogether, and it will be a week before we see how they take on this hideous alien.    

Rating: 7/10

Best line: "I'm bleeding! This really is too much!" 

The A.B.C. Warriors are using Mad George, a colossal robot on Mars. to attack the base of the food manufacturing company Biol. Mad George is big, but his five computer brains have never been able to control him, so each of the Warriors has taken control of a part of his body manually. 

The attack is a success, with George a familiar sight on Mars, he gets easily close to the base without arousing suspicion. However, he is a Trojan horse, and soon he is smashing through the defences while the Warriors fight from his every limb. Even a flight of fighter bombers can't stop him. 

Soon, the battle is almost won, and George asks that he be left behind so the soldiers can kill him. He can't go back to being a Mad George and would rather die having done something good.  

There is something inherently sad about giant robots, especially the ones we see in the ages of 2000AD. Mad George's final two panels cast a long shadow over all that came before it, and as I put the comic down, it was his final words that stayed with me,

The rest of the strip was wall-to-wall action, with explosions, gunfire, and the robot warriors storming the HQ. It was delivered in large panels that captured the size of George and the battle they were fighting and anchored the story before we returned to Mad George's final thoughts. It was exciting and fun but made shallow as the story waded into deeper waters toward the end. 

Although I was taken by the opening and closing panels, this was a well-balanced story. It had a very real heart and this remained with me long after the flame and fury of the centre pages. The two contrasting threads strengthened each other, making the story appealing to both my eyes and my heart. I already know that next week will once again pull at my heart, and shall have my tissues ready.  

Rating: 7.5/10

Best line: "George is glad...but when it's over, Sarge...George want to be left behind...so the soldiers can kill George!"

Although Wolfie Smith should be running away from the mysterious stones, and potentially the Wendigore, he finds himself running toward the Abbey, anxious for the safety of Tara Lawson.

In the rain-lashed ruins of the Abbey, the filming continues, with Tara and Mark being instructed by the director Julian Rowse. He encourages them to climb to the heavily costumed Joe, little knowing that Joe has been passed by the Guardians of the Stones.

While the crew watch from below, Mark reaches the hooded figure, only to be thrown aside as he gets close. Tara is next, and she lets out a piercing scream as the creature drags her along the ramparts.

Wolfie recognises what is happening and rushes toward them. he has a premonition, and acting quickly he avoids the collapsing stones beneath his feet. However, he isn't so fortunate the next time, and in the final panel, we see the monster using psychic forces to hurl chunks of masonry at him.    

Things are happening fast, and although I am enjoying it, it does feel a little shallow, especially compared to some of the other stories in the comic. 

Wolfie Smith is beginning to resemble a teenage horror film, and I have mixed feelings about that. On one hand, I am enjoying the pace of it, and seeing the tropes I am familiar with. The young damsel in distress, the director thinking only of his film, and the hero, knowing something evil is afoot and unable to prevent it. On the negative side, it isn't as creative as some of the other stories in 2000AD and sometimes the surprises aren't as shocking as they should be. 

The art of Vano is certainly a plus and helps compensate for some of my issues. He gives the characters a believable feeling and creates a good atmosphere for the horror to seep from. He does suffer from my familiarity with some of his other work, in particular, the Guardian looks like several of his other creatures, but overall I do get a quiet buzz from his work. This week he gave us several great panels that outshone everything else in the comic, and it's no surprise that I have chosen one of his panels as my favourite. Nor is it a surprise to see that it is an image of Tara Lawson!  

Rating: 7.5/10

Best line: "Why wasn't this written into the script? It's fantastic! Get a camera on him, quick!" 

Disaster 1990 picks up from last week, with Bill Savage having been captured by the London Legion after leading a failed uprising against them.

He is forced to watch the other mutineers being shot by the London Legion, before facing a slow death himself as his amphibious vehicle is filled with concrete with him in it.

Castaway, Savage faces a slow death as the concrete hardens and his vehicle sinks in the flood. He is closely watched by members of the London Legion in surrounding boats, who all think it is great entertainment, 

Other boats try to approach, and they are waved away, this entertainment is only for the bosses. However, it's not the boats of Legionnaires, but rather the Northern Farmers who have arrived to liberate London. 

The farmers are armed with shotguns, and the skirmish is soon over and all eyes turn to conquering the last Legion stronghold - Buckingham Palace. 

The arrival of the farmers to rescue Bill Savage was fantastic, and gave us a suitable payoff from our first meeting of them. Seeing them attack the Legion filled my heart with joy, and Bill Savage wasn't the only one relieved to see them on the page. The rural-urban conflict was brought to life on the page, I sincerely hope this won't be easily resolved next week. This could drive the story forward for quite some time, although the final panel doesn't fill be with much hope for this happening. 

As much as I liked this story, there was one thing that I couldn't get past - Bill Savage and his slow death in concrete. This is a classic James Bond villain move, and one instinctively knew that Savage would somehow get free. Why villains persist with this slow-death idea, I just don't know, but it is well past its use-by date even in 1979, let alone 2025. 

My second problem with Savage and the concrete is that concrete is heavier wet than it is dry. Quite why the boat begins to sink as the concrete hardens, I don't know, but it never made sense to me. I spent much too long thinking about this rather than the story, and it did distract me from all the good things that were happening. 

Despite these reservations, the story has lifted this week, and we are in good stead as we look ahead to next week.   

Rating: 7.5/10

Best line: "Hallo there, Squire Archer. As you can see, I'm about to fall on hard times!" 

Prog 138 final ratings:

Overall: 7.5/10

Best Story: The Mind Of Wolfie Smith 

Best Line: "Least it's a concrete proposal!"

Best Panel: 

Prog 137

Recently, I've been thinking of wrapping up this blog when I reach Prog 150. It's a big world out there, and there are many things out there that I should be doing rather than reading old comics. However, I missed updating the blog the other week and made an important discovery. I'm in too deep. I want to see what comes next. I want to see what happens to these characters that I care about. However busy my real life gets, I find myself irresistibly drawn to these musty old comics. As much as I want to walk away, I can't. To quote a famous cowboy movie, "I wish I knew how to quit you."  

Prog 137

3rd November 1979 

Judge Dredd this week centres on the story of the murder of a Judge. Judge Harkness stops three Joyhoppers who have been driving on the speed walk, only for one of them to draw a weapon and shoot her in cold blood. 

An emergency signal goes out to all other Judges, and Judge Bryce, her partner, is the first to arrive. She dies in his arms, and he immediately pledges to avenge her death. 

What follows is a race through the streets as Judge Bryce chases the murderers while Dredd does his best to keep up. 

Judge Bryce catches up with the three Joyhoppers and is about to avenge the love of his life, delivering a death sentence to the murderers, when Dredd shoots him. As Judge Bryce dies, Dredd reminds us that when a Judge breaks the law, there is no law, before a final soliloquy of "There can only be one love in a Judge's life...the law."

I thought the death of a Judge would have a far greater emotional impact than what we saw here. The death of Judge Harkness played out much as one would expect, but for some reason, it failed to tug at my heartstrings. Perhaps this was due to the context of the death and the surrounding story that seemed steeped in 80s action films (yes, I know we are still months away from 1980)

Many of the lines spoken in the strip were bombastic and would feel more at home in a Hollywood blockbuster rather than on the newsprint paper of a 1970s comic. Judge Bryce's promise to avenge the death was just such a line, and although I have chosen it as the best line in this week's comic, it didn't quite feel right against the death of Judge Harkness. 

This is partly due to the senseless way that Judge Harkness died. True, people die in such circumstances all the time, and not every cop goes out in a blaze of glory, but coupled with the fact that we barely knew her, there wasn't an emotional resonance as we saw her die in Bryce's arms. 

The fast nature of this revenge didn't give us the breathing space to fully digest the death of the Judge, and although it did rush us through to the story's eventual conclusion, it didn't feel particularly satisfying when Judge Bryce caught up to the murders. 

Like last week, this was a Dredd story that flattered to deceive. It seems to contain all the elements required for a great Judge Dredd story, but it didn't hang together in a pleasing fashion, and despite wanting to enjoy what I saw, it all felt rather pale and tepid compared to stories past. There were still a couple of panels of stunning artwork and some memorable dialogue, but the story itself never lived up to these moments, leaving me to wonder what the essence of a good Judge Dredd story is. Maybe, next week, we will find out. 

Rating: 6.5/10

Best line: "Keep out of this, Dredd! You don't understand! I loved her, drokk i - I loved her!"

Blackhawk is planning to escape, but first, he must convince Ursa to help him. Ursa won't help until he receives a sign from his God, and Blackhawk is happy to help him on that front, surreptitiously setting Ursa on fire while he prays.

This is the sign that Ursa has been waiting for, and he is at Blackhawk's side as Blackhawk slips out into the corridor. They are confronted by some of the director's drones, but they make short work of them as Ursa swings his heavy axe.

Soon enough, they have reached a scout craft, but the plan falls apart when Blackhawk discovers that Ursa doesn't know how to fly it, and neither does he. 

Both are brought before the director, who intends to make an example of them by hanging their bodies outside of the spaceship. However, before he acts on this, they witness a cargo craft being approached by pirates. The director decides to join the action, as the salvage rights on the cargo ship will be with a lot of credits. However, as they approach, the panels of the cargo ship move, revealing it to be a much larger pirate ship, and now the director finds that their ship is trapped. 

This story was far more enjoyable this week, mostly because we have put aside the idea of Blackhawk fighting a new monster each week and instead are concentrating on the wider story arc and Blackhawk's bid for freedom. 

The story had a couple of interesting twists and turns, and although none of them were jolting, they did give the story texture and opened up new possibilities. The moment when Blackhawk and Ursa reached the ship only to discover that neither one of them could fly was just such a moment. It made me smile, but more importantly, it made me wonder what might happen next. Even better was the final page, when the cargo ship transformed into a pirate ship, and the director found his vessel under attack. It was a well-disguised moment in the story, with no foreshadowing, making it a total surprise that will carry us over to next week. 

The story also carried some humour, especially early on as Ursa prayed to his God. This immediately made an impression, and instead of beginning with Blackhawk fighting an alien, we had an immediate light moment. There was still the obligatory chop-chop from Ursa, but in this new context, it was funny and started the story on the right note before things got heavier over the page. 

This week, I continue my love/hate relationship with Blackhawk, with the pendulum swinging back toward love on the back of this solid story. It's still not a particularly high rating, but it is positive, and the story is my favourite this week. Without a doubt, this is helped by the art of Belardinelli, who excelled once again this week. His depiction of Ursa and Blackhawk on the first pages was noteworthy, as was the image of the dead bodies hanging outside of the ship. My only reservation was seeing the size of Ursa when standing next to Blackhawk. He seems to have gotten a lot bigger this week, and I'm sure he wasn't this tall in earlier issues. It was glaring, and I found it distracting in an otherwise very good story. If I had more time, I would go back and check the earlier issues for a size comparison, but alas, I am time-poor, so I will leave it as is, a half-remembered thought that may or may not be true.  

Rating: 6.5/10

Best line: "We have only ourselves for help, you furry fool! Don't just stand there - fight the faceless spawn!" 

This week's A.B.C. Warriors begins with the introduction of a giant called Mad George. George is so big that he has five different brains to control his various functions, all serving a master brain. However, his master brain is too small, and despite his best efforts, he can't seem to get anything right. 

Meanwhile, the A.B.C. Warriors are called in to defend the rights of small landowners who are being attacked by Biol, one of the large synthetic food corporations of Mars, which is determined to stamp out any rivals producing fresh food. 

The Warriors decide that the best form of defence is offence, and on the final page of the strip, Hammer-Stein has the idea of using Mad George as part of their plan to attack Biol's base. 

It's only my first time seeing him, but already I have a soft spot for Mad George. Maybe it's his name, or maybe the warm nature with which the artist Mike McMahon has imbued him, but I can't help but feel sorry for him. I want to see more of him, and from the direction of the story thus far, I think I'm going to be amply rewarded. 

Apart from the introduction of Mad George, not a lot happened this week. Sure, we saw the operational methods of Biol, and the havoc they wreck upon the local citenzery, but we never saw the men behind the company, nor did we get any indication of the A.B.C. Warriors overall scheme for attacking Biols base. We know Mad George will be involved, but apart from that, we know nothing. Nor do we know what part Blackblood will play in the coming weeks. Last week, we saw him betray Hammer-Stein and Hammer-Stein's reaction. This week, that event wasn't even alluded to, although I'm sure it hasn't been swept under the carpet. 

I have a lot of questions, which is always a good thing and a guarantee that I will read on. I understand the importance of this issue in setting up what comes next, and already, I know I am going to enjoy it far more than the Dinosaur story we saw last month. With likable heroes and dastardly villains, we are poised for a great story, and all that remains now is for me to pick up the next copy and read it. 

Rating: 6/10

Best line: "Right! And we're gonna take the war to the corporation! We're gonna burn and destroy - just like Biol burn and destroy! We're gonna raze the corporation's base to the ground!"

There is trouble on the set of "Night of the Carnivore," but Wolfie Smith isn't there to see it. High up in the Abbey, Joe is grabbed by a hideous creature, and before he can do anything, he is transformed and possessed.

Meanwhile, Wolfie is with the local pot-holer, Moley, who wants to show him some of the sketches he made of the wall paintings they discovered on his last expedition. Wolfie recognises the creatures in the paintings as they are the same as his visions - Wendigore.

The Wendigore thrived on the blood of animal sacrifice and were lured into an underground chamber using young lambs as bait. The chamber was surmounted by three megaliths, which neutralised the Wendigore's power.

When Moley tells Wolfie that the three megaliths are still there, Wolfie deduces that the guardians are trying to scare everyone away so these megaliths aren't disturbed. With that, he races back to the set, worried that something bad is about to happen. Meanwhile, on the set, Tara is about to ascend the stairs to where, unknown to her, one of the guardians awaits. 

Every week, Wolfie Smith takes us to the edge of something exciting happening, only to pull back at the last minute and leave us waiting another week. Last week, we saw a Guardian appear in costume, surrounded by other actors, and yet nothing came of it. This week is a repeat, with the Guardian reaching for Joe from behind. It remains to be seen if something will follow on from this next week, and on current form, I would say it's more likely that Joe will move away from the Guardian with no consequences than something actually happening. 

The highlight of this week's strip is the image of Tara in a sexy outfit being given instructions by the director. It may not have added much to the story, but I found it far more appealing than the images of Wolfie talking to Moley. This conversation between Wolfie and Moley added a lot of information to the story, but apart from a notable image of the Wendigore, it was mostly close-ups of their respective faces as they talked about it. You may think I'm shallow, but comics are a visual medium, and it was the image of Tara that I carried in my head once I put the comic down. 

It probably doesn't help that I have never warmed to Moley, nor, indeed, Wolfie. Wolfie has had his moments, but Moley is a lost cause, and I can't find it in myself to care about him or his backstory. He is little more than a vehicle to carry information about the Wendigore for Wolfie. More time spent on his introduction would have helped me become interested in his character and perhaps made the information he is imparting all the more important. As it is, it is all a  little flimsy, and I find myself more interested in Tara's legs than the Wendigore. 

Rating: 6/10

Best line: "And the stones are still there, Wolfie! According to the old writings, they must never be removed or destroyed..!" 

In Disaster 1990, Bill Savage has returned to London where a gang of thugs calling themselves the Legion of London have made slaves of other survivors and are using them to loot and pillage.

The Legion has also wiped out the Oxford survivors, and Bill Sage has only one thing on his mind - revenge. The Legion are using Buckingham Palace as their HQ when one of the guards notices a tree floating by. The tree contains a surprise for the guards: Bill Savage armed with his shot gun. A couple of blasts later, Bill Savage has freed the slaves in the immediate vicinity, and they all immediately pledge to join him in overthrowing the Legion.   

That night, Bill Savage again approaches Buckingham Palace, this time in his amphibious vehicle and with back up. The two sentries are quickly overpowered, and Savage and his team enter the Palace. 

Within, they find the two leaders, Razor and Martin, and Savage tells them that without them at the head of the movement, the movement will quickly collapse. Meanwhile, Bamber has found Dr Sinclair from Oxford, and it seems that Savage has everything in hand. 

However, Dr. Sinclair reveals himself to be the third leader of the Legion, and, drawing a pistol, he shoots Bamber at close range. With that, the tables are turned on Savage, and the strip ends with Dr. Sinclair promising Savage a slow death. 

I love a good third-man reveal. This one isn't one of the greats, but it was good enough to get us to Bill Savage's perilous position at the end of the comic. There was no hint at this twist, and although it came out of the blue, it didn't have the impact one might expect.  Dr Sinclair hasn't fought side by side with Bill Savage, and there wasn't a great sense of betrayal when he showed his true colours.

Aside from the reveal of Dr Sinclair, the rest of the strip was action packed and, at times, felt more like a war comic than a 2000 A.D. story. There was gunplay on every page and fighting throughout the story. It helped push the story along at a good clip, with the plot nipping on the heels of the action. The story wasn't substantial, but the action did help paper over the cracks. 

There is a great story to be told here, yet this issue felt like it was stuck in second gear. Even with the fast-paced action, the shadow of the larger story loomed large, and part of me wished we could push past this shooting action and sink our teeth deep into the wider story of the occupation of London. 

Despite my obvious reservations, I found this to be a good read, with the story of Legion of London being compelling. Bill Savage is a hard man to kill. Next week, I expect to see him not only escape death but take the fight to the Legion of London.  

Rating: 6.5/10

Best line: "This tree bites, pal!" 

Prog 137 final ratings:

Overall: 7/10

Best Story: Blackhawk 

Best Line: "That's right - I'm a Judge! I'm going to find those murdering rats -  and I'm gonna judge 'em!"

Best Panel: 

Prog 136

I apologize for the blog posts being erratic over the last month. Life moves pretty quickly, and recently, I find myself dealing with all sorts of adult events that I usually do my best to avoid. More than death and taxes, it is the constant grind of life that wears you down. I never thought the grim world of Judge Dredd would be my escape, but here we are once again as I lose myself in his world rather than face events in our own world.  

Prog 136

27th October 1979 

Boing is the centre of this week's Judge Dredd story. Boing is a craze sweeping Mega-City One, where citizens can spray themselves with a can of Boing and find themselves safely encased in a practically indestructible bubble.

It's all good fun for the citizens as they turn themselves into human pinballs, but some take it too far, and Dredd is soon dealing with some boys who are using Boing illegally. 

These boys are using Boing outside and leaping off tall buildings for a thrill, the bubble offering complete protection. 

When a judge is killed saving the lives of two citizens who are about to be hit by a boing, Dredd leaps into action. 

One of the boys hits power cables and dies instantly; the second, Dredd fires an incendiary shot at, melting him to the ground. 

The third boy is bouncing toward the wall around the city, and Dredd commands the gates to be opened. This leaves the boy bouncing out of the city and into the Mutieland. He is recovered two days later, and for killing fifteen people while boinging, he is sent to a correction block. His rich father intervenes, telling Dredd he can pay for the damages with some extra thrown in for the Judge's fund. This earns the ire of Dredd, who sends him to the correction block as well.

The story's final panel shows us that a new law has been passed, and every can of Boing now carries a warning that the penalty for improper use is twenty years.

Lightweight by Dredd standards, yet it had all the hallmarks of a classic Dredd story, with superb artwork and a heavy sense of black humour. It was, in many ways, the quintessential Dredd storyline with offbeat crime and an uneasy future, and of course, Dredd's heavy hand of the law.

I didn't warm to Boing at all, although that is part of the world Dredd inhibits. There are often things I find uncomfortable for no apparent reason, and it makes the future seem all the more scary in what it might throw up. This makes Dredd appealing, as he is the one thing in the future that seems absolute. He is always sure of himself in the face of ridiculous situations. 

The only thing missing from the story was some sharp dialogue. Normally, Dredd has several memorable lines, but by the end of this story, we had not one. That left the artwork to carry the load, which it did, but it was the only missing piece in an otherwise excellent Dredd story. 

I have rated this highly, despite not being a great fan of this particular plot. I can see that it contains all the elements of Dredd, which I hold so dear, and although I couldn't get behind this story, it was a definitely case of "it's not you, it's me" 

Rating: 7.5/10

Best line: "Always knew I'd die...on duty...but not like this...not...an illegal boing!"

Not only is Blackhawk fighting a plant that fires death spores, but he is also fighting his own fear as the story begins this week. 

Young Laddo, the weapons boy, appears and complicates matters, but Ursa is at Blackhawk's side, and the two of them defeat the plant and save the boy. 

Laddo merely wanted  Blackhawk's autograph, and once Blackhawk obliges, Blackhawk's thoughts turn to the stupidity of the situation he finds himself in, killing to entertain. He tells Ursa that he is tired of it and longs for his freedom.  

On the next planet, Blackhawk fights a creature called a Maloid. The fight doesn't last long as Blackhawk hacks the creature to pieces. However, there is a twist to the tale as it revealed that the Maloid is self-regenerating. It's dismembered limbs swarm around Blackhawk, and Blackhawk struggles to defeat the creature. 

Help is at hand as Laddo drops into the arena and comes to his aid. The Maloid turns its attention to Laddo, allowing Blackhawk to regain his feet. However, before Blackhawk can strike, the Director activates the Tork-band, and Blackhawk is rendered helpless. He can do nothing as Laddo is killed by the Maloid, and the strip ends with Blackhawk being led from the arena, vowing to Ursa that from this day forth he will throw off his chains and that his destiny is of his own making. 

Another solid story from Blackhawk, although, again, it is a case of Blackhawk fighting the monster of the week. The positive aspect of this was the final panel where Blackhawk talks of freedom and no longer being a slave. This gives me great hope for the story's future, although, for now, it remains to be seen. At least we didn't end with him being introduced to the next monster he is scheduled to fight.

The introduction of Laddo into this story, and his eventual demise, added some emotion to a story that can sometimes be quite cold and callous. Blackhawk often speaks of being used as purely a killing machine and of the humanity being squeezed out of him, although we are rare to see it on the page. This week, we do see that humanity, and the panel where he cries out as Laddo is killed brought home the idea that this is the story of a human in an alien world. It felt like a big step forward, and coupled with the final panel, it again points to a bright future for this strip. 

A lot rides on next week's issue. If we continue on this path, and Blackhawk takes his destiny into his own hands, we could be entering a new era for Blackhawk. If not, we could be facing the prospect of him fighting a new monster every week, and the story rapidly reduced to a facsimile of all that has come before.  

Rating: 7/10

Best line: "By Sebek's demons! Sourcery!" 

The ferocious Tyrannosaur, Golgotha, is attacking Viking city just as the city is hit by a powercut. 

The people of the city offer up a young woman as a sacrifice, but it is not enough, and Golgotha continues his rampage. At this point, the A.B.C. Warriors intervene, and Hammer-Stein lines up a shot with an H.E. Armour pricing weapon. 

However, this fails as the weapon fails to fire, and Golgotha turns to attack Hammer-Stein. Without a weapon, Hammer-Stein is forced to fight with clubs and daggers.

It's an epic battle across the city, and the pair are equally matched. Eventually, Hammer-Stein stabs Golgotha in the mouth and up into his brain, but still, the dinosaur will not die. However, as Golgatha lunges at Hammer-Stein, he crashes through the skywalk and becomes impaled in the Matterhorn building. 

Even this isn't enough to kill him, and he tears off the top of the building. This final desperate act proves his undoing, and he falls from the top of the building to his death far below. 

The drama doesn't end there, and Hammer-Stein punches Blackblood, accusing him of sabotaging his gun. The fight is short, ending with Blacblood at the feet of Hammer-Stein as Hammer-Stein tells him that he would kill him if he had enough evidence to be sure. 

A mixed bag for the A.B.C. Warriors, and although I am happy to see Golgotha dead, I'm not entirely convinced he got the death he deserved. That may seem like a strange thing for me to say, given my history with Dinosaurs, but I felt that after a slow couple of weeks, we were finally getting a battle worthy of such a beast. The opening portion of the story laid out some great panels and equally worthy lines that made the battle feel like it meant something. The sight of Hammer-Stein with his weapon at the ready was matched by his line that could have been taken from any 1980s action movie. It spoke well to a younger me, and although  I normally shy away from such things, I found myself excited by the prospect of the fight between the two. 

The fight didn't live up to the hype, and although it initially left me disappointed, we were rewarded with the conflict between Hammer-Stein and Blackblood. This remains unresolved and should be an essential part of the story as we move forward. I liked the fact that Hammer-Stein doesn't have enough evidence to act, and there is still some intrigue to the conflict between them. There is still a lot more to come on this front, with plenty of questions still unanswered, and it is this aspect of the story that will keep me interested over the coming weeks. 

Rating: 6.5/10

Best line: "Not quite over, Deadlock! We got another serpent right here! How much did they pay you, Blackblood - to fix my guns?" 

Wolfie Smith is on set at the filming of "Night of the Carnivore" when the costume for one of the slaves of the carnivore is revealed. To Wolfie, it looks almost identical to the Guardians of the Stones, who tried to use him as a warning. 

Wolfie is worried and even more so as lightning flashes across the sky and the old nutter from the village appears to warn the film makers that they will die if they unleash the secret of the stones. 

This man is thrown off the set, but Wolfie speaks with him. He uses his powers to learn the man's name is Moley Fisher, and that is a whizz at pot-holing. Moley confirms that this is correct and tells Wolfie that he can't forget what happened during his last expedition beneath the stones.  Speaking of the Guardians, he urges Wolfie to come with him to learn more so he can convince the film people to leave.

Meanwhile, back at the film set, the next scene is about to be shot in the ruins of an old abbey. The scene calls for Tara and Mark to climb onto the roof to dance under the stars, where they will be confronted by Joe, the Slave of the Carnivore. Joe is alone at the top of the abbey, little realising that behind him, danger lurks, and he is about to become a reluctant star. 

Some key pieces of the storyline were pushed into place this week, and although bereft of drama, the story still had a lot of hooks to hold my interest. The introduction of Moley was key to providing further information to Wolfie Smith and also gave us some of the best art in the strip. The images of Moley's face were evocative, adding a sense of real fear to proceedings while providing a large dose of humanity into the story. Wolfie rarely seems fazed by what is happening around him, but in this case, we can see from Moley's expression that the guardians are something to be feared. Wolfie may speak of fear, but we never see it on his face, and I enjoyed this added element with Moley.   

It felt like the story saved the best for last. It may have begun with the scary image of one of the actors dressed up, but the fear wasn't realized until the final panels when everything was put into place for what comes next. In many ways, the final image of a single hand reaching from behind a stone was far scarier than the image of the actor dressed up that we saw earlier, and a timely reminder that less is more. 

The story still hasn't peaked, but this week saw it gain some weight with the input of Moley. We now have a far better sense of what is coming, and as we see in the last panel, it looks as though things are about to happen, for better or for worse. I have high expectations for what comes next, and, after a slow start, Wolfie Smith is now essential reading.  

Rating: 7/10

Best line: "I keep telling them I'm not mad! It...it's just that I can't forget what...happened to me - down there...under the stones...during that last expedition! They...they won't believe me, you know..!"

Disaster 1990 is living up to its title as Bill Savage and Professor Bamber arrive in Oxford to find the whole community has been totally destroyed. They find Doctor Sims, one of the city's leaders, barely alive, and when they pull him onto the boat, he explains what has happened. 

Hundreds of men, calling themselves the Greater London Legion, surrounded the city two days ago. The Oxford survivors prepared their chemical gas screen and warned them not to come any closer. The London men then waved a flag of truce, and the Oxford leaders sent a delegation to talk about common survival in the floods. 

However, this delegation never returned, and later, the Legion made a commando attack directly on the chemistry labs where the gas defence is produced. 

With the gas defence nullified, Oxford is sacked by the London Legion, and the survivors are taken to London to work as slaves. 

This story is interrupted by two of the Legion who have been left behind as a rearguard, and shooting from a bell tower, they hit Savage. However, Savage isn't dead, and emerging from the water, he shoots the two men with his shotgun.

Doctor Sims passes away, and Savage and Bamber quickly make for London. There, they find that a massive wall has been erected around Buckingham Palace and the London Legion are using slave labour to turn it into a fortress. 

Surveying the scene, they see Doctor Smith and Doctor Sinclair being held as special category prisoners. They also see Rat Razor and Nutter Martin, two men they have tangled with before, and the Legions leaders. 

You wait months for the story to leave London, and when it does, you find yourself back there a few weeks later. I longed for Bill Savage to leave London and find adventures elsewhere in the UK, so I am disappointed to see that he and Bamber are about to return there. We had two adventures in Oxord, one further north, and now a return to fight characters we have already seen him cross swords with. 

The story itself was fine enough, and after the devastating final panel of last week, I was ready for more of the same as Savage and Bamber entered Oxford. The initial panels delivered, and the story grew out of this impactful beginning. The appearance of the thugs returned the story to its roots, and seeing Savage shoot the men out of the bell tower was something we could have seen in any number of Disasater 1990 stories to this point.  It didn't make it any less enjoyable, but it did park some of the creative ideas we saw on the first page. 

Although not overly excited by our return to London, I am intrigued by the world that Rat Razor and Nutter Martin are building. The very name Greater London Legion is evocative, and if done right, the story that follows could be memorable. We have well-known landmarks, some strong characters, and a story that is drawn from history. The sight of concentration camps and slave labour had added a weightiness to the characters of Razor and Martin, marking them as far more dangerous than their cartoon appearance might suggest, all of which should add to the heft of the story in coming weeks. 

Rating: 7/10

Best line: "It began two days ago - at dawn. We woke to find the city surrounded."  

Prog 136 final ratings:

Overall: 7/10

Best Story: Judge Dredd 

Best Line: "Sorry to gate-crash the wedding...but I got a little present for the groom!"

Best Panel:  

Prog 135

My initial impression is that this was an enjoyable issue, although a couple of the stories did disappoint. Part of the problem is the history of 2000 A.D. and the strength of some of these earlier stories. Dredd and A.B.C. Warriors have delivered real highs over the last year, and suddenly, when I find myself facing a perfectly fine story, I can't help but think of it as a disappointment compared to what has come before. The problem is all mine, and I need to read each story as if I have no memory of what has come before. Oddly enough, I can walk into a room and forget why I'm there, yet I can't forget a single aspect of 2000 A.D. over the last three years.  

Prog 135

20th October 1979 

Edwin Parey is well-known to the judges and Judge Dredd. He has a desire to confess to crimes he hasn't committed, so much so that he has earned the nickname Edwin the Confessor. 

Edwin confesses to being the invisible man, an unknown criminal who has robbed millions of credits in the last few weeks. The judges don't believe Edwin is the invisible man, but they suspect he knows who he is and deploy a barrage of spy cameras that follow his every move over the next few days. 

They are rewarded when they see Edwin following a strange man in black. The man in black walks past the bank, and at that moment, the sirens go off, announcing a robbery. 

It seems the judges have been following the wrong man. However, Judge Dredd runs the camera back and notices something odd. In one frame, the main black is walking past the bank. In the next frame, he has vanished, and in the third frame, he reappears with his briefcase in the other hand. 

Dredd quickly pieces it together. He identifies the subject as Benji Noonan, a cleaner at Inter-time, a company that invented a time warp machine that slows time down. Obviously, Noonan has acquired one of these machines for himself, slowing time down so that a second lasts hours, giving him enough time to commit these crimes. He wasn't invisible, just moving incredibly fast compared to those around him. 

Twenty minutes later, Dredd smashes into Noonan's apartment. Noonan activates his machine, but it's too late, and Dredd has already shot him. While time around him slows, Noonan bleeds to death on the floor over several hours. By the time Dredd switches off the machine, it is well and truly too late. 

In the final panels, Dredd convicts Edwin the Confessor for giving false evidence. Edwin is happy that he's finally guilty of something and is delighted with his one-month sentence. 

This story was good and based on a sound idea, although it wasn't as strong as last week's. After last week, I expected something more substantial, and while I had a lot of fun, I didn't get the weighty Dredd outcome I wanted. Dredd got his man, but it wasn't drama-filled and felt light after the premise of last week.  

The best part of the story is when Dredd shoots Noonan. It was also the most poignant part of the story. The panels showing this action felt like the correct bookend for last week, although they were surrounded by humour that ran contrary to what was happening to Noonan. Noonan dying slowly on the floor, a victim of his own time device, was a jump from the fun earlier in the story, yet it was the most important panel of the entire story.   

This never blossomed into the mystery promised last week, although it provided us with a hotchpotch of typical Dredd moments. It was a story loaded with commentary on art, some futuristic time travel, and thrilling images of Dredd on his Lawmaster, before the sad moment of Noonan passing away. The story never climbed above this moment, and by the final page, we hadn't learned anything more about Dredd and his world than we already knew. It was fairly sedate for a Dredd story and, as such, didn't leave too much of an impression once I put the comic down. 

Rating: 6.5/10

Best line: "I'm bleeding to death - and not even Judge Dredd can get to me in time!"

Blackhawk has lost his nerve, and in an effort to restore his courage, he has volunteered to fight the Goool, a monster that melts all before it with its mere gaze.

Ursa polishes Blackhawks shield, telling him he can defeat the Goool with its own reflection, just like the ancient hero Perseus did against Medusa. He also clamps a hood firmly over Blackhawk's head so his gaze cannot meet that of Goool.

Using only his ears to guide him, Blackhawk strikes first at the creature. However, the cheers of the crowd make this tactic useless, and he instead relies on Ursa yelling instructions at him. 

Unfortunately, Ursa gets confused, and his instructions are muddled. However, Blackhawk still manages to make one telling blow and the monster is enraged. 

Goool turns his attention to the crowd, melting the onlookers. Blackhawk seizes the moment, and overcoming his fear, he pulls off his hood and attacks the monster from behind. 

Goool is defeated, and Blackhawk earns his coins, yet he swears to himself that he must escape this alien hell before he becomes infected with a love of senseless butchery. 

Although it didn't touch on greatness, this story was solid enough. It was greatly enhanced by the artwork of Belardinelli, and just like last week, his work on the monsters that Blackhawk was facing is superb. Goool looked just as weird as you may expect, and the strength of his weapon was made real by the efforts Belardinelli put into those caught by his gaze.

I enjoyed the classical references in the story, as this helped tie it back to Blackhawk's roots. It also played well for a story about a gladiator out of place and time.  Blackhawk is clearly fighting aliens, yet it neatly draws on mythical creatures we are familiar with, giving the story an authenticity that rang true. 

The highlight of the story is when Blackhawk takes on Goool while masked. This provided several striking images that helped focus the action on Blackhawk when the eye would otherwise be drawn to the fantastic-looking Goool. This gave the story good balance and helped keep us continually turning the page to see what came next. We still haven't peaked with this strip, but it is giving us plenty to look at, and the plot is doing just enough to suggest it could get a whole lot better at any moment.      

Rating: 7/10

Best line: "You are the real monster, alien! To encourage such violence - to take pleasure in it..." 

The A.B.C. Warriors have a lot on their hands with the hunting Tyrannosaurs of Mars on the rampage and heading towards Viking City. A car accident has inadvertently taken out the power in Viking City, and the city is defenceless with its citizens in fear of the approaching dinosaurs.    

The A.B.C. Warriors have three female dinosaurs to lure the Tyrannosaurs away from the city. The plan works, and after a fierce fight, the Warriors defeat the Tyrannosaurus. However, one didn't fall for the trap, and the Warriors realised that the fiercest of them all, Golgotha, was on his way towards Viking City and already beyond their reach. 

This is one of the weakest A.B.C. Warriors we have had. The dinosaurs still don't feel right for the strip, and although we did get a great fight between the dinosaurs and the Warriors, it lacked the depth we have come to associate with the A.B.C. Warriors. Last week, there was a human element that played well with what we have seen before; that was absent this week, and we were left with robots fighting dinosaurs. I like seeing robots fighting dinosaurs as much as the next guy, but that's not what I've signed up to see the A.B.C. Warriors do, and as such, it felt disappointing. 

On the positive side of things, the character Deadlock has really come into his own in the last three or four weeks. He now overshadows Hammer-Stein in the strip and is the most interesting character on the page. This week was a particularly good week for him, and he was a highlight for me with every panel he was in, becoming a moment to linger upon. 

That may change next week, as we know that Blackblood will be coming to the fore in the coming weeks. I look forward to seeing how this will affect the strip and what other changes may occur within the team as each uses their own special attributes. The strength of the Warriors is their uniqueness, something that shouldn't be forgotten as we bury ourselves deeper in the story.  

Rating: 6/10

Best line: "Ave, tyrannosaurum! Mortifera te salutat!"

Future Shocks is back with a time-travelling story. 

Jim Collins is a time traveller, travelling back in time to study the earth's past. His wife has prepared dinner, but Jim doesn't have time for that; his work is too important. 

Neither does he have time for his son, who wants nothing more than to spend time with his father. The boy's mother reassures him, telling him she wishes Jim could spend more time seeing them both. 

The boy follows Jim to his time travel machine, but Jim gets angry with him, breaking his toy frog and telling him he can't be bothered. 

Jim sets the controls of his machine to 1665 and prepares to travel to the past. The boy sees a solution to his problem, switching the levers so they can spend more time together. Jim yells it from the machine, but this only frightens the boy, who accidentally breaks the machine as he runs off. 

Jim is now trapped in the time lanes until someone can rescue him, and can only watch his family on the tiny screen for every waking minute of the rest of his life.

Yay - a story drawn by John Cooper. Boo - another time travelling story. While I was happy to see a Future Shocks story, I didn't rejoice at the sight of another time travel story. We have seen many of these over the last couple of years, and while some are innovative and fun, this one was downbeat without offering anything new or an emotional heart. 

John Cooper's art was a delight, but the material he was working with didn't deserve his efforts. The story was front-loaded, and all the best moments belonged to the young boy. The panels with the Dad obsessed with his work didn't grab me and left me intensely disliking the character, so much so that when misfortune befell him, I was happy to see him trapped, with not a single note of empathy to redeem the character when he got his just desserts.

I hope we can see another Future Shock again soon, one that gives us something fresh and exciting while being set in the future. A future shock, if you will.   

Rating: 5/10

Best line: "Bah! I can't be bothered with you and your stupid frog!" 

Disaster 1990 continues with Bill Savage and Professor Bamber sent on their way after trying to form an alliance with a survival group in the Pennines. 

Bamber wants to head back to Oxford, but Savage is intent on getting revenge for the way he was treated. 

Although the Pennine survivors have surrounded themselves with barbed wire, Savage knows some trails and soon finds a way in. He catches them unawares, and creating a stampede, he sends them all scurrying before him. Most of them end up in the water, and from the clifftop, he tells them they must them they must reconsider their isolationist ways. 

Savage and Bamber make their way back to Oxford, and as they approach, they notice a red glow in the sky. They arrive to find the city on fire. There has been a massacre, and dead bodies are scattered everywhere. Oxford has been totally wiped out. 

A steely-eyed Savage fighting a class war in the midst of a flood and a devastating final panel made this easily my favourite story this week. 

The scene is set from the bottom of the first page as we see Savage grimly driving back toward the fortress the Pennine survivors have built. From this moment forward, we knew he meant business, and the strip unfolded quickly from here. 

He did seem to gain access to the area rather easily, 'unknown paths' a deus ex machina that doesn't stand up to scrutiny. The payoff made it all worthwhile as Savage herded the survivors over the cliff. It was a neat reversal from last week and done in a fun way that downplayed the grim situation. I laughed and cheered, despite the seriousness of Savage and Bamber. 

The final panel brought the story back to earth and was a punch in the face for the reader. Thinking that returning to Oxford may see Savage and Bamber steady the relationship with those survivors, it was a surprise to see the havoc wrecked upon Oxford. The artwork of the final panel was perfect for what it wanted to convey. With death in every corner of the panel, it remained uncluttered, presenting the devastation in a way that lets you know that something extreme has happened here. A lot was conveyed in a single image, and it was the perfect ending to not just this story but to this week's comic. 

Rating: 8/10

Best line: "You needed waking up. You need to realise that you can't isolate yourself from the floods, and maybe a good dunking will do just that..." 

Prog 135 final ratings:

Overall: 6.5/10

Best Story: Disaster 1990 

Best Line: "I'll tell you why - Savage is back!"

Best Panel: