Wildcat #4

03 Dec 1988 - 16 Dec 1988; Cover price 40p.
32 pages. Colour & B&W.
Fleetway Publications.

Edited by Barrie Tomlinson.

Cover by Ian Kennedy

Contents:

 2 Turbo Jones UNTITLED [Terrasauron-Tamer] w: UNKNOWN; a: Ian Kennedy.

 7 Loner pin-up; a: David Pugh.

 8 Joe Alien UNTITLED [Prisoner of the Tree] w: UNKNOWN; a: Massimo Belardinelli.

11 Kitten Magee UNTITLED [Robot Attack from Above] w: UNKNOWN; a: Jose Ortiz.

16 Joe Alien UNTITLED (cont.)

18 Time-Warp Data Link feature page (uncredited). / Alien readers' art; Martian Moonrider by Danny Bryant, Belugan Blob by Richard Dowling, the Slither-Sloth by Andrew Heath, Rola-Lung by Vincent Holland, Troilian Fiend by Wayne Smith, the Greater Guzzard by Barry Bottomley.

20 Loner UNTITLED [The Bellari's Hallucinations] w: UNKNOWN; a: David Pugh.

25 Death on Wildcat w: UNKNOWN; a: UNKNOWN.

31 Loner is Ready for Issue Five - Are You? in-house advertisement; a: David Pugh.

32 Free Circus Games advertisement for Weeto's cereal; a: UNKNOWN.

One of the most dramatic covers of the series thus far, with Kennedy channeling the spirit of seventies low-budget European SF films for a horror-tinged image.

Jones discovers the Terrasauron can fly when attempting to tame the beast to his will. Eventually subduing it with his laser goggles, Jones sets about teaching it act as he wishes, though expresses concern about his army being prepared within the six remaining days. One Arglon has managed to escape the battle, and approaches his forces on a wounded flying dinosaur. He successfully reaches the rest of his men, and demands to speak with the council of elders. Hearing the survivors tale, the council brings the date of attack forward, preparing tunnelling creatures to strike from below.

Cracks appear in the city's roads, although the army is far from prepared.

Events move far too rapidly to believe that the great forces of one civilisation is truly moving against another - it feels more like a localised squabble, supported by the lack of vistas squirming with alien bodies, hungry to attack. As small as the conflict is presented as, there are things to enjoy here regardless - beautiful artwork, laid out appealingly, compensates for some of the deficiencies in presentation. The large pages ought to be used to their full advantage, creating a real sense of scale, but this never quite gets there.

Joe's men use lasers to force the tree to release their leader, and when hit it collapses in a scream of agony. Reattaching Joe's brain pack, he informs the men that the location is far too dangerous to remain in, and that they should attempt to return to Wildcat - a voice calls out, though no other humans ought to be in the area.

The very premise of a removable brain has already grown tiresome, and I can't help but think that the problem should have been addressed in-universe - discussion about attaching the unit in a more substantial manner, to ensure accidental loss of faculties. Some form of side release buckle worked into the design of the apparatus, perhaps. If the team surrounding Joe can't figure out that this is a major obstacle which needs addressing, then they really are too dumb to live.

Overwhelmed by the sheer number of alien aggressors, Kitten's unit struggle to free themselves. Kitten, meanwhile, has Crud restore her youth and vitality in order to rescue her team. Using her wrist lasers she manages to even up the odds, allowing defensive measures to be taken. Hitting the alien leader with her lasers, Kitten learns that it is, in fact, a robot. Hobos is spotted, and Bonnie fires at the alien with a sniper rifle, almost killing him. As he fleees, the multi-eyed figures reveal that they, also, are robots - with lasers in their eyes...

As if the battle wasn't tough enough already, they are also able to fly.

Kitten's strip has a lot to draw readers in. A rather fantastic set-up, with the all-female unit (shades of Charlie's Angels notwithstanding), great designs for the surrounding alien life, and a mystery in Kitten's sudden ageing and rejuvenation - which is why this storyline is increasingly becoming rather annoying. With increasing hostility from Hobos, and the presence of robots on the planet, this doesn't feel connected to what is happening elsewhere, or even make a great deal of sense as presented.

So... There's dinosaurs, advanced robots, mobile and intelligent plants, and numerous sentient aliens all residing upon this one planet. And that's without mentioning the ghosts. How far, pray tell, can credibility be stretched before it snaps under the accumulated weight of the clichés piled atop the premise? It is almost as if each story exists in its own reality, ignoring the fact that being set on a single planet requires echoes of distant life to be present. Where are the living plants in the city Turbo Jones has seen, and where is the dinosaur life wandering the tropical jungle which Kitten is exploring?

Further to this, is Hobos some distant relative of Mojo?

It might all be a reality television series designed to annoy or entertain audiences.

Given a terrifying demonstration of the Bellari's power, Loner agrees to fight the beast. Assigned a number of Fuzzballs to accompany him into the depths, he begins a trek through a cavernous underground system, along a rather handy path, and when far enough away from Bellari the Fuzzballs are able to communicate with Loner telepathically. Explaining that they are a normally peaceful race, formerly the pets of an advanced race of telepaths. They inform Loner that they collected the ancient weapons of their former masters and deposited them in the deepest caverns so that no others could use them.

Led to the grotto of fantastic weaponry, Loner first uses a chair which will afford him the mental abilities required to operate the weapons - advancing him many thousands of years into his biological future.

And thus Loner becomes more advanced than his peers, and able to use advanced weapons. As the distinct story threads of the various teams advances, in this case dramatically, the sense that a long-term plan for the series is, in some way, sketched out. The bravery in changing up the status quo so early in the title's run is interesting and unexpected, though is likely a requirement to enable Loner's strip to compete with the adventures faced by teams of explorers elsewhere in the title.

The Fuzzballs' ability to communicate lucidly is a plot twist which makes a modicum of sense, and isn't a complete swerve from left-field.

The complete story, Death on Wildcat, establishes that the remnants of humanity aboard the ship are accompanied by a multitude of aliens in addition to the previously seen robots. John Anderson, the ship's deputy commander, reports that there has been no crime aboard the vessel for weeks, and that the threat of criminal behaviour can now be placed aside. To prove him wrong, an alarm rings out as a murder victim is discovered.

Seemingly sucked dry of all blood, the victim is identified by Dr. Timothy Lee, who discovered the body. Another body is found a day later, bearing the same distinctive lack of blood. Regarding Dr. Lee as his prime suspect, the Chief of security has nothing to base his suspicion on other than a gut feeling, which is confirmed when he witnesses the doctor transforming into a vampire...

Dinosaurs, robots, vampires... Oh, my.

It is impressive that no plot development, however far-fetched, is left untapped. What this means for credibility, alas, is that we are left with little foundation for the big reveals. This is a title desperately short of build-up, rushing headlong in to one adventure or another.

#03

Wildcat

#05