Prog 45

 We are close to 1978, but not quite there with this issue from New Year's Eve 1977. The future is almost upon us, and this issue contains several visions of the future which we have now seen with our own eyes. We still don't have Judge Dredd on the streets dispensing justice, but the driverless cars of Future Shocks are with us, and a reader's drawing of the watch of the future is pretty close to another handheld device we all carry. So, let us turn the page and have a look at the future as imagined in late 1977.    

Prog 45

31st December 1977

It's been some time since we saw someone suffering from future shock on the pages of Judge Dredd, but as Dredd sees the calendar turn over to 2100, we have our first Futsie case of the century occurring on the moon. 

Overworked Arthur Goodsworthy has until midnight to complete his paperwork in the office, or faces having his contract terminated and quite possibly his life. After a marathon session at his desk, Arthur completes his work with seconds to spare, only to have it all undone by some overzealous revellers. 

He snaps, and after clubbing a couple of his co-workers, he takes to the streets for mindless vandalism. It is now that Dredd enters the story, and after being approached by Arthur's son, he takes matters into his own hands. 

Displaying some empathy, he takes Arthur into custody and then sees off two of Mr Moonie's thugs who arrive to derive retribution from poor Arthur. Justice dispensed, and the right people dealt with, Dredd's final panel has him thinking that its time to deal with Mr Moonie himself.

The artwork in this issue was top shelf, and it was amply matched by the storyline which held my attention throughout. It's always satisfying to see recurring topics appear on these pages and the reappearance of future shock strengthens the back story no end. I also appreciated the humanity displayed by Dredd. He may be an ass-kicking tough guy, but his response to Arthur and his mental health was commendable. Last week's issue was flat, but this time out more than made up for it. The little touches were great, and I was delighted to see "Buzz Aldrin St" on the page. 

This is one story that has aged well, and with the promise of a showdown against Mr Moonie next week, it continues to deliver. 

Rating: 8/10

Best line: "I guess it's no good asking you to come quietly!"

The first four pages of Invasion are dedicated to a bank raid by Savage and co and are little more than an excuse for a series of clever puns and explosions. It is all very entertaining, but the story starts properly after this as we return to the Volgan perspective.

In the Volgan Security Headquarters, the Marshal is unhappy with Colonal Kasov, head of security. Kasov reports that Rosa Volgaska, the former colonial we met some time ago who wrestled with Nessie, is still in the dungeon but wishes to speak with the Marshal. 

Brought before the Marshal, Volgaska bends his ear to a plan she has thought up while being held in the dungeon. The Marshal is enthused by the plan, and Volgaska demonstrates her intent as she chokes Kasov with her bare hands. 

With Kasov dead, she regains her place as Colonial, and in the final panel promises to finish the resistance once and for all. 

The first half of this story was exhilarating, yet shallow when it came to the actual plot. The Volgans were mere pawns in the bank raid, cannon fodder, as Savage flexed his wit. I was most entertained, but quickly forgot it when we returned to the nitty gritty of the story in the back end of the strip. The appearance of Rosa Volgaska was well-timed, and although I don't like her as a person, she is a great character and should prove to be a good foil to Savage and his team. She is far more dangerous than we have previously seen, and the panels as she chokes Kasov give us a good indication of just how driven and deadly she is. The scene is set for a showdown, and a character like Volgaska will bring the very best out of Savage.

Rating: 8.5/10

Best line: "Too slow, Volgs! How's this for the worst traffic violation ever?" 

The last issue of Dan Dare ended with his ship being tricked into making a hyperspace jump back to the planet Grawl. That plays out on the colour pages of this week's issue as they come out of their Hyperspace jump and straight into the trap laid by the Dark Lord, they have jumped directly in the path of his secret weapon and soon enough everyone on the ship is under control of the Dark Lord and Starslater empire. 

On the planet's surface, Dare is unaware of this, and he and the Grawl slaves are still protected behind their visors. However, as the secret weapon fades, they remove their helmets, and Dare calls his ship to come in and land. 

That it does, but it begins to open fire on Dare and his new army. Accessing the ship through a secret hatch, Dare is confronted by his own men, and he realises that they are under the control of the Starslayers. He puts up a fight but is captured, and the ship takes off for the Starlsalyers planet. It is here that we leave the story this week, with Dare's ship being ordered to slow down before they come down to their deaths. 

I have mixed feelings about this week's episode. I enjoyed it, but it never got under my skin like some of the previous issues. The colour pages were a joy, even if not much happened on them, and even once we switched to black and white the art continued to be a highlight. The story is fine enough, and I am beginning to think it's just me. If I could sit down with the story now, I would give it the classic 'it's not you, it's me' speech. I'm just not ready for this plot and don't want to settle down with it. Nor do I want a whirlwind romance. I just want to spend some time with it and get to know it better. That may take a few weeks, so I'm going to take some hours, and perhaps re-read this a few more times before next week. 

Rating: 6/10

Best line: "It...it's the Slayer's secret weapon! We...we been suckered..! Turn and.." 

This week's Future Shocks is set in the present (1977) and is about driverless cars - a subject that doesn't seem quite so futuristic from 2023. 

It does feel very much like a 1977 story, as in the first panel we see a Morris Panda car. The story that follows isn't quite so quaint as the policeman comes across a terrified man. 

The man relates his story, he had been recruited to build a fully automated computerised car. With a small team, they built the car easily enough, but on its maiden drive, the car electrocuted the driver and then attempted to run down the others that worked on the car. Yes, the car is alive and trying to kill people. 

The police officer returns to his car, only to find that the rogue car is communicating with his vehicle via the police radio, and within seconds he has been murdered by his own car. 

The story ends with the engineer being killed by the Ferrari he helped build before the Ferrari and Morris drive off together to go find more humans to kill. 

This wasn't a short sharp shock and ran for several pages. While I enjoyed the concept, we are now in a world of driverless cars and the premise doesn't seem as scary as it may have been thirty-five years ago. However, the story was well told, and with the artwork, it remained a compelling read. In 1977 I would have rated it extremely high, and even in 2023 there is plenty to enjoy here.

Rating: 7/10

Best line: "C,mon, Sweetie - let's go find some more humans!"

We have a hunter vs hunted storyline in this week's Mach-1, as Sharpe of the secret service hunts down Mach zero, Mach-1's out-of-control predecessor. 

Sharpe is making for Mach zero's house, convinced that he will try and return there. He is confronted by Mach-1, and Sharpe gives him fifteen minutes to speak with Mach zero and make peace. 

It does not go well, and Mach zero and Mach-1 fight, with all their super strength on full display. The fight is unresolved, but Sharpe can no longer wait and orders his men to shoot to kill. 

I had been looking forward to the confrontation between the two hyper men, but I found myself underwhelmed when it eventuated. There was less talking than I expected, and although I knew there would be a fight, it was not as intense as I expected. Elsewhere, the story is progressing nicely, and we had another Frankenstein call back as Mach zero saw his reflection in the water. The angle with Sharpe still hasn't been fully played out, and I have every hope that this story will improve rapidly in the coming weeks. 

Rating: 7/10

Best line: "no! Zero show you what trust means! Trust means killing and now Zero kill you!"

We are in the midst of a real detective story here in Inferno, and last week's clue of a ticket from the Crystal Maze casino leads the hellcats to that very casino. It is quite a sight and its weirdly wonderful geometry dominates the first page of the story. Zack sums it up best with his "Wow! Freakin' far out, man!" comment.

In their hunt for clues they meet the manager Cullen, but when shown a photo of Charlie Vance (who left the clue of the gambling chip), he claims to have never seen him before. But by chance, they are offered a photo of their visit by the casino photographer, and taking their chance they ask if he has photos of all the visitors to the casino in the last few weeks.

He does, and sure enough, they find a photo of Vance meeting the very same Cullen who claims to have never seen him before

We don't get long to digest this information, Moody Bloo is just about to make trouble with a game of indoor inferno in the casino. He destroys the game, accidentally of course, but this escalates as he also destroys a droid bouncer sent to escort him out. 

In the confusion and smoke, Cullen makes a break for it. The Hellcats pursue him, but find themselves in a hologram meteor show. It's dramatic but ultimately harmless, that is until we see an unknown hand about to switch it from hologram to the real thing.

I loved the detective aspect of this story, and it worked well throughout the strip. It was more Scooby Doo than Sherlock Holmes, especially in the final pages, but overall I was hooked on every word and every panel. This is not what I expected from Inferno, and I am enjoying it far more than the sports action of previous weeks. If we can continue this for the next couple of months I will be a very happy man indeed. 

Rating: 8.5/10

Best line: "So either Cullen forgot that he spoke to Vance...or he was lying when he said he'd never seen him before" 

Prog 45 final ratings:

Overall: 8/10

Best Story: Inferno

Best Line: "Wow! Freakin' far out, man!"

Best Panel:

Bonus:

Prog 44

 It feels like a long week, and picking up this Prog feels like a relief. It has only been seven days since I read the last one, but I'm struggling to recall what happened. No doubt it will come back to me in a flash once I start reading, but for now, I'm starting from zero.    

Prog 44

24 December 1977

This week's Judge Dredd is very much a story of two halves. The drama lies in the first half, and the second is merely a humour-heavy Christmas message. 

There is humour in the first half to be sure, the opening panel we see Walter still on the moon and shopping for presents as the artificial snow falls. With a song on his lips (and lisp), and gifts in his arms, we are instantly dropped into the Christmas mood. 

But this isn't the season to be jolly, as Walter finds out soon enough as he is kidnapped by Geek Gorgon. With Walter his captive, Geek Gorgon is seeking vengeance upon Dredd.

Dredd is a man of action, and although Geek Gorgon is armed with his favourite weapon, a chopper that looks like an oversized meat cleaver, Dredd is determined to get Walter back. 

We don't have long to wait, as just over the page Dredd smashes through the side entrance of Gorgon's hideout. Gorgon retains the upper hand, with Walter being wired with explosives, but as he attempts to chop Dredd's head he finds Dredd has taken precautions, a length of flexisteel wrapped around his neck for protection. From here, victory belongs to Dredd.

The story then runs for two extra pages, as Walter gives his gifts to Dredd. There is laughs a plenty with some of the items he has given as gifts, and this part of the story is much lighter than the first half. Walter is disappointed to find that Dredd hasn't got him a gift, but Dredd is playing it cool, and as the story ends he delivers his gift to Walter, a tap dispenser - just what any self-respecting robot needs. 

This feels like a Christmas story shoe-horned in, yet I can't help but enjoy the humour in it. The opening scene played well to my sense of humour, and the series of gifts that Walter gives at the end is the visual equivalent of a Dad joke. I could ask for a more dangerous villain, or perhaps more action, but this is a Christmas story in the Christmas issue, and as such, it did it's job. Not an ordinary story, but then again Christmas isn't an ordinary day. 

Rating: 6/10

Best line: "A new dwink dispenser tao! You were just teasing Walter. Walter is so happy! He will scwew it in now"

We are still travelling with the circus for Invasion, although it looks like our days are numbered at this location. 

The story starts sedately as we are once again introduced to Bill Savage and his band of men, but things warm up as the circus owner turns collaborator and reveals Savage's location to the Volgans.

With the circus stormed by Volgan, Savage is split from his men and finds his way to the big top. This leads to the set-piece action scene as Savage fights the Volgans from the trapeze. He puts up a good fight, but the circus owner proves adept with a whip, and captures Savage with a lash around the neck.

A truck exploding through the side of the tent is the most eye-catching panel of the comic and drives us to the conclusion of the story as it is driven by Savage's colleagues. Rescued, they drive the truck hard away from the circus, smashing through the supports of the big top as they plough their way out leaving the Volgans fumbling in their wake. 

We have seen several stories of collaborators and traitors in the first 40 Progs, so the idea isn't new in this issue of Invasion. However, the setting provided a point of difference, with both Savage and the villain using the surroundings and providing an entertaining take. The best panel of the strip though was undoubtedly when big Nessie ploughed her truck into the tent. Explosive and dramatic, it is hard for me to move past this image, and after I finished the story, it was this part of the tale that stayed with me. 

Rating: 6.5/10

Best line: "Ain't *gasp* that nice - ye're bringin' a lump to me throat"

Dan Dare is still alone on the planet Grawl, while his space fortress hides in another part of the Starslayer empire. With the Grawl slaves taking up arms against their overlords, it seems Dare has swung the advantage in his favour with a new army at his command.

However, the Dark Lord of the Starslayers still has a few tricks up his sleeve and sends his secret weapon towards the planet. As it shimmers in the sky, weakening all those that look at it, Dare and the Grawls don protective helmets with face visors, protecting themselves from this strange light. 

Dare's space fortress contacts him, and he asks that they remain far away. With the Starslayers jamming the transmission, this message is lost, and copying Dare's voice pattern, they transmit their own version of the message, telling the pilot that the ship is required as soon as possible and to use a hyper-space jump to approach Grawl. 

Still plenty to play for, as they say, and the story could go anywhere from here. The first page was a highlight, with Dare fighting should to should with the Grawl slaves, all in glorious colour, while the real wrinkle in the story came in the later pages as the plot deepened. I was a fan of both parts of the story, and I can see the story continuing to unfold panel after panel. With the story still expanding, I am well and truly along for the ride, and even if this wasn't the best Dan Dare story I have read, it had enough steel to it to make me wish there was more. 

Rating: 7/10

Best line: "I have pulled it off pilot..we've got a bunch o'guys on our side that make Bear look like a nine-stone tweaking!" 

Last week's MACH-1 story put me in mind of Frankenstein, and that thought is reinforced this week as we move further down that path. With Mach Zero on the loose, he only has two things on his mind, kill Sharpe, and find his son. 

It's not his son he finds though, but rather just a nearby boy who is in need of help. Saving him from some local bullies, he returns the boy to his mother, but the mother assumes that Mach Zero has done some harm, and he is cast out. 

The rest of the story is dedicated to the rage of Mach Zero as he fights off the military in their attempt to recapture him. 

There is no Mach 1 in this episode, marking it out of the ordinary. The Mach Zero story is strong thus far, and one senses that it will be even stronger once the two face each other. This story did a good job of building the humanity of Mach Zero, something we weren't privy to in the last episode. At first, I found it jarring to have the information that he has a son dropped on us in the first panel, but the rest of the story builds nicely upon this, and by the end, it felt as if the balance had been restored. I could quibble that the story is a little derivative, drawing from both Frankenstein and the Incredible Hulk, but it is a universal story, and one that works well in this context and is well told. 

Rating: 7.5/10

Best line: "Boy being hurt, mother - Zero save him!"

Inferno is dominated by the game we saw last week. Starting from a point of chaos, the Hellcats improve as the game progresses, and by the time the game wraps up, they are displaying good teamwork, inspired by the teamwork of Giant and the former Harlem Heroes. 

The overarching plot appears in the final panels as they speak of clearing themselves from the match-fixing scandal. Junk hands Giant a clue he found in Vance's office before that fateful last game, a gambling chip from The Crystal maze, and as they look upon it we close out this week's issue. 

Not a lot to say about this week's issue. It focussed solely on the game, and the game itself was all about team unity being built as the game went along. I was pleased to see the return to the larger story appear in the final panels, although it has been several weeks now and I had almost forgotten about it. An entertaining story in terms of visuals and the game, but apart from that not a lot here for the lovers of a good story. 

Rating: 5.5/10

Best line: "No way, Cash! I never took orders from punky kids when I was a lawman, and I ain't startin' now!"

 

 Prog 44 final ratings:

Overall: 6.5/10

Best Story: Mach-1

Best Line: "Take the strength of fifty men- mix it with enough hate for a hundred-that'll give you the man called - Mach Zero!"

Best Panel:

   

Prog 43

 No Future Shocks in this week's 2000AD. Instead, a couple of stories have extra room to fill out their plot. It's no bad thing, and overall this is a very strong issue. It's always good to see these stories with a little extra meat on their bones, and there is plenty to digest in the coming pages.   

Prog 43

17 December 1977

Judge Dredd on the moon reveals itself as an old-fashioned western in this week's 2000AD. After cheating death twice last week on the moon, the story settles down this week and places Judge Dredd firmly in a setting that could be anywhere in the wild west. The title says it all - "Showdown on Luna-1"

Dredd is quickly sworn in as a marshall, before taking a stroll around town to get his bearings. With some gun-toting ranch hands heading for the local saloon, Dredd senses trouble and quickly follows. 

What we get next is a series of movie tropes, and anyone who has seen a western in the last sixty years would be familiar with the following scenes. 

Dredd takes on the troublemakers in the saloon, coming out on top, before taking to the street where he faces a showdown. Quick drawing against a robo-slinger, Dredd is the underdog, yet comes out on top with his years of training, and a moment of insight as he throws off his badge that the robot's homing darts are targeting. 

The final panels see Dredd musing upon who is behind all this, with all clues pointing to C.W. Moonie. 

What I have left out of the above is the killer humour that is liberally sprinkled throughout the story, and the cleverness of placing a western story on the moon. Every panel has a smart idea and little nod towards the genre it is stealing from, and I found myself reading this story three times to pick apart every nuance. It is no mere pastiche of the western genre, but rather a multi-level celebration of the genre. It doesn't quite feel like a Dredd story, but it is good at what it does and is most enjoyable from beginning to end. 

Rating: 7/10

Best line: "Come down and face me, you no-account earthie! I've ordered your grave on Gravity-boot Hill!

Silk and Savage are still hiding out at a small circus as we begin this week's edition of Invasion.  As the Volgans arrive they hide in the barrel of a howitzer, while Prince John is hidden under the table of Big Nessie, who is now disguised as a fortune teller. 

None of our heroes stays hidden for long, and as Prince John is discovered Savage and Silk break cover and open fire on the Volgans. It's a short battle and soon they are faced with the dilemma of what to do with the four prisoners they have taken. 

Luckily, Savage has a solution, and we end the story with the four Volgans placed in a cage with a Gorilla, unable to cry out for help lest they wake him and face his wrath. 

This story felt a lot shorter than the five pages assigned to it. Although not action-packed throughout, it moved at a steady pace, and the story was given time to marinate in its own juices. It wasn't complex or thrilling, but it did entertain me, and I applaud it for that. Not my favourite story this week, but another steady entry.

Rating: 6/10

Best line: "I-I see a tall dark stranger come into your life! He means ill for you and your men!"

While Judge Dredd drew inspiration from westerns of old, Dan Dare also takes from a story we have seen before, that of Gladiators rising up against their masters. 

Still pursued by the Star-slayers, Dare and his crew arrive at planet Grawl. After losing two good men at the last to planets, Dae takes the responsibility himself of travelling to the planet's surface. 

He arrives at a large stadium, where the enslaved people of the planet are fighting as gladiators. Dare is quick to see the potential of having them join his fight, and he inspires them by taking on the Starslayers himself. They are roused by the sight of Dare fighting, and we end the strip with the Grawls taking up arms against the Starslayers. 

This looks like it may be a one-sided fight - the Grawls are merely armed with swords, while the Star-slayers have all manner of modern weapons. Whatever the outcome, entertainment is guaranteed for the reader. This story is well set up for the next issues, and this week laid out what to expect. The gladiators look great, and there was a particularly good panel introducing them which gave us some idea of what to expect. Overall, a solid introduction, but next week will be when this idea fully develops. 

Rating: 7/10

Best line: "Watch, you tame freaks--watch a real fighter's death--taking on your real enemies...taking on the Star-slayers"

MACH 1 is jump-started with an attempted assassination at Buckingham Palace dropping John Probe straight into the action. With his unique abilities, he is able to see the sniper before he can go about his murderous ways, and quickly deals with him. 

This is a false start, and after reporting to Sharpe and complaining, Sharpe accidentally reveals that John Probe isn't the first MACH-man. 

From here on the story spins off in a completely different direction as John Probe disappears from the pages and we focus solely on Sharpe and this revelation. A visit from a new financial controller is a neat way to frame this backstory, and as he quizzes Sharpe on his expenses, Sharpe is forced to take him into his confidence and gives him a guided tour of a secret facility. It is here that we meet MACH Zero, an earlier iteration of MACH-1, with all the same powers. The only difference is MACH Zero has no control and is kept chained up in a vault far beneath the ground. 

MACH Zero is bitter about his treatment by Sharpe, and this rage after Sharpe visits leads to him breaking his bounds and going on a rampage on later pages. Smashing out of the vault, he seeks vengeance upon Sharpe. 

This coincides with the final panel of the story, John Probe once again appears in Sharpe's office, reading through his secret papers about MACH Zero, with the thought that perhaps he could help him. 

A much more involved story than we have seen previously, this is the plot line I have been waiting for as Sharpe's schemes come to the fore and Probe on a collision course. This is really a tale of Frankenstein's monster, and the reader can't help but be sympathetic to MACH Zero. He wasn't quite as scary as I would have wanted, but his power is amply demonstrated. If Probe can find him, their awesome power together should be something to behold, that is if Probe can convince him to join his side. I'm very pleased with all these backroom dealings, and the way the story was framed with the financial controller, and even if I'm still waiting for the payoff the storytelling delivered on all fronts this week. 

Rating: 7.5/10

Best line: "A lift five hundred feet underground? What have you got down there, Sharpe? King Kong? Hah, hah!"

 Chaos abounds in this week's episode of Inferno. From the first minute of their game against Shafer's Sickles they are up against it as the Sickles stop them from coming out of the pits with their motorcycles. 

The rest of the strip tells the same story, as the Harlem Hellcats take a beating on every page. Smashed into the dirt, miscommunication, and shooting each other on the field, all Giant can do is look upon it all in despair in the final panels. The Hellcats were promised an alley fight, and they certainly get that here with every panel featuring bone-crunching action.

Another strong issue for Inferno and we are finally getting to see these new characters in action. It is still messy, and the roles are yet to be clearly defined, but we can see that the story will work at untangling the current chaos over the next few weeks. This week is a sketch of what is to come, and while I didn't enjoy all of it, I do appreciate that the next few weeks could potentially be much better. A string end to this week's 2000AD, and much more to come in the next issue, 

Rating: 6.5/10

Best line: "No good little gutterhounds - the kind of filth I had to deal with when I was a lawman. I'll teach 'em to bend the rules...every last one of them!"

Prog 43 final ratings:

Overall: 7/10

Best Story: Mach-1

Best Line: "No, no - not the shotgun- it- it is Savage!" 

Best Panel: