Prog 18

 Things are hotting up in the Prog, but it is freezing outside here. Far too cold to even contemplate going outside, so I am just going to cozy up on the couch with a pile of comics and a nice strong brew of tea. Hardly the most exciting lifestyle, but I know what I love, and right now I'm loving the Prog. I've had an entrée of some other comics of the time, but now I'm onto my second brew and ready for six shots of thrilling stories. 

Prog 18

25 June 1977

I am immediately warmed by the Invasion story this week. The very first panel is full of motion and fluidity as Bill Savage brings the heat to the invading Volgans. Once again we are in the world of Bill Savage, a world of cutting dialogue and thrilling action. The action, in this case, is Bill seizing control of a lorry of food belonging to the Volgan army and using it to feed the locals. The first two lines of Bill are entirely fitting of both his character and the Invasion story, as he first calls his men into action, before distributing the food to those that need it.  Every story needs a good villain, and this week Bill is up against Sload, an ex-detective formerly of the flying squad now working for the Volgans. I enjoy this angle, and it fits with the anti-establishment feeling I get from 2000AD. Intentional or not, every issue seems to push back on the establishment, and it is something that attracts me to the comic. Bill Savage doesn't take kindly to authority figures, on his side or not, and having a former policeman as an antagonist works well in the world of Invasion. This bend copper puts his villainous credentials on the table from the start as leans on one of his pre-war informers to find the resistance headquarters. In a nice touch, we see the man limping and with a sign that he was injured in the invasion. Little details like this add to the feeling and realness of the world, and the story becomes more authentic through such panels. Bill has a sidekick in this issue, as he meets a mechanic named Rogan who tells him what he has seen of Sload. Once again I am struck by the thought that this is very much a working-class resistance and by extension a working-class lead story, two things which I applaud.  The story reaches its climax soon after this as the Volgans arrive at the Isle of Dogs leaving Bill and Rogan to lead the escape. This is where all the action is as Rogan tunes up the vehicles and Savage smashes his way out of the trap in a big rig. It's impressive on the page, and perhaps the highlight of the story. The final page is a slight come down, as they switch to cars, and Rogan sacrifices himself to take out Sload. It sounds dramatic, but there doesn't seem to be any need for it, it doesn't add to the story, and we don't know Rogan well enough for this sacrifice to pay off emotionally. I am intrigued by the final panel. Previously I had written of how London-centric the story was, and indeed that London was almost like another character, but in the final panel this week Bill Savage ends with the line "We've made London too hot for ourselves - reckon it's time we warmed up the rest of the country." This opens up a lot of possibilities and although I don't know where they will go from here, I do know that I'll be going with them.     

Rating: 8.5/10

Best Line:  "Steam in and hit 'em lads! This grub's gonna fill British bellies!"

The penultimate episode of Flesh this week, and it is every bit as good as you might expect. The body horror of the previous issue is carried over as we see the Tyrannosaur with its three human heads throughout the first page. In a clever panel, one of the guards gives us a recap and explanation, neatly bringing us up to date and laying the groundwork for what comes. With the genetic codes between the dinosaur and the three men it was eating mixed up, we get this obscene genetic mutation. Being 1977, this is probably too early to be viewed as a statement about genetic modification, but it did give me pause to consider it. My horror at the thought of what has happened to the men is matched by the look on their faces, and I am almost relieved when I read that they can only live a few minutes. Luckily, they are put out of their misery as the guards open fire on their dinosaur body, sparing them of what no doubt would have been an agonising death. The captions across these panels, and the dialogue of those watching on, add to the horror of the situation and offers some poignancy for the men and their predicament. They aren't the only ones to meet such a sad fate, as we learn the Claw Carver is lost in time, with his gold, and facing a living death as he's stuck in the time void, unable to spend his ill-gotten gains. It's a grim story all around, as Reagan himself is about to face the curiously named judgement machine for his part in the debacle, and the inevitable long prison sentence that will follow. This story has always been about the dinosaurs as much as the humans, perhaps more so in some aspects, so I am pleased to see the final panel features Old-One Eye going off to face her destiny in what promises to be a thrilling final installment. This wasn't the most action-filled episode, but there was plenty happening as we saw each character's arc coming to an end, with plenty to mull over in the words as much as the images. The final promise of next week's issue makes this again one of the best.   

 Rating: 8.5/10

Best Line: "You were one of the leaders, Reagan- so you must take a share of the blame, you'll face the judgement machine" 

My faith in Harlem Heroes is restored this week with a cracking issue. The artwork on the first page grabs my attention, but it's the story within that keeps me feverishly reading as the Heroes battle it out with the Gargoyle team and their nemesis Gruber. The first panels promise much, as Gruber's internal monologue lets us know what he has in store for Giant and the team, and the game itself takes a hand on the next page as he is thwarted by the ball itself. Even better, in his attempt to hurt Giant, he manages to take out one of his own players, sending him crashing to the ground. Usually, I'm not overly fussed by the game itself, but it is well woven into the story here and one just can't ignore what's going on as it becomes an integral part of Gruber's plan and the Heroes' responses. Giant is saved by the ball knocking him out of the way for Grubers first attack, but on the next page, the ball becomes a weapon as Gruber strikes Chico in the face with it, sending him crashing into the score tank. At this point of the story, it is made clear how serious this threat is, and how serious the game is, as Chico is pronounced dead on the scene. On the final page, we see the game again becoming the main driver of the action, as Gruber plants a mine of the ball before sending it to Giant in the page-turning final panel. This sets things up for next week, and for the first time in a while, I can't wait to see what comes next. The artwork in Harlem Heroes is always good, but this week it is matched with some great storytelling, and with three stories down this is already looking like a superb issue of 2000AD         

 Rating: 7.5/10

Best line: "And now you know why aeroball is the toughest game in the world! One of the Gargoyles is headed for the junk-yard and a Hero is destined for the morgue! Yet they're still playing on! " 

The drama of Dan Dare and Rok falling into a pit at the end of last week's issue is swiftly undone as they reach the bottom of the pit where they are saved by a forcefield. It seems too easy, but I'm happy to see where the story goes from here as Dan and Rok are confronted by the Two of Verath who follow them down. The force field element is brought into play as Dan uses it in his fight against them, and this pacified me as I am glad to see that it isn't just a convenient way to finish last week's cliffhanger and is an integral part of the world. the rest of the story moves quickly, especially compared to the first page, and by the end we have seen a confrontation with the Mekin, a desperate run to the ship, and consequently an escape from the hollow world, leaving us alone with the Mekon and the Two of Verath for the promise of a full reveal of the Mekons plans in the next issue. This week feels like a stepping stone issue,m, and after enjoying the last few weeks immensely, this week I am more circumspect in my praise. The artwork remains top-notch, but the story is hit and miss this week, making for a patchy entry into the canon. It's enjoyable, but not the full-blooded episode I have come to expect, making this a lean meal in the issue. 

 Rating: 6.5/10

Best line: "Shoot it down! I don't care how many of you die trying - I will have Dare killed!"  

I am beginning to feel that I have seen all these M.A.C.H. 1 stories before. This week we have a South American president in peril in a high rise, a gang of terrorists led by an evil German, and Simon Probe conveniently nearby when it all happens. If there was a M.A.C.H. 1 bingo card, then I think I've won this week's prize. I guess there is only so much you can do with a story like M.A.C.H. 1 but to the creator's credit, it is well done and I still enjoy it despite the feeling that there's nothing new here. the story itself plays out how you might expect, with John Probe first taking out the death squad coming from above, before switching his attention to those coming from the ground floor. There are several instances of his unique abilities coming into play, the terrorists using a flame thrower on him as he gains access to the building, John using a steam pipe to take out some of the terrorists, and an exhilarating slide down elevator cables that burns his hands. It's all a lot of fun, and I can't take it too seriously. I just go along for the ride, and in this case, it delivers exactly what I expect.  

 Rating: 7/10

Best line:  "President Arranga is an alley of Britain. Gotta save him! " 

Now that Call-Me-Kenneth and the robot wars have finished, we face a clean slate with this week's  Judge Dredd. It is an interesting turn and we are back to a humorous one-shot type story as we saw in the earlier Progs. I am pleased to see the familiar faces of Dredds landlady, Maria, and Walter the robot are still in his company as the story begins at his apartment. The story centres around Brainblooms, they grow like flowers but can imitate any known sound. Ilegal in Mega-City 1, Judge Dredd is on a quest to find who is supplying them, a quest that leads him to bio-criminal Ma Mahaffy, one hundred years old and still committing crimes. The most interesting part of the story follows, as Dredd is hypnotized by the singing blooms, declaring Ma Mahaffy innocent, and then almost taking his own life in a vehicle accident. All interesting choices and I am surprised to see his suicide attempt in a comic of the time, I appreciate it's there and it certainly adds an edge to the comic. This accident snaps Dredd out of this hypnotism, and he returns with a team of fellow Judges to defeat Ma Mahaffy with riot foam. It feels like a lot happens in these four pages, and I must admit that the first time I read it I felt it was slight, but after reading it a couple more times I can see there's a lot more to it than I initially thought. Any story that gets better with each reading is a bonus for me, and I do rate this higher now than I did an hour ago when I first read it. 

Rating: 6.5/10

Best line:  "If you had any real brains, Ma, you'd know by now that crime doesn't pay. But I guess you'll never learn- if you live to be two hundred!" 

Prog 18 final ratings:

Overall: 7.5/10

Best Story: Flesh

Best Line: "Meals on wheels time, Granny! If anyone asks where it came from - say it fell off the back of a lorry!"

Best Panel: