Prog 28

Change is afoot. Harlem Heroes is gone, and it seems Judge Dredd has been promoted up the batting order to appear as the second story in the comic. Sure, it's only small things, but I like the feel of this one already. They say a change is as good as a holiday, so I expect that by the end of Prog 28 I shall be feeling fully recharged and ready to face the outside world. 

Prog 28

3 September 1977

Last week I commented that this current Invasion storyline draws heavily from World War Two, and this is mirrored this week in the opening artwork as we see Volgan half-tracks approaching the ghetto's wall. It is a picture that could have come from any number of war comics from the last fifty years and is instantly familiar. So too is the image of Bill Savage leading the Scots into battle, charging at the Volgans and exhorting the ragtag soldiers to follow him. After the first battle, we meet the sacrificial lamb of the story, former footballer Jock Steel. As soon as I see him on the page I mark his card, he has all the traits of those that become cannon fodder for Bill Savage's war against the Volgans. He's down on his luck, has a specific skill, and by the end of the comic he will have found redemption in his sacrifice. Sure enough, it comes to pass, with an ambush on the Volgans at Hampden Park when Jock Steel saves Bill from a hand grenade with a selfless kick that ultimately costs his life. Like all good soldiers, he dies with his (football) boots on. Despite its familiarity, I greatly enjoy this story. Perhaps it is because of this familiarity in its story arc and imagery, that gives me comfort food in this cold harsh world it is creating. Next week promises more of the same, as we see Volgans in black uniforms bearing a death's head badge. Another image we have seen in the past, and I know that no good will come of it.    

Rating: 8/10

Best Line:  "He's kicked it away - what a kick!"

Judge Dredd is in the building. Normally appearing last in the comic, I am happy to be able to catch up with his story early this week. With Rookie Giant seeking to pass his final test, he is taking responsibility for a kidnapping situation at the Harlem Heroes stadium. This story focuses on Rookie Giant throughout, and Judge Dredd himself only takes a peripheral role until the final page. We get some nice callbacks to the Harlem Heroes comic as Rookie Giant uses a jetpack to confront the hostage takers, and demonstrates that he's a chip off the old block with some pretty fancy flying himself that sees him eventually hurl a bomb for his first and only air-strike, thus saving the day. The story moves along at a good clip, and I enjoy the nods to the Harlem Heroes history weaved in and out of the action. My favourite part of the story though is the final page when Dredd finally steps forward. As he prepares to dispense justice on the spot, Rookie Giant is forced to draw his weapon on Dredd and do what is right by the law, rather than sentence them on the spot. Dredd breaks into a smile, and the story breaks open to reveal that this is his final test, he was prepared to sacrifice his future to defend the law. This scene is the heart of the story, and as much as I enjoyed the action earlier in the story, these panels are where the true story lies. Different from last week, but a great way to round out this two-part story, and once again I rate it highly.    

Rating: 8/10

Best line:  "Air-strike! My first and last!" 

I think I am getting bored with Shako. I love seeing a big bear eat people just as much as the next man, but right now it feels like we're on an endless conveyer belt of people eating episodes and the fact that he is carrying a deadly capsule inside his stomach has become secondary. This week the capsule is mentioned, but the attempts to capture Shako are feebly and ultimately futile as once again the hunters become the hunted. The artwork remains at a high level and holds my interest far more than the story itself, and I feel like Shako as a story is running out of steam at the moment. Perhaps next week will be better, but for now, the story is treading water. 

Rating: 5.5/10

Best Line: "The brute's blocking the other end of the pipe - trapping me in here!" 

Dan Dare is back! It has only been a few weeks since we last saw him, but I have missed him. The first thing I notice is we have a different artist, Dave Gibbons. Of course, Dave Gibbons is one of the most well-known comic artists in the world, but his style is different from the earlier Dan Dare and the strip is no longer full of detail and flourish. Gone is the psychedelic feel, and it is now far more focused on the storyline. The other noticeable thing is that Dan Dare himself seems to have changed. He seems rougher somehow, and less the daring space pilot we saw earlier. This week we see him putting together a crew for a mission to Lost Worlds, a place that is at one point compared to hell itself. Needing the roughest and toughest, Dare assembles a group of what my mother would call "wrong 'uns" for this mission. Trawling through the bad side of town, he encounters  Big Bear, a hard-drinking and hard-fighting brute of a man, Hitman, a man who has a gun frozen to his hand and is quick on the draw, and Pilot Polanski, a man who lives up to his name with flying skills aplenty. This is the meat of the story, as Dan Dare encounters each man in their natural environment and lures them to the space dock the following morning. I find it interesting that Giant Bear is wearing a CCCP patch, and drinking vodka from a bottle adorned with a hammer and sickle. In Dan Dare's world, the USSR has lasted all the way to 2177, while in our time it didn't even make it to the end of the century. Little things like this excite me, and I make a mental note that I really should get out more. Overall, I'm treating this as a different Dan Dare from what we had earlier. Dave Gibbon's art gives him a different look and feel, and even the world he is in seems more grounded. The story is promising, and I am already warming to the bunch of scoundrels he has assembled for his mission. Positive feelings throughout, and I look forward to seeing what will follow.   

Rating: 7/10

Best line: "...but if there's trouble ahead, I've got a legion of devils right behind me!"

M.A.C.H. 1. is just as crammed filled with action this week as it was last. Last week we had the first part of "Planet Killers" as John Probe took off in the Space Shuttle with Tex, a man who is intent on killing him. This week we find out why, as Tex jettisons John Probe, and then uses the shuttle to attack a Russian space station, all so that he can launch a missile that will start World War Three. This involves several pages of action and fighting, and there isn't a panel to spare as the action comes at us fast and furious. John Probe joins the fight, seemingly defeating Tex, but still facing the prospect of trying to stop the missile from space. This story plays to the strengths of John Probe, and we have a lot of cases of him using his special abilities. The only downside is his battle with Tex, a man who can match him for strength. After a struggle, John gives a final effort, and this is enough to beat him. It doesn't feel like he did anything special, just tried harder, to overcome this obstacle. This aside, this is another gripping instalment, and we are well set up for the finale in next week's issue.   

Rating: 8/10

Best line:  "Heck! He's cut my suit!"

Tharg's Future Shocks is only six panels this week. The story it tells is one of a 100-year war, told from the log book of a combat flier. The first five panels lay out the story of combat pilots fighting robot-controlled aircraft that are no match for their training and ability. The final panel is where we see these highly trained pilots, a chimpanzee and a tiger, and we learn that they have been trained by man to fight their war, only for mankind to have become extinct leaving them to carry on fighting. Short and sweet, but an intriguing concept, the more I think about this story the more I enjoy it. First reading I found it slight, but it is a slow grower and another good entry for Future Shocks. I also like having Future Shocks finishing off the coming, I don't know what order the stories will be next week, but this feels like the right place for it. 

Rating: 7.5/10

Best line:  "Those transistorised dummies had no chance! Ain't no-one flies better than me!"

Prog 28 final ratings:

Overall: 7.5/10

Best Story: Judge Dredd

Best Line: "Fail me if you like. I've always admired you, Sir, but I won't stand by and watch you break the law, drop the gun! "

Best Panel:

Prog 27

 I am constantly surprised by the variety of 2000AD. Every week I have a favourite strip and no one story dominates throughout. One story may be weak one week, and the next week it is back to the top of the pile as the stories jockey for position in my mind. This is well demonstrated this week with several stories that I found to be poor last week bouncing back, while others I rated highly go down in my estimation. It all makes for a fun read and something to look forward to each week as the comic twists and turns its way through the corridors of my mind. 

Prog 27

27 August 1977

The plot for Invasion could have been straight from a World War Two history book as Bill Savage and Silk find themselves dealing with a ghetto that is about to be liquidated. The ghetto in question is in Scotland where the Scots find themselves walled in by the conquering forces. Having a recognisable event from a war that was only thirty years previous at the time is clever and lends the story an air of authority and realism. It was already gritty and dirty which pushes this realism right in my face, the plight of the Scots made all the more dangerous from what we know from history.  Quite how Bill Savage will deal with this situation is unclear, the story laid out here is one of him gaining knowledge of the ghetto and then finding a way in to warn its inhabitants. Low on action but gripping nevertheless, this week's episode pulls the reader deep into the world of the Volgan invasion with Bill Savage standing alone as a beacon of hope.  

Rating: 8/10

Best Line:  "I don't know who y'are Jimmy - but y'are not wanted here!"

Harlem Heroes feels as if it's been approaching the end for a few weeks now, and it proves so in this issue as the story wraps up with an almost happy ending. We last left the action with Ulysses Cord in the clutches of Giant and squealing about the smoking jetpack. We pick up straight from there as he publically incriminates himself while thinking the jetpack is about to explode due to his doing. From here it is just a matter of wrapping up the story and tying up any loose ends, which in this case means winning the game and the tournament we have been following for the last six months. No surprise to see the Heroes come out on top, despite the tough play from the opposition it was only ever going to be one result, and suddenly we are at the end of the story. I have had my ups and downs with Harlem Heroes, but overall I have enjoyed it. I am always disappointed when a story ends, often the ending descends quickly upon us and any potentially climatic conclusion is swiftly dealt with. Such is the case in Harlem Heroes, and once it was clear that Giant knew what was going on with Ulysses Cord the ending was inevitable. I shall miss the art style of Harlem Heroes, this was always one of the most distinctive features of the strip and it has consistently been a favourite. However, a final tag promises the return of the Heroes, so I look forward to perhaps seeing these characters again in future. 

Rating: 6/10

Best line: "So what's left? What we gonna do now?"

It is business as usual for Shako.  Once again he is an unstoppable force as he chews and claws his way through another episode. This time it is a hospital bearing the brunt of his attack, and in particular, we finally see Nurse Hatchett meet her match. However, she does not go meekly and remains true to her character, giving plenty of steely resistance before she meets her demise.  There is not a lot of plot this week, it is very much about Shako feeding himself at the hospital. It does have some nice touches that elevate it from a mere gorefest, in particular, I enjoyed seeing a character who looked very much like John Travolta get eaten, and any panel with Nurse Hatchett was worth the price of admission. Not the strongest episode we have seen of Shako, but there was enough here to hold one's attention until the end. 

Rating: 5/10

Best Line: "No smelly animal is going to frighten me! Turn the machine up past the safety mark..." 

This is the best I have seen of  Tharg's Future Shocks so far. Sure, we're only three stories in, but this one appeals to me on many levels. I find it matches the first two stories for cleverness, but in this case, the twist betters what has come before and has an added touch of humour which elevates it from what we have seen before. Aliens are arriving on earth, proclaiming to come in peace(as they always do). There is debate at the highest levels about how this should be handled, and while one minister insists we should crush them, the government scientist recommends talking to them first. The fateful day of the alien landing comes, only no one can find the spacecraft, despite the aliens insisting they have landed in a forest on the edge of Heathrow. It is here that we see the story for what it is, the aliens are in a tiny craft, and are just about to be accidentally crushed underfoot. From a fearful opening, we reach a humourous conclusion and one that feels right for the story. Plenty more future shocks to come, but this already is one of my favourites. 

Rating: 9/10

Best line:  "Heathrow is surrounded, Prime Minister. If these aliens are hostile, my tanks will crush them as soon as they land!" 

M.A.C.H. 1. picks up the baton from the highly rated Tharg's Future Shocks and delivers a high-octane story itself which I find equally enjoyable. I have long waited to see John Probe pushed further in these stories and I get my wish this week with a multipart story titled "Planet Killers". John Probe is finally up against someone his equal, and with a story spanning several issues we are in for a treat. John is sent to the US to fly the space shuttle with an American pilot - Tex McArthur. His name is hyper-American, and he has a personality to match, although there is more than meets the eye with this chap. Tex McArthur has secretly been murdered and replaced with a doppelganger who is imbued with similar powers to John Probe. It doesn't take long for the action to start, as John has an intruder at night - who he only just manages to fight off. The next day as the shuttle takes off, John has his suspicions that it's Tex, although we'll be waiting until next week to see how that plays out. Phew, a lot happened in this issue. We saw Tex McArthur get murdered, the arrival of John Probe in the USA, his first encounter with Tex's doppelganger, the fight at night and then the shuttle taking off the next morning. Page-turning gripping action throughout, and I finally feel like MACH 1 is living up to its potential. Only time will tell if part two is as good as part one of this story, but it may well be the first story I turn to next week.  

Rating: 8/10

Best line:  "I was trying to swat a fly!"    

Harlem Heroes is finished, but its dirty fingerprints are all over Judge Dredd. Dredd is taking a rookie under his wing, a rookie named Giant. Yes, it sounded familiar to me too, Giant is the son of the Giant we know so well from Harlem Heroes. It is down to Dredd whether or not he passes, and they are out on the streets together chasing down trouble, this week in the form of Futsies. Futsies, as Dredd explains, are people who suffer from the illness "future shock." Unable to cope with 21st Century living they go on mad killing frenzies. I find this relatable, and comparable to the rise in mental illness we have seen in recent years as people struggle with the pressures of modern living. Dredd and Giant find their man soon enough, but things don't go well as Giant accidentally shoots Dredd in the face. Saved by his helmet, Dredd takes down the Futsie himself, leaving Giant to do the sentencing. Once again Giant fails, recommending prison while Dredd chastises him, explaining that this man has an illness and needs medical treatment, not a prison sentence. Again, this resonates with our modern living, and I find this strip very perceptive about modern life. It is no mystery who I should give credit to for this, the creators are listed on the first page, cleverly disguised as cadets on the '79 honour roll. Meanwhile, Giant is given one final chance to redeem himself in the final panel, as a call comes through for a kidnapping case. Great to see this story given a multipart treatment, like MACH 1 before it, and it gives the characters more time to breathe and develop through the pages. I also appreciate the fact that it ties into Harlem Heroes, expanding the world with something we are already familiar with. A fine ending to this week's comic, and the groundwork is laid out for an equalling compelling issue next week. 

Rating: 8/10

Best line:  "One more mistake- just one - and I'll have that half-eagle badge off you quicker than your pappy scored airstrikes!" 

Prog 27 final ratings:

Overall: 7.5/10

Best Story: Tharg's Future Shocks

Best Line: "Don't you even know your basic law? This man is suffering from future shock-he gets medical treatment, not a prison sentence."

Best Panel:

Prog 26

Spring has sprung. Outside a beautiful morning awaits me. But first, I think a nice cup of tea and half an hour with 2000AD is in order. I know for the next thirty minutes any thought of warm sunshine will be banished from my mind as I enter the dark world of 2000AD, starting with the always grim Invasion. Oh joy. 

Prog 26

20 August 1977

We are on the water for Invasion as Bill and Silk take on the Volgans in Lakeland. The story is cleverly set out in the first pages as we hear the Volgan propaganda radio and see their new vessels breaking speed records. Just like last week, Bill and Silk run into another Briton, former water speed king Commander Robb, and right here I can see where this story is going, we have met the sacrificial lamb who will power the second half of the story. I'm proved right, but I'm not happy about it, as Bill and Silk come unstuck in their attempt to sabotage the Volgans vessels, only for Commander Robb to save the day by ploughing his own boat into the Volgans. This sets up the final panels of the story, with a few witty puns from Bill and a finale at the radio station that had been broadcasting propaganda. I'm disappointed by this story.  It is similar to previous stories and I can't help but feel that I'm reading the same story over and over, with only the names changed.  Last week I wondered if MACH 1 had run out of stories to tell, and this week I am wondering the same about Invasion. Perhaps we will strike a new vein of inspiration in the next few weeks, I certainly hope so, but this week is barely average in my opinion. 

Rating: 4.5/10

Best Line:  "Run down the scum- turn them into a red stain on the water!"

Harlem Heroes restores equilibrium with a briskly told story and a suitable climax.  The Heroes begin their final match against the Teutonic Titans (hopefully I won't have to say that out loud), while Ulysses Cord waits for their jetpacks to fail. He will remain disappointed throughout the strip, as the Heroes battle on with no sign of their gear failing. The story offers several clues as to what is going on, and I have a good idea of what's coming next. At the halftime break Cord is wondering why the jetpacks haven't failed, and after seeing smoke from one of them begins to run scared, despite the calls of Giant. We are delicately poised for next week's issue, and this is a great way to finish this week's strip. I thought the aeroball game may have dominated the story, and to a certain extent it did, but the Ulysses Cord storyline is now firmly entwined so both plot threads move forward together. Much better than last week, and I think next week maybe even better again.

Rating: 6/10

Best line: "Gott in himmel! You will pay for making fools of us!"

Shako is extremely humourous this week, and there are plenty of laughs amongst the gore. Perhaps the most humorous panel is when Falmuth is visited in hospital by one of his CIA underlings, duly clutching a handful of pathetic-looking flowers. Falmuth is the source of much of the humour in the story, as his self-discharge from the hospital goes awry and he receives a well-deserved kicking from the head nurse. It's not all about Falmuth however, and Shako himself remains the centre of the story as he makes a friend (Unk) and takes refuge in a school, whereupon he eats a most deserving teacher in another hilarious part of the story (as hilarious as a giant bear eating someone's head can be). I shouldn't laugh, but I did - a lot. Assisted by Unk, it looks like Shako will be on the rampage for quite some time. With the humour cushioning the gore, this story is one I don't tire of and yet again I rate it highly. 

Rating: 7.5/10

Best Line: "Wanna play rough, Fish-face? Okay - Jake's learned a few tricks in the C.I.A.!" 

I thought Tharg's Future Shocks was inventive last week, but I am disappointed to see this week is of a similar theme. In this case, humans fishing at sea are beamed up to an alien craft, which itself is fishing in the same manner as they are. Last week it was men serving as Ant's playthings, and this one is the same type of role reversal. The story is well told, and the art looks good, but I don't ever feel for it in the way that I did last week. The twist isn't as surprising as last week, and it is weakened by being of a similar theme to the last issue. On the plus side, the whole story is told in ten panels, which is quite an achievement, and why I feel there isn't a lot to it. Perhaps disappointed is the wrong word, let's just say I was underwhelmed.   

Rating: 5/10

Best line:  "I wonder if these are thinking beings..?"   

M.A.C.H. 1. gets a far more leisurely six pages to tell its story, and what a story it tells. A lot is thrown in here, villains from the past, the Inca civilization, alien spacecraft, and John Probe's cynical boss. The first panel looks like it could have been lifted straight from Harlem Heroes as John Probe fights a couple of armour-clad figures before we jump back in the story to tell how he got here. After being sent to find a missing archaeologist, Probe comes across an Inca temple, whereupon he finds Colonial Krall, formerly from Irania and a man he thought dead. The story gets crazy at this point, and I love it for it, as once he dispenses with Krall's men, Probe finds the temple taking off -  it is actually an alien spaceship. A fight ensues with a couple of aliens before he takes an eighty thousand feet freefall. This is a stretch, even for M.A.C.H 1, but he does survive before trekking through the jungle to safety and eventually his boss, who doesn't believe a word of it. It is an unbelievable story, I must admit, but I found it worked well, and it was great to see John Probe fighting a different type of villain. I had complained last week that I felt like all these stories were getting a bit the same, and now this one comes completely out of the box with a different flavour and twist to it. It may not be believable, but it more than made up for it by being enjoyable.      

Rating: 7/10

Best line:  "Well thanks computer-it's nice to know who your friends are when things get rough-"   

I have good feelings about Judge Dredd from beginning to end. It has an interesting premise, a glimpse of the future, and, of course, the villain of the piece gets his comeuppance in the best possible way. We open with the Dream Palace, a place where people can pay to dream. It sounds pretty good to me, but John Nobody is using it to dream of evil deeds which he later carries out. No one escapes the law, and Dredd is on the trail of the doer of these evil deeds when he is given a tipoff about John Nobody and his dreams. After confirming his next dream, Dredd puts a stop to him at the Justice parade, where the sword of justice comes down and brings righteous retribution upon John Nobody. This is a streamlined Dredd story, and the art is certainly a highlight throughout. The final panel is worthy of mention as are the panels showing the justice parade and, earlier in the story, the dream palace. A good solid episode and a little more of Dredd's world is filled in, making Megacity-1 a bigger and more vibrant place in my mind.   

Rating: 6/10

Best line:  "I'm still in time! No sign of John Nobody...oh Drokk! Here he comes!" 

Prog 26 final ratings:

Overall: 5.5/10

Best Story: Shako

Best Line: "That stinkin' brute bit my arm off Dobie, an' I ain't lettin' him get away!"

Best Panel:

Prog 25

I have been looking forward to this week's issue and the arrival of Tharg's Future Shocks. Unfortunately, I am extremely tired, and perhaps not in the mood for reading comics. I'm not as young as I think I am, and I may have overdone it last night. However, I still have the energy to pick up a comic and turn the pages, so let's read this week's issue before I fall asleep on the couch.  

Prog 25

13 August 1977

The horror of war is on full display in week's Invasion story. With nerve gas as the main weapon, there is plenty of room for the artist to flex his muscle with several gripping pictures of the damage done. Throughout the story, the artwork remains important, with small details on every panel that contributes to the story, the visual storytelling is just as crucial as the dialogue in building the story. The story itself draws on several things we have already seen - Bill Savage meeting with a local who helps him out, only for that person to be killed later in the strip and Bill avenging them. In this case, a town has been wiped out by nerve gas, and Bill arrives in the empty city only to find the one survivor hiding in the hotel. While Bill and Silk enjoy the hospitality offered at the hotel, the Volgans arrive and kill the man they had just met, but not before he offers one final secret to Bill. It is this secret that closes out the story as Bill deals out retribution in the most fitting way possible in a nice parallel t the story's opening. The story itself is good, but it is the art that is the star of the show, and I can't think about this week's story without thinking of the art first.      

Rating: 7/10

Best Line:  "Quack, quack, Volgs!!"

A pause in the aeroball action sees us return to Ulysses Cord storyline in Harlem Heroes. Sure, the first page is dominated by the image of the Heroes' upcoming opponents in the aeroball final - the Teutonic Titans, but the rest of the story is sedate and inward-looking. I thought the return of Ulysses Cord would move the story forward, but we are in a holding pattern as the pieces are moved into place for the next episodes. The Heroes are given new equipment after a robbery, and Cord plans to use this in the aeroball final to finish the team for good. It is interesting enough to see the pieces come together, but there isn't quite enough there for it to be compelling. Next week promises to be a lot better, and I can only hope it lives up to those expectations. 

Rating: 5/10

Best line: "I've heard of souvenir-hunters, but this is ridiculous!"

Shako continues his bloody run through the pages with another issue of flesh-tearing action. This week he has six pages devoted to his blood lust, and every page has a good mixture of gore and humour. The story doesn't evolve much further than we have previously seen, but there is a lot of fun to be had across the pages. Although I don't rate the story as highly as previous issues, the humour is well embedded throughout, and I am smiling despite myself. One really shouldn't be laughing at a giant Polar Bear chewing people's faces off, but here we are. Not as good as the previous weeks, but I enjoyed it just as much. 

Rating: 6.5/10

Best Line: "p-please, ch-chief! N-no j-j-joke! Now he- he's bitin' my n-n-nose off...H-h-help meeee!" 

Before I started reading 2000AD, Tharg's Future Shocks was one of the few things I knew about the comic. Short, self-contained stories by a variety of artists and writers, this is one strip that could deliver anything week to week. And we are off to a good start this week with a story titled "King Of The World." The story laid out is simple enough, two warring tribes, the red-haired and the black-haired people, going into battle, from which the red-haired leader emerges victorious, proclaiming himself king of the world. However, all is not what it seems, and in a final twist we see that their world is actually a micro world, and they are being observed by giant ants who wonder at their intelligence. It is a classic short story-type twist and translates well onto the page. I like the premise for this strip, and if we get plenty more short stories like this I shall be more than satisfied.   

Rating: 7.5/10

Best line:  "Time for lunch, children! You've been watching those humans all morning...honestly, I don't know what you see in those horrible little things!"   

M.A.C.H. 1. is uneven after several good weeks. John Probe is called in to rescue some hostages, this time held on a train and in Frech. These two variables don't change the basic outline of the story much. As we have seen in previous issues, John Probe battles his way through a series of situations using his special abilities, before killing the main villain in an appropriate manner befitting the story. maybe I am feeling particularly grumpy today, but I don't find much to enjoy in this week's story. I want to like it more than I do, the art is good, and the story solid enough, but there once again is the feeling I've seen it all before, maybe there are only so many stories that can be told for John Probe, and we are now pushing at the limits. 

Rating: 4.5/10

Best line:  "Strewth! They've got Pierre in the neck..."   

I honestly don't know how I feel about the Judge Dredd story this week. Its usual humour and social commentary are intact, but I never quite warm to it the way I normally do. Dredd is on the hunt for a private TV station that is broadcasting a game show that is life and death, and I can't help but think of modern game shows and their "lifelines" This game show puts that phrase in a whole different light as wrong answers mean death for a family member. Dredd can't save the current contestant's family but does arrive just in time to dispense justice at the show's conclusion. The story is tilted to show the contestant's greed, so when Dredd saves his life there is the feeling that he doesn't deserve to be saved. As always, the panel of Dredd smashing through a wall on his Lawmaster is a highlight, but elsewhere my pulse is barely raised by the action laid out in front of me. 

Rating: 5.5/10

Best line:  "Stomm! That blade's dropping right for that sap's neck!" 

Prog 25 final ratings:

Overall: 6/10

Best Story: Tharg's Future Shocks

Best Line: "That...that Chester wasn't foolin'...he-he's rippin'...ripping me to bits!"

Best Panel:

Prog 24

2000AD is slowly evolving, and this week is another stepping stone to the future. With Dan Dare wrapped up, we have a placeholder strip, Tharg and the Intruder, to tide us over until the arrival of Future Shocks next week. Some of the other stories are starting to look a little tired, and I wonder how much longer we'll be reading them before they too are replaced. I shouldn't wish the future upon myself so quick, especially at my age, but I do look forward to future developments and how this comic will look in another year's time. 

Prog 24

6 August 1977

Invasion returns to 1999 after last week's odd time stamp of 1994. Once again we are in 1999 and Bill Savage is facing down the Volgan invasion forces. Through his binoculars, he observes the Volgan man-seeking missiles in action, and in a familiar scene, the local resistance men of the Scottish border want to take immediate action. We have seen this type of story several times already, and despite knowing how this will pan out it is still an enjoyable read as Bill uses the local landscape to deal with the Volgans while delivering some of his best lines. After the local resistance men fail in their attack against the Volgans, Bill looks to the past to deal with the situation. Using parts of Hadrian's wall (look away now archaeologists) he uses them in a Roman-style catapult to stage his own missile attack on the Volgans. Despite all the fine action and dynamic art, Bill's final line in the strip is the highlight. The whole story fits his clever pun and final image, making for an extremely satisfying end to the strip. 

Rating: 7/10

Best Line:  "Yeah, the writings on the wall for the rest of them dirty Volgs. We're out to beat 'em on both sides of the border!"

We have a large eye-catching panel opening Harlem Heroes as Louis infiltrates the mind of Ulysses Cord. I was hoping this would be the main thrust of the story, and a step towards a final resolution, but Louis retreats from his infiltration, saying that it confirms his suspicions, yet offering up no more information. Feeling cheated, I read on as we see the second half of the game against the Bushido Blades. Unable to match them in brutality, the Heroes outsmart them with a series of maneuvres that leaves the Bushido Blades severely depleted and unable to counter their attacks. The strip ends with the Harlem Heroes next opponent, and the winner of the other semi-final, about to be announced. Although I was disappointed with the first part of the story, I enjoyed the second half well enough, and overall came away feeling pretty good about what I read. The future bodes well as next week we see who their opponent is for the final, and no doubt more will be revealed about Ulysses Cord. It feels as if we are nearing the end of this story, and I'm intrigued to see how it all shakes out. 

Rating: 6.5/10

Best line: "B-by Shinto!"

I thought the opening panel of Harlem Heroes was eye-catching, but M.A.C.H. 1. is even better with its unforgettable image of a man being forced to swallow molten gold. It's a fantastic start; the caption is bright and lively and echoes my thoughts about what I'm seeing. The rest of the story is formulaic but does contain the usual great action we have come to expect from M.A.C.H. 1. as well as the clever ending. John Probe infiltrates the smuggler's gang, gets taken prisoner, confronts the villain, fights the henchmen, and gives his opponent his just desserts in an appropriate manner, in this case throwing him into the molten gold. This episode doesn't feel as heavy as previous stories, despite the graphic violence, and at times is quite a romp. I prefer this story to some of the earlier cold war type stories, and overall I found it to be just the tonic after a heavy week at work.     

Rating: 7/10

Best line:  "Better look for a new job, Jacko, Karat isn't working in this line anymore-he's taken the golden handshake!"   

Tharg And The Intruder is a placeholder this week until the arrival of a new strip next week. It works as an introduction to the arrival of Future Shocks next week, as Tharg gives a youngster a tour of King's Reach tower, before showing him the type of content that awaits us next week - "Stories and images so strong that you will only be able to bear one minute's exposure to them" It looks promising and although this story is a throwaway it hypes me up for what we will be seeing in the next issue

Rating: 4/10

Best line: "Next Prog I will expose all you Earthlets out there to my strange stories "Future Shocks" - I have gathered in my galactic wanderings! Splundig vur thrigg!"

There is a peaceful start to Shako but it doesn't last long and soon enough the story is dominated by Shako battling two men. On a delightful first page, we see Shako in a family way with a female and a couple of cubs. However, by midstory both the cubs and female are dead and Shako is on the war path for revenge, Over the next three pages with see Shako claw, beat and maim the two men responsible, culminating in one having his head bit off and the other buried alive in the ice. It's grim, but I cheer on Shako with every turn of the page, and there is nothing better than seeing his fury unleashed on the hapless humans. Brutal and bloody, but strangely compelling and once again one of the best stories in this week's issue. 

Rating: 9/10

Best Line: "He's burying me alive!" 

Another top-notch Judge Dredd story this week, with dynamic and fluid art throughout, matched with a clever storyline. The story revolves around the wreath killers, a series of murders that the judges have so far been unable to solve. However, some sleuthing by Judge Dredd soon has us careening towards a final showdown with a couple of ambulance drivers as they carry out their next murder. As good as the story is, I can not get past the art and how brilliant it is on every page. Panel after panel catches my eye, and I could pick any one of them as a favourite. There is Dredd on his Lawmaster, Dredd crouching in dramatic poses, Dredd fighting the villains, all of it eye-catching and worth lingering upon. If Shako hadn't been so brilliant this week, this final Judge Dredd strip would have dominated the panel of the week with any number of the images within. 

Rating: 8/10

Best line:  "He's gotta find that killer soon- or he won't deserve the name of Judge!" 

Prog 24 final ratings:

Overall: 7.5/10

Best Story: Shako

Best Line: "Time for sleepies, big boy!"

Best Panel: