Prog 32

 This week's issue of 2000AD is strong, even if the main stay Judge Dredd doesn't deliver. I have enjoyed the consistency of 2000AD thus far, I don't recall reading a poor issue. Some have been average, but nothing has struck me as anything less than worthwhile and while the different stories ebb and flow, they remain of high quality. 

Prog 32

1 October 1977

I'm a big fan of this week's Invasion story. It's darker, contains some gripping plot twists and ends as a multi-part storyline. The very first panel sees Bill Savage looking wilder than he ever has before as he continues hunting Volgs through the highlands. However, the Volgans are about to do something about their Bill Savage problem and bring in Colonel Volgaska. Colonial Volgaska proves to be the worst kind of Volgan and is soon torturing local Scots in a most frightful manner, which of course draws Bill Savage from his lair as he seeks retribution. Slipping into Inverness and setting up a firing point on a hill to take out Volgaska via a sniper rifle, it seems Bill Savage has things in hand. However, things take a turn as an old woman they met earlier in the story appears and stabs Savage with a poisoned spike. The twist is this old woman is Colonel Volgaska - the Colonel is a woman. Surrounded by Volgans and paralysed with the poison, things look grim for Savage and we'll have to wait until next week to see the outcome. The artwork is well suited to this week's story with the twisted expressions of the Volgans to the fore throughout the whole story, and especially the face of Cononal Volgaska on the final pages. Faces etched with evil and distorted into hate, one can feel the pain they are inflicting radiating from the page time and time again. Even Savage is brushed with this terrifying expression, and in the first panel of the story he seems just as terrifying as his opponents. I appreciate that once again this story has time to breathe, and I can't wait to see where we will go next week as the story unfolds further.       

Rating: 9/10

Best Line:  "'Ere-that's the same old dear we saw down below! What's going on? Oi, you - Granny!"

Judge Dredd feels low-key this time out. A fully automated hotel has started killing all its guests, with the main computer bent on wiping out all inefficacies. The story unfolds in a straightforward manner, Dredd attends the hotel opening, but later he notices he hasn't seen any guests, unbeknownst to him the hotel computer has been killing them in a variety of manners around the hotel. Dredd overcomes the computer's attempts at killing him, and once he gains access to the main computer room shoots the computer to pieces with his gun. There are some snappy lines that grease the wheels of the story, but overall it doesn't carry the weight, nor the humour, of some of the other Dredd stories. A light read, I can't deny I enjoyed it, but my expectations are always sky-high for Dredd and this is merely filler until something better comes along. 

Rating: 5/10

Best line:  "You are still alive human? This is interesting- I shall examine you personally..." 

Shako took several interesting turns last week as the story deepened and expanded with more interested parties thrown into the mix and Shako facing a range of new perils. This week the story reverts to form. Left tied to a helicopter heading to the bottom of the ocean, Shako makes a quick escape on the first page as the cold water revives him and he chews through the cables binding him, Reaching the surface, he hauls himself aboard an ice floe to recover. Later he is awakened by the sounds of seals, and investigating he finds a group of seals being slaughtered by men. From here on in it is typical Shako and he chews and fights his way through the men, leaving no survivors, and reaps the rewards of a seal feast in peace. This feels like a completely different type of story from last week, but I find I enjoy it for its simplicity. It is unhurried and entirely focused on Shako. In the past, I haven't always been a fan of stories which are just bear versus man, but this one is back to basics and a nice reset after all the non-stop action of the last few weeks. With its soft pace and clean artwork it's a nice palate cleanser after the busyness of Invasion and unsettled future-feel of Judge Dredd. 

Rating: 7/10

Best Line: "A polar bear! Gotta get to the guns!" 

Part two of Dan Dare on a planet inhabited by Vampires. Last week was a cracker, and this week begins with Dan aware of his host's nefarious intentions but in need of letting his men know what's about to happen. He has a solution at hand to snap his men out of their revelry, spiking their drinks with primer fluid they are soon heeding his call to action as they take the fight to the vampires, first with their fists, and then with their guns. Blasting their way out of trouble, they make it back to their ship where they face one final hurdle, some spacecraft blocking their escape, but this is dealt with with a lightning-fast attack from below which sees them reach a safe orbit. There is a lot to commend in this strip, the scene of Dare's crew fighting in hand-to-hand combat is great, as too are any panels showing the vampires baring their fangs. I was interested to see that Dan Dare's ship was called the Eagle, complete with the Eagle logo from the original Eagle comic on its side. Was this a new development? I don't recall seeing it in previous Dan Dare stories, so I'm not sure if I missed it previously, or if the writers and artist just added it in now. I can't recall Dan ever referring to his ship as the Eagle, so I may have to go back and re-read some of the previous issues later today. I would have liked to have seen this store stretched further, to perhaps three or four issues, but I am most satisfied with what we have here, a monster of the week piece with some thrilling action and the right guys coming out on top. A little old-fashioned, but a lot of fun.     

Rating: 8/10

Best line: "Then use your fists, spacer..they're the finest short-range weapon ever invented!"

I thought last week's M.A.C.H. 1. was wild but this week's one takes it up another notch. With the alarm in the UFO sounding, and more UFOs approaching, Probe makes a run for it. What he misses seeing is the aliens taking control of the local sheriff and the dead body of Dutch who he killed off last week. With the sheriff under alien control, the county is sealed off as the remaining UFOs attack Pine City. John Probe chances upon the sheriff, who takes him back towards the trouble, and the story ends with Probe realising the sheriff isn't what he seems just as Dutch rises from the back seat and grabs him around the throat. It's bonkers, yet brilliant, and matches the previous Dan Dare for page-turning excitement. There isn't a lot of John Probe using his abilities, but there is plenty of story crammed into the pages and this is just as gripping as seeing John Probe in action. The wild looks of the possessed bodies work well for me, and once again I find myself already anticipating picking up next week's story. 

Rating: 8/10

Best line:  "Mother O'Riley...they're attacking me!"

Tharg's Future Shocks comes as a two-parter this week, and the first set-up is just to my tastes. In the future, time travelling vacations are the norm, and we see a couple of men watching the destruction of Pompeii before travelling forward to the future. Planning their next trip, the travel agent suggests England during the Witch Hunts, something they readily agree to. With the wheels set in motion, we will have to wait until next week to see what happens, but I like what we have here so far and I'm all on board. A clever premise, it holds promise for a great ending, fingers crossed it will deliver.  

Rating: 7/10

Best line:  "They used to scream a lot, didn't they, I like to hear 'em scream!"

Prog 32 final ratings:

Overall: 8/10

Best Story: Invasion

Best Line: "Cry, my friend...cry like a broken beast. Colonel Volgaska has mastered you!"

Best Panel: