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

On This Day: 23 Dec

The Steel Claw: The Vanishing Man by Ken Bulmer & Jesús Blasco. (Titan Books Ltd.; 2005)

First Appearances:

Roback's Raiders in Warlord (D.C. Thomson & Co., Ltd.) #379 (26 Oct 1981).

Births:

Francesc Masip (1941)

Deaths:

José Ortiz (2013)

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

POW! Annual 1971

[1970] Annual. Original price 10/. or 50p.
80 pages. Full colour & tone art.
Odhams Books

Painted cover UNKNOWN (uncredited).

Contents:

 2 Frontispiece a: UNKNOWN (uncredited).

 4 Magno: Man of Magnetism w: UNKNOWN (uncredited); a: Miguel Quesada (uncredited).

11 Aquavenger! w: UNKNOWN (uncredited); a: Victor Ibanez (uncredited).

17 Mr. Tomorrow: Criminal from the Future w: UNKNOWN (uncredited); a: Matias Alonso (uncredited).

26 The Hunter and the Hunted w: UNKNOWN (uncredited); a: UNKNOWN (uncredited).

33 Electro w: UNKNOWN (uncredited); a: Jose Ortiz (uncredited).

41 The Esper Commandos w: UNKNOWN (uncredited); a: Enric Badia Romero (uncredited).

50 Marksman Versus the Saboteur w: UNKNOWN (uncredited); a: UNKNOWN (uncredited).

57 The Phantom w: UNKNOWN (uncredited); a: Eustaquio Segrelles (uncredited).

65 Norstad of the Deep w: UNKNOWN (uncredited); a: Leopoldo Ortiz (uncredited).

74 The Time-Rider w: UNKNOWN (uncredited); a: Victor Ibanez (uncredited).

This is a highly eccentric annual, filled to the brim with characters you have not heard of. It isn't an entirely successful launch of the characters, but it offers a fascinating insight into the European model of superheroes. The logic of creating entirely new characters (well... comparatively original characters, but I'll get to that in a moment) was a solid one - by owning the rights to the material, Odhams would have been in a better position to fully exploit the strips.

Unfortunately, nothing ever came of the enterprise, so what might have happened to the Marvel reprint scene had the annual been a success is open to debate. The artwork is more realistic and slightly darker than the broad strokes used in US material at the time, with numerous details throughout which lends a more grounded feel to the over-the-top powers.

Whatever the reasons for the publication of the all-new lineup, there are marked differences to the American style in nearly every regard. The strips open with the name of the main character instead of the story title (in a hold-over from the way weekly adventure strips were presented), creator credits are absent, and the length of each strip is remarkably short, especially given that a sizable portion of the book is taken up with the origins of the characters.

In addition to the style of artwork chosen, this tonal difference couldn't have helped sell children on the idea that they were getting something equivalent to the strips which bore Marvel or DC characters. The explicit setting of the first strip in London is especially odd, if the intention was to encourage comparison to US material.

Magno, in a costume reminiscent of the X-Men's Cyclops, with wings from Captain America's mask, is a strange mix of sixties adventure shows with the superhero format. The first couple of pages brings to mind The Avengers or The Persuaders, with a handsome hero riding in to a dangerous location in a fancy car, but soon establishes an element of the unusual in a criminal gang whose modus operandi includes the wearing of elaborate masks.

To hide their shame at appearing in this annual, perhaps?

The beautifully rendered vehicles, and the abrupt ending, are so different to what was appearing elsewhere at the time that it must have puzzled anyone expecting a reprise of reprint material in the UK. Aquavenger is a less interesting version of the aquatic hero popularized by The Man from Atlantis, Aquaman and Namor, the Sub-Mariner, although the strip doesn't so much end as is wrapped up before running out of pages.

European influence is to the forefront in Mr Tomorrow, which has a very interesting symbol representing the future society in the first panel. A modified NATO-esque globe, with the impression that a new world order is in place, sits at odds with the odd penalty handed down to the unnamed criminal (surely that is an electric chair?), who will go on to identify himself (bizarrely) as Mr Tomorrow. The story is completely wrapped up within the brief space allotted to his adventure, rendering future use of the scenario moot. The Hunter and the Hunted is an idea straight out of the fifties, merging the wild west with crime drama. As a comic strip it lacks a certain energy, but is the only character whom I could imagine as starring in a half-decent television show.

The immediately following strip, Electro is the first in which to posit a superhero universe rather than standalone adventures. As soon as the origin is taken care of, the main character is taken to the Super Security Bureau, where - on the wall of the office of the head of the organization - there are images of other super-powered individuals such as Mr. Whiz, Iron Dog and Flame Man.

Not terribly inspiring names, but the American influence here is the strongest in the annual. If only Iron Dog had been given one of the available slots in this annual...

In a costume reminiscent of Captain Marvel, Eddie Edwards (gotta love those alliterative names) soon finds himself facing off against a horde of crystal-like enemies (years before Defenders of the Earth would do the same) and once again the action moves to the water for its' conclusion. The reinforcement of US sensibilities is also present in the location of the story - Surf City, USA.

Esper Commandos is the best of the collection, in no small part due to it owing more to the science fiction strips which had been a staple of British comics than to any superhero title. It feels like an early 2000 AD or Starlord strip, with a darker subject matter than the surrounding strips. Marksman (no relation to the US strips, though with a remarkably similar costume) is - after the preceding tale - rather a disappointment.

The notion that, at some point in the future, superhero garb will be worn by security guards, pushes the willing suspension of disbelief required far too much. On much better ground, The Phantom (which employs much of the original Ghost Rider's gimmick of appearing to be a spirit), though the tale is an ultimately disposable crime drama wrapped in superhero elements.

Norstad Of The Deep is the most puzzling of these tales. It's main character is the kind of creature which would have been right at home in a low-budget fifties monster film, and the mind-transference plot relies on the kind of pseudo-scientific mumbo-jumbo more usually found in SF films of the forties. The only thing which the strip has going for it is the glorious artwork, but even this isn't enough to retain much interest.

The final strip, The Time-Rider, stars a genius inventor, millionaire, time-traveling cowboy. He probably juggles as well, which will come in handy when he realises this is as good as it gets. It is the most blatant example of throwing everything possible into a plot in the hopes that one aspect will rise to the surface. Unfortunately, it squanders every opportunity it gets, and leaves no lingering sense of unfinished business.

Not only is Kash Pearce an insufferable idiot (especially regarding his informed abilities), his mechanical horse doesn't even look like a robot. D.C. Thomson's various use of such horses were much better, and this steed doesn't have a fraction of Galaxy Rangers' appeal. It is a story which brings the annual to close on a disappointing note.

An incredibly strange annual, and an experiment in creating a raft of new characters which didn't truly capitalize on the opportunity. As a Pow! annual it fails to make any reference to the weekly title, but as a stand-alone superhero title it remains an interesting glimpse into the British superhero scene which could have arisen in the seventies if more interest had been present. It is well worth reading to see just how different the creative process was at the beginning of the seventies, and, naturally, for the glorious artwork.

As a superhero annual it lacks finesse, though numerous concepts would be revisited by other hands over the course of the nest twenty years to provide the title with the curious benefit of appearing to be published before its' time.

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

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

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