Prog 2

 Day two of my Prog Slog. 

I would like to say that I couldn't sleep last night in anticipation, but to be honest, I slept like a baby. But I did wake up this morning with Prog 2 on my mind and the memories of the stories of Prog 1 lingering, before the realization that today's the day I first meet Judge Dredd!

Breakfast be damned, I'm reading Prog 2  now. 

Prog 2. 
5 March 1977

I'm skipping the Biotronic Man stickers as seen on the cover and jumping straight to the stories - you don't need cheap tat to lure me in, I'm here for the long haul. 

Yesterday, part one of the Invasion story had me hooked, and prog 2 sees plenty more of what I enjoyed most. The midlands an atomic wasteland, Politicians strung high in Parliament square, and my main man, Savage, bringing the battle to the Volgans in a South London pub, quite possibly a South London pub where I myself have had a few battles. Of course, where I only have my bare hands, Savage has his already dependable shotgun, a weapon I hope we'll be seeing a lot more of. Like all good action stories, he dispenses with the enemy while delivering one-liners, my favorite being "laugh the off twinkle toes." The final panels have him observed by a mysterious stranger, enough to entice the reader to pick up the next issue, but I'm already enticed, this story is a firm favorite already and I can't wait to read more. A simple South London man fighting a war with only his shotgun? Yes, please. 

Rating: 6/10

Best Line:  "laugh this off, Twinkletoes!"

I expected Flesh to be all about the Dinosaurs, so I was surprised at the start of today's edition to see some robot machines (fleshdozers) in action. The blend of high-tech and Dinosaurs works for me though, as the body count continues to mount with two deaths in the first pages as the humans are caught in the technology used to process the Dinosaurs. Death can come from anywhere. We see more of this high-tech in action as the food is teleported 65-million years into the future. A heady mix of sci-fi and large beasts, what's not to love? The final pages see a fight between a Pteranodon and a human, and even though I'm no expert I'd have to say the odds don't favor the human. This story is beginning to develop, it will be interesting to see if it can hold my attention, all I've seen so far are Dinosaurs and humans fighting. As much as I love dinosaurs, I can't see myself sticking with it if it just stays in this lane.  Hopefully there'll be a little more flesh on the bone as we go along. 

Rating: 5/10

Best Line:  "Man's always killed animals for meat, and there's a whole lotta meat on a ten-ton Styracosaur" 

It's a well-worn trope, but Mach 1 opens with an action panel before flashing back to explain how we got there. When we last saw John Probe, he was watching helplessly as the Vulcan aircraft took off with a deadly load of nerve gas bound for central London. It did seem helpless, but as luck would have it, our hero John Probe catches a ride on a Nimrod aircraft which manages to overall the Vulcan. The brain is a funny thing, I was able to suspend belief for Flesh as mankind travels back in time to take Dinosaurs for food, yet I scoff at John Probe leaping from one aircraft to another. Such is my mind. However, I am at peace for the rest of the story as John Probe, even as nerve gas leaks into the cockpit, takes control of the situation. Oh, and did I mention that he fits of terrorists at the same time? This story still hasn't grabbed me like I thought it might, I guess super soldiers just aren't my cup of tea. Rather pleasingly, the final panel provides some hope for the future. 

Rating: 5/10

Best Line:  "Get out of my brain, you fugitives from a nightmare! Gotta land this plane in one piece or London dies!"

The opening pages of Dan Dare are more of the same from last week, with Dan Dare fighting hand to hand as a stowaway on a spacecraft heading back to Jupiter. I'm not fussed at first, this hand-to-hand combat in spacesuits isn't anything I haven't already seen countless times. The story improves with the appearance of a fifth-generation martian, Mr. Monday. I perk up at this, the story is once again becoming more interesting, and the final panels with the being from Jupiter is enough to hook me in for the next episode. Job done, well done Dan Dare writer. 

Rating: 5.5/10

Best Line:  "What is that thing from the hell planet?"

I'm skipping Thargs message this week, there's not much happening there, but the following Harlem Heroes picks up with some aeroball action that has me pulling out the threads from last week's story. Three survivors? I could have sworn that last week they said four survivors, but I'm not going back to check, let's just roll with it. The introduction of a grizzly old veteran adds a new member to the team, but I'm still trying to get the names straight in my head. I love a good veteran joining a team story, and it's cool to see it play out in a future context. One thing I am enjoying greatly with this story is the world it's set in. As they drive out to Harlem, their Chevrolet looks super cool and fits with my image of how driving into Harlem might look in future times. A highly familiar scene of kids playing ball while being scouted is played out, with the added excitement of dodgy jetpacks. Gritty, and realistic, I could see a future just like this. Can't wait to see how their first game against Baltimore, with two rookies and a forty-year-old veteran, goes. Good luck!

Rating: 6/10

Best Line:  "If you hadn't been here, Giant, the kid would have been splattered into raw hamburger" 

 

Finally.

Judge Dredd. 

I've been waiting for this for a long, long time.

He is immediately familiar to me, I recognize Carlos Ezquerra's artwork straight away from my days reading Battle comic. The first story seems basic, everyone is getting a feeling for the character. The cityscape, the Judges on their bikes, there's a lot that grabs the eye right away. I don't know where to start, I slow myself down and take it in panel by panel. A revenge story, a Judge is killed, Judge Dredd extracts justice. I like it, without yet loving it. I can see the potential. There's a humor to it too, not immediately obvious, but it's there. But more than that, it's the look of the story as a whole. Carlos has a particular style, a particular style that appeals to me. Judge Dredd has so much written about it, you don't see it all here in the first story, but I know it's all still to come. I can't wait. I'll be back next week with my 8p for the next issue, you can count on that. 

Rating: 5/10

Best Line:  "Shut up, we'll deal with him. Judges can bleed too!"