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: