We have a couple of goodbyes in this issue, as we see the end of A.B.C. Warriors and Disaster 1999. Both have had a strong run and will be sorely missed. However, that means next week we will have some brand new stories to experience, and I look forward to engaging with some new material. I haven't read ahead, so whatever lies ahead will be a mystery to me. But before that, let's have a look at Prog 139 and the stories that lie within.
Prog 139
17th November 1979
Judge Dredd is facing a plague that destroys plasteen, the mainstay of almost everything that Mega-City One builds and produces.
This mysterious bacteria appears on the first page of the story, eating away at the plasteen pillars at Inter-Space Corporation's New Cargo Terminal 43.
From there it rapidly spreads across the city, eating its way through plasteen microphones, pasteen hats, plasteen boots and suits, and even plasteen underwear and dentures.
Obviously, chaos ensues across the city, and although the scientists develop a plasteen resistant to the bacteria, Dredd still needs to hold someone to account.
The obvious choice is K K Danvers, the head of the Inter-Space Corporation, whose space terminal was where the bacteria was first discovered.
Dredd is told that Danvers is unavailable, as he has recently undergone surgery; however, several angry citizens storm in demanding to see Danvers, and we find that he is present, although sequestered in an isolation tent.
The angry citizens tear through this tent, despite Danvers' protestations. Exposed to the outside world, Danvers falls to the ground dead, and we learn that he has recently had his heart replaced with one made of plasteen.
The first thing that caught my eye about this story was John Cooper's artwork. With its clean lines and minimal style, it wasn't as busy as some of the other work we have seen on the pages of Judge Dredd. It made the story easier to read, although I found it did detract from the chaos of Mega-City One that I have previously become used to.
Although a clever and amusing concept, this story wasn't quite as cutting or funny as I have come ot expect of 2000AD. It made its point well; indeed, the concept is just as relevant today as it was fifty years ago, but as much as I found myself smiling at it, I never cracked a grin, let alone a laugh.
However, that is a minor quibble, as I found the ending to be clever, as was the overall conceit. This is shaping into another multipart storyline, and I do hope we see more of this clever storyline reveal itself over the coming weeks. This is a slow-burning start, which bodes well for a substantial storyline. Whether or not that develops next week remains to be seen, but for now I am intrigued by what comes next and eager to read more.
Rating: 7/10
Best line: "I'll disturb him all right! Inter-space ships brought that bacteria in - and I'm holding Danvers responsible!"
Blackhawk is in the clutches of the nightmarish Soul-Sucker, while his trusty sidekick Ursa fights side by side with Zog, the mad dwarf, to free him.
The pair are quite the combination, and soon they have fought off Captain Pysko and his henchmen before dragging the unconscious Blackhawk to an escape craft.
Enlisting Battak as a pilot, they blast through the exit hatch to freedom. However, that freedom is short-lived as they find themselves sucked into a black hole.
This was an enjoyable episode, although we barely saw Blackhawk on the page. I have previously written that sometimes the characters around Blackhawk are more interesting than he is, and this episode highlighted that as the story continued apace without him.
Last week I found Captain Pysko to be an outstanding character. That wasn't built on this week, and he too took a back seat as the story was action-led, with Ursa and Zog driving both the action and the story.
The ending took us to the next phase of the story, although they are now facing overwhelming odds with the appearance of the black hole. In some cases, this makes for compulsory reading as I am wondering how the heck they are going to get out of this, but I also fear that it may lead to some crazy plot twist that takes me out of the story. Of course, I am already reading about an ancient gladiator fighting in futuristic times in outer space with a bear, a dwarf, and a bat, so my belief has already been well and truly suspended.
I'm quietly looking forward to the next issue, and having Blackhawk taking a background role might just be what is needed to keep the story fresh. This was a solid issue, and although I'm not one hundred per cent convinced we are heading in the right direction, I am still reading with a smile on my face.
Rating: 7/10
Best line: "Aaargh! You forgot to open the exit-hatch!"
This is the last appearance of the giant robot, Mad George, on the pages of the A.B.C. Warriors, and apparently the last appearance of the A.B.C. Warriors for a while
After the successful attack on Biol, the synthetic food manufacturing company, the A.B.C. Warriors make to escape into the desert. However, George insists they leave him to face his fate against the soon-to-arrive tanks.
After some debate, the A.B.C. Warriors acquiesce to George's wishes and leave him alone to face his inevitable end.
Hearing the explosions, they pause to reflect on George's demise. It is then that they realise that the chunks of metal flying overhead aren't part of George, but rather they're the tanks sent to destroy him.
Turning back, they find a miracle has occurred. The Mess, the liquid member of the A.B.C. Warriors, had been in a vial in George's heart. Now that had been broken, and the Mess had flowed throughout Georges body, linking his five brains. For the first time in his existence, the giant robot George had operated as intended.
Victory is assured, and the A.B.C. Warriors are again on their way, now with a new member, George, towering over them.
I had expected a sad climax to this part of the story, and I was pleasantly surprised to see a triumphant outcome for George. Seems those tissues I had weren't needed after all.
This "happy ending" has lifted the tone of the Warriors strip considerably, and the second half of this week's story gave the strip a new energy. I appreciated that we moved away from some of the war comic tropes, such as leaving an injured member of the squad to face his fate, and transitioned into a more satisfying and uplifting ending.
On the negative side of the ledger, this will be our last dance with A.B.C. Warriors, as next week we see the arrival of a new strip - The Stainless Steel Rat. A.B.C. Warriors has had a strong run, and this final issue was a fine capstone to close this story. It's a shame to leave them here, and I can only hope they return soon with another fresh story.
Rating: 8/10
Best line: "No - George NOT move! Me not want to go back to being "Mad George" with his silly walk. It better to die!"
While chunks of rock are flying at him, Wolfie puts up a psychic shield, protecting both him and Tara. However, the rest of the film crew aren't so lucky, and down below someone is hit by a falling rock while others urge the director to stop filming and take cover.
Eventually the Guardians consider their warning has been delivered, and Wolfie is left to recover, while Tara comforts him. The possessed stuntman, Joe Snarly, isn't so lucky, and the pair discover that he has been drained of life and energy during the battle, leaving him as an empty shell.
Wolfie returns to the rest of the film crew, and the director insists they are still going to proceed with the filming. However, Wolfie is filled with dread when he sees that the director, Julian Rowse, plans to film the sacrificial scene at the Sacred Trianad, the sysent ot stoes that the guardians have warned him to stay away from.
I am reluctant to say it, but I am beginning to tire of Wolfie Smith. Last week it was the best story in the comic, yet I found this week the battle against the guardian was drawn out, and it feels like we have been on this film set for an eternity. The material is beginning to become stretched thin, and there needs to be another peak to reenergise the story. I am even more frustrated to see ABC Warriors wrap up this week, while we persist with this Wofie Smith story.
Vano continues to impress, and the artwork is near faultless throughout, often carrying the story that is otherwise becoming a grind. I enjoy taking a second, or even third, look at each panel and forgetting the words while I indulge myself in the art.
The final tagline does offer me some hope that the ship will right itself next week. "The death of Wolfie" will either bring things to a close, or spin the story off into a new direction. I would be happy with either outcome, just happy to be moving forward again.
Rating: 6/10
Best line: "Poor old Joe's just...going to pieces!"
Back by the northern farmers, Savage soon conquers the Legion's last stronghold, although he can find no sign of the leaders Razor, Martin and Doc Sinclair.
While Bill and his men enjoy a hearty meal, in the basement below, the Legion's three leaders are making their final power play. With a cache of explosives, they prepare to blow up Buckingham Palace, with Bill and his men unaware of what is unfolding beneath them.
However, Savage stumbles upon their plan, and a fight ensues. Razor, Martin and Doc Sinclair light the fuse to their explosives, and as Savage tries to intercept them, he finds a knife thrown his way. His life is saved when the Squire steps in front of him, sacrificing his life to save Savage's.
Razor, Martin and Doc Sinclair escape, leaving Savage to deal with the rapidly burning fuse. With his trusty shotgun, he blasts one of the wine barrels above the explosives, a shower of wine extinguishing the threat.
The crisis is averted, although Razor, Martin and Doc Sinclair have escaped.
The next morning, Savage and his men awaken to find that it has been snowing overnight, and London and its floodwaters are completely frozen over.
Out on the streets, they soon find Razor, Martin and Doc Sinclair frozen to death in the ice.
With the war over, thoughts turn to rebuilding Britain. Voices call for Savage to be the new leader, but turning his back on the men, Savage tells them that his simply a lorry driver and a loner. Now that the ground is solid again, he can turn and walk away. The final line offers the fishhook for what we have already seen previously; maybe there'll be another day for Bill Savage.
I feel sorry for Bill Savage. He has long been one of my favourite characters, and he didn't deserve the truncated ending we got here. Still, that is the way of these comics, with old stories quickly folded to make way for new. Still, the thought lingers with me that both Bill and the story deserve better.
Aside from the jarring moment when Bill suddenly finds his enemies dead in the ice, the rest of the story stacked up rather well. The action scenes in Buckingham Palace carried the comic, and the sacrificial death and reappearance of Bill's shotgun were touches that we have grown used to throughout Bill's story. The appearance of both was a nice nod to the ground the story has been built on and a little piece of fan service before the story wrapped up.
Perhaps the timing is right to say goodbye to Bill. As much as I enjoy him, there were only so many battles to be fought in this scenario. He was the right man at the right time, but now that time has passed. I shall leave with nothing but fond memories of him and his story, and every time I see a shotgun, his will be the first name to spring to mind.
Rating: 5/10
Best line: "No, like the lorry driver I was before the floods, I'm a loner. An' now that it's solid ground again I can turn and walk away."
Prog 139 final ratings:
Overall: 7/10
Best Story: A.B.C. Warriors
Best Line: "You're right, Deadlock. No-one asked George if he wanted to be built as a freak...maybe it's his right to decide how he should die!"
Best Panel:
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