Prog 89

An outstanding episode of Ro-Busters casts a long shadow over everything else in this issue. On any other day, I would have enjoyed these stories more, but Ro-Busters was so good that everything else felt weak and flat in comparison. Judge Dredd is shaping up nicely, Ro-Busters is on an all-time high, and everything else is still in the early stages of building towards something. Hopefully one day it will all come together in a blockbuster episode, although even firing on half its cylinders I'm still finding 2000 A.D. a powerful ride. 

Prog 89

4th November 1978

Judge Cal is manoeuvring in the background, and it's Judge Dredd who is paying the price on the front lines of this week's issue. 

Large pieces of the plot are pushed into position in the first panels as Judge Clarence Goodman, Chief Judge of Mega-City One for the last forty-three years, emerges from a rejuvenation clinic after his monthly treatment. Surrounded by several masked men with knives, Judge Goodman speaks with authority - telling them to put the knives away. It doesn't end well, and Judge Goodman is surrounded and stabbed by the men. 

Judge Dredd races to the scene but finds that Judge Cal's SJS men are already there, and they tell him directly that he's not needed. Dredd has little patience for such talk and pushes his way to Judge Goodman's side. Looking at the Judge's wounds, Dredd is surprised that he is still alive. Goodman pulls him close, and unseen to the SJS slips something into Dredd's hand in his final moments before dying. 

Back in his apartment, Dredd watches the news where Judge Cal has now assumed the position of Chief Judge. Looking at his clue, Dredd sees that it's a button of one of Judge Cal's SJS men. Already the pieces are falling into place and Dredd can see the big picture. 

Striding purposefully from his apartment, Dredd little suspects that he is being watched by a sniper, one of Judge Cal's men. A single shot to the head cuts Dredd down. In the following panels, we see that he has survived for now, but there is only a one in a hundred chance of him making it through. 

A Justice Central, Judge Cal is ruling with a hand of steel. He is gripped by madness, and it is apparent that he has become unhinged. Seeing that Judge Quincy is missing a button, Cal orders him to strip all his clothes and forces him to do his duties in only his underwear. Leaning back on his chair, Judge Cal looks at himself in the mirror, telling himself that there are some changes to come. He is Chief Judge now, he is the law. 

I am getting strong "Mad Roman Emperor" vibes from Judge Cal and I love it. I also love this permeates throughout the story, with the stabbing of Judge Goodman drawing from Ceasar's death at the hands of Brutus and his men. It is beautifully done, and I am well and truly cloaked in this story as we move forward. The page when Dredd is shot looks sensational, with captions that capture the depth and severity of the moment. It is a fantastic page that gives Cal's madness a deadly edge and points to what is to come. A great way to start this new branch of the story, I already sense that this may be one for the ages, and I will read on with interest to see where this madness will lead us. 

Rating: 8.5/10

Best line: "He won't be so dangerous with a bullet in the head!"

We were learning more about Hammer-Stein's war memoirs in last week's Ro-Busters, and this week we pick up right where we left off with Hammer-Stein and the blind Sergeant who hated him fighting off a Volgan attack. 

They repel the attack, and the blind Sarge tells Hammer-Stein that he hates robots almost as much as he hates Volgans. Luckily he can't see Hamemr-Stein and is unaware that he is a robot. There is little time to dwell on this as Hammer-Stein fights his way towards a vehicle on skis, and with the Sargeant by his side, they take off across the snowy landscape. 

Unfortunately, the Volgs have holed the fuel tank, and eventually they have to abandon the vehicle. It is then that Sergeant Kowalski feels the cold of Hammer-Stein's arm and the cold of his face. Before the Sergeant can say the words, Hammer-Stein tells him that yes, he is a robot. 

Kowalski reacts angrily and tells Hammer-Stein to get away from him. Hammer-Stein points out that he has saved the sergeant's life, but Kowalski grabs him by the neck to strangle him. Hammer-Stein points out that he is wasting his time and furthermore you need a special spanner to unscrew his head.

This is interrupted by the sound of the Volgan army on the move. A huge Volgan offensive is underway under the cover of the blizzard. The Sarge can smell it, and his attitude to Hammer-Stein changes. He tells Hammer-Stein to record it all with his photo-memory cells, and they have to get this information back to base. 

With the Volgan forces filmed, the pair begin to make their way back. However, Volgan tracker troopers are on their trail, and coming up fast. 

In classic war movie style, Sarge tells Hammer-Stein that he will only slow him down and that Hammer-Stein should go on without him. He goes on to say that he won't let himself be taken prisoner by the Volgans and pleads with Hammer-Stein to shoot him on the spot. At first, Hammer-Stein refuses, saying there must be another way. But Kowalski issues a direct order, a direct order that no robot could refuse. 

Hammer-stein has no choice but to comply, and he shoots Kowalski dead on the spot. The story ends with Hammer-Stein trudging off into the snow, with a simple marker serving as Kolwalski's grave. 

This story was fantastic. It had many great lines in it, and the final pages contained some of the most poignant panels we have so far in 2000 A.D. It was sensitive and moving, surprising me in its depth after the previous few weeks. It may have drawn heavily from the war stories we have heard all our lives, but it was fresh and new in this different setting, and with the robot showing humanity there was an extra wrinkle of complexity. The writing was superb, delivering a tight plot, some great dialogue, and adding new layers to the characters. I was impressed with the change in the story after my first introduction to the title it looks like we are heading in the right direction for many more stories like this. The final pages stayed with me long after I put the comic down, but I will be returning to this again and again. I could choose any number of lines or panels as favourites as they are all first class and it is tempting to put the whole story here and say "This is what I liked best"  

Rating: 10/10

Best line: "Guess I was a bit soft - in those early days...I learnt a lot from that Sarge...like war is the dirtiest thing that can happen to a human...or a robot" 

We know exactly what to expect in Flesh this week, with the opening page showing the powerful sea monster Big Hungry attacking the small mini-submarines of the trans-time fisheries.

After seeing the power of Big Hungry, we jump back to Claw Carver and Svenson on the hunter sub 'Thors Hammer.' It's not a happy ship, and Svenson is currently whipping Carver and threatening to kill him. However, Carver talks his way out of the situation, pointing out that Svenson is a pirate, a gangster, and totally dishonest, just like Carver. Not only that, but Carver has a billion credits in gold stashed and working together he could make Svenson very rich. 

Svenson is interested, but they are interrupted by a distress call. It's the trawling sub 'Horatio' who is reporting three mini-subs destroyed. Thor's Hammer races to the scene of the call and finds that it is Big Hungry who is causing the chaos. 

Thor's Hammer manages to stay out of harm's way, but the Horatio isn't so lucky and the trawler net comes crashing towards them. Hitting the Horatio's stern, it holes the submarine, leaving the men with a fast-sinking ship. 

As the strip ends, Svensin is facing a crucial decision. Should he go in and rescue the survivors, or should he instead follow Carver's advice to kill Big Hungry and go for the gold?

Whatever he chooses, I know next week will be a good one. Carver is well and truly embedded in the story now, and his machinations are paying off with Svenson wavering in his decision. The first page was impressive to look at, although its place in the plot didn't become apparent until a few pages in. Aside from the first page, the most impressive panels were mid-story as Carver and Svenson revealed their true selves. There was some cracking dialogue and it was a joy to read their interaction. They are both rogues of the highest order, and after we learnt more about their activities I was surprised to see Svenson pause in his decision in the final panel. With the story now set in its course, the next few weeks should prove to be most interesting and I don't want to miss a thing as we learn more about what Caver has in plan and whether or not Svenson will go along with it. 

Rating: 7/10

Best line: "It matters 'cos you're a pirate, a gangster and totally dishonest - just like me, pal. Us villains have got to stick together, eh?" 

Future Shock's this week is merely a page and tells a simple story. A child is playing with his blocks and making an interesting building, He thinks it looks good, and as his parents call him away he decides to leave it there. We can plainly see that it is Stonehenge, and the caption tells us that people are still finding it interesting today. Over the page, this is confirmed with the caption telling us it is Stonehenge. 

Nothing is mentioned about these giant beings, and this story left me with a lot of questions. It wasn't as clever or sharp as other future shocks, but it had its own soft charm - mostly due to the artwork. I read it, I enjoyed it, and I will never think of it again. 

Rating: 6/10

Best line: "I'm going to leave my blocks there - I reckon they look really good!"

On the pages of Strontium Dog, Johnny Alpha is currently locked in combat with his good friend Wulf. They are in the Wolrog penal battalion, where Wolrog Sergeant Kark has them fighting for survival and a place in the battalion. 

Luckily for both involved, the fight is suddenly stopped by Major Mox who tells Sergeant Kark that they are both excellent fighters and it's better for them to both die for the glory of the Wolrog Empire. 

Over the following days, the battalion is whipped into shape by Sergeant Kark. He takes a dislike to Gronk, and Johnny is forced to step in to protect his friend. It looks as though there will be a fight, but at that moment the battle against the Sandorian nations is about to begin. Johnny and Wulf watch on as the Wolrog ships destroy the first wave of Sandorian ships before being told to prepare themselves for battle. They will be targeting the planet Nykos, and all life must be destroyed. 

With only ten minutes until the battle, Johnny and Wulf don't have much time to plan an escape and a way of stopping the Wolrogs before they annihilate the entire galaxy. 

Not as good as previous episodes, this slowed in pace this week. The fight that started the strip was promising yet was cut short. So too was the conflict between Johnny Alpha and Sergeant Kark. It was just reaching boiling point when it was put aside and we moved on to the next big thing. That big thing is the battle, and there should be no way to avoid this, we definitely see some thrills and hard-hitting action. I'm looking forward to seeing this story go up a gear, and after treading water the last two weeks its time to get into the flow of the story. A lot hinges on next week, and hopefully, it will finally live up to its artwork. 

Rating: 6/10

Best line: "They both put up an excellent fight, Sergeant Kark. To kill one now is wasteful...let them both die for the glory of the Wolrog Empire!" 

Prog 89 final ratings:

Overall: 7/10

Best Story: Ro-Busters

Best Line: "Would a human have done the same? Maybe...it didn't make it any easier"   

Best Panel: