Prog 94

I have been sick most of this week, and could barely prise my eyes open to look at a comic earlier in the week. However, with the arrival of Saturday morning, I feel considerably better, and as soon as I have my cup of tea I know I will be once again ready to face the world. I'm probably not in the best mood to be reading comics, but as I get older I'm rarely in a good mood anyway so who's going to know the difference. 

Prog 94

6 January 1979

The first thing we see in this week's Judge Dredd story is the hordes of Klegg descending upon the hapless citizens of Mega-City One. Before we learn more about these alligator-headed monsters we must go back to Dredd and his attempt to overthrow Judge Cal. 

Dredd's rebellion is going well, with many of Cal's men overpowered. Riding into battle on captured bikes, Dredd and his men help wherever they're needed, even taking time to enforce law and order on common looters,.

Judge Cal is unperturbed by this, and even as Dredd and his men surround the Hall Of Justice, Judge Cal remains calm and aloof. We learn why soon enough as the sky darkens and it begins to rain monsters. These are the Kleggs, a reptile-type monster whom Cal has engaged to help beat Dredd. They are a fearsome race and fight for the joy of killing, and a payment of only meat. 

With Dredd and his men beating a retreat, Cal appears to inform the citizens that he has sentenced the whole city to death. The strip ends with Dredd and Giant watching the announcement on a TV screen and wondering what they are going to do about it.

Led by Bolland's signature art style, this is a classic Dredd strip with all the things we have come to love about it present and correct. The strong lines of Bolland were the first thing to catch my attention, but as I got deeper into the story other facets of the Dredd universe began to vie for my attention. The humour was strong and direct, keeping me smiling in the face of what otherwise was a grim story. Dredd was strong, although not all-powerful, and remained a man struggling against overwhelming odds. Pitched against him, the Kleggs looked fabulous, and I was intrigued by their appearance from the very first panel. Judge Cal's use of them added an edge to the story and gave Judge Cal a far more interesting weapon than an army of Judges. As usual, it was Judge Cal who got the best lines, and although I despise his tyranny, I can only hope that we see plenty more of him in the coming issues. 

Rating: 8/10

Best line: "Now, I want things carried out in an orderly manner, Report to your execution stations in good time. No barging or rowdiness in the queues. And bring a book in case there is a delay. That is all."

Ro-Jaws continues his amazing life story on the pages of Ro-Busters. He is still in the robot prison where we last saw him, and this week we are introduced to two of his robot companions.

The first of these robots is Mad Jock, a butcher robot from Glasgow. He is inside for turning his previous master into little meat pies. Then there is Ginger, a taxi robot who accidentally killed his master after tumbling into a river. The three robots plan an escape, with Ro-Jaws distilling fuel for Jock to use for the break. 

Mad Jock manages to make a solo escape, only to be captured. The last page shows the consequences of this escape, with Jock now an obedient robot after, what one can only assume, is a very intense punishment. 

A brilliant story, and although I have given it the same rating as Judge Dredd, I feel it just pips that previous story. With additional characters stepping forward, some of the attention is taken from Ro-Jaws - no bad thing as although I enjoy his character, a full strip of him can become grating. In particular, Mad Jock stood out with some of the best lines in the story, the best panels, and of course the best moments of the story with his escape and recapture. All of this pushed the story forward and gave us some sense of the danger faced and the peril that may lay ahead. All of it was well crafted, and by the time Mad Jock had been captured we already had enough of a connection to the robot to feel bad about all he had been through, and how he must be suffering now. I don't know what comes next, but I can only hope that Mad Jock is somehow involved and can provide a foil for Ro-Jaws. All this story drama was bolstered by brilliant artwork that gave a heavy feel to the prison, a darkness to the tale, and, at the right moments, a dynamism to the action. More like this next week, please! 

Rating: 8/10

Best line: "Aye! If I had my way - they'd all go into pies! If only they hadna taken away ma knives..."

In the bowels of the Trans-time Corporation's fishing plant, Peters is suffering through a double shift after being set up by Carver. It's a colourful start to Flesh and gives a sense of the scale of the operation Peters is caught up in. 

On deck, the rest of the crew is carrying out repairs to the crane used to haul the catch aboard. They are attacked by Pterosaurs, a flying reptile that doesn't usually venture so close. Two crew members are killed dramatically, and the rest of the crew becomes fearful that the appearance of the killer scorpions may have upset the other creatures around them.

Big trouble is brewing, yet it doesn't seem to bother Carver,  who insists on taking out a trawler and hunter-killer sub to recoup some of the loss of production they have suffered.

His hand-picked team surprisingly includes both Peters and Old Ben and they find trouble soon enough as they come across Big Hungry and some giant scorpions in a fight to the death. 

A great last panel, and we had a steady upward journey towards it throughout this week's strip.  The opening pages with the Pterosaurs attacking the sailors set a high bar and gave us an insight into this brutal world, before the strip set course for the final voyage that brought us to Big Hungry and the Scorpians. Although not afforded a full page, there was enough room for us to witness the enormity of the event and build anticipation for what I will assume will be a fantastic double-spread to kick off next week's story. Sometimes Flesh flounders a little with its meandering storylines, but with an array of frightfully looking monsters, there is always a sense of dread on the page and some intense action to carry my attention and keep me turning the pages. 

Rating: 7/10

Best line: "Hell, the beast's gone crazy!"

Man versus wild is the theme of this week's Future Shocks, with a lone figure pushing his way across the icy wilds opening the story. Watched on by hungry wolves, he struggles to get back to his settlement before sunset, his sledge heavy from a day of hunting. 

The wolves attack, and after a struggle the man manages to get to his canoe, whereupon he quickly moves downstream to his settlement. 

In the opening panel, Tharg told us this week's story is from our own world, and in the final panel, we learn just where in our world this is. The hunter arrives back at his settlement, which is not in Northern Canada as you might suppose, but rather at the Houses of Parliament in London. With the arrival of the third ice age, things have changed, and although the wolves neatly got him in Battersea Park, the hunter has returned with food for all. As Tharg says to round out the story, maybe it's worth thinking twice before complaining about the weather. 

Nobody talks about a coming ice age any more, but I remember in the late 1970's it was all the rage. It's hard to believe now, but I recall my friends worrying about it when we were at primary school. I enjoyed this icy tale. Although the icy hunting scene offered nothing new, the final panel of the arrival back at a recognisable landmark made it all worthwhile and gave the story an extra kick. I should have seen it coming, but I'm glad I didn't and it came as a nice surprise. A good taster of what Furute Shocks should be, and I liked this more than I expected. 

Rating: 7/10

Best line: "They nearly did. They attacked me in Battersea Park. It's a wide, lifeless pace now. I won't go there again in a hurry!"

Johnny Alpha and Wulf have planted a nuclear bomb inside the Wolrog planet of Rog, but before the two heroes of Strontium Dog can make their escape a troop of Wolrogs catches them in the act. 

Johnny is fast with his blaster, but there are too many of them and all Johnny and Wulf can do is run for it.  It looks like they have evaded the Wolrogs, but unfortunately, Wulf's foot becomes caught in a narrow recess. Johnny refuses to leave him, despite the Wolrogs rapidly approaching them.

Things take a surprising turn as an explosion suddenly blasts all the Wolrogs. The source of this blast is the ship that had dropped Johnny and Wulf on the planet, and Johnny and his friend quickly get on board to make an escape. 

The Sandorian Commander engages maximum warp, and the ship is gone in an instant. It's not a moment too soon as the planet erupts, killing everything within a thousand miles. 

The Sandorians would like to reward Johnny with this ship, The Shadow, but Johnny regretfully declines. The vessel would be recognised everywhere it went, and as a bounty hunter, he would prefer to keep a low profile. He may have saved the universe, but as he says in the final panel, this time there is no charge.

A fitting end to this story arc, although perhaps a little too convenient having the spaceship turn up and save the day just when all looked lost. Once again I enjoyed seeing the friendship between Johnny and Wulf, and this really held the story together in the face of some hum-drum blasting action. The ending was notable, and gave us a great idea of what sort of character Johnny Alpha is. It made me more curious about his story, and although I didn't warm to this storyline it did give me a desire to read more. This was my first encounter with Strontium Dog, and from what I have read here I like it well enough, although I feel it has hidden depths and can only get better when it returns. 

Rating: 7/10

Best line: "...this time there's no charge" 

Prog 94 final ratings:

Overall: 7.5/10

Best Story: Ro-Busters

Best Line: "I mean... what harm have animals ever done to us robots? But I had to put somethin' in the pies....so when my master went missing, the police got very suspicious!"   

Best Panel: