Prog 36

Credits! We now have credits appearing in 2000AD. At last, I know who to praise, and who to blame, in my favourite stories. This is a big step in my appreciation and learning about 2000AD, and a day I have been waiting fro since I started. All those creators who's names have often been spoken of by fans, now I can associate them with the strips I have been enjoying for the last nine months. And so, with that in mind, let me pick up this Prog 36 and see who has been doing what. 

Prog 36

29 October 1977 

It's welcome back to the Harlem Heroes this week in a new story called Inferno, but after wading through six pages introducing the reader and the Heroes to the new sport of Inferno, I can't help but agree with Giant - "I knew we need more time to master these blasted rules" Well familiar with the Harlem Heroes, the game of Inferno is anything but familiar, despite the number of pages showing the game and the rules. All I know is it's a lot more complicated than Aeroball, and a lot more savage. Times have changed for the surviving members of the Harlem Heroes, and now the most popular sport sweeping the land is Inferno, a brutal game that at first glance shares a lot of similarities to Aeroball, except it has a ground component to the game and well as the aerial. With powerful-looking motorbikes, there are plenty of striking images that get the heart racing, but the rules remain baffling. Watching on are Giant, Zack and Slim, with Giant unconvinced in the attraction of the game. However, they are approached by the manager of one of the teams and asked if they would like to guest in a match in a couple of days' time. Reluctantly agreeing, Giant finds himself struggling to keep up with both the rules and the action once the game starts, and the strip ends with him questioning his own decision. It is hard to like this opening episode, there is still much that we don't know, and the new game rules have not made a great first impression on me. That said, the game does look great on the page, even if I'm not sure what is happening. The story has a lot of potential at this stage, but it looks like it may take a few weeks to warm up. This week also sees the introduction of credits on each story, so finally, I know who the writers and artists are so I dish out praise where appropriate. That might just be the best thing I have seen in a long time. 

Rating: 5/10

Best line: "Hell, I clean forgot! I knew we need more time to master these blasted rules...!"

Seems everything I knew about the Channel Tunnel was wrong as the first page of Invasion tells me that the tunnel was completed in mere months by the Volgans. I'm fine with that, as long it is the Volgans that paid for it. However, one man is not fine with it, and that's Bill Savage who is been ferried from Scotland for a special operation. On board a small fishing boat, Bill is on his way to meet up with some French resistance fighters on the coast of Franch. En route, the boat comes under the scrutiny of a jump jet before a Volgan helicopter attack. Seeing off the attack, Bill arrives and France and sets about his plan to sabotage the tunnel. Disguised as Volgans, Bill enters the tunnel and things happen quickly as he boards a jump jet being transported through the tunnel, and aided by Silk uses the jet to blast a hole in the tunnel wall, before escaping using the ejector seats to reach the surface.  Mission accomplished, Britain is once again an island and Bill is heading back to Scotland. Bill Savage definitely voted for Brexit. Another fine story in the Invasion catalogue, and credit to the writer Chris Lowder for his work with this one. The story is largely cliché free, and Bill linking up with the French once again widens the world. Adding in aircraft is a new angle, especially the aircraft fighting in a tunnel, rather than in the sky as one would normally expect. A war story, yes, but one I find I look forward to every week as Bill and his band of heroes take on the Volgans in a variety of interesting ways week after week. 

Rating: 7/10

Best line: "Heave-to, resistance scum -  or we send you to the bottom!"

Future Shocks is the next strip, and I'm finding this new order of stories slightly disorientating. I have become used to Invasion opening every issue, and Future Shocks closing each issue as an exclamation point. However, it does break up the story and gives us a breather before digging into the longer stories. This week is another where we find humanity is merely a small plaything in a wider universe. Uncovering a planet made of steel, humanity investigates what it could possibly mean before the final panel shows us it is a mere pool ball in a cosmic game of pool played out by beings larger than we can possibly imagine. This sort of story is the bread and butter of Future Shorts and many a story has been drawn from the same well as this one. That doesn't lessen the story, but anyone who has read a number of these may feel that we have already had our fill of such stories. I like it, but not enough to give it a high rating. Elsewhere it may be original, but in the pages of 2000AD this is firmly in the middle of the road. 

Rating 5/10

Best line: "Grey ball in the corner galaxy for 50 groats!"

Aboard the space fortress, Dan Dare surges through uncharted space. Coming across a curtain of asteroids and debris, the ship pauses as they sight a giant satellite near the centre of it. It is not just any satellite through, and as Dan approaches it in the Eagle he finds that it's a satellite gun. The other Eagle takes a hit, and as Polanski steers Dan's Eagle away it too is hit and loses all power. As Dan and his men evacuate and escape with their power packs, the gun doesn't let up and several of Dan's men are killed by laser fire. Eventually, the Space Fortress saves Dan and his men and back on board they receive a transmission from those responsible. The Starslayers empire does not welcome intruders, and Dan is warned off by their leader. However, Dan Dare is not easily dissuaded, and although his ship heads away from the Starslayer, Dan and some of his men remain, camouflaged in black spacesuits and looking for revenge. The story ends with a grim-faced Dan Dare telling his men they must wipe the Empire from the face of the galaxy or die in the attempt. It is an aggressive way to finish this week's strip, and I am surprised to see that Dan Dare has this inner steel. I feel like he is changing as a character, but I'm happy to go along for the ride. This is the strongest enemy he has faced so far since his return, and what happens next will influence how the comic will go from here. I am hoping that the Starslayers will be long-term villains, and someone to rival the Mekon. Fingers crossed for the next few weeks, and I will eagerly await the next issue.  

Rating: 7.5/10

Best line: "Wrong! Nobody tells me to run--and nobody butchers ten of my crew-men and laughs in my face"

MACH 1 has been wild recently, but this week is a far more traditional east vs west storyline. We begin with a secret package being stolen from an English country house, a package containing the secret of the compu-puncture process - the same process that makes John Probe MACH 1.  Luckily John Probe is nearby and pursues the motorcyclist with the package, but after several pages of action, the thief makes good his escape on an Eastern nuclear submarine. This is merely the beginning of the story, and several weeks later as John walks down Oxford St an attempt is made on his life by some masonry being pushed off the top of a building towards him. That's not all though, John trails an Eastern embassy car, only to find himself being run down by a large lorry. Hyperpower is used throughout the story, especially here as he prevents the lorry from crushing him by using his power. At this point, he realises there is a woman that has been at both locations and that she too has hyper-power he gives chase. This is where we leave him for now, running after her at mach power through the streets of London. I always like to see the universe a story is taking place in expanded, and this week we get two notable additions with references to the East and the appearance of another with the same powers as John Probe. Having an equal force opposing John Probe means we should see him using his brain as well as his brawn to beat his opponent. There was also a nice twist in it being a woman, it would have been very easy for his opposite to be the same gender, and having a woman does bring some equality to the story, and comic, which is heavily masculine. After some of the crazy episodes we have seen from MACH 1 recently, this one feels far more grounded and has a real-world feel that I fully support. 

Rating: 8/10

Best line: "Heck! Chunk of falling masonry-gotta smash it to dust!"

I am pleased to see the universe of Judge Dredd is also expanding as this week we meet another subculture of Mega-city 1, the Troggies. The Troggies appear in the first panel of the strip,  dragging citizens of Mega-city 1 off the streets and into the darkness. Judge Dredd is quickly on the scene and using the infrared light on his lawmaster he follows their trail to a disused subway station. This is where we meet the Troggies properly, they are weird types from the 20th Century who couldn't handle modern living and took refuge underground. Led by Slick Willy, the Troggies overpower Dredd and like any good James Bond villain, Slick Willy reveals their plan in detail. They are using slave labour to tunnel under Mega-city and intend on placing explosives in key positions to destroy the city. With Dredd put to work in a slave gang, we leave our hero with only a few more hours to come up with a plan to save Mega-city. Some great artwork in this strip, thanks to Ian Gibson, and I loved the unsettled feeling of his drawing, the characters in every panel felt slightly off-key and that added to the weirdness. I was pleased to see Dredd didn't crack this case immediately, and the panel of him being put to work added to the hopelessness of the situation. Not a lot of action on the page, but a lot of stimulation from the artwork and story, and my overall impression was that this was a very solid episode throughout.

Rating: 7/10

Best line: "Stand to attention, Normal. You are in the presence of Slick Willy, prime cat of the Troggies."

Prog 36 final ratings:

Overall: 7/10

Best Story: MACH 1

Best Line: "Go find somewhere else t'dump your super-balls, Butterfly!"

Best Panel:  

   

Prog 35

 2000AD has been heating up in the last few issues I have read, and this one is the cherry on top in many ways. Several stories are peaking at the same time, led by the superb Judge Dredd, and there is something special cooking up on these pages. I have several favourite stories at the moment, but none compare to Judge Dredd which is getting better every week.  

Prog 35

22 October 1977 

I am amazed that every week the writers of Invasion find a new angle and new story to be told. It could quite easily fall into repetition, but so far I find the story is still evolving and unearthing new scenarios. This week Savage is still in the Highlands, and about to be joined by new recruits. The recruits arrive in two groups, and neither is particularly pleased to see the other. A group of Oilers and a group of Woodsmen, and not much common ground between them. Their respective leaders are already at each other throats when Savage steps in and suggests that they settle it man to man in the morning, with Silk to referee. The next day as they prepare to fight they are ambushed by some Volgans who have been tipped off to what's happening. With Silk slipping away unseen, the two leaders are taken away to the castle at Fort William. With both groups desperate to get their leader back, they fall easily under Savage's command and using their respective skills the Oilers create a division out front while the Woodcutters storm the back entrance. From here the story writes itself, the leaders are free, their men now prepared to work together, while Silk has uncovered the real truth - Savage tipped off the Volgans to have them arrested and unify the remaining resistance. This story was better than last week, but Savage was a little too clever. His scheme could have easily gone astray and he could have ended up with blood on his hands. However, it didn't go astray, and we have here a high-tempo, action-filled issue, with plenty of snappy visuals to fill the gaps in the dialogue. Invasion isn't back to its best but this is a step in the right direction and points to a brighter future for the story.

Rating: 7/10

Best Line: "And taken to Fort William garrison! They'll be swinging on gibbets by tomorrow!"  

Judge Dredd was the highlight of last week's issue for me and I am pleased to report that this week is just as good. Last time around Dredd had faked his own death to capture rogue Judge Gibson. This week we see the fallout of this as Judge Gibson calls for cadet's rights, whereupon they return to the training academy to settle their differences in a manner similar to how they used to do. Battling through a recreation of Mega-City One's streets, Dredd initially has the upper hand, but he is outsmarted by Judge Gibson who finds himself above and behind Dredd with a clean shot. Reacting quickly, Dredd turns and shoots, fatally wounding Judge Gibson. In the final death scene, Dredd asks Gibson why he hesitated when he had the chance to finish him and, in the most poignant moment of the strip, Gibson replies that he thought of Dredd as his friend. We end on another down-beat, as Dredd removes Gibson's name from the honour roll. Last week's issue set the bar high, and this week eclipses it in my opinion. The first part of the story had all the action and drama, but this second part was all heart. It is curious that such a cold figure as Dredd could elicit such emotions, and it's perhaps because of this coldness those moments of emotion and pathos feel deeper and heavier than they would otherwise feel. There is no need to mention the art here, it is superb as always. Iconic when it needs to be, but also drawing the reader close for the intimate moments, and matching the words on the page for weight and storytelling power.  I'm reluctant to throw out 10/10 willy-nilly, but this strip is thoroughly deserving of it and I am more than happy to sing its praises to anyone that will listen.

Rating: 10/10

Best Line: "No, principal, it was a bitter victory. Judge Gibson was...my friend" 

Last week I wondered if the death of Falmuth signalled that Shako was coming to an end, and this week it proves so with a fitting finale. With his original companions dead, it is left to Dollar to carry out the final hunt for Shako. Taking a harpoon, he sets out to the rubbish dump where Shako was seen scavenging. Sighting his prey, he launches his harpoon, catching Shako in the heart. Even then it's not enough to kill the great bear and Shako mauls Dollar, leaving him to suffer a slow death. But there is a final turn, as Dollar is found by his colleagues. Refusing to go to the hospital, he lays one final trap for Shako. Knowing that he will die anyway, he asks to be buried alive with a bazooka.  Returning to the rubbish pile, Shako sniffs him out and begins to dig out the buried Dollar. Shako uncovers more than he bargains for, as Dollar shoots him through the heart before he himself is crushed to death under the weight of Shako's dead body. It seems a fitting end for all involved, man and beast dying side by side after all these months of pursuing each other. Shako has been an enjoyable read, and even though I found some issues repetitive, overall I found it very good. This was the epic ending I wanted for Falmuth last week, and I think having Dollar as the last character fighting Shako is a fair call and worked well for the overall story. This final issue wasn't all action, and was a well-balanced finish, walking the tightrope between action and emotional drama. Not quite as good as the Dredd story that precedes it, but very close to it. 

Rating 9/10

Best Line: "MANICHOK!" 

Dan Dare is still fighting a forest of angry trees, and for the first page of this issue, the trees appear unstoppable. Dan Dare always has a plan and this time it's gamma grenades. After reducing some trees to matchsticks, Dan realizes that they need to take out the leader and accompanied by Haley he makes a dash towards the biggest tree. While the rest of the legion provide covering fire, Dan and Haley scale one of the trees using their knives, before swinging by vines towards the largest tree. Once again pitching their grenades, they find that other trees are falling in front of the leader to protect him. It is now that Haley becomes the hero of the moment and sacrificing himself he leaps directly onto the tree leader whereupon he detonates his grenades. His kamikaze action saves the day, and Dan is able to communicate with the Eagle still orbiting the planet and get his men beamed to safety. We end here, with the men still talking of the monkey curse that started this, and doubting the space monkey from the first page, now named Haley Junior. This strip may sound a little silly, but reading it I felt totally captivated by the action. Stakes were high, there was self-sacrifice, dynamic action scenes, and a nice payoff in the final panel.  It is the typical Dan Dare story of late, and ticks all the boxes for what I would expect from such a tale. I don't know how Dan Dare is viewed by the general public, but I find his stories a throwback to simpler times, and they always bring a smile to my face as he faces these weekly challenges through space. Maybe not one for the purists, but I rate it highly for its entertainment value. 

Rating: 8/10

Best Line: "I guess I started all this with that fleabitten monkey, so I should be the one to finish it--and this way I can't fail!" 

This is the best M.A.C.H. 1 I have read. Sure, me and M.A.C.H 1 have had our ups and downs over the previous six months but I can now say, hand on my heart, I love it. Maybe I'm over-enthused by John Cooper's art here, but this story seems to have clarity and focus and is full of nonstop movement and action in every panel. With John Probe knocked unconscious after discovering a secret solar energy base on Mt Everest, there is plenty of story ahead of us from the first panel. I do pause a second before I go in, it is kinda weird that solar energy is the villain of the piece. How times have changed! John Probe awakens and finds himself a prisoner, along with Halloran who we met in the previous issue. It is Halloran who outlines the villain's plan for us, using the power from the solar station they are going to melt the Himalayan glaciers and flood India. With a hyper punch John Probe frees them and with the aid of the now-freed prisoners attacks the solar station. With the station destroyed, Probe and Halloran hold off the army guards while the prisoners make good their escape. While Halloran sets off to conquer Everest, Probe fights his way to the bottom of the mountain. With t's crossed and i's dotted, Probe sets off for the summit to find Halloran, only for the computer to tell him to return to base - mission superfluous. Although I found the plot to be James Bond-inspired, I loved the artwork, John Cooper excels in fighting scenes and a lot of what we see here reminded me of his later work on the Battle comic. The story covered a lot of ground, which didn't give me too much time to dwell on plot holes, and it was the action that drove the bulk of the story. I was left feeling that I had read an exhilarating story, and one that sits atop the MACH 1 canon. 

Rating: 8/10

Best Line: "I hope you know what you're doing, computer! I'm only human!"

I had to read Future Shock's twice to really appreciate it, and on the second reading, I found it far better than the first time around. We have an ice planet where two cities are locked in a timeless war. However, the warrior king of Topan creates Peron, an ultimate warrior who could kill with his gaze alone. With this powerful weapon, Topan triumphs and peace is restored for the first time in 10,000 years. With this peace upon the planet, Topan presents Peron with a gift. Removing his visor, Peron looks upon a mirror and destroys himself, leaving the final panel where Topan tells us that such an ultimate weapon couldn't exist as it would threaten his own position. I liked the story, enjoyed it even, but it never shook me up or delivered a thrill. It was good without ever threatening to become great. What I enjoyed most was the name of the characters, especially Peron, and I couldn't help but wonder if he was named after Juan Peron, and if this story is an analogy for his own reign? I think about it for a while, but without a conclusion, so returning the comic to pile I return to the real world and thoughts once again drift to next week. 

Rating: 6/10

Best Line:  "Go forth, Peron - to battle!"    

Prog 35 final ratings:

Overall: 8.5/10

Best Story: Judge Dredd

Best Line: "It-it was hard enough killing you once...I couldn't...do it again...you see, Dredd...you were my friend..."

Best Panel:   

Prog 34

I missed last week's blog. The Football World Cup got in my way and despite my best intentions I never quite found the time to update the blog. With only one game left I am reprioritising and once again ready to indulge my love of comics.  

Prog 34

15 October 1977 

Invasion once again dips into a Trojan horse story for this week's issue. A collaborator rats out Bill Savage and his men, but Savage is faster on the draw and escapes the trap. Sparing the life of the collaborator, Sir James MacGregor, Bill seemingly appears to share empathy with the man and declares that he will join him.  While Bill holds his now ex-friends at gunpoint, Sir James takes the controls of a Volgan troop carrier, and together they set off to Sir James's manor house where he has a dinner appointment with Volgan top-brass. Having gained Sir James's trust, Bill takes the driving duties of the troop carrier and proceeds to smash through the gates of the manor house, and through the wall of the dining room where the Volgans are seated. With the troop carrier full of primed grenades about to go off, Bill makes a hasty escape, leaving the traitor and Volgan officers in a fiery blast that destroys the house. We close with Bill making his way back to the resistance, driving Sir James's Rolls Royce and his fellow fighters off into the sunset. After a week's break, I am reading these stories with fresh eyes. Invasion feels lighter and brighter than I previously remember, and I enjoy the humour throughout. The dialogue isn't as snappy as the first issues as I remember them, and at times it touches on dad jokes, but it still lifts the story that otherwise may be dreary and heavy. The story has certainly changed a lot since Bill Savage left London, and it feels like there is still mileage to be had out of his time in Scotland.   

Rating: 6.5/10

Best line: "The slimy rat! He's sold us right down the river!"

From start to finish, this week's Judge Dredd is top-notch, and pleasingly it's only the first part of a story. In one of the most dramatic pages we have seen thus far in 2000AD, the story begins with two pages dedicated to a funeral parade, a funeral parade for Judge Dredd! What follows is some very clever storytelling, as one of the observers, Judge Gibson, fills us in on the back story of how we got to this point. Judge Dredd had been on the trail of a Mutie committing crimes across the city. Examining clues, Dredd comes to the conclusion that it isn't a mutie at all, but rather a judge disguised as a mutie. The wrinkle in the tale comes as the Judge in question is the man telling us the story, Judge Gibson. Knowing too much, Dredd becomes his target and is shot by Gibson from across the street. Feeling secure now that Dredd is dispensed with, Gibson once again dons his mutie disguise and heads out to commit a robbery. But there is one final twist before this week's issue is done with us as Dredd appears at the door and shoots Gibson's gun from his hand. The way this week's story unfolds is excellent, and the story twists and turns through every page making for a compelling read. The opening panels are spectacular, both with the subject matter and the art. The details of the funeral parade are laid out and there is a sense of the gravity of the situation, and how the judges pay respects to their fallen. With Dredd's landlady and Walter both grieving, the loss is keenly felt on the page. The second part of the story is equally good, and the final panel of Dredd appearing at just the right moment would fit into any dramatic movie. If next week lives up to this first part of the story then we are in for a real treat. Even if it doesn't match this opening, I would be more than happy with what we have here. 

Rating: 9/10  

Best Line:  "We come to bury Dredd, not judge him! But the good a man does lives after him. We shall never see his like again"

I was pleased to see Falmuth take a prominent role in last week's edition of Shako, and am happy to see him again at the centre of the story this week. The story though accelerates considerably here, and as it turns out this is a final hurrah for Falmuth. Falmuth is hard on the heels of Shako, but a snowstorm sees him taking shelter in a cave. As luck would have it, Shako is making for the same cave and is surprised to find two men there. With Shako blocking the entrance there is no escape and the men are trapped. As is his way, Falmuth sacrifices his colleague but is still facing a slow demise in the cave. Grabbing an icicle as a weapon he decides to flee, only to come to an end in the jaws of Shako. There are no tears shed from my side, but I am saddened to see one of the driving forces of the story dispensed with so easily. I thought Falmuth would have driven the story for longer and I'm surprised to see his part in the tale end here. It does appear that Dollar will take up the cause in hunting down Shako, which has potential, but I do feel cheated to see a main character go out with a whimper rather than a bang. No epic battle stretching across several issues, just a snowstorm and Shako in a cave. Overall, I have mixed feelings. I'm pleased to see Falmuth get what's coming to him, but disappointed it didn't play out on a grander scale. 

Rating: 7/10

Best Line:   "Three of us started out on this mission. Now Dobie and Falmuth are dead I'm the only one left...so I've got to kill that bear!"

Dan Dare lifts my spirits immediately with another great issue. This week Dan and his legion land on a green planet full of mystery and terror. The story starts with one of Dan's crew members striking a space monkey that has come on board the ship. Harming a space monkey is said to bring bad luck, and like sailors past, modern astronauts are just as superstitious when it comes to such things. Shortly after they land on the green planet, a planet that is covered entirely in forests. As Dan and his crew explore, two crew members disappear. With the legion spooked, Dan sets a trap, only to find that the trees are alive and attacking them. Their ship, the Eagle, is unable to get a firm lock on them, and things are looking grim for Dan and his crew as we close out the issue on a cliffhanger. Another great monster-of-the-week story from Dan Dare, and one can see it clearly drawing from the likes of Dr Who or Star Trek. However, it remains its own entity and is elevated by the character of Dan Dare. I mention the art constantly, and this week once again it is outstanding, adding to the spookiness and scary vibe of the story throughout. Although not as original as some of the other stories in 2000AD, I still find it most enjoyable and always rate Dan Dare highly.     

Rating: 8/10

Best Line: "Look--the trees walk!"

Man versus the elements seems to be a theme for this week's bunch of stories, and in MACH 1 we find John Probe taking on the cold and ice of Mt Everest. The scene is set by the Halloran expedition seeking to conquer Everest by the direct route, only for a series of avalanches across ten hours ruining both their expedition and many others. Rising temperatures are leading to snow melt and unpredictable conditions and two days later it is John Probe who arrives with his own set of unique skills. Finding the remains of Halloran's party, and the now thawing remains of several others, he continues his rapid ascent before in the final panels he comes across a hidden solar energy station. He has very little time to digest this new discovery before he is shot at and then attacked. He fights off his attacker but is then knocked unconscious by an injection from an unseen opponent. A cool story and one that is served well by the clean lines of John Cooper's artwork. I am a fan of John's work, and any story I read that has his hand in it is elevated in my opinion. Once again we are set up for a multipart storyline, and with an intriguing concept, I am curious to see where we go from here. After the previous UFO storyline, it's good to see John Probe back to fighting something more earthly, and this story is warming up nicely for the next few weeks. 

Rating: 8/10

Best Line: "25,000 feet... and the snow's turning to slush! And what in heaven's name is that revolting smell?"  

Future Shocks stretches across three pages before we reach the final three panels that contain the crux of the story. Like Dan Dare a few weeks ago, we have another space vampire story. A ship finds a planet inhabited by fanged creatures, and after being attacked escape to their ship and take off. It's not a clean escape, the captain has been bitten and soon enough is a vampire himself and attacking the rest of the crew. They battle him across a couple of pages, using all manner of space weapons, but he is unstoppable until the final panels as he comes across the ship's cook. The cook has the ultimate weapon against vampires and defeats him with a healthy dose of garlic powder. As much as I enjoyed the story, and I enjoyed it very much, I felt that it could have been told faster. We have seen some future shock storeys told in two pages, and this is one of those stories that could have been wrapped up quicker. Still, it looked great and was a sweet well-contained story. I can't ask for any more than that and despite being a page too long I found it a great way to wrap up this week's issue of 2000AD. 

Rating: 8/10

Best Line: "Prepare to meet thy doom, fat fool!"

Prog 34 final ratings:

Overall: 8/10

Best Story: Judge Dredd

Best Line: "Fat I may be, ya stinkin' vamp...but I got something better than all that hot shot gimmickry they bin' throwin' at ya!"

Best Panel:   

Prog 33

 I should really spend more time with my wife. That's what she tells me anyway, but sometimes a man just needs to be alone with his comics for a few hours. I can see my wife anytime, but these comics won't last forever. Tatty and dog-eared, faded newsprint, who knows how long I've got. Maybe one year, maybe ten, why take the chance, I'm reading them now while I can.

Prog 33

8 October 1977 

Invasion takes an unexpected turn this week and the darkness of the last issue evaporates in the face of new developments. However, the grotesque faces remain to keep the real-life aspect of the strip intact. Elsewhere, things get weird.  With the nerve poison taking effect on Bill Savage he becomes a gibbering madman, continually yelling for Nessie to come to save him. The Volgan propaganda team take advantage of this and beam the gibbering Savage around the country as he continues this call for Nessie. On the banks of Loch Ness they take him for further propaganda opportunities, but at this point, the story takes a twist as a large woman wrestler emerges from the water. This is the Nessie that Savage has been calling for, and with a stout band of resistance men behind her, she brings the fight to the Volgans. With the cameras still rolling, Nessie takes on Volgaska in a wrestling match, eventually defeating her live on TV. I had not expected this and it felt weird as I read it. I did enjoy it, but only when I stopped thinking of it as a normal Invasion story, and instead treated it as a once-off. The artwork continues to be the star of the show, and as I alluded to earlier, the faces looked fantastic. So too did the wrestling action, each panel looking dynamic and exciting. The twist to the story was fun, but I came away from the story unsatisfied. Maybe I'm just at that age where two large women wrestling just isn't as much fun as when I was younger. 

Rating 6/10

Best line "Big Nessie rules, O.K.? You got Rosa beat for all Scotland to see!"

Judge Dredd is hilarious. I am laughing all the way from the first panel of the story, as he relaxes in the evening with Walter, until the final panel of the story as he breaks the third wall to speak to the reader. Of course, Walter's lisp makes everything funnier, and the story is sprinkled with lines that bring a smile to my face. We begin with Judge Dredd relaxing at home, reading Crime and Punishment, naturally (Judge Dredd, a  Dostoevsky fan. I would have never guessed) before Walter leaves for the evening with Dredd secretly following him. In a flashback we see Walter presenting gifts to Dredd, firstly a horrid pair of pyjamas, and then a week later some equally hideous socks. Dredd is determined to find out where Walter is getting his money from and we find out soon enough as Walter pulls out in a car, only for Dredd to call him to a halt. Walter has been moonlighting as a taxi driver, but there is no time to immediately resolve this as an emergency call comes across the airwaves.  With a taxi driver taken hostage, it is time for Dredd to do what Dredd does best, and soon enough he's kicking ass and taking names. With justice duly dispensed, his thoughts return to Walter who is suitably admonished. In the final scene, we have Dredd wondering who could have hired Walter for such a job, and we find that the human that has hired Walter has a similar speaking impediment, leaving Dredd to look at us and muse "ask a silly question" This isn't the futuristic dystopian future we have become accustomed to, and the story is considerably lighter than previous issues. In this case, that's a good thing and this story shines all the brighter for its grim past. I smiled my way through every single panel, and even as it ended on a high I was still disappointed that it ended. Superb stuff, this is highly recommended. 

Rating 8/10

Best Line "Can I take you somewhere, buddy..Oh, cwipes! Judge Dwedd!"

Shako feels much shorter this week, and it is shorter with four pages to tell its tale. The first page is dedicated to Shako fighting a large Walrus, a battle that he wins as he drags it out of the water before the story settles into the usual man verse beast. Falmuth is again on his trail, this time supported by the ambitious Dobie. Finding Shako's dead walrus, Falmuth persuades Dobie to hide in its carcass, a fatal mistake as Shako arrives on the scene and promptly kills him. This wraps up the story with Falmuth satisfied that his opponent has been killed off and an injured Shako in his future. This is a clean-cut story, there are no diversions and everything we are presented with on the first page and a half are dealt with by the end of the story. I appreciate that Shako eating people is put in the background for this issue. Sure, he kills one man, but apart from that, it's all just the dead walrus and Falmuths machinations that drive the story. It's not quite as good as the previous Judge Dredd, but it's close enough and this issue of 2000AD is off to a very strong start indeed. 

Rating 7.5/10

Best Line  "Falmuth knows what kind of killer Shako is. Did he leave Dobie behind because Dobie wanted his job? Is Falmuth that evil?"

It's a pirate story for this week's Dan Dare. After receiving a distress signal, Dare finds a large freighter has been robbed by pirates. Returning the vessel to its home planet they find a fearful population. Thinking of a plan, Dan leaves the planet and not long after the pirates discover another large freighter. Expecting easy pickings, they approach, only for the ship to suddenly reveal its true nature, its Dares warship and they are ready for a fight. After fighting and defeating the pirates over a couple of pages, we end with the crew happy that they have finally found a friendly planet and Dare in possession of charts of other friendly planets. A simple enough story, there wasn't much here that I was drawn to. The pirates didn't come across as the most dangerous of villains and one always felt that Dan Dare had it under control. Likewise, the reward of charts of other friendly planets failed to excite me, and my overall impression was that this story stayed firmly in the middle of the road. Nice to look at, but no real memory of it lingered once I put the comic down.  

Rating 5.5/10

Best Line "Wha..? She ain't a freighter! She's a warship!"

There's nothing like an alien invasion to bring out the worst in people, and that's certainly the case in MACH 1 as the residents of Pine City turn on each other in the face of the U.F.O. attack. John Probe is preoccupied with the two aliens attacking him in the police car, and the plight of Pine City plays out without his intervention. Managing to beat off the two aliens, he is unable to prevent the UFOs from flooding Pine city and killing all its inhabitants. It is a nice parallel to the Bible story of the great flood as the sinful citizens meet their end in the water, with John Probe himself narrowly avoiding the flood and making his way to safety. As with any good comic/movie/TV show, the government cover it all up, feeding propaganda to the media that the flood was a natural cause while knowing all along of the existence of UFOs. It ticks all the boxes for a later 70s UFO story, but that doesn't lessen my enjoyment of it at all, in fact, I like it even more as a period piece. I am pleased that the story finishes here, four issues feel about right for this plot, and everything that needs to be addressed has been done so throughout the story. This is the issue where we finally saw John Probe put his special abilities to good use, and it was well balanced seeing that even he with his abilities couldn't prevent disaster, or even the larger government cover-up. I perhaps enjoyed this even more for having grown up in the X-files era and the continual conspiracy theories that are dialled up on social media. A well-told story and this final episode was the best. 

Rating 8/10

Best Line "Mach Men don't run! I'm going to settle this for once and for all!"

Sad to say, I predicted the outcome of the second part of Tharg's Future Shocks after reading last week's issue. The story for Excursion was well laid out, two bloodthirsty time-travelling tourists decide to witness the witch hunts in England. After using the tractor beam to scare the locals, they find themselves suddenly trapped due to a power failure, and they are burnt at the stake. Highly satisfying, but also what I expected after thinking about last week's issue. It is short (as they all are, it's all in the title!) and as such, there is no time for me to harbour any ill thoughts towards it. A short, sharp shock, once again this is the perfect exclamation point on this week's issue. 

Rating 7/10

Best line "Hear their screams-it is the devil's spirit howling!"

Prog 33 final ratings:

Overall: 7/10

Best Story: Judge Dredd

Best Line: "Hooway! He's awwested them all! Judge Dwedd always gets his man!"

Best Panel: