Prog 69

 A beautiful sunny day outside, and her I am inside reading comics. Hey, this pale complexion doesn't come naturally you know!  A habit of a lifetime, its much too late for me to change my ways now. With a crop of stories as good as we have this week, its an easy decision to stay here on the couch. Apart from one disappointment, this is a great issue and we seem to be going through a purple patch with some of my favourite stories peaking right now.        

Prog 69

17th June 1978

A tense scene with Judge Dredd catches the eye on the front cover, but the first story within the comic is the dynamic Inferno. 

With Gruber about to set a dazed and helpless Giant alight, there is little time to ease ourselves into the story. Things rapidly develop across the first page as Louis sends a signal to a discipline cell planted in Gruber's head, rendering him helpless just as he's about to go through with his plan.

It doesn't stop him for long, and Gruber snatches a power bat and makes straight for the source of his problems, the very men controlling him. Smashing into Mr. Chubb's office, he makes short work of the man pulling the strings behind the scenes, in an event too horrific to make it onto the page. 

In one final twist, the security guard shoots at Gruber just as he is taking off, only to set his jetpack on fire. A howling Gruber disappears out the window before plunging into the water below. Despite an extensive search he is never found, and although one of the Hellcats comments that all their troubles are over, Giant has a crazy feeling that they'll be seeing him again.

Me too, especially after seeing the strapline below saying "Next Prog, the return of Gruber?" I feel a little cheated by it all, and although I enjoyed every aspect of this strip, I didn't like the final feeling that it was all for nothing. Once again we are kicking the can down the road, and Gruber may well be a threat again next week. I hope not, and that this is merely a red herring. The story once again excelled in its artwork, and reflecting back on what I have just read, the negative feelings of the final line are washed away by the visual excellence of the story. After a sip of my tea and a quiet nod, whatever comes next week will be fine with me as long as it looks this good.

Rating: 8/10

Best line: "Now ya...gonna burn, Clay...but not too...much, huh? Just enough ta...grill ya into a monster, like...meeeeeeee!"

On the pages of Mach Zero, the tramp Gimpy, a loyal friend of Mach Zero, is facing down a bunch of Cousin George's thugs. It looks like a one-sided fight, but an army of tramps and vagrants appear out of the mist and fight off the villains.

Back with Mach Zero, Cousin George is again manipulating him on stage to make himself look good. Things get out of hand and it appears that Zero is about to go on a rampage, but he once again comes to heel in the face of George's threats against his son. 

Backstage, George is warned that Gimpy the tramp escaped with the help of a network of outcasts, and ponders that Zero has some friends that may cause him trouble. He is right, for at that very moment Gimpy is speaking to the brotherhood of three, and urging them to declare war against the evil Cousin George.

This story moved at its own pace, and although it ran for six pages, there were really only four scenes. I appreciated this slower pace, it gave my eye more time to meander across the dimly lit artwork. I could practically smell the smoke on the page and feel the London fog envelop me with its gloomy hands. This was the heart of the story, and much like last week it was the atmosphere that made the story what it is. The set pieces with Mach Zero were OK, but any panel with the tramps and the brotherhood was worthy of far more time and attention. It looks like Cousin George has made some powerful enemies, and we shall have to wait and see what develops next.

Rating: 7.5/10

Best line: "There's danger, there's excitement, when Cousin George is around! I'm sure that you'll agree folks, that all the terror and scares just added to your evening's entertainment!"

Day twelve of Judge Dredd's journey through the Cursed Earth and they are crossing the Mississippi River, a torrent of fire since the Great Atomic War. 

It's here we meet the Ferry-master, a cold-hearted man who is using alien slaves to crew his vessel. Dredd doesn't approve of this at all, despite what Ferry-master tells him about the intelligence of the aliens. Getting close, Dredd detects that the aliens are more intelligent than Ferry-master gives them credit for. 

Later that night, one of the alien slaves escapes. A posse of riders is chasing him down, including one silhouette figure who looks suspicious like a clansman. They speak like clansmen too, and the following talk is off plantations and their intentions of making an example of the escaped slave.

Judge Dredd will have none of it, and steps in to protect the escaped slave. The final page sees Dredd's Land-raider firing upon the slave-catchers, while Dredd himself faces their wrath and an array of napalm throwers.

The parallels to mankind's own past with slavery are obvious, and there is nothing I can say here to add to that. Take away the alien aspect of this story and it becomes an all too familiar tale. I admire Pat Mills once again taking on such topics head-on, and for the second Dredd story in a row we find ourselves confronting some ugly truths. The artwork is a notch better than last week, and paired with this excellent concept the story becomes one of the best this week. The Cursed Earth is giving us a run of great stories, and although this is only the first week., it seems that this will be another one.

Rating: 8.5/10

Best line: "Kill them both! No one defies the alien catcher General!"

Sadly our time with Death Planet is almost over. A note earlier in the comic tells us that Death Planet will terminate the next issue, with the Ant Wars to begin in Prog 71. As intrigued as I am about the Ant Wars, I'm not ready to say goodbye to Death Planet, so I will be reading the next two issues a little slower and with a heavy heart.

Lorna Varn and Mike Herschal are approaching a ship on the planet they previously thought was inhabited. The small creatures at their feet suddenly scurry away, and we can see why as men on hoverbikes appear. 

They are in no mood for talking, and a fight quickly develops. Varn looks to have lost, but the appearance of Walker, one of Varn's crew, stops the trouble. Things aren't what they seem on first appearance, Walker tells Varn that their ship didn't crash on this planet by accident and he has a further surprise for her inside this other ship. 

Inside we finally learn the name of the mysterious woman in black from the previous two issues. It's Zeena Dra Gornik, and Lorna Varn recognises her instantly. Furthermore, Lorna tells us that Zeena had been thrown out of the guild of starship commanders. 

Zeena is now a pirate and has intentions of putting Lorna's crew to work as her slaves. She is further excited by the appearance of the large crystal Lorna has found and decides that the first thing the slaves will do will be to mine these crystals.

Elsewhere, Richard Corey receives messages from Lorna via the small creatures telling of her predicament. Moving quickly, he finds the craft in which they are being held and fight their way inside. Confronting Zeena they find there is little they can do, for Lorna Varn is held hostage and has had a neuronic bracelet put on her whereby Zeena can inflict intense pain at will. 

This all felt very rushed, and I had hoped that the reveal of Zeena Dra Gornik could have spread across a few more issues. Everything happened quickly and there was little time to digest what was going on. After a wonderful buildup, this was a shallow issue, and nowhere near as good as the previous weeks. I am intensely disappointed, this has been a favourite story of mine since the start, and it feels like it has been quickly pushed aside for a new story. I am still intrigued by Ant Wars, but this story had so much to give and now it is being abandoned. 

Rating: 5/10

Best line: "The level of agony can be raised until death is the body's only release! Your colonists will have to help me, Corey, and become slaves to the crystal!" 

17th-century Puritans kidnapped by UFOs, such is the mad world of Dan Dare. Digging into the story, one of Dan Dare's men has been reduced to a drooling mess by unknow means. His mind is completely gone, leaving him gibbering about flowers, and Dan Dare is determined to find out how this happened. 

Outside there is no sign of anyone, but there are some suspicious-looking flowers. Dare dismisses his men's comment about them, but later that night as he sleeps he is plagued by dreams of the flowers. Waking suddenly, he finds a giant flower leaning over his bed. Thinking fast, he blasts it to pieces before finding that one of his crew members hasn't been so lucky, and a flower is now clamped to his head and sucking his mind out.

They blast this flower to pieces, before confronting Obediah Crowe and demanding to know what is going on. Before he can answer, the Vrakk attack and one of the buildings is set aflame. One of his crew members points out that it looks like an anthill, but there is little time to dwell on this as Vrakk soldiers prepare to storm the town. 

I have no idea what is going on, but I love all of it. Everything is totally mad, and my mind doesn't get a moment's rest as I read any of it. A range of creative thoughts and ideas thrown together, and so far it seems to be working. I was horrified by the thought of brain-sucking flowers, and that is only the start of the problems facing Dan Dare. There are clues to what is coming next, but I don't want to devote too much time to thinking ahead. I just want to sit back and enjoy this wild ride for as long as I can. This is one fever dream that I never want to wake up from. 

Rating: 9/10

Best line: "Dirty stinkin' mind-sucker!"

Prog 69 final ratings:

Overall: 7.5/10

Best Story: Dan Dare

Best Line: "You forget, Spikes...when someone calls on the law for help...be he Mutie...Alien...Cyborg...or Human... the law cannot turn a blind eye! And I am the law!"   

Best Panel:

Prog 68

I had my primary school reunion yesterday. It's forty years ago now, and sadly most of the teachers who taught me have now passed away. However, I did manage to catch up with two of my former teachers. As always, there was that uncomfortable moment when they asked "What do you do now?" and I was forced to admit that I have two blogs about comics that I read at the time, a music blog also about the same era, and a Twitter account dedicated to the Biggles books I read as a child. As I stammered to one of my former teachers, I'm forever stuck in 1978-1984, the years attended that school. Ten years ago I would have never looked back, I was always about moving forward, but now that I am rapidly approaching fifty years old (a matter of days away) I find I am looking over my shoulder more often at things in my past. Things weren't better back then, but they sure were a lot simpler.    

Prog 68

10th June 1978

Mach Zero has been snatched off the streets by Cousin George, in a plan to humiliate Zero and restore Cousin George's prestige. 

In a search to find his new friend, the vagrant Gimpy seeks the help of the leaders of the tramps, known collectively as The Three. After much discussion, they decide they will help and they begin what is known as a day of whispering. With many ears listening, many eyes seeing, and many tongues talking, the whereabouts of Mach Zero is soon discovered.

Meanwhile, Cousin George has begun the promotion of his next spectacle. He is unhappy with how little publicity he has received and bullies his managers into generating more. 

Later that night his show begins at a central London theatre. Gimpy has managed to gain access and has a table from where he can watch the proceedings. With lights dimmed, the show opens with Cousin George swooping down from an upper balcony, before landing on the stage. From here he goes on to unveil a hulking Mach Zero, safely behind bars in a cage.

Mach Zero has little choice but to go on with the charade that George has planned, and after using his strength to burst out of the cage he cowers in front of Cousin George and his whip. 

Gimpy cannot contain himself, and leaping to his feet calls George a coward. The security move swiftly and the strip ends with Gimpy in a back alley facing George's angry cronies. 

The atmosphere and tone of this story was spot on. Mach Zero is being treated as a freak show, and the world created on these pages is very much a Victorian Gothic Freakshow. Candle lit and dim, women squealing while the freak threatens is rendered beautifully, and I doff my cap to Steve McManus the artist. He has done a wonderful job of bringing this story to life and placing Mach Zero in the proper context. The story itself isn't a favourite, yet I rate it highly based purely on this splendid art. 

Rating: 8/10

Best line: "Break bars easily, could break free, but dare not risk bad man hurting Tommy!"

Over the page, Dan Dare has landed on an uncharted planet. Seemingly a paradise, he has just met an inhabitant dressed in pilgrim clothing and looking like a figure from history. 

We quickly learn that the new Earth is being attacked by the Vraak. Dare has little time to digest this information as another attack begins with two Vraak attack craft appearing in the sky above them. 

Dan shows his skills, shooting both craft down with his weapon. With this initial threat dealt to, their new companion, now named as Obadiah Crowe, leads them to this city. Dare is in for another shock, as this city has only 200 inhabitants, and it looks like an ancient earth village transported light years from home. 

That is precisely what it is, and after Dare sends Johanssen to guard the village, Obadiah explains. In 1621 they set sail in the wake of the Pilgrim Fathers for the Americans. They were halfway across the Atlantic Ocean when a strange alien craft appeared and beamed them up. It was an alien life form from the stars collecting specimens.

After a long journey, this craft crashed on the planet they are now on, killing their captors and leaving the humans to settle on this new world. At this point of the story, Obadiah is interrupted by a yell outside. Running to investigate, they find Johanssen, staggering and shambling. 

I love the concept of this story. My first thought was it was influenced by Star Trek, but already we are moving away from that influence and into unique territory. The contrast between this Pilgrim past and modern space adventure looks sharp on the page, and like the previous story, I am blown away by the art. This time it is Dave Gibbons, and his clean lines suit the story being told very well. Another story on the rise, 2000AD is off to a fast start this week.

Rating: 7.5/10

Best line: "Aye, scaly abominations from the nethermost reaches of hell!"

And now, the Cursed Earth. Judge Dredd is powerless to stop the Hillbillies from killing the last president of the United States, who they mistakenly believe is a vampire. The opening page lays out the story, in glorious colour, and it is a feast for the eyes.

Over the page, the story quickly develops. Dredd and Spikes fight off the robots holding them, restoring a sense of law and order. Dredd and Spikes then descend the elevator shaft, just in time to prevent a stake from being driven through the heart of Robert L. Booth, the last president of the United States. 

From here we have some exposition about Robert L. Booth came to be in suspended animation in the heart of Fort Knox. Booth was responsible for the nuclear war that created the Cursed Earth. When the citizens sought justice from the government the Judges were brought in. Their sentence was quickly announced, for his crimes against humanity Booth was sentenced to one hundred years in suspended animation. With three robots assigned to keep him alive, these were the 'vampires' that the Hillbillies so feared, as they collected blood at night to keep their charge alive. 

With Booth now free of his suspended animation, it is time for Dredd to decide what happens next. His judgement is swift as he condemns Booth to a life sentence.

With justice delivered, the three robots are reassigned to help the hillbillies, and we end with the sight of them working in the fields as Dredd and Spike continue with the land raider on their mission to deliver the vaccine. The final dialogue from Dredd makes it quite clear what he thinks of the leaders that led them into war, and even as he delivers justice he is still anti-authority, at least in the guise we know it. 

An excellent conclusion to another classic Pat Mills storyline. It was inventive, creative, humorous, and strongly political, all neatly told in merely a few issues. I enjoyed the outcome, and like the previous few issues, it was the first colour page that caught my imagination the most. This story took all I know about Dredd from the first 65 issues and shook it up into a cocktail that showed off the best aspects of the character. The humour was clear-cut and not as silly as some storylines, and it added to the story rather than detracted from it. Dredd's final lines got to the heart of what the story was really about, and I left the story a better person than when I started it.

Rating: 8.5/10

Best line: "Okay - that's enough! Take a look at my badge...the shield of the judges! You're meant to obey - not attack me!"

I have been waiting for Death Planet all week, and it meets expectations as I quickly read the first page. 

While the survivors continue to traverse across the snowy terrain, they are unaware that one of their numbers, Mike Herschal, has collapsed in the snow and been left behind. 

This is quickly resolved when a small friendly creature appears at his side. First, it arouses him from his sleep, and then it transmits a signal to another creature who has reached Lorna Vern. Hearing this signal and message, Lorna leaves the rest of the survivors and returns to find Herschal in the snow.

While Varn is saving Hereschal, Richard Corey and the rest of the survivors struggle on. They are getting desperate when they see a flash of light bringing them to the safety of some underground caves. It is Varn, who has been led there by the creatures that rescued Herschal, and they are all able to shelter for the night. 

The following morning, the four leaders of the group set out on a scouting mission. While they are out, one of the children in the cave wanders off. This leads to an unfortunate encounter with the woman in black who we were introduced to last week. Promising kindness, she soon reveals her true intentions, snatching the child and taking them hostage in a scheme to lure Lorna Varn to her.

Meanwhile, Lorna isn't totally unaware of this. She and Herschal see the child being carried on a bike as a prisoner of the mysterious woman. Herschal is all for warning Corey, but Varn decides that she will approach things her way, setting us up for a confrontation next week. 

This story was good, but since the appearance of the mystery woman in black, it has become great. The drama has been amplified with a single antagonist. It started off as a story that felt familiar, but now we have crossed into an entirely new creative territory, and I'm all for it. The look of the mystery woman is a sexy darkness, and I have to admit I spent ten minutes after reading this thinking about who I would cast in the role if this was a movie. No solid conclusions, but it was a pleasant distraction. I'm finding I'm enjoying these stroys when Richard Corey's role is reduced, and the female characters such as Lorna Varn carry the weight. With that in mind, I have great expectations for next week and seeing what will develop.

Rating: 8/10

Best line: "Now listen, brat - you may not know it, but you're going to help me to capture Lorna Varn...she and I have an old score to settle!"

Hale Eegle is dead, Cindy Lamont is maimed, and now the man responsible, Artie Gruber, is facing the wrath of Giant as we begin this week's edition of Inferno. 

Giant is coming for Gruber, but Gruber goes on the offensive, driving hard towards Giant. A strong boot to the face puts paid to his attack, and destroys his synthetic face, revealing his true identity for everyone else watching. 

The two men continue their personal feud before a well-aimed throw by Gruber knocks Giant off his feet. With Giant down, Gruber rips his jetpack off him and doses him with fuel, preparing to ignite the fuel and Giant with it. 

This story moved quickly and was well served by some large and exciting artwork. The fight between the two looked fabulous on the page, and we had some brilliant panels as heavy blows were struck. I wouldn't have thought that a story that consisted of little more than two men battling would be particularly exciting, but I was proved wrong as panel after panel drew me into the story and smothered me with action. A great end to this week's comic, and although this wasn't the best story in the comic, it did provide some of the best artwork. 

Rating: 7.5/10

Best line: "Looks like Gruber is going to ignite the fuel with his own jet-exhaust! He...he'll turn Giant into a human torch!" 

Prog 68 final ratings:

Overall: 8/10

Best Story: Judge Dredd

Best Line: "Oh, yes, Spikes...the hillbillies were right all along...a man like President Booth who causes the blood of millions to be spilt - he's a vampire who puts even Count Dracula in the shade!"   

Best Panel:

Prog 67

Judge Dredd should have been my favourite story this week. It was creative, funny, and grim, all essentials for a Judge Dredd story, and all essentials for my favourite type of strip/ It even had brilliant artwork, although that s a given for most stories appearing in the pages of 2000 AD. However, when I finished the comic and looked back over what I had read, I found that there were another couple of stories that my mind drifted to ahead of Judge Dredd. Like a teenage boy, I couldn't help but consider the women appearing in Death Planet and Inferno. Both brought a smile to my face and made a more lasting impression than Judge Dredd. As a stand alone story, I'm Judge Dredd all the way, but in the company of some strong women - poor old Judge Dredd just can't compare.  

Prog 67

3rd June 1978

Mach Zero offers a thrilling cover, but inside the comic Dan Dare is straight into action as his space fortress comes under attack from eight strike-craft. 

His team puts up a spirited fight, but eventually, their laser canon takes a hit and Dare has to get into his spacesuit to go and check on the damaged section of the ship. 

On his way there we learn how they got into this situation. A distress call has been received from the planet below, but as they approached they were suddenly jumped by these attack craft.

Dare finds that the canon is intact, and it is the guidance system that is out of commission. At the same time, they receive a transmission from their opponent who warns them not to get involved. Dare pays no heed and using his naked eye he aims and shoots down one of the alien ships. 

This is enough for the attackers to back off, and Dare and his men make an emergency landing on the planet. It is a bountiful world, with plenty of food for all. One crew member even describes it as a paradise.

Dare comments that it is almost like Earth, and we end on a surprise as a figure appears and tells him that's why they call it New Earth.

This story gave me serious Star Trek vibes. An unknown attacker, a mysterious paradise, and then the sudden appearance of another human. This could happen in any episode of Star Trek and it was familiar territory throughout. Dan Dare in no Captain Kirk, and in this respect I enjoyed 2000AD's take on the genre. I do question some of the situations Dare puts himself in and think it would perhaps be wiser if another character went to check on the damaged laser. Still, it's Dan Dare's name on the masthead and he must do what it takes to live up to his title. A good start to this story, I can only hope we get something original next week. 

Rating: 7/10

Best line: "Y'know sump'n--this place sure seems like paradise after that lousy ice-ball of a planet we hit last"

Mach Zero is the cover star of this week's issue, and if the story is half as good as the cover we should be in for a treat.

We get several displays of Mach Zero's strength this week. First, he breaks from the net holding him, but several tranquillizer darts shot at him by Cousin George put paid to his escape. 

Then over the page, we find him chained to a wall. Once again he demonstrates raw power, tearing the wall apart and confronting George. 

The only thing that can stop him is his own mind, and when George pulls out a boy and claims it is Mach Zero's son he has pause to stop and think. With confusion in his mind, he calms and becomes subservient to George. 

Meanwhile, Gimpy the tramp has survived his encounter with Cousin George's men. In a curious few panels, he calls on a mysterious group called the Brotherhood to help Mach Zero with a day of whispering. We don't know what a day of whispering is, but in the final panel, we do see him asking for the help of three. 

I have so many questions about these final panels. All good questions, and all guaranteed that I will be back next week. The rest of the story didn't do much for me. I have seen Mach Zero's strength plenty of times before, and this week didn't offer anything new in that regard. But mysterious men lurking in the docksides, now that is something I want to read much more about. A story of two halves, we finish on a high and hopefully next week will pick up from right here. 

Rating: 7.5/10

Best line: "Yes, I know that they are busy, and I should have seen one of the lesser council men before coming to you, but this is a crisis. When one of the outsiders helps the brotherhood, and then he in turn needs help, we must provide it. Tell them that Gimpy has come and wants to start a day of whispering!"  

I love a good vampire story, and that is what Judge Dredd gives us this week, in a fashion. 

We begin with a beautiful woman and a mechanical vampire leaning over her. Extracting her blood he leaves her dead on the bed, but he seems rather remorseful as he exits via the window.

Dredd enters the picture as he comes across a hillbilly family living on the cursed earth.  Enjoying their hospitality, he is interrupted as their neighbour comes in to report his daughter has been attacked by the vampire. This piques Dredd's interest, and through his questioning, we learn that this vampire has been trouble for years.

Being the law, Dredd steps forward to investigate. As dawn approaches he is told that the vampire lair is an abandoned castle, and Dredd sets off on his bike to check it out.

It is here that the story becomes all the more interesting with the revelation that this vampire lair is actually Fort Knox, abandoned after the nuclear war that laid waste to the cursed Earth. The automatic laser canons are still protecting it, but Dredd manages to gain access anyway. 

Leading the Hillbillys down into the vaults, Dredd tells them the answer lies there. They are accosted by the vampires on their way down the stairs, but Dredd tells the Hillbillys that they are medic robots. With the help of Spikes he destroys one of them but the other two grab both him and Spikes. 

Deeper in the vault some of the Hillbillys have already reached a coffin with a body in it. They are preparing to drive a stake through the heart of it, while above Dredd, still in the clutches of one of the robots, tells Spikes that they are about to kill the last President of the United States. 

Intriguing end to the story, and one that guarantees that I'll be back. This story was full of twists and turns and I appreciate the reinvention of the vampire genre. Although I was fully engaged in the story at the time it was only afterwards that I truly appreciated the cleverness of the concept. Often it is the dialogue that grabs me, or the artwork, but in this case, it is entirely the concept that has me enthralled. From start to finish it was full of invention, and the final panel throws up so many questions that I know next week will be just as good.

Rating: 7/10

Best line: "Oh, dear...a lot of gold is smashing my...head. I do not feel...well."

Death Planet succeeds in raising just as many questions as the Judge Dredd comic that precedes it. 

Lorna Varn is dashing into a burning hut to save a small child. Acting as the voice of reason, Richard Corey pulls her out before she can find the child, but just in time to save her from the collapsing hut. Varn is saddened at the death of the child, and Richard Corey has to remind her that she couldn't have done anything anyway and she's best to help the survivors.

Questions are raised about who could have started the fires, and we the readers get an inside scoop as we see a few miles away two men on hoverbikes approaching a spaceship.

Entering, they report to their leader that they have found the survivors. Their leader is a powerful-looking woman who immediately questions the whereabouts of Lorna Varn. They report that she has been killed in the fire, much to the displeasure of their leader who tells them that she wanted her alive. This displeasure is expressed by the sudden killing of these two men, and this mysterious woman goes on to say that she wanted to deal with Lorna Varn herself.

Meanwhile, the survivors are off in search of shelter. It's cold and snowing, and while some ride the strange animals that inhabit the planet, most are travelling by foot. At the back of the column rides Herschal. He is struggling and falls further and further behind until in the very final panels he falls from his beast and lies motionless on the snow. 

Strong Empire Strike backs vibes from the final page, although this is four years before that movie came out. I would not be at all surprised to see Han Solo arrive on a tauntaun about now. That aside, this is an issue that changed my perception of the story entirely. Other humans on the planet have changed the context of the story and raised a lot more questions. It has also delivered another character, and I must say, I am quite taken by her already. She has a fabulous look and obviously has just as a strong personality as anyone else in the strip. I certainly want to see more of her in the coming issues, and I hope there is a juicy backstory to go with all these clues being laid out. Plenty to look forward to, and this issue has been a game-changer.

Rating: 8/10

Best line: "And the woman, Lorna Varn, what of her?" 

Cindy has just scored a cave-in for the Hellcats in Inferno and is still taunting Dimples Devine, the alias of Artie Gruber.

Speaking to Gruber through the device planted in his brain, Mr Chubb tells Gruber to bide his time. The next play will be his opportunity for revenge. And so it goes, for as the ball comes back into play Gruber pulls Cindy from her bike and directly into the path of a teammate in a fearful collision. 

While this has been happening, Louis has picked up some of the signals between Gruber and Chubb. Cindy is taken from the field in an ambulance, but Louis has worked out the signals between Gruber and Chubb mean and alerts Giant.

Giant is a man of action, and he immediately flies at Gruber, promising an inferno fight to the death, despite the warnings that this is exactly what Gruber wants. 

More carnage on the field, and again the sense that this is the real thing. Nobody is pulling any punches as we head to the climax that will come next week. I must admit, this story has vastly improved in my opinion and it has earned its place in this eclectic line-up. The artwork is sensational, and we have an excellent story for the artist to flex his creative muscles with. I don't have any complaints at all with what I have read here. I never thought I would say this about Artie Gruber returning, but I'm happy he's here and I can't wait to pick up the next issue to see what happens.

Rating: 8/10

Best line: "First I'm late for da match - den I squash da lady...uhhh...what a day..!" 

Prog 67 final ratings:

Overall: 7.5/10

Best Story: Death Planet

Best Line: "I'll tell you, Spikes...they're just about to kill...the last president of the United States!"   

Best Panel:

Prog 66

 A busy old week here, and it took me two sittings to get through this issue. I like to give the comic my full attention, and sometimes the stories are so dense that the comic demands it of me. In this case, there were also a couple of stories I read twice. One because it was so good, and another because I thought I had missed something. Find out which is which below. 

Prog 66

27th May 1978

Dan Dare and his two men are on an ice floe heading towards an ice pyramid as we begin the strip this week. It's not their predicament that catches my eye, but rather it is a giant tentacled alien trapped in ice that catches my attention.

Dwarfing the three men, we learn that this squid-shaped monster is a Signa, a creature of deep space. Travelling across the void of space it became trapped in this planet's ice age. Encased in ice it is now slowly dying, lacking the power it needs to free itself. 

Dare tells the Signa that he has a ship orbiting that has the power to free it, but the creature forbids Dare from climbing to a point where he can signal the ship. It fears being left alone to left alone to die.

It is now that wise-cracking crew member Wise comes forward, offering to stay with the Signa. As a captive audience, Wise sees it as an opportunity to tell some of his jokes without being told to shut up. The Signa agrees to this, and as Dare and the other crew member climb to a vantage point, Wise stays next to the creature. 

The plan is a success as Dare radios the ship above, who oblige by shooting a beam of phaser energy into the ice, freeing the Signa and providing it with a jolt of energy. The Signa is freed, Wise survives and we end with Wise once again providing a suitable punchline. 

A tidy finish to what has been a tidy story. With an interesting creature and some new faces on the crew, I felt refreshed as I worked my way through the story. The story didn't outstay its welcome, and we moved quickly without any padding or unnecessary issues. I enjoyed its stripped-back style, uncluttered it was the best Dan Dare story we've had recently. With several memorable images tossed in this was a story that delivered in every facet. It was never flashy but did its job of providing an entertaining read and I couldn't ask for much more.

Rating: 8/10

Best line: "Why not, chief? For once, I'll be able to tell jokes without bein' shut up! I mean...monster or not... it's a captive audience, ain't it?" 

Meanwhile, on Death Planet, space captain Lorna Varn has pulled a pistol on the leader of the colonists Richard Corey as their battle for authority over the survivors reaches its peak. This high drama is short-lived, as crew member Mike Herschal steps in and defuses the situation. 

With Varn in charge of the crew and Corey in charge of the colonists, they temporally put their squabbling behind them and focus on survival. This peace holds and for the next few days things settle with houses being built, fires made, and plenty of meat for all. 

They still mount guard at night, although we do see two of the survivors complaining that it is unnecessary and scary. After this panel things escalate, and late at night we see the two guards killed. Varn and Corey discover the bodies, just as the houses is set alight by an unknown person. There are plenty of questions, but we have little time to reflect on that as the story ends with Lorna Varn charging into a blazing building in an attempt to rescue a little girl.

A lot to digest here. I was initially disappointed to see the conflict between Varn and Corey put aside, yet everything else that happened after was excellent and I can see why it was put on the back burner. Any story that raises more questions than it answers is alright by me, and this once had me looking forward to next week for some answers. Even if they aren't answered next week, I'm more than happy with where this story is at. It has settled into a fine adventure and one that I am utterly hooked on. 

Rating: 8/10

Best line:  "We've slaved for days to build that settlement, and it's being destroyed in minutes!"

Mach Zero is wandering through the fog of London's dockland, in an image and atmosphere that harks back to any number of monster stories from Victorian times. Amidst the ruins of the docklands, he stumbles upon a group of vagrants and tramps sharing a fire and a meagre meal of beans.

They welcome Mach Zero, and he enjoys their hospitality before falling asleep alongside them. This sleep is interrupted as a gang of bikers break up the group, threatening the tramps and kicking out at the weakest. This arouses Mach Zero from his slumbers and he uses his hyperpower to full effect. Tossing aside the bikers, he picks up one of their bikes and crushes it in his bare hands. 

The bikers are dispatched with but Mach Zero's troubles aren't over yet. He has been found by an agent of his nemesis Cousin George. He unknowingly walks into a trap, and we finish the episode with Mach Zero caught in a net while a gloating Cousin George towers over him. 

The first and last panels of this story were exceptional, and beautifully set the scene for this episode and the one to follow, The picture of Mach Zero emerging from the fog was striking and immediately tied the story back to an earlier time and the canon of great monsters. As someone who has only known the current state of the London docks, this was a time capsule to the desolate wasteland it was in the late seventies and early eighties, and it was the perfect setting for this story. The final image of the story wasn't quite as striking, yet it was still memorable and prepares us for next week's issue. The story this week was heavier than last week, and I hope this tone will be maintained throughout the rest of the series. I didn't expect it to be this good this soon, yet here we are. 

Rating: 9/10

Best line: "You treating me like a friend- Zero not forget this!" 

With the Brotherhood still in pursuit of Judge Dredd, Dredd pushes the land-raider as fast as he can across the cursed earth. Little does he know what trouble awaits him as on the first page we are introduced to a Mutie called Novar. Novar is building a scrap metal tree in front of his house as his mother calls him inside, details that will be important later on.

On board the land-raider the crew reports massive interference with their scanners, a strange force is blacking everything out and the land-raider comes to a halt. Strandard in the middle of the cursed earth, Dredd steps out with Spike as they prepare to fight off he rapidly approaching Brotherhood. Sighting a scrap metal tree beside a house, they decide to investigate. 

It's here that they meet Novar, and he tells them that it is him who stopped their machine. He also tells them of their mission and goes on to tell Dredd that the mission will save many lives. Dredd wonders how he could know so much about them but there is little time for this as the Brotherhood is now upon them. 

The fighting is fierce, and it seems that Dredd is doomed as Morgar, leader of the brotherhood, throws a knife at Dredd a close range. However, things take a turn at this point in the story. Using telekinetic power, Novar sends the knife back towards Morgar. The knife even swerves around a couple of Muties before it plunges deep into the chest of Morgar.

Novar then unleashes the full force of his powers, and the leaves of the metal tree become deadly weapons that turn the fight against the brotherhood. A dark autumn indeed, as one of the Brotherhood put it so beautifully. 

This brings the story to a close, and although Dredd asks Novar to join him, Novar tells him that the cursed earth is his home and he can never leave. The final panel has Novar telling his mother what a fine man Judge Dredd is, while his mother comments that Novar's father was also a fine man before they had the war. 

The parallels to Star Wars, the Force and Luke Skywalker are all obvious and there is no need for me to discuss them here. After digesting these influences, I was thinking about how influential Dredd itself was on the comics that followed. The grim apocalyptic setting, the haunted faces of the characters, and the black humour are all things I am very familiar with from reading comics in the nineties and beyond. Now that I have gone back to 2000AD and read it from the start I can see where all these came from. Dredd's reach is long, and it's hard for me to imagine the impact it has had across the ages since it was first published. The artwork here is exceptional, and the details on the page need to be seen. A brief precis of the story does nothing to convey the detail of the artwork or even the humour and brilliance of some of the lines in the story. What amazes me most is this doesn't even feel like the best Dredd story. It is very good, and often brilliant, yet I feel it could still get better. For now, this is the gold standard, and one the rest of the comic should aspire to. 

Rating: 9/10

Best line: "Flee! The day of atonement is postponed...indefinitely!"

Future Shocks is back. It's been a while, but it makes a welcome return with a nine-panel story for this issue. 

London in the year 2000. A city monorail, skyscraper blocks, a regular hover bus service, yet there's still fear on the streets. 

A lone figure is on the run, and after stumbling over some dustbins is captured by a robotic-looking character. His pleas for mercy go unheeded, and he is executed on the spot. Turn the page and the true nature of the scene reveals itself. The robot-looking character pulls off his helmet, revealing a human inside. He tells us that the new humanoids are too realistic, now they look, sound and think like us humans. When they break out of their factories they must be destroyed before they can cause harm, no matter how much they plead.

You want hover bus service, you get the Millennium Dome. London in the year 2000 wasn't quite like the writers here imagined. As for the rest of the story -  I had to read this twice, at first I thought I had missed something. The twist didn't feel like a twist and the story was exactly as it read on the page. I had forgotten how quick these shocks read, and I admire them for their tight storytelling. This one wasn't one of the best but it was a nice reminder of how sharp these stories are. It's been a while, but I'm pleased to see Future Shocks aback, and I hope this story is the starting point for many better ones to come.

Rating: 6/10

Best line: "You heartless creature, why can't you just leave me alone to go free? What have I ever done to you?"

On the pages of Inferno, Artie Gruber has been smuggled into the Philpdelphia Freaks lineup for their game against the Hellcats. Intent on revenge against the Hellcats, Gruber has already destroyed Eegle and now has his sights firmly on Zack.

Zack toys with him, sending Gruber crashing into the safety barrier. It's a tough hit, but Gruber is still in one piece and still flying. It is now that the new member of the team, Cindy Lamont, comes to the fore. She takes a weak shot at the Freak's goal, only for the caveman to throw the ball back into play. Not only that, but it becomes white heat, sending all the players scrambling for safety. 

Everyone that is except for Gruber, who miraculously manages the catch the ball. Its unprecedented, and watching from a distance Mr Chubb surmises that his hatred is making him stronger and bloating him with power.

Calling to Gruber, Cindy goads him into throwing the ball at her. She catches it easy enough and the resulting play sees her score three points. This is to her detriment as we see in the final panel Gruber receiving new instructions - he is now to kill Cindy Lamont. 

Chock full of beautiful artwork, this was a story worth dwelling on. I wasn't one hundred percent sold on the action, but my word it looked good on the page. The insane face of Gruber in the final panel was certainly a highlight, but before this, there had already been a number of eye-catching panels. I want to like the storyline more, but for now, I just can't. Cindy seems too good for a novice, and there hasn't been enough invested in her character before now for me to care. I would love to see a strong female character emerge in this story, but Cindy doesn't feel natural to the plot, or to what we have seen previously. However, I'm more than happy to forgive that for now, as long as the art keeps delivering compelling images such as we have here. 

Rating: 8/10

Best line: "White heat! White heat! All the players are advised to take evasive action..!"

Prog 66 final ratings:

Overall: 8/10

Best Story: Judge Dredd 

Best Line: "No, Judge...I couldn't leave...the cursed earth is still my home. There will be others like me. Maybe it is not the end here, but...a new beginning!"   

Best Panel: