Prog 15

 Time slipped away from me. I missed one week because I had too much on, and the next thing you know I am here three weeks later trying to catch up. These stories had me eager with anticipation, and now I'm trying to recall what happened in the last issue. However, a quick read of Prog 14 has got me back up to speed and I'm ready to take the plunge into Prog 15. Let's go!   d

Prog 15

4 June 1977

We are still at the Doomsdale Nuclear research centre in Invasion as the resistance prepares to destroy the station. The plan is simple enough, the Brigadier and two other men will approach the entrance dressed as Volgans and bluff their way in. A good enough plan, but sadly it doesn't come off as a suspicious Voldgans yells an order in English which the men respond to, giving themselves away. At this, Bill swings into action, vaulting over the Brigadier and into the station. It's all action here on in as he seizes a large truck of acid, and smashes it into the reactor plant wall, spilling its contents everywhere, before making his escape into the sea. Back at the resistance safe house, the rest of the team is about to give up hope on him, when he suddenly appears, concluding another action-packed episode of Invasion. Although not as good as the previous issues, the story still has plenty going for it, and as I have missed the last couple of weeks, I was pleased to have the story back in my hands, seemingly fresher after the break I had taken. The story still has a lot of potential, and although I don't feel like we advanced a lot this week, I have high hopes for the coming months.

Rating: 6/10

Best Line:  "they've blown it - even with the fancy dress! You lot stay put and cover us!"

Hell is unleashed in Flesh as the dinosaurs finally storm the base. Page after page the carnage unfolds as all manner of monsters wreak havoc. The opening splash page sets the scene, with two huge Dinosaurs leading the charge. From here on in the story is mostly Dinosaurs smashing and eating as much as they can, until Reagan and Claw Carver make an escape with the Controller. The final panels hook us in for next week as Reagan promises to end it with Old One Eye in a final reckoning. This week it is all about the art, and we have some amazing panels as the dinosaurs rampage. I could read this three times and still be finding new things to delight in. The story temporarily takes a back seat to all this excitement, but with a final reckoning on the horizon, things bode well for the next issue.  Not the best Flesh issue so far, but certainly the most eye-catching.    

 Rating: 7/10

Best Line: "I don't believe it - they're even driving cars now!" 

I was wondering how the sudden death playoff would play out in  Harlem Heroes and I'm not disappointed in how things eventuate in this issue. With one-on-one combat deciding the victor, Zack is drawn to take on Red Macardle to fly and fight until a sudden-death strike is scored or one of them begs for mercy. It lies up to expectations with Red Macardle playing dirty and tough as the game becomes a brawl. Just as it looks as Zack is about to beg for mercy, he surprises Macardle with a head butt and goes on to score the winning goal. An enjoyable romp, and it seems plenty more is in store for next week with the return of Gruber. While I'm not overly fussed about the on-field action, I do enjoy it this time around and find the conclusion of the story rewarding. The artwork is sharp, and combined with the excitement of the game I rate this issue perhaps higher than I should    

 Rating: 7/10

Best line: "Famous last words, Jock!" 

Every week I praise the art in Dan Dare, but this week it is the dialogue that grabs all the headlines and the inventive storyline behind it. As Dan crash lands on a strange planet, we enter a new phase of the story. All the crew members are killed, except Dan, Rok, and Captain O'Grady. Dan and the Captain are trapped in the wreckage, but Rok uses a blade of charged atomic particles to cut them out. It is here that we have some great banter between Dan and Rok, and this repartee will continue throughout the issue. At the centre of the planet, The Mekon detects the crash landing and sends a search party to the surface to kill all survivors.  The three survivors fight off the search party, however, one escapes and brings back reinforcements that lead to the capture of all three. Brough t before The Mekon, Dan worries that he may recognize him, but feels reassured by the fact that several centuries have passed. However, it is a false up as O'Grady tells the Mekon Dan's name, and all are led away for further interrogation. All in all, it's excellent stuff, and I devour every word on the page. As I said earlier, it's always the art that grabs me, but here every word carries humour or weight to it, and I make sure I don't miss a single line. Hopefully, it continues like this for the next few weeks. 

 Rating: 8/10

Best line: "We are the only three left alive D.D.! If I didn't have to keep this helmet on, I could award the dead crewmen the great honour of eating their bodies!"  

This is the strangest M.A.C.H. 1 so far, and I would say the best. John Probe is sent to the mountain Kingdom Of Bepal (no great stretch of the imagination required to work out where that might be) to speak to a survivor of an invisible attack. The survivor tells of being threatened with an invisible death when he refused to smuggle opium on behalf of the Bepal ruler, Kivu Lama. John meets the Kivu Lama, and after a bit of sleuthing discovers how the opium smuggling operates. After evading capture by the Kivu Lama, John finds himself confronted by two Yetis- the very creatures that deliver invisible death. John manages to kill one of them, but the other escapes and takes revenge on the Kivu Lama. I enjoyed this story from start to finish; it avoided many of the cliches of previous stories, and it was good to see John Probe take on something more mysterious. A couple of good action scenes in the middle of the story kept things moving, and I found it to be the best M.A.C.H. 1 story I have read up until now.  If they were all like this, I would be very happy indeed.     

 Rating: 8/10

Best line:  "Invisible Death? Poppycock! It just goes to show how primitive these people are!" 

Judge Dredd and the robot war continues, and just like last week things have ratcheted up further. Dredd may have escaped his shackles, but things are still looking dire. With the help of Walter, they assemble a ragtag band of robots. With limited options, they grab control of the factory and reprogram the computer to produce a line of Robots that serve humans. After a confrontation between the two opposing forces of Robots, a fight breaks out as Dredd swings into action. The battle is won as the rebel robots are smashed to bits, but the war is far from over as Call-Me-Kenneth appears on the video screen, his squad of heavy metal kids on the steps of the Grand Hall of Justice where they are about to liquidate every Judge. A grim ending indeed, and the final words "more next week" have me drooling. What a way to finish the issue, and although it didn't reach the same heights as last week, the story remains the flag bearer of 2000AD. With the cast of characters expanding, and the robots finding new ways to threaten and destroy, I can see this evolving for some time yet, and I intend on reading every issue of it.   

 Rating: 8/10

Best line:  "Freeze, you walking soup cans!" 

Prog 15 final ratings:

Overall: 7.5/10

Best Story: Dan Dare 

Best Line: "You and the other wobots...heck! You've got me at it now!"

Best Panel: