Prog 6

 

Yesterday's prog was pretty good and with another fantastic cover beckoning me, rather than wait until next week I'm going to read another one right now.  

Prog 6
2 April 1977

Invasion moves up a gear this week, with Savage setting a trap for the Volgans. With Wembley Stadium renamed Victory Stadium by the Volgans, Savage and his team disguise themselves as weak and helpless civilians. Soon enough they are rounded up and taken to Victory Stadium for a publically televised execution, only to reveal themselves and take down the traitors and a morale boosting victory for the resistance. The final panel has Bill Savage singing "You'll Never Walk Alone" to the still rolling cameras. A feel this is a step up from last week, there seems to be more intensity to the story, and the ending with Bill singing "You'll Never Walk Alone" was a nice touch, and fitted in well with the football stadium centre piece. A nice cohesive issue, I rate this one highly.    

Rating: 7/10

Best Line:  "You're the dummies, Volgs!"

Flesh gets off to a great start with Claw Carver taking on the Dinosaurs one on one. It is a dynamic and action-pleasing fight and sets up well for the next few pages. After fighting off the dinosaur, Carver and Reagan get Joe back from a successful surgery. They then go on to set a fire to drive off the dinosaurs, but not before we get a great page where we see another man fall victim to the dinosaurs. It is a gruesome end, but most delicious. I am committed to reading the next issue as the final panels see Carver making good on his promise to end Reagan, throwing him to the dinosaurs and leaving him to fight off Old One Eye. This story is finally delivering on it that it has promised, and this is the best issue so far. There was a lot to enjoy here, and it promises just as much next week     

 Rating: 7.5/10

Best Line: "But in a claw fight, ain't nothin' faster than ol' Claw carver " 

The opening page of  Harlem Heroes features a fantastic picture of the Trans-Atlantic tunnel, and the story only gets better from there as they travel to the Soviet Union -still going strong in 2050. Arriving at the Palace of Aeroball in Moscow, they take on the Siberian Wolves, a team made up of thirty men, all seemingly intent on hurting the Harlem Heroes in any way they can. I must say, I love the artwork in this issue, and there are many images that stick in my mind after I put the comic down. We are finally hitting our stride with some of these stories, and Harlem Heroes is one of my favorites after a shaky start, 

 Rating: 7/10

Best line: "Heck, the Russians all look the same to me, folks, so I'll have to go by numbers...I'll call them all Boris." 

I enjoyed last week's Dan Dare immensely, and this week I am pleased to say is more of the same. The story has a dramatic start as onboard the ship the spacemen are charcoaled by half a million volts while Dr. Ziggy is still held hostage in the command bubble. Meanwhile, Dan Dare and Monday are still captive in an Alien and arrive at the alien's base. At this point of the story there is plenty of exposition explaining the alien's position, and need for fuel, or as Dan Dare so succinctly sums up "Okay, you got an energy crisis" From here to the end of the issue things speed up again as Dan and Monday battle the alien, ending with Monday killing it. It is interesting to look back at these stories and put them in the context of the times. The previous Harlem Heroes taking on Soviet Russia, and here in Dan Dare we have an energy crisis storyline, both hot topics in the late 70's. Its one thing I end about treading these old comics, and it gives a flavor of the times. 

 Rating: 6.5/10

Best line: "We're in the stomach of the alien. But not for long...let's blast our way out, Monday!"  

A Nazi Gold storyline is a cliche, but I have been itching to read this ever since I saw the excellent cover on Prog 6. featuring M.A.C.H. 1 The story delivers a couple of surprises, John Probe rescues a tortured agent Karl, who reveals the plot whereabouts of Nazi gold. He then dies, leaving John to muse that he wasn't just an agent, but someone he considered a friend. This seems to come from nowhere, I had no inclination that John had any friends from earlier issues, let alone when he first encounters Karl on the first page.  From here on the story writes itself, wth John finding the gold, then destroying the villains and their ship. Again, it's simplistic, but the action carries the day. It does quite live up to the cover but it's good enough.

Rating: 5/10

Best line:  "You heard him...he's had enough!" 

Judge Dredd and Megacity one are more important than the actual story they are telling in this issue. The story itself is one of body snatching, and transplant surgery, a case that Dredd cracks rather easily following the hi-jacked ambulance and breaking up the ring, not just those committing the hi-jacking, but those paying for the transplants - for receiving stolen goods. The story lights up every time Dredd is on the page or Mega-city One feature, and there is plenty of both in this case. Every panel of Dredd feels iconic, and it's hard not to forget the story and just stare at the Dredd panels. This issue isn't a masterpiece, but the art of Dredd is.  

 Rating: 5.5/10

Best line:  "Why does the judge never smile, ma?" 

Prog 6 final ratings:

Overall: 7/10

Best Story: Flesh

Best Line: Claw Carver- "I said you'd die when all this was over..! You destroyed my town! You and one eye- you can both die in the flames!"

Best Panel: