Prog 18

 Things are hotting up in the Prog, but it is freezing outside here. Far too cold to even contemplate going outside, so I am just going to cozy up on the couch with a pile of comics and a nice strong brew of tea. Hardly the most exciting lifestyle, but I know what I love, and right now I'm loving the Prog. I've had an entrée of some other comics of the time, but now I'm onto my second brew and ready for six shots of thrilling stories. 

Prog 18

25 June 1977

I am immediately warmed by the Invasion story this week. The very first panel is full of motion and fluidity as Bill Savage brings the heat to the invading Volgans. Once again we are in the world of Bill Savage, a world of cutting dialogue and thrilling action. The action, in this case, is Bill seizing control of a lorry of food belonging to the Volgan army and using it to feed the locals. The first two lines of Bill are entirely fitting of both his character and the Invasion story, as he first calls his men into action, before distributing the food to those that need it.  Every story needs a good villain, and this week Bill is up against Sload, an ex-detective formerly of the flying squad now working for the Volgans. I enjoy this angle, and it fits with the anti-establishment feeling I get from 2000AD. Intentional or not, every issue seems to push back on the establishment, and it is something that attracts me to the comic. Bill Savage doesn't take kindly to authority figures, on his side or not, and having a former policeman as an antagonist works well in the world of Invasion. This bend copper puts his villainous credentials on the table from the start as leans on one of his pre-war informers to find the resistance headquarters. In a nice touch, we see the man limping and with a sign that he was injured in the invasion. Little details like this add to the feeling and realness of the world, and the story becomes more authentic through such panels. Bill has a sidekick in this issue, as he meets a mechanic named Rogan who tells him what he has seen of Sload. Once again I am struck by the thought that this is very much a working-class resistance and by extension a working-class lead story, two things which I applaud.  The story reaches its climax soon after this as the Volgans arrive at the Isle of Dogs leaving Bill and Rogan to lead the escape. This is where all the action is as Rogan tunes up the vehicles and Savage smashes his way out of the trap in a big rig. It's impressive on the page, and perhaps the highlight of the story. The final page is a slight come down, as they switch to cars, and Rogan sacrifices himself to take out Sload. It sounds dramatic, but there doesn't seem to be any need for it, it doesn't add to the story, and we don't know Rogan well enough for this sacrifice to pay off emotionally. I am intrigued by the final panel. Previously I had written of how London-centric the story was, and indeed that London was almost like another character, but in the final panel this week Bill Savage ends with the line "We've made London too hot for ourselves - reckon it's time we warmed up the rest of the country." This opens up a lot of possibilities and although I don't know where they will go from here, I do know that I'll be going with them.     

Rating: 8.5/10

Best Line:  "Steam in and hit 'em lads! This grub's gonna fill British bellies!"

The penultimate episode of Flesh this week, and it is every bit as good as you might expect. The body horror of the previous issue is carried over as we see the Tyrannosaur with its three human heads throughout the first page. In a clever panel, one of the guards gives us a recap and explanation, neatly bringing us up to date and laying the groundwork for what comes. With the genetic codes between the dinosaur and the three men it was eating mixed up, we get this obscene genetic mutation. Being 1977, this is probably too early to be viewed as a statement about genetic modification, but it did give me pause to consider it. My horror at the thought of what has happened to the men is matched by the look on their faces, and I am almost relieved when I read that they can only live a few minutes. Luckily, they are put out of their misery as the guards open fire on their dinosaur body, sparing them of what no doubt would have been an agonising death. The captions across these panels, and the dialogue of those watching on, add to the horror of the situation and offers some poignancy for the men and their predicament. They aren't the only ones to meet such a sad fate, as we learn the Claw Carver is lost in time, with his gold, and facing a living death as he's stuck in the time void, unable to spend his ill-gotten gains. It's a grim story all around, as Reagan himself is about to face the curiously named judgement machine for his part in the debacle, and the inevitable long prison sentence that will follow. This story has always been about the dinosaurs as much as the humans, perhaps more so in some aspects, so I am pleased to see the final panel features Old-One Eye going off to face her destiny in what promises to be a thrilling final installment. This wasn't the most action-filled episode, but there was plenty happening as we saw each character's arc coming to an end, with plenty to mull over in the words as much as the images. The final promise of next week's issue makes this again one of the best.   

 Rating: 8.5/10

Best Line: "You were one of the leaders, Reagan- so you must take a share of the blame, you'll face the judgement machine" 

My faith in Harlem Heroes is restored this week with a cracking issue. The artwork on the first page grabs my attention, but it's the story within that keeps me feverishly reading as the Heroes battle it out with the Gargoyle team and their nemesis Gruber. The first panels promise much, as Gruber's internal monologue lets us know what he has in store for Giant and the team, and the game itself takes a hand on the next page as he is thwarted by the ball itself. Even better, in his attempt to hurt Giant, he manages to take out one of his own players, sending him crashing to the ground. Usually, I'm not overly fussed by the game itself, but it is well woven into the story here and one just can't ignore what's going on as it becomes an integral part of Gruber's plan and the Heroes' responses. Giant is saved by the ball knocking him out of the way for Grubers first attack, but on the next page, the ball becomes a weapon as Gruber strikes Chico in the face with it, sending him crashing into the score tank. At this point of the story, it is made clear how serious this threat is, and how serious the game is, as Chico is pronounced dead on the scene. On the final page, we see the game again becoming the main driver of the action, as Gruber plants a mine of the ball before sending it to Giant in the page-turning final panel. This sets things up for next week, and for the first time in a while, I can't wait to see what comes next. The artwork in Harlem Heroes is always good, but this week it is matched with some great storytelling, and with three stories down this is already looking like a superb issue of 2000AD         

 Rating: 7.5/10

Best line: "And now you know why aeroball is the toughest game in the world! One of the Gargoyles is headed for the junk-yard and a Hero is destined for the morgue! Yet they're still playing on! " 

The drama of Dan Dare and Rok falling into a pit at the end of last week's issue is swiftly undone as they reach the bottom of the pit where they are saved by a forcefield. It seems too easy, but I'm happy to see where the story goes from here as Dan and Rok are confronted by the Two of Verath who follow them down. The force field element is brought into play as Dan uses it in his fight against them, and this pacified me as I am glad to see that it isn't just a convenient way to finish last week's cliffhanger and is an integral part of the world. the rest of the story moves quickly, especially compared to the first page, and by the end we have seen a confrontation with the Mekin, a desperate run to the ship, and consequently an escape from the hollow world, leaving us alone with the Mekon and the Two of Verath for the promise of a full reveal of the Mekons plans in the next issue. This week feels like a stepping stone issue,m, and after enjoying the last few weeks immensely, this week I am more circumspect in my praise. The artwork remains top-notch, but the story is hit and miss this week, making for a patchy entry into the canon. It's enjoyable, but not the full-blooded episode I have come to expect, making this a lean meal in the issue. 

 Rating: 6.5/10

Best line: "Shoot it down! I don't care how many of you die trying - I will have Dare killed!"  

I am beginning to feel that I have seen all these M.A.C.H. 1 stories before. This week we have a South American president in peril in a high rise, a gang of terrorists led by an evil German, and Simon Probe conveniently nearby when it all happens. If there was a M.A.C.H. 1 bingo card, then I think I've won this week's prize. I guess there is only so much you can do with a story like M.A.C.H. 1 but to the creator's credit, it is well done and I still enjoy it despite the feeling that there's nothing new here. the story itself plays out how you might expect, with John Probe first taking out the death squad coming from above, before switching his attention to those coming from the ground floor. There are several instances of his unique abilities coming into play, the terrorists using a flame thrower on him as he gains access to the building, John using a steam pipe to take out some of the terrorists, and an exhilarating slide down elevator cables that burns his hands. It's all a lot of fun, and I can't take it too seriously. I just go along for the ride, and in this case, it delivers exactly what I expect.  

 Rating: 7/10

Best line:  "President Arranga is an alley of Britain. Gotta save him! " 

Now that Call-Me-Kenneth and the robot wars have finished, we face a clean slate with this week's  Judge Dredd. It is an interesting turn and we are back to a humorous one-shot type story as we saw in the earlier Progs. I am pleased to see the familiar faces of Dredds landlady, Maria, and Walter the robot are still in his company as the story begins at his apartment. The story centres around Brainblooms, they grow like flowers but can imitate any known sound. Ilegal in Mega-City 1, Judge Dredd is on a quest to find who is supplying them, a quest that leads him to bio-criminal Ma Mahaffy, one hundred years old and still committing crimes. The most interesting part of the story follows, as Dredd is hypnotized by the singing blooms, declaring Ma Mahaffy innocent, and then almost taking his own life in a vehicle accident. All interesting choices and I am surprised to see his suicide attempt in a comic of the time, I appreciate it's there and it certainly adds an edge to the comic. This accident snaps Dredd out of this hypnotism, and he returns with a team of fellow Judges to defeat Ma Mahaffy with riot foam. It feels like a lot happens in these four pages, and I must admit that the first time I read it I felt it was slight, but after reading it a couple more times I can see there's a lot more to it than I initially thought. Any story that gets better with each reading is a bonus for me, and I do rate this higher now than I did an hour ago when I first read it. 

Rating: 6.5/10

Best line:  "If you had any real brains, Ma, you'd know by now that crime doesn't pay. But I guess you'll never learn- if you live to be two hundred!" 

Prog 18 final ratings:

Overall: 7.5/10

Best Story: Flesh

Best Line: "Meals on wheels time, Granny! If anyone asks where it came from - say it fell off the back of a lorry!"

Best Panel:

Prog 17

I am beginning to understand the cult of 2000AD. Each week it gets better and better, and every week I embrace the stories more and more. The best thing is that I know that best is still to come and I've barely scratched the surface with the reading so far. With so much to look forward to I find the weeks fly by as I have something to look forward to every Sunday afternoon - my half hour alone with the Prog. A small heaven, but I'll take it. 

Prog 17

18 June 1977

I hate dirty Volgs. Bill Savage hates dirty Volgs. Bill Savage loves killing dirty Volgs, and I love watching Bill Savage kill dirty Volgs. So, with great joy, every issue begins with Invasion and Bill's war against the Volgan invaders. The ever-familiar London is almost another character as the story begins with the Volgans running a slave market in Petticoat Lane. With Bill watching carefully we all know what's going to happen and enlisting the help of an Eastend pickpocket called 'Fingers' Frampton, Bill formulates a plan. The plan is simple enough, but it is well executed, and Frampton pickpockets one of the Volgs for the keys so Bill can get to work freeing the slaves. Although Fingers Frampton is shot dead on the spot, we learn in the final panel that he had radiation sickness and wouldn't have survived anyway. After the freeing of the slaves, the story is a string of actions and events, as Bill and the ex-slaves deal with the Volgs in a variety of ways, including crushing an armored car with a wrecking ball. It's grim, gritty, and a heck of a lot of fun, and even though there is a layer of London grime over the story, Bill's character shines through. His dialogue lifts the story and coupled with the splendid art for the action scenes this is another fine installment in Bill's seemingly never-ending fight. 

Rating: 7/10

Best Line:  "Don't worry, Mister Savage. I 'dipped' dozens of mugs here before the invasion!"

Flesh features on the cover this week with an image that intrigued me from the start. But first, I have to deal with the first panel of the story within the issue, and once again I am condemned to having nightmares for the next few evenings as we see an enormous spider advancing on the prone Reagan. This is exactly what I expect to see, and I'm not the least bit disappointed by this week's installment. Stakes are high as Reagan's first words tell us everything we need to know about the previous issue "The spider's poison is running in my veins..now he's waiting for me to die"  However, there is an old boy scout trick for every occasion, and I am delighted to see that Reagan remembered that he could the venom from his wound. Things look up from here, although I still have Reagan giving me the heebie-jeebies one last time as he says he can smell the spider's hot breath, that is until he plunges his knife through its head in a panel that would have had the twelve-year-old me yelling in delight. Still plenty more to come in the story, and I'm pleased to see Carver doesn't disappoint as a villain as Reagan confronts him as he loads stolen bullion into a time shuttle. The best part of the story is in these final pages, as the time shuttles are beamed into the future, along with the dinosaurs that are scrambling on the time shuttles. Finally, the creepy cover page is explained as we see the dinosaurs arrive in the future, with human heads as they got mixed up in the time machine. Horrific, yet strangely amusing. I don't know whether to be horrified or burst out laughing, but this seems to me to be what 2000AD does best, mix humour with the dark fantasy world they create. I'm still new to the comic, but I'm beginning to understand a little of the cult following it has, and I'm sure there'll be plenty more to come. 

 Rating: 7.5/10

Best Line: "Oh no! Johnson, Mills, and Shepard have got mixed up with a Tyrannosaur in the time machine!" 

I still haven't formed a strong opinion about Harlem Heroes. Week after week it makes promises that it never quite lives up to. I don't know how popular it is in the 2000AD universe, but I'm still trying to warm up to it. This week it opens with the first line of "Here come da Bogeymen!" which should get my blood flowing, and I'm briefly curious. The story this week focused on the game as we see the Gargoyle team of androids take on the Harlem heroes. With Gruber in with the Gargoyles, I expect to see plenty of life and death action, yet very little happens as the game unfolds much like any other game. It's only in the final panel that we see Gruber preparing to make his move. Another week where I feel we're building to something but we never quite get there. The final panel isn't quite the cliffhanger needed to get me rushing out to get the next issue to see what happens, and as much as I enjoy the artwork, this is another episode that I can't get a handle on.   

 Rating: 5/10

Best line: "He ain't..the only...one who's gonna...lose his head!" 

All week I have been thinking about Dan Dare and the flesh-eating maggots. This week delivers from the start with a two-page spread that highlights the peril Dan Dare is in, the evil mind of Mekon, and the stupendous art in general. Last week's story also had a fantastic spread, and each week the creators outdo themselves with the story. I want to find out how Dan gets out of this one, but I want to look at the art one last time before I turn the page... Phew, I sure am glad I turned the page because the action heats up and from here on in it's helter-skelter all the way. Rok frees Dan and gives the best line of the story (see below). It's all backed with dynamic artwork that captures every detail and conveys a sense of movement. As the fight spills across the next few pages, the Mekon is temporarily thrown to the ground, before Dan, O'Grady, and Rok find themselves almost free. This is not a comic for the faint-hearted, and O'Grady shows his weakness as he turns back to surrender, only to be served up some comic book justice as he's dispatched by a toppling statue. I am hanging on every word, every line, of the story, and as the final panel shows Dan Dare and Rok leaping into a pit I know next week will be just as thrilling. In a comic filled with thrills, this is the high point of the week for me and will be the first story I turn to next week.     

 Rating: 8.5/10

Best line: "On my planet, we consider the margoz a delicacy. Try some..=chomp=.. they're delicious!"  

This week's M.A.C.H. 1 would make an excellent 80s movie, and to be honest I'm pretty sure I've seen it under a variety of guises. A downed plane, some nuclear weapons, an opposing force after the same goal, and snowy mountains, it reads like a treatment for a Sylvester Stallone film. It's not Stallone who's sent in to save the nuclear missiles though, it's our very own comic hero, John Probe. He's not alone though, this is a tough mission and he's accompanied by the SAS. The SAS were everywhere in the late 70s and 80s, every TV show, movie, or comic seemed to have the SAS in it, but seeing them in action here one wonders why as they come up against stiff opposition, and it's John Probe who saves the day again and again. He does have a worthy opponent, and the story hinges on his conflict with the leader of the eastern force.  It's all deeply familiar, but that works to the story's favor as the story is sketched out quickly across these tropes. I shouldn't like it, but I do, and it almost reads like a guilty pleasure. I'm not always a fan of M.A.C.H. 1 but this week was fast and fun, and before I know it I am spat out at the feet of the following Judge Dredd story. 

 Rating: 7/10

Best line:  "One man did that...? Half my unit is dead...? " 

Oh, that's right, Call-Me-Kenneth is still on the loose as Judge Dredd seeks to end the robot war. One wonders how much damage one stray robot could cause, but we learn soon enough as Call-Me-Kenneth battles his way to the oil depot. I have been reading this story for several weeks now, but the name Call-Me-Kenneth still makes me laugh. I love that such an innocuous name could be bestowed on an arch-villain who has brought war to Megacity-1. The first panel of the story is beautiful, a lovely fluid image of Call-Me-Kenneth fighting fleshy ones as he hunts for oil. This superb image is matched by an equally epic panel on the following page as Dredd astride his lawmaster surveys the oil depot. It gives a sense of scale, and yet again builds Megacity-1 in my mind to truly a megacity. The battle itself is over quicker than I expect, after exchanging shots, Dredd is caught in an oil gush that puts him on the back foot. Not everything is quite as it seems, and Dredd sets the oil on fire, condemning Call-Me-Kenneth to a fiery end. Not the climactic ending I expected, but I am pleased to see Call-Me-Kenneth get his just dessert, and I am kind of pleased I won't have to type Call-Me-Kenneth week after week anymore. With a couple of pages to spare, the rest of the story we see the good robots receive their rewards, including Walter the lisping orbit, who gets his freedom. However, it seems a life of freedom isn't for him, and by the end he is back at Dredds apartment, pledging to serve him, much to the chagrin of Dredds long-suffering cleaning lady, Maria. Indeed, the life of a judge is a tough one, and although the robot wars are over, it seems Dredd still has plenty more trials and tribulations ahead of him. I am pleased to see the story resolved, but I can't help but think that I will miss Call-Me-Kenneth over the coming weeks. For the first time since I started reading, he felt like a proper villain, with no sense of morality, an army at his command, and a leader who lead from the front. With hundreds of issues ahead of me, I'm sure there will be other characters and stores that will come forward, but for now, Robot wars is the benchmark by which I will judge all Dredd stories.    

Rating: 7.5/10

Best line:  "I wish I got a pleasure circuit!" 

Prog 17 final ratings:

Overall: 7.5/10

Best Story: Dan Dare 

Best Line: "The spider's poison running through my veins...now it's waiting for me to die!"

Best Panel:

Prog 16

Prog 16 has a great cover, and I already feel ten years old and filled with anticipation when I see it. The first sixteen Progs have seen a variety of covers, and all of them have done their job, filling me with expectations and excitement. And even better, the stories within have lived up to the promise of the cover. With that in mind, Prog 16 looks like it will be another thrilling ride.

Prog 16

11 June 1977

Invasion starts the issue with a man-hunt storyline. The Volgans have brought in a bounty hunter, an Aussie called Quarry, to pursue and kill Bill Savage. The story is as expected, after several near misses, and a battle spilling over several pages, Bill is victorious as he tricks Quarry into driving over a cliff-edge and into, wait for it, a quarry. Very clever stuff from the writers, maybe too clever. It did seem like a lot of setup for a wordplay punch line, but this is exactly what I want to see, and I can't help but smile at the joke. Once again, Invasion delivers a strong start to the issue, and Bill Savage's battle against the Volgans continues to hold my attention. The dialogue doesn't feel as fresh as when I first started, but the stories are still well told, with a good balance between character and action which I enjoy so much. 

Rating: 6/10

Best Line:  "Didn't get your quarry this time, Bounty Hunter. It got you!"

Phew, Flesh is intense this week. With Reagan taking on Old One Eye, we are reaching the climax, and the page is filled with intense rage. The look on Reagan's face as he stabs his electric goad into the dinosaur is reminiscent of Ahab and his obsession with Moby Dick, and this tale is every bit as profound as man battles beast. There is no conclusive outcome, Old One Eye throws Reagan off, but it is a case of out of the frying pan and into the fire, as he lands on a spider's web, and seconds later is injected with poisonous venom from one of the enormous spiders. I shall not sleep well tonight. Elsewhere, Old One Eye exacts revenge on the Controller, biting his legs and throwing him aside. A grim end for this week's issue, and I see nothing but doom in the next issue based on all that has happened here. It is a very real horror story, one cannot imagine the pain of being eaten alive, and several of the panels are quite chilling. Not necessarily a story I want to read, but a story I must read. I can't wait to see how things play out in next week's issue.  

 Rating: 7/10

Best Line: "Get off me you furry nightmare!" 

There is a pause in the action for Harlem Heroes this week as the story sets up for what will be coming up in the following issues. Facing a gruesome set of characters that make up the team Gorgons Gargoyles, we learn that this team is made up of androids, and the surgeons that have put them together have down a Frankenstein-type job judging by their crude appearances. There is further danger ahead with the reappearance of Guber. He has undergone surgery and now looks like a dead ringer for the leader of Gorgons gargoyles, the leader he soon dispatches with, planning to take his place in the match. There is revenge, and death, on his mind as he appears in the gargoyle's dressing room in the final panels. The art captures this mutant team well, but the story itself doesn't contain much action. However, it is a necessary step as we build the foundation for what comes next, I can in no way fault it for that. It's a placeholder, but not bad for it.   

 Rating: 5/10

Best line: "Looks like they mislaid some of the pieces!" 

Dan Dare, has an inventive style on the first page, running the other way across the centre spread as it tells its story in portrait rather than landscape. Still in the clutches of the Mekon, things are particularly grim for Dan this week as he faces interrogation by the blob. the blob is exactly what it sounds like, an alien that is a blob-like creature that clings to Dan's head and sucks his memories out. Highly unpleasant judging by the panels I see. Things get worse from here after the interrogation reveals that this Dan Dare is the same Dan Dare the Mekon is familiar with from the past, Dan is about to be put to death by the Margoz, semi-intelligent worm-like creatures that will eat Dan piece by piece while keeping him alive. Great, another reason why I won't be able to sleep tonight. The writers are really torturing me this week. But that's what I'm here for, and I enjoy squirming uncomfortably as I read. The story is continuing to be inventive, and the art week is as enthralling as ever, and it's hard not to fall in love with this story a little more every week. Another strong entry in the Dan Dare canon, a shame I won't be able to sleep between now and the next issue. 

 Rating: 8.5/10

Best line: "Fangs of my father! I cannot let them do this to my comrade..!"  

M.A.C.H. 1 is featured on the front cover, and the excitement of seeing the Capitol Building rising out of the sea as a weapon is matched by the story within. We are thrown into the deep end, as John Probe, on board an SR1 Blackbird, flies over the Devil's triangle (think Bermuda triangle) only to find himself attacked by this building as it rises from the sea.  Plucked from the sea he meets his nemesis early on, one Adolph Kemper, yet another in the long line of villains with a secret lair, in this case, a copy of the Capitol Building hidden under the sea. The story starts strongly, with this undersea lair and an evil-looking villain, but the second half of the story is its weakness. After confronting and beating some henchmen, John is face to face with Adolph Kember who brings his electron weapon to bear upon him. However, he is thwarted as John pulls a conveniently placed mirror from the way and reflects it back to Adolph, killing him. It all seems too easy, and convenient, and I do feel cheated by these final pages. However, the first pages were excellent, with some top-notch art and action, which just about tips the balance of the story to positive. This week is a drop from last week's excellent episode, but it still has plenty to like in it, and it was good enough for the front cover.       

 Rating: 5/10

Best line:  "Holy mackerel, Probe! Either somebody moved Washington, or I'm going crazy! Coming out of the water...it's the Capitol building! " 

Judge Dredd doesn't quite live up to what was promised in the last issue, but it comes close. We left Call-Me-Kenneth and his maniacal robot cronies on the steps of the hall of justice preparing to bring their own justice to the humans. This week we have Judge Dredd flying a sky-bus to Atmosphere control, a space station that controls all weather over Mega-City 1. Dredd's plan is simple, change the weather control and let an electrical storm of 7 million megavolts loose on the robots below. Things in the space station aren't so simple though, and Dredd must override the computer, something he achieves by wiring in Walter, the lisping robot, to short out the override computer. With the electrical storm raging, the brains of the robots are scrambled and they begin to attack each other, the battle is won, and seemingly also the war. It is Dredd who delivers the warning in the final panel, Call-Me-Kenneth is still alive somewhere and the final showdown is still to come. This story never reaches the previous heights, but the final colour page is eye-catching and lingers in my mind after I've put the comic down, which is always a good sign. I have a good feeling about the story, and any thoughts that it could be better are banished by the prospect of next week's issue.   

 Rating: 6.5/10

Best line:  "Smash! Crash! Bash! Mash! Come and get it, human trash!" 

Prog 16 final ratings:

Overall: 6.5/10

Best Story: Dan Dare 

Best Line: "My buddy Joe's dead..it's almost over! Old One Eye's over there...it started with just the two of us..and that's how it's gonna end"

Best Panel:

Prog 15

 Time slipped away from me. I missed one week because I had too much on, and the next thing you know I am here three weeks later trying to catch up. These stories had me eager with anticipation, and now I'm trying to recall what happened in the last issue. However, a quick read of Prog 14 has got me back up to speed and I'm ready to take the plunge into Prog 15. Let's go!   d

Prog 15

4 June 1977

We are still at the Doomsdale Nuclear research centre in Invasion as the resistance prepares to destroy the station. The plan is simple enough, the Brigadier and two other men will approach the entrance dressed as Volgans and bluff their way in. A good enough plan, but sadly it doesn't come off as a suspicious Voldgans yells an order in English which the men respond to, giving themselves away. At this, Bill swings into action, vaulting over the Brigadier and into the station. It's all action here on in as he seizes a large truck of acid, and smashes it into the reactor plant wall, spilling its contents everywhere, before making his escape into the sea. Back at the resistance safe house, the rest of the team is about to give up hope on him, when he suddenly appears, concluding another action-packed episode of Invasion. Although not as good as the previous issues, the story still has plenty going for it, and as I have missed the last couple of weeks, I was pleased to have the story back in my hands, seemingly fresher after the break I had taken. The story still has a lot of potential, and although I don't feel like we advanced a lot this week, I have high hopes for the coming months.

Rating: 6/10

Best Line:  "they've blown it - even with the fancy dress! You lot stay put and cover us!"

Hell is unleashed in Flesh as the dinosaurs finally storm the base. Page after page the carnage unfolds as all manner of monsters wreak havoc. The opening splash page sets the scene, with two huge Dinosaurs leading the charge. From here on in the story is mostly Dinosaurs smashing and eating as much as they can, until Reagan and Claw Carver make an escape with the Controller. The final panels hook us in for next week as Reagan promises to end it with Old One Eye in a final reckoning. This week it is all about the art, and we have some amazing panels as the dinosaurs rampage. I could read this three times and still be finding new things to delight in. The story temporarily takes a back seat to all this excitement, but with a final reckoning on the horizon, things bode well for the next issue.  Not the best Flesh issue so far, but certainly the most eye-catching.    

 Rating: 7/10

Best Line: "I don't believe it - they're even driving cars now!" 

I was wondering how the sudden death playoff would play out in  Harlem Heroes and I'm not disappointed in how things eventuate in this issue. With one-on-one combat deciding the victor, Zack is drawn to take on Red Macardle to fly and fight until a sudden-death strike is scored or one of them begs for mercy. It lies up to expectations with Red Macardle playing dirty and tough as the game becomes a brawl. Just as it looks as Zack is about to beg for mercy, he surprises Macardle with a head butt and goes on to score the winning goal. An enjoyable romp, and it seems plenty more is in store for next week with the return of Gruber. While I'm not overly fussed about the on-field action, I do enjoy it this time around and find the conclusion of the story rewarding. The artwork is sharp, and combined with the excitement of the game I rate this issue perhaps higher than I should    

 Rating: 7/10

Best line: "Famous last words, Jock!" 

Every week I praise the art in Dan Dare, but this week it is the dialogue that grabs all the headlines and the inventive storyline behind it. As Dan crash lands on a strange planet, we enter a new phase of the story. All the crew members are killed, except Dan, Rok, and Captain O'Grady. Dan and the Captain are trapped in the wreckage, but Rok uses a blade of charged atomic particles to cut them out. It is here that we have some great banter between Dan and Rok, and this repartee will continue throughout the issue. At the centre of the planet, The Mekon detects the crash landing and sends a search party to the surface to kill all survivors.  The three survivors fight off the search party, however, one escapes and brings back reinforcements that lead to the capture of all three. Brough t before The Mekon, Dan worries that he may recognize him, but feels reassured by the fact that several centuries have passed. However, it is a false up as O'Grady tells the Mekon Dan's name, and all are led away for further interrogation. All in all, it's excellent stuff, and I devour every word on the page. As I said earlier, it's always the art that grabs me, but here every word carries humour or weight to it, and I make sure I don't miss a single line. Hopefully, it continues like this for the next few weeks. 

 Rating: 8/10

Best line: "We are the only three left alive D.D.! If I didn't have to keep this helmet on, I could award the dead crewmen the great honour of eating their bodies!"  

This is the strangest M.A.C.H. 1 so far, and I would say the best. John Probe is sent to the mountain Kingdom Of Bepal (no great stretch of the imagination required to work out where that might be) to speak to a survivor of an invisible attack. The survivor tells of being threatened with an invisible death when he refused to smuggle opium on behalf of the Bepal ruler, Kivu Lama. John meets the Kivu Lama, and after a bit of sleuthing discovers how the opium smuggling operates. After evading capture by the Kivu Lama, John finds himself confronted by two Yetis- the very creatures that deliver invisible death. John manages to kill one of them, but the other escapes and takes revenge on the Kivu Lama. I enjoyed this story from start to finish; it avoided many of the cliches of previous stories, and it was good to see John Probe take on something more mysterious. A couple of good action scenes in the middle of the story kept things moving, and I found it to be the best M.A.C.H. 1 story I have read up until now.  If they were all like this, I would be very happy indeed.     

 Rating: 8/10

Best line:  "Invisible Death? Poppycock! It just goes to show how primitive these people are!" 

Judge Dredd and the robot war continues, and just like last week things have ratcheted up further. Dredd may have escaped his shackles, but things are still looking dire. With the help of Walter, they assemble a ragtag band of robots. With limited options, they grab control of the factory and reprogram the computer to produce a line of Robots that serve humans. After a confrontation between the two opposing forces of Robots, a fight breaks out as Dredd swings into action. The battle is won as the rebel robots are smashed to bits, but the war is far from over as Call-Me-Kenneth appears on the video screen, his squad of heavy metal kids on the steps of the Grand Hall of Justice where they are about to liquidate every Judge. A grim ending indeed, and the final words "more next week" have me drooling. What a way to finish the issue, and although it didn't reach the same heights as last week, the story remains the flag bearer of 2000AD. With the cast of characters expanding, and the robots finding new ways to threaten and destroy, I can see this evolving for some time yet, and I intend on reading every issue of it.   

 Rating: 8/10

Best line:  "Freeze, you walking soup cans!" 

Prog 15 final ratings:

Overall: 7.5/10

Best Story: Dan Dare 

Best Line: "You and the other wobots...heck! You've got me at it now!"

Best Panel:

Prog 14

 I don't know what was happening in May of 1977 but things are getting pretty wild in Prog 14. I like to think that 2000 AD reflected a little of the times in which it was written, and given what I've seen so far 1977 was grim. Still, with humour running through the comic it never feels oppressive or hopeless, and even as bleak as the future is portrayed I still find myself smiling.  

Prog 14

28 May 1977

I have been looking forward to this week's Invasion and the arrival of a S.A.S. strike force to take the fight to the Volgans. Things don't quite go according to plan, however, and as Bill and the resistance wait for the strike force to arrive they run into a tramp. Bill wants to deal with him, but the Brigadier makes a decision to release him, a decision that will come back to haunt him as the tramp reveals their position and scheme to the Volgans. Things heat up at this point of the story, and the SAS strike force is taken out by the Volgans in a page of explosive action. All is not lost though, and Bill kills a jeep load of Volgans in the final panels, giving them a chance to still hit the base. Next week's episode promises to be a cracker as Bill coldly tells his team that there's only one way to do it now - Bill Savage Style. The artwork in this issue seems brighter and lighter than previously, and even though the action takes place at night, every panel has a clean look that can easily be digested. It makes the story move faster, and this works well with the action. It's a trope we see week after week, but I still get a kick out of seeing Bill take out Volgs with his shotgun, and for all my literary pretensions, these are the panels I like the best. I'm tempted to post one of these panels every week, and it takes all my willpower not to do so. 

Rating: 7/10

Best Line:  "You're getting the payoff all right, scum...in hot lead!"

The good news is that I did manage t get a nightmare-free sleep after reading last week's Flesh. The bad news is I have to go through it all again for this week's issue. This week's issue is a doozy, with not only Tyrannosaurs on the ground but also Pteranodon in the sky, and giant spiders underground. A scary triple threat if there ever was one. But, as the story shows us, the greatest enemy is man himself and in this case, it's the Controller who personifies this. From the opening panel we see what the evil looks like as he executes those who ran in the face of the dinosaur attack. Our hero Reagan has the courage to speak up, but his voice is lost in the hostile environment and the death sentence is carried out. With Reagan locked up for his insubordination, the siege continues. The following pages are given over to man versus man, as Reagan makes an escape and confronts the controller. After turning the tables on the controller the story swings back to the dinosaurs as an electrical storm sees them advance on three fronts - ground, air, and underground. I rated last week's issue extremely high, and although not as dramatic as last time, this week is just as good for other reasons. Some of the tension has ebbed out of the story, but the telling line about man killing man is the crux of the story. The story is gaining new depths, and I'll be here again next week to indulge in it.       

 Rating: 8/10

Best Line: "Good work, Reagan...I was on your side all the time!" 

The flying Scotsmen continue to pummel Harlem Heroes as the game escalates in this week's issue. With a large lead and their hard-hitting style, Harlem Heroes are up against it. However, Louis's brain has a solution, stop playing them at their own game, and instead, play with speed and finesse. It's not quite enough for the win, and the scores are tied as the game ends, setting us up nicely for a sudden-death playoff featuring one player from each team. The story felt flat this week, and even though the final panel is promising, there isn't much that came before that made me sit up and take notice.  

 Rating: 5/10

Best line: "Sorry boys! I've decided physical contact is ain't good for my constitution!" 

I continue to be in awe of Belardinelli and his stupendous art in Dan Dare. The first page in colour captures the horror of a rapidly aging crew member who dies in front of Dan as he ages hundreds of years in a few seconds. It kick starts the story, as next the ship heads into the heart of a giant sun. As Dan prepares to land we switch to the other half of the story and the Mekon. He continues with his schemes, and we have a demonstration of his ruthlessness as he eliminates one of his followers. Mekon has raised the stakes in Dan Dare and the story is better than ever as his plot unfolds. The action wasn't great this week, but every panel with Mekon was excellent, and the color art as always was outstanding. I may not always rate Dan Dare highly, but I always look forward to reading it.  

 Rating: 7/10

Best line: "OK. I'm going to try for a landing! Though who knows what we'll find on such a strange planet?"  

Last week M.A.C.H. 1 drew from disaster movies for its plot, and this week it is the kung-fu genre that gets an airing. Sent to Red China to obtain a revolutionary process for growing food, John faces a team of kung-fu experts before meeting the biggest of them all for a final battle. John doesn't beat him, but he does match him, causing his mind to snap. The story is all too familiar, and at times it does cross into James Bond territory, especially with the villain's exposition. However, it is likable, and the opening panel gives us a firm indication of what is to follow. They say familiarity breeds contempt, but the artwork keeps the story energised and by the final panel I am satisfied with all that came before.   

 Rating: 6/10

Best line:  "Brave words, Mr. Probe, and brave fighting. You will make I, Shang-chin, an admirable opponent...they are so hard to come by nowadays!" 

I am loving war with the Robots in Judge Dredd and every week it becomes more intense. Dredd is still a prisoner of the robots, and we see just how evil Call-Me-Kenneth is as he shows Dredd his fate. Dredd is scheduled to have his brain removed and placed in a robot so he will suffer pain forever. It is no surprise when Call-Me-Kenneth tells us that he's a big fan of Adolf Hitler. In a clever touch, even Dredd's handcuffs are a robot, one that's happy to grass him up at every opportunity. All is not lost, however, and on the final page, we have the reappearance of the lisping Walter, who helps free Dredd from his cuffs with some highly corrosive acid (or "highly cowosive" as Walter calls it). The first pages of this story are dark and ominous, and the stakes are set high. There is light relief in the second half of the story with the robot handcuffs and Walter, but there is still drama throughout. I'm not sure how long this war against the robots will last, but I can't get enough of it and I sincerely hope it will continue for a long time yet. With a great villain, fantastic art, and brilliant one-liners, this is the strip that has sold me on 2000AD.    

 Rating: 9/10

Best line:  "Try it an' you'll be sorry, buddy! I'll scream blue murder!" 

Prog 14 final ratings:

Overall: 7/10

Best Story: Judge Dredd 

Best Line: "The cruel sentence was carried out...while the Tyrannosaurs gathered for the final kill...the "clever" humans killed each other"

Best Panel: