Prog 114

An uneven issue this week, yet one that contained several gems. It's hard to go past Ro-Busters as a highlight, and as they story reaches its climax it continues to deliver great issue after great issue. I didn't think so highly of some of the other stories in the comic, but with my final thoughts lingering on Ro-Busters, it's hard to have anything but positive feelings about what I have just read.   

Prog 114

26th May 1979 

Judge Dredd's investigations into the suspected murder of Charles Beaker, a student at Mega-City Tech, have brought him to the home of Professor Milton D. Frankenstein. 

The only evidence Dredd has is a cigarette case with Frankenstein's fingerprints, but the Professor denies any allegations. Dredd is sure he is lying, and as he leaves he promises to keep an eye on the Professor.

In his basement, the Professor continues with his experiment into cloning and soon has not just his original monster, Dennis, but another five - all in various degrees of grotesque.

Although they haven't turned out how he planned, the Professor still has a plan for them, and gathering them together he tells them that he wants them to kill Dredd. They obey orders, and over the page we see them entering Dredd's apartment. Dredd puts up a good fight, dealing with a couple of them, although the story ends with Dredd in the clutches of one while another approaches with a club in hand.

"Good" seems to be a weak summation of what we have here, yet it is the best I can do. I like the story a lot, and it does have a cleverness to it that appeals to me but it all feels too obvious, and this week we weren't rewarded with any intensity to raise it to the next level. The monsters looked great although they didn't hold any menace, and seeing Dredd in their clutches doesn't have me fearing for his safety. They are cartoony rather than sinister, and not the fear-inspiring villains we have seen previously. Like the Exo-Men story we last read, this is a fun romp and not the heavy epic that has been the highlight of the Dredd run so far. That said, I will be reading on with interest and Dredd remains a crucial character in my love of the comic, I just wish we saw more of him in action this week.   

Rating: 6/10

Best line: "That-a bossy robot! Just because I no speaka da good English, he think he give-a me da orders! I'm a-gonna complain to Judge-a-Dredd! I'm a-gonna tell him the way that-a robot treat me! 

Rick Random is investigating the murder of Baron Odana, a member of the Guebin trade delegation, and at the end of the last issue it looked as though Rick had been pushed into a laser disposal unit. 

This week we see that isn't the case, and Random and other members of the Guebin party are looking at a dead body that clearly isn't Rick Random. This body is the second murder in the Guebin delegation and serious questions are being asked on board the Columbia.

Rick Random tells those around him to keep calm and quiet until the morning, but come the following day Garon Aldo, a key member of the Guebin party, is far from calm and is demanding war. 

Accusations fly across the room, and Random and Vanda quickly leave to visit the murder scene. There Random finds a burn mark on the wall, indicating a blaster had been clamped to the wall and the murder of Baron Odana was carried out by remote control. 

The duo then calls on Hyro Cardan from the sorcery world whose flowery talk reveals little apart from the fact he can use magic to create illusions. 

It is suspicious, but so too is the fight that Random and Vanda witness between the Guebins Exon Sanso and Jameela Rodes. Random talk along with Jameela sees her throwing himself at him while telling him that Exon saw her talking to one of the murder victims and was insanely jealous. Fearing for Vanda's safety, Random calls by Exon's quarters to meet her, and as they leave Vanda tells Random that Exon made the same accusations about Jameela. 

The final scene of this week's story plays out with Random and Vanda walking into the state room of the Guebin delegation where Garan Aldo is again accusing two members of the party of carrying out the murder by remote control. While he points an accusing finger, Random acts and arrests the two fingered suspects, despite a lack of evidence. 

Aldo is satisfied that the killers have been caught, but in the final panels, we see a sinister shadow stalking him as he walks down the corridor. 

I like this as a mystery story, although it does seem too wordy for a comic and would be more enjoyable as a short story. Rick Random and Vanda appeared as interesting characters in the first issue, although since then their personalities have been parked, and they felt bland in this issue. Some unique dialogue would serve them well at this stage and give us a much better feeling of who they are and what motivates them. The artwork remained crisp and clean, although the story being told didn't always lend itself well to the medium. You can see by the length of my plot summary that a lot of dialogue and interaction occurred, but not a lot of action, and this slowed the story. We know that this tale will be only six issues, and with already three behind us, the story will start moving towards some sort of conclusion next week and we should see some of the pieces falling into place.   

Rating: 7/10

Best line: "Death is merely an irrelevant transformation, Mr Random. I look upon it as lightly as I do on the creation of life...like so!"

Strontium Dog kicks off with the image of Johnny Alpha and Fly-Eyes about to plunge over a waterfall as we continue their saga in Hell-World. Johnny saves the day, shooting a wire from his gun before Wulf pulls him and his prisoner to safety.

The whole town has gone crazy since Mr Moon and Mr Sun disappeared, but they are back in the very next panel, revelling in the chaos. This chaos escalates as the local citizens continue their fight for the five tickets to escape hell. By chance, Fly's-Eyes catches one, and soon the five outsiders are fighting off the hordes, who have now been conveniently armed by Mr Sun and Mr Moon. Finding a vehicle, the five find a calm place to hide out. There they have a discussion about their next move. There are five tickets to escape and five of them - all they have to do is find the other four tickets and they can make their escape. With that, a plan is put in place and an hour before midnight they make their move, driving back into the burning town where they can see the fighting is still going on. 

A lot happening here, and all of it is enjoyable. Chaos is the keyword, and we had plenty of it across the pages. Intertwined with the downright weirdness of Hell, this made for some amazing-looking pages, and once again Carlos Ezquerra has delivered on the challenge raised by the writer. Whatever can be imagined is made real by the pen of Ezquerra and the story is enhanced by every stroke Ezquerra makes. The panels are busy without being cluttered, and the story reads just as well on a second and third reading as it did on the first.  This Hell world makes me uncomfortable, as it should, and a large part of that is due to the work of Ezquerra. This could have been silly and cartoonish, but it remains firmly rooted in weird and scary, delivering a stimulating sci-fi story with a heavy Lewis Carroll vibe.  

Rating: 7.5/10

Best line: "We'll wait till just one hour before the midnight deadline, then we move. If we find the tickets there'll be less chance of having them taken from us"

Dan Dare and the Lystrian rebels are under attack in the opening panel, with Dan standing protectively over Princess Myriad. Dare's first shot from the Cosmic Claw misses the Thraxians, and Myriad is injured. Infuriated, Dare steps forward again, and this time the Thraxian skirmish boat is obliterated by his powerful weapon. 

With this, the other Thraxian's move on, leaving Dare and his men to tend to Myriad and consider their next move.

Their next move is to advance further into the complex housing the crystal, where an even greater challenge awaits Dare - The Guardian. This defensive measure was put in place by the Lystrians themselves and is more powerful than Dare can imagine. 

Meanwhile, the Thraxian warlord Hagnar is furious about the outcome of this battle, and sets forth himself to confront Dare, despite the Mekons misgivings. 

Dare is unaware of this as he stands in the shadows that shroud the outer grotto. He understands that this will be the greatest challenge he has ever faced but takes comfort that he has the Cosmic Claw with him.

I don't understand why I don't like this more. I think Dan Dare is a great character, and the art throughout the strip is among the best in the comic. The villains Dare is facing are all great, and the story itself has the potential to be epic. However, none of these parts ever come together in a satisfying manner, and week after week I find myself finishing the story with a sigh and the thought "Is that it?" This week is par for the course. Dare looked great with the weapon, and we saw a fearsome display of its power. Yet, nothing felt dramatic, and although Myriad was badly injured, it was swept under the carpet and by the next page forgotten altogether. Perhaps next week we shall see Hagnar and Dare clash head-on, I certainly hope so, as right now the story needs an extra spark to fire my imagination. 

Rating: 6.5/10

Best line: "And which fills us with terror, Dan! Not even you can conceive of the monstrosity that awaits us within the shrine of everlasting life!"

Ro-Busters have almost managed to escape but with the ruthless P.D. Troopers in pursuit, twelve droids must stay behind on a suicide mission, including our heroes Ro-Jaws and Hammer-Stein.

The fighting is fierce, and despite losing some of their numbers, the robots manage to gain control of the guns aimed at the escaping freighter. They put these guns to good use, turning them on the pursuing fighters, and giving the freighter a clear path to freedom.

Meanwhile, tanks are approaching the remaining robots, but the robots lower the aero-space guns to zero feet and soon the tanks are a pile of twisted metal. Yet still the humans keep coming, and the droids continue the rearguard action to buy time for the escaping freighter. Out the the edge of the atmosphere, the freighter finishes its transformation to a spacecraft, and as it flies into space the robots look back and pay tribute to the dozen droids that brought their freedom. 

In the final panel, we see there are only two of the twelve left now, Ro-Jaws and Hammer-Stein. Fighting side by side, it looks like their time has almost come, for despite the bodies and chaos around them, it looks as they they will finally be overwhelmed. 

I think this was inevitable, and we always knew we would end up here with Ro-Jaws and Hammer-Stein fighting to the bitter end. The time invested in the characters earlier on is paying off, and although this issue saw a lot of action and fighting, our familiarity with the characters grounded it and added some heart to a story that is rapidly coming to a conclusion. This could have been a clichéd filled issue, with a small band fighting a rearguard action while the main force escapes, but as we have seen in previous issues the writing remains sharp and distinctive, giving the story a unique vibe that raises it above basic war story tropes. When our time with Ro-Busters comes to an end, it is the writing that shall remain with me, and even with an action-driven episode such as this, I found many gems tucked within the pages    

Rating: 8/10

Best line: "I know, but we've gotta hold on! Buy time...for the freighter to get clear!"

Prog 114 final ratings:

Overall: 7/10

Best Story: Ro-Busters

Best Line: "Yeah...no escape for us in the last reel, mate...but we'll die fighting for robot freedom!"

Best Panel: