Wildcat #10

25 Feb 1989 - 10 Mar 1989; Cover price 40p.
32 pages. Colour & B&W.
Fleetway Publications.

Edited by Barrie Tomlinson.

Cover by Ian Kennedy (signed).

Contents:

 2 Turbo Jones UNTITLED [Back in Orbit] w: UNKNOWN (uncredited); a: UNKNOWN (uncredited).

 7 In Space, Some Things Are More Important Than Others... subscription coupon.

 8 Joe Alien UNTITLED [Guest of the Dargonlites] w: UNKNOWN (uncredited); a: Ron Smith (signed).

11 Kitten Magee UNTITLED [At the Hoboan City] w: UNKNOWN (uncredited); a: Jose Ortiz (uncredited).

16 Joe Alien UNTITLED (cont.)

18 Time-Warp Data Link feature page (uncredited). / Alien readers' art; The Mighty Mr. Kobra by Andrew Halpin, Cyber Wolf by David Alderslade, Toothy by James Heal, The Outer Galactic Piblo Player by Antony Jones, The Bloby Ball by Sam Howell.

20 Loner UNTITLED [The Mouth of Danger] w: UNKNOWN (uncredited); a: David Pugh (uncredited).

25 The Wildcat Complete Earth 2 w: UNKNOWN (uncredited); a: Joan Boix.

31 Meet Dobbin next issue information; illustrated by David Pugh (uncredited).

32 Weetabix Free Corgi Cars advertisement; a: UNKNOWN (uncredited).

Whatever the missteps in some of the series presented within, Wildcat maintained a high quality when it came to the visual component of the title. While a security droid is hardly the most threatening entity to grace a cover, the manner in which the robot is depicted makes the image stand out - presented in vivid reds, blues and yellows, this is the kind of thing which ought to get a poster treatment.

Wildcat Update: Turbo Jones has escaped from his Arglon guards... so the Arglons have given the order to destroy the Wildcat spacecraft, which is in orbit above their planet!

The Arglon craft takes off, and, unable to prevent the destruction of Wildcat, Turbo Jones flies with Robo on the pterodactyl. Rescuing Burroids from the ceremonial executions which had been prepared, and with this ad-hoc team is able to take command of an Arglon border post which has been in communication with the recently-launched attack craft. Launched in a second vessel, Turbo and Robo attempt to catch up to the first ship - it is only when they approach it that Robo realises that the crew is comprised entirely of robots, and they intend to ram Turbo's craft before launching a suicide run at Wildcat.

Finally outside of the planet's communications blanket, Turbo doesn't immediately contact Wildcat to inform them of an imminent threat. What a hero. The manner in which the Burroids are rescued is slightly too easy, giving Turbo a ready-made commando squad behind enemy lines, although the scene is handled well. This is a strip which has maintained a sense of urgency no matter the immediate situation, and manages to keep things from monotony through the kinds of madcap antics as seen in this installment.

The plot holes, when they appear, are gigantic, but I'm hoping that an explanation for this issue's omission is forthcoming.

Wildcat Update: Joe Alien's exploration team has discovered an area of the new planet where the vegetation is alive, intelligent and hostile! They fall into a hole made by a massive slug-like creature... and end up in a slime-filled pit.

Joe's brain-pack is immediately retrieved and restored to its rightful place on the back of Joe's head, and the giant slugs introduce themselves as Dargonlites, the enemy of all plant-life on the continent. Joe questions the Dargonlites about the substance which has covered the team, and is informed that it is harmless, provided to cushion the team's fall. Assured that they will be safe, the team are told they can move freely through the tunnels, though Joe begins acting as if his brain-pack has been removed.

After attacking the Dargonlites, Joe appears to have slime oozing from beneath his brain-pack, and while his men attempt to clean out the device in one of the pools of water, a stinger electrocutes the team.

This strip is beginning to frustrate me - nothing we have experienced thus far is of consequence, and it appears that this is, yet again, a random encounter with no lasting significance. It isn't a bad outing, despite not building upon the prior stories to really throw Joe into trouble.

Leading Kitten's team onwards to the city, Hobos eventually brings them to Hoboan. An immense settlement, of elaborate construction of glass and plastic, which is protected by steep cliffs on all sides - having arranged transport, Hobos' people arrive to take the women into the city. Greetings from the inhabitants make Kitten aware that they have been travelling with "Mighty Hobos, Magnificent Mornarch of the Hoboan People," who has ruled over the city for five centuries. It is not long before he shows his true colours.

It has been a long time coming, but the group have finally discovered the truth about Hobos - and are immediately thrown from one life-threatening situation to another. It would, for once, be nice to have characters use their words rather than their fists (or blasters) to solve problems, but the revelations present in this installment largely work well without extended dialogue. "Hobos the Murderous" certainly lives up to his name here.

That the city comes as a surprise to Kitten and her team bothers me. Having travelled down to the surface in the shuttle, the team should have had ample opportunity to chart out the land beneath them, noting the position of the landscape's features - which includes habitation. And as we haven't seen Hobos' species anywhere else on the planet's surface, this city must represent the extent of the colony's domain upon the surface of the New Planet.

Loner attracts more of the bugs, increasingly larger in size, and must run before he is swallowed whole by the largest of the bugs. Seeing another shape-changer, Loner decides to persuade it for assistance in returning to his former size, though is swept away by a surge of water which he was attempting to cross, and faces being swallowed alive by the local wildlife.

Beautiful to look at, but a disappointing story - this strip feels extremely slight, mostly thanks to the lack of dialogue. I'm beginning to miss the Fuzzballs.

Kelvin Kroosh, of Wildcat TV News, reports on a series of cases of space madness, a condition which can occur when crew-members dwell too long on the fact that their home-planet has been destroyed. Prof. Jed Gruber appears to have an answer to the problem, a holographic recreation he calls Earth 2. Two men break in, demanding to stay in Earth 2 forever...

A darkly amusing complete story, with a pay-off in the final panel which is as close to black comedy as the title ever ventured.

The ebb and flow of its constituent parts have resulted, in this issue, with a sense of the title treading water. Increasingly feeling as if problems are being created to keep things moving, rather than answering the question which has been driving the Wildcat since the beginning - is this a place where humanity can survive for an extended period of time?

I'm guessing that the answer is no.

#08

Wildcat

#10

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

Wildcat #8

28 Jan 1989 - 10 Feb 1989; Cover price 40p.
32 pages. Colour & B&W.
Fleetway Publications.

Edited by Barrie Tomlinson.

Cover by Ron Smith (signed).

Contents:

 2 Turbo Jones UNTITLED [Robo - Traitor!] w: UNKNOWN (uncredited); a: UNKNOWN (uncredited).

 7 Great Ark pin-up; illustrated by UNKNOWN (uncredited).

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

11 Kitten Magee UNTITLED [Cave of Death] w: UNKNOWN (uncredited); a: Jose Ortiz (uncredited).

16 Joe Alien UNTITLED (cont.)

18 Time-Warp Data Link feature page (uncredited). / Robojoke UNTITLED ["Ever had the feeling you're being watched"] (pocket cartoon) w:/a James Neil. / Alien readers' art; Dworb by Mark Plastow, Robotic Forest Creature by Brian Peter Lisle, Grin by David Minish, Alien by Thomas Clancy.

20 Loner UNTITLED [Seringar Shape-Changer] w: UNKNOWN (uncredited); a: David Pugh (uncredited).

25 In Space, Some Things Are More Important Than Others subscription coupon.

26 Gliz w: UNKNOWN (uncredited); a: Joan Boix (signed).

31 What Has 10 Legs, 10 Eyes and a Big Appetite? next issue information; illustrated by David Pugh (uncredited).

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

Its cover is pure space opera, which - given the contents throughout the series thus far - is entirely appropriate.

Turbo refuses to assist the Arglon forces defeat the Burroids - told by the Council of Elders that their nation needs more land to survive, and that he has until the seventh moon (one day) to contemplate his fate, Turbo is taken to the sacrificial temple, where the Arglon gods will either change his mind or receive him in sacrifice. Robo awakens to discover his master missing, and is quickly captured by Burroid forces as a traitor. As the remnants of the Burroid forces face losing the city, evacuation procedures are put in place to protect the remainder of the inhabitants.

Robo's batteries register zero when a confession Burroids attempt to force a confession from him, and, technically dead, it is thought best to throw him onto a rubbish pile outside. Once free of his captors, Robo recharges with his reserve battery and journeys out. Overhearing reports of Turbo defecting to the Arglon side, Robo ventures to Arglon territory to learn the truth.

Although not explicitly referencing Lebensraum, the Arglon logic for its war, and the appearance of the Council of Elders, makes clear that this is, in essence, a reprise of World War II. Neither adequately developed nor consistent in tone, the strip fails to convince as military spectacle precisely because of the obvious elements which are dusted off and presented here with an SF twist. We aren't privy to the tactics, so must infer strategy behind maneouvers. Random damage? Nope, that's all part of some greater plan. Showing the intelligence behind what has appeared to be one desperate, last-ditch plan after another would have given the strip more authority.

Joe Alien arms his men with lasers to fend off against the encircling trees, and they begins a desperate run through the forest to freedom. Seeing a giant caterpillar under attack from the trees, Joe watches it get thrown around, though holding its own against the superior forces of the plants. Hitching a ride on its back, the team manage to make their way to the location of their shuttle, though find it has disappeared.

There is so little accomplished with the caterpillar that it is difficult to come up with a reason for its inclusion - aside from encouraging Eric Carle jokes, that is. Yet another oversized creature, in the manner of a cut-price Mighty Samson strip, points at the lack of care in establishing the rules of the planet. From Turbo to Loner, immense creatures have been a recurring element irrespective of where the presence doesn't make sense. Is this planet, perhaps, excluded from the square-cube law somehow?

It is also a shame that within three panels the small unit manages to run three miles, completely ignoring the terror which could have been ramped up had the journey back to the shuttle been presented - something which might have challenged The Evil Dead for achievements in making people afraid of foliage.

Unit leader Kitten Magee, robotic companion Crud and all female back-up team have met a seemingly friendly alien called Hobos. In reality, however, the massively fat being is an evil killer who means to cause the deaths of all the humans. After several failed attempts on their lives, Hobos has an idea how to guarantee their destruction...

Leading the women to a cave, they discover the remains of dozens of bones, the remains of victims of the beast which used to live there, aiding Doc in her survey of the planet's wildlife. She is captured by the alien still inhabiting the cave while the others are busy fetching firewood, and Cassandra is soon in its clutches - Kitten rushes back to assist her teammates, Crud leading their rescue mission. They finally discover it, after battling through a colony of bats, and are awed at its immensity.

Let down, somewhat, by a hint of the monster in the second panel, the strip nevertheless manages to maintain its style. Utilising horror movie techniques, Doc is snatched right behind an unaware Cassandra, although the following sequence makes it clear that the captured women were not immediately murdered. As for the monster, which has a see-through chest and stomach, I have to state that this is likely the single dumbest visual in the title's short history - it is almost an invitation for a clever opponent to deliver a fatal blow.

Loner sucks in fresh air, glad to be free of his subterranean nightmare, and discovers that communications with Wildcat are unavailable. Seeing a large sphere on the ground, he decides to get in some impromptu football practice. It turns out to be a gelatinous life-form, and he is soon encased within its mass while permitting him breath. It identifies itself as a Seringar Shape-Changer - shrinking Loner is reprisal for the unwarranted attack, it leaves him a fraction of his original size. As the blob departs, Loner is immediately attacked by two-headed ants.

Although he's hardly the most fleshed-out individual in the title, the kick comes as a surprising act which seems out of character. As a means of transitioning to the next story act it is a clumsy and awkward moment, more appropriate for a less mature character. The blob is a shameless appropriation of, naturally, the recently-released remake of The Blob, while shrinking Loner down is likely in reaction to pre-publicity for Honey, I Shrunk the Kids. Originality is in short supply here, though, as a means of spurring on the story, these inspirations are grafted into the existing world with panache, if not subtlety.

Gliz is a humanoid alien in possession of two tentacle-like protrusions on its chest. One would imagine this enables him to be more efficient than mere humans, though his clumsiness merely prompts insults and jokes from his co-workers. He tells Grenzel, his sole friend aboard Wildcat, that he is so clumsy because the others make him nervous. That night Grenzel's mother chastises him for consorting with an alien, telling him to stay away from Gliz. After more abuse at the hands of his human colleagues Gliz attempts to talk to Grenzel, but is rebuffed.

One of the pilots, Chadwick, has damaged his hands, and is unable to fly a mini-ship down to the far side of the planet's first moon, and it seems as if the mission will be cancelled until Gliz states that he is a qualified pilot. Things go well at first, with a perfect landing, but the expedition soon encounters hideous aliens who demand to know the identity of the group's pilot - vaporising the rest of the crew. They order Gliz to fly them to Wildcat, where they intend to kill the occupants. Faced with a desperate problem, Gliz has to find a way to protect Wildcat.

After everything else which has appeared, I shouldn't be so surprised to find myself typing the words "space pirates" here, but it still comes as a shock to see something so utterly unimaginative turn up. The notion of a completely disregarded character laying down their life for the benefit of the greater good, even though they do so without recognition, is one which has a fine history, but here the use is troublesome - is the technology aboard Wildcat so poor as not to have some indication of what is happening aboard their shuttles? Even if a real-time "black box" transmission is not in place, there is a more fundamental problem - this is the same moon upon which four crewmembers have already been lost.

Questions are being piled atop one another, as if the writers were playing Jenga with the plots, and - as much as I like the basic premise - it feels as if any attempt at a cohesive overriding plot has already been abandoned.

#07

Wildcat

#09

Wildcat #7

14 Jan 1989 - 27 Jan 1989; Cover price 40p.
32 pages. Colour & B&W.
Fleetway Publications.

Edited by Barrie Tomlinson.

Cover by David Pugh (signed).

Contents:

 2 Kitten Magee UNTITLED [The Other Path] w: UNKNOWN (uncredited); a: Jose Ortiz (uncredited).

 7 Crud pin-up; illustrated by UNKNOWN (uncredited).

 8 Joe Alien UNTITLED [Death of the Gardener] w: UNKNOWN (uncredited); a: Ron Smith (signed).

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

16 Joe Alien UNTITLED (cont.)

18 Time-Warp Data Link feature page (uncredited). / Robojoke UNTITLED ["A man walked into a bar"] (pocket cartoon) w:/a Gideon Dewhirst. / Alien readers' art; Fangs by Neil McCambridge, Alien by Jim McNamara, Blaster by Matthew John Pullen.

20 Turbo Jones UNTITLED [Hijacked Terrosauron] w: UNKNOWN (uncredited); a: UNKNOWN (uncredited).

25 A Perfect Crime w: UNKNOWN (uncredited); a: UNKNOWN (uncredited).

31 Another Monster Issue! next issue information; illustrated by UNKNOWN (uncredited).

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

Mixing up the running order of strips to highlight a particularly good story in an interesting attempt at keeping the title fresh, this merely staves off the feeling of over-familiarity with what is happening in Turbo Jones. Not that the invasion of a city by enemy forces isn't an interesting subject, but its handling has been a mix of overly-elaborate melodrama (the attack from below) and mundane inanity (the raising of a wall), rather than a character study showing the stress of maintaining order in a besieged location, while simultaneously commanding military forces to appropriate defensive positions.

But it is Kitten who leads off this issue, so it is only right her story be tackled first.

Following Hobos, the women of Kitten's team (and Crud) are told that the path ahead of them is infested with savage creatures, so the alien leads them along a 'safer' track instead. Kitten questions the safety of the route as the ground becomes more swampy underfoot, and is reassured that it is the safest way to their destination - in what feels like an earthquake, an immense form raises itself from the sand. Hobos identifies it as a Zicker Beast, a murderous meat-eater with a massive appetite. The women fire all of their weapons at it, though this only results in the beast being angered.

Kitten manages to trick it into chopping off its own mini-head, after which it retreats back into its lair. Doc is about to take some blood and tissue samples for her research into her study of the planet's wildlife when it proves to be not quite as dead as it appears. Kitten kicks it aside, and as the beast resurfaces she fires its own mini-head into its mouth.

A story rife with symbolism. From the top: A group of women are led (literally) down the wrong path by a duplicitous male and placed into harms way, whereupon they are attacked by a monster, which only the strongest female of the group is able to (symbolically) castrate. Then she feeds the monster its own... Well, mini-head. As his plan hasn't worked, the male figure then leads the women towards a cave. This script cannot have been written without some notion of how it would be perceived.

There's probably two or three layers of subtext to this, all the while following the Fleetway Adventure Story Rulebook. Reading this story now, it is impossible to ignore the similarity in theme (if not specifics) to the scene in which Hannibal Chau in eaten in Pacific Rim, and although what we are given works, it reinforces the notion - after so many near-misses - that these characters are decidedly not in danger. Kitten's team is protected by seriously strong plot armour.

If I don't believe that characters will be killed off for shock value, the tension decreases dramatically. No character should be sacrosanct.

Crud's pin-up shows that a degree of thought went into its design, yet the overall impression is of a poor mans Tik-Tok. The clasps on its chest even match the positions of the bolts on Tik-Tok, though I do like the detailing on its waist.

Joe Alien manages to reach out to the trooper who has been knocked into the water, and drags him to safety - with a carnivorous plant attached to his leg. The former astronaut tells Joe that he has ordered that the group face the supreme court of the trees to determine if they are guilty of crimes against the plants. The vote is split, with the deciding vote coming from the Gardener, who spares them - but first inspects Joe's external brain pack. A trooper grabs Joe's brain back, in the process pushing the old man over and accidentally killing him.

I had hoped - somewhat optimistically - that there would be more to the Gardener's story, though such revelations are now moot. There's every indication that the strip is heading for a tedious reprise of Anabasis, with the characters battling their way through a hostile landscape back to safety, which is slightly depressing given how much there remains to uncover regarding the trees. We still haven't had a reasonable answer as to the plant life ability to control rocks, which is a massive tool in their arsenal.

Discovering the Beast spits acid, Loner quickly goes on the attack, driving it back until it falls over a cliff, impaling itself on stalagmites. Having accomplished his mission, Loner returns to the weapons room, guided by the Fuzzballs, where he learns that he must wear a bio-organic headband when facing the Bellari - a device which will prevent the lizard from attacking him telepathically. Freed from any influence, he is able to dispatch it with ease. Loner returns once more to the weapons room to place the firearms back in their rightful place, and learns from the Fuzzballs that the headband will prevent mind control hereafter.

Also, it will translate all alien tongues into his own language, but has also been embedded into his brain, and can never been removed. For every silver lining...

The art is still top notch, yet the story has a rushed feeling, concluding all matters beneath the surface in double-quick time so that Loner can return to the surface with his new abilities. The Bellari, so fascinating and formidable an opponent upon his introduction, is given the briefest of scenes in which to be destroyed. It is entirely too quick an installment, lacking proper gravitas required to sell Loner's journey as having been so difficult.

It also conforms entirely too closely with the Journey to the Underworld myth cycles, having descended into Hell to defeat a great enemy before returning, changed. Unlike the majority of those stories, Loner doesn't lose anything of significance in his passage through the depths - there isn't a sense that he is, in some ways, poorer for the experience.

A two-man pterodactyl is sent to plant a control box on Turbo's Terrosauron, in a last-ditch attempt to turn the war in the Arglon's favour. They succeed, and Turbo finds he no longer has control of his mount, as it begins attacking Burroid forces - considered a traitor, Burroids are ordered to bring turbo to the Supreme Monarch. The Terrosauron, meanwhile, transports Turbo to an Arglon outpost.

There isn't much in the way of subtlety on display, with one scene of destruction after another. Roland Emmerich and Michael Bay have so thoroughly covered every manner of explosive, earth-shattering scenario that this strip suffers in comparison to what is expected from this type of broad-strokes science fiction. Although I do wish the Arglons weren't using something so mundane as pterodactyls...

Before I hone in on A Perfect Crime, I have to make an admission:

I'm not a fan of Columbo. While its basic premise is sound, the main attractions of a murder mystery (for me, at any rate) isn't seeing how the pieces fall into place for the investigator. I don't want to be privy to the details of the murder until relatively late in the narrative, preferring the dual questions which drive the engine of the story - "How was the person murdered?" and "Why were they murdered?" If, during the story, the possibility is raised that the accused might be innocent, then all the better.

In the case of A Perfect Crime, we are treated to the murder, and the rationale behind it, straight from the beginning.

Fears regarding a strange mould growth being able to eat through the ship's metal sees two men sent out onto the hull to investigate, and finding nothing in the space fungi to be concerned about, the Captain decides it is in their best interest to merely scrape it off. Joe Stefano sees the opportunity to get rid of his superior officer, in order to obtain for himself a promotion, and sends the man drifting into space. As he floats off, the Captain tells Stefano that in the event of his death Roderick Serling will be promoted to the position.

When a derelict alien craft is piced up on the Wildcat scanners, Stefano and Serling are assigned to investigate to see if anything can be salvaged or learned from the vessel. Stefano seizes this as the perfect way to get rid of his competition - after shooting Serling, Stefano contacts Wildcat to inform them that the crew of the ship perished due to an alien disease, and Serling is seriously ill, though he remains unaffected. After waiting an appropriate length of time, he reports in that Serling is worsening, the medicines he has administered having had no effect. He then dispenses with Serling's body into space.

"Stefano calling Wildcat at 1900 hours! Serling has died of the alien disease. He made a last request before dyin'... His body became so grotesque he wanted it ejected into space after his death... Then none of his family would ever see him in that state! I carried out his wish...

Can't do anythin' else here, so I'll return to Wildcat..."

His request to return is denied, with Wildcat authorities concerned that he might be carrying the disease himself - however small the risk, he can't be allowed back on board if he poses any risk to the lives of those aboard the ship. Food and other provisions are arranged to be shipped over to Stefano, and he is informed that if he attempts to return he will be destroyed. Thus exiled, he will have to remain on the alien ship for the rest of his life.

Tales of the Unexpected this isn't. A twist that is obvious as soon as the words "alien disease" are uttered, this is a complete waste of what is actually a rather neat scene. By cutting the tether to allow the Captain to disappear off to his doom Stefano had committed the perfect murder, and if the story had followed the investigation, revealing what actually happened at its conclusion, the drama would be so much more fulfilling. As it is... the story is okay. It is a perfectly adequate strip, with little to draw it out from the morass of similar strips - hardly to the quality of even an average Future Shocks strip.

In structure, the strip resembles nothing less than the episode Final Escape, from The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, with every step Stefano takes bringing him closer and closer to his awful fate. It is a story type which is almost tailor-made for comics, though the handling of the twist is, unfortunately, so poorly handled that it fails to capture anything in the way of rising tension.

#06

Wildcat

#08

Wildcat #6

31 Dec 1988 - 13 Jan 1989; Cover price 40p.
32 pages. Colour & B&W.
Fleetway Publications.

Edited by Barrie Tomlinson.

Cover by Ian Kennedy (signed).

Contents:

 2 Turbo Jones UNTITLED [Arglons in the City] w: UNKNOWN (uncredited); a: UNKNOWN (uncredited).

 7 In Space, Some Things Are More Important Than Others... subscriptions coupon.

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

11 Kitten Magee UNTITLED [Torg-Lion Attack] w: UNKNOWN (uncredited); a: Jose Ortiz (uncredited).

16 Joe Alien UNTITLED (cont.)

18 Alien readers' art; Smiler by Lee Yeun, Vos by Chris Garside, The Blob by Tony Palmer, Octo Slug by Simon Wood. / Time-Warp Data Link feature page (uncredited). / Robojoke UNTITLED ["Take me to your leader"] (pocket cartoon) w:/a M. Herlihy

20 Loner UNTITLED [Minions of the Beast] w: UNKNOWN (uncredited); a: David Pugh (uncredited).

25 Moon of Terror w: UNKNOWN (uncredited); a: UNKNOWN (uncredited).

31 Goodbye, Turbo next issue information; illustrated by UNKNOWN (uncredited).

32 Turbo pin-up; illustrated by UNKNOWN (uncredited).

The Torg-Lion cover is dramatic - along with being superbly painted - but the design of the creature leaves a lot to be desired. It doesn't look like a creature that might live, and although Kennedy imbues the image with much energy and gusto, it fails to convince as a snapshot of Kitten's battle against the beast due to how cartoonish the Torg-Lion is.

Turbo Jones commands the Burroids dinosaur army after Burroidia is attacked by the Arglons. Turbo rides a deadly Terrosauron... Not knowing that the Arglons are about to bring two Terrosaurons of their own to Burroidia!

We get a name for the city. And it is awful. Honestly, anything would be better than Burroidia, which smacks of a lack of both imagination and credibility. I dread to imagine what their nation is called, or what their national anthem sounds like. Letting loose the Terrosaurons, the Arglons anticipate the speedy demise of Turbo, but before they can prepare their attack Robo manages to sever the Arglons signal. After defeating the Terrosaurons, Turbo orders the city defences stored underground to be activated.

Giving Robo a purpose other than to make a rather attractive action figure is appreciated, though a more proactive stance would have been better than merely requesting permission to act, or responding to orders. He is nothing more than Turbo's well-trained pet, or worse, as uncomfortable as the suggestion is, his slave. As for the grand city defences which are so important to put in place... Nothing more than a giant fence. Fences, no matter how impressive, are very backwards-thinking forms of protection. Did they run out of money for an accompanying moat?

What an utter waste of time. How is a fence supposed to protect against burrowing enemies?

Joe Alien sits down with the leader of the plants - a man who appears to be human - to learn more about the circumstance he and his men has found themselves in. An astronaut aboard the first manned rocked to Mars in the year 2079, everything went as planned until the vessel reached the Von Kaybane asteroid belt, where an asteroid swallowed the ship whole before moving off under its own power.

"We finally landed on this planet...

I was amazed to find that on this continent, vegetation ruled...

They had sent the craft out to discover another living species who could help them... For a great war was being fought between trees and other vegetation...

They wanted me to end the hostilities. They were sick of fighting... I negotiated with both sides...

Finally, an agreement was made. Peace returned to this continent!"

With both sides in the conflict trusting the man from Earth, they decreed he become a king. Assisting in the breeding of new species, he decided to give himself the title "The Great Gardener." With the planet having a strange slowing effect on human biology, he aged slowly, and with the trees and plants not having long lives he became more like a god than a traditional ruler, with even his watering can becoming a symbol of power.

He is, of course, as mad as a bag of ferrets.

This background creates several problems, none of which are immediately discussed. Firstly, why were the plans so hostile to those who are, fundamentally, similar to the most revered figure in their society? The aggression seen does not indicate that the group have entered a peaceful plant society, though that might be explained by the irrationality their leader displays.

The second problem is one which poses a great danger to plans for the long-term habitation on the planet. If people age so slowly, then overpopulation is a real problem which needs to be addressed. If this is merely limited to those living in the area which the plants have claimed as their own, then issues of longevity are mitigated, but if it is a general effect it will impact on every decision hereafter.

After seeing the explosion, Cassandra believes Kitten and Aurora dead, yet they have survived thanks to the holes dug by their robot foes. Hobos, angered at their survival, uses a destabilising beam, interrupting the signals between the brain and limbs, making them non-operative. Kitten almost falls back into the hole, though Hobos steps (or, rather, glides) into action to save Kitten - showing the meat-eating Skik scavengers, brought to the surface by the use of his beam, which now squirm in the hole. Leading them away from the area, while using a carnivore-attracting beam to bring fresh dangers. A Torg-Lion attacks, though Kitten is able to scratch it with her ring, which contains poison from the Kizajeree plant from the planet Maakan, the most deadly in the universe.

Kitten's attack is silent but deadly.

I'm not sure if any poison could make things explode, leastways if they aren't already made of explodium, but it is nice to see some mad, out-of-the-box thinking, no matter the logical leaps required. There is no sense of what Hobos' plan is, which is admirable for this kind of title, which so often signposts plot developments in flashing neon, preventing immersion in the immediacy of events. Not being able to discern the shape of the coming journey is a joy.

Loner uses the telepathic weapons to strike against the monstrous Beast, though it quickly flees to a lower network of tunnels. Following, with tentative steps, Loner discovers a cave full of skulls and skeletal remains stretching as far as the eye can see. Further down into the twisting network of tunnels, and he finally manages to corner it - but must first dispense with its minions.

Beautiful and disturbing in equal measures, the Hell-Beast is a superb creation, and its immensity is presented clearly - Loner is, in comparison, tiny. It sets up the big battle perfectly, with the almost-insurmountable odds clearly laid out.

There is always one story in an anthology which fails to deliver, and here we have Moon of Terror. With the previous three-man expedition crew having disappeared while surveying the planet's first moon, Kurby is tasked with investigating. He has trouble with thick cloud cover, and only barely manages a landing. He escapes the immediate area before his ship explodes, leaving him stranded. Happening upon mutant creatures, Kurby shoots first and asks questions later. Finding a forest, Kurby heads straight for the fruit he spies growing.

There were three men on the first survey, and three mutants attack him. You would think that Kurby had picked up basic mathematics, and put three and three together, but no. And honestly - what kind of brain-dead moron goes and eats alien fruit on a mysterious moon which has already seen the disappearance of three crew-members? With no reasonable sense of self-preservation, I'm willing to state that Kurby is the kind of person who most likely has "Potential Darwin Award Winner" in his personnel file.

#05

Wildcat

#07

Wildcat #5

17 Dec 1988 - 30 Dec 1988; Cover price 40p.
32 pages. Colour & B&W.
Fleetway Publications.

Edited by Barrie Tomlinson.

Cover by Manuel Carmona (signed).

Contents:

 2 Turbo Jones UNTITLED [Arglons in the City] w: UNKNOWN; a: Vanyo.

 7 Cassandra Cardeti pin-up; a: Jose Ortiz.

 8 Joe Alien UNTITLED [Island Prison] w: UNKNOWN; a: Ron Smith.

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

16 Joe Alien UNTITLED (cont.)

18 Time-Warp Data Link feature page (uncredited).

19 Alien readers' art; An Alien After He's Gone by Og, Xgangbe-12, An Earth Person by Pweeekk Xiouu of Planet 9, Mum by Little Zxisdyurgfdglkh, A Space Message by Xxxxx Zzzzzz, A Spaceship by Mekon Junior.

20 Loner UNTITLED [Weapons Practice] w: UNKNOWN; a: David Pugh.

25 A Christmas Story w: UNKNOWN; a: UNKNOWN.

31 In Space, Some Things Are More Important Than Others... subscriptions coupon.

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

This is the least effective cover of the series, though it does, at least, make a degree of sense given the seasonal story included in this issue. It is an incredibly difficult cover to take seriously, and requests too much trust from readers. There are some fabulous, insane images in this issue, any one of which would have been more appropriate.

The Arglons and their dinosaur army are attacking the city of the Burroids. Using gigantic creatures to tunnel under the city. Meanwhile, Turbo Jones, appointed supreme war commander of the Burroids, is outside the city training his dinosaur army. In the city itself, there is chaos, as the burrowing creatures surface...

Take a moment and see if you can spot the problem with the introduction. Go on, take your time.

The most important location in the story, around which everything has turned, and whose continued existence is vital should the human cargo of Wildcat choose to declare the planet their new home, isn't named. Granted, this is an alien species we're dealing with, but throughout human history people have attempted to name everything possible. The little plastic thing on the end of your shoelace has a name¹, and there's a name for being thrown out of a window². Hell, there's even a name for the middle of your upper lip³.

During the Victorian era people set out to name everything upon the face of the planet, no matter how obscure or irrelevant, and yet Burroid culture hasn't even advanced to the stage where they point at something and declare "I give this thing a name."

The horrifying visual of an immense Mantis breaking through the city's foundations is a dramatic and tension-filled image, worthy of 2000 A.D. That this, a title which is aimed at younger readers, should present such a stunning and memorable opening is, frankly, astounding. Turbo and his dino-riding buddies head back to scene of devastation as quickly as their steeds can travel, the supreme war commander shouting out his defensive plans as they go.

There's something of a disparity between what we are presented with, and what we are told. Visuals indicate that the scene is to be taken seriously, with numerous events depicted in a rather detailed, if derivative, manner, though the text boxes have a playful, almost parodic tone. The invasion is led, we are told, by General Anvile. In Arglon, where news of Jones' role is relayed, there is a Minister of Electro-Cerebral Technology, who declares that by using circuit 10 KMG traversing 43 RXP on the biodeg XT 1871 computer, they can control Terrosauron mental ability.

This is SF informed by classic TV comedy sketches as much as works in its own genre.

Ortiz's dramatic painting of Cassandra would have been fine if this was for older readers, but by concentrating on her rear end reduces her role in the title to eye candy. Where was the pin-up of Loner, emerging from a lake, water rivulets running down his bare chest? If the characters are going to be exploited, then a little equality seems only fair and correct.

The mobile, intelligent trees advance on Joe Alien's unit, surrounding them - at which point they release a gas which incapacitates Joe and his men. Awaking at night, they discover they have been transported to an island, the water around which is filled with man-eating plants. Eventually the trees float over to the trapped group on a flying rock, whereupon a wizened human emerges to greet them.

Having any alien transport resembles an automobile from the sixties immediately incites a groan, especially when the rest of the story is handled in a manner which indicates that the story is amping up tension - though the revelation that a human is present does mitigate such an odd artistic decision somewhat. The appealing look of the trees is emphasised here, with maximum otherness played out.

Kitten deals with the flying robots in the only manner appropriate for a comic-book character - she destroys them all at the first opportunity with a Zam-Nine grenade. The remainder of the robots, who have been standing silently, watching events, suddenly begin spinning and drilling themselves into the ground. Cassandra is injured, with her grenade seconds from detonating, but Kitten uses talents picked up from playing football to save her friend. Cassandra questions this, as football was banned a hundred years before, forcing Kitten to cover by saying she played in illegal football games.

The last of the robots begin resurfacing, so Kitten orders the team to escape to the jungle. Aurora twists her ankle, and Kitten returns for her - as Hobos releases gas cannisters over the location. Cut off from the others, Kitten and Aurora watch as a robot's head is ejected into the air and explodes... The others see this, and remark upon the fact that the pair have been killed.

We know that it is unlikely for so prominent a character to be killed off in this manner, but the sequence works magnificently. What is less encouraging is the repetition of plot points in two separate stories - having gas (of whatever description) obscuring matters in two locations isn't a problem, but to have both events occur in the same issue is. At least two issues ought to separate any duplication such as this, so that the reader is not reminded that the depiction was better handled previously, and to prevent annoyance at any perceived lac of imagination.

Also, because it keeps getting used, it needs to be mentioned that 'detachable heads' are a patently ridiculous notion whose use should be limited to comedy strips. Or horror, as anyone who has seen The Thing can attest. How are the robots supposed to operate after they have blown up their own heads? Is there a repository of spare parts nearby, or is this the final, desperate act of a single unit? If it is a suicidal gambit, how are there still so many robots running around? This is a comic disinclined to provide answers to some of the questions raised in its plotting oddities.

Loner emerges from the machine, his cranium expanded in order to manipulate the weapons left over by the ancient civilisation, which the Fuzzballs have hidden. Donning an exo-skeleton - with a fantastic horned helmet - he is finally able to take control of the weapons. Having got the hang of telepathic controls, Loner sets out in search of the beast, discovering an immense cavern filled with webbed-up Fuzzballs which the creature has set aside for future snacks. Impatient to confront the lurking menace, Loner soon comes face-to-face with it.

And what an image that is.

Really, you couldn't ask for a more dramatic conclusion to this installment, with the hero barely registering in front of an absolutely gigantic threat. Remember the Chitauri Leviathans from The Avengers? This thing is so large it could eat one whole and likely remain hungry. Which, unfortunately, raises a slight issue with the presence of trapped Fuzzballs on the previous page - it is truly a giant, and sustaining nourishment from such trifling creatures as the telepathic balls of fur is hardly credible.

I'm slightly disappointed that we aren't given incremental steps towards the big threat, displaying increasingly large threats for the hero to overcome, as this would explain how such an immense creature can sustain itself. The lack of biodiversity is a major puzzle, though the strip isn't concerned with such insignificant matters - this is an action-adventure strip which is determined to squeeze the most drama out of every twist and turn.

Lets examine the steps towards the imminent battle. First Loner was attacked by the Fuzzballs, which is akin to being nibbled to death by cats, before facing a bipedal crocodile, after which he must face... an Argentinosaurus. The lack of intermediate threats of increasing size are a subtle hint that logic is taking a back seat to cool visuals.

But when the visuals are so cool, it is arguable that logic is irrelevant.

A Christmas Story brings us back to the cover image.

The great spacecraft Wildcat is spending its first Christmas in orbit around the new planet...

I'm not going to even attempt to untangle that line. What we know for sure is that the ship has some form of FTL, and the closest habitable exoplanet is very likely more than ten light-years distant. Throw in time-dilation, and you're guess is as good as mine whether this is actually the first Christmas aboard the ship or not.

Robots have been manufacturing decorations for those aboard the ship, in what is probably a flagrant abuse of existing resources, and those aboard are preparing to eat syntho-turkey and relax. Which doesn't explain why actual turkeys are absent. Did they forget to bring turkeys? Are they already extinct? Are there only a minimum of animal life aboard the ship?

A reading appears on the ship's middle-distance radar (is the long-distance radar broken?), which appears to be a giant Christmas pudding when a visual is obtained. It soon engulfs the ship, though without damage. A complete power failure hits the ship, which is unfortunate for anyone on life support, before Father Christmas and Pixie, a rather large elf, appear. They indicate that the pudding is their spaceship, and have travelled across the galaxy to deliver presents to everyone.

Once their mission is accomplished, the pair fade away, then their ship departs, changing into an image of Santa and Pixie aboard a sleigh pulled by reindeer.

Of course, they are revealed to be aliens rather than the real thing, but that raises more questions than the alternative - here is a species able to create realistic illusions, transport matter across distances, and able to track people across the galaxy with little effort. How this is not treated as a possible threat to the safety of the ship is inexplicable, and the command crew aboard - more interested in eggnog and gaudy decorations - should have been court-martialed for their incompetence.

A cute reference to the Alien films, urging readers to subscribe, rounds out an uneven (though visually strong) issue.

<sup>1. They're called aglets.
2. Defenestration, if you are curious. Or Frank Miller.
3. It is called the philtrum.</sup>

#04

Wildcat

#06

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

Wildcat #3

19 Nov 1988 - 18 Nov 1988; Cover price 40p.
32 pages. Colour & B&W.
Fleetway Publications.

Edited by Barrie Tomlinson.

Cover by Ian Kennedy

Free Alien Monster Stickers.

Contents:

 2 Turbo Jones UNTITLED [Arglons Attack the City] w: UNKNOWN; a: Ian Kennedy.

 7 Free Stamp Collector Starter Kit (half page) advertisement for Universal Stamp Co. / Warning - When You See This Cover Be Prepared for a Thrill-Power Overload (half page) in-house advertisement for Eagle Annual 1989.

 8 Joe Alien UNTITLED [Joe's Death Fall] w: UNKNOWN; a: Massimo Belardinelli.

11 Kitten Magee UNTITLED [Kitten's Had It!] w: UNKNOWN; a: Jose Ortiz.

16 Joe Alien UNTITLED (cont.)

18 Time-Warp Data Link (one and a quarter pages) feature page (uncredited);

19 Alien readers' art; Big Eye by Ed Hassall, Konzbo by Leigh Stevens, Snizboz by Jason Landau, the Spotted Snarler by Kevin Parkin, Angleman by Matthew Little.

20 Loner UNTITLED [Brought to the Bellari] w: UNKNOWN; a: David Pugh.

25 The Great Ark in is Wildcat 4 in-house advertisement.

26 The Invaders! w: UNKNOWN; a: UNKNOWN.

32 Robo pin-up. a: Joan Boix.

A creature carting around laser-blasting aliens, in no way inspired by Dino-Riders, takes the cover. There were, apparently, stickers in this issue also, but mine aren't present.

Foregoing any introduction, the issue moves straight into the Turbo Jones story. As the Burroids are being massacred by Arglons, Jones' sense of duty comes to the fore, and he agrees to assist in the defence of their city. With a rousing victory, Jones is made Commander, completely in charge of the army - which is going to need training, as the enemy intends to move against them in ten days.

Seeing a fearsome Terrasauron, the largest and most savage creature on the planet, Jones decides he wants it as his personal battle vehicle.

Wildcat really does seem to be a title calling out for tie-in merchandise. From cute Fuzzballs, to the creatures here, a great line of toys could have made this a title with lasting importance outside of the comic.

Joe survives a fall which would have killed anyone else, but loses his brain-pack in the process. As his team encounter more killer plants, Joe's body is pulled up into a giant tree. Attempts to free their leader are met with an attack which stops the men in their tracks, and without his intelligence, Joe is unable to provide any assistance of his own.

Kitten Magee manages to use her wrist lasers in time to save herself, and her strip, from her zombie-like attacker. The rest of the creatures mae her their leader upon witnessing her impressive fighting skills. Later, as it has passed midnight, Kitten moves away from the camp, and it is revealed that she is much older than her appearance would indicate. As she restores her vitality, the aliens attack her team.

Some impressive art, and of a very dark nature, enlivens the plot-by-numbers script. By solving a threat at the beginning of a story, only to have another appear at the end (and repeated in the next issue) the threats are diminished, whereas raising the threat level steadily through increasing dangers could have made the strip more solid - it seems as if the team aren't particularly well trained if they have to defeat a new threat each issue.

Loner's unconscious body is transported by the Fuzzballs to the great scarred lizard, who is revealed to be telepathic. Explaining that he is from another galaxy, belonging to the Bellari race, he crash-landed on the planet and found himself trapped in the underground caverns Loner also fell in to. After revealing that a gigantic beast resides deep in the caverns, the alien asks Loner to kill it.

There's a definite H.R. Giger feel to the beast Loner is going to face, and the body language of the scarred alien, when admitting that it is a wonder he hasn't gone insane after all these years, is wonderful. The consistently high level of art which the strip has, along with so many small details revealed in dialogue, makes the journey all the more enjoyable to read.

A meteoroid discovered in orbit around the planet is about to cross paths with the ship, and a team is sent to destroy it before the collision destroys the remnants of humanity. While investigating rock samples taken from it, three scientists are taken over by alien life-forms. Getting rid of a janitor and assuming control of the garbage chute (in which to dispose of the bodies of their victims), they start a reign of terror.

Anyone familiar with Apollo 18 might see similarities in the set-up, and a problem with the title is exposed painfully here - life aboard Wildcat is the most interesting facet of the title, and yet the entirety of events occurring on the ship are contained (and constrained) in bite-size horror-tinged tales which, by their nature, can't hope to capture the sense of loss and terror at being alone in the universe.

A strong issue, though not without problems. When you have artists this good, and the featured artists are extremely talented, the entirety of the title is lifted.

#02

Wildcat

#04

Wildcat #2

05 Nov 1988 - 18 Nov 1988; Cover price 40p.
32 pages. Colour & B&W.
Fleetway Publications.

Edited by Barrie Tomlinson.

Cover by Ian Kennedy

Free Alien Monster Stickers.

Contents:

 2 Wildcat The Story So Far... Introduction. recap; illustration by Ian Kennedy.

 3 Turbo Jones UNTITLED [Time to Fight Back] w: UNKNOWN; a: Ian Kennedy.

 8 Joe Alien UNTITLED [Stalking Joe Alien] w: UNKNOWN; a: Massimo Belardinelli.

11 Kitten Magee UNTITLED [Ten Metres and Closing] w: UNKNOWN; a: Jose Ortiz.

16 Joe Alien UNTITLED (cont.)

18 Time-Warp Data Link feature page (uncredited); pocket cartoon UNTITLED [Stonemason] by UNCREDITED, from a joke by G. Cartwright.

19 Alien readers' art; Songtun Shape-Changer by Andrew Cole, The Mighty Mouth Monster by Paul Ramsey, The Multi-Eyed Tree Terror by Colin Matthews, and The Floating Fiend by Lawrence Magee.

20 Loner UNTITLED [Underground Lake] w: UNKNOWN; a: David Pugh.

25 Free Stamp Collector Starter Kit (half page) advertisement for Universal Stamp Co. / Joe Alien Loses His Brain (half page) preview of next issue; illustrated by Massimo Belardinelli.

26 Space Madness w: UNKNOWN; a: .

32 Joe Alien pin-up. a: UNKNOWN.

Continuing the fine start, the free gift - a strip of three full-colour stickers (loosely-packed inside the issue) - follows the title's sense of exploring a new world, highlighting three creatures which can be found there. They are rather impressively sized, and many likely ended up being attached to books, bags, furniture, or smaller siblings - to have an issue complete with its free gift makes me very happy.

Turbo Jones, using his visor in a superb visual reference to Cyclops of the X-Men, shoots a flying lizard out of the air. What follows is a brief history lesson from the Supreme Monarch, outlining a conflict with the Arglons which has been raging for many years. Asked to take a position as military advisor, Jones' reaction is of incredulity at the suggestion.

Then a Dino-Rider appears.

Of course, it isn't actually a Dino-Rider, but close enough. There must have been something in the idea of immense creatures heaving around armor and ordinance, as mid- to late-eighties SF and fantasy properties were stuffed to the gills with the things. It isn't a bad example, thankfully, raised by some exceptional art.

Joe Alien's luck holds out, seeing the walking tree before it can reach him. While the depiction of the tree is fine, it does have the unfortunate effect of reminding me of WOW!'s Family Trees, but there are only so many ways that such a creature can be depicted... With the disappearance of Baker, Joe finally works out that the vegetation poses a danger to his rapidly diminishing unit. Baker's demise at a baby Sarlacc pit, with suitable sound effect, is a joy. It is amazing that the title wasn't merged with 2000 A.D..

Attempting to contact Wildcat to inform them of the situation, Joe discovers that communications aren't working. As the various forms of plant life gather, and hold a conference, the links to Family Trees and The Haunted Wood grow uncomfortably clear.

Despite being in the tropics, Kitten's team are remarkably well-clothed. It had occurred to me that the only reason to specifically state the location was to justify the eventual bikini-scene (it was the eighties), but Jose Ortiz's restraint here is admirable. The dialogue is dripping with knowing, and blatant, innuendo: "Kitten! Something in that bush!" and a multi-toothed creature rumbles "Huuuur! Huuuuur!" as the women walk past.

In a superbly creepy sequence, a group of humanoid creatures stumble out of the dark, their row of eyes glinting in the low light. It is a moment of complete and focused horror in what, to that point, has been a firmly SF strip. Slightly unfortunate in having the sole female main character be so easily swiped aside, but it is set up so that she can redeem herself in the next issue. Or die a horrible death. There's always the possibility that the title will contain a real surprise.

I'm tempted to make a comment about Crud, but given T-Bob, Nono, Snarf and Orko, it isn't the worst comedy sidekick. The name is, however, prone to mockery.

Dave Pugh's art in Loner is amazing. You likely don't need that pointed out, but it really shines here - even in the midst of so many great artists. The immense scar-faced lizard is one of the most memorable creatures from the title. Encountering a flying Fuzzball (again: why can't I buy one of these?) Loner is being slowly herded towards his demise.

Space Madness is a painfully eighties story - Rick X, a DJ aboard Wildcat, is shot while on-air. BY A ROBOT. Yes, that's the trick to make it a SF story. Leaving aside the likelihood of lugging along a DJ aboard a ship filled with people crucial to the survival of the human race, why is precious resources being expended on broadcasting throughout the ship? Even in 1988 there were such things as cassette tapes and CDs.

The robot is on a murderous rampage, and soon claims a second victim. This is reported in The Wildcat express, a newspaper which- Okay, hold on a minute. There's a newspaper on the ship? Really? Honestly? An actual printed-on-paper newspaper? Are there newspaper boys on the ship as well? Milk deliveries, with a little van scooting around the corridors? I bet there's a skateboard park somewhere on board as well.

A botany boffin listening to the thoughts of his plants (Roald Dahl much?) is killed next, and a witness to a fourth killing finally delivers a solid lead for the security officers investigating - a robot from the printing presses of Wildcat express. It turns out that the editor is responsible, in an unlikely turn of events, in order to create sensationalist headlines. I'd like to believe it was the robots themselves who were responsible - planning murders first, then escalating to going on strike and causing horror comics to disappear.

Not that it was any way inspired by real events.

#01

Wildcat

#03

Wildcat #1

22 Oct 1988 - 04 Nov 1988; Cover price 40p.
32 pages. Colour & B&W.
Fleetway Publications.

Edited by Barrie Tomlinson.

Free poster.

Cover by Ian Kennedy.

Contents:

.2 The Battle to Survive... Introduction. a: Ian Kennedy.

.3 Turbo Jones UNTITLED w: UNKNOWN; a: Ian Kennedy.

.8 Joe Alien UNTITLED w: UNKNOWN; a: Massimo Belardinelli.

11 Kitten Magee UNTITLED w: UNKNOWN; a: Jose Ortiz.

16 Joe Alien UNTITLED (cont.)

18 Time-Warp Data Link feature page (uncredited).

20 Loner UNTITLED w: UNKNOWN; a: David Pugh.

25 Wildcat Update Next issue information.

26 Final Mission w: UNKNOWN; a: Horacio Lalia.

32 Kitten Magee pin-up. a: Jose Ortiz.

While it may be a delight to look at, there are minor storytelling elements which show that this is aimed at a younger audience than 2000 A.D., but even with the (extremely) soft SF angle it is a great introduction to a universe obviously thought about in some detail. The larger page size benefits the artwork, and Ian Kennedy surpasses himself with a cover which is filled with interesting detail.

Turbo Jones, expedition leader, searching for humanity's new home in the wake of Earth's destruction, finds himself (and his men) captured by an alien race upon landing on the strange planet they have discovered. Taken to an alien city, he is informed that the Supreme Monarch wishes to question him, but things go sideways when an alien riding a flying beast arrives. It's a fine, if rather pedestrian, script, which rushes through plot points in order to keep the pace moving.

Then to Shuttle Wildcat Two, with Joe Alien - last surviving member of his race, magna-intelligent, natural leader, and brain power so immense that he was fitted with an external brain pack at birth. The main problem with having an external brain pack is superbly demonstrated straight away, when he authorises a crew-member to briefly remove it, rendering him a gibbering idiot. It is obvious that this is going to be a recurring problem for the character, and demonstrates what the age-range of readers was expected to be.

Joe's group discovers hallucinogenic plants which quickly turn out to be man-eating ones. The rest of the crew don't seem too upset that Davis is missing (did he break wind in the shuttle? Hog the broadband?), while problems continue in the form of an approaching tree as camp is being readied for the night. The colour pages don't greatly increase the appeal, though the inclusion does allow for some inventive palette choices.

Meanwhile, Kitten Magee, taking Shuttle Wildcat Three, journeys to the planet's tropical jungles with her all-female crew. It is less that the genders are treated equally than it is Kitten not liking men. For a title which skewed younger, the suggestion here will probably have bypassed the audience. Casandra Cardeti makes the rookie mistake of wanting to be the first to step foot on the planet's surface, and is immediately grabbed by a giant tentacle. It turns out to be a giant slug-like creature, and is rapidly dispatched.

The violence on display, as with the dialogue ("I'm sure we'll find more weird things for you to play with"), is portrayed casually, with the focus on Kitten's competence in the face of seemingly overwhelming odds. With help like Casandra, Kitten had better be good... The questions raised by the setting are ignored (why would the slug hand over food?), and jewelry is shown to be functional items rather than mere decoration. All very paint-by-numbers, but done with enough panache to get away with it from young readers.

There's an odd final panel, hinting at forthcoming plot developments, where an obese alien on a floating platform calls Kitten - safely out of earshot - "My pretty one." It always bothered me that alien concepts of beauty would cross species-lines in such a way that he could view her as anything other than a hideous alien creature.

Loner, who, appropriately, works alone, arrives at his destination aboard Shuttle Wildcat Four. He is the most stereotypical character in the title, going so far as to name his firearm, an antique six-gun converted to fire assorted bullets a-la Dredd, "Babe." Fortunately, the strip is rendered in loving detail by David Pugh, who provides a solidity and realism to the world around the character. The main problem with a solitary character, cut off from communication by terrain, is shown clearly in the numerous thought balloons which pepper the pages.

A rockslide sees him travel beneath the surface, where he discovers that luminous rocks act as an artificial daylight, and encounters small Furby-like creatures which are capable of giving electric shocks. Which knock-off Furbies are also capable of. So blatant is the cute-factor that toy tie-ins were the only possible reason the little critters are prominently showcased.

Final Mission, the complete story, closes off the first issue. Commander Lancelot Knight, the Wildcat's pilot, discovers a strange craft nearby. It turns out to be Explorer III, one of the most famous spacecraft of all time, launched in 1999 with a crew formed of all the super powers, with a symbolic task for international peace to explode Earth's last nuclear weapon in space. A message from the ancient ship is received, and Knight (recklessly) suits up and goes exploring. He's confronted with the ghosts of the crew, and asked to help detonate the warhead so the crew can be at peace.

There's no real sense of a command structure in place, nor indication that all that remains of humanity are aboard the Wildcat, which makes taking matters seriously more difficult. It isn't so much that the writing is sloppy (the pacing of the stories is solid, and the dialogue often very amusing), but that the rush to set up external conflicts has muted some of the possible internal strife.

The title would have benefited from being more ship-bound at the beginning of the series, with exploration growing organically from the storytelling, and stronger ties between the individual characters. Without having a sense of the desperation for a new homeworld, the scenes on the planet appear to be the main crew mucking around planetside while everyone waits, twiddling their thumbs, aboard the ship in orbit.

Wildcat is frustratingly inconsistent, but wonderful to look at.