Prog 108

I'm not sure if it's a great day or a sad day. It's the final day of the Judge Dredd story "The Day the Law Died" and I have mixed feelings. I'm excited to see how it will all pan out, and I hope I leave this final strip just as satisfied as all the other previous ones. However, I'm also feeling blue that this is the end of what has been a fabulous journey. I have ridden the ups and downs of this story arc with Dredd, and loved every minute of it. Like a summer holiday, I never want to leave this place, and I never want to return to the real world. I'm also a little scared. Are all Judge Dredd stories going to be this good? If the next one doesn't live up to this I am sure to feel disappointed, yet if the next story exceeds this one, what then am I to think of this one? I shall read this issue extra slowly, enjoying every drop from the Dredd story that has captivated me for the last few months.   

Prog 108

14th April 1979 

It is death day in Mega-City One and with Judge Cal about to push the button to release the deadly nerve gas, Judge Dredd doesn't have much time to save the day. 

Dredd and his men are taking the fight to the Kleggs on the streets, but Judge Cal has locked himself in the Statue Of Judgement. 

Smashing his way in using a truck, Dredd, Fergee, and the rest of Dredd's team storm up the stairs. Judge Cal's two bodyguards can see what is about to happen and think this may be their chance to knock Cal off and become heroes. However, before they can do anything they find that they have been poisoned by Cal and they die painfully at his feet. 

At that moment Fergee arrives at the scene, ready to get heavy with Judge Cal. Cal is fast, and before Fergee gets close Cal shoots him twice. 

Cal is surrounded by Dredd's men, yet he still has the upper hand as the mass hypnotizing is still in effect. Dredd soon finds all the Judges turning on his team and holding them prisoner. 

Cal reaches for the button, but there is one final card to play. Despite his injuries, Fergee rises to his feet and envelops Cal in his arms. Other judges come to Cal's aid and wrestle Fergee who keeps a firm grip on Cal. Eventually, Fergee plunges over the railing with Cal, and a handful of Judges, and all fall to their death below. 

Mega-City One is saved by Fergee, and Judge Dredd ensures that his sacrifice will not be forgotten. Statues are erected all over the restored city in Fergee's honour. Meanwhile, the mercenary Kleggs are rooted out and punished. All that remains now is to appoint a new Chief Judge. Dredd is at the forefront of people's thoughts, but he turns down the role, telling them that his place is on the streets. And that is where we end this brilliant story, with Dredd walking back to the streets to continue his fight against crime, wherever he may find it. 

A fitting end to what has been my favourite Judge Dredd story so far. This worked for me on every level, with a fantastic villain, some unexpected heroes, and the grim world of Mega-City One being just as impactful as the grim-faced Dredd. The art exceeded all that had come before, and even in this final episode we still had twists and turns that kept me reading. The bar has once again been set high, and all future Dredd stories will have a lot to live up to. I was delighted to see Fergee take on the mantle of hero at the end of this story, and his part in the overall plot was rewarded as his character became just as important as Dredd or Cal. After all this heroism and the epic finish, we ended with the low-beat image of Dredd walking back the streets - a poignant moment that brought the story back to earth and set us up nicely for whatever follows. 

Rating: 9/10

Best line: "Observe, mortals! Observe my powers - STOP!" 

Sam Slade has just lost his only friend, Robometer Cutie, and he is mad as hell about it. On the first page of Robo Hunter, we see him blasting away at a variety of robots and when the blasting stops we can see he is surrounded by the wreckage of dozens of robots.

Shooting his way out of the building, Sam Slade is joined by Smoking Joe, Kidd, and Shoe. They need to get out of there quick, and a passing taxi is just the ticket. They climb aboard, and although the taxi recognises them, Slade manages to convince them that they are robots, not sims. Outside the robot war rages on and although they are on the move Slade's mind is wondering what they can do to bring some sanity back to the planet. 

A couple of good lines from Sam Slade weren't enough to save this story in my eyes. Perhaps I was expecting too much on the back to the Dredd story that opened the comic. The story again feels weighted down by the robot wars taking place as a backdrop, and none of the characters have a chance to shine. The first pages were dominated by images of Slade blasting robots, and it wasn't as exciting as one might expect, becoming boring after a couple of panels. The final thoughts of Slade give me some hope for the coming weeks, and if the story can lift itself out of the recent mire and get back to its snappy roots I shall be much happier. 

Rating: 6.5/10

Best line: "Come and get it, you murdering robo-scum!"

Hunting another Strontium Dog, Johnny Alpha has arrived in another dimension with Wulf and Gronk. After meeting some strange beings, they find themselves caught in a rain storm - a rain of blazing fire. 

Although Gronk's fur is on fire, Johnny snatches him up and saves him. Observing their wounds, they see that they have green festering sores, just like the other creatures in this dimension. 

Using the life-force meter, Wulf detects that Fly's Eyes is nearby. Approaching a large square, they see that a preacher has attracted a crowd. This preacher is telling the crowd that there is only one way out of this world, they must go back to the Black Citadel upon the Mountain of Skulls. 

Firing his weapon in the air, Johnny breaks up this gathering - leaving only Fly's Eyes. After an exchange of words, Johnny blasts Fly's Eyes into pieces. However, as the strip ends, Johnny and Wulf look horrified as Fly's Eyes body begins to grow again and come back to life. 

More interesting turns in Strontium Dog, and the strip continues to draw me into its strange worlds. This week we finally got a confrontation between Johnny Alpha and Fly's Eyes but rather than stalling its momentum, it added another thread of interest to the story, and the final twist sees me hooked to see more of the Fly's Eyes character. Once again I found the colouration worked well with the artwork, and the two complemented each other well. With the consistency of the characters and the quality of writing, it was another strong issue that delivered all I could have wanted from a Strontium Dog strip. With this dimension still offering possibilities to be explored, and still throwing up more questions than answers, we still have some way to travel - something I am very happy about, and I can't wait to go on this journey with the strip. 

Rating: 7/10

Best line: "Run! Run like der cucumbers!" 

This week in Ro-Busters, X27? continues his amazing story of the secret of the planet of the robots. On Saturn Six, the robots have found gold and destroyed the humans who brought them here. 

They then extract all the mineral wealth they can from the planet, setting up a sanctuary for robots to escape to. Sending false messages to humans, they let them know the planet is inhabited. They also have a backup plan should any human arrive and build a variety of weapons. 

They then begin setting up escape lines across the galaxy to bring free robots to the planet. It is now that we learn what X27?'s role was. He was sent to Earth to set up an escape line to bring robots to Saturn Six. Unfortunately, he was badly injured and ended up with a damaged memory, eventually being sold to Ro-Busters. 

However, his memory has now returned, and he tells the gathered robots that the X27? is a code that will help them escape. With this knowledge imparted, he dies and is buried by his colleagues. 

Ro-Jaws and Hammer-Stein are determined to get the rest of the Ro-Busters to this planet of the robots, and noticing that Casey looks human, they decide to dress him as a human to aid their escape. Their first stop is a nearby house, where they raid the washing line for clothes, They are caught in the act, but Doctor Feely Good is on hand to administer a bandage that wraps the humans safely up until the robots can escape. 

Last week's issue of Ro-Busters was outstanding, and this week's issue builds on that foundation to give us another great edition. X27?'s story held me rapt and although the Ro-Busters didn't feature until later in the story, I still found every panel an essential part of the overall plot. The final pages when Ro-Busters spring to action, with Doctor Feely Good still stealing every scene, are worth the wait. Stealing the washing of the line was humorous, with a touch of fear brought about by Doctor Feely Good lurking in the background. I was worried about the fate of the humans, despite it being a comic, and I was mildly relieved when I saw them safely bandaged up on the final panels. An excellent story, with a touch of humour to offset the heavier themes, this is a firm favourite at the moment and one the first stories I turn to each week. 

Rating: 8/10

Best line: "Mummy...there's nasties in the garden!" 

Future Shocks makes a welcome return this week with an excellent body-horror story titled "Together".

Dave and Ron are two school friends who have worked their way up through the ranks together and are now astronauts piloting a spaceship through deep space. Trouble arrives soon after this scene is set, as a meteor shower hits the spacecraft.

Critically damaged, the ship crashes on an alien planet. Luckily, a passing alien ship detects organic material on their ship and stops to save the pilots. Although Ron and Dave are messed up beyond recognition, the aliens think they can save them using their advanced technology.

Eventually, Dave wakes up in an alien hospital and asks the four-armed doctor where is his friend Ron. The doctor is puzzled and tells him they only found one body in the wreckage. It is then that Dave sees himself in a mirror and the horror of the situation strikes him. The alien has made a mistake and put his and Ron's bodies together, making a Frankenstein monster of him and ensuring that now Dave and Ron will always be together. 

This felt like the perfect end to this week's story and was just the exclamation point we needed. The horror was clever and scary, and the story did a good job of conveying all it had to across three pages. With large bold art filling each page quickly, the story was told with minimum fuss while highlighting the horror that was unfolding. I haven't read a Future Shocks for a while, and this was a good reminder of how good they can be when done right.     

Rating: 8/10

Best line: "A messy job, this. But although the species is unknown to me, the anatomy parallels ours in many ways!"  

Prog 108 final ratings:

Overall: 7.5/10

Best Story: Judge Dredd

Best Line: "I have only to speak and mountains will tremble! I have only to command and our fall will stop!"

Best Panel: