Prog 75

I had expected the end of Inferno was almost upon us but I was thrown this week by the sudden ending of Mach Zero as well. Mach Zero has been bubbling along nicely the last couple of weeks, coming off the back of an extremely strong story, and I had expected much more to come. Sadly, it isn't to be. On a positive note, I always welcome a new story and new ideas, and I am intrigued by what will follow. We haven't had the hype we got preceding Ant Wars, and whatever comes next will be painted on a fresh canvas for me. Plenty to look forward to, but for now pull out your tissues and we'll farewell the two long-running stories of Inferno and Mach Zero.   

Prog 75

29th July 1978

It's not very often that Inferno is the first story in 2000 A.D,  but one can understand why after reading it. 

Playing a match against killer androids, the Hellcats are stalling for time as Louis attempts to intercept the radio beam that controls the androids. It's a tough situation with several Hellcats already dead, and soon that body count mounts as Slim Shafto and Zack Harper meet their demise.

With Giant still shackled at the cave entrance, Moody Bloo is left facing overwhelming odds. He takes out a couple of the robots before Louis finally intercepts the signal and is able to command the androids to destroy each other.

It seems as though the tide has turned, but suddenly two shots ring out and both Louis and Moody Bloo cut down. The faceless android appears with a gun in hand and tells Giant that the syndicate has won and this is the end of the Hellcats. 

We get three final panels to wrap up the story as we see that Giant has survived and is with Cindy who was injured several issues ago. Standing over the graves of the Hellcats, Giant explains that the police were able to free him, while Cindy has a moment to tell him that she is now repaired and out of the hospital.

The story finishes with one final poignant image as Giant and Cindy survey the graves, and Giant intones that he just wants to forget everything that happened, but that he'll never forget the Hellcats.

Ignore my poor description, this was a great issue apart from a few weak spots. The final panels were a fine way to wrap up all that had come before. The solemnity of the final scene was touching and pitched just right with words and images dancing a beautiful dance. I wasn't so fond of the way the individual deaths of the Hellcats were skimmed over, and I felt that it did cheapen the loss of some characters who we had been journeying with over the previous year.  We even had Tharg appear mid-story with some exposition that glossed over the death of Zack Harper. It is perhaps understandable that we can't have a climatic issue if it is stretched across a month, but I do wish some of the characters had a better send-off. One decision I wholeheartedly agreed with was the decision to have the syndicate win and finish on a downbeat. The easy route would have been for Louis to control the androids, the Hellcats win with a last-gasp effort and somehow overcome the syndicate. The finish we have here is much more true to life, and fitting for all that has come before. Not a perfect finish, but it did wrap everything up with just a blush of emotion on the page to draw a tear to the corner of the eye. 

Rating: 8/10

Best line: "...he's dead...no...not after all this...it can't end this way"

Encased in a powerful suit, Harry Winthrop is seeking revenge on the professor and Sir Charles Hilliers. Rampaging with the mighty Mach Zero by his side, the pair ignore the gatekeeper they come across and instead make their way back towards the house.

They are just in time as Sir Charles is fleeing in his vehicle. Mach Zero makes short work of the car, tearing it to pieces with his bare hands. Harry is intent on harming Sir Charles, but Mach Zero refuses on the grounds that it wasn't Sir Charles who did bad to them. 

This leads to a quarrel between the pair, a quarrel that quickly becomes physical. It is while the two are exchanging blows that helicopters appear, dropping canisters of nerve gas that not only knocks out the guests sheltering within the house but also Mach Zero. 

Free to do what he pleases, Harry suddenly finds the suit melting around him. It seems the gas has sped up the process of the suit burning up, and the story quickly closes as Harry is reduced back to his former self. One final panel shows a close-up of Mach Zero and a small caption explaining that he is once again chained in his cell and awaiting his fate. 

A curious ending to a story that I thought was going to give us much more. For all the promise of the last few weeks, the threads of the story quickly melted away in the face of some gas canisters and Mach Zero himself was afforded a mere panel to explain his fate. Deeply unsatisfying, especially given the build-up to this issue. Feeling there must be more, I have just flicked through the next issue, but sadly this seems to be it for Mach Zero. We have seen this several times recently, stories finishing abruptly when they still seemed to have much to offer. I can understand it to a point, but sometimes I wish we could have just one or two more issues to round out these stories in a satisfying fashion. Mach Zero didn't feature strongly at the beginning of this issue, and he was almost non-existent on the final page, except for one lonely panel. The midsection was better, and we did get some fine displays of strength from Mach Zero, although it was mostly just smashing a car. When I think of Mach Zero, this shan't be the story I cast my mind back to you. I have fond memories of the Mach Zero story immediately before this, and, for me, that was peak Mach Zero. After a strong run, this was a weak finish and a disservice to all that had come before. 

Rating: 5/10

Best line: "This is it, the moment when the world will take note of Harry Winthrop...the moment! 

A surprising start to this week's Judge Dredd. When we last saw Dredd he was tied to a rock and facing off against a ravenous dinosaur, yet this week we start back in the town of Repentance as the local townsfolk bet on two smaller Dinosaurs fighting. It's a cruel sport, much like dog fighting, but the locals love it and gamble excitedly. All the time though they are watched from Dredd's land raider by Tweak, whose rapidly growing grasp of English is about to pay dividends.

Cutting back to Dredd and Spikes, and things are about to rapidly improve. Pulling an old tooth out of the rock he is tied to, Dredd fashions an escape, quickly cutting both his and Spikes' bonds. 

They aren't out of the woods quite yet, the dinosaur Satanus grabs Dredd. After wearing a grenade on his ear for the previous few months, Spikes finally puts it to good use, hurling it towards the monster about to eat Dredd. 

Another dinosaur intervenes, catching the grenade in its mouth, but it's good enough for Dredd and Spikes to escape as the rest of the pack turns on this now decapitated dinosaur and consumes what's left of it. 

Rushing back to the town, Dredd confronts the town folk. He is outnumbered, but the sudden appearance of Tweak in the land raider saves the day. From here it is a rush to save Judge Jack, currently held at the jailhouse. 

Dredd and Spike aren't the only ones making for the jailhouse, a pack of dinosaurs led by Satanus have arrived in the town and are currently grabbing as many humans as they can for food. 

The story ends on a high note with Dredd proclaiming that he is about to punish the people of Repentance for their crimes and that they have five minutes to evacuate the town before he razes it to the ground.

An uneven start but we certainly finished on a high with Dredd at his assertive best. There was plenty here that I liked, and the final page guarantees that I'll be back. The start felt shoehorned in as if the writer had previously forgotten to show us how bad the people of Repentance were and that they needed punishment. Perhaps it was just a reminder, but it didn't feel like a natural fit at the front of the story. It did however give us the early highlight of seeing Tweak again and seeing how he is developing as a character. He is one of the most likeable characters in the story at this point, in no small measure because he doesn't speak and thus can't tarnish his reputation. We did see him briefly in the last issue too, and he is steadily being fleshed out more with each Prog. Perhaps the best part of the story for me was seeing Spikes finally putting his grenade earring to good use. I always knew that this day would come, and the moment wasn't wasted. I couldn't think of a better way for this to be used than two dinosaurs fighting over Dredd, and it was another high point in the story that delivered multiple memorable moments. There is still more to come with this story, and next week promises a lot on the back of Dredd's final speech. The cursed Earth is still delivering brilliant story after brilliant story and this is another fine example. 

Rating: 8/10

Best line: "Dredd! it's Satanus....he's got Judge Jack! Nothing we can do!" 

A mutiny on his own ship has left Dan Dare in a perilous position - plunging helplessly down a deactivated anti-grav drop-shaft. 

It's a short-lived plunge, Dare is saved by an unlikely source. Gunnar Johanssen appears at an open doorway and hauls Dare to safety. Well, not quite safety, as Johanssen is determined to smash and destroy Dredd himself. 

Meanwhile, the space fort is still struggling through a meteor storm. Hitman too has survived the plunge with Dare and is currently hanging on for life at the edge of the drop. A brief shoot-out with some of the crew members ensues, and soon after Hitman crawls to safety. He is held a gunpoint by some of the mutineers, but after a scuffle, he is once again free. It is shortlived, Bear appears and pulls a pistol on him, at once aligning himself with the mutineers, and we finish this week's strip with the two former comrades facing off against each other with weapons drawn.

I haven't warmed to this story, yet I found I liked it. I don't feel involved with any of the characters, but the action was irresistible and I enjoyed all the different conflicts throughout the strip. I was pleased to see Hitman get plenty of time on the page and return to his roots with his gun hand playing a big part in the story. He was served well by the art, and the artist did a good job of depicting the going-ons without getting in the way of the story. Once again, full credit to Dave Gibbons for his work here, he truly is a master at what he does. Not a perfect story, yet with some many fine elements I find myself returning to the old cliche, this is a story greater than its sum of parts.

Rating: 7.5/10

Best line: "Uhhh...this ain't doin' me any good..gotta try and pull myself up! Damn this gunhand!"

Finishing with Ant Wars guarantees that I won't be putting the comic down and going to sleep. Damn you 2000 A.D. and the nightmares you poison me with. 

It seems that Captain Villa and Anteater have escaped the ants by swimming down the river midstream. However, these aren't ordinary ants, and unknown to our heroes the ants are currently following them downstream on a flotilla of leaves and forest detritus. 

Villa and Anteater think they are safe when they come across a boat, but the captain of the boat is a vile gambler by the name of Big Bluffer. 

Drunk on whisky, he not only refuses to believe them but proceeds to tie the pair up for a game of Russian roulette. 

The game is short-lived with the appearance of the ants, and Big Bluffer quickly tosses Villa and Anteater overboard and prepares to escape. There is no escape, the ants are too fast and have already boarded the vessel. Facing overwhelming odds, Big Bluffer faces an unpleasant end, putting a pistol to his own head rather than facing a grisly end at the hands of the ants. 

Meanwhile, Villa and Anteater have managed to survive. Tipping an ant off a leaf, Anteater demonstrates that the ants can't swim. They then shelter under a leaf and quietly drift away from the ants and the drama on the boat. 

The strip ends with Anteater drinking some of Big Bluffer's whisky which he has snatched, while the pair float further downstream towards a city that is currently celebrating a carnival - the carnival of death. 

I think we can all see where it will go from here, and it's not going to be good. Another strong issue from Ant Wars, and again it touched on all the themes that it has in the previous issues. We again saw the Indian being treated by other characters as a lesser human, while the so-called civilized characters revealed themselves to be deeply flawed. Last week it was a wealthy plantation owner, and this week a grotesque gambler. Both got the ending they deserved, while Anteater outsmarted them, Villa, and the ants, remaining the smartest character in the strip. The most interesting part of the story for me was seeing Big Bluffer taking his own life in the face of the ant army. We have seen a suicide in the pages of 2000 A.D. before, and it always serves as a reminder that this wasn't a traditional kids comic. In 1978 it would have been quite shocking to see a suicide in a comic, and even forty years later I found it striking. It is one of the reasons 2000 A.D. is held in such regard, and even all these years later it is still essential reading. Some attitudes and values have changed, and we see that in this very issue, but it remains forward-thinking and offers a deeper read for those who seek it. Sometimes it does come varnished in 1970's values, yet it rises above the era in which it was born and still holds up today.

Rating: 8/10

Best line: "'Fraid you boys have called at a bad time -  this whisky tastes lousy, and I just lost a game of poker!" 

Prog 75 final ratings:

Overall: 7.5/10

Best Story: Ant Wars

Best Line: "Attention, People of Repentance! This is Judge Dredd! I am going to punish you for your crimes! You have five minutes to evacuate the town, before I raze Repentance to the ground!"   

Best Panel:

Prog 74

This week's issue reeks of familiarity, with the return of Future Shocks and an old friend from the Flesh strip. Both look great on the page, although the return of one was more pleasing than the other. To find which one disappointed and which one delighted, read on below.     

Prog 74

22nd July 1978

Dan Dare and his ship are amid a mega-storm, while his best pilot, Polanski, has been killed by a meteorite. Then, to top it all off, he is now facing a mutiny led by Haskins. 

In at the deep end, we accelerate quickly through the story. Facing down Haskins, Dare outsmarts him with the oldest trick in the book, turning off the lights, before escaping with Hitman deeper into the ship. 

They make for the main computer room where they hope to control the ship. Unfortunately, when they get there they find they have yet another problem on their hands - Gunnar Johansson has escaped his containment unit and is now loose on the ship somewhere, his tormented mind in a homicidal state.

This is pushed to one side as the mutineers appear and begin shooting at Dare and Hitman. Jumping into a nearby dropshaft, Dare and Hitman make for a lower level, only for Haskins to turn off the anti-gravity and Dare is suddenly facing a deadly drop of fourteen floors. 

Breathless action throughout, this was a fast way to kick off this week's issue. A throwback to a simpler time, Dan Dare faced a mutiny that could have been set in any century. What made this more interesting is how well we already know the characters involved and see how they react in this situation. Last week Dare was short-tempered and added fuel to the fire,  this week we see him acting calmly and dealing with the situation directly in front of him. Polanski is a loss, a fine character gone too soon, but it does give Hitman a chance to step forward, and having him a Dare's side made the strip more well-rounded. With fast action and clean artwork, this is classic Dan Dare, and although it's not Dare at its best, I still read it with a smile on my face.

Rating: 6/10

Best line: "Dare! Look here! We got more problems!"

Future Shocks is back, and I'm pleased to see it as I read quickly through this week's story. 

Red Packer is the greatest hunter on earth, catching rare game for zoos around the world. Arriving home from a successful hunt, he finds an unarmed alien waiting for him. 

The alien explains that they have a problem with a herd of wild beasts at the edge of their cities. Offering Red a handful of diamonds, the alien asks if he will come to their planet to fight off these beasts. 

Red readily agrees, but arriving at the alien planet he finds himself abandoned by the aliens and their ship. The plot reveals its true nature as three apes emerge, ready to hunt this specimen that the alien has left them. The hunter has now become the hunted.

Maybe it's because I haven't read a Future Shocks for a while, but I found I liked this one a lot. I had forgotten how sharply these are written, and there was not a panel wasted here as we raced through the story. A nice idea, and well executed, I enjoyed the various aspects of the story, and even though it was barely two pages I still emerged satisfied and happy at the end. 

Rating: 8/10

Best line: "No, it can't be - I've been tricked! They're hunting me!"

With the ant army approaching, we begin Ant Wars with the men of the De Silva Tobacco plantation preparing for a siege. 

Watched on the ants, they attempt to construct a wall before Captain Villa devises a plan to burn the plantation's tobacco to create a smoke screen that will keep the ants at bay. It is immediately successful, but the weather intervenes and as the rains pour down, dosing the fires, the ants approach and overrun the plantation. 

Captain Villa urges everyone to fight all they can. It's all for nothing, the battle is lost, and Villa himself is knocked out as the ants forage for food. He awakens to find that it is Anteater who has knocked him out and dragged him to the safety of the sewage channel. 

Crawling along the pipe to safety, they eventually emerge on the banks of a river. They have been followed by a couple of ants, but swimming to midstream they are safe and happy to be floating towards the coast and cities that await them.

This episode looked great, my only disappointment was that the story didn't match the art for tense drama. The opening panels promised much, but soon the focus turned towards the men within the plantation, and some of the earlier menace washed away. The first confrontation with the ants was weak, and once the rain struck and the ants attacked the story began to gain some traction again, especially when De Silva came to a sticky end. The relationship between Anteater and Captain Villa wasn't as rough and tumble as previously and again some of the drama was lost here. On the positive side, the ants remain as frightening as ever, and based on the artwork alone I will continue to enjoy this wild ride. 

Rating: 7/10

Best line: "Military strategy? Ha! You cannot organise smoke in a tobacco plantation...now what do we do?" 

Judge Dredd doesn't appear on the first page of his own story as we are instead treated to the sight of the Tyrannosaurus Rex Satanus in a life-or-death struggle with a dinosaur of equal size, a battle in which he is victorious.

Over the page, we do spend several panels with Dredd as he arrives in the town in Repentance. There the people are friendly, but soon enough we learn they have their own motives, and Dredd finds himself drugged out with the townsfolk intending to sacrifice him to the dinosaur the following morning.  

The rest of the story focuses on the backstory of the dinosaur Satanus, as we see his birth and life from the past. We find out that he died young at the hands of a familiar face, Old One-eye from the Flesh story of Prog 1-19. Luckily Satanus got a second chance at life, and thanks to genetic engineering is once again hungry and on the prowl. 

On the final page, we find Dredd and Spikes tied up, with the slobbering Satanus just metres away and ready to feast. 

As much as I love dinosaurs, I found the pages devoted to Satanus' back story to be a distraction from the main event featuring Dredd. It wasn't anything we hadn't seen before, and shoehorning in One-eye was unnecessary and didn't add any real value to the story. Perhaps that will change in future, and One-eye will play a larger part, but for now, I just don't see it. Despite my reservations about the story, I enjoyed the art immensely. The dinosaurs looked monstrous and were everything a young man could wish for. The opening panels were magnificent, and the final panel of the story of Dredd and Spikes awaiting their fate was among the very best in this week's comic. It more than compensated for my complaints about the story straying away from Dredd, and this final panel alone is enough to leave me feeling positive about next week's issue. 

Rating: 7/10

Best line: "Best we better be....uuuuh! What? The food...drugged!"

Mach Zero has entered the grounds of Pemberton Lodge - owned by financier Sir Charles Hilliers - to find a place to rest. Inside the house, laboratory assistant Harry Winthrop is testing out a new project financed by Sir Charles - a suit which can absorb radiation - and now finds that the suit is welded to his body. 

With the experiment deemed a failure, Sir Charles has ordered that all evidence be destroyed, including the suit and Harry inside it. His security forces torch Harry and the suit with flame-throwers but to no avail. The suit simply absorbs the heat, allowing Harry to melt his way through the wall to freedom, but not before he deals with the security men, 

Realising the power he now has, Harry confronts the professor and further security forces on the grounds of the lodge. Harry learns that he's not invincible as a shot fired by one of the men pierces the suit, but the appearance of Zero swings the fight in his favour and soon Harry and Zero have teamed up. 

Seeking the Professor and Sir Charles, they smash through the lodge, but their quarry has already escaped and is hiding in the bushes. It here that the professor gives Sir Charles some bad news - not only does the suit absorb radiation, it also releases it - Harry is now a walking radiation bomb. 

This week's story was fast-moving in both action and plot. After a sedate episode last week, this week the story accelerated and was everything I'd hoped it would be. Once again, Zero is the monster of the piece seeking righteous justice, and paired with Harry makes for a better balance in the story. One senses that of the two, Zero is the sane one, and I look forward to seeing how this plays out in the coming weeks. The art still hasn't reached the expected heights, although the first page looked great, and if it can match the storyline for interest we should have a strong comic going forward. 

Rating: 7/10

Best line: "Yipeee! The suit has protected me from the flames. So I'm no longer weak and helpless...I'm powerful!" 

Playing Inferno against a team of killer androids, the Hellcats are fighting for their very lives, and that of their leader, Giant. 

They manage to destroy two of the androids, but when Giant's life is threatened by a breakaway play, Teejay sacrifices his own life to save him.

It's all downhill from here, and two more of the Hellcats team are killed, leaving only four of them to face the killer androids. 

Another story that is moving quickly, this feels very much like the end of the Hellcats. With several members dead, and Moody Bloo injured, it's hard to see how the team will survive. I have had the same feeling in the past, but this time it feels serious, especially in light of all the deaths in this week's strip. Clocking in at three pages, this was condensed action that perhaps would have carried more weight in a longer issue. The deaths came and went with no deep feeling of consequence or time to mourn those lost. An extra panel here or there could have fleshed out those moments better and raised the stakes that little bit more. Likeable, with the potential to be great, but unfortunately all too fleeting.  

Rating: 6.5/10

Best line: "Us Hellcats never say die!"

Prog 74 final ratings:

Overall: 7/10

Best Story: Future Shocks

Best Line: "What is there to say, Spikes - except...we're dead meat!"   

Best Panel:

 

Prog 73

Last week's Prog was outstanding and was always going to be a hard act to follow. With several new storylines beginning this week, Judge Dredd, Mach Zero, and Dan Dare are all in a rebuilding state. That leaves Inferno and Ant Wars to do the heavy lifting of the stories, and although both are good, it's not enough to make this a great issue. Of course, it remains a solid issue, and the seeds are planted for some great things to come, but first, the building blocks need to be pushed into place, and many pages of this week's issue are dedicated to doing exactly that. I can't deny, that my interest has been piqued, and I am already eyeing next week's issue, but first, let's take in all the new beginnings of Prog 73.       

Prog 73

15th July 1978

Following his Indian companion, Anteater, through the jungle, Captain Villa makes good time as he tries to outrun the ants in Ant Wars. He may not think much of Anteater, but Anteater leads them to a plantation and a hint of civilization at the jungle's edge. 

They immediately go and visit the plantation owner, buoyed by the sight of a generator and a radio mast. This early optimism is misplaced, as the plantation owner, Da Silva, refuses to believe them and takes them both captive. 

However, he finds their story intriguing, and as a precaution pulls all his workers in from the fields. This proves fortuitous, as soon after one of his men rushes in to warn him of a giant ant approaching. There is little time to digest this information, as they dash for the radio hut. They never make it, the ants have outsmarted them and there is one hiding just outside who makes short work of the fleeing worker. 

Anteater is a tougher proposition, and he gives a spirited fight back, stabbing the ant with his machete. The ant is hurt, but not fatality, and looks as though it will gain the upper hand when suddenly its antennae start twitching as it receives a message. 

Leaving Anteater, he throws himself upon the generator, killing itself, but also destroying the plantation's only source of power. This leaves Captain Villa, Anteater, and Da Silva surrounded by a terrible army of killer ants and no way to call for help. 

Another excellent episode and the tension is still building up. Just when I think I couldn't be more afraid of the ants, another aspect of their intelligence is shown and I'm left quaking in my boots. Aside from the frightful ants themselves, the key aspect of this story is the relationship between Captain Villa and Anteater. As in the previous weeks, we see Villa dismissing Anteater's intelligence, only for the Indian to prove his worth every time. Much like the ants, Anteater is far more intelligent than Villa gives him credit for, and this is ably demonstrated on the page. Now we have a third party in the mix with Da Silva, and I expect the relationship between the three men to be key to the story going forward. Scarier than last time, but I am getting used to the fear and look forward to following this again next week. 

Rating: 8.5/10

Best line: "We can't radio out for help! These ants are even more intelligent than I thought!"

There is very little of Mach Zero in his own strip this week as we embark on a new adventure simply titled "The Suit" 

With Mach Zero last seen walking into the night, we pick up the story this week as he arrives at the edge of a large country estate, owned by businessman and financier Sir Charles Hilliers. 

After seeing Mach Zero sneak through the fence, the story pivots and for the rest of the strip we will follow Sir Charles and what lies within his house.

What lies within is a meeting of great and powerful, all gathered to see the unveiling of Sir Charles's project. The project is simple enough - an all-powerful metal suit. It has undergone various tests and now needs one more final demonstration, this time with a human factor.

The human guinea pig is one Harry Winthrop, a small mild-man man who has been working at the fringes of the project. With Harry sealed in the suit, the testing begins. First, the suit is subjected to a massive dose of radiation. If the suit works correctly, Harry should be safe inside. 

Everything seems to be fine, and the suit undergoes a sophisticated cleaning process. Harry is almost beginning to enjoy himself, but when it comes time to remove the suit it is found that Harry cannot be extracted.

With a crowd of potential buyers about to see the suit for the first time, Sir Charles is desperate to extract Harry from the suit. There is only one option left, if he can't be freed or kept quiet then he must be disposed of. 

This leads to the horrific final panels of the story as the security force arrives and sets fire to the suit, with Harry still trapped inside it.

Although not Mach Zero-centric, I found much to like in this story. Already I can see how these two story threads will collide and feed the drama in the coming weeks. The artwork is a dip in quality compared to the just finished storyline, but the writing feels stronger and should give the artist more to play with in future. It will be next week before I have a better feel for the story, with Mach Zero still to make an impact, so I will reserve judgment until then, but for now, I am very happy with where we sit and the direction we are facing. 

Rating: 6.5/10

Best Line: "Oh, just the few routine deals with major industrialists, business conglomerations and financiers. That suit will make our millions professor!" 

Chapter 13 of Judge Dredd's saga on the cursed earth, and from the very first line it is apparent that Pat Mills is on writing duty. His prose is beautiful, sketching out the setting in just a few sentences while maintaining a sense of awe about the world Dredd is in. 

The land-raider, driven by Dredd and his men, is in immediate peril as a stampede of dinosaurs attacks. Yes, you read that correctly, a stampede of dinosaurs. Dredd remains unfazed, as you'd expect, and along with Spikes starts blasting away at them. He also manages to deliver a bit of exposition, telling Spikes that these dinosaurs are from Dinosaur National Park, where they have been brought to life by genetic engineering. After the atomic war, they were left to roam the cursed earth, and that now puts them in the situation they are in. 

The dinosaurs back off as we hear the sound of another dinosaur in the distance. The story pauses at this stage as we learn the back story of this other dinosaur, a fearsome Tyrannosaurus Rex named Satanus. He was the first to be brought to life, and quickly gained a taste for blood and flesh. Growing quickly, he became the basis of the Dinosaur National Park. Later he broke free from those who raised him, fuelled with anger and a hunger for blood. Now looking down, he sees Dredd and the land-raider, and his mouth is watering. 

I love dinosaurs, although I must admit I never thought I would see them appear in a Dredd story. The concept that worked them into the story was clever, and bringing dinosaurs to life via genetic engineering is an idea ahead of its time, a full twelve years before Michael Crichton's book Jurassic Park would appear.  The back story took a long time to lay out, perhaps my only criticism of this story, but it was essential work that will no doubt pay off in the long run. All of it was necessary to make the dinosaurs believable, although towards the end I just wanted the story to start properly. Always good to see Pat Mills doing what he does best, and I am intrigued to see where this story will go from here. 

Rating: 6/10

Best line: "Like something out of hell!"

Inferno and the Wolves of Death are about to take on the Hellcats, while the Hellcat's captain remains wired up to a bomb at the mouth of their cave. 

The odds are stacked against the Hellcats as it is revealed that the Wolves of Death are all androids, programmed for one thing only - to score cave-ins and destroy Giant. Furthermore, the only way the Hellcats can win is if they score twenty cave-ins, or if all the wolves are destroyed. 

Both events are highly unlikely, although Moody Bloo smashes one of the droids to pieces with a fearsome blow to the ball. It seems to have little effect on the outcome as we finish the strip with a replacement droid entering the arena looking just as dangerous as the one he is replacing. 

Lovely to look at, the artwork was the best thing about the story this week. The Wolves of Death looked just as dangerous as their name, and they dominated every page they were on with a look that demanded attention. The story itself didn't seem to move far this week, but I have little cause for complaint as it looked so good. Like Dredd before it, it looks like this story will rapidly move up a gear next week, for now, I shall take my time and just wallow in the artwork for a while. 

Rating: 6/10

Best line: "...an' I don't like collecting debts from stiffs!" 

With the threat of the Sleetha put behind them, Dan Dare and his crew continue their journey through the lost world's section of space. 

There is no immediate threat, but it is obvious that the crew are tired and beginning to get scratchy at each other. Pilot Polanski is talking to Dare as the story begins, and as they chat their talk turns to Gunnar Johanssen who has been heavily sedated since the Sleetha attack on him. Just as they mention his name, he comes out of sedation, threatening to break the holding tank he is in. 

As Pilot and Dare attend to him, the ship suddenly shakes. Rushing to the bridge, a crew member cooly tells them that it is a meteor shower. Dare is enraged, it is clearly a mega-storm and he lets the crew member know exactly what he thinks of him and his carelessness. 

The ship is in need of repair, and despite his reservations, Dare lets Pilot Polanski and some of his men go outside to make the repair. It doesn't go well as a bunch of rocks come towards them. The men rush back inside, leaving Polanski to try and blast the rest of the rocks coming at him. The inevitable happens and he is crashed by two large rocks while Dare watches on from the bridge. 

Dare is incandescent with rage, and rails at the men who left Polanski out there to die. Calling them cowards, he eventually hits crew member Haskins with a vicious right hook, leaving Haskins seething on the floor. Haskin's response comes in the next panel as he pulls a pistol on Dare, effectively instigating a mutiny. 

This comes as no surprise to anyone who read the title of this story under the Dan Dare header - Mutiny. However, how we got here was surprising, and sacrificing one of the lead characters, Pilot Polanski, was a shock that added the necessary gravitas to the story.  I shall miss him, although I recognise how important his death was to make this story believable. We have seen Dare angry before, although this is a different level altogether and helped fan the flames of mutiny. Both the story and the artwork were compelling, and although not as scary as last week, I found myself just as invested in this story as any other I have read this year. A strong first issue and this looks like it will be the story to follow closely in the next few weeks.

Rating: 7/10

Best line: "...you just pulled a gun on me! Any way you look at it--that's mutiny!" 

Prog 73 final ratings:

Overall: 7/10

Best Story: Ant Wars

Best Line: "You...inhuman obscenity!"   

Best Panel:

Prog 72

Ant Wars dominated my thoughts last week, but we shouldn't overlook the fact that Mach Zero has been outstanding of late, and this week is another excellent edition. Every time I think it has run out of steam it picks up again, and this week it manages to eclipse its previous highs. Outstanding, - pick up Prog 72 now and read along, you'll see what I mean         

Prog 72

8th July 1978

The first panel of Mach Zero lets us know we are in for something special as Mach Zero pushes the columns of the theatre apart with his bare hands, bringing the house down around him. 

The tramps and vagrants flee, as does Cousin George who has been holding Mach Zero prisoner and manipulating him. It looks as though Mach Zero has sacrificed himself, but he pushes his way out of the rubble and after thanking the vagrants sets off in pursuit of Cousin George. 

Over the page, we see that Cousin George has escaped underground in an abandoned part of the London Underground network. Hearing Mach Zero coming, he pushes his way into a recess, hoping he will remain unseen as Mach Zero passes by. His plan goes awry however when the water rises and he finds he is trapped. After his life of adulation and worship, Cousin George drowns alone and isolated. 

Mach Zero emerges from the underground unaware of Cousin George's demise. Now utterly alone he wanders off into the wet, cold, unfriendly night, with thoughts of searching for his boy Tommy. 

This looked like it could be the final issue of Mach Zero, but these final panels give me hope that it still has some way to run. This was another outstanding issue, with the panels of George's death among the very best I have seen on the pages of 2000AD. The intensity caught on his face is magnificent and one could feel the true horror of his lonely death. Equally compelling is the first panel of the story as Mach Zero pulls the theatre down around him. It is only one panel, but it was the fire that ignited the story this week. It would have been my favourite panel if not for the equally brilliant panel capturing George's end. Aside from the art,  the writing remained tight, and the writer has given himself room to manoeuvre with Zero emerging and wandering off towards potential new storylines. Plenty of positives here and a great start to this week's edition. 

Rating: 9/10

Best line: "I'm trapped...but this can't happen to me! I'm the greatest stuntman in the world! I can escape from anywhere. I'm everyone's favourite, Cousin George!"

Ant Wars continues this week with thousands of giant soldier ants approaching Captain Villa and his Indian companion Anteater. 

A desperate race through the jungle begins, and after several hours they are forced to stop for a break. Captain Villa shares his rations with Anteater, but is horrified to see that he not only eats the rations but also the wrapper as well. Chastising him, he demonstrates how you should just throw the wrapper away, a key plot point that will become important soon. 

They have a stroke of luck shortly after as they chance upon a road and a petrol tanker. Anteater shows his ignorance as they climb aboard for a ride he opens the hatch of the tanker, puts his hand in and tastes the petrol. Again Captain Villa steps forward and shows Anteater that this is special firewater, a demonstration of how it burns being an effective and quick lesson for the young Indian. 

All this setup comes into play over the page. The tanker comes across a fallen tree blocking the road, and as they assess the situation the ants emerge from the forest and spring their trap. Anteater is quick with his machete and fighting off the ants hauls Captain Villa to the top of the tanker. He goes back for the driver, and although unable to save him, he pulls something from the dead man's pocket. Watching Anteater open the hatch of the tanker, Villa wonders if he has the brains to work out an escape plan.

Things move quickly from here on, and as the ants consume the driver's body Anteater jumps from their position and calls for Villa to follow him. Once safely away from the tanker, Anteater pulls the dead driver's lighter from his pocket, and igniting some dry leaves around a stone hurls the incendiary device back at the open hatch of the tanker. The rest of the story writes itself as the tanker explodes into flame, blasting the surrounding ants to pieces. 

As Villa surveys the trap the ants had set he wonders how they could have picked up their trail so quickly,. It is explained in the following panel as he sees the wrapper of his ration packet lying nearby. 

We finish the story with Villa disgusted as Anteater chops up one of the freshly roasted ants and enjoys some hot food. 

A tidy story, and although I felt a lot of the setup was too obvious, the payoff was worth it. I find the most interesting part of the story to be the ants themselves, and I can't help but be repulsed by the sight of them in every panel. They are fascinating and disgusting in equal measure and the reason this story is so good. The thought of being trapped in the forest with them makes my skin crawl, and I can't wait to see how Villa and Anteater will negotiate their way of out the jungle in the coming weeks. This week was a little predictable, but I have high hopes for what comes next. There was enough horror here to make me fear the garden just outside my window, and I shan't risk going outside for the rest of the day.

Rating: 7/10

Best line: "You simple savage. Don't you realise that you're playing with fire?"

Judge Dredd has arrived in MacDonald City along with Spikes, although both are prisoners of Ronald McDonald himself. 

With the government destroyed in the atomic war, the burger chains have become so powerful that they have taken over, and Dredd is forced to listen to Ronald McDonald, giving a speech to his people about how they are beating the Burger King chain as his dream of every child growing up to be a McDonalds eater. 

It is quite a speech, and after Dredd and Spikes are taken to a burger bar where they find the employees are just as disposable as the food. After the meal, Dredd and Spikes take advantage of some sleeping guards and make an escape. Seizing an old McDonald's truck, and wearing some McDonald's uniforms, they head out into the wasteland, but they aren't clear just yet. 

In the wasteland, they find that they are caught in a stampede. It's not just any stampede, it's a stampede made by the Burger King bozos, driving the cattle right towards Dredd. Taken prisoner again, this time by the Burger King chain, Spikes and Dredd face a kangaroo court. Wearing McDonald's uniforms and captured in a McDonald's truck, their protestations of innocence carry no weight and they are quickly condemned to death. 

Things look grim as they are strung up, and Spikes sums it up best with his comment "What a stupid way to go." However help is near at hand, and the sudden appearance of the land-raider saves the day as it arrives with all guns blazing. With Dredd saved and Burger King boys released, the story ends with Dredd and his men resuming their journey to get the vaccine to Mega-city Two.

I had almost forgotten the vaccine and this is a timely reminder of why Dredd is crossing the cursed Earth. I enjoyed the premise of this story and the associated set-up, although the final conclusion was a letdown. With Dredd and Spikes facing death only for the land-raider to suddenly arrive and save the day felt like the easy option. I would have liked a little more substance behind its arrival, and given how well the rest of the story was written this was surprising. The overall story concept was fantastic and worked well in the Dredd strip. It was a good fit for this cursed Earth story and added another layer to the world that had been previously created. The idea of two burger companies battling it out over the remains of civilization had an air of believability about it and gave the story some solid ground to build on. This is the satire that Dredd does so well, and as such it is entirely representative of all I like about Dredd. The weak bending doesn't detract from the fact that this is a very good Dredd story told briskly across two issues.

Rating: 7.5/10

Best line: "A likely story! You've bin tried an' found guilty of hamburger crimes! By th' powers vested in me by the Burger King, ah sentence yu to death. String 'em up!"

With John 'Giant' Clay kidnapped by the mysterious syndicate, we begin this week's Inferno story with the Hellcats team about to enter the deserted Firebowl in search of him. 

Entering, they find a statue of Giant mounted cover an open grave, complete with a tombstone announcing his death. The meaning of this is revealed with the appearance of a weird faceless figure who tells them whether or not Giant fills the grave is up to them.

It is then that we see Giant spreadeagled across a cave entrance. They are unable to free him however as he calls to the team to stay back - he has been wired with explosives that will detonate if anyone so much as touches him. 

We finish with the Hellcats about to defend the cave, and the life of Giant, as they face a team named the Wolves of Death.

The final image of one of the Wolves Of Death is spectacular, and things bode for the next issue. However, this issue was dedicated to setting that up, and we moved slowly through the pages that showed the lay of the land. The location was given its due time on the page and looked perfect in every panel - just as I would have imagined it. The faceless figure carried a lot of the weight of the storytelling, and the second part of the story was heavy on exposition. I wouldn't normally mind too much, but in this case, I would have liked to see something happening visually, rather than all the art being focused on the backdrop as people speak. If this balance is addressed next week, we should be in for a great issue. All the ingredients are in place, they just need to come together in the right mix.

Rating: 6/10

Best line: "...but whether he fills that grave or not, is your decision! As you can see, gentlemen...the stage is set..!"

The introduction captions to Dan Dare are brilliant, and as well as filling us in on the backstory also emphasise the horror of Sleetha killer worms that are swarming over the ship. 

It seems Dare and his men will face a gruesome death as even with their phasers blasting some of the worms they remain heavily outnumbered. That changes with a flick of a switch as Dare activates the ship's electro-sterilization circuits, sending 5,000,000 volts surging through the ship. It's highly effective and the Sleetha are fried to a crisp.

Dare explains that their rubber-soled combat boots insulated them from the full force of the shock, but he is cut short as the Vrakk appear outside the ship. It could be out of the frying pan and into the fire, but the Vrakk have come in peace. They quickly fill in the blanks of the story we have been following for the last two months - the Sleetha had been using false radio messages for years to lure ships to the plant where they then hypnotised them, luring them until a false sense of security. 

With this cleaned up, Dare and his crew leave the planet, and continue their mission to lost worlds.

The Sleetha were the best part of the story, and coupled with the ants in Ant Wars I shall be wary of anything in the garden for the next few weeks. The opening panels were fabulous with words and images coming together in a powerful comic alchemy. The rest of the story never reached these same heights, but by then a chill had been placed in my heart and I read the rest of the story fearfully. This hasn't been my favourite Dan Dare, but it has been one of the most impactful, and I don't think I will forget the Sleetha for a long time to come. With Dave Gibbons on art, Dan Dare will always be a favourite, and in this case, we have had an excellent story to go with the superb art. Dan Dare still hasn't reached its full potential and as good as this is, I still think the best is to come. We will find out next week. 

Rating: 8/10

Best Line: "Brace yourselves, men! I'm going to set in motion a mammoth de-lousing operation!" 

Prog 72 final ratings:

Overall: 7.5/10

Best Story: Mach Zero

Best Line: "What a...stupid...way to go...!"   

Best Panel:

Prog 71

Ant Wars has arrived, and I must say after having a sneak peek I am impressed with what I see so far. The rest of the comic remains strong behind this new story, and although I was sad to see the end of Death Planet last week, I have no complaints at all as I flick through this week's 2000AD. Let's have a deeper dive and see what happened in this thrilling issue.      

Prog 71

1st July 1978

After several weeks of hype, the Ant Wars are finally upon us. Obviously, there will be Ants and war, and my mind is already running quickly through the possible scenarios that will get us there.

I'm not too far off the mark with my assumptions, although the first few pages do a good job of laying out the characters and the context. Deep in the Brazilian jungle a group of Indians are rounded up by the government, ostensibly to be cleaned up and made civilized. The sight of the Indians eating ants is taken as a sign of the government's superiority, and the soldiers take delight in carrying the Indians back to a reservation camp for retraining.

As they depart, they throw a can of experiment insecticide into the nearby anthills, thinking that they will clean up every part of the jungle. This will be key to the story that follows. 

Months later, the youngest of the Indians is still eating ants. Although he has learnt some English, he hasn't stopped this habit, much to the disgust of the soldiers at the camp. Under their officer's orders, they beat this Indian until he is unconscious and then carry him back to his bunk. 

Later that night the Indian escapes. A helicopter sets out to find him, but they get more than they bargain for as they fly over the deep jungle. It is here that they find Anthills built into the sky, the size of small mountains. Staring in shock, the helicopter crashes into one of these, leaving the survivors on the ground surveying the wreckage.

They are not alone, the Indian they are seeking is also nearby. They are soon thrown together with the appearance of a man-size ant. The ant attacks the men, killing all but one, but the Indian intervenes and kills the ant with his knife. The soldier understands immediately that the experimental insecticide must be the cause of this.  We finish with the soldier and the Indian alone facing a long journey home and an army of giant killer ants. 

Heebie-jeebies all around for this one! I was drawn into the story by its political slant and statement about indigenous people and so-called civilization, but when the giant ants entered all that went out the window and all my thoughts became fearful. It's going to take a while to get the image of the giant ants out of my head, and I'm pleased that my bedtime is still some hours away - I still have some respite before the nightmares start. This story has been built up for several weeks now, and I did have reservations about it, especially as Death Planet was rushed and cut short to accommodate it. Now that I have started reading Ant Wars I can see why. With Gerry Finley-Day on writing duty, the story has a pedigree from the start, and I anticipate that this is one story that may live up to the hype. Already the story is packed with information and character across the first few pages, and even before the giant ants appeared it was a compelling read. It may have horrified me, but I'm tempted to pick up the next issue immediately and see what happens. I'm going to be patient, and next week will come soon enough,  especially with some sleepless nights as I worry about giant ants outside my window.

Rating: 8/10

Best line: "You! A simple savage yet you killed that creature, when my highly trained soldiers have all been wiped out!" 

On the pages of Inferno, Giant has an android replica of Artie Gruber entering his room while he's sleeping. It's a fast start to the story as Giant first tries to turn the android off with the remote, before being knocked out and carried out into the night by the android. 

The Hellcats become aware of this the following day when the android arrives at their training session and delivers an ultimatum for the mysterious "Syndicate" -  they have Giant as a hostage and the Hellcats must be at the Death Bowl tonight at midnight, or else.

Venner acts rashly and runs at the android who then self-destructs, destroying himself and Venner. The Hellcats have now lost Venner, Eegle, and Cindy, and they realise that the Syndicate will stop at nothing to destroy them all. Despite this, they decide to go to the Death Bowl, a stadium that lives up to its name and looks suitably foreboding in the final panel. 

This story was all about the artwork, and every page was a treat. The story has advanced nicely, yet when I look back it is the art that is most memorable. We saw Belardinelli deliver up some weird, almost psychedelic, scenes in Dan Dare early in the run of 2000AD, but here he deals with something far more sharp and sinister, and I cannot speak highly enough of his depictions of the android Gruber. Last week I complained that Gruber had appeared too much in this story, but in light of his fearsome look and brilliant rendering by Belardinelli I take that all back. My eyes could not help but linger on every image of Gruber, and all thoughts of the plot vanished as my mind focused entirely on the art. Next week looks promising with the Death Bowl, but until then I am entirely in the moment and every panel in this week's issue.

Rating: 8/10

Best line: "Jupiter's blood...you! It's gotta be some kind of nightmare..." 

I can't decide if this week's Judge Dredd story is clever or silly. I have read it twice, and I'm leaning towards clever, but next week's issue will decide it for me.

Dredd is still travelling across this cursed earth, where this week he becomes caught up in the Hamburger Wars. Yes, I'm glad you asked, the hamburger wars are being fought between the two titans of the industry, McDonald's and Burger King. 

It is a war in every sense of the work, and the opening two pages show the opposing forces facing off against each other in battle. How Dredd stumbled into this is explained over the page as we see Dredd and Spike enter the town of Inbetween. It is here that the trouble starts when Dredd and Spike enter a local cafe and Spike innocently asks for a hamburger.

This upsets the locals, and we quickly learn that the Burger Barons are fighting a war over this part of the country, with McDonald's in the North and Burger King in the South. The town of Inbetween lies in between the two, naturally, and is the only free town left. 

Dredd has little time to digest this information, as Burger King and his burger boys steam into town. Demanding loyalty to his franchise, the Burger King prepares to chain up the locals and take them back to Burgerville. 

It's a case of out of the frying pan, onto the hot grill for Dredd as the sudden appearance of Ronald McDonald and his army becomes open war against the Burger King. 

The fight is on to capture more than just the hearts and minds of the local townsfolk, and the violent battle comes to a head over the page as Ronald McDonald decapitates the Burger King. The victorious McDonald wastes no time in chaining up the locals, including Dredd and Spike, and prepares to march them back to McDonald City. Not only that, but he also burns the town to the ground.  

Dredd and Spike appeal for their freedom, even telling McDonald of their mission, but he tells them that he can't take the risk of them going to the other side and that they'll have to stay McDonald's customers until the war is won. Given that this is a big country, that may well be some time yet. 

It is clever, and I love anything that pokes commercialism in the eye, but I do wonder if this is all too obvious. Sure, satire is obvious, yet I wish they could have window-dressed this just a little more. Despite that, I couldn't help but be impressed by both the cleverness of the story and the message behind it. Dredd is an anti-hero, and anyone who fights back against the relentless march of big business and globalisation is all right in my book. Although this strip is almost fifty years old it is easy to reimage it in a modern context, with perhaps Amazon taking on another business behemoth. The more things change, the more they stay the same. I will wait to see how this pans out before I fully commit to an opinion, but in the meantime, I'm giving it a tentative 7.

Rating: 7/10

Best line: "You didn't have to burn the town. You won this ridiculous war - you killed the Burger King." 

Mach Zero is still being held prisoner inside an old theatre in London by Cousin George, the world-famous American stunt-man, who has been parading Zero's great strength to show off to the public in a circus-like freak show.

This is about to change, and an army of tramps is on their way to help Mach Zero -on the first page we see them arrive at the theatre. Little do they know that it is an elaborate trap by Cousin George, and they find themselves facing George and a bunch of well-armed men as they enter. George may have the weapons, but the vagrant army has the numbers, especially once they are bolstered by two other groups arriving via the rooftops and the sewers. 

Zero is freed, and George is on the run, but there is one final twist in the tale as Zero is shot at close range by a shotgun. Staggering back in pain, all the hate and thoughts of how Cousin George has mistreated him come to the surface, and we finish the story with Zero promising death to all that have illtreated him, while ominously gripping two columns on the stage.

You don't have to be a biblical scholar to see the obvious Samson parallels in the final panel, and I think we all know what is going to happen next. It has been a joy getting to this point, and just like last week and the week before I am captivated by the art. Mike Dorey is again on the top of his game, and I actually read this story three times, once reading the words, and the other two times just looking at the art alone. A feast for the eyes and this tale of a circus freak show is perfectly captured on the page. I do wonder if next week might be the final part of the story, I sincerely hope not. I never expected to enjoy Mach Zero as much as I have, and the fact that I do love it as I have lies squarely at the feet of Mike Dorey. Splendid throughout, and another stand-out issue. 

Rating: 8/10

Best line: "Lor', how many of these freaks are there?"

The most nightmarish story is saved for last, with Dan Dare facing down Obadiah Crowe, the leader of the colonists on this Garden of Eden planet that Dare has discovered, who has now transformed, unbelievably, into a giant killer worm.

We quickly learn how this has occurred, with the membra-flowers in the woods absorbing the minds of the original colonists. The worms then ate the flowers, thus absorbing the minds of all that land there themselves.

Dare acts quickly, and as the worm snatches at one of his crewmen Dare picks up his weapon and kills the worm with a well-placed shot. 

Carrying the injured crew member, Dare links up to the rest of the men who are now in the remains of the village. They all make for the fort, desperate to get there before the worms so they can fly away to safety. They look like they have accomplished their goal but as they prepare to take off a crewmember bursts in to tell Dare that the worms have come in through the ducts and the whole ship is full of snakes. 

I want these mother f****** snakes off this mother f***ing spaceship now! Dan Dare may not say it, but we all know he's thinking up. Another top-notch cliffhanger finish from Dan Dare, and although it wasn't as scary as the previous issue, the final panel did give me the willies. It's true what they say - in space, no one can hear you scream. The set-up and explanation were convoluted and frankly quite silly, but as soon as I saw those snakes I didn't need any explanation - I just needed Dare to run. An excellent finish to the strip, my fingers are crossed that the next issue delivers on the promises made in this final panel.

Rating: 7/10

Best Line: "A futile attempt, commander...for now your friend dies-sss!"

Prog 71 final ratings:

Overall: 7.5/10

Best Story: Ant Wars

Best Line: "You've bitten off more'n yuh kin chew this time, Ronald! Let's take this town fer th' Burger King chain!"   

Best Panel: