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 #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 #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.

Star Lord #1

13 May 1978; Cover price 12p.
32 pages. Colour & B&W.
IPC Magazines Ltd.

Edited by Kelvin Gosnell.

Cover by Ramon Sola.

Free badge.

Contents:

.2 Planet of the Damned UNTITLED, part one, w: R.E. Wright (Pat Mills & Kelvin Gosnell); a: Horacio Lalia, lettering by Bill Nuttal.

.8 TimeQuake UNTITLED, part one, w: Jack Adrian (Chris Lowder); a: Ian Kennedy, lettering by Peter Knight.

14 Close Encounters of the Fourth Kind - Fighting for Star Lord Introduction by Kelvin Gosnell; illustrated by Ian Gibson.

15 Starlord Survival Blueprints! (half page) content information. / Starlord Star-Squad Equipment free gift information.

16 Strontium Dog UNTITLED, part one, w: T.B. Grover (John Wagner); a: Carlos Ezquerra, lettering by Jack Potter.

21 In Starlord Next Week

22 Ro-Busters Day of the Robot, part one, w: Pat Mills; Carlos Pino, lettering by Tom Frame.

Since 1945, more than 100 planes and ships and 1,000 men have mysteriously disappeared between Bermuda and Florida in an area of ocean known as the Bermuda Triangle.

Anita 20,000 ton freighter -crew of 32 -disappeared March 1973
M.S. Marine Sulphur Queen -crew of 39 -disappeared February 2, 1963
Flight 19 -five Grumman Avenger Bombers -disappeared December 5, 1945
PBM Martin Mariner Flying Boat -went to find Flight 19 -disappeared December 5, 1945

Examining these disappearances, scientists have suggested they somehow broke through the Earth's Time-Space Continuum - into another dimension - and are lost on another planet. A planet of no return - A...

Planet of the Damned

George X. Sand has a lot to answer for. There was a publishing boom during the late sixties and through the seventies expanding and expounding on the notion that a nebulous area of water (variously described, but corresponding to a roughly triangular shape) was responsible for mysterious disappearances. It was, of course, complete nonsense, but that didn't stop a lot of companies jumping on the bandwagon with their own takes on the concept.

Arriving on the heels of The Fantastic Journey, it isn't difficult to see Planet of the Damned's main inspirations, though at least there is a touch of originality in the handling. An AWT Tri-Star jet on a transatlantic flight is sucked into an abyss, whereupon they discover that they are above a landscape which they don't recognise. As the magnetic compass spins madly, the plane lands.

Lew Kerr, a business tycoon, and Stan Hackmann, a well-known science fiction writer disagree as to where they are. Their location is confirmed to be somewhere other than a remote island when a vaguely-humanoid creature with no eyes or mouth approaches. A rugged chap in a loin cloth leaps in and kills the creature, before introducing himself as Bosun Flint of the brig "Gallantine," and is shooed off as a barbaric murderer.

More of the creatures arrive, and silently lead the passengers to a lake of water. It turns out to be poison, and when one of the creatures is confronted it responds by spitting acid in the co-pilot's face. Flint returns and dispatches the creatures, before striking a dramatic pose and stating that "on the planet of the damned... the only way to survive is the barbarian way.

The Ab-Humans are unsettling, with folds of flesh in haphazard configurations, the passengers are... well, they are prospective food for whatever lives there. Flint, though taking inspiration from Tarzan and the like, is an intriguing enough character. The comment about being a bosun raises the hopes of some Robinson Crusoe style backstory. While the opening sequence feels rushed, there's plenty of detail in the telling to smooth over qualms about pacing issues.

newsflash 0714 gmt 1st May, 1978 Paris Agency I.P.

LONDON, NEW YORK AND MOSCOW HIT BY NUCLEAR STRIKES - STOP - FURTHER STRIKES EXPECTED WITHIN MINUTES - STOP - CATASTROPHE CAN BE TRACED BACK TO MAN BELIEVED CALLED KEMAL AZWAN - STOP

One could politely conjecture that TimeQuake is very, very loosely inspired by John Varley's Air Raid, but a background of the third world war raging significantly raises the stakes for the characters. James Blocker, skipper of the steamer Azwan, is in an empty carriage of a London underground carriage when a man appears from a shimmering light. Blocker is told that he has a mere twenty seconds, but doesn't want to hear more. Two more figures appear, and he is pushed through the warp with barely two seconds to spare.

When Blocker awakes, he finds himself 85 million years in the past. He attempts to leave, believing that he has been kidnapped by crazy people, but the sight of a dinosaur stops him in his tracks. Informed of the destruction of London, Blocker is told that he is the direct cause of the devastation. This is where things get more interesting - the Droon, a highly-developed but brutal race from the Rigel system are mentioned as an aggressive element in the far future.

"In 1997 a man called Lyon Sprague discovered a means of travelling faster than light. The Sprague Interstellar Drive carried man to the stars and beyond. By the 40th century man was the greatest power in the universe!"

The Droon, in some means we aren't privy to, managed to steal the secret of temporal warp-displacement. Or, for laymen, time travel.

The group which pulled Blocker from London are introduced as Harl Vinda (controller of the station, from the 38th century), Suzi Cho (princess of Haniken Empire, from the 32nd century), Quexalcholmec (pure-strain Aztec), and Marcus Geladius (a centurion attached to the 9th Legion), and they are all members of Time-Control. By changing the past, the Droon have managed to defeat humanity in the future.

At which point the Droon arrive to kill everyone.

Lowder has so many big ideas to play with that the story risks being overloaded, but there is a remarkably clear set of problems for the characters to solve. Reading the story now, there are hints of everything from TimeCop, through Time Trax, Seven Days, to the adaptation of Varley's story, Millennium. The timewar angle has since been beaten to death by Star Trek: Enterprise, though nowhere near as skillfully, yet none of the various properties riffing on the idea have so varied or interesting a cast.

The quality doesn't flag. Strontium Dog begins as it means to carry on, with an action-packed scene of Johnny and Wulf being fired upon. Their attackers are wearing chameleon cloaks, making it difficult to accurately defend against the attack, but the attackers aren't prepared for Johnny. Using his x-ray vision, he sights the position of the two men, and both Johhny and Wulf return fire.

Using advanced technology, Wulf returns one of the men to life so Johnny can interrogate him for the location of Max Quirxx, convicted of multiple murder on Bario-3. Learning what they need to know, they let the man die a second time. Setting off to take down their target, the anti-mutant prejudice is clear in the jeers and offhanded comments of the citizens they pass.

Carlos Ezquerra brings a comprehensively futuristic setting to life, with ridiculously detailed backgrounds and faces full of character. It isn't the kind of strip which can be called traditionally beautiful, yet is gorgeous to look at all the same.

The prologue for Ro-Busters contains an unnecessary jibe at Japanese imports (with stereotypical dialogue) which takes the sheen of the strip a little. Ro-Jaws, F.R.E.D. 2L (Federal Recycling and Environmental 'Droid) and Hammerstein (an army surplus war 'droid) are sent to Mek-Quake to be destroyed, but Howard Quartz, a billionaire who had his organs replaced to extend his life (thus the nickname Mr. Ten Per Cent), has done a deal to purchase them for his international rescue operation.

A colour two-page splash kicks off the story properly, and is an insanely detailed disaster. Pages which follow this are peppered with homages to sixties Thunderbirds comics, with jagged borders and angled views of the ships used in the rescue missions,clearly signaling that the story isn't to be taken too seriously. While the strip may be simple in comparison to the other contents, there is a real sense of love for the characters. Even the secondary robots (Angel and Chatterbox, in particular) get interesting scenes which play to their abilities.

This is a great start to the title, with the only downside being a vaguely-unlikable host in the form of Starlord himself. He looks far, far too smug. The overall package is a step up in quality from 2000 A.D. (better paper, more colour pages), and even the slight mis-steps can be overlooked as teething troubles.