Prog 24

2000AD is slowly evolving, and this week is another stepping stone to the future. With Dan Dare wrapped up, we have a placeholder strip, Tharg and the Intruder, to tide us over until the arrival of Future Shocks next week. Some of the other stories are starting to look a little tired, and I wonder how much longer we'll be reading them before they too are replaced. I shouldn't wish the future upon myself so quick, especially at my age, but I do look forward to future developments and how this comic will look in another year's time. 

Prog 24

6 August 1977

Invasion returns to 1999 after last week's odd time stamp of 1994. Once again we are in 1999 and Bill Savage is facing down the Volgan invasion forces. Through his binoculars, he observes the Volgan man-seeking missiles in action, and in a familiar scene, the local resistance men of the Scottish border want to take immediate action. We have seen this type of story several times already, and despite knowing how this will pan out it is still an enjoyable read as Bill uses the local landscape to deal with the Volgans while delivering some of his best lines. After the local resistance men fail in their attack against the Volgans, Bill looks to the past to deal with the situation. Using parts of Hadrian's wall (look away now archaeologists) he uses them in a Roman-style catapult to stage his own missile attack on the Volgans. Despite all the fine action and dynamic art, Bill's final line in the strip is the highlight. The whole story fits his clever pun and final image, making for an extremely satisfying end to the strip. 

Rating: 7/10

Best Line:  "Yeah, the writings on the wall for the rest of them dirty Volgs. We're out to beat 'em on both sides of the border!"

We have a large eye-catching panel opening Harlem Heroes as Louis infiltrates the mind of Ulysses Cord. I was hoping this would be the main thrust of the story, and a step towards a final resolution, but Louis retreats from his infiltration, saying that it confirms his suspicions, yet offering up no more information. Feeling cheated, I read on as we see the second half of the game against the Bushido Blades. Unable to match them in brutality, the Heroes outsmart them with a series of maneuvres that leaves the Bushido Blades severely depleted and unable to counter their attacks. The strip ends with the Harlem Heroes next opponent, and the winner of the other semi-final, about to be announced. Although I was disappointed with the first part of the story, I enjoyed the second half well enough, and overall came away feeling pretty good about what I read. The future bodes well as next week we see who their opponent is for the final, and no doubt more will be revealed about Ulysses Cord. It feels as if we are nearing the end of this story, and I'm intrigued to see how it all shakes out. 

Rating: 6.5/10

Best line: "B-by Shinto!"

I thought the opening panel of Harlem Heroes was eye-catching, but M.A.C.H. 1. is even better with its unforgettable image of a man being forced to swallow molten gold. It's a fantastic start; the caption is bright and lively and echoes my thoughts about what I'm seeing. The rest of the story is formulaic but does contain the usual great action we have come to expect from M.A.C.H. 1. as well as the clever ending. John Probe infiltrates the smuggler's gang, gets taken prisoner, confronts the villain, fights the henchmen, and gives his opponent his just desserts in an appropriate manner, in this case throwing him into the molten gold. This episode doesn't feel as heavy as previous stories, despite the graphic violence, and at times is quite a romp. I prefer this story to some of the earlier cold war type stories, and overall I found it to be just the tonic after a heavy week at work.     

Rating: 7/10

Best line:  "Better look for a new job, Jacko, Karat isn't working in this line anymore-he's taken the golden handshake!"   

Tharg And The Intruder is a placeholder this week until the arrival of a new strip next week. It works as an introduction to the arrival of Future Shocks next week, as Tharg gives a youngster a tour of King's Reach tower, before showing him the type of content that awaits us next week - "Stories and images so strong that you will only be able to bear one minute's exposure to them" It looks promising and although this story is a throwaway it hypes me up for what we will be seeing in the next issue

Rating: 4/10

Best line: "Next Prog I will expose all you Earthlets out there to my strange stories "Future Shocks" - I have gathered in my galactic wanderings! Splundig vur thrigg!"

There is a peaceful start to Shako but it doesn't last long and soon enough the story is dominated by Shako battling two men. On a delightful first page, we see Shako in a family way with a female and a couple of cubs. However, by midstory both the cubs and female are dead and Shako is on the war path for revenge, Over the next three pages with see Shako claw, beat and maim the two men responsible, culminating in one having his head bit off and the other buried alive in the ice. It's grim, but I cheer on Shako with every turn of the page, and there is nothing better than seeing his fury unleashed on the hapless humans. Brutal and bloody, but strangely compelling and once again one of the best stories in this week's issue. 

Rating: 9/10

Best Line: "He's burying me alive!" 

Another top-notch Judge Dredd story this week, with dynamic and fluid art throughout, matched with a clever storyline. The story revolves around the wreath killers, a series of murders that the judges have so far been unable to solve. However, some sleuthing by Judge Dredd soon has us careening towards a final showdown with a couple of ambulance drivers as they carry out their next murder. As good as the story is, I can not get past the art and how brilliant it is on every page. Panel after panel catches my eye, and I could pick any one of them as a favourite. There is Dredd on his Lawmaster, Dredd crouching in dramatic poses, Dredd fighting the villains, all of it eye-catching and worth lingering upon. If Shako hadn't been so brilliant this week, this final Judge Dredd strip would have dominated the panel of the week with any number of the images within. 

Rating: 8/10

Best line:  "He's gotta find that killer soon- or he won't deserve the name of Judge!" 

Prog 24 final ratings:

Overall: 7.5/10

Best Story: Shako

Best Line: "Time for sleepies, big boy!"

Best Panel:

Prog 23

I started this blog with no knowledge of 2000AD, and 23 issues in I still know nothing. I had intended to learn about the writers and artists as I progress, but so far I have been completely engaged with the stories that I haven't had a single thought of looking further for information. Maybe that will come in future, but for now, I am up to my eyeballs in the stories and enjoying every moment of it.

Prog 23

30 July 1977

The first panel of Invasion grabs my attention immediately, but it's not the striking image of Bill Savage that I'm drawn to, but rather the caption above him. "1994- year of the massive Volgan invasion of Britain." 1994? That doesn't sound right. A quick check of previous blogs and I'm vindicated - the invasion was 1999, I hadn't imagined it. Hamish 1, 2000AD nil. Smugly I continue my read. At first glance, this is another standard working-class man verse the Volgans story, with Bill Savage linking up with coal miners in Newcastle to take on the Volgans. What elevates it this week is the dynamic artwork, as panel after panel we see Bill Savage at his bone-crunching best. While he bashes and smashes his way through the story, the story itself delivers a twist that sets up a final setpiece involving coal buckets, nicely rounding out the theme of the story. Not the most taxing of reads, but there is a lot that happens across the pages, and the surprise near the end is a great way to bring us to the final page of action. As much as I like the story, the artwork just pips it in my estimation, and I could choose any number of panels to represent this story.  

Rating: 7/10

Best Line:  "You ain't Geordie, you're a dirty Volg agent..aaah!"

I wasn't too fussed by Harlem Heroes last week. This week is much better, and once again I am engaged with the story. The beauty of these comics is that they move quickly from week to week, so anything that doesn't appeal may well be gone the following week, and conversely, anything I love is likely to disappear in a few weeks. I guess the moral is to live for the moment and enjoy where you are in the story. This time out we have the continuation of the game against the Bushido Blades, a team that plays with sacrifice and honour. The contest is brutal, but then again every game of aeroball we've seen on these pages is, but it does give the art a chance to flex its muscle with some impressive-looking collisions. It is the final page that I am most interested in, as any thoughts I have of the game vanishes at halftime with the appearance of Ulysses Cord, and from the Hero's side Louis. Louis has developed the power to enter people's minds, which seems like a big revelation to me, and he seeps into Ulysses's brain. It happens very quickly and comes out of nowhere, spinning the story back to its wider context. I'm not sure where it will go from here, it will be difficult to think of the game now that I've seen this at halftime, but I am more than pleased to see some wider development of the story. 

Rating: 6/10

Best line: "Surely you're not going to take advice from that...that hunk of tissue?"

I was hoping to see Shako get some sort of revenge on Falmuth, and after a tough start, I am rewarded in spades. We last left Shako Iaid out on the ice with Falmuth about to deliver the killing blow. Now it wouldn't be much of a comic if that happened, so Shako is saved by Dollar, and then dragged across the ice to the waiting medical staff in perhaps the most evocative panel in this week's issue. I am overjoyed as he awakens and immediately battles the humans, I don't know, perhaps I am feeling particularly bloodthirsty this week, but this scene is fantastic. Even better is when he tears off Falmuths gun arm, leaving him swearing revenge in the final panels, setting up a continuing vendetta. Everything in this issue was great, and the panels where Shako goes crazy for revenge are noteworthy, making for a highly rated episode in my estimation. 

Rating: 8.5/10

Best Line: "Yeah! ol' Jake K's gonna perform an operation now...without an anaesthetic!" 

Dan Dare has given me a lot of joy over the last six months, so I am shocked and surprised to find that this is the last story for a while as the final panel informs us that the story will be taking a break. However, before I reach that point there is a lot to get through as the final issue is packed with action and story. There's the confrontation with the Mekon, an escape by Mekon, pursued by Dan Dare, and then a final escape from the planet as it explodes. Sometimes it feels rushed, but one can see why when we consider how much is packed into these pages. I am a touch disappointed with the frenzied ending but heartened by the fact that Dan Dare will be returning. These first 23 issues have constantly been among my favourites weekly, but I am sure that whatever follows will be just as good. Time will tell, and in the meantime, I will count down the days until Prog 24. 

Rating: 7/10

Best line: "It may take a hundred years, but one day we'll make planet-fall, and then I shall have your heads on plates! Meanwhile, we are trapped -hating each other -but unable to kill each other - quite ironic!"

  

M.A.C.H. 1. is thrills and action from the first panel to the last, with no single panel wasted. We are dropped right into the action with John Probe as he pilots his aircraft over enemy airspace to recover a downed pilot. From here on the story comes in a rush as he evades opposing forces, finds the pilot, fights off white wolves, and on a memorable final page combines all this as he throws a snowball of white wolves at his pursuers. I don't usually have strong feelings about M.A.C.H.1, but I can safely say that this is one of the good ones, and I am totally onboard from the first page to the last. Breathless action suits this strip well, and with no pause in the thrills and spills it delivers what it does best.    

Rating: 7/10

Best line:  "Aaah! An avalanche...of white wolves!"   

Judge Dredd is once again right when it comes to predicting the future. Not only did the writers predict that in the future smokers would be pushed out of public spaces, but also that smoking would come with grave warnings on the harm it can do to your health, as we have in current times. The story is woven around where smokers stand with the law in Mega-city 1, smoking is legal, but not in public. While Dredd issues a stern anti-smoking warning to some teens on the street, across town a bank robbery is taking place, with smoking providing the clues that will eventually see Dredd find the lawbreakers. Mega-city 1 is a central character here, not only do we learn more about the laws of the city, but we also get a close-up view of the cigarette stores in the future, as well as the one place where smokers can legally smoke- the Smokatorium. Seeing Dredd dish out justice is always a lot of fun, and there are some fantastic panels here as he deals with the crooks. Coupled with some great lines, Judge Dredd again delivers a great ending to another solid Prog.           

Rating: 7.5/10

Best line:  "Can't you read, boy? Get that weed out of your mouth!" 

Prog 23 final ratings:

Overall: 7/10

Best Story: Shako

Best Line: "Only dead men walk out of doors, lawbreaker -- smart ones use the window!"

Best Panel:

Prog 22

It's been a tough week and even the thought of looking at a computer screen gives me a headache. But the thought of the latest Prog brightens my mood considerably, and as I eye the cover of Prog 22 all my worries and woes recede leaving only the thought of what lays within. Thrills, action, joy, pathos and drama, all await me and for the next thirty minutes, I will be lost to the world as I thumb my way through the latest issue. 

Prog 22

23 July 1977

As always, my journey through this week's Prog begins with Invasion. l had looked forward to seeing Bill Savage leaving London, and the potential storylines that could develop as he took his war across the UK. However, since leaving London I have found Invasion uneven, and while it has continued to rate highly, the tone of it seems to change from week to week. This week is another steady enough issue, but it isn't as hard-edged and brittle as some of the earlier stories. With Bill working alongside the Somerset resistance the story is set out early on - Vogans have destroyed their prime food source and need to find an alternative. Bill leads the way as they ambush a train of heavy machinery, much to the annoyance of the resistance who would rather be fighting for food. The reveal comes as Bill has been looking at the big picture all along and the heavy machinery is a mobile protein-synthesizer. It is a quirky twist, but comes late in the story, meaning that the bulk of the story focuses on the men attacking a train, something we have seen plenty of times before. I enjoy it well enough but feel it could be better if only the twist could have come a little sooner to prop up the second half of the story.   

Rating: 6/10

Best Line:  "Yeah! Yer need a full belly to kill Volgs!"

I want Shako to win. Falmuth is a loathsome character, and even though we are only a few issues in with Shako, I'm dying to see him get his comeuppance. I think that I might get my wish early on in this issue as Shako strikes, leaving Falmuth laid out and Dollar staring Shako down. Things take a turn in the final few panels, as Dollar managers to shoot Shako, the prone bear laid out and facing a final killing blow in the last panel of the strip. The action between Shako and Falmuth is very good in this issue, but the most interesting part of the story is early on as we learn that the capsule within Shako contains a biological weapon. The reader may have surmised as much, but now it's out in the open the story can move quickly on. Asides from that, the panels with Shako and Dollar staring each other down are among the best, along with the first page which has a very dramatic image of Shako. Plenty to enjoy throughout this story as it weaves and turns, and even if things look bad for Shako, I am still along for the ride  

Rating: 8.5/10

Best Line: "Nice work, Eskimo. But now it's my turn - I'm gonna dirty the snow up a little with that brute's brains!" 

My feelings about Harlem Heroes are mixed this week. On the positive side, I love the art, it is excellent page after page, and almost every panel holds my eye. The continual use of the word "Jap" doesn't thrill me quite as much. It is of its time, and I understand that, but it becomes uncomfortable every time my Japanese wife looks over my shoulder to see what I'm reading. One glimpse of that word, and my Progs may well end up in a pile with the recycling while I'm at work. But, putting that aside, the rest of the story fails to fire, and although we get backstory about the team they're facing, and some intense aeroball action, I never lose myself in the world they are creating. If the art wasn't so sublime I would rate this much lower, but given that this is a visual medium I give it a pass this week, but I hope it will improve in the coming issues.  

Rating: 5/10

Best line: "Stick your blood money any place you likes! Do I make myself clear?"

I enjoy the first colour pages of Dan Dare but the second half of the story doesn't match it for excitement or story, even though plenty happens in the back end of this week's issue. With the Two of Verath and Dan Dare battling on board the spaceship, the scene is set for a return to the Mekon. This fight looks great in colour, and at this stage, I have high hopes for the rest of the story. The rest of the story is given over to a lot of set-up for the arrival at the hollow planet, and the trap they are setting for the Mekon. The final panel restores some of the balance as the Two Of Verath advance on the Mekon, threatening death and potentially a great episode next week. Until next week I'm left with this issue in my hand, an issue that reeks of wasted potential after the opening burst of colour. 

Rating: 5/10

Best line: "Careful? Haw! I'm going to make holes in the Mekon's oversized head! Come on, brother!"  

I am again cast back into 1977 with the plot of this week's M.A.C.H. 1. British oil men are under threat from local tribesmen who are being manipulated so that the oil can be sold to Eastern countries. All very 1977 but it makes for a cracking story in the following pages as John Probe takes on the local strongman. There is all we have come to expect from John Probe as he displays his range of abilities, both in speed and strength as he fights the local strongman, and later the leader. The fight against the strongman is predictable enough, and it's his escape from being buried alive but tunnelling using his bare hands that I find the most thrilling and original aspect of this story. I enjoy everything until the finale, as the villain falls prey to a cheetah that he accidentally shoots himself. It wraps up the story too quickly for my tastes, and although it is clever, it doesn't give us the satisfaction of seeing our hero triumph by his own hand. I can't complain too much, the panel of the cheetah attacking is great and one can feel the pain of the attack.   

Rating: 7/10

Best line:  "Sendin your killers against oilmen's one thing, but torturing a helpless girl... " 

Judge Dredd is an interesting character, and he is matched this week against the equally interesting Mr Buzzz. The world of Mega-City 1 continues to expand as this week we meet a murderous gang, led by Mr Buzzz who as it turns out is a mutant. Mutants hate ordinary people and are banned from the city. Judge Dredd is at his cold-blooded best throughout this story, and the panels that grabbed me the most are as he sets the hotel alight to flush out Mr Buzzz. His final confrontation with Mr Buzzz is also noteworthy as he figures out how Mr Buzzz can see using his buzzing and negates this with a barrage from his own armoury. The story felt short this week, although it covers the usual amount of pages, and the storytelling was tight throughout with little fat on the story. This one felt par for the course for a Dredd story, but with that bar set high it was the second-best story in this week's comic.       

Rating: 7.5/10

Best line:  "You have walked right into my trap- buzzzzz! And now you will die! Bzzzzz!" 

Prog 22 final ratings:

Overall: 7/10

Best Story: Shako

Best Line: "Since my cats are overweight, I shall smash your knee to slow you down, English!"

Best Panel:

Prog 21

 Prog 20 felt like a milestone I should have celebrated. I chose not to celebrate this occasion as I am well aware of the enormity of the task ahead of me. There will be time enough for celebrating as we cross each centennial, but for now, the first twenty issues are merely the first steps in my journey. As I always, I believe in looking to the future, a strange thing to say considering I'm reading comics from 45 years ago, and it is with this thought in mind I plunge ahead into Prog 21.

Prog 21

16 July 1977

Invasion left me feeling hollow last week, but I'm happy to report that this week I'm back onboard and completely engaged with the story presented. It would be easy for Invasion to become cliché-filled and the fodder of standard war comics, but it remains a cut above with inventive storylines and characters. This week we have the dirty Vogans shooting prisoner in the manner of clay pigeon shooting, and you know that Bill Savage just isn't going to stand for that. Using using good old English clay, he infiltrates the Volgans manor house by muddying out the cameras, before using the clay again to disguise his men as statues. It is this twist that is central to the story, along with the manor house itself which offers up another opportunity for Savage's inventiveness as he calls upon a suit of armour to trick the Volgans. There's plenty to enjoy in these pages, and the set pieces provide some fitting artwork that captures the action perfectly and makes for compelling reading. There have been some average issues recently, but this issue sees Invasion return to top form with a cracking story and art that I rate highly.  

Rating: 8/10

Best Line:  "That's right, Volg- Uncle Bill's payin' a visit to your stately home!"

Shako reminds me a lot of old comics from the 1950s. Back then there were far more comics about man verse beast, and as an action story for boys there is plenty that the genre can deliver. I enjoyed meeting Shako last week, and this week we get more of the same with Falmuth arriving to capture Shako, and the capsule he has, while Shako continues to do what big bears do - eat and survive. We don't get as much blood and carnage as last week, but what we do get counts just as much as Shako defends himself. With Jimbo his main opponent this week, we get to see the psychological effect that the attacks on man have, as Jimbo drinks heavily throughout the story before a drunken, and eventually bloody, encounter with Shako. Like Invasion before it, there are some fabulous panels of action, and even though the story doesn't move particularly quickly, it is very well paced and the artwork carries the weight of the storytelling. Shako is still new to me, but he has certainly made his mark as I gobble up every word and line of the action. Any panel of the story would be worthy of mention, and I think there comes no higher recommendation than that. 

 Rating: 8/10

Best Line: "Ahh! The yogi's got his *hic* teeth grinding into my tootsie!" 

Harlem Heroes is a flat spot this week. That's not to say that it's bad, but it doesn't reach the heights it has in the last few weeks. The match between the Harlem Heroes and Gorgons Gargoyles has eventually run out of steam, and last weeks cliff hanger of Gruber holding a bomb is quickly wrapped up with a well-timed throw from Zack. Gruber's disguise is revealed, leaving the Gargoyles to seek revenge upon Gruber, who seemingly comes to an end in the fight. It's not the epic finish one might expect for a villain, and indeed it proves not to be the finish of him at all as the mastermind behind all these schemes against the Heroes resurrects him. This feels like another stepping stone issue, as we end the match against the Gargoyles and look forward to the next issue and a match against the Bushido Blades in Tokyo. I am curious to see how Tokyo is represented in this story, having spent a lot of time there myself, and if the artwork is as good as this issue then we will be in for a treat. This week started strongly and finished strongly, so even though it was flat there is still plenty to keep me interested in the coming weeks.  

Rating: 6/10

Best line: "..I just don't get it, Giant! How could that shattered schmuck just get up and walk away?"

Dan Dare takes an unexpected twist this week and is all the better for it. These comics are at their best when they cover new ground, and as the story escalates I am pleasantly surprised to find that things are not what I thought. After battling off giant robots to get to the Galactic Council to report the danger the Two of Verath present, Dan Dare is informed that Chairman Lo-Han is already well aware of the Mekon's plan, and is not the least bit worried. The matter is already in hand and he is planning for the Two of Verath to escape and return to the Mekon. As most people would, Dan Dare feels used and foolish for the efforts he made, and this gets worse by the end of the story as the Two of Verath escape upon a ship, a ship that Dan and Rok then board as well. The Chairman is informed, but again he sees it all as part of a master plan, the Two of Verath and Dan Dare will take care of the Mekon forever. I love where this story is going, with a bigger picture emerging and strings being pulled behind the scenes. Before it was the artwork doing all the heavy lifting, but now the story is beginning to come to the fore, and things are getting more interesting with every turn of the page. If it continues like this I will be more than happy to blog about it for as long as it takes.

 Rating: 8/10

Best line: "Living tissue target - 2 metres ahead. The flame gun will cremate target...cremate..."  

This week M.A.C.H. 1 draws inspiration from Howard Hughes, with John Probe's antagonist being Harold Howes, an eccentric multi-millionaire living in terror of the outside world. In his quest to prolong his life he is drawing energy from an array of athletes, who have sold themselves to him. It brings into question the morality of people willingly selling themselves, and I can't help but think of professional footballers as a useful analogy. With the Harold Howes character and this thought in my head, I find the story intriguing and rooted in something all too familiar, which makes Probe's interaction with his own computer all the more interesting. The action itself is par for the course, and there is very little in the way of surprise as Probe deals with his nemesis. It is the characters themselves that keep this story on track, and I rate it highly for both the characters and the world they are set in. An unusual M.A.C.H. 1 but a very good one. This is proving to be a strong issue throughout, and M.A.C.H. 1 holds up its part of the comic. 

 Rating: 8/10

Best line:  "I bought you all, I own you! Kill him!" 

As I started reading Judge Dredd I was initially disappointed. The first page seemed too straight forward and I felt I knew exactly where the story was going. As it turned out, I was right, but Judge Dredd had a twist in the tail that contained both the cleverness of the strip and the humour, making me fall in love with it all over again. Starting with a solar gun, and Dredd heading for the Weather Congress, the story writes itself, but once Dredd has confronted the villain named Gorilla the final twist takes hold with Gorilla taking the place of a monkey and being launched in a rocket to the sun. At this point, the story all falls into place, and I can't help but laugh at the cleverness of the writer, both with the villain's name, and his final fate. In some of the earlier issues, the humour was slightly off, but here it is sharpened to a well-honed point, and the darkness of Dredd's world is lit by this humour, and of course the solar gun. Not quite top shelf, but close enough for me.    

Rating: 7.5/10

Best line:  "Outamyway punks - I want the solar sniper!" 

Prog 21 final ratings:

Overall: 7.5/10

Best Story: Dan Dare

Best Line: "By stomm! The rocket's lifted off with Gorilla inside instead of the Chimp!"

Best Panel: