Prog 73

Last week's Prog was outstanding and was always going to be a hard act to follow. With several new storylines beginning this week, Judge Dredd, Mach Zero, and Dan Dare are all in a rebuilding state. That leaves Inferno and Ant Wars to do the heavy lifting of the storys, and although both are good, it's not enough to make this a great issue. Of course, it remains a solid issue, and the seeds are planted for some great things to come, but first, the building blocks need to be pushed into place, and many pages of this week's issue are dedicated to doing exactly that. I can't deny, that my interest has been piqued, and I am already eyeing next week's issue, but first let's take in all the new beginnings of Prog 73.       

Prog 73

15th July 1978

Following his Indian companion, Anteater, through the jungle, Captain Villa makes good time as he tries to outrun the ants in Ant Wars. He may not think much of Anteater, but Anteater leads them to a plantation and a hint of civilization at the jungle's edge. 

They immediately go and visit the plantation owner, buoyed by the sight of a generator and a radio mast. This early optimism is misplaced, as the plantation owner, Da Silva, refuses to believe them and takes them both captive. 

However, he finds their story intriguing, and as a precaution pulls all his workers in from the fields. This proves fortuitous, as soon after one of his men rushes in to warn him of a giant ant approaching. There is little time to digest this information, as they dash for the radio hut. They never make it, the ants have outsmarted them and there is one hiding just outside who makes short work of the fleeing worker. 

Anteater is a tougher proposition, and he gives a spirited fight back, stabbing the ant with his machete. The ant is hurt, but not fatality, and looks as though it will gain the upper hand when suddenly its antennae start twitching as it receives a message. 

Leaving Anteater, he throws himself upon the generator, killing itself, but also destroying the plantation's only source of power. This leaves Captain Villa, Anteater, and Da Silva surrounded by a terrible army of killer ants and no way to call for help. 

Another excellent episode and the tension is still building up. Just when I think I couldn't be more afraid of the ants, another aspect of their intelligence is shown and I'm left quaking in my boots. Aside from the frightful ants themselves, the key aspect of this story is the relationship between Captain Villa and Anteater. As in the previous weeks, we see Villa dismissing Anteater's intelligence, only for the Indian to prove his worth every time. Much like the ants, Anteater is far more intelligent than Villa gives him credit for, and this is ably demonstrated on the page. Now we have a third party in the mix with Da Silva, and I expect the relationship between the three men to be key to the story going forward. Scarier than last time, but I am getting used to the fear and look forward to following this again next week. 

Rating: 8.5/10

Best line: "We can't radio out for help! These ants are even more intelligent than I thought!"

There is very little of Mach Zero in his own strip this week as we embark on a new adventure simply titled "The Suit" 

With Mach Zero last seen walking into the night, we pick up the story this week as he arrives at the edge of a large country estate, owned by businessman and financier Sir Charles Hilliers. 

After seeing Mach Zero sneak through the fence, the story pivots and for the rest of the strip we will follow Sir Charles and what lies within his house.

What lies within is a meeting of great and powerful, all gathered to see the unveiling of Sir Charles's project. The project is simple enough - an all-powerful metal suit. It has undergone various tests and now needs one more final demonstration, this time with a human factor.

The human guinea pig is one Harry Winthrop, a small mild-man man who has been working at the fringes of the project. With Harry sealed in the suit, the testing begins. First, the suit is subjected to a massive dose of radiation. If the suit works correctly, Harry should be safe inside. 

Everything seems to be fine, and the suit undergoes a sophisticated cleaning process. Harry is almost beginning to enjoy himself, but when it comes time to remove the suit it is found that Harry cannot be extracted.

With a crowd of potential buyers about to see the suit for the first time, Sir Charles is desperate to extract Harry from the suit. There is only one option left, if he can't be freed or kept quiet then he must be disposed of. 

This leads to the horrific final panels of the story as the security force arrives and sets fire to the suit, with Harry still trapped inside it.

Although not Mach Zero-centric, I found much to like in this story. Already I can see how these two story threads will collide and feed the drama in the coming weeks. The artwork is a dip in quality compared to the just finished storyline, but the writing feels stronger and should give the artist more to play with in future. It will be next week before I have a better feel for the story, with Mach Zero still to make an impact, so I will reserve judgment until then, but for now, I am very happy with where we sit and the direction we are facing. 

Rating: 6.5/10

Best Line: "Oh, just the few routine deals with major industrialists, business conglomerations and financiers. That suit will make our millions professor!" 

Chapter 13 of Judge Dredd's saga on the cursed earth, and from the very first line it is apparent that Pat Mills is on writing duty. His prose is beautiful, sketching out the setting in just a few sentences while maintaining a sense of awe about the world Dredd is in. 

The land-raider, driven by Dredd and his men, is in immediate peril as a stampede of dinosaurs attacks. Yes, you read that correctly, a stampede of dinosaurs. Dredd remains unfazed, as you'd expect, and along with Spikes starts blasting away at them. He also manages to deliver a bit of exposition, telling Spikes that these dinosaurs are from Dinosaur National Park, where they have been brought to life by genetic engineering. After the atomic war, they were left to roam the cursed earth, and that now puts them in the situation they are in. 

The dinosaurs back off as we hear the sound of another dinosaur in the distance. The story pauses at this stage as we learn the back story of this other dinosaur, a fearsome Tyrannosaurus Rex named Satanus. He was the first to be brought to life, and quickly gained a taste for blood and flesh. Growing quickly, he became the basis of the Dinosaur National Park. Later he broke free from those who raised him, fuelled with anger and a hunger for blood. Now looking down, he sees Dredd and the land-raider, and his mouth is watering. 

I love dinosaurs, although I must admit I never thought I would see them appear in a Dredd story. The concept that worked them into the story was clever, and bringing dinosaurs to life via genetic engineering is an idea ahead of its time, a full twelve years before Michael Crichton's book Jurassic Park would appear.  The back story took a long time to lay out, perhaps my only criticism of this story, but it was essential work that will no doubt pay off in the long run. All of it was necessary to make the dinosaurs believable, although towards the end I just wanted the story to start properly. Always good to see Pat Mills doing what he does best, and I am intrigued to see where this story will go from here. 

Rating: 6/10

Best line: "Like something out of hell!"

Inferno and the Wolves of Death are about to take on the Hellcats, while the Hellcat's captain remains wired up to a bomb at the mouth of their cave. 

The odds are stacked against the Hellcats as it is revealed that the Wolves of Death are all androids, programmed for one thing only - to score cave-ins and destroy Giant. Furthermore, the only way the Hellcats can win is if they score twenty cave-ins, or if all the wolves are destroyed. 

Both events are highly unlikely, although Moody Bloo smashes one of the droids to pieces with a fearsome blow to the ball. It seems to have little effect on the outcome as we finish the strip with a replacement droid entering the arena looking just as dangerous as the one he is replacing. 

Lovely to look at, the artwork was the best thing about the story this week. The Wolves of Death looked just as dangerous as their name, and they dominated every page they were on with a look that demanded attention. The story itself didn't seem to move far this week, but I have little cause for complaint as it looked so good. Like Dredd before it, it looks like this story will rapidly move up a gear next week, for now, I shall take my time and just wallow in the artwork for a while. 

Rating: 6/10

Best line: "...an' I don't like collecting debts from stiffs!" 

With the threat of the Sleetha put behind them, Dan Dare and his crew continue their journey through the lost world's section of space. 

There is no immediate threat, but it is obvious that the crew are tired and beginning to get scratchy at each other. Pilot Polanski is talking to Dare as the story begins, and as they chat their talk turns to Gunnar Johanssen who has been heavily sedated since the Sleetha attack on him. Just as they mention his name, he comes out of sedation, threatening to break the holding tank he is in. 

As Pilot and Dare attend to him, the ship suddenly shakes. Rushing to the bridge, a crew member cooly tells them that it is a meteor shower. Dare is enraged, it is clearly a mega-storm and he lets the crew member know exactly what he thinks of him and his carelessness. 

The ship is in need of repair, and despite his reservations, Dare lets Pilot Polanski and some of his men go outside to make the repair. It doesn't go well as a bunch of rocks come towards them. The men rush back inside, leaving Polanski to try and blast the rest of the rocks coming at him. The inevitable happens and he is crashed by two large rocks while Dare watches on from the bridge. 

Dare is incandescent with rage, and rails at the men who left Polanski out there to die. Calling them cowards, he eventually hits crew member Haskins with a vicious right hook, leaving Haskins seething on the floor. Haskin's response comes in the next panel as he pulls a pistol on Dare, effectively instigating a mutiny. 

This comes as no surprise to anyone who read the title of this story under the Dan Dare header - Mutiny. However, how we got here was surprising, and sacrificing one of the lead characters, Pilot Polanski, was a shock that added the necessary gravitas to the story.  I shall miss him, although I recognise how important his death was to make this story believable. We have seen Dare angry before, although this is a different level altogether and helped fan the flames of mutiny. Both the story and the artwork were compelling, and although not as scary as last week, I found myself just as invested in this story as any other I have read this year. A strong first issue and this looks like it will be the story to follow closely in the next few weeks.

Rating: 7/10

Best line: "...you just pulled a gun on me! Any way you look at it--that's mutiny!" 

Prog 73 final ratings:

Overall: 7/10

Best Story: Ant Wars

Best Line: "You...inhuman obscenity!"   

Best Panel: