I am constantly amazed that these comics from forty-five years ago never feel old. Many of the stories still resonate with today's world, and some even more so with current events catching up with some of these stories. Judge Dredd is the gold standard on this front, with his satire just as sharp and relevant to popular culture now as it was in 1979. It's making my current read of the comic far more interesting than I could have imagined, and each week I eagerly scan the pages for something I recognise from our modern times and I am constantly surprised by what I find.
Prog 124
4th August 1979
The source of Mega-City One's power, the Power Tower which draws power from deep in the Earth's core, has been struck by terrorists and now white-hot lava is boiling over the city. Judge Dredd can only watch on as a natural disaster unfolds.
Not only that, but there is also a series of earthquakes, and as the streets are ripped open, buildings start to tumble, including the wall that surrounds the city and protects it from the Muties.
Father Earth and his hordes of followers seize the moment, and despite Dredd fighting off some of the Doomsday Dogs, there are soon Muties across the city.
The holocaust squad is called in to deal with the Power Tower, each man protected by a heavy protective suit as they are dropped into the lava surrounding the tower. Despite their protection, this is a suicide mission, and the squad only has three minutes to save the day before their suits burn up. It looks as though they might fail, but one of the men manages to shut off the main safety valve, and although they all lose their lives, Mega-City One is saved.
With revenge on his mind, Dredd surveys his ruined city where the Muties are still running loose and promises that these going to a reckoning.
Last week I was drawn to the parallels between this story and the terror attack on the Twin Towers. This week it was the threat of a nuclear disaster that came to mind, and although my mind jumped to Fukushima, the Three Mile Island disaster in March of 1979 is a far more obvious inspiration. Although Judge Dredd had several good moments early in the comic, it was the holocaust squad that was a highlight for me. Their self-sacrifice was handled well and resonated with some of the acts of heroism at Fukushima while delivering the best art moments of the strip. Early images of Dredd looking strong were good, but no match for the emotion shown on the faces of the holocaust squad, or the detail shown on their suits. There was plenty here that a modern reader could relate to, and just like last week, this was compulsory and essential reading. He may live in a futuristic city, but Judge Dredd is firmly rooted in our world, making the strip timeless and relatable to all generations.
Rating: 8.5/10
Best line: "Bike don't fail me now!"
In Disaster 1990, Bill Savage is watching a gang of escaped convicts disguised as Royal Marines approach survivors holed up in Harrods.
Although lacking in weapons, Savage has the element of surprise on his side, and he rams his amphibious vehicle into the side of one of the convicts' boats. With men thrown into the water, Savage yells to the people in Harrods to throw him his shotgun. This they do, and not a moment too soon as one of the convicts prepares to throw a grenade. A shot from Savage drops him before he can throw the grenade, and as the grenade explodes, killing more convicts, Savage is able to reach the relatively safety of Harrods.
However, now they are stuck, and surrounded by the convicts and with limited ammunition, Savage is forced to devise a new plan. They decide to slip quickly out at night to make their escape, but unfortunately, as they paddle out they hit a hidden flare planted by the crooks. With the crooks rapidly coming them on motor boats, Savage engages the engines, telling us that a chase is about to begin, although the convicts have the advantage of faster boats.
Although better than last week, I still wasn't totally convinced by this story. Savage had some good lines, although he was sadly lacking some of the sharp dialogue that I have come to expect from him. This made the story feel flat despite the action, and overall I was disappointed. Still, the story is moving quickly along, and I was pleased to see the siege of Harrods only lasted a page before Savage and the others attempted an escape. This fast pace keeps me reading and I know that whatever I don't like now will soon be gone as we move forward to the next issue. I like the clean art style of Pino, although I feel he was let down this issue by a lot of the action occurring at night time. This added a heaviness to his line, and it wasn't as incisive as previous weeks. We have good foundations here, the overall theme of the story is strong, and with a couple of small adjustments, this story will be a favourite. I'm reading on hoping next week we will turn the corner and the strip will deliver all that it promises.
Rating: 6.5/10
Best line: "Nah, them little army lanterns help us play cards while them civvies sweat it out across there!"
Hammer-Stein of the A.B.C. Warriors finds himself in a tournament with Deadlock, Grand Wizard of the Knights Martial. If Hammer-Stein wins Deadlock will join his team, but if Hammer-Stein should lose he will sacrifice his life.
The tournament they fight is reminiscent of the knights of old, with both riding toward each other with lances drawn. Hammer-Stein struggles against his opponent, with Deadlock using his mystical powers throughout the fight, and it all ends with Hammer-Stein defeated and facing death from ten swords.
Ten swords are called for, and at a ceremony, each is carefully stuck through his body. As the tenth, and fatal, sword is about to be placed, Hammer-Stein grabs hold of Deadlock's ace of swords and holds it to his throat. Hammer-Steain now has the upper hand, and Deadlock submits to him.
The strip ends with Hammer-Stein repaired, Deadlock joining the squad, and the mysterious human officer presenting Hammer-Stein with another challenge - General Blackblood.
There was a lot of mysticism in these pages, and a great deal of it occurred in the fight between Hammer-Stein and Deadlock. The fight itself was dragged across four pages, so we were offered plenty of time to take it all in and really wallow in the battle and the spiritual overtones. It wasn't quite my cup of tea, but I can't deny, I liked every moment of it. An early highlight was the opening colour pages which featured Deadlock drawing tarot cards, and the first charge of the opposing warriors. It dropped us immediately into the story and gave us a good idea of where we would be going over the following pages. The tarot cards were crucial to the plot, and they bookended the story nicely with the opening foretelling eventually playing out. I am enjoying seeing the squad come together, although, at the same time, I am itching to see what the secret mission will be. This has been spoken about several times, and each time it becomes more intriguing. I'm guessing we are still a couple of weeks away from finding out, and until then I shall make do with seeing who this mysterious General Blackblood is and what he will bring to the team.
Rating: 8/10
Best line: "In the name of Kaos, I shall destroy you!"
On the pages of Project Overkill, Harris and the USAF doctor who is aiding him, are approaching the hanger of a Super Constellation aircraft. They are confronted by a thug from Project Overkill carrying a flame thrower, and after a skirmish in which the doctor throws a bucket of water over the thug, Harris defeats him by electrocuting him with 2,000 volts as he stands in the puddle of water.
Harris and the doctor fly off in the Super Constellation, putting its sophisticated electronics to good use and making it practically invisible to radar. They also use its array of electronics to search for the precise location of Project Overkill, and they soon find it. However, four strange-looking craft appear in the sky beside them, and Harris identifies that the only way they could fly would be through the use of anti-gravity. With such power at their disposal, Harris wonders how he can ever defeat Project Overkill.
Another good episode, with a healthy mix of action and plot. The fight with the man with the flame thrower occupied a couple of pages and had a satisfying outcome as Harris outthought his opponent. This gave the strip a fast start and was a good introduction to what followed. I liked the thought of the anti-gravity craft we saw in the final panel, and like the very best comics, it left me with a lot of questions that can only be answered by reading the next issue. I still don't have a good handle on Harris, and as a character, he feels rather empty. However the rest of the story compensates for this, and the strip is far more interesting than the character of Harris. Each week we turn a corner and I think we are about to get a major reveal. I have that feeling again this week, and the strip continues to string me along - how much longer, I don't know, but I'll be back next week for more of the same.
Rating: 7.5/10
Best line: "Yeah, Harris - I'm waiting for you and so is my little death machine here!"
Dan Dare and Sondar have come to Topsoil, a rough satellite refuge, in search of a shape-changing alien who has framed them. There is trouble around every corner, and Dare and Sondar soon find themselves in some as a revolting figure offers to take them to someone who knows where they can find the Krulgan they seek.
It's a trap, and down a dark alley, they are accosted by a press gang. It's only the power of the cosmic claw that saves them, and they resume their search in a nearby bar.
The bar is full of strange and unusual characters, including a woman with three heads singing on the stage. Sondar is immediately on the alert as he tells Dare that he can smell the Krulgan. As a woman walks past them, Sondar suddenly lashes out, striking her with the butt of his gun. In a flash, the aliens in the bar rise to their feet and Dare and Sondar look to have taken on the fight of their lives.
A very strong Star Wars influence here, with the bar Dare and Sondar visiting closely resembling the Mos Eisley Cantina. The people within were of a similar ilk, and it was hard not to feel the connections. Understandable, given that the first Star Wars movie had only just disappeared over the horizon by the time this issue arrived. The cast of characters within the bar gave the artist, Dave Gibbons, a chance to flex his creative muscle, and I was quite taken by the array of aliens that appeared on the page. The three-headed woman is a firm favourite although there were plenty more that caught the eye. I liked this story more than I thought, mostly due to the surprising twist with Sondar striking a woman. I caught my breath when I saw it, and it was shocking on the page. I understand what's happening, but even so, there was an audible gasp when Sondar struck out. Dan Dare is still meandering a little, but this issue has raised the stakes, and seeing Dan Dare in a rough and tumble world has knocked off some of the 'boy scout' feelings I have about him, as well as giving the story a spine that it needed.
Rating: 7/10
Best line: "The artificial twilight gathers, Dan! Silence falls over this pathetic outpost of life--as if its slimy denizens are expecting trouble!"
Prog 124 final ratings:
Overall: 7.5/10
Best Story: Judge Dredd
Best Line: "What's luck got to do with it? See you in hell, Mitch!"
Best Panel:
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