2000AD Prog #2: “Laugh This Off, Twinkletoes!”
Greetings, thrill-seekers. Today, we’re once again beaming down via our Trans-Time Corp time-travel platforms and journeying back to the nascent era of 2000AD—specifically, to the legendary second prog. Why is this a momentous occasion? Well, a certain stony-face Judge is slated to make his very first appearance in the pages of the Galaxy’s Greatest Comic!
*Read our coverage of the first prog.
There’s so much to unpack: from groundbreaking storytelling to the seeds of what would become iconic narratives. Join us here at Strontium Blog as we dissect, reminisce, and fanboy (or fangirl, or fan-they, because we’re all-inclusive here) over this significant piece of 2000AD history. Let’s get zarjaz!
Prog #2 (5 March 1977)
Cover by Massimo Belardinelli
Thrill 1: Invasion!
Script: Pat Mills , Gerry Finley-Day
Art: Jesus Blasco, Sarompas, Pat Wright
Synopsis:
After losing his wife to a stray tank shell during the invasion of Britain by the Volgan Republic of Asia, lorry driver and grade-A badass Bill Savage commences his murder spree of revenge. He takes out his ire on a Volgan tank commander and his underlings drinking at his local pub, blasting them to Kingdom Come with his monstrous shotgun (‘Me Cannon’).
Heading out back to reload, Savage channels Dirty Harry (Do you feel lucky, ‘sunshine’?) as he takes out the unlucky Volgan commander with a double-barreled blast of death, right in the chest.
Taking a bottle of vodka from the pub owner, Savage fashions a Molotov cocktail, and torches the interior of the Volgans’ tank, getting a type of closure for the death of his family, since it was a tank that took them out. But lurking in the shadows, a sinister figure spies on Savage, and makes his intentions clear in the final panel.
Thoughts:
This was another spectacular thrill, showing Bill Savage’s drive and talent for killing large amounts of Volgans with only a couple of blasts from his shotgun. Pat Mills, this time assisted by Gerry Finley-Day, delivered a fantastic script filled with action and macho moments. The art by Jesus Blasco, Sarompas, and Pat Wright was also terrific and portrayed the death of the Volgans in a gruesome but comedic light.
Verdict: 5/5 Thrills Shocks! Thrill Power Overload!
Thrill 2: Flesh!
Script: Pat Mills, Ken Armstrong
Art: Boix
Synopsis:
Heading back to the Trans-Time base on prehistoric earth, Earl Reagan and his men herd the Styrachosaur herd into the Fleshdozers, but something goes wrong. An accident ensues, causing one of Earl’s men to fall prey to the slashing blades of the machines, turning him into hamburger meat. The fact that he’s going to be packaged and sent to the future as someone’s dinner doesn’t seem to bother Eagan one bit… yeesh.
All’s not hunky-dory when the future-posse head out to corral more dinos for the hungry gluttons from the future, though. No sooner had they spotted a herd of new herbivores, than they are attacked by crazed Pteranodons! Cue the pterror! 😉
As the flying monsters wreak havoc and chew on some future cowboy flesh, Earl’s young protege Joe Brontowski proves that he’s as tough as they come when he takes on a Pteranodon in mid-air… with his bare hands! Pterrific!
Thoughts:
Pat Mills, Ken Armstrong, and premiere dinosaur illustrator Boix continue to flesh out the world of Flesh with a look at the more technical aspects of slaughtering dinosaur with the introduction of the trans-time platforms and the Fleshdozers. There’s also the requisite number of expected grisly death scenes, as well as some nail-biting action against the Pteranodons. So what’s not to love?
The Verdict: Yet another brilliant prog. 5/5 Thrill Shocks!
Thrill 3: M.A.C.H.1
Script: Robert Flynn
Art: Ian Kennedy
Synopsis:
John Probe, the British Government’s biotronic M.A.C.H. man scrambles an interceptor jet to overtake a hijacked Vulcan Bomber filled with cannisters of deadly nerve gas. The terrorists on board aim to blanket London with it, but Probe launces himself from the jet towards the hijacked plane at near supersonic speeds, and uses his enhanced strength to tear his way into the stolen craft.
Next, we are treated to a battle where Probe’s hyper strength makes mincemeat of the terrorists, to the accompaniment of his onboard CPU’s stream of date about the exact nature of the unfortunate men’s injuries, and precisely what caused their deaths. He crushes and punches his way through the plane until he gets to the cockpit, where a nerve gas leak induces brief visions of madness.
After death-punching the sneaky pilot, Probe manages to shake off the effects (nerve gas results in death to normal folks, but to a MACH its merely a bad trip). He lands the plane, scaring the crap out of Londoners trying to go about their daily lives while a jet weaves crazily between office buildings.
Without so much as a pat on the back for saving London and landing the plane safely, MACH1’s superiors vow to send him on even more dangerous missions as a reward for his bravery. Typical.
Thoughts: Though rife with action, I find John Probe a bit of a boring character that is much too close in looks an temperament to the Six Million Dollar Man; almost a direct rip-off in fact. But do you know what the biggest difference between the two is? Probe has absolute no qualms about utilizing full hyper power to turn his foes in to bloody pulp. So I guess the story has that going for it. The art by Ian Kennedy is serviceable but generic. However, he does have a knack for flowing action scenes, which I appreciate.
Verdict: 3/5 Thrill Shocks. Medium levels of Thrill Power only.
Thrill 4: Dan Dare
Script: Kelvin Gosnell
Art: Massimo Belardinelli
Synopsis:
Our story starts as Dan Dare, now a stowaway on the star cruiser ‘Odyssey,’ tries to make his way to the bridge to convince the captain, a fifth-generation Martian called Mr. Monday, that death awaits them near Jupiter. During the last prog Dare’s crew had perished when orbiting the so-called ‘Hell-Planet’ (Jupiter) and now he intends to prevent a second tragedy. Targeted for termination by the Odyssey’s security forces, Dare gets into a scuffle with a member of the crew, beating him to a pulp, and incinerating two other crew members in a freak Molecularizer mishap.
Finally reaching the bridge, Dare tries to convince Mr. Monday of his plight, but he is summarily sentenced to be executed. Before the sentence can be carried out, the ship passes Jiper’s Great Red Spot, when everything goes haywire. An alien monstrosity appears on deck in a cascade of energy, prompting Dare to cry “What is that thing from the Hell Planet?”
Thoughts:
This was a great thrill with fantastic art by Massimo Belardinelli. Though not a lot happens, we do see that Dan Dare is not to be trifled with when he has set his mind on something. The molecularizer weapons were a nice touch, and the deaths are suitably chilling. The design of the encroaching alien is gnarly, and serves to leave readers salivating for more.
Verdict: I am absolutely in love with this stunning Belardinelli art. 4/5 Thrill-Shocks. Thrill Power at maximum!
Thrill 5: Harlem Heroes
Script: Pat Mills
Art: Dave Gibbons
Synopsis:
The three remaining members of the Harlem Heroes, following the horrific hover-liner crash from last prog, are four men down. While practicing their Aeroball plays, the aged Aeroball legend Conrad King shows up, surprising Slim , Hairy, and team captain Giant with his legendary skills, which age hasn’t slowed down in the least. They promptly add him to the lineup. The Heroes have a habit of playing Aeroball without armor though, so I don’t know how an old man will handle getting hit by a rocket-powered body at 80 miles an hour…
Conrad suggests that they recruit more members by scouting for some talent in the Harlem slums, where kids live on Aeroball, often playing with dangerous and illegal homemade jetpacks. One such kid, Zack Harper impresses the heroes with his daring and bravery.
Saving him from a fiery death when his jetpack threatens to explode, Giant recruits him for the team, and commences training him for the next big match. Two former team members, Chico and Sammy, who transferred out to the Seattle Swifts, offer to come back to complete the roster, and before you can say “Conrad’s your granddad,” the Harlem Heroes are flying out to meet the Baltimore Bulls, their next challenge on the way to the championship. Can they win with such an unproven squad? And have they fully recovered from the trauma of the last prog? We’ll have to wait and see.
Thoughts:
Dave Gibbons shines on the art, as is to be expected, while Pat Mills is clearly having a lot of fun writing the adventures of the Heroes. The vista of the Sky-Slums of Harlem is particularly poignant, and the kinetic energy of the Aeroball game featuring Zack Harper is addictive.
Verdict: This thrill continues to deliver, firing its jetpack at full thrust. 5/5 Thrill-Shocks!
Thril 6: Judge Dredd
Script: Pat Mills
Art: Mike McMahon
Synopsis:
We’re finally introduced to Mega-City 1 in the late 21st century. Judges patrol the streets – they are the law! And Judge Dredd is the best among them. He has such a reputation that criminals all over mean to take him down, just to make names for themselves. Our story starts as a Judge is ambushed and murdered by a punk-looking criminal called Whitey and his gang. Whitey sends the corpse of the Judge back to the Hall of Justice, tied to the handles of his Lawmaster bike! The Chief Judge is incensed and vows to bomb Whitey’s skyscraper hideout , but Judge Dredd steps in, vowing to bring them to justice.
The killing of a Judge warrants a harsh sentence, and Dredd carries it out. He tactically exterminates Whitey’s gang with ruthless efficiency, employing guile, stealth, expert marksmanship, and murderous hand-to-hand combat techniques. The self-appointed new ‘Judge Whitey’ never stood a chance.
Whitey is left alive however, to serve time in the most brutal prison of all, Devil’s Island, a huge traffic island in the middle of a complex network of highways, making the noise unbearable, and escape impossible. Our thrill ends with Dredd hanging up the badge of the dead Judge Alvin on a commemorative wall, saying that that is the best possible death for a Judge – dying in defence of the law!
Thoughts: The first appearance of Judge Dredd only vaguely introduces his world, but even in this proto-form it is a compelling setting. The concept of a lawman with powers beyond that of a normal police officer is fascinating, especially in a facistic future state, and there’ a lot of story potential there, as we’ll come to see in future progs when John Wagner takes over the writing duties of the character he created with artist Carlos Ezquerra. The art by Mike McMahon is rough, as he was told to ape Carlos’ style, but it has a grotesque beauty to it, and will only get better as the thrills stack up. In its fledgling form, however, the story doesn’t not encapsulate the greatness that is yet to come.
Verdict: 3/5 Prog Shocks. Medium levels of Thrill.
The Wrap-Up
And there you have it, citizens — an overview of 2000AD’s second prog. It’s incredible how something that began so many years ago still resonates and shapes the comic universe today. But, as always, the conversation shouldn’t stop here. What were your favorite moments from this prog? Any overlooked gems that you’d like to highlight? Drop your thoughts in the comments below. And if you’ve enjoyed this nostalgic journey as much as I did, don’t forget to hit that subscribe button. Every click ensures you won’t miss out on any future trips down memory lane or any of our other 2000AD adventures. Stay thrill-powered and I’ll catch you next time!
Herm
On my fifth birthday a relative gifted me a black box filled with old horror, war, and superhero comics. On that day, my journey through the Weird began, and The Longbox of Darkness was born. Four decades of voracious reading later, and here we are.
