Sometimes I feel as though Im tiring of some of these stories, and then we get an issue that brings it all right back to me. Inferno is an obvious example. Every time I begin to lose faith in it, it smacks me right between the eyes with an outstanding issue. Judge Dredd is a different case, it is consistently strong, although I was becoming bored with Luna-1 so this week's return to Earth is timely. Elsewhere, Future Shocks is a standout this week, and overall Prog 59 is a strong issue with a couple of stories standing out above all others.
Prog 59
8th April 1978
The alien creatures attacking Dan Dare's men are described as stomachs with teeth, a highly accurate description judging by the opening panel this time around.
They do have one vulnerability though, and Dare and his men find that once the creatures have eaten and their stomachs swell they are easy enough to kill with spears, obligingly popping like balloons.
The Zeebs have their own way of dealing with the problem and releasing a sonic shock from their tentacles is equally effective against the Snappers.
The Snappers are merely the first of Dare's problems, and over the page, we find that the Eagle is in danger of falling over a cliff edge. Some quick action, and a reappearance of the sea-slug vehicles that Dare used so effectively last week, see's Dare and his men drag the Eagle to safety with tow ropes.
Deciding on their plan of attack against the Slurrg-mother, Dare decides that the best weapon would be to reconfigure a blockbuster bomb into a sonic weapon. This decided the next problem is how to deliver such a weapon down twenty miles under the water.
The answer lies with the Zeebs who inject themselves with a special fluid to harden themselves at deep levels. It is tested and works on humans, and two days later Dare and crewmember Ley inject themselves in preparation for the mission. They are interrupted by an earthquake which seems innocuous enough, but as they dive deep with the weapon Ley's suit breaks up. The earthquake interrupted their injection and Ley didn't get the full dose required at such depths. Dare plunges on down, but is fearful that the same fate may befall him at any moment.
The Snappers on the first page looked great, and I was disappointed to find that they could be destroyed in such an easy manner. They could have been a thorn in the side of Dare throughout the strip, but after the first page, my mind never went back to them. The rest of the story was all plot, with the only other dramatic moment being on the final page. It would have been nice to have something else in between, but as it was, the two dramatic moments bookended the story nicely and made for a well-rounded issue. With next week potentially being explosive, there is much to look forward to, and even if this episode didn't live up to expectations I have high hopes going forward.
Rating: 6/10
Best line: "And now your crewmen have released them...the snappers will devour anything in their path!"
The first page of MACH 1 is a recap of what John Probe is capable of, and the fact that his energy will burn him out. It also touches on his conflict with his boss all in seven captions and just as many images.
Flying back to London, Probe comes to the realization that he can't remember anything before he got the hyper-power injections. He has little time to dwell on this thought, two suspicious characters are waiting for him as he lands. Ducking into the bathroom, Probe smashes his way through the wall and leaves the airport undetected.
Later in the London underground, he sees more of Sharpe's men, and this time escapes them using his hyper-power to be pulled along by the train, a stunt so dangerous we are warned not to try it for ourselves.
Probe heads for Somerset house to have a look at the records of birth and deaths, but he finds no sign of anyone with his name. The next stop is Sharpe's laboratory, but once there he finds it closed permanently and all the machinery damaged beyond repair.
Confronted by Sharpe, he is told that he has been replaced by MACH 2, a gigantic figure who we see in the final panel of the story.
Next week's conflict is highly anticipated, and I am interested to see how Probe will fare against an opponent with the same powers, but bigger. We have already seen him fight against the Russian Mach - Tanya, and a previous iteration of the Mach program just a few months ago. This is a different proposition altogether, and with Sharpe on hand, we could be looking at a potential final showdown between the two. I certainly hope so, and I am already fantasizing about what might happen next week.
Rating: 7/10
Best line: "Tanya was no longer of use to me. She was always no more than a pawn in a game - just as you are, Probe!"
With Astronaut Steel, Hunter has managed to get an alien saucer into the air and is ready to take on the alien station in orbit in this week's Colony Earth. But with the Ship 'Lion' under attack, Steel decides there is one last thing they need to do before their suicide mission - take on the aliens attacking the 'Lion'.
This rash decision leads to one alien craft being shot down before Steel and Hunter take a hit on their own saucer. With their craft damaged, they have lost the opportunity to make orbit but Steel is adamant they can still achieve their mission.
It is the professor who comes to the rescue, pointing out that they still have the buggy down in the hold, along with the robot and its weapon.
Donning spacesuits, the three men set off, with Hunter and the professor on the buggy and Steel towed behind. Things seem to be going well as they approach the orbiting alien ship, but Steel becomes snagged on a girder and the tow line is broken. We end with Steel floating towards the main viewing port where an Alien stands looking out.
I have been running hot and cold on this story, but this was a solid episode. Steel's gungho spirit almost foiled them as they took off, and his final accident once again put them at risk. There is a lot to like in the artwork, and there were moments when I didn't read and just digested the artwork on the page. I hope to see more of Jim Watson in this comic, perhaps not his writing, but definitely his artwork. All eyes now turn to next week and the next dramatic instalment. Anything could happen, and I expect the unexpected.
Rating: 8/10
Best line: "If you could spare us the time from your jokes, Hunter, please steer course 180..."
Judge Dredd is back on Earth, but it's not Judge Dredd as we know him. Crime is rife on the mean streets of Mega-city 1, and as Dredd informs us, there are 4000 crimes committed on this one-way street alone.
However, Dredd seems unconcerned by this crime and merely walks by the criminals with a quiet smile on his face. He does stop to tell them that armed robbery is illegal, but that is the limit of his interference.
Over the next few panels, we see this behaviour repeated several times, each time Dredd stays uninvolved. We come to the crux of the matter over the page as a rookie Judge pulls up beside Dredd, and hands him his reinstatement pages. This kicks Dredd into action and commandeering the rookie's bike he is off with the yell "Look out, you lawbreaking scum!"
The next page is a reversal of all that has come before as Judge Dredd takes it to the street kicking ass and taking names. It's dynamic, it's dramatic, and it's exactly what I want to see. It is, simply, Dredd at his best.
Walter gives us the explanation to wrap up the story, asking Dredd why he didn't act sooner. Dredd explains that he wasn't officially a judge again until he was sworn in and that it is illegal for an ordinary citizen to take the law into his own hands.
I didn't need the explanation, but I appreciated that they tied up the loose ends anyway. There was no supervillain behind this story, but seeing Judge Dredd kick and bash justice out to all those who broke the law was thrilling and awe-inspiring. Angry Dredd is my favourite kind of Dredd, and we certainly saw a lot of pent-up anger released on the final two pages. Meanwhile, it was also interesting to see the benevolent Dredd strolling the streets early on, and the contrast made the angry Dredd even more fearsome. It's great to see Dredd back on Earth, and I hope the writers have something meaty for him to sink his teeth into next week.
Rating: 8/10
Best line: "Judge Dredd's back in town!"
Tinned food is the mainstay of their diet, and it is up to a brave few to risk the surface in search of more food. With food scarce, it's man against man for the remaining tins that can be found.
We see one forager shoot another as they both have their eyes on the same tin. It seems an easy victory, but the shot man is merely playing possum as he fakes death. His revenge comes in the next panel as his opponent reaches for the can, a well-thrown knife ending it for the other.
Regaining his feet, he finds he has killed a beautiful young girl, but such is life under these kill-or-be-killed conditions. It is then that the story reaches the climax, for not only has he killed a beautiful young woman, but the tin that he has fought life or death for contains something worthless to him - Shell Oil.
A lovely twist and another excellent addition to the Future Shock's canon. It caught me twice, first with the young woman being killed, and then with the can being oil and not food. Clever stuff, and a plausible and enjoyable read. An ideal story for this format, it is one that I read twice as I enjoyed it so much, the greatest praise you can give any story.
Rating: 9/10
Best line: "Even the hardened forager is startled by the fact that he just killed a beautiful young girl. But she was just one more opponent fighting against him"
Things aren't looking great for the Hellcats in Inferno. They have discovered Kalmann, their only link with the gambling syndicate trying to wipe them out, but he's of no use to them with his brains frizzled with circuit solder-rods.
It's a gruesome discovery, and the team deduce from his body temperature that he died only a few minutes ago.
Things accelerate from here on in as outside the building the giant garbage robot we saw last week arrives. With Kalmann's killer controlling the robot there is no doubt in its intentions.
Emerging from the building, Giant is snatched up in its grasp, but an energy pulse sent from Louis's brain jams the signal and the robot drops Giant. It's the last part Louis will play in this battle as he collapses from his exertions.
The robot is once again fully functional and coming at the trio when Moody Bloo takes a hand. Picking up a chunk of masonry, he clubs hit with all his might, not at the robot but at the killer controlling the robot.
The killer dies instantly, but we still have a battle on our hands as Robot continues to come at them. The story ends on a high note as Regal Eegle suddenly appears and rides directly at the robot.
Plenty happening here and I like all of it. We had some fabulous art on the first page as we looked at the deceased Kalmann, and this made his gruesome death feel real on the page. Over the page and for the rest of the comic we had the battle against the robot. Each member of the three Hellcats fighting against it played a part, and I was reminded of the superhero teams of the 1960s that would fight monsters in a similar manner, Finally, we had Regal Eegle bravely riding towards the robot. I'm left with the cliffhanger on the page, but also the thought of his redemption for the cowardly behaviour we saw a couple of weeks ago, or is this a new twist and he's about to do something unexpected. Either way, I'll be here for it next week. The race to find the syndicate is heating up, and away from the actual games I'm finding I'm enjoying Inferno immensely.
Rating: 8/10
Best Line: "Moody, are you crazy? You'll never stop that thing with a chunk of masonry!"
Prog 59 final ratings:
Overall: 7.5/10
Best Story: Future Shocks
Best Line: "Look out, you lawbreaking scum!"
Best Panel:
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