2,000AD, published by IPC, is the latest thing in comics, with stories ser in imoginary futures. Aimed or those in sneir carin reens. selling point is the graphic detailing of extraordinary Violence:
The storles are distinguishable by. a lack of imagination that is truly prodigious, observes our reviewer JANICE MILLS.
The comic is best known for having revived Dan Dare of Eagle Tame. But the 1977 Dare bears Little resemblance to the 1930's version. In 2,000AD he has been revived suspended animation in the year 2177, having acquired a new hair style and personality to match — both extremely nesty.
Gone are the Boy Scout moralsofthe earlier creation. In IRE Ohn hn Tiurr Thrn ti suery subsoriber trom Deoomber's Levelier.
Dut now with: Provisional Meinhol Italian Kong S0QUU 9P9H. SOD Single cope BE TAAR WiumldalasLoneer SILLE place, bully whose only saving grace is determined disrespect tor authority.
in this regand he bears remarkable resemblance to CCI HERCE CITR HAC CMIC L' well as an armada of film and FV leadingroles, The Mekon -Dare's old arch enemy -also been revived: unchanged. But in any case there's not much you can do with a murderous green midger who wants to The plot moves with all the subtlery of a sceam shovel. Dare is captured, tortured, escapes, and returns to bring the Mekon to justice. All this in a setting CTRET gives the term science fiction a whole new meaning. A TAMTSC HHHe WOUT nave been better adivsed to call recent serial Fiesh, involving time-travellers visiling the Jurasic period to kill dinosaurs for The tale when boer sides had enten each other with the help of some mant soders. ul has teen suc ceeded by Shako.
They held him for hours Someday 1 must try this For the sake of the country Justice And to satisly my search for ine Novel Il the thumbs stay where they are And the body drops We will know scientifically That a man's thumbe cannot ocar Ene wogn Dr a 000y Allached to it And if he screams we will have discovered trigger-happy teatures a CIA agents, Which, I must say, is the nearest 2,000A D gets to a good idea.
These are presided over hyan editorial columa authorised by an alien called Tharg, thus proving thar IPC employs at least one Piwrte has Eve reader. Here it is claimed, he with somc credibility. that the stories are written by robots. In an obvious refercoce to IPC's industrial relations policy. conquer the Tharg teils renders that wben mistakes appear in the comic che robot responsible is disintegrated.
AERO BALL Practically all the stories bear a close relation bo books and Herdes. for instance is about a game called aero-hall, which is hell, just roller ball fifty feet above was tbe ground. Mach One is the bionic man with the addition of a buitt-in computer.
meat. There Is a fair amounr all end explicit polities in 2,000AD.
Invasion is resistance (led hy the usuni butch herol after conquest by a This nation called the Valgans. For Holidays in Argentina T nsb (nUlas revery time a man loses his thumbs he screams" method Or whenerer a man is guilly he loses his thumbs' Or *If he does not scraam he is not really a man' CARTIS-PENES That he is not unconsdious Dead Or faking the screams RON PRATT, December 1977 bear eating Needless to and the other stories isto be Britisb more my lint films. Herlem OO BILTiLT However the comic of thase of judge ahour Name Address we must Include the benefit of its readers who don't get the pun, the enemy soldiers wear Russian unsforms.
say. they are motivated bya bloodlust second W's. only to the bero's. The dialogue. when il transcends grunts and groans, consists of stateinents about what an excellent thing it CLUL Judge Similarly Moch One, sent in issue 25 to rescue hostages from the third world terror group, dismisses theiden of negotiating for the hostages lives with the poetic words: T'm not here to chat up thugs, chum! Actions ACTICS Whereupon he proceeds to et fect one rescue by turning the terrorists into mca All this sounds prety dreary.
has redecming feature. Really. The brings the final story each wock is Judge Dredd. Ser in Mega City One, chich appears to be the Ne F'ork of the future, Dredd I actually a policeman — whose jab by chat time also includes and juryTn parucuar mwure, ta the Inw. plcasodtoreport. is as campasa Domestic: 6 months, £3.75; 12 months E7.50 Abroad: Airmail, £12.50. Surface, E9 per annum.
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Socialist Challenge, 32879 Lipper Street, Loadon NI. cow of teats. Judge Drodd is clad in forn-fitting lescher gear servant, a robot called Walter, pronounces all its R'su:
Their relationship is constructived around such endearments as: 'Off your knees, you snivelling hunk of Dredd is also sears TEO TETSTRIR ETADAATO stery in which women appear, apelt troo in crowd soencs Here the female characters are not depicted as any more stupid or unpleasaot than the male and 2,000AD informed throughour by the image of the 'natural', brutal, hairy chested man.
The tongue-in-cheek style of Jadige Dreddavoids the worst of these kind expesses. But it aslo directly political meaning far cioser to the surlace. Each episode ends with a neat little homily. A typical sample: No way you could win plasing against the law.
Throughour the stories there Is an almost mystical worship of Conduct and moral worth are measured exclusively SUBSCRIBE NOW!
Cheques, POs und Money Orders should be made payable to "Socialist Challenge". by legal criteria. The worse arrocities are permitted, provided you are on the side of the law. Roquired reading, I would have thought, specialiy b. strates. and especially Oakley:
ago the - producer. comics felt an overwhelming confidence in their ability to pronote middle class morality The Lion, Eagel, and Boys Own Paper openly sought 1o produce clean patriotie young Britons. 2,000AD bas ababdoned the morals of [ta predecessors. Its greatest hope is to produce fear of authority This is no testament to middle class morality. It is evidence of the turpitude produced in society by ruling class UELEDE. 2.000AD is read b thousands of youngsters, IPC wants them all to grow up as goons.
2,000AD is publisled weekly ar (according to tbe page one box! Sp Earth Mouey, South Africa 30c. Mercury 17g. Asteroid Belt 20g. cic.
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