Prog 116

With Dredd recalling events from the past I almost feel compelled to go back and re-read some of the earlier issues to catch myself up. Unfortunately, I'm not in a position to do so, recently I have been time-poor and I'm struggling to even read one comic a week. Imagine going back and telling my twelve-year-old self that, I wouldn't have believed it. My time with the comic this week was short yet just as enjoyable with Dredd opening the door on another strong issue that was capped off by Future Shorts. Time well spent I say, and I hope that next week I have more time to properly enjoy the following issue with a nice cup of tea and a chocolate biscuit.  

Prog 116

9th June 1979 

This week's Judge Dredd feels like a throwback to his earlier stories, helped in no small part by references to events we have already seen. This history is a key driver to the plot, and essential to what unfolds. 

Dredd's niece Vienna, daughter to his brother Rico whom he killed in an earlier issue, has been kidnapped by the electronics genius Harry Carmen. Carmen wants revenge on Dredd for locking him up, and he knows the guilt Dredd feels for killing Vienna's father. 

Dredd attempts a rescue but is caught in an ankle trap and can only look on helplessly as Carman has Vienna strapped to a table beneath a blade. Carmen is confident that Dredd won't kill him, although that isn't the only option available to Dredd and he shoots Carmen with a stun shot. From there Dredd shoots himself free of the trap holding him and completes the rescue of Vienna just as the blade is about to make its fatal swing. 

The story ends with Vienna hugging her uncle, and asking why he killed her father. Dredd gives a satisfactory answer and Vienna leaves happy. However, it's not a happy ending for Dredd as he tells Vienna's caregiver that she must stop Vienna from loving him as someday he will be killed too and he doesn't want Vienna hurt twice. 

There was a lot of talk of the past in this story, something I have glossed over in the plot description. We had a page of Dredd remembering what happened with Rico, and flashbacks to young Vienna and Dredd. It added depth to the story and was a welcome addition. Without the high stakes and family history, this would have been a fairly basic Dredd story, but as it is it was elevated and takes its place in the Dredd canon. I'm not sure that I knew that Dredd's name was Joe, although it must have come up previously. I don't have time to go back now and check, but I am happy to see this sliver of humanity on the page, and in a story where Dredd is referred to as a soulless machine, it gave us a touch of balance. A soulless machine he may be, but his name is Joe. Most of the artwork looked good, with the central pages touching on excellent as we saw a close-up of Dredd's face as he remembered his past. This page was central to the plot, and having the art reaching its pinnacle at the same time, gave the story a strong backbone that carried us through to the finish. I still long for an epic, but this is a great shorter story that was just as essential as the longer tales. 

Rating: 7.5/10

Best line: "How can I tell her that it was me who killed her Daddy? Rico, my brother..."

The riddle of the Astral Assassin continues this week for Rick Random, and I have a feeling the title carries the clue we need to crack this case.

Hyro Cardan of the sorcery world tells Random he knows who the killer is, and using his powers he recreates the past, showing Random a scene in which Baron Odana rises from his deathbed. 

Baron Odana is the murderer, faking his own death before killing others. Cardan calls the other Guebins to warn them, but there is no answer from Jameela Rodes and Random and Vanda arrive just as Baron Odana is about to murder her.

Random tackles Odana before he can fire a shot and after a scuffle, Odana escapes. A chase ensues, and Random realises that he can't catch Odana. As Odana makes for the docking bay and an escape ship, Random takes a faster route to the ship's gun. Thus, as Odana flies away from the ship, Random is ready for him and blasts him out of the sky.

Odana may be dead, but Random tells us that the story is far from over, with a war just about to begin. 

Although Random found the murderer and justice was served, this all fell a little flat for me. There was action across every page, and the story moved in leaps and bounds, yet I was untouched by all of it. The characters had no agency, and none of the interesting aspects of the characters were revealed. Random was told who the murderer was rather than discovering for himself, and the final delivery of justice came long range rather than face to face. The rest of the story was a chase and a lot of running down corridors, with only a brief fight punctuating the story. I have been hard on this story the last few weeks. I want it to be better than it is, and I am constantly disappointed by what comes next, and the fact that we still have a couple of issues to go doesn't exactly fill my heart with joy. This could have been a gripping detective story, instead, it feels like a wasted opportunity with empty characters and a plot that drives itself.  

Rating: 6/10

Best line: "Odana! But it can't be! You - you're dead! Oh no! Noooooo!"

Strontium Dog Johnny Alpha and friends are close to exiting Hell, although, with only one ticket to freedom among them, some hard decisions are about to be made. 

A lot of these decisions are made for them as Wulf begins to turn to ice, a side effect of being bitten by a Gargoyle. Only Satan himself can save Wulf now, and Johnny decides to stay in hell and take Wulf to the Black Citadel. Gronk and the trucker Don decide to stay and help, and only Fly's-Eyes Wagner is left to take the ticket to freedom. Johnny ensures that he won't go free, and Fly's-Eyes is beamed into custody in another dimension.

The journey to the Black Citadel begins across the Wailing Swamp. From the swamp hundreds of hands reach up, all crying for freedom. Trucker Don makes the mistake of reaching to help one and is pulled into the swamp, while a new character named Flash Harry is freed. Flash Harry explains to Johnny that's how the swamp works - one comes out and one takes his place.

Johnny is unwilling to accept the status quo, and leaping into the swamp with a knife he frees Don. There is now an extra pair of hands to carry Wulf on the stretcher, and they feel they are making good progress. However, in the final panel, a frightful monster appears from the water and the team is once again in jeopardy. 

Another wonderful issue, and another feast for the eyes. The images of the final peril facing our friends primed us nicely for the next issue and left a strong impression before I turned the page. I enjoyed seeing the comradery build between the characters throughout this issue and the fact that they all decided to stay and help Wulf gave the story some semblance of stability in an ever-changing world. We see this comradery again later in the story as Johnny Alpha leapt into the swamp to save Don, again building the friendship between the four.  Mr Moon and Mr Sun were again standouts, although this week they didn't dominate the story as much as in previous issues. Overall this was well balanced, tied up some of the loose ends from last week, and set us forth on the next stage of the quest, all across six pages. Excellent. 

Rating: 7/10

Best line: "Flash Harry's the name, squire. I won't shake your hands - that's dangerous round here!"

When we last left Dan Dare he was facing the guardian of the crystal. The guardian is a freak of genetic engineering created by scientists, a monstrous blend of living tissue and biotronics.

Although Dare uses the power of the claw and is assisted by Lystrian cadets, the guardian is too strong. The power of the claw is absorbed by the guardian's shield, and Dare is desperate to find a weakness in his foe.

Meanwhile, the Thraxian leader Haganr and the Mekon are still tunnelling towards the crystal from the other side, and the strip ends with them penetrating the inner walls and Hagnar crowing that the crystal of immortality is theirs. 

This was much better than previous weeks as the story tightened its focus. The bulk of the story was filled with Dare and his fight against the guardian. With no distractions and plenty of page time for Dan Dare, this felt much more like a proper Dan Dare story. The powerful guardian is a worthy foe, and I was rather pleased to see that Dan Dares claw weapon couldn't easily defeat it. I was wondering if such a powerful weapon was a good idea in a story such as this, but the balance of the story was restored with the guardian having a shield to repel such attacks. With the fight even there was plenty of time to stretch it across the pages, and the story was stuffed with great images of the struggles against the guardian. The final moment however belonged to Hagnar and the Mekon, and this was a nice catch to bring me back next week. I am desperate to see what happens next, and I haven't had that feeling for a while with Dan Dare. Things bode well for the future.  

Rating: 7/10

Best line: "So! We have beaten your precious Earthling, Mekon! The crystal of immortality is ours!"

Future Shocks is back, and so is the wonderful artwork of Belardinelli. The story is one familiar to most, Colin Ross prefers sleeping to getting up and as his wife calls at him to get up and ready he instead lies in bed dreaming of fighting alien creatures in fantastic worlds. 

His dream climaxes with him chopping the head of a particularly scary-looking alien, only to be suddenly awoken by his wife. It is then that we see his wife is in fact an alien, one that looks like the one he just dreamed of killing no less, and that Human-Alien marriages are common, but not always happy. 

It's great to see Balardinelli's work back on the pages of 2000 A.D. and he has some good source material to work with. His rendering of the alien life form is scary and I felt a little sick when I saw the final panel - take that as a recommendation. I do wonder if the writer Chris Stevens has a happy home life, he does seem to be working out some issues on the page, but I enjoyed every moment of it. Future Shorts rarely disappoints, and this is just the shock we needed to round out another solid issue.   

Rating: 8/10

Best line: "Don't say I didn't warn you! In future you're going to get up when you're told!"  

Prog 116 final ratings:

Overall: 7/10

Best Story: Future Shocks

Best Line: "If...if you killed Daddy, the...then you must have had a good reason. I still love you, Uncle Joe."

Best Panel: