Prog 28

Change is afoot. Harlem Heroes is gone, and it seems Judge Dredd has been promoted up the batting order to appear as the second story in the comic. Sure, it's only small things, but I like the feel of this one already. They say a change is as good as a holiday, so I expect that by the end of Prog 28 I shall be feeling fully recharged and ready to face the outside world. 

Prog 28

3 September 1977

Last week I commented that this current Invasion storyline draws heavily from World War Two, and this is mirrored this week in the opening artwork as we see Volgan half-tracks approaching the ghetto's wall. It is a picture that could have come from any number of war comics from the last fifty years and is instantly familiar. So too is the image of Bill Savage leading the Scots into battle, charging at the Volgans and exhorting the ragtag soldiers to follow him. After the first battle, we meet the sacrificial lamb of the story, former footballer Jock Steel. As soon as I see him on the page I mark his card, he has all the traits of those that become cannon fodder for Bill Savage's war against the Volgans. He's down on his luck, has a specific skill, and by the end of the comic he will have found redemption in his sacrifice. Sure enough, it comes to pass, with an ambush on the Volgans at Hampden Park when Jock Steel saves Bill from a hand grenade with a selfless kick that ultimately costs his life. Like all good soldiers, he dies with his (football) boots on. Despite its familiarity, I greatly enjoy this story. Perhaps it is because of this familiarity in its story arc and imagery, that gives me comfort food in this cold harsh world it is creating. Next week promises more of the same, as we see Volgans in black uniforms bearing a death's head badge. Another image we have seen in the past, and I know that no good will come of it.    

Rating: 8/10

Best Line:  "He's kicked it away - what a kick!"

Judge Dredd is in the building. Normally appearing last in the comic, I am happy to be able to catch up with his story early this week. With Rookie Giant seeking to pass his final test, he is taking responsibility for a kidnapping situation at the Harlem Heroes stadium. This story focuses on Rookie Giant throughout, and Judge Dredd himself only takes a peripheral role until the final page. We get some nice callbacks to the Harlem Heroes comic as Rookie Giant uses a jetpack to confront the hostage takers, and demonstrates that he's a chip off the old block with some pretty fancy flying himself that sees him eventually hurl a bomb for his first and only air-strike, thus saving the day. The story moves along at a good clip, and I enjoy the nods to the Harlem Heroes history weaved in and out of the action. My favourite part of the story though is the final page when Dredd finally steps forward. As he prepares to dispense justice on the spot, Rookie Giant is forced to draw his weapon on Dredd and do what is right by the law, rather than sentence them on the spot. Dredd breaks into a smile, and the story breaks open to reveal that this is his final test, he was prepared to sacrifice his future to defend the law. This scene is the heart of the story, and as much as I enjoyed the action earlier in the story, these panels are where the true story lies. Different from last week, but a great way to round out this two-part story, and once again I rate it highly.    

Rating: 8/10

Best line:  "Air-strike! My first and last!" 

I think I am getting bored with Shako. I love seeing a big bear eat people just as much as the next man, but right now it feels like we're on an endless conveyer belt of people eating episodes and the fact that he is carrying a deadly capsule inside his stomach has become secondary. This week the capsule is mentioned, but the attempts to capture Shako are feebly and ultimately futile as once again the hunters become the hunted. The artwork remains at a high level and holds my interest far more than the story itself, and I feel like Shako as a story is running out of steam at the moment. Perhaps next week will be better, but for now, the story is treading water. 

Rating: 5.5/10

Best Line: "The brute's blocking the other end of the pipe - trapping me in here!" 

Dan Dare is back! It has only been a few weeks since we last saw him, but I have missed him. The first thing I notice is we have a different artist, Dave Gibbons. Of course, Dave Gibbons is one of the most well-known comic artists in the world, but his style is different from the earlier Dan Dare and the strip is no longer full of detail and flourish. Gone is the psychedelic feel, and it is now far more focused on the storyline. The other noticeable thing is that Dan Dare himself seems to have changed. He seems rougher somehow, and less the daring space pilot we saw earlier. This week we see him putting together a crew for a mission to Lost Worlds, a place that is at one point compared to hell itself. Needing the roughest and toughest, Dare assembles a group of what my mother would call "wrong 'uns" for this mission. Trawling through the bad side of town, he encounters  Big Bear, a hard-drinking and hard-fighting brute of a man, Hitman, a man who has a gun frozen to his hand and is quick on the draw, and Pilot Polanski, a man who lives up to his name with flying skills aplenty. This is the meat of the story, as Dan Dare encounters each man in their natural environment and lures them to the space dock the following morning. I find it interesting that Giant Bear is wearing a CCCP patch, and drinking vodka from a bottle adorned with a hammer and sickle. In Dan Dare's world, the USSR has lasted all the way to 2177, while in our time it didn't even make it to the end of the century. Little things like this excite me, and I make a mental note that I really should get out more. Overall, I'm treating this as a different Dan Dare from what we had earlier. Dave Gibbon's art gives him a different look and feel, and even the world he is in seems more grounded. The story is promising, and I am already warming to the bunch of scoundrels he has assembled for his mission. Positive feelings throughout, and I look forward to seeing what will follow.   

Rating: 7/10

Best line: "...but if there's trouble ahead, I've got a legion of devils right behind me!"

M.A.C.H. 1. is just as crammed filled with action this week as it was last. Last week we had the first part of "Planet Killers" as John Probe took off in the Space Shuttle with Tex, a man who is intent on killing him. This week we find out why, as Tex jettisons John Probe, and then uses the shuttle to attack a Russian space station, all so that he can launch a missile that will start World War Three. This involves several pages of action and fighting, and there isn't a panel to spare as the action comes at us fast and furious. John Probe joins the fight, seemingly defeating Tex, but still facing the prospect of trying to stop the missile from space. This story plays to the strengths of John Probe, and we have a lot of cases of him using his special abilities. The only downside is his battle with Tex, a man who can match him for strength. After a struggle, John gives a final effort, and this is enough to beat him. It doesn't feel like he did anything special, just tried harder, to overcome this obstacle. This aside, this is another gripping instalment, and we are well set up for the finale in next week's issue.   

Rating: 8/10

Best line:  "Heck! He's cut my suit!"

Tharg's Future Shocks is only six panels this week. The story it tells is one of a 100-year war, told from the log book of a combat flier. The first five panels lay out the story of combat pilots fighting robot-controlled aircraft that are no match for their training and ability. The final panel is where we see these highly trained pilots, a chimpanzee and a tiger, and we learn that they have been trained by man to fight their war, only for mankind to have become extinct leaving them to carry on fighting. Short and sweet, but an intriguing concept, the more I think about this story the more I enjoy it. First reading I found it slight, but it is a slow grower and another good entry for Future Shocks. I also like having Future Shocks finishing off the coming, I don't know what order the stories will be next week, but this feels like the right place for it. 

Rating: 7.5/10

Best line:  "Those transistorised dummies had no chance! Ain't no-one flies better than me!"

Prog 28 final ratings:

Overall: 7.5/10

Best Story: Judge Dredd

Best Line: "Fail me if you like. I've always admired you, Sir, but I won't stand by and watch you break the law, drop the gun! "

Best Panel: