Prog 27

 I am constantly surprised by the variety of 2000AD. Every week I have a favourite strip and no one story dominates throughout. One story may be weak one week, and the next week it is back to the top of the pile as the stories jockey for position in my mind. This is well demonstrated this week with several stories that I found to be poor last week bouncing back, while others I rated highly go down in my estimation. It all makes for a fun read and something to look forward to each week as the comic twists and turns its way through the corridors of my mind. 

Prog 27

27 August 1977

The plot for Invasion could have been straight from a World War Two history book as Bill Savage and Silk find themselves dealing with a ghetto that is about to be liquidated. The ghetto in question is in Scotland where the Scots find themselves walled in by the conquering forces. Having a recognisable event from a war that was only thirty years previous at the time is clever and lends the story an air of authority and realism. It was already gritty and dirty which pushes this realism right in my face, the plight of the Scots made all the more dangerous from what we know from history.  Quite how Bill Savage will deal with this situation is unclear, the story laid out here is one of him gaining knowledge of the ghetto and then finding a way in to warn its inhabitants. Low on action but gripping nevertheless, this week's episode pulls the reader deep into the world of the Volgan invasion with Bill Savage standing alone as a beacon of hope.  

Rating: 8/10

Best Line:  "I don't know who y'are Jimmy - but y'are not wanted here!"

Harlem Heroes feels as if it's been approaching the end for a few weeks now, and it proves so in this issue as the story wraps up with an almost happy ending. We last left the action with Ulysses Cord in the clutches of Giant and squealing about the smoking jetpack. We pick up straight from there as he publically incriminates himself while thinking the jetpack is about to explode due to his doing. From here it is just a matter of wrapping up the story and tying up any loose ends, which in this case means winning the game and the tournament we have been following for the last six months. No surprise to see the Heroes come out on top, despite the tough play from the opposition it was only ever going to be one result, and suddenly we are at the end of the story. I have had my ups and downs with Harlem Heroes, but overall I have enjoyed it. I am always disappointed when a story ends, often the ending descends quickly upon us and any potentially climatic conclusion is swiftly dealt with. Such is the case in Harlem Heroes, and once it was clear that Giant knew what was going on with Ulysses Cord the ending was inevitable. I shall miss the art style of Harlem Heroes, this was always one of the most distinctive features of the strip and it has consistently been a favourite. However, a final tag promises the return of the Heroes, so I look forward to perhaps seeing these characters again in future. 

Rating: 6/10

Best line: "So what's left? What we gonna do now?"

It is business as usual for Shako.  Once again he is an unstoppable force as he chews and claws his way through another episode. This time it is a hospital bearing the brunt of his attack, and in particular, we finally see Nurse Hatchett meet her match. However, she does not go meekly and remains true to her character, giving plenty of steely resistance before she meets her demise.  There is not a lot of plot this week, it is very much about Shako feeding himself at the hospital. It does have some nice touches that elevate it from a mere gorefest, in particular, I enjoyed seeing a character who looked very much like John Travolta get eaten, and any panel with Nurse Hatchett was worth the price of admission. Not the strongest episode we have seen of Shako, but there was enough here to hold one's attention until the end. 

Rating: 5/10

Best Line: "No smelly animal is going to frighten me! Turn the machine up past the safety mark..." 

This is the best I have seen of  Tharg's Future Shocks so far. Sure, we're only three stories in, but this one appeals to me on many levels. I find it matches the first two stories for cleverness, but in this case, the twist betters what has come before and has an added touch of humour which elevates it from what we have seen before. Aliens are arriving on earth, proclaiming to come in peace(as they always do). There is debate at the highest levels about how this should be handled, and while one minister insists we should crush them, the government scientist recommends talking to them first. The fateful day of the alien landing comes, only no one can find the spacecraft, despite the aliens insisting they have landed in a forest on the edge of Heathrow. It is here that we see the story for what it is, the aliens are in a tiny craft, and are just about to be accidentally crushed underfoot. From a fearful opening, we reach a humourous conclusion and one that feels right for the story. Plenty more future shocks to come, but this already is one of my favourites. 

Rating: 9/10

Best line:  "Heathrow is surrounded, Prime Minister. If these aliens are hostile, my tanks will crush them as soon as they land!" 

M.A.C.H. 1. picks up the baton from the highly rated Tharg's Future Shocks and delivers a high-octane story itself which I find equally enjoyable. I have long waited to see John Probe pushed further in these stories and I get my wish this week with a multipart story titled "Planet Killers". John Probe is finally up against someone his equal, and with a story spanning several issues we are in for a treat. John is sent to the US to fly the space shuttle with an American pilot - Tex McArthur. His name is hyper-American, and he has a personality to match, although there is more than meets the eye with this chap. Tex McArthur has secretly been murdered and replaced with a doppelganger who is imbued with similar powers to John Probe. It doesn't take long for the action to start, as John has an intruder at night - who he only just manages to fight off. The next day as the shuttle takes off, John has his suspicions that it's Tex, although we'll be waiting until next week to see how that plays out. Phew, a lot happened in this issue. We saw Tex McArthur get murdered, the arrival of John Probe in the USA, his first encounter with Tex's doppelganger, the fight at night and then the shuttle taking off the next morning. Page-turning gripping action throughout, and I finally feel like MACH 1 is living up to its potential. Only time will tell if part two is as good as part one of this story, but it may well be the first story I turn to next week.  

Rating: 8/10

Best line:  "I was trying to swat a fly!"    

Harlem Heroes is finished, but its dirty fingerprints are all over Judge Dredd. Dredd is taking a rookie under his wing, a rookie named Giant. Yes, it sounded familiar to me too, Giant is the son of the Giant we know so well from Harlem Heroes. It is down to Dredd whether or not he passes, and they are out on the streets together chasing down trouble, this week in the form of Futsies. Futsies, as Dredd explains, are people who suffer from the illness "future shock." Unable to cope with 21st Century living they go on mad killing frenzies. I find this relatable, and comparable to the rise in mental illness we have seen in recent years as people struggle with the pressures of modern living. Dredd and Giant find their man soon enough, but things don't go well as Giant accidentally shoots Dredd in the face. Saved by his helmet, Dredd takes down the Futsie himself, leaving Giant to do the sentencing. Once again Giant fails, recommending prison while Dredd chastises him, explaining that this man has an illness and needs medical treatment, not a prison sentence. Again, this resonates with our modern living, and I find this strip very perceptive about modern life. It is no mystery who I should give credit to for this, the creators are listed on the first page, cleverly disguised as cadets on the '79 honour roll. Meanwhile, Giant is given one final chance to redeem himself in the final panel, as a call comes through for a kidnapping case. Great to see this story given a multipart treatment, like MACH 1 before it, and it gives the characters more time to breathe and develop through the pages. I also appreciate the fact that it ties into Harlem Heroes, expanding the world with something we are already familiar with. A fine ending to this week's comic, and the groundwork is laid out for an equalling compelling issue next week. 

Rating: 8/10

Best line:  "One more mistake- just one - and I'll have that half-eagle badge off you quicker than your pappy scored airstrikes!" 

Prog 27 final ratings:

Overall: 7.5/10

Best Story: Tharg's Future Shocks

Best Line: "Don't you even know your basic law? This man is suffering from future shock-he gets medical treatment, not a prison sentence."

Best Panel: