Prog 53

The Visible Man is gone but we have an old friend returning this week - MACH 1. After a short break he has returned better than ever, and the first page is one that immediately sold me on the story. The rest of this week's comic is packed with other thrilling stories, and the comic is living up to the hype as we enter the second year of publication. 

Prog 53

25th February 1978

Dan Dare is on the run on his own ship and trying to outwit his doppelganger. Watching the monitors, Dare can see that the alien Dare has got his face, his voice, his memories, and now his ship. 

Dan Dare doesn't get too long to ponder this, a crew member entering the room recognises that there can't be two Dares and assumes Dan is the alien. 

On the run again, Dan evades capture and smashes his way into the bridge. There he takes Pilot Polanski hostage while the alien Dare commands the other crew to shoot him. The alien loses his upper hand at this point, as Dan points out that the alien has a gun but never uses it. 

This is because, like the alien Dare, the gun is merely a copy, a perfect copy to be sure, but it is not the real thing. With this revelation the story comes to a quick conclusion as Dan Dare pulls Polanski's gun and shoots the alien dead, leaving a pile of stinking rotten vegetables. 

It seems the alien is plant-based, but we are about to learn a whole lot more about it as the ship approaches the planet that the alien had set course for, but that can wait until next week. 

This was a fast-moving episode, and I was secretly pleased to see this alien swiftly dealt with. There is some intrigue though about its origin, and the appearance of this new planet bodes well for the forthcoming issues. The alien was an interesting concept and there is still a story to be told here, I for one look forward to seeing what happens next. Another solid issue, it just tops what we had last week and still leaves space for more to come. 

Rating: 7.5/10

Best line: "Look out! Rogue cargo-buggy!" 

John Probe is back! Yeah baby, I sure am glad to see the return of MACH 1. It finished on a high, and the start of this week's issue picks up later in the story, with a stylish and intriguing opening page. 

Hard times have befallen John Probe, and we are introduced to him in a rundown nightclub in New York, passed out at the bar. Two sharp-dressed men pull him to his feet, intent on returning him to their employer, Mr Sharpe. 

John Probe is never one to come quietly, and although his hyperpower is waning he makes a good account of himself as he fights his way out of the club. In the shadows he meets his match, as an unseen assailant clubs him over the head.

We jump to England where he is brought before Mr Sharpe. John Probe is in poor condition, and Sharpe bullies him before ordering him to clean up. After a hot shower and a shave, Probe has his hyperpower restored before we end the issue with Sharpe informing him that he is now ready for his next mission of the dolphin tapes. 

I don't know what the dolphin tapes are, but I sure do want to find out. I didn't know I needed MACH 1 in my life, but I was hooked from the first panel to the last. I have had a little experience myself with dirty dive bars, and the opening scene with Probe drinking himself to death in a dive was evocative and just the hook we needed. To see a powerful man reduced to this, the only way he can go is up in the future issues, and this story should be a good vehicle for his resurrection. Next week the dolphin tapes should see him reintroduced to the world, and that promises to be another great issue. 

Rating: 8/10

Best line: "So listen to this! I was responsible for giving you hyper-powers, and making you what you are. I don't just employ you. I own you!" 

I greatly enjoyed the first part of the Colony Earth story last week, and it continues to build momentum through this week's issue. 

Commander Hunter is still investigating the disappearance of the nuclear submarine, The Drake. He finds it, and much more, in the opening panels as it is discovered in the middle of a South American village, three miles from the sea. 

With the crew of the sub and all the villagers dead and some mysterious footprints in solid rock, Hunter isn't taking any chances and calls in some helicopter gunships to back him up. 

It is just as well that he does, for as they approach the ruins of a 10,000-year-old civilisation, one that used the same markings they found on the capsule, they run into a large mechanical monster. 

Hunter orders his choppers to attack, but they never get a chance as they are shot out of the sky by twin fire bolts from the being. 

All Hunter and the professor can do is hide behind a rocky outcrop, where they witness an even more unbelievable scene. A spacecraft approaches at great speed, before suddenly stopping dead above the robot. The professor stammers that perhaps it has come to take the robot home, but that's a story for another time, namely next week. 

I liked this story last week, and this week I loved it. A lot is happening and the story is moving fast. It is wonderfully drawn by Jim Watson, who seems to specialise in helicopters, explosions, and pained expressions. The story is yet to fully bloom, but I am already deeply in love with the artwork, and that is more than enough for me at this stage. I can't wait to see what happens when this story fully develops. 

Rating: 8/10

Best line: "Commander Hunter - we've found the sub, Sir! But you're not going to believe this..."

Last month in Future Shocks we saw a story of killer cars, and here we have a similar story played out on a much wider scale in Judge Dredd.

Dave Paton has saved for ten years for his car, and chosen one with the personality of a boy, named Elvis, making Dave a father figure to the car. 

Tinkering under the bonnet, Dave drops a spanner which damages the personality of Elvis the car. Elvis seeks retribution by taking Dave for a wild ride before eventually killing him. 

With this taste of freedom, Elvis goes on a killing rampage, cutting a bloody swathe through Luna-city. This brings him to the attention of the judges who decide to tackle him en masse.  

Seeking security in numbers Elvis makes some adjustments to the other cars in the parking tower, giving him a small car army to fight off the Judges. This week's story ends with a pack of killer cars descending on the helpless Judges.

Although we saw this idea a few weeks ago, it has much more room to breathe in Judge Dredd, with the deadly consequences given time to play out. This adds to the horror of the situation and gives the story some weight. Judge Dredd has many panels of this story yet the story belongs to the exploits of the car called Elvis. This imbalance will be addressed next week, but I was happy to see the villain of the piece given time to build into a worthy foe of the judges. I don't think this story will get too many more issues, but it looks great here, and with the idea fleshed out I am happy with everything we have here. 

Rating: 8/10

Best line: "Mount up, you men. We're going after that rogue car - and we shoot on sight!" 

We are introduced to Bob McKinnon in the first panels of Future Shocks, a Hollywood actor, and a strong believer of horoscopes. We learn this in the very first panel as he turns down a studio dinner because his horoscope advised him to stay in. 

The next day he reads in the paper about a computer that can predict the future and decides he must use it. The computer scientist he meets at the lab explains that the paper has oversold the accuracy of the computer's predictions, and although it can predict the future, not everything will occur in exactly the same way. 

McKinnon is undeterred and allows sensors to be placed on his skull while he watches his future unfold on the screen in front of him. He doesn't like what he sees as the computer shows him crossing New York's Fifth Ave, only to be run down by a speeding car. After this, the screen goes blank with only the message that the following was too disturbing to show. 

McKinnon makes an immediate decision, he needs to leave the country as soon as he can. He makes calls from his phone as he drives to the airport, and soon is on his way to Britain. 

Upon arrival, he is taken to a film studio where he is offered a part. As he walks around the studio a lighting rig topples. Acting instinctively, McKinnon leaps out of the way, but directly into the path of a car driven by a stunt driver. 

Lying bleeding on the ground, he says it happened just as the computer foresaw, although is far from New York. It is then that he takes in the set around him - he is on the studio version of Fifth Ave. 

It was a shock, but only a slight one this week. The story never quite engaged me, and the final twist wasn't enough to make it all worthwhile. I liked the idea of it but it didn't translate well to the page and overall I found the thought of it was better than the story of it. Nicely put together, but not strong enough for me to rate it highly.

Rating: 5/10

Best line: "I happen to believe that people can predict the future, and so, if my horoscope says 'stay in' - then I stay in!" 

Louis has reassembled the android Pearly, and she is quite a sight to behold as we kick off this week's Inferno. Giant is horrified by the sight of her and so am I, with her open mouth and wires hanging out. 

Louis is nonplussed, he has merely reassembled her so he could measure her relay patterns, something he does with the aid of a converter cap he places on her head. This cap projects images from her memory cells and in the next few panels we see a little of her history. 

A technician is part of these memories, and Giant notices a certificate on the wall behind him. Zooming in they find the technician's name is A.D. Kalmann. This nugget is short-lived, the process is too much for the android and Perarly's head once again explodes into a grotesque death mask. 

This clue is put to one side as we return to the sports side of the comic. The Hellcats are still patching up their team, and are currently in the process of training Moody Bloo's cousin, Marvin. Marvin shows promise but is still rough around the edges. However, with little choice, the Hellcats give him the nod to play in the next game against the Long Island Sharks. 

The Sharks live up to their name, with a massive stadium shaped like a shark with its jaws open. There is little time to soak this in, however, for as the team discusses the prize for today's competition, a new Roadliner vehicle, their current vehicle suffers a blowout and leaves them facing a crash into the sea.

I found I enjoyed the first half of this story much more than the second half. The rebuilt Pearly looked fantastic, enough of her human look apparent through the twisted wreckage of the android to give me a sense of sympathy. Finding the clue moved the story along another step, and I'm almost frustrated by the appearance of another game before we get back to the big picture. If the game is good, then the story will remain overall strong, but if it's weak, then it's up to Louis's detective work to hold my interest. Time will tell. 

Rating: 7/10

Best line: "Weeowww! Look at that firebowl...l-like it's waitin' to swallow us!" 

Prog 53 final ratings:

Overall: 7.5/10

Best Story: MACH 1

Best Line: "This is the guy Sharpe wants...John Probe!"   

Best Panel: