Quote of the Week: “Who gains, who gains? That’s the clue Inga! Nobody kills for nothing – unless they’re a total psychopath like me, and even I like to turn a profit.” – P.J. ponders about his impersonator in Judge Dredd.
Cover: Cliff Robinson draws P.J. Maybe and Dredd.
Contents: Judge Dredd, Shakara, Kingdom, Strontium Dog and Stickleback all continue.
Review in less than 10 words: The worms turn.
Spoilers…
All these reviews are a bit, erm, crap I’m afraid. The problem with trying to review every issue is that progs like this, with five stories all in full flow, are very difficult to write anything particularly new about which hasn’t already been said.
Judge Dredd: Emphatically Evil – the life and crimes of P. J. Maybe part 4. Dredd leaves Beeny to continue the murder investigation so he can concentrate on the upcoming mutie law vote. Meanwhile, P. J. begins some inquiries of his own, getting remarkably close to identifying his impersonator. And J. P. picks his latest victim.
Some great P. J. Maybe dialogue in this episode; he’s clearly enjoying the challenge of it all and the ease with which he narrows down his list of suspects suggests he really should be in a different line of work. Meanwhile, the city is becoming increasingly inflamed by the prospect of relaxing the anti-mutant laws with Dredd’s own authority on the line.
Shakara: The Defiant part 7. It’s Shakara versus Shakara as our hero stands up against the spirits of his race that give him his powers and demands they heal a mortally wounded Eva Procopio. Lots of shouting ensues.
An interesting episode, suggesting that Shakara is by no means the single-minded spirit of vengeance that up until now he has been presented as, but at the same time one in which not much happens.
Strontium Dog: The Glum Affair part 7. Johnny and Wulf’s sting operation falters as they are kicked out of Club Paradiso. But on the freighter home they spot Groule and his gang from episode 4, whose combined bounty would get them the million creds they need.
All very by the book stuff, but it’s a fun enough ride.
Stickleback: England’s Glory part 7. Stickleback and his gang dispatch Buffalo Bill pretty quickly, only to discover that, pace Bagpuss, when Bill goes to sleep, all his friend’s go to sleep. Only it isn’t quite that simple.
According to Stickleback, this William Cody isn’t the William Cody – maybe we will discover what happened to the real one. One reference I’ve been trying to place is the pygmy Tonga’s exclamation “Hugga Mugga!” – according to dictionary.com it just means a “muddle” but the reference I think I was thinking of was the Muppets, only that’s Hugga Wugga.
Kingdom: The Promised Land part 7. It emerges that the tic-creatures have some kind of symbiotic/parasitic relationship with the townsfolk, much to Gene’s astonishment and disapproval. He is over-powered and chained up like a dog.
Not much to add here either. My guess is it will turn out that the children are completely unaware of what controls their parents and that Leezee will be responsible for setting them free. The question about what all this has to do with the events in the first series of Kingdom remains unanswered.