On This Day: 07 Feb

The Wizard (D.C. Thomson & Co., Ltd.) vol.2 #01 (14 Feb 1970).
Sandie (IPC Magazines Ltd.) #01 (12 Feb 1972).

First Appearances:

Wilfred in Pip, Squeak newspaper strip (1920).
Brenda's Brownies in Sandie #01 (12 Feb 1972).

Births:

Bert Wymer (1891); George Worsley Adamson (1913); Fernando Fernández (1940); Alan Grant (1949)

Deaths:

Jack Le Grand (1986); Dennis Bardens (2004); Norman Thelwell (2004); Phil Meigh (2008)

Notable Events:

The AAARGH! comic exhibition at the Institute of Contemporary Arts, organised by Michael Kustow, ended in 1972. It was the first serious exhibition of comic art in the UK.

On This Day: 12 Jan

The Crunch (D.C. Thomson & Co., Ltd.) #01 (20 Jan 1979).

Cadet Anderson: Teenage Kyx by Alan Grant, Carlos Ezquerra, Patrick Goddard & Steve Yeowell. (Rebellion; Jan 2017) ISBN 978-1781-08539-4.
The Complete Scarlet Traces volume 1 by Ian Edginton & D'Israeli (Rebellion; Jan 2017) ISBN 978-1781-08501-1

Judge Dredd: Psykogeddon by Dave Stone. (Black Flame; Jan 2006) ISBN-13: 9781849971003.

First Appearances:

Ross Harper (Who Killed Cassidy?) in The Crunch #01 (20 Jan 1979).
Bearpaw Jay, The Mantracker in The Crunch #01 (20 Jan 1979).
Doctor Kyser (The Kyser Experiment) in The Crunch #01 (20 Jan 1979).
Mike Preston (The Walking Bombs) in The Crunch #01 (20 Jan 1979).
Mark Sabor (Arena) in The Crunch #01 (20 Jan 1979).
Durham Red in 2000 A.D. (IPC Magazines Ltd.) Prog 505 (17 Jan 1987).

Births:

Jack Greenall (1905); Angus Scott (1909); Juan Jesús García Alvarez (Xuasus; 1968)

Deaths:

Florence Anderson (1972); Richard Hook (2010); Tony Harding (2014)

Notable Events:

The Schoolboys' Own Exhibition at the Royal Horticultural Hall, Westminster, London, ended in 1952. Eagle was represented by a Dan Dare Rifle Range, with the best shot of the day qualifying for a specially-made B.S.A. air rifle. The best of these was awarded the Eagle Marksman of the Year trophy by Marcus Morris.
Ronald Searle was a castaway on Desert Island Discs, on BBC Radio 4, in 1959.

On This Day: 07 Dec

Births:

Freddie Adkins (1894); Barry Kitson (1957); Lee Brimmicombe-Wood (1963)

Notable Events:

The first issue of Viz was collected from the printers in 1979.
Willie Rushton hosted the ninth episode of Friday Night, Saturday Morning, on BBC 2, in 1979.
John Wagner, Alan Grant and Simon Bisley attended a Judge Dredd/Batman: Judgement on Gotham signing at Virgin Megastore, Marble Arch, London, in 1991.
Future Shock! The Story of 2000AD released on DVD in 2015.

Eagle [Vol.21] #2

03 Apr 1982. Cover price 20p.
32 pages. Colour & B&W contents.
IPC Magazines Ltd.

Edited by David Hunt.

Photo cover by Gary Compton.

Free Golden Eagle badge.

Contents:

 2 Eagle Hotline The Eagle Has Really Landed! text introduction by David Hunt. / Your Free Gift / Get Ready For... Roar film preview / Eagle Book of Records reader feedback requested. / New This Week introduction to The Money Page and The Adventures of Fred. / Odd Spot photograph (uncredited). / Happy Birthday / Last Minute Department reader feedback requested.

 3 Doomlord UNTITLED [No Trace of the Spaceship], part two, w: Alan Grant; photography by Gary Compton.

 7 Wellie of the Week Terry Wogan photograph (uncredited). / Eagle Sweet Talk Scarey Sticks / Things that Go Chomp in the Night! / Rocky Horror! / Caught by the Camera Boeing 727 photograph by Hans Wendt. / Ernie UNTITLED [Being a Star Comes Naturally] w:/a: Dave Follows.

 8 Squadron Leaders advertisement for Humbrol 1/48 and 1/72 scale models.

 9 Eagle Data File Sea King Har 3 fact file; illustration (uncredited).

10 The Adventures of Fred UNTITLED [Read the Signs] w: UNKNOWN (uncredited); photographs (uncredited).

11 The Collector Assassin w: Brian Burrell; a: Pat Wright, photography by Sven Arnstein.

14 The Unexplained! Demon Guard (one third page) text feature by UNKNOWN (uncredited); a: UNKNOWN (uncredited). / The Symbol of Excellence (one sixth page) newsagent order form.

26 Daley's Diary It's Best by Boat! / Forgotten Losers / Lauda's Crown? / The Dutch Master / The Last National? text features by Daley Thompson.

16 Dan Dare Return of the Mekon, part two, w: John Wagner & Pat Mills; a: Gerry Embleton.

18 Sgt. Streetwise UNTITLED [The Thames Gang], part two, w: Gerry Finley-Day; photographs by Dave Watts.

21 The Tower King UNTITLED [Lord Spencer's Arrival], part two, w: Alan Hebden; a: Jose Ortiz.

24 Free with Battle in-house advertisement for Battle and Strike Force sticker album; a: UNKNOWN (uncredited).

25 Eagle Interview Bob Champion (three fifths of page) interview by UNKNOWN (uncredited); photograph by UNKNOWN (uncredited). / Kids are Tough! Michael Goes on Parade (two fifths of page) text feature about Michael Webb by UNKNOWN (uncredited); photograph (uncredited).

26 The Money Page: Glamorous Teacher Miss Palmer, Magna Carta School, Staines; photograph (uncredited). / Big Mouth Belt Up, Jim! / School Uniform readers' mail. / Superdad! Nick and Matt Oakley photograph (uncredited). / Brothers & Sisters Get it Taped! / Super Sis readers' mail.

27 Thunderbolt and Smokey! UNTITLED [West Against North], part two, w: Tom Tully; photographs by John Powell.

31 Read Mike Read UNTITLED [The big mistake that I've always made with any sport I've participated in...] (half page) text feature by Mike Read; photographs (uncredited); illustration (uncredited). / Shopwatch It's Looking Good for Spring [Wrangler; Palitoy Pocketeers games] shopping feature (uncredited). / Next Week

 9 Personality Plus Clare Grogan pin-up and mini-bio (uncredited). / 10 'Happy Birthday' LP's Up for Grabs! competition.

Eagle says a special thank you to the following for their help this issue... The Magna Carta School, Staines. Epic Records.

There's still an educational element to Eagle's remit, with surprising success. One such fact is that penguins can catch colds, as the Antarctic is so cold it is germ free, thus penguins have no immunity to the sniffles. Non-fiction highlight of the issue, and I can't get the image of penguins sneezing out of my head - smiling each time I imagine them wiping their beaks on their wings, grumbling away. This is the Eagle of old shining through the new paint job. Barely visible, but still there.

At the offices of the Cranberry Argus, reporter Howard Harvey - the only witness to Doomlord's arrival on Earth - tried to convince his editor that his story was true.

If you are even minimally aware of series such as The Invaders you will know that attempting to convince superiors, or authorities, of alien activity is likely to end in failure. Worse, it might be seen as an eccentricity which points to instability, losing the character their safety nets of regular income and credibility. It is never a good sign when a character jumps straight to his "They're coming... They're coming..." act, rather than patiently investigating and collecting evidence.

Alan Grant is a great writer, but here panders to a degree of clichéd writing which doesn't feel real. In only two installments of the story, Harvey has lost all credibility as a reporter. Tailing the police officer, Harvey loses him at a train station, though sees a vaguely-familiar man get on the train - a closer look reveals that he is wearing the same distinctive alien ring. Arriving at King's Cross Station, he finally remembers the man's name, Sir Matthew Hodges, Cranbridge's member of Parliament.

While the photographic standards are, admittedly, better than average, there is still no discernible advantage to presenting Doomlord in such a manner. Artistic quibbles aside, it is to the strip's credit that the casual murder of bystanders isn't shied away from - with one such unfortunate shown to be disintegrated when the alien's disguise begins to falter.

The Adventures of Fred is a precursor to Mr. Bean, or Matt Lucas' Pompidou, perhaps. Utilising signs to tell its story, with the Inspector Clouseau-like character oblivious to their warnings, the single-page introduction is, however, merely adequate. Comedy is difficult, and when there is the added complication of creating scripts achievable through photography, it makes necessary exaggeration almost impossible. It is impossible to capture crazy antics in photo strips with the same anarchy present in drawn strips.

"Welcome. I see you have returned to sample another weird and bizarre tale from my museum of extraordinary exhibits.

The story behind this charm bracelet is unusual. A romance, perhaps? Alas, no, let me tell you about the person who used to wear this... Harvey Pell, the man who had no heart!

Rivalries in London's gangland sees numerous unlikely and odd "accidents" claim the lives of various people. Edward Rogan, a food connoisseur is poisoned at his own dinner table, the Gray brothers - driving enthusiasts - were involved in a fatal smash when their brakes failed, and Charley "Birdy" Burdett, fell from an office block while birdwatching. Accidents they are not, for they are the work of an assassin whose modus operandi has earned him the moniker "Heartless" Harvey Pell.

Pell's next hit is Tony Lombardo, a man who spends his free time on the shooting range. Deciding on an appropriate method with which to dispose of Lombardo, Pell breaks into the man's office and sets up a pistol to fire the next time someone speaks into the 'phone. Having seemingly set up the perfect murder, he is interrupted by an opportunistic thief who sees the office door open. Tied to the chair, in line with the pistol, Pell is forced to wait on Lombardo returning to his office to release him, hoping that nobody uses the 'phone...

A taut story, with a clever set-up, handled in a clunky manner through the photo strip format. The character of Pell would be revisited in Accident Man, proving that no good idea goes to waste, though here the conceit is badly squandered. With Lombardo's pistol so prominent in the photographs, it is likely he would move it back to its proper location before going anywhere near his 'phone.

The Unexplained!, a text feature which covers supernatural dogs, is suitably placed at the end of The Collector, though is far from an in-depth account of such beasts. Such a small feature was never going to be satisfying, or include the best (i.e. downright creepiest) stories, yet the complete absence of credible (and documented) reports make this a brief note that, yes, such things might exist. Maybe. Possibly. If you squint hard, and don't try to rationalise away such things. More gravity would have helped, but the main problem is with the length.

As the nature of the articles are not usually of interest, I normally give Daley's Diary a brief glance, note the contents, then move on. But this issue's contents has an intriguing comment regarding the fate of the Grand National.

I shall be very sorry, like all lovers of sport, if this year's Grand National is the last to be run. It's become part of the British way of life.

While various attempts, over the years, to have the race brought to an end due to animal welfare concerns, there has never really been a sense that such concerns might actually come to anything. What was different in the early eighties? I kinda want to know how close the race came to ending, but I'm not interested - or invested - enough to go looking. Context in the reporting of current events is appreciated, especially when texts are analysed at such a remove. Approaching the commentary now, without immediate access to material of the period covering the event in detail, makes for a frustrating and tantalising read.

The year was 2210, one mile above the Earth, in the parliament of the Terran Federation, delegates sit in emergency session. . . .

Dan Dare begins strong, with an armada of eight thousand ships approaching Earth. The president reveals that he is a robot, exploding with enough force to destroy the satellite upon which the parliament are aboard. Luna Base, HQ of the Terran Defence Fleet, launch a force to repel the invasion, though possibly not in time.

The Kármán line, sixty-two miles above Earth, is generally accepted as the point at which Earth's atmosphere gives way to outer space, which itself is far higher than the flying ship is portrayed as being. It is a curious statement to make - one hundred miles places the parliament in space, though far, far too low to be in a stable orbit. Comic-book science, however, cocks a snook at such details.

At only two pages it is difficult to imagine how this is going to play out without an increase in space for the strip, though the art more than makes up for such brevity. While robots masquerading as humans is an overplayed device, the final panel is a surprising reversal of conventional depictions of the security of Earth space.

An extremely stiffly posed shot in the first panel of Sgt. Streetwise is enough to turn me off reading the strip immediately, and I honestly don't care what happens. Already, two issues in, the photo strips have outstayed their welcome.

Lord Spencer's men arrive via train, and is told he will be ruler of the Tower of London within the hour. Mick Tempest, the Tower King, has other ideas, and charges into the battle, though must retreat due to overwhelming forces. At Tower Bridge a small group of Tempest's men prepare to hold off the invaders until the bridge can be raised.

Beautiful, engaging, and utterly compelling, The Tower King continues to impress.

The Money Page, for which read "readers' mail" (with additional quirks), poses two problems, the first of which is the more troublesome - Glamorous Teacher, which praises attractive teachers, and showers gifts upon them, is annoying. Summing up a person's career with a statement of how good they look? Not cool. It would have been more appropriate to reward teachers who provided real, solid life-changing classes. The kind of teachers who are remembered long after their pupils have left school. They may not be the most photogenic, but their value to society is incalculable.

The second issue with the letters page is the poor formatting, wasting much of the page. When readers have spent time writing to a publication their comments should be presented in a respectful manner, and with enough variation in content that the page isn't fragmented snippets. As a new title the number of suitable letters might have been low, though this is where thoughtful, and erudite, responses come into play. By padding the page with an ugly border, then boxing off each section, there's so little presented that the title might as well have not bothered including it.

01

Eagle [Vol.21]

#03

Robert Louis Stevenson's Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde - the Graphic Novel

2008. Cover price £6.99.
52 pages. Full colour contents.
Waverley Books Ltd.

Painted cover by Cam Kennedy.

ISBN-13: 978-1-902407-44-9

Contents:

 2 UNTITLED illustration by Cam Kennedy.

 3 Robert Louis Stevenson's Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde w: Alan Grant, based on the novel by Robert Louis Stevenson; a: Cam Kennedy, lettering & colouring by Jamie Grant.

43 UNTITLED illustration by Cam Kennedy.

44 Robert Louis Stevenson (1850 - 1894) biography by UNKNOWN (uncredited).

illustration r: from Illustrated London News.

46 Alan Grant biography by UNKNOWN (uncredited); photograph by Ian MacNicol.

48 Cam Kennedy biography by UNKNOWN (uncredited); photograph by Ian MacNicol.

50 Indicia; illustration by Cam Kennedy

A respectable London lawyer, John Utterson, is compelled to uncover the strange connection between his old friend, the brilliant scientist Dr Henry Jekyll, and a brooding and dangerous stranger called Edward Hyde. All who lay eyes on Hyde experience a strange and chilling feeling of fear and foreboding, and his reputation is that of a vile and violent individual. To Utterson's dismay he finds Jekyll and Hyde have a mysterious contract between them, the details of which neither will reveal. As Utterson investigates further he uncovers a truly horrifying story of deception.

The second, stunning graphic novel of an RL Stevenson classic from the creative 'dream team' of Cam Kennedy and Alan Grant, Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, follows their acclaimed graphic novel adaptation of Kidnapped, which was commissioned by Edinburgh UNESCO City of Literature Trust.

While I've never taken to Kidnapped, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde ranks as one of my favourite novels of all time - so enamoured of the story, I'll happily sit through any of the second-, third- and even fourth-rate knock-offs which turn up from time to time on DVD.

Alan Grant's script suffers from a truncated page-count, and its rush to convey the important narrative elements means that quiet, creepy moments when something is about to occur are set aside in favour of showing scenes of horror. Which, sadly, dilutes the terror, especially when Hyde is presented so grotesquely. There's a thin line between a displeasing countenance, as so often attributed to Hyde, and full-on monstrous inhumanity, which is what we are presented with.

A pivotal scene, and one which has never been presented with an appropriately gruesomeness, is the murder of Sir Danvers Carew. Here reduced to a single page, it is an act which ought to be echoed throughout the rest of the story, but is remarkably restrained here. We cannot truly fear the monster that is Hyde without being witness to his most heinous act. With the scene's power diminished, so too is Hyde.

Despite the problems of compressing so complex a story into so few pages, the artwork throughout is exceptional - though some of the colouring is a little too on-the-nose for such a tale. A more muted palette would have enhanced the mood rather than the often over-bright images.

The full-page biographies of Stevenson, Grant, and Kennedy are welcome additions to this title, and, despite an overall lower number of pages, makes this feel a more complete package. It may not be perfect, but this is a far superior adaptation than the Classics Illustrated version.

Robert Louis Stevenson's Kidnapped - the Graphic Novel

Waverley Graphic Novels

Eagle [Vol.21] #1

27 Mar 1982. Cover price 20p.
32 pages. Colour & B&W contents.
IPC Magazines Ltd.

Edited by David Hunt.

Cover by Gerry Embleton.

Free Space Spinner.

Contents:

 2 Eagle Hotline Eagle is Back! text introduction by David Hunt. / A Welcome from the Stars comments from John Craven, Peter Davison, Roy Castle, Ian Botham, Lenny Henry, and John Bond; photographs (uncredited). / How Times Change the new artists - the men who capture the action on film for our exciting photo-stories! Introduction to John Powell, Dave Watts, and Gary Compton. / Wanted! reader feedback requested. / Ernie UNTITLED [Eagle's Official Eagle Mascot] w:/a: Dave Follows.

 3 Doomlord An Alien Stalks the Earth, part one, w: Alan Grant; photography by Gary Compton.

 7 Kids are Tough! Darren Defies Thugs! text feature about Darren Daly by UNKNOWN (uncredited); photograph (uncredited). / Big Mouth readers' mail. / Eagle Interview Peter Davison by UNKNOWN (uncredited); photographs (uncredited), illustration by Dave Follows.

 8 The Whole Town's Popping! advertisement for Waddingtons Pop-Aways.

 9 Personality Plus Bryan Robson pin-up and mini-bio (uncredited). / Fifty Freebie Man. United Books Up for Grabs! competition.

10 Thunderbolt and Smokey! UNTITLED [Two players don't make a football team], part one, w: Tom Tully; photographs by John Powell.

14 Sgt. Streetwise The Police Had Need of Men Like Him... Men Who Stayed Streetwise!, part one, w: Gerry Finley-Day; photographs by Dave Watts.

16 Dan Dare Return of the Mekon, part one, w: Barrie Tomlinson; a: Gerry Embleton.

18 Sgt. Streetwise The Police Had Need of Men Like Him... Men Who Stayed Streetwise! cont.

19 Eagle Fun Spot School Report - Jim Davidson; photograph (uncredited), illustration by Dave Follows.

20 The Tower King UNTITLED [A Gutted City, Haunted by Crazies], part one, w: Alan Hebden; a: Jose Ortiz.

24 Squadron Leaders advertisement for Humbrol 1/48 and 1/72 scale models.

25 Eagle Data File F-15 Eagle fact file; illustration (uncredited).

26 Daley's Diary Strange Names! / Arnold's Dilemma / Great Mates / 'Picca-Dilley'! / A marathon a day... text features by Daley Thompson.

27 The Collector Eye of the Fish w: Roy Preston; a: Pat Wright & Ron Smith, photography by Gary Compton.

31 Read Mike Read UNTITLED [I'm the strange character who struggles in to London at the crack of dawn] (half page) text feature by Mike Read; photographs (uncredited). / Shopwatch UNTITLED [Kensington board game; The Puffin Adventure Sports Series] shopping feature (uncredited); illustration by Dave Follows.

32 Dan Dare Return of the Mekon, cont.

A messy cover, with Embleton's art covered by redundant lines of text, half of the space given over to promoting a free gift... which would have covered the announcement that there was a free gift. Sheer genius. The messy appearance is continued inside, with Eagle Hotline, a catch-all editorial page appearing to have taken some design hints from early eighties magazines. It is nice to see Eagle's past remembered, with Dan Dare and Digby, Harris Tweed, and Jeff Arnold represented, though this, for the moment, is all the Eagle relaunch has to say about its illustrious original incarnation.

How do you compete with one of the most celebrated and beloved titles to bear the Eagle name? By changing everything which made the original so compelling, and to promote photo strips over traditional comic strips.

Midnight. A fireball streaked down over the sleeping town of Cranbridge -

The only witnesses were P.C. Bob Murton and Howard Harvey, a reporter from the Cranbridge Argus -

Officer Murton is immediately killed by Doomlord, having his knowledge absorbed, and is soon disintegrated with a beam from the alien's ring. Howard Harvey is rendered unconscious, before Doomlord takes the physical appearance of Murton. When Harvey awakens, he travels to the police station to report Murton's death, but is brought face-to-face with Murton, very much alive, and wearing the alien's ring.

Doomlord, the first of this issue's photo strips, attempts to present a dramatic SF tale with all the limitations of its photography undermining any credibility. Doomlord's introduction, it must be admitted, is fairly impressive given that he appears to be wearing a discarded duvet, with a mask which is far more convincing that that used in photos of Tharg. It isn't a perfect introduction to Doomlord, but it isn't anywhere near as bad as some complaints about the revived series would have you believe.

The world really wasn't calling for a mix of Invasion of the Bodysnatchers and The Day the Earth Stood Still, but Alan Grant provides enough interest to keep things moving along without getting caught up in extraneous detail.

A mandatory sports strip for Eagle, Thunderbolt and Smokey!, is a run-of-the-mill school-based photo strip.

The educational record of Dedfield School was second-to-none! But when it came to getting results on the sports field, it was a very different story...

Losing seven-nil, Dedfield - nicknamed 'Dead-Loss' - are a football team without support from their teachers, though Colin Dexter (Thunderbolt) is determined to turn the team's fortunes around. When he learns that Smokey Beckles, recently transfered to the school, isn't going to play for a losing team, his hopes seem dashed.

That the only black character is named Smokey should tell you all you need to know.

On a more positive note, the strip presents a problem, shows a partial solution, and throws a few wrenches in the works. From a purely storytelling standpoint, this is a fairly strong opening, though presented in dreary grey, page after page of photographs, this can't quite overcome its appearance. If this had been a traditional comic strip its plot might have been enough to make a success of the concept, yet there is nothing here worth getting excited about.

Sgt. Streetwise is slightly better, being the adventures of Detective-Sergeant Wise of Special Undercover Operations. Wise operates on his own, without a radio, cuffs, or weapon, even going so far as to forgo identity papers, and after his homeless disguise is blown has to take on a new identity to continue his work.

Snow-covered streets add slightly to the feel of the strip, though this is a pale imitation of detective television shows, and requires a great deal of suspended disbelief at the frankly ludicrous set-up. As with all the photo strips, the reproduction isn't sharp enough to justify such an elaborate means of creation, and there's no real sense of drama despite a well-staged opening.

Splitting the strip, so that Dan Dare could take the colour centre-pages is annoying, and completely unnecessary, displaying a lack of

The return of Dan Dare comes in Return of the Mekon.

It appeared to be the final confrontation between two beings whose adventures had thrilled a generation. Colonel Dan Dare, valiantly fighting to save Earth from the sworn for of mankind... the cold, merciless mastermind of Venus - the Mekon!

The Mekon surrenders after an intense battle, vowing that one day he will get his revenge on Dare. The World Supreme Court, highest judicial body on Earth, passes judgement, sentencing the Mekon to be placed in a life support capsule, enclosed in a meteor, then set adrift in space. Forever. Because a slap on the wrist and a fine isn't going to deter such a heinous villain as the Mekon. Preparations are duly made, and a meteor, with the Mekon imprisoned inside, is sent off into space.

In such a prison, time became meaningless. Was it a month, a year, or a century before other beings approached the meteor?

Aliens pick up the meteor hoping that valuable ore will be discovered within it, and cut it open - despite getting a life-reading from within.

The inhabitants of the planet Korzak were a meek race... and the sight of the green-skinned being terrified them!

Informed that Treens have lived in peace for many years, leaderless and abandoned, becoming farmers and traders, the Mekon is outraged. Deciding to exact his revenge on Dare, he orders his rescuers to take him to the location of his enemy, beaming down to the planet to continue his battle - only to discover that Dan Dare died hundreds of years before. A gravestone states that he died before his battles with the Treen Empire, puzzling the Mekon, and though he cannot defeat a dead man, he can take his revenge on the planet Earth.

Another strip split to take advantage of colour pages, this time continuing on the back page, Dan Dare is a decidedly odd return. Focusing on the Mekon rather than the titular hero, the story goes so far as to kill off Dare on the final panel. This can be taken as a statement of intent for the revived title - don't expect things to remain as they were. It is only partially successful in bringing back Dan Dare's world, feeling slightly too rushed to properly establish a timeline of events.

The solar power satellite was the most important result of the American space programme of the 1980's. A vast array of solar panels had been placed in stationary orbit above the equator...

Solar energy from the sun was converted into microwaves and beamed down to a huge receiving station on the ground, where the microwaves were reconverted into electric power and fed into a grid.

It should have been the start of a new era.

Instead, it was the beginning of a disaster!

The microwaves had disrupted the balance of the Earth's atmosphere, making the generation of electricity in any form impossible. Without it, aircraft fell out of the sky... Ships drifted helplessly... Road traffic ground to a halt...

...and nuclear power stations melted down!

Without electricity there was no radio or TV... No telephones or newspapers... No form of transport... Nor was there heat or light.

In the days that followed, panic swept the world as nobody knew what was happening.

Without electricity food production and distribution broke down, forcing starving mobs out to the countryside in a desperate bid to find some.

Finally, after panic and starvation, came disease and death on a scale unknown since the black death.

Small bands of survivors formed tightly-knit groups to defend themselves and continue life in the ruins of civilisation. In London, within the walls of the Tower of London, such a group was led by a man named Mick Tempest.

There's a lot to like in The Tower King, and much back-story to deliver, which it does as rapidly as possible. The extended sequence of reported information, which builds up to the appearance of the titular character, may take up two whole pages, but as it is essential to everything which follows it is a justifiable journey. The city of London, seen only partially in the vignettes, may not be the most original choice of location to place the series in, though the concepts are interesting enough to overcome this lack of imagination.

Its primary selling point, a modern world deprived of power, had already been visited in the television series The Changes, based on Peter Dickinson's books, though in a slightly different form.

The strip's introductory text is slightly over-playing the reality of such a situation - heat can be provided from fires, and printing presses of old did fine without electricity. Regardless, one has to hand it to Hebden - the text boxes prefacing the story is very dramatic and attention-grabbing manner in which to begin the story. The close of the story proves that there are forms of transport in the new landscape of London, though given that the strip had already shown us horses...

Eye of the Fish, a complete story, is introduced by The Collector.

"Welcome. I am known as The Collector! Some of my exhibits may seem a little out of the ordinary to you. But then so, too, are the reasons why I keep them!"

Terry Lansberry and his father go fishing near a sign which prohibits such activity, but their illicit sport is soon brought to a halt by darkening skies. Terry disappears in a flash of light, swiftly followed by his father, thereafter learning an important lesson...

Yes, it is a slight, and incredibly silly, variant on a well-worn theme, but it doesn't really need to be brilliant. A complete story, however well crafted, is essential to giving readers of an anthology value for money - you never know if they are going to purchase the next issue, so as long as they get one full story then their purchase has been validated.

With a superb beginning from The Tower King, an intriguing question (or two) lingering in Dan Dare, and Doomlord's inherent possibilities, this is a solid, if unexceptional, beginning. Or, if you prefer, it is a rather subdued revival with much potential.

Eagle [Vol.21]

#02

Strip #2

...The Comic Grows Up!

03 Mar 1990. Cover price 95p.
40 pages. Colour contents.
Marvel Comics, Ltd.

Edited by Dan Abnett.

Cover by Don Lawrence.

Free pull-out Marshal Law poster.
r: Cover from Strip #01

Contents:

 2 Marvel Graphic Novels in-house advertisement.

 3 Contents illustration by Don Lawrence. / Indicia

 4 Marshal Law Stars and Strippers part two, w: Pat Mills; a: Kevin O'Neill, lettering by Phil Felix.

18 The Chronicles of Genghis Grimtoad part two, w: Alan Grant & John Wagner; a: Ian Gibson, lettering by Bambos Georgiou.

20 Storm The Pirates of Pandarve title page; illustration by Don Lawrence. / Credits

21 Storm The Pirates of Pandarve w: Martin Lodewuk; a: Don Lawrence, lettering by Helen Stone.

29 Davros Says Don't Buy It. (half page) in-house advertisement for Doctor Who Magazine. / Subscribe! (half page)

30 Before Excalibur There Was... Captain Britain in-house advertisement for Captain Britain trade paperback.

31 The Man from Cancer, part two, w: Glenn Dakin; a: Phil Elliott, lettering by Phil Elliott, colouring by Euan Peters.

39 Next Issue illustrations by Gary Erskine & Kevin O'Neill.

40 Get Doctor Who Magazine Now in-house advertisement.

A hefty second issue, thanks to the large poster bound in its centre pages, and with a fabulous Don Lawrence cover, there is much to be excited about in this issue. While there isn't an introduction, this issue's contents page displays how to present the material properly - where other titles often merely list the strips with a page number, there is enough information about what is happening in the strips to inform readers of what to expect. It is only by going back and forth through the series looking for specific stories that this becomes noticeable, and it is a detail which is appreciated.

At the bottom of the page is a rather nice note regarding the fold-out poster contained in the middle of the issue. As if the poster could possibly be missed... Gloriously large, it is the perfect free gift with which to showcase the character, relishing in Marshal Law's madness.

In Marshal Law it is possible to see Pat Mills' thoughts about the medium's most persistent hybrid-genre given life. Augmented by Kevin O'Neill's art, which continues to resist any pigeon-holing. Battling a group of former superheroes, Marshal Law in overpowered, his weapon taken from him in the fight, and his hunt for the killer known as Sleepman seems no closer than before. There are more details filling in the history of the war, with some telling details sprinkled through extensive text boxes. While I'm not particularly fond of this method of storytelling, it is an effective use of space.

From the Panama Canal Zone to the Amazon Jungle, it was known simply as "The Zone."

The war, as described, certainly sounds as it it sprawled over an impressive area, and given the abilities of those involved must have been more brutal than any conflict up to that point. While immense battles featuring numerous superheroes had, by the early nineties, already developed something of a reputation, this is unlike many depictions from the other side of the Atlantic.

Far more chilling, and a counterpoint to generally-bloodless superhero romps from the Big Two, is an account of an earthquake:

The official explanation for The Big One - the megaquake that took out San Francisco - was the Jupiter effect - the tidal pull of the planets on the San Andreas fault.

60,000 buildings were destroyed and 8 square miles of the city. The quake measured 9 on the Richter Scale, hitting the city with a force 300,000 times that of the Hiroshima bomb.

The tidal wave that followed hurled ships inland, leaving the U.S. aircraft carrier John Paul Jones straddling the freeways, then came the fire... and the death cloud from Diablo Canyon nuclear plant...

You couldn't measure the human misery...

The Chronicles of Ghengis Grimtoad continues to pose storytelling problems by introducing yet more characters, while refusing to propel the narrative forward more than absolutely necessary.

And the door of the great hall did open and the ladies of the court did avert their eyes. For therein towered the awesome figure of Quanah-

He, of the painted tribes of Torbeck - savages, untamed men who lived and died by the blade!

And who, unfortunately, appears to be made of pink bubblegum.

While the character designs are impressive (Ian Gibson is on top form here), at two pages of story every two weeks, this isn't going anywhere fast. There's a difference between developing back-story and showing one's work, and this feels (rightly or wrongly) as if it is a discarded Dungeons & Dragons proposal, dusted off and changed just enough so that nobody is going to raise an objection. I want to like this, as there are minor glimmers of what could be a rattlingly good story, but it is so slight in this form as to discourage interest.

The universe is infinitely more vast than the human mind can ever comprehend. Merely writing the light-years that separate Earth from the planet Pandarve would take a lifetime... But no matter how vast the distance may be, it is not unbridgeable...

...and it is Marduk, the theocrat of Pandarve, who intends to span the distance between his planet and Earth...

Affixing the Egg of Pandarve in place, a beam is shot across the galaxy to the planet Earth, millions of years in the future.

The tissue of space and time is disturbed by the sudden glare from Pandarve's Egg as it finds its way through bare and lifeless solar systems...

It passes dark planets. Spreading fear and awe among the followers of mysterious religions. Priests predict death and calamity, witnessing the dreadful omen in the sky...

Until the fateful moment when the beam from Pandarve reaches its goal... The anomaly!

Hmm. A mysterious, powerful red orb capable of miraculous events? Did J.J. Abrams read this story at some point? The depictions of the beam hitting Storm, and Ember's attempt to rescue him, are wonderful, as is the pair's arrival at Pandarve. Or, I should state, above the planet. Realising that their situation is relatively safe for a while, the possibility of burning up with friction as they descend occurs to Storm. Encountering a flying whale, Storm and Ember are separated.

It is impossible to pay too many compliments to Storm.

Mr. Crust Acean is placed in a coffin, and Mr. C. Urchin investigates his death - despite him being very much alive, and trapped inside the casket. It's the kind of story which you either instantly fall in love with, or which remains tantalisingly out of reach. I doubt I'm ever going to understand the intricacies, or have a strong interest in the series.

Liking two out of four strips in an anthology is, surely, not enough reason to consider the title a success, though others might disagree as to the value of The Chronicles of Genghis Grimtoad and The Man from Cancer.

#01

Strip

#03

Robert Louis Stevenson's Kidnapped - the Graphic Novel

2007. Cover price £8.99.
68 pages. Full colour contents.
Waverley Books Ltd.

Painted cover by Cam Kennedy.

ISBN-13: 978-1-902407-38-8

Contents:

 2 Indicia

 3 Title Page illustrated by Cam Kennedy.

 4 Kidnapped w: Alan Grant, based on the novel by Robert Louis Stevenson; a: Cam Kennedy, lettering by Jamie Grant.

67 Robert Louis Stevenson biography by UNKNOWN (uncredited); a: UNKNOWN (uncredited).

illustration r: from Illustrated London News.

It is 1751, Scotland has suffered a time of uncertainty and rebellion, and young David Balfour is alone and penniless in the world.

He doesn't realise a letter from his dead father is about to launch him on the most frightening, exciting and incredible adventure of his life.

As he sets out to find an uncle he didn't know existed, David has no idea that he will narrowly escape being murdered - that a fortune is rightfully his - that he will be kidnapped and thrown from one escapade to another in the company of the dynamic master-swordsman and fugitive Alan Breck. Together they must make a dramatic and extraordinary journey across Scotland so that David can claim his rightful inheritance.

An epic story of adventure, friendship, murder and revenge!

Edinburgh's UNESCO City of Literature Trust chose Kidnapped as their 'One Book - One Edinburgh' reading project. The background to the title's existence is only briefly explained on the back, and while it is understandable that the work itself be the main focus, a brief two-page outline of what, precisely, the Trust entailed would have been greatly appreciated. An impressive number of groups had a hand in this, as evident by the numerous logos sharing back-cover space: Scottish Arts Council, the City of Edinburgh Council, Third Eye Design, and the University of Edinburgh.

What input, if any, these groups had into fashioning the title is undocumented within the book itself. Small oversights, perhaps, but the creation of a title is often as interesting as the end result, and especially when a classic work is being refashioned for a modern audience.

On a certain morning in the month of June 1751, I took the key for the last time out of the door of my father's house...

and set out to find my fortune in the wide world.

A bold image of a striding David Balfour opens the story, and Kennedy's attention to detail in both setting and clothes is something of a relief. A few pages later, and Ebeneezer Balfour's home is the first of several outstanding images, capturing the crumbling, formerly impressive structure. The depiction of Ebeneezer himself, however, has something of the fantastic about him - as if a trace of some other work was straining to break through. His pointed ears and long face has a slight Vulcan tinge, though this is anything but a logical character.

A dark, in tone and visualisation, sequence, in which David is sent to his death up a crumbling staircase, is slightly too green to convince as being naturally lit, though the art, on the whole, is very impressive.

While I freely admit to not caring much for the original novel, this is a very condensed version of the story - events rush past, scenes tumbling over one another, though always with an eye to clarity. It is remarkable that Alan Grant's script is able to convey so much in the page-count available, and there are no glaring omissions which affect the storytelling. This is a very accomplished telling of the story, and part of its appeal lies with the plot points which Grant and Kennedy bring to light.

By being so ruthless with the story, eliminating anything which would be considered padding, this shines. I'm still largely ambivalent regarding the original story, but it is possible, in this retelling, to see where how longevity of Stevenson's tale has come about.

Waverley Graphic Novels

Robert Louis Stevenson's Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde - the Graphic Novel

Toxic! #1

28 Mar 1991. Cover price 99p.
36 pages. Full colour contents.
Apocalypse Ltd.

The Comic Throws Up!

Edited by

Cover by Kevin O'Neill.

Contents:

 2 Welcome to Our Dump! editorial by (uncredited); illustrations by Kevin O'Neill. / Indicia

 3 Marshal Law The Hateful Dead!, part one, Rise of the Zombies w: Pat Mills; a: Kevin O'Neill, lettering by Steve Potter.

12 Aliens - The Comic Magazine advertisement.

13 Accident Man UNTITLED [Money for a Bimota] w: Pat Mills & Tony Skinner; a: Martin Edmond.

21 Mutomaniac Space Cannibals w: Pat Mills; a: Mike McMahon.

27 Coming Soon... Sex Warrior preview; a: Will Simpson.

28 Once Upon a Time in the West w: Alan Grant; a: Simon Bisley.

35 Burning Rubber in Hell! The Driver pin-up; a: David Leach.

36 Do Your Friends Have Mad Comic Disease? pin-up; a: Kevin O'Neill.

Punning on Strip's boast with its line "The Comic Throws Up!" may be immature, but little regarding this title which could be considered mature. To compound matters, in opening the first issue with Strip's lead character, Marshal Law, there is a sense of Toxic! engaging in one-upmanship, while providing a counter-point to the much more staid and respectable title. Make no mistake though, this is a minor masterpiece of comic-book creation, ticking every box as it unfolds.

Kevin O'Neill's cover is a fantastic, powerfully dramatic image of Law, carrying the type of immense weapons which would dominate 90s superhero titles, and several imaginatively-designed 'capes' - one of which is modelled after a dinosaur. Mirrored in the line of dialogue is an echo of the exclamation mark from Toxic!'s logo, which adds to the title's interconnected imagery, and even the barcode is slanted at an angle. Details, seemingly insignificant, build into style.

There's no respite in the opening introduction, which is signed 'Doc. Tox' - an unseen Tharg-like figure who is ostensibly in charge of the title. Personally connecting to readers, in however manufactured a manner is essential in presenting possibly-difficult material - and as this title is a determined assault on the senses, every bit of assistance is required. A wonderful sense of anarchy is created through O'Neill's imagery, and the issue's preface adds in one further minor example of brilliance:

No cash prizes for the best bile!

Readers, pop in the bile box and trash any one or anything you hate.

Providing an outlet for readers to vent their frustrations is a masterstroke, guaranteeing that those who send in suggestions will hang around to see if their choice is published. While I have reservations about the use of the word 'hate' in such a prominent position, it is a notion which has previously provided a deal of entertainment in other forms.

It's the war of the future.

With Shocc Troopers - genetically altered warriors - fighting battles of such savagery as to resemble a Halloween night in Hell.

It's otherwise known as The Zone".

Now the conflict's over... And men with superpowers designed for war...

Have to find a peacetime use for their talents.

Peacetime uses are less noble than fighting in apocalyptic wars, with locales such as the "Foul Play" club having sprung up, where heroes fight each other for the entertainment of wild crowds. Other heroes have taken to working in stress relief parlours, where regular citizens pay for the pleasure of beating them up. It is in one of these establishments, the Cobweb Palace, that Marshal Law discovers the badly-mangled corpse of a man who had paid for the pleasure of beating on Razorhead, though after uncovering a Kalinga big game knife the case appears to be justifiable homicide.

While the story pauses on the revelation that Law was once just such a hero, leaving the murder unsolved, there is a solid introduction to the world, brimming with ridiculously attired characters possessing absurd powers. Far more interesting than the abilities of the characters is their status in a place which has changed drastically around them, leaving them behind as society has moved on.

He should be home soon.

A man shouldn't be late for his own death.

10 millimetre climbing rope. 1,100 lb breaking strain.

I'm the best. I only use the best.

When I'm going to hit someone, I always make it look like an "accident"...

...or a suicide.

Accident Man is a contract killer with a knack for disguising his hits, though the murder seen in the opening installment appears to be rather less than perfect. We get a fight sequence with random people, then are introduced to other hit-men, in a story which isn't quite as polished as the rest of the issue's contents, though has potential. Introducing so many characters in the first part of a story, and in rapid succession, makes it difficult to care about them, and the main character is quite unlikeable - even the slightly amusing incidental jokes don't play as well as those in Marshal Law.

Prisoner Edward Ross has been diagnosed as suffering from mutomania, a condition which makes him prone to an irresistible urge to disobey. Attempts have, of course, been attempted to cure him of this by Edutechs, though his condition is terminal - expelled from the penotech, he is to be expelled into space. The door, alas, doesn't work. Ordered to shoot Ross by the governor, a guard finds that his gun has jammed. Escaping, Ross is warned that he won't get far...

McMahon's art is, in its own way, gorgeous, and the story is packed with interesting concepts which cry out or development - of the material in the first issue, this is the strip which - at first blush - appears to hold the most promise. A penal colony in space, a man blessed with luck, and on the run. This is high concept storytelling with its tongue firmly in cheek, and delightfully mad.

Once Upon a Time in the West is notable for some wonderful Bisley art, though the case of mistaken identity here has, I'm afraid, been rather overdone. While not a top-tier story, it doesn't take up too much room in the telling.

With only two immediately engaging strips, this is a title which doesn't provide a wholly positive first impression, but a strong visual identity for the title, and the promise of forthcoming strips, gives hope that things will improve in future issues.

Toxic! (Apocalypse Ltd.)

#02

Strip #1

...The Comic Grows Up!

17 Feb 1990. Cover price 95p.
40 pages. Colour contents.
Marvel Comics, Ltd.

Edited by Dan Abnett.

Cover by Kevin O'Neill.

Free cover-mounted badge.

Contents:

.2 Get Doctor Who Magazine Now in-house advertisement.
.3 Contents / Indicia

.4 Marshal Law Stars And Strippers part one, w: Pat Mills; a: Kevin O'Neill, lettering by Phil Felix.

18 The Man from Cancer part one, w: Glenn Dakin; a: Phil Elliott, lettering by Phil Elliott, colouring by Steve White.

26 The Chronicles of Genghis Grimtoad part one, w: Alan Grant & John Wagner; a: Ian Gibson, lettering by Bambos Georgiou.

28 Incognito w: Paul Buck; a: Art Wetherell, lettering by Stuart Bartlett, colouring by Euan Peters.

36 Upholding The Law text feature by Kevin O'Neill; illustrations.
39 Next Issue
40 Marvel Graphic Novels in-house advertisement.

The proclamation may be "the comic grow up", but this still has a cover gift, shies away from more mature elements, and has (however tenuous) roots in superheroes with the presence of Marshal Law. If anything, this can be seen as a tame precursor to CLiNT, but there's still enough skewed weirdness to keep things interesting for those of us perpetually bored by the antics of costumed characters punching each other in the face - although there is that as well, and superbly done.

Without its claim beneath the title this would be an excellent first issue, but with that hanging over everything, a reminder of what could have been, this is merely a good title. Can merely defining itself as a mature title be so damaging? You might disagree, but such claims ought to be backed up with strenuous efforts to advance the form. The badge, surprisingly, doesn't refer to the comic at all, with the slogan "Bare Faced Chic" instead, as if advertising a women's fashion magazine. It isn't a bad statement, in and of itself, but not one which brings to mind comics.

What would be the perfect badge to sell a mature line? I'm not sure. It would have to be both amusing, as well as speaking to a sensibility that is interested in matters beyond spandex. Being so vague with (what is essentially) free advertising is a misstep - how are people to equate the random slogan with the title?

How good a first issue is this? The trade dress, stylish though understated distressing, is a very eighties look, and slightly disappointing. More critical is a lack of introduction, laying out the intended purpose of the title. Very large contents type makes this appear to be aimed at younger readers, and utilising the space better could have allowed for some communication from Abnett. A discourse with readers is one of the fundamental strengths of comics, and by ignoring this tool the title distances itself needlessly.

After the Big One destroyed San Francisco... After the war in the Zone ended in stalemate... After the superheroes came home...

A strippergram, dressed as the heroine Celeste, walks home through dark Downtown streets, fearing for her safety as a masked man follows her. Asking a stranger the location of the nearest police station, he answers that it is a secret, and when requested for the number is told that it is unlisted. As he leaves her, she runs in an attempt to lose her stalker. The masked man eventually corners her, dragging her to a rooftop where he drops her off the side, saying that "all super heroes should fly."

Marshal Law uses visual references to The Shadow, Bulletman, along with other classic characters, superbly, establishing the setting well. Employing a muted palette to emphasise the art, rather than drown it, further deepens the mood. A beautiful grotesquerie masquerading as a superhero story, with decay and squalor sitting beside gaudy Vegas-style illuminations to heighten the oddity of the city - somewhere between Furst's Gotham, Mega City One, and a Jean-Pierre Jeunet cityscape.

We don't get nearly enough of the background details to fully comprehend how everyday things manage to operate in such a place, but it is assumed that there are still-functioning utilities, and that people aren't slowly being driven crazy merely by proximity to such a place.

Reading like a pitch for an adult cartoon series The Man from Cancer isn't as clear in presentation as a first installment of a series really ought to be, with numerous imaginary elements (in the same style as the rest of the strip) crowding the events, this isn't as clear as a first installment of a continuing story ought to be.

Ian Gibson's artwork on The Chronicles of Genghis Grimtoad is simply amazing, though great art alone is no incentive to keep reading.

On the world known as Shadow-Earth, it came to pass that in the seventeenth year of the reign of Ranald the Protector, the savage hordes of Kang did storm the walls of Haven, and the blood of the brave ran red on the ramparts...

And the hideous image of Toadthrax the sorcerer did darken the skies, and his demons poured forth their fury upon the defenders...

In Inner-Haven, Karbunkle Grimtoad, sorcerer to King Ranald, cast the portents...

It reads like an awkward and unconvincing mix of every cheap fantasy paperback from the seventies smooshed together in a sticky pulp. Firstly, they called their world Shadow-Earth? My problem here (which I also have with DC Comics' Earth 2) is that is it difficult to imagine a civilisation referring to itself as being the alternative to the "real" Earth, in however diminished a capacity. A completely original name would have worked far better, as would a non-punny name for Karbunkle Grimtoad's given name. Would you call your child Carbuncle? Honestly?

At only two pages, of which a great deal is presented with text boxes, so little happens that it is difficult to get a sense of this setting as a real location, with attendant problems, unique culture, and character personalities shining through. Far too much is made of matters which aren't directly related to the title character. It is a strip which takes time to get into, which is a terrible handicap when given such a brief appearance.

The complete story, Incognito, follows Gloria Grant, a famous film actress, as she encounters a man and seemingly builds a brief friendship thanks to him not recognising her. It is a strip which draws on old crime comics, such as published by EC, with a satisfying twist in the tail. Although finely drawn, and with a definite style to the telling, there isn't quite enough to justify eight pages.

The most entertaining element is the three-page text piece by Kevin O'Neill, where he points out that Pat Mills hates superheroes. Hmm. There's a reason I like Mills' comics. Replete with numerous sketches, showing the development of Marshal Law, this is a piece which brings a little of the personal touch I appreciate so much.

It isn't the best start, but a much better opening salvo than most new titles.

Strip

#02

Scream! #1

24 Mar 1984; Cover price 22p.
32 pages. Colour & B&W.
IPC Magazines Ltd.

Edited by Ian Rimmer.

Cover by UNKNOWN.

Free Dracula fangs.

Contents:

.2 From the Depths... text introduction (uncredited).

.3 The Dracula File UNTITLED, part one, w: Gerry Finley Day; a: Eric Bradbury, lettering by John Aldrich.

.8 Monster What was the Terrifying Secret of the Locked Room?, part one, w: Alan Moore; a: Heinzl, lettering by Paul Bensberg.

12 The Thirteenth Floor The Thirteenth Floor Didn't Exist... Yet it was There..., part one, w: Ian Holland (Alan Grant & John Wagner); a: Jose Ortiz, lettering by Mike Peters.

16 Tales from the Grave "The Undertaker", part one, w: Tom Tully; a: Jim Watson, lettering by Tim Skomski.

19 A Ghastly Tale! w: UNKNOWN; a: UNKNOWN.

20 Fiends and Neighbours UNTITLED w: UNKNOWN; a: Graham Allen (uncredited).

r: Cor!! (IPC Magazines Ltd.) #[182] (24 Nov 1973).

22 Library of Death At Death's Door... w: Barrie Tomlinson; a: Cam Kennedy, lettering by Mike Peters.

27 The Terror of the Cats "No Harm...", part one, w: John Agee; a: Gonzalez, lettering by Peter Knight.

31 Dare You Read Scream! Next Week? (one third page) next issue information. / Advertisements (two thirds page)

32 Presented With Scream! illustration by UNKNOWN.

I vividly remember running around with Dracula fangs in my mouth when I first read Scream!, and the strange taste which they left in my mouth for a while after. Memories of this title appearing on the shelves of newsagents is still fresh in my mind all these years later, and coming to it after so long is... Well, it is weird. Separating the quality of contents from the memory of stories is an interesting experience, though mostly it holds up under scrutiny.

Although bringing the Count into a modern era had been done several times before (most memorably in Dracula A.D. 1972), The Dracula File manages to retain visual aesthetics of more traditional interpretations while staying conscious of the political landscape of mainland Europe since WWII. The strip's weak spot is a thoroughly uninspiring logo, which doesn't capture the cold war spirit to any degree.

Taking a uniform from an East German military base near the border, a defector disguises himself in order to make a run for the barbed wire on the western side. Guards fire at him as he flees, and, as mines explode around him, he stumbles to safe harbour. Taken to a British military hospital in Western Germany, the officers in charge determine that he is Rumanian, and ponder whether he might be a valuable defector. It is an opening which could have been inserted into a contemporary James Bond film without changing much.

The jacket he wore during his escape is checked, and the British see a row of bullet holes - he man should have died from his injuries. Computer analysis of medical reports show his body is of indefinable age, but before information can be passed along a fire breaks out. Thinking that they are in a Len Deighton novel, the British consider the possibility that K.G.B. agents might have attempted to kill the defector, not realising that danger is closer than they think.

There are a few places where the story attempts to make leaps it can't quite reach, and the final panel is a touch too on-the-nose, but there's more to like than dislike in the manner Gerry Finley Day brings Dracula back to Britain. There was one aspect of the story which seemed far-fetched at the time of publication, but which have been proven correct in intervening years - bats can cross the Channel. It was something that bothered me, but since it ha been verified I'll refrain from pointing out how unlikely they are to show up on radar.

With an audacious sense of black humour, Alan Moore opens Monster with twelve-year-old Kenneth Corman burying his father's corpse in his back garden is nothing compared to how he closes out this installment - the boy walking slowly up the stairs to a locked door. There's so little event, yet so much detail. While we don't get introduced to the inhabitant of the room, we get enough background to know that there is a secret here which been maintained for a very long time. There is real emotions at play, and a solidity of setting which is a step above expectation.

Three years before Robert Maxwell bought IPC, there was Maxwell Tower...

Max, the digital protagonist of The Thirteenth Floor, is Scream!'s star attraction. It is difficult to justify an in-universe reason for a screen representing the software, but the visual adds so much to Max's character - a crackling screen of static and electricity with a mind of its own. Jerry, his controller, isn't as well defined, but there is obviously a close rapport in the scenes they share.

Jerry permits Max to take care of new tenants moving in, Mrs. Henderson and her son. As they settle in to their new home, Mr. Kemp (an unpleasant debt collector) arrives to harangue the recently-widowed woman about money she owes him. Max, naturally, is less than pleased at this state of affairs, and decides to teach him a lesson. Despite being built without a thirteenth floor, the traditional image of death (a skeletal figure in robes carrying a scythe) greets Kemp there.

Now that Rebellion own the character, there exists the (remote) possibility that we might get a personal assistant based on Max. So much more interesting than Siri, who would never dare suggest that someone annoying be disposed of in a gruesome-yet-appropriate manner.

Horror anthologies need good hosts. Dry wits capable of lightening the tone between tales, stepping in and out of the narrative to address the reader with offhand commentary on the events. Unfortunately, despite the best of intentions, The Leper isn't a good host. Yes, he looks appropriately hideous, but his schtick is decidedly one-note. How many ways can a leprous grave-digger be worked into a story? That Scream! already had Ghastly McNasty able to perform a similar role, The Leper is doubly redundant.

The grave in preparation is for Joshuah Sleeth, the undertaker, was a thoroughly unpleasant individual, not above assisting people to the other side in his quest for money. There is a great sense of atmosphere in the telling, and even the slightly cartoony touch which Watson brings to the strip works well. That the story feels very familiar might be down to having read the issue on publication, but I'm certain that there is more to it than that.

A Ghastly Tale! brings to mind Future Shocks in 2000 A.D., bring a sequence which blazes through a slight premise in a single page, never explaining more than it has to. So brief is the strip's presence that we don't find out the names of either of the main characters, nor why, precisely, they are reduced to appearing in a sideshow. An interesting experiment in storytelling, though one which is likely to become frustrating in the long term.

Good reprints - and specifically ones which are well-chosen for appropriateness in a title - are always welcome, and Fiends and Neighbours is a classic.

At Death's Door feels like a cop-out thanks to the "it was all just a dream" ending, but the visual of the ghost with a stick is fabulous. Yes, the story is derivative and hokey, but horror stories don't necessarily need to operate on logical foundations, and the telling is entertaining. It would have been better with more background to the family situation (and why the parents seem so stiff), but it is a continuing story.

What is the deal with cats? Cats. Are. Not. Scary.

Was someone at IPC bitten by a cat as a child? I'm not sure why both Misty and Scream! were launched with stories about cats, but as figures of dread they are lacking. Rats can be terrifying (ask James Herbert), dogs can - when handled well - hold a few scares, but domestic cats are far too unimposing to present a credible threat.

Terror of the Cats is based on the conceit that cats have turned on people, attacking randomly. There's not much more going on, and at no point in the story is there a sense that the story is being taken seriously. To end on such a low point is unfortunate.

Judge Dredd Mega-Special #1

1988. Cover price 75p.
48 pages. Colour & B&W.
Fleetway Publications.

Edited by Richard Burton.

Cover by Brian Bolland.

Contents:

 2 Contents; illustrated by Glenn Fabry.

 3 Judge Dredd The Blob w: Alan Grant; a: John Higgins, lettering by Tom Frame.

11 Judge Dredd The Blockers w: John Wagner; a: Jose Casanovas, lettering by Jack Potter.

16 Odyssey 7 (quarter page) advertisement. / Dredd Siting in Leicester (eighth of page) advertisement for Another World. / Please Mention Judge Dredd Holiday Special When Replying to Advertisements (eighth of page). / Having Trouble Getting Your Comics? Try a Virgin Comic Shop (half page) advertisement; illustrated by Kev Hopgood.

17 Dredd by Day text introduction (uncredited).

18 Judge Dredd Weirdies! [130-154] w: John Wagner & Alan Grant; a: Ian Gibson.

r: The Daily Star (Northern & Shell Media) #???? (07 Jul 1986) - #???? (07 Aug 1986).

23 Dredd's World illustrated feature; a: Brendan McCarthy.

24 Dredd's World poster; a: Brendan McCarthy.

26 Say Gidday to the Good Life mock advertisement for Oz Judges; a: UNKNOWN.

27 Judge Dredd Weirdies! [155-194] w: John Wagner & Alan Grant; a: Ian Gibson.

r: The Daily Star (Northern & Shell Media) #???? (08 Aug 1986) - #???? (03 Oct 1986).

35 New in the Cubes creator fact files (uncredited).

36 Chopper's Odyssey illustrated feature by Mike Butcher; illustrated by .

r: panels from Oz in 2000 A.D. (Fleetway Publications) #545 (24 Oct 1987) - #570 (16 Apr 1988).

39 Judge Dredd The Fall Guy w: Alan Grant; a: Will Simpson, lettering by Tom Frame.

47 Catch Judge Dredd... in-house advertisement for 2000 A.D., Best of 2000 A.D., 2000 A.D. Sci-Fi Special, Judge Dredd Annual and 2000 A.D. Annual; illustrated by Steve Dillon.

48 Judge Dredd and 2000 A.D. Merchandise advertisement for Forbidden Planet.

The first Mega-Special is much like Dredd's appearances in 2000 A.D., but with greater room to maneuver. Under an impressive cover by Brian Bolland (who hasn't drawn a bad Dredd yet), there is a superb Fabry illustration. The contents pages allow artists to show off a little, and this is no exception - Dredd's Lawmaster really looks like a real piece of technology, though colouring is perhaps a touch too bright for Mega-City One.

The Blob begins on Pier 17 at Mega-City One's docks, where a jelly-like tentacle grabs the leg of Eric, a crane operator who is in the process of unloading cargo. The crate breaks open while dangling above his co-workers, showering them with its' contents - knives imported from New Sheffield. Dredd is dispatched to investigate, and discovers Eric's body, along with several others, in the lumber stacks. The blob-creature has made its escape, however, making its way to safety.

Forensics examine the crime scene while Dredd trails it, and they come to the conclusion that it is mutated slime-mould, most likely a Black Atlantic mutation which grabbed a lift from a passing ship in order to get into Mega-City One. The forensics team warn Dredd that it is extremely carnivorous, dosing its victims with acid, before absorbing the resulting sludge through its pores. Dredd confronts the blob, despite obvious dangers, but discovers his bullets have no effect. Worse, it begins eating through his uniform.

Firing an incendiary at the blob, Dredd orders fire teams and a med-squad to Steve McQueen Block, before seeking medical attention for his wounds. From the briefest touch, it managed to eat through Dredd's leg nearly to the bone. You can tell that everyone is having a lot of fun with the story, and some of the dialogue is solid gold:

...and now, on the Early Late Horror Show, we have a real rave from the Grave. Sylvester Stallone is the Blob of Notre Dame in Alan Moore's Oscar-winning remake!

Alan Grant's script is, if you hadn't guessed, a joy to read, despite (or because of) being a retread of The Blob. John Higgins' artwork really shines in black and white, looking suitably grimy and tarnished. One has to wonder if this was among the material sent to Stallone in preparation for his role of Dredd.

Where The Blob excels at setting and tone through largely understated moments, The Blockers is less restrained. It is the kind of story which, if it appeared anywhere else, would be black comedy, but is - unfortunately for citizens of Mega-City One - more of a day-in-the-life strand. The focus of events is Adolf Hitler Block - 400 floors, containing 18,000 housing units, schools, shopping centres, and a hospital. 64,301 citizens crammed in like sardines, slowly going mad...

Frank Dolby, of apartment 39F, prepares for a Citi-Def combat exercise, while his wife knits a book. As Citi-Def organiser for the floor, Frank makes his way to 39G, where Carlton Einstein (a television addict) has barely left his chair for twelve years. Edith Einstein, his wife, and a compulsive shopper, is doing the family accounts as Willis, Edith and Frank's son, makes a prank call to Ed De Bono Citi-Def to warn them of Hitler Block's aggressive maneuvers against them.

Three floors above, in 42X, Rudyard Quincy decides to kill himself before he goes insane, hoping to take out the rest of the block in the process with a home-made nuclear weapon. The De Bono block cuts down Frank's unit with firearms, thanks to Willis' intervention, as the wayward youth watches on in amusement, hanging out his window. Rudyard's nuke fails, and he throws it away in disgust - landing on Willis' head as it falls.

Overjoyed at a nuke - almost literally - falling into her lap, Edith sees a way to make some money in order to feed her family. Frank returns from the unsuccessful raid, and asks if Edith knows where he can lay his hands on a nuke... Despite not getting a lot of background to the story of the block, we don't need extraneous detail. These are people instantly familiar from Mega-City One, the unfotunates who have been abandoned to their fate in a towering, impersonal, chaotic city.

While it is always nice to get newspaper strips reprinted on better paper, Weirdies! isn't a classic slice of Dredd history. A return for Citizen J. Snork, he of the rather large schnoz, in a celebration of the odd, the strange, and the downright weird. There's a nice conclusion, yet this story is lacking a certain urgency. Ian Gibson's great artwork is reproduced sharply and without feeling too crammed in. It shouldn't need to be pointed out (again) that Gibson's style is refreshingly light and breezy.

New in the Cubes covers Liam Sharp, Barry Kitson, John Higgins, and Will Simpson, though the half-page format of biographical information pieces doesn't allow for a great deal of personality to shine through - these small glimpses into the creators' lives are a long-running 2000 A.D. tradition, and is something which always appealed to me. Such features are much better use of pages than recaps of stories, such as... Well, Chopper's Odyssey.

The Pie-in-the-Sky mid-air restaurant makes a welcome return, where Don Pesci is celebrating his hundredth birthday in the Mississippi Mud Suite. Don Pesci's celebration is abruptly interrupted when a Judge emerges from his birthday cake, only to be immediately shot to death by Pesci. His men assure him that it was a singing telegram, and the body is removed by the easiest means available - being thrown out the building. Which is where things start to escalate...

An early evening Batglider, soaring in the thermal updrafts, is the first to be hit by the corpse. The Norrin Radd Block skysurf club, practising their close-formation pyramid move, are next to have a very close encounter, which leads to a very large mess for the real Judges to clean up. Discovering a business card for Party Poppers, Dredd talks to the owner of the company. and - finding that the dead man was paid to appear at Pie-in-the-Sky - arranges transport to the restaurant.

Pesci and his associates have long since departed, and (despite a sincere attempt at stalling from robot staff) Dredd finds that, as a birthday present the Don, his men have arranged a heist for his participation. With time running out, Dredd rushes to meet the location of the robbery. Stunning artwork, a great, twisty story (with all kinds of little nods and homages), and a ticking clock plot - this is prime Dredd material, served up expertly.

An extremely strong start for the series.

On This Day: 05 Oct

The Best of Matt 2017 (Orion; 2017) ISBN-13: 978-1409164630

Births:

Isaac Cruikshank (1764); William Timyn (Tim; 1902); Harry Ross Thomson (roSS; 1938); Clive Barker (1952)

Deaths:

Frank Eric Smith (Trow; 1985); Jack Potter (2014)

Notable Events:

Newsfield Ltd. registered in 1983.
Hardware, regarded as the first film adaptation of a 2000 A.D. property, released in the UK in 1990.
Garth Ennis, Brett Ewins, Glenn Fabry, Myra Hancock, Graham Higgins, David Hine, Alan McKenzie, Mark Millar, Steve Pugh and Kevin Walker attended a joint signing for 2000 A.D. Prog 750, the 2000 A.D. Yearbook 1992 and Judge Dredd Yearbook 1992 in Forbidden Planet, 71 New Oxford Street, London, in 1991.
Alan Grant was among the guests at the Wasted comic launch at Forbidden Planet, Edinburgh, in 2008.
Alan Cowsill, Glenn Dakin and Andy Lanning were on the panel for Revolutionary War at the London Film and Comic Con at the Olympia in 2013. Among other news, Dark Angel, Death's Head, Knights of Pendragon, Motormouth, Super Soldiers and Warheads were to return to print for the first time since the closure of Marvel UK, albeit as US comics.