Wildcat #9

11 Feb 1989 - 24 Feb 1989; Cover price 40p.
32 pages. Colour & B&W.
Fleetway Publications.

Edited by Barrie Tomlinson.

Cover by Vanyo (uncredited).

Contents:

 2 Kitten Magee UNTITLED [Aurora Eaten] w: UNKNOWN (uncredited); a: Jose Ortiz (uncredited).

 7 Hobos pin-up; illustrated painted by Jose Ortiz (uncredited).

 8 Joe Alien UNTITLED [The Giant Slug] w: UNKNOWN (uncredited); a: Ron Smith (signed).

11 Loner UNTITLED [Spider's Web] w: UNKNOWN (uncredited); a: David Pugh (uncredited).

16 Joe Alien UNTITLED (cont.)

18 Time-Warp Data Link feature page (uncredited). / Robojoke UNTITLED ["Do you know where Martians go for a drink?"] (pocket cartoon) w:/a Damien Cowley. / Alien readers' art; Winged Scorpian by Scott Dawber, Dylom the Deadly by Julian Linsel, Eight-Eyed Tongue-Wart by James Lee, Three-Legged Menace by John Sims.

20 Turbo Jones UNTITLED [Escape from the Arglons] w: UNKNOWN (uncredited); a: UNKNOWN (uncredited).

25 Chirpers w: UNKNOWN (uncredited); a: Josep Gaul (uncredited).

31 Brainless Joe Alien! next issue information; illustrated by Ron Smith (uncredited).

32 The Weetabix Workout advertisement; a: UNKNOWN (uncredited).

Kitten decides the best way to save Doc and Cassandra is to frighten the monster with a show of force, though the combined weaponry put to use merely angers it into making an attack. Aurora converts her Snarler Gun to fire Flamer Shells, and while she manages to strike the creature with a direct hit the flames go out almost immediately - attempting to get closer, for another attempt, she is snatched up in the beast's mouth and swallowed. The others can see Aurora through the transparent skin, and can tell she is, for the moment, still alive, but have no means of rescuing her. Aurora's emergency limpet wire keeps her from dissolving in the digestive acids, but the beast begins ponding itself to dislodge its meal.

A bat which had been captured for later study breaks free of its net, and immediately begins attacking the beast, and soon manages to create enough of a distraction to knock the creature unconscious. Aurora is freed, and Hobos (watching from a safe distance) vows that the next trap he has planned will see the end of the team once and for all.

It really is a shame that the zero fatality rate of the strip is in place, which goes for all of the main characters, as having a named character succumb to the threats of the planet would sell the fact that it is, in fact, a dangerous place to be. Even a secondary character, such as Robo or Crud, would serve as a perfect example of how much of a threat the indigenous life on the planet is, if they were to be served up as a sacrificial lamb. While it is a clever rescue, and capably handled, it further undermines the notion that this is an extremely human-unfriendly locale.

And see-through skin? It was dumb in The Visible Man, and it is just as dumb here.

Ortiz's lovingly-detailed painting of a naked Hobos staring directly at the reader is one of the most disturbing images published by Fleetway Publications, made worse by his grin. I'm forced to concede that it is a very memorable image - for all the wrong reasons - and expertly crafted, but... Did anyone think, even for a passing moment, that this was what the title's readers wanted to pin up on their walls?

With rapidly-decreasing options, Joe Alien's team face imminent death at the hands of approaching trees, yet Joe's optimism is undaunted - and he has reason to be so sure of his survival when trees and plants start vanishing beneath the soil. An immense slug-type creature breaks through the surface, and Joe suspects, by its behaviour, that it wishes the team to follow it. Following it beneath the soil, Joe's brain-pack is accidentally dislodged.

Whatever else, this is a strip utterly unafraid of ridicule.

It must be noted, as the strips within the title are (increasingly loosely) connected, that after Loner and Turbo Jones, this is the third strip to venture into subterranean parts unknown, yet each of the strips has maintained an appearance and identity which is entirely unique. While I have no problem with the varied life upon the planet, that we have yet to see any creatures cross over from one strip to another is a slight visual cheat. It suggests something more than unique biomes across the surface - it, in effect, is a depiction of natural selection, and specialisation, to an unnatural degree.

Worms are found all over the surface of the planet earth. As are flies, and spiders, and beetles... To not encounter something in one location may be the result of a competing species, but to have an entire absence of anything seen in Loner or Kitten Magee is troubling. These stories all take place on one planet, with (presumably) common ancestors of each and every creature to be encountered, yet the diversity is greater than that of Earth. What is this planet's secret? Why are so many of the locations radically different from one another?

The troubling answer may lie in a passing acquaintance of Loner - The Bellari's arrival on the planet was supposedly an accident, and the Great Beast's existence there (while no other of its kind was, presumably, present) suggests that this might be a dumping ground for the most violent, unrepentant, recidivist criminals the galaxy has ever known. It would explain why it is the galactic version of Australia, with almost everything upon the surface, and beneath, posing a credible threat. Whatever life exists on the planet might have been placed there so as not to pose a problem for civilised planets.

It is a better explanation that "just because it is cool," after all...

Wilcat Update: An alien creature has caused Loner to be shrunk to mini-size. Chased by insects, he runs straight into a web!

Stuck fast, Loner anticipates his demise as an immense spider approaches, but the two-headed ants arrive en masse, and in the confusion of battle betwixt spider and ants he is able to pry himself free. Escaping, while the spider is devoured, Loner falls asleep in the comparative safety of a flower - until woken by a plant-eating creature which barely notices him. Finding a creature smaller than himself, Loner approaches it, only for the bug to attach itself to his throat.

Loner was a thrilling, menacing, and utterly enthralling strip while concerned with matters beneath the planet's surface, but now... it really could be a story that any number of characters could have been dropped into. There's no sense that this is a tale only Loner could be part of, and the generic dangers are all too familiar from any number of low-budget, straight-to-video films of the era. It is saddening that such a critical component of the title's appeal has been reduced to this.

The alien designs are, as can be expected, still sumptuous, yet this comes across as a strip which has lost its way. A shame.

From the Time-Warp Data Link!:

Wildcat is about a quarter of a mile long. Aboard, we have many different types of animals. Lots of cows, horses, sheep and other farm animals. As soon as we set up base on the New Planet, these animals will be transported down... as we want to get back to basic farming. In the 26th century, Earth eating habits were very sophisticated and we hardly knew what it was to have fresh food. We want to change all that! In total, there are about 2,000 animals and birds aboard.

This seems very... contained. While it is acceptable that there are some corners cut to appeal to younger readers, the hard number on Wildcat's size is very small, and although it appears large in illustrations, one has to remember that the engines would take up a lot of room. That doesn't seem to leave much space for the inhabitants and everything which would be needed for continued life away from Earth.

By comparison, the Svalbard Global Seed Vault holds more than 980,000 samples in its collection, and covers an area which is comparable to (or, indeed, larger than) Wildcat's volume. It has been estimated that there are over eight million species of animals alive upon the Earth right now, not accounting for those which have gone extinct, so even a vessel fifty miles long would be pushing credibility if it was required to transport all the species we would require to comfortably recreate humanity's current standard of living on a far flung planet.

My head hurts every time numbers are thrown at the reader, as believability suffers with every fresh revelation.

Turbo Jones agrees to assist the Arglon war effort, in a bid to prevent an attack on Wildcat. When he sees his chance, Turbo flees with Robo, who has secured his pterodactyl ready for an escape - which Turbo refuses to partake in, as Wildcat is in imminent danger. The Great Ark passes judgement, and declares that the Earth-man's ship be destroyed, and a ship is readied for the extermination mission.

Building nicely, the plot is beginning to throw open greater and greater questions about the technological level of the Arglon species (or culture, or... whatever), as not only do they have dinosaurs with which to ride around on, they also have spaceships. It is, by the looks of things, a very advanced ship, so the disparity in technology is even greater than if they merely intended to launch crude missiles at Wildcat.

Their behaviour also indicates my guess as to the planet's varied life-forms may be close to the truth.

I wonder what the Burroids did to land themselves there...

Tap, tap.
Tap.
Tap, tap, tap.

Chirpers is one of those stories - able to get inside your brain and ignite all manner of neuroses.

Computer log entry, Day 28. I can hear the infernal creatures tapping at the walls, trying to get in. Can't survive much longer. Got to make a run for the ammunitions store.

I won't make it.

I remember how all this horror began, just over a month ago, aboard Wildcat.

With none of the expeditions having communicated their findings back to Wildcat, they are presumed dead - a new team is put together to to land on the planet, and, hopefully, to discern what has become of the original teams. Taking a shuttle down, the leader of this new expedition sees an island overflowing with life, and lands in the hope of finding Loner or Turbo Jones. Attempting to report back to the ship on their progress, the radio interference becomes apparent. Making camp for the night, they encounter "Chirpers" above the tree-line - small birds which make an incessant noise. When birds of prey start killing the Chirpers the team is split in opinion on what to make of events.

Jepson decides to kill the birds of prey, and soon declares his mission a success. Over the next few weeks the Chirpers numbers increase dramatically, and soon swarms of them are present. Dolan is pecked to death by a swarm of Chirpers, stripping him to the bone in seconds. As Grucker sits in the relative safety of the camp, he writes up what has happened.

I have been in here five days now. Food ran out three days ago. Water ran out last night. When we arrived, one crew-member named this island Paradise because of its beauty. It has taken just one month to turn Paradise...

...Into Hell!

This is why I love the title. Where else would the main characters be assumed deceased by their subordinates, and have replacements ready? Star Trek is too entrenched to deal with a plot such as this, and as most other series want to be Trek, they won't take such a risk. It is a plot which, unfortunately, isn't backed up by the other strips failing to appear. Had each of the story threads elsewhere ended on a cliffhanger the issue before, and this issue dealt with reactions aboard Wildcat to their possible demise, then there could have been a great sense of loss created, but we know that the others have survived.

The reason for the communication blackout - due to a radiation storm centuries before - still doesn't make a lick of sense, which is especially annoying as there are a few good reasons why such equipment wouldn't operate, though as a handy hand-wave to excuse easy back-and-forth with scientific experts, or what passes for same, it isn't an awfully large leap to make.

Quality craftsmanship, an enthralling sense of its creative teams having fun, and a fantastic complete adventure, Wildcat is one of the great comics of the 1980s despite any flaws.

#08

Wildcat

#10