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: