Prog 65

Mach 1 is dead, long live Mach Zero! We may have said goodbye to John Probe last week, but his set of unique skills live on within the pages of 2000 AD with the resurrection of Mach Zero. A wilder version of Mach 1, there is plenty of scope for Mach Zero to wreak havoc in the coming months, and I can't wait to see it. I'm hoping that the writers will be able to inject a human element into the characters' motivations, and I'll be curious to see how they manage to do this across future issues and storylines. I'm tempted to jump straight to the story now, but let us start from the beginning and take in this week's Dan Dare story first. 

Prog 65

20th May 1978

Dan Dare and his men are facing a strange and deadly attack on an ice planet as icicles come at them from above like arrows. The problem is swiftly dealt with as their support team provides covering fire that melts the icicles. 

This isn't the only frozen challenge facing Dare. Staying away from the high ground, they travel west and are making good time when suddenly the ice beneath them begins to break up into pack ice. With heavy gear dragging them down into the freezing water, Dare loses more crew members, and by page end, there are only three of them left. 

Wise is still cracking jokes, but there is nothing funny about the final page as they arrive at a huge pyramid of ice. Floating toward it on their ice floe, the three men sail into a cave that leads beneath the pyramid. It is here that they hear an unseen voice telling them that it is good they are here and that the end is near.

And that is the end of this week's strip, with the three men clutching their laser pistols and waiting to see what will happen next. I am waiting equally expectantly, and this issue has built the tension beautifully for next week. Last week I was on the fence about this story, but there is no doubt about it this time- I like it a lot. Wise, the joke-cracking character, is worse than last week and yet that makes him all more interesting to me. I can't help but think of some of the guys I have worked with in the past who cracked bad jokes all day long, no matter how bad things got. Wise is the same, and instantly relatable. The story progressed at a good pace, and although nothing more was revealed we still moved forward. The art is still restrained for now and it is the story that has me on the hook. A good issue, and continuing to get better. 

Rating: 7.5/10

Best line: "Ahh! You are here, Aliens! This is good--in time for the end! It is very funny--yes, very funny!"

Richard Cory, the leader of the colonists, looked to have lost his life in his attempt to divert a river in the last issue of Death Planet. However, Mike Herschal proves himself to be a man of action, and while Commander Lorna Varn is unsure what to do, Herschal takes the plunge, literally, and jumps into the water to find Cory. 

He is successful and soon enough Cory and Herschal are laid out on the shore and recovering. Varn is beginning to feel frustrated that she has lost the leadership to Cory and decides it's time she shows some leadership qualities of her own. When some strange Kangaroo-type creatures appear she takes the lead and gets one to eat out of her hand. The next step is riding it, and it's here that things don't go so well. She is thrown off the creature and to add insult to injury Cory appears and takes control of the situation.

That is the final straw for Varn, and the strip closes out with her pulling her pistol on Cory and telling him the planet is only big enough for one leader. 

This story is finally reaching its full potential. I have waited since the first issue for the relationship between Varn and Cory to reach boiling point and the final two panels are everything I could have asked for.  Varn and Cory have been bouncing off each other for the last few weeks, and we have reached the breaking point. It's a dramatic part of the story, but the real work has been put in the previous weeks to make this climax what it is. We had a nice development of Varn throughout this week's story, and you could see the gentle escalation of her thought process that led to the final panels. All very commendable, and the story carried extra weight due to this care. This is the story I wanted, and it looks like I'm getting it. 

Rating: 8.5/10

Best line: "I've had all I can take of your insolence, Cory!" 

Inferno starts in explosive fashion as Artie Gruber, disguised as Dimples Devine, hurls the ball at Clay's head - with every intention of doing fatal damage. In fact, he throws it so hard that it becomes white-hot and burns anything it touches. 

Clay is saved by a surprising source when one of the Philadelphia Freaks pushes him out of harm's way just in time The threat isn't over, and the ball continues to ricochet around the arena.  Still white hot, the ball eventually smashes into Regel Eegle's bike, sending it out of control and into a crash that takes Eegle's life. 

Gruber confronts his teammate who saved Clay from tragedy, but the rest of the team is suspicious of Gruber and questions him on how he gained the ability to throw a ball hard enough to get it to white heat.

Gruber doesn't answer as at the moment he receives a message in his mind from Mr Chubb, telling him he should apologise to the Hellcats for the death of Eegle. 

This apology is well received, and the game continues. With the Hellcats a man down there is talk who might come on as a replacement. The decision is made for the team as Cindy Lamont steps forward. There is a moment when she is told to stick to cheerleading, but she quashes this when she speaks of Eegle and what he meant to her. Now she wants revenge, and there is little the Hellcats can do about it. 

So, Regel Eegle is dead. A shame, I felt he was a strong character who still had something to add to the storyline. Still, it did add gravitas to the story and added to the sense of peril that could befall any character.  Unlike Star Trek and its legion of redshirts that call fall at any time, Inferno has a stripped-back cast that carries very few characters that are expendable. The fact that one died here is significant. On a lighter note, I did notice that the opposing player who saved Clay was named Wagner. A nod to John Wagner perhaps? I couldn't say for certain, but I feel it must be. It was a counterbalance to the death and drama on the page, and it briefly snapped me out of the action. Like Death Planet, this is another storyline that is peaking at just the right time and although not quite as good as Death Planet it is not far off.  

Rating: 8/10

Best line: "...and we hear that the Harlem substitute is Cindy Lamont! A chick, no less!" 

We have a striking image to begin Judge Dredd - Mount Rushmore and its presidential faces watching over the landscape of the cursed earth. There is one vital difference to the attraction we know so well, there is an extra face on the mountain, one of a Mutie. Dredd takes heed of this and warns that they are now entering Mutie country. 

The Mutant city of Keystone is ahead, but Dredd plots a route over the mountain to avoid it. It's too late, he has already been seen by the Muties and they attack. 

Their weapon of choice is an LA-Saw mobile, a saw used by the 21st Century sculptors to create President Carter's face out of stone.  The saw is an effective weapon and it slashes through the roof of Dredd's vehicle. 

The killdozer avoids the first attack, but splits into two vehicles, with the road between the two wiped out by the saw. Dredd dispatches the threat with a well-placed shot, sending the saw crashing into Jimmy Carter's stony face and breaking several teeth.

While Dredd drives his vehicle over the top of the mountain, the other half of the killdozer has been taken prisoner by the Muties. There are calls from the crowd of Muties to destroy the cargo and execute the prisoners.

In timely fashion, Dredd appears over the hill and confronts the Muties. As Dredd threatens to further deface the statue of their leader, they have no choice but to release their prisoners. 

It all happened very easily and quickly, and over the page, we reach the final panel of the story. The Muties have let them go, but Spikes is concerned they are still out for vengeance. Dredd is adamant that while a judge is stern, her must also show mercy.

There was much to like in the story, although I did have a small problem with how quickly it wrapped up. I didn't know we were in the midst of the climax, and the heart of the story ended with the Mutie leader calling off his men, something we were told rather than shown. The old saying goes "Show, don't tell" and although we had been shown a great many things in the story, we never saw the conclusion. This is tempered by the final image which, in my opinion, is the best in the comic this week. The art is strong and attention-grabbing, and I forgot the weak ending of the previous page as we saw the final image of the strip. The cursed Earth hasn't yet delivered the great story I have been waiting for, but it has consistently given me joy in the artwork on the page. When the two finally sync up we will be onto something truly outstanding. Until then, I'll keep on reading and waiting.

Rating: 7/10

Best line: "He's no president, Spikes...that's the face of the mutant leader...from now on everyone is to be on doubly alert...this is Mutie country!"

We have a new thrill this week - MACH Zero. We have met MACH Zero before in the strip MACH 1. MACH Zero was MACH 1's predecessor, a man with tremendous physical strength but without the mental power to control it. 

We last saw MACH Zero being blasted by a Chieftain tank and sent to the watery depths of a deep river chasm. Surely no man could survive that, but here he is, full page in a display of his strength. 

Before we get to the story of MACH Zero, we must first get through the story of Cousin George. Cousin George is an American stuntman in London. His first stunt of falling from a blimp above Trafalgar Square before opening a parachute and landing safely draws a crowd of adoring fans. Bathed in glory and attention, this is just what Cousin George wants, and it is immediately clear what kind of self-centred egotistical man he is.

This is further emphasised in the following panels as he cooly fires his London manager, leaving the poor man distraught, before walking away with his new manager and promising stunt of the century. 

Not far away, MACH Zero surfaces from the Thames river after a journey of many miles. The tourists who first see him are frightened as he climbs onto their boat before quickly scaling a bridge and fleeing along the river bank. 

These two worlds collide shortly after, as MACH Zero sees Cousin Geogre about to be submerged in a capsule beneath the water for his next stunt. Thinking that Goerge's life is in danger, MACH Zero jumps back into the river, pulling the capsule to the surface and ripping through the steel to free George. 

Zero thinks he has saved George's life, but George is resentful. He is resentful that MACH Zero ruined his stunt, and he is resentful that MACH Zero got all his attention. He is filled with hate, and we finish the strip as George has revenge on his mind. 

I don't much care for George. Even as a villain he comes across as a bag of hot air, and I can't wait to see him get his just desserts. The strip mostly focused on setting him up and explaining his character, so we didn't get to see as much of MACH Zero as I would have liked. We do know about him from his appearances in Mach 1, but it would have been nice to have a little more detail and page time for him to fill out his charter. The strip has a good start, I do like that we had these strong characters rather than all action to begin with, and with this solid foundation, I expect the story to deliver a strong issue next week. 

Rating: 6.5/10

Best line: "Can't you see, stupid? -That thing upstaged me, and he's receiving the applause that should be mine!" 

Prog 65 final ratings:

Overall: 7.5/10

Best Story: Death Planet 

Best Line: "Sick; crazy mutants...they deserve pity, Spikes - not vengeance...a judge must be stern, but he must also show mercy...that is the face of justice!"   

Best Panel:

Prog 64

I can't believe we're here. The end of MACH 1.  I don't know if I'm excited to see it, or sad because this is the end. Still, it's forty-five years ago now, so what is written is written. Because I'm reading these week by week with fresh eyes, I sometimes have to remind myself that these weren't written yesterday, or even in the last ten years. Some stories are entirely representative of the time they were written, while others are set far in the future with ideas that still resonate today. At times MACH 1 has felt very much like a product of 1978, while at others it has fallen in with the thinking of current times. It's been quite a journey since I read the first issue, since then we've had both good and bad times, and it is with a heavy heart that I read the final pages today.     

Prog 64

13th May 1978

A third of this week's comic is dedicated to MACH 1 and the finale of The Final Encounter. When we last left the action, the alien saucers were on their way to rendezvous with their lost member. Unbeknownst to the pilots of these alien craft, it was all a carefully laid trap by Sharpe, and the landing field was surrounded by heavily armed soldiers. 

In the darkness, John Probe carries out a desperate plan to thwart Sharpe and his men. Showing his credentials to the guards holding the alien, John Probe enters the cell and tells the alien of the betrayal by Sharpe. Escorting the alien from his cell, Probe is stopped by one of the guards, but a swift punch keeps Probe and the action moving. 

They don't get cleanly away, and Probe is shot in the arm. It's not enough to stop him and he and the alien burst out of the facility just in time to see the spacecraft arrive. Now, we see the full extent of Probe's plan, for as the landing lights are turned on all the surrounding military forces are illuminated. 

With the troops revealed the saucers pull out of their dive and abort their landing. Probe is still trying to fashion an escape with the alien, although Sharpe is on the way and all forces opposing them have been activated. 

Probe is hurt two more times, once by a gunshot and once by a steel door closing down on him. Both reduce his hyperstrength, and he is getting weaker. Sharpe is unable to capitalise on this as he is accidentally shot by his own men, causing further frustration for Probe as his only chance of finding out who he really is is now gone. 

One UFO is still waiting to collect the alien, and Probe supports him across the tarmac towards it. A tractor beam is waiting for him, but before they make it they are set upon by soldiers wielding batons. Again Probe is hurt but is saved when the alien reveals a hidden skill. Shooting a beam from his eyes, he imbues the dog with an unearthly menace that frightens off the soldiers. 

The alien makes it to the tractor beam and looks like he might be safe when suddenly a marksman appears and takes aim. Probe puts his body on the line, and blocks the shot. It's a courageous act and a fatal one. Probe is killed with a single shot. 

With this, we return to where the story first began, an inquiry into the events. It is decided that John Probe is a hero and that Shapre had exceeded his orders. Accordingly, Probe is awarded posthumous decorations, although we still don't know about his past. It seems Shapre really was the only one who knew his history.

Phew, what a finish. A lot crammed in here - some might say too much. For a story we normally digest a little at a time, this felt like a big serving. I liked the action and the fact we got to marinade with the story. Even so, it still felt rushed and I would have liked to have seen this broken into a couple of issues. The sacrifice of Probe, and his relationship with the alien, could have been expanded and given more depth. Elsewhere, I couldn't help but think of the movie Close Encounters Of The Third Kind. Released on Christmas 1977, one can see its influence here in the ideas of the aliens making contact and landing. Again, I would have liked to see the entire landing and landing site built on further, and another issue would have helped create this world.  As for the demise of Probe, I for one shall miss him. I haven't always been a fan, but when it was good it was great. I can think of six or seven issues immediately that I gravitated towards, and what started as a six million-dollar man rip-off grew into its own personality, and became an important part of the 2000AD reading experience. We've had our ups and downs yet as we leave for the last time I have nothing but fond memories.

Rating: 8/10

Best line: "My people will remember this. Farewell, John Probe!" 

Onboard his space fortress, Dan Dare and his crew are still travelling through the part of the galaxy known as The Lost Worlds. 

We meet a new character on the first page of the story, Trooper Wise. Wise is the comedian of the ship and although he is fixing the scanner he still brings a smile to people's faces. 

There is no smile on Dan Dare's face, and he tells Wise to stop fooling around and to concentrate on his job. It is timely, for at that very moment the scanners pick up life forms on the frozen planet they have encountered.

Dare takes a small band of men, including Wise, and jumps to the surface in specially designed landing suits.  Dropping through a previously undetected blizzard, they have a rough landing on the surface and initially are unable to contact the fortress in orbit above them, They do have the linkman with them, with a high-power radio for communication, but he drops in a crevasse as soon as he is called for and our heroes are stuck with no way to communicate back to base. 

Things immediately go from bad to worse, as a series of icicles break off from nearby and fly at them like spears. One man is killed before the rest of them can take cover and access the situation. There is one more opportunity for a bad joke from Wise, before the strip ends with Dare weighing up on how bad the situation is.

I'm on the fence about this story. Having a new character, Wise, was a good addition to the team. Some may groan at his bad puns and Dad jokes but I for one quite liked them. More a reflection on me than on him. The choice of location was good, although I am bothered by the icicles that came flying at them. It raised a lot of questions, and as anyone who has read this blog before will know, I'm not known for my patience. There was one very welcome return to the strip this week as Dave Gibbons is back on art duty. He hasn't flexed his artist muscle just yet, and we await the inevitable large crisp panels in future. With a bit of luck, next week's issue will throw up some great panels for him to cut loose on, and I look forward to every moment of it.

Rating: 6.5/10

Best line: "I told a lotta bad jokes--but this is the frostiest reception I've ever had!"

It is all colour rat-infested action on the first pages of Judge Dredd as a rain of flying rats attacks the town of Deliverance. With the rats almost upon the young couple sentenced to death, Dredd is still pleading with Lawgiver to free them. 

It is a firm no from Lawgiver, but help is at hand for Dredd as Spikes Harvey Rotten approaches his jail cell on a quasar bike. Spikes hasn't abandoned Dredd as we thought, and smashes through the wall of the cell on his bike. 

With Dredd now free, he makes a dash to save the couple left at the mercy of the rats. Prisoners freed, it's back on the bikes for Spikes and Dredd and they leave the chaos behind them, including the lawgiver who is now being attacked by the rats. 

With their bike sirens on, they lead the rats away from the town, as Dredd explains it is the warning sirens that have been drawing the rats to the town. There are allusions to the Pied Piper of Hamlin as they lead the rats away, and Spikes tells Dredd he can't remember what the outcome of that was. Dredd can't either, but tells Spikes they'll lead them to the lava river.

At the lava river, the rats are swiftly dealt with. Spikes swerves his bike, throwing a lot of them in the fire, while Dredd has a little more trouble with his ones. He manages to burn most of them off, but the king rat stays with him. After a staredown, the rat lunges at Dredds neck, only for Dredd to grab it and choke it to death.

We end back at the Deliverance, where with the Lawmaker now dead the townsfolk promise some changes. Dredd is satisfied, and he and Spikes drive back to the landraider. It is here that Spikes shows Dredd why he was late in rescuing him - he had been looking around Deliverance and found some interesting items. These items are a genuine world war two grenade, and a Colt six-shooter. Spikes immediately hangs the grenade from his ear and ask Dredd if he thinks he looks like one of those twentieth-century punk rockers. Dredd tells him he looks wonderful, but warns that their adventure is only just beginning - they still have to face the Muties, the Whipper-snappers, and the Slay-riders. 

I was very pleased to see Spikes reference the twentieth-century punk rockers, something I commented on last week. It's an obvious cultural touchstone, but still one worth touching upon. This was a strong story, with some of the silliness stripped back, Unfortunately, some of the characters were also stripped back, and I didn't feel we really got to know the young couple at the centre of the drama. With limited pages available that is understandable, and everything else on the page was filled out nicely. The first colour pages were strong, and laid out the frenzied attack of the rats well, giving a sense of horror to an otherwise adventure story. Some great dialogue sprinkled throughout helped elevate it all, and this is a story that is greater than its sum of parts. Looks like there is plenty more to come, Dredd has named what awaits us, and once again the future looks grim for Dredd, but bright for the reader. 

Rating: 8/10

Best line: "What now, Judgey boy?"

Having survived the crash landing on the Death Planet, Richard Cory and Mike Herschal have now discovered water.  However, after drinking it both men become ill and they realise that it is poisoned. 

Richard Cory remembers eating grapes when he was sick as a kid, and acting quickly he grabs some of the berries that are hanging near the pool. The result is miraculous, and he instantly recovers and is able to save Herschal. It is then that he goes on to explain to Herschal that he saw the small creatures eating the berries before drinking the water and that was the clue he needed.

Reunited with the other surviving colonists and crew they lead them beyond the desert and into the forests and vegetation. It is here that Varn and Cory approach a large grazing animal. Cory is quick, and in a flash his knife is out and the survivors are able to eat. 

It looks like things are improving, but at night wild animals are attracted by the fire and are fought off by blazing torches. The only way to guarantee safety at night is to dig a moat around the camp. Varn is not convinced this will work, but by morning the moat has been dug and ready to fill with water. The last man in the trench is Cory and he is responsible for digging the last piece of the trench that will link it to water. 

With a rope tied around him to pull him to safety, he makes the final yards, and the water rushes in. It's a dramatic moment, and we finish with the rope unable to take the strain and Cory disappearing in the waters while Varn looks on. 

The story is enlarging and we are getting a few more twists on the classic survival tale. In the first issue it seemed as if Lorna Varn was going to be the hardest person in the story, yet since then Richard Cory has emerged as the toughest survivor. His interaction with Varn wasn't quite as good as the last couple of weeks, although there is still enough of a spark there to propel the story. The way they bounce off each other works well for introducing other plot points. The planet they are on is beginning to introduce more of itself, and every time we meet a different lifeform helps shape this world. We had a great hook to end with - if only we had a couple more strong characters I would be completely sold.

Rating: 8/10

Best line: "Mummy look at the funny animals!" 

We open the story of Inferno with a full page reminding us of who is in the team. The rest of the story will be equally dominated by large artwork, and it is all the better for it. 

Giant quickly lays out the story for us again. He's got bad vibes about the match, he's worried about the syndicate, and he's worried about the dream he had about Artie Gruber. But most of all, he's got nasty feelings about the Philidelphia Freaks.

At the game, Gruber is still disguised as Dimples and fits in easily with the Philidelphia Freaks. He does have a moment of rage when he first sees Giant, and it is now that we see the wider plot with Mr Chubb using a pain cell implanted in Gruber's brain to tame him. Gruber can hear Chubb's voice in his head, and Chubb tells him he must wait until he receives instruction before he does anything.  Not only that, Chubb has also implanted a bomb in Gruber's brain, and should it be triggered Gruber will be blown to bits, along with anyone who happens to be near him.

We don't have long to wait for the action. Soon after the match begins Gruber has the ball in hand and with Chubb's voice in his brain, he is about to throw the ball directly at Clay's face - hoping to kill him in what looks like an accident.

This is the best Inferno has been for some weeks, and I enjoyed every panel of it. It was great seeing larger panels employed throughout, and I felt this added a level of detail to capture the nuances of the characters and the game. The story started slow this week, the first couple of pages were laying out the plot and recapping some of the things that had happened in the last couple of weeks. It was done in an unobtrusive style and slowed the pace in a way that gave me a chance to appreciate some of the things I don't normally notice in Inferno. Far from fast and furious, this still managed to have an intense ending that sets us up well for next week. 

Rating: 8.5/10

Best line: "Watch it, Dimples! Save that hot stuff for the game!" 

Prog 64 final ratings:

Overall: 8/10

Best Story: Inferno

Best Line: "So these Devils led us here on purpose, and now they're watching us die!"   

Best Panel:

Prog 63

I finally watched the Dredd movie last night, ten years after everyone else. Still, that's par for the course for me. I don't know what the public consensus was at the time, but I liked it. It wasn't quite as gritty as the comic, nor was it as clever and funny, but it was stylistic and, in another insight into how low I've set the bar nowadays, it didn't outstay its welcome. I don't ask for much, and the movie gave me all I wanted. Today, we're back to the comics, and the Dredd I've come to know and love over the last sixty weeks. We still have a long way to go, I'm constantly reminded, and I hear that the comic will get better and better. As I'm already enjoying the comic immensely these are words of joy and I can't wait to see what happens in the next five to ten years. Even better, I'll be here to tell you all about it.   

Prog 63

6th May 1978

On the aptly named planet of nightmares, Dan Dare is facing a nightmare of his own as the boat he is travelling on across an underground river vanishes beneath his very feet. This isn't the biggest problem facing him, and the image of the ferryman, now engulfed in flames and towering above them, delivers a message of doom. 

Things are not what they seem, and Dare does his best to convince his men that it's all just an illusion. Telling them they are on solid ground briefly calms the crew and for a second the illusion fades. It is only for a second though, and the flaming figure is soon back in the picture, warning them that resistance is futile - creating fear and panic among the men. 

The scene jumps and the crew find themselves in a sandy desert, yet another illusion. It doesn't last long, Dare has now figured it out and throws a grenade towards a bright light that seems to be the cause of their troubles. 

With a flash he finds himself and the crew suspended in a void. With a voice in his mind, the situation is outlined and we have an understanding of what is happening. The planet is made of pure energy, created by superintelligent beings over millions of years. To frighten away intruders that have created nightmarish illusions, just like the giant space monsters Dare first encountered three issues ago.

Now that the aliens have explained themselves, they tell Dare he must forget all this and he is put into a deep sleep. 

With that, we jump back to Dare's ship, with Dare at the helm. Bear tells of giant monsters on his scanner, before deciding that he's mistaken and it must be because he has been staring at the screen all day (I'm much the same). Instead, it is merely an asteroid shower.  There is a planet, and Dare has half a memory of already landing on a planet, before dismissing it and telling the crew to fly on to other worlds. 

It's an ending, but not necessarily the ending I wanted or expected. The first page was the illusion I wanted the story to live up to, but once the truth was revealed the final three pages contained nothing but disappointment for me. It felt rushed and shallow and didn't contain the Dan Dare elements I have become used to. On a positive note, the artwork on the first page was as dramatic as anything we have seen before. Like the story, it was only an illusion, but one I could have looked at all day. Hopefully this artwork with be a forecast of what is to come. The next story is titled 'Ice Planet', so I will be wrapping up warm and counting on a hot storyline. 

Rating: 6/10

Best line: "What the hell is this place, Dare? Are we goin'...mad?" 

We saw the alien in MACH 1 stretched out on a bed and seemingly dying last week, yet this week he is sitting up in a chair and undergoing a brain exploration. However, John Probe has other ideas about this exploration, and after throwing aside one of the scientists and helping the alien he storms off to see Sharpe.

It seems the alien is still dying of the common cold. Sharpe informs Probe that the alien is being pumped full of antibiotics but it's not enough and he will still die. With this news, Probe insists the alien be set free, and Sharpe surprisingly agrees. Furthermore, he goes on to suggest that the alien contacts his own people and asks that they come back to collect him.

The alien does this and a landing zone is decided. John Probe is suspicious that things seem to be going his way, and he is right to be suspicious for as he returns to his hotel room he is gassed, carried unconscious to a van and driven to a house far out in the country. He is then placed in a vault with 60cm thick walls from which there can be no escape.

Except, they have forgotten that John Probe is more than just brawn, he is also brain. Using his intelligence he picks the lock from the inside, escaping and catching his captors off guard. Locking them in the vault, he makes haste on a motorbike back to base to discover exactly what it is that Sharpe has planned. 

What Sharpe has planned is a surprise welcome for the aliens consisting of a range of combat units, all intent on capturing some prized alien technology. With orders to shoot to kill, it looks like it will be a blood bath, but quite whose blood Probe isn't sure, ours or the aliens?

There is little time to ponder on this, as in the final panel of the story we see the control room where the radar has already picked up three unidentified objects.

I like the story on paper, but I felt something was missing as I read it. Perhaps it was because of how weedy the alien looked. Understandably, he is sick and getting sicker, I just wish he looked a little more threatening in some way, shape, or form. The soldiers waiting for the alien arrival look plenty threatening, and the potential for next week's showdown was the best part of the comic. My thoughts won't linger too long on this week's issue, but as I open next week's issue this will be one of the first stories I look for. 

Rating: 7/10

Best line: "Aye, we'll shoot to kill, all right. We owe them aliens for what they did to our lads!"

We begin this week's Judge Dredd story not with Judge Dredd himself, but with an execution verdict about to be given in the town of Deliverance, a grim town that exists in the wasteland of the atomic wars. The sentence is given to a young couple by the lawgiver in the town, and that sentence is death by the devil's lapdogs.

Elsewhere, our better-known lawgiver, Dredd, is plunging across the cursed earth on his rescue mission to Mega-city Two. Cabin fever has set in, and a brief skirmish occurs between one of the judges and the criminal of the team - Spike Harvey Rotten.

Dredd defuses the situation, taking Spike out on the quasar bikes for a recce. Timing is everything, and Dredd and Spike come upon the town of Deliverance as the execution is about to be enacted. Befitting his personality, Dredd clearly lets it be known that he is the law and that the couple should be released. 

It doesn't go well, with Spike suddenly vanishing and Dredd surrounded and taken prisoner. While Dredd fumes in his cell, the town's lawgiver sketches out the plan, in true James Bond villain style, explaining that the devil's lapdogs are rats. Not just any rats, but rats that have learned how to glide on the currents. Travelling as a savage horde, they pray upon the town, seemingly a punishment on Deliverance. 

This speech is cut short by the warning that the horde is approaching, and soon the townspeople are in a pitched battle against the rats. Everything is thrown against the invaders, including an antiaircraft gun, but the numbers are just too great and the rats hurl themselves with a fury against the houses. 

We finish with a final view of the town square, where the couple we met on the first page are tied to stakes, awaiting their fate, while from the nearby jail, Dredd pleads with his captors to let him rescue them from the certain death. 

With Pat Mills scripting the story, it is everything you might expect. An intense pleasure, with some flourishes dispensed with to focus wholly on the most important elements of the story. There was a touch of horror to the story, and the looks on the faces of the townsfolks only heightens this in my opinion. Rats tap into a primaeval fear and were a great choice for this story set on the cursed earth. Spike has disappeared for now, I can only guess that he will return next week to save the day. With his name, Spike Harvey Rotten, and look, he is very much of the punk era and entirely representative of the climate in which these comics were written. A timely reminder of how things have changed (not for the better) and this is just as much a time capsule of 1978 as anything else of that year. 

Rating: 8/10

Best line: "We are all hungry in Deliverance. That can be no excuse. I hereby sentence you to death...to be eaten alive...by the devil's lapdogs! I, the lawgiver, have spoken!"

It is also man versus creature in the following Death Planet, where a crashed ship of colonists is fighting for survival against not just the elements but also a fearsome horned monster. 

It looks like some real drama may occur, but a single shot to the head of the monster by  Richard Cory, leader of the colonists, is enough to scare it off. Monster dealt with, they now face a search for the essentials of life - water, food and shelter. 

What follows is a death march across a desert. It is rugged and tough with colonists dropping from lack of water and heat, only to then be eaten by giant birds that are following their movements. The strong continue, but when Lorna Varn, captain of the crashed ship, collapses it is decided that they should shelter from the heat while Richard Cory and crewman Herschal seek out some water.

Following some small creatures, they come across a spring. However, when they drink the water they find it is poisonous. It seems the small creatures have led them here to die.

I love a good survival story, and that is exactly what we have here. All of it we have seen before, but it is well told and with just enough wrinkles in it to make it interesting. I like the dynamics between the various crew members, and the alien creatures on the planet are inventive and a strong part of the story. A lot to enjoy here, and although it feels like we are still in first gear, things bode well for a story that could potentially become a firm favourite. Not quite an A+, but looking likely. 

Rating: 8/10

Best line: "This lady's too tough to make a tasty snack!"

The name of the game is Inferno, but we begin this week's story with Giant having a nightmare about Aeroball. Fighting Gruber in his dream, he wakes up screaming, causing concern for his flatmate Zack. 

Zack reminds Giant that Gruber is dead, and his team, Gordons Gargoyles, are now an inferno team called the Philadelphia Freaks. This doesn't help Giant, who tells Zack he feels like everything has come full circle. 

Over the page we meet the Philadelphia Freaks. They certainly live up to their name, a motley crew of cyborgs in various stages of disrepair. The key member we are introduced to is Dimples Devine, who bares an uncanny resemblance to one Artie Gruber.

After some typical locker room banter, Dimples Devine decides to take a solar bath. Things go badly for him, for behind the scenes Mr Chubb and the syndicate have tampered with the solar bath and poor Dimple Devine is burnt to a crisp. The wider plan reveals itself at this stage, with Artie Gruber undertaking some cosmic surgery and easily slipping undetected in Devine's place. The Philadelphia Freaks don't suspect a thing, and as they prepare for their game against the Hellcats, Gruber sits comfortably in Devine's place, while in the background we learn that should Gruber become too unstable, Mr Chubb has plans to detonate him as a human bomb among the Hellcat's team.

The Gruber storyline has been brewing for several weeks now, and each time we get closer to a confrontation between him and the Hellcats. I thought that moment had come last week, as he suspiciously appeared in the final panel - but that was quickly wiped away this week with Giant's dream sequence. A little misleading, but with the extra information given this week, the story has more substance and now feels a much better time for Gruber to have his moment. All the key pieces are now in place, we know what is going to happen, now we just need to see it on the page. 

Rating: 7.5/10

Best line: "And exit Mr. Devine! Okay, Artie...here's where you take over"

Prog 63 final ratings:

Overall: 7.5/10

Best Story: Judge Dredd

Best Line: "Look, lady, we've lost the ship; we've no food, water, or equipment, and we're stuck in a burning waste land that's populated by savage monsters ...'course we'll survive!"   

Best Panel:

Prog 62

Some cracking dialogue in Judg Dredd this week, and even though it wasn't the best story in my opinion, it was the one in which I enjoyed reading the words more than any other. Elsewhere, this is a solid issue throughout with not a single weak story. Death Planet is new, and although I wasn't instantly won over, it has a solid bone structure and I look forward to it being further fleshed out in the coming weeks. Plenty to enjoy here, and with a couple of tweaks the next few weeks might be even better.  

Prog 62

29th April 1978

'Death Planet' - now that sounds just like the type of story I'd like to read. With my expectations set sky-high, we begin with a simple layout of where we are.

It is the 23rd century, and the population of Earth is so great that authorities have actively encouraged mass colonisation of other worlds. With tickets sold years in advance, queues of people board the next flight into outer space on the ship 'Eternity.' 

Captain of the 'Eternity' is Commander Lorna Varn, who we meet over the page along with crewman Mike Herschal. As it is Herschal's first flight, Commander Varn takes time to show him around the ship. Reaching the cargo hold they see the thousands of colonists, all in suspended animation. Varn informs Herschal of the amount of food, water and air the passengers use, and that there is fifteen per cent wastage of the cargo - the passengers themselves. 

Herschal is shocked to hear this and is rapidly discovering that real-world space travel is different to the one he imagined while he was at cadet school. 

The story moves rapidly from here as the ship's navigation goes out of control and they find themselves in an unknown part of the universe. Not only that, but they are about to land on a planet they know nothing about, and risk a crash. 

Calling the head of the colonists, Richard Cory,  Varn updates him on what has transpired. Cory is not happy about this at all, nor is he happy with being constantly referred to as cargo. However, there's not much he can do about things, and he enlists the help of Hershal to unfreeze as many colonists as they can before the landing. 

As predicted, the 'Eternity' crash lands on the planet, smashing to pieces. The survivors emerge from the wreckage, with the three key members we have already met and a group of colonists. We learn that most of the colonists have been killed, and an angry Cory confronts Varn about this.

Varn is a no-nonsense type of gal and blasts Cory with a stun gun. This isn't enough to stop Cory, and back on his feet he lunges at Varn and snatches the gun off her. 

Before things can escalate though, a greater threat appears above them with some wild-looking alien creatures. 

We are off to a good start in this story. I love to see a strong woman kicking -ass, and Lorna Vern is definitely that. Despite that, I found I dislike her character. Yes, she is the villain of the piece so far, but even at a villainous level, I found myself disliking her. She has yet to become fully formed, although I expect that this will change in the coming weeks. The story is set in the future, yet I found it harkened back to older stories of shipwrecks and times of yore. Substitute Varn for a hardened sea captain sailing to new lands and the story would still read the same. I'm all for that, and I love seeing it on the page here. A couple of small gripes so far, but it's early days. The art looks great, Varn is kick-ass and in the next few weeks, this story should begin to take off. 

Rating: 7/10

Best line: "I'm afraid, Mister Cory, that space flight is rather more complicated than you seem to imagine. My ship is heading for this planet, which may or may not support life. I am powerless to do anything!" 

In the world of Inferno, Artie Gruber has been resurrected, and from the very first panel he is angry as hell. Smashing out of his containment unit he grabs Mr Chubb by the throat before the scientists take control with a swift blow to his head with an inferno bat. 

Now restrained, they bring Gruber around once more - this time feeding him images of how he got into the state he is now. As Gruber watches on screen, we see an aeroball match, with the Harlem Heroes playing against his team. He watches and we see the shot from Harlem heroes John Clay striking Gruber's jet back, and Gruber being consumed by flames. 

Strapped in his chair Gruber once again becomes incensed, calling for the death of John Clay and promising to get revenge upon him. With Gruber now a deadly weapon, Mr Chubb is preparing to unleash him on the Hellcats. 

The Hellcats themselves are watching the draw for who their opponent will be in the quarter-finals of the East Coast Cup. As the name Philadelphia Freaks is drawn, there is some discussion of who this team is. We learn that it is the team Gorgon's Gargoyles from their old aeroball days. With Aeroball now fading in popularity, they too have turned to the game of Inferno. 

It is at this moment that the Gargoyles appear, swooping and diving on the Hellcats, already playing mind games in anticipation of the match-up. It seems harmless enough, but one of the Gargolyes appears suspiciously like Artie Gruber.

I didn't mind seeing Gruber coming back (although I did harbour reservations about returning villains) but seeing the entire Gargoyle team switching codes and playing against the Hellcats is a little too much for me. If we stay tightly focused on Gruber, I shall be happy enough, but to see the two teams competing much the same as we saw in Aeroball would be playing it safe and retreading ground that doesn't need treading. I can almost overlook all of this, based on the quality of the art. There are many outstanding panels in this story, and I went back a couple of times just to digest the full detail in some of the images. These last couple of issues have been building the story, but we are yet to see a decisive blow delivered. Next week I hope we see a knock-out issue as we reach the payoff.     

Rating: 7/10

Best line: "No cause for alarm, Mr. Chubb! We are scientifically and medically prepared to deal with emergencies such as this..."

With Judge Dredd about to embark on a rescue mission to Mega-City Two, across the cursed earth, there is a need for a specialised vehicle. The Killdozer is just what the doctor ordered, equipped with rockets, cannon, laser guns, quasar bikes, it is a veritable mobile fortress. Not only that, but it is also nuclear blast proof, not that that impresses Dredd, who only responds with an "It'll do"   

With a detachment of war droids and three top Judges,  Dredd sets just needs one more member before he sets off on his thousand-mile journey across the cursed earth - a bike man for the second quasar bike.  Dredd has the perfect man in mind - reformed criminal Spikes Harvey Rotten. 

I say reformed criminal, but over the page he is no longer reformed and as he speaks to school children about the errors of his way, he suddenly chokes out the warden and takes the children hostage. 

Dredd chooses the perfect moment to arrive, and confronting Spikes he discreetly presses the ancient history button on the hologram console. With an army of ancient warriors appearing, Dredd seizes the initiative and fights with Spike as he outlines what he would like him to do. Spike has little choice, and by the end of the struggle he has agreed to join Dredd on his quest to cross the cursed earth.

A few hours later with his new equipment and crew, Dredd leaves Maga-city and starts off into the unknown. 

A lot of fun was had as Dredd assembled his crew, and the opening exchange as he watched the Killdozer in action is a highlight of the story. I haven't gone into too much detail, but the dialogue is snappy and humourous and entirely what I have come to expect from a Judge Dredd story. The recruitment of Spike wasn't 100% my cup of tea, but nonetheless, it did give us some idea of the type of character we are dealing with. It didn't sparkle as much as the first page of the strip, but it did contain a healthy dose of humour and the dirty futuristic world Dredd lives in. Now the scene is set, next week's story is full of hope and promise. This was a good stepping stone, but the reward will be in the next few issues. 

Rating: 7/10

Best line: "Calm down, McArthur. This is unseemly behaviour for a judge...and kindly remove your hand from my uniform"

Dan Dare is on a nightmarish planet where nothing is what it seems. Faced with approaching soldiers, Dare isn't sure if they're real or an illusion, but the opening salvo from the soldiers soon settles the matter for him.

Dare and his men open fire with their lasers in an attempt to get back to their ship, but their enemy merely springs back together after being blasted. The crew aren't sure what to do against this unkillable enemy, but Dare has a plan.

Setting their guns to stun only, Dare and his men are able to get back to their ship where they regroup and look out at the hordes massing outside. Once again it looks bad for the team, but the enemy suddenly vanishes as huge writing appears in the sky - "Death Awaits You Here."

While the crew are spooked by this, Dare remains calm and tells them they're staying and taking samples of everything to work out what makes this planet tick. It doesn't go as well as he hoped, the computer analysis of the samples remains inconclusive, and Dare decides that the next course of action will be to take a party out into the jungle. 

It's not what I would choose to do, and things get weird when they see a shrouded figure on a boat beckoning them. Fearlessly, Dare ventures onto the boat, followed by his men, and they set off down the river. Dare speaks the obvious when he points out the similarities to Greek mythology and the river of dead souls. Before he can go any further though, the boat vanishes and Dare is standing in the water.

An unusual story, and one I haven't quite got a handle on yet. We have seen Dare in weird spots before, but nothing like this and it's taking some getting used to. I liked the Greek mythology angle, and I sincerely hope we see more of this in the next issue. Unlikely, the story is moving too fast for that, and I'm sure next week we will see another facet of the story come to the fore. The only action of note in the story was the gun battle, and that failed to deliver the action or dramatic panels I wanted to see, but the final page of the story more than made up for it as we sunk deeper into the storyline. A solid issue, yet I feel the story is yet to emerge from all these scenes. 

Rating: 7/10

Best line: "Stomm! It's like a nightmare! We blow them to bits- and the bits spring back together again!"

I had forgotten what happened in MACH 1, but I'm quickly brought up to speed on the first page as we see John Probe investigating a UFO sighting at an army camp. Finding an unconscious gunner, Probe attaches the gadget he has been given to shock the men out of their paralysed state. The gunner slowly comes around, murmuring about three flying objects and being commanded to open fire upon them. Probe then learns that they managed to shoot down one of them, but is interrupted by an unmanned machine gun firing at him. 

Seeking refuge in the armoury he finds he is out of the frying pan and into the fire as an axe flies at him, and the pins suddenly pop out of all the grenades. With only seconds to react, Probe throws himself at a weak part of the wall and crashes outside to safety just as an explosion rips through the armoury.   

Tired of being on the defensive, Probe takes to the rooftops as he prepares to go on the counterattack. It doesn't take long to see his enemy, and he jumps at him from behind, finding that his enemy is far from human. 

It's one of the aliens, and as Probe leans over him he begins to ask for water. Probe obliges and we soon learn that the alien's name is Frxxxszklds. Shaking hands, Probe and the alien are now friends and we progress to the next stage of the story. 

Probe reports back to Sharpe, and the alien is held at a secure facility. We learn that the alien is the only survivor from his ship after the ship's commander put his ship on self-destruct. His race has been studying Earth for many years, learning our language and ways with the long-term aim of establishing a friendly relationship. 

The story finishes as we once again see the alien, now laid out on a hospital bed. He is extremely unwell and in the final panel, Probe learns that he is dying of the common cold. 

I have mixed feelings about this one. A lot of key things were skipped over, namely, Probe becoming a trusted friend of the alien. I was also disappointed to see the alien was the stereotypical alien that we have seen ever since Roswell. I was hoping for something a little more creative, after all the rest of the comic is overflowing with creativity. We seemed to jump quickly from Probe meeting the alien to the alien dying of a common cold- again I would have liked to have seen this fleshed out further. Asides from all that, I greatly enjoyed the story. Probe's relationship with Sharpe is interwoven with the alien capture and there are still questions to be answered about what exactly Sharpe knows about this alien. This story raised more questions than it answered, but that's all for the good and a definite selling point for future issues.

Rating: 7.5/10

Best line: "I thought you were like the soldiers who destroyed my ship, that is why I attacked you. I apologise. My name is Frxxxszklds!" 

Prog 62 final ratings:

Overall: 7/10

Best Story: MACH 1

Best Line: "It's crazy...man with his hyper-technology can travel to the moon and beyond- yet he's made a real mess of his home planet"   

Best Panel: