OMG Another 5 Starblazer Comics

 

Yet more issues from my growing Starblazer collection

Starblazer #209 - The Ring of Gofannon - Through a nightmare of sorcery, Goll and his servant, Cutter follow the ancient maps of Gofannon in search of the legendary Ring.  Goll the warrior has to pit his fighting skills against all manner of unworldly creatures to merely survive and discover the truth.

Like every fantasy epic the ring of Gofannon is an archetypal quest to retrieve a magic ring and defeat a great evil descending upon the land.

Goll and Cutter must one by one overcome the trials and obstacles in their journey to find the legendary ring.  However, like every good Starblazer story there lies a twist in the tale, something unexpected which turns the story on its head.

The art for this story is great, simple when it needs to be and detailed when it needs to evoke a dense and rich background.  Very enjoyable and full of great one shot ideas for my own fantasy RPG stories. 

The cover art for this issue is a little bit uninspired.  However, this is what a fantasy story would look like if Sylvester Stallone was cast in the title role.

Starblazer #210 - Dragon Slayer - In a land overrun by evil, only one young boy had the courage and faith to seek out the warrior who could free the country from its sorcerous shadows - Dragon Slayer.., and he was 200 years old.

Another fantasy story, we must have hit the Conan the Barbarian vein in these recent issues.  The evil sorceror Drax has risen up and despite his magic waning he has enslaved the last of the Dragons Gorath to be his ultimate weapon and rule Pira IV unchallenged.

One brave villager and his son go against the wishes of the rest and vow to track down the legendary Dragonslayer who can free them from this cruel fate.  Sadly the villager is trapped by Drax and his son Bix must find the dragonslayer alone.

As ever we expect the Starblazer plot twist at the third act and this story doesn't dissapoint.  The final confrontation between Drax and the young lad Bix is a desperate but rewarding one.  The character of Bix is a shameless attempt at inserting the typical young reader into the story and it is very effective.  

I particularly liked the addition of the 6 legged scorpion tailed one eyed mini beholder creature which I will endeavour to write up a stat block for Savage Worlds and I will now forever call it a QERK!

Starblazer #211 - The Dream Machine - Kayn's the name, and finding people is my game.  Actually, I'm a private investigator, but I spent most of my trime trying to find enough creds to pay the rent.  Then one day I got a request for help... from a guy who'd been dead five years!

Kayn is back in another mystery chase murder story.  Futuristic Moscow is such an off choice for a setting.  I guess it's so that you can get away with simple brutalist architecture and a unbendening robotic state aparatus.  

Needles to say our hero Kayn is completely oblivious to the machinations of the secretive villain in this story.  He learns everything piece by piece at the same time as you read every frame.

Definitely a comic of its time with a run of the mill Starblazer storyline which is not all bad but very average. 

Starblazer #212 - Rogue Cop - Renko was a patrolman in a society diseased by corruption.  When this corruption touched him, he turned rogue to bring the offenders to justice.  But society doesn't like rogue cops and Renko was hounded to the edge of oblivion.

I was expecting a Robocop knock off but what I got was an interstellar crime wave and a man rescued from the brink of death by Space Brocolli!!

This is quite a fun little story, a classic tale of copy who goes rogue to bring down the big crime boss.  With no backup his luck runs out and he is stranded in the void with no hope so he decides to end it all by setting his ship to self destruct... as you do.

Saved by the benevolent space brocolli the Shreel, they turn him into a cyborg monster sending Renko into a depressive tailspin.  Howver, vengeance is a powerful emotion and Renko uses it to gain control of his new robotic body and take the fight to Hengis Furgaar to destroy his criminal emire once and for all.

Starblazer #213 - Skarr The Soldier - Stranded in Samek, many thousands of miles from his home, Skarr, the soldier of fortune, had to fight for a foreign ruler and an alien cause - or be executed!

This is a fairly stock story of a man caught between two factions waging a war at all costs.  There is not much exposition only action and it really does seem like an exercise in getting as many wild character illustrations on a page as possible.

This a treat from the fine pen of  Enrique Alcatena with an epic cover from the legend Ian Kennedy.

The character art is wild from the weird almost Napoleonic uniforms of the Margolian army to the down right bizarre mix of kimono clad Tarcils and the mask wearing denizens of Hetamec.  

This is my first Skarr story and I am encouraged to find the others.  

Whilst the plot does not offer much for the Roleplayer or DM, the artwork is a smorgasbord of inspiration.

Essential Starblazer Links

The Starblazer Checklist is a fantastic resource if you are collecting or want to know who wrote and illustrated each issue.

Many thanks to the chaps who run the Starblazer Covers archive, this is immensely useful resource when looking at ebay joblot listings.

Retro Sanctuary has a great article covering his top 20 Starblazer Issues which is worth a look and I'm looking forward to reading and reviewing some of these classics in the very near future.

 

Another 5 Starblazer Comics Reviewed

 

Yet more issues from my growing Starblazer collection

Starblazer #187 - Mind Warrior - In the battle to keep the warlike alien hordes at bay, the Terran Army used no end of ingenious devices in combat.  None were successful, non except the most ingenious device ever developed - The human brain...

This is a pretty average story where a crack group of Earth commandos need to neutralise the alien Zarg superweapon.  They discover that the Zarg are using a device known as the Time Gun to de-materialise asteroids and crash them into ships and space stations.

The eponymous "Time Warrior" doesn't turn up until page 40 and the book is only 66 pages long.  The plot leans heavily on deus ex machina which is incredibly lazy but does lend itself to the cliffhanger nature of all Starblazer storylines.  The hero usually saves the day by utilising some trait or technology that hasn't ever been discussed before.

Mind Warrior is particularly guilty of this in the final scene, I won't spoil it but even I had to do a doubletake.  Perhaps my nine year old self would not have been so critical... 

Starblazer #191 - Carter's Law - Frank Carter was a policeman in the huge Terran galaxy of the 32nd century.  His job was hard, lonely and extremely dangerous.  But he didn't mind - the harder, lonelier and more dangerous a job was, the more he liked it.  Carter was hated by some and disliked by most, but he was used to it.  He was half man, half android and completely mean.

This one's a gripping tale of corporate espionage as Carter and his newly appointed sidekick Dolan break every rule in the book to bring their quarry to justice.

Some top notch art for this episode which draws inspiration from news photo libraries of the day.  Repurposed images of riot gear wearing cops and a beautifully drawn ferret armoured car would have been very familiar to young readers watching news footage of the troubles in Northern Ireland.

Carter is much more dramatically posed and his dialogue much fruitier than his first outing.  Could he have been inspired by early Dredd's one liners or is he channeling Clint Eastwood as a robotic Dirty Harry?  A solid second outing for our favourite mandroid.   

Starblazer #198 - Time Warriors - They were fighting men from the past, transported thousands of years into the future, and put in a life or death situation with a technology beyond their understanding.   

A cool concept for this story.  Six warriors from across Earth history are "drafted" to fight for a peace loving alien race to save the planet Paxos from domination by the dog headed Korvans. 

The fight takes place in an Arena and like ancient gladiators each warrior is pitted in single handed combat to the death against a Korvan adversary.  Galactic rules govern how the deathmatch is conducted and the primitive warriors must get in close to use melee weapons to deal a deadly and decisive blow.

This story could have had a great twist at the end, but the execution feels like a missed opportunity and a waste of a great sci-fi title.  It's a shame because the art is pretty good especially in the early pages where the warriors are plucked moments from death.  This storyline gets recycled in the movie Predators (2010)

Starblazer #199 - Netherworld - Mikal R Kayn never went looking for trouble - it came looking for him.  Involved in a simple motorway shunt, he didn't anticipate much bother.  But he hadn't bargained on the body.

Ex cop turned Private Eye Mikal Kayn digs a little too deep when he finds a partially disintegrated corpse.  Someone doesn't want the case investigated and tries to set Kayn up. 

This is a really fun story and one that could easily work in Mega City One.  I really appreciate the clean lines of Jose Casanova's artwork.  His depictions of the weird and wonderful denizens of Netherworld and of the jungle planet Babalon make this story pop.  The character arcs of Cinnibar and Rulf are never really explained hopefully later Kayne stories will right that wrong.

Kayn is a great character, taken straight from the pages of a Mickey Spillane detective novel, a futuristic Mike Hammer who wears dark glasses to protect his infra-red eyes.  I'm going to look forward to reading more of his exploits in coming issues.

Starblazer #208 - Planet of the Dead - Thieves, Killers and Conmen... it didn't make any difference to Borg the Bounty Hunter.  He'd hunt them to the far reaches of the galaxy and bring them to justice.  He thought he'd seen it all till he came face to face with Baal.  This evil creation didn't just kill people... it sucked the very life force from them!

This story is a weird mashup of survival horror and an oddball team up between Borg and his two captive conmen against the evil space vampire Baal.

The artwork is serviceable and the character design on point as all vampires of this era wore black cloaks with high pointy collars.  Of course space vampires don't drain your blood they drain your life force and feed upon it making them ever stronger.  

Whilst there's not much to the story, it's a long chase sequence, there are some cool looking locations, landscapes and pirate ships on wheels.  All good worldbuilding fun for the princely sum of 28p...  

Essential Starblazer Links

The Starblazer Checklist is a fantastic resource if you are collecting or want to know who wrote and illustrated each issue.

Many thanks to the chaps who run the Starblazer Covers archive, this is immensely useful resource when looking at ebay joblot listings.

Retro Sanctuary has a great article covering his top 20 Starblazer Issues which is worth a look and I'm looking forward to reading and reviewing some of these classics in the very near future.

Even More Starblazer Comicbooks

Some say I should not be left alone with eBay, but I say let's read more Starblazer...

Starblazer #171 - Star Knight - Released from a million year imprisonment, the most evil being in the galaxy unleashed eons of hate and unimaginable fury on the race he blamed - the inhabitants of Earth.  But he had to pit his evil skills against Earth ace troubleshooter - STAR KNIGHT.

This strip is a unabashed mashup of the origin story of superman and the plot of Alien.  The protaganist Rorta, is an alien cyborg warrior with dreams of intergalactic conquest imprisoned in a stasis egg by the benevolent Syran elders as punishment for his treachery.  

A million years later he is accidentally released by some space archeologists looking for alien artifacts.  Rorta goes on to capture an experimental space weapon and only the brave Star Knight, Li Opurney, can save the Earth from destruction.

This story suffers from a serious case of the deus ex machina, as both Rorta and Star Knight overcome adversity with ease deploying numerous unheard of technologies.  A hordroid; las shields, laser lances densitrax mining ships, nullgrav beams, it's all here waiting to implant itself in a young furtile imagination.  There are some weird looking spaceships that look like they jumped out of the pages of a Terran Trade Authority Handbook. (I must get around to writting a blog post about them someday). 

Starblazer #172 - Nightraider - They made the Mafia look like a charity organisation.  He was the only person who could stop them.  They had unlimited credits, men and mchines.  He had one craft and three helpers.  They were the Kratos... He was Nightraider.

Let's face it Nightraider is a cool pseudonym, but when your real name is Garry Clark you need all the help in the universe you can get in order to strike fear in your space mafia adversaries. Fighting at his side are Ursa, the blind Triton navigator who can "see" using his Neuroweb helmet.  Samuro the Cygnan samurai armoured weaponmaster and Typhon the sensor operator and all round fifth wheel.

This is a fun little galaxy hopping story chasing down mafioso whilst dealing with the thorny subject of xenophobia.  The plot takes a twist about a third of the way through when it is revealed that Nightraider's own built-in arm weapon, a deadly neutron beamer, exposes him to fatal Q radiation.  The helpers must get Nightraider back home or he will die, 

I love how the writer borrows the then new fangeled "microwave cooker" technology and turns it into a deadly weapon.  I won't spoil the ending for you but it caught me by surprise.

Starblazer #179 - Mandroid - He was a cop. A good cop! Too good for his fellow enforcement officers, some said.  Some others said he wasn't even human - and they were right.  He was Carter, and Carter was a Mandroid.  Half man, half android and whilly mean.

This is my first Carter story and it's a corker.  High stakes action on every page and it was a gripping read.  Carter definitely has shades of Judge Dredd and Robocop in his character and this story really lets that shine through.  The art by Enrique Alcatena is fantastic, very dynamic and full of inventive costume design.  I felt it was reminiscent of my favourite Dredd artist Ron Smith.

The story starts out as a murder investigation on a remote mining planet but quickly evolves into a tale of robot revolution.  Carter is the perfect protagonist for this story, being half robot himself means he straddles both sides of the conflict.  A classic Starblazer issue and one that comes highly rated.

I can't wait to see what happens in the next Carter storyline in issue #191 Carter's Law

Starblazer #181 - Death Trek - Sergeant Wilse T Force was surly, bad tempered and hated the war.  He owanted out, and the only way he could do that was to obey orders, no matter how difficult they were.  His job was complicated by two things... a bunch of recruits he had to wetnurse through the Badlands, and an enemy commander who wanted him dead - for personal reasons.

This story feels like it is ripped straight from the pages of Commando, another very popular "War Story" title from Starblazer Publisher DC Thompson.  Our hero is trapped behind enemy lines and orders come through to evaccuate the planet.  He just has to get his men to the safety of the rendezvous point in time or be left behind.

Sgt Force and his men have to survive encounters with the strange alien life on the planet whilst being chased by the Carthan enemy soldiers.  The powered armour troopers are equipped with a host of wepons and gadgets to help them survive, but being green recruits they need a veteran like Force to keep them alive.

Solid adventure story stuff and a great read.

Starblazer #183 - The Cyborg Chaser - It was 2086AD, and the Earth was in the grip of a drought.  Only androids and cyborgs could work in the intense heat while humans stayed in their controlled areas.  The companies that manufactured cyborgs grew more powerful, until they all but ruled the world.  Faced by secrecy, World intelligence decided to penetrate the largest firm, Cyborg Corporation, and they sent in Britt the Commando, a one man army, a CYBORG CHASER.

The cover illustration brings together two great cinematic images, Max Von Sydow's Ming the Merciless as Arrigon the Head of a Andro Corp and Sean Connery's James Bond as Britt the Commando.

This is an interesting story of global domination being foiled by a super spy and perfectly fits into the Starblazer mould like a hand in a glove.  Being an anthology comic, you never knew exactly what you were getting every other week.  Unlike 2000AD or Star Lord, there was no stable of regular characters who appeared every week.  What was guaranteed were solid adventure story lines with action on every page.  

In the 80s we used to judge our action movies by their kill count, perhaps we should do the same with our Starblazer issues?

Essential Starblazer Links

The Starblazer Checklist is a fantastic resource if you are collecting or want to know who wrote and illustrated each issue.

Many thanks to the chaps who run the Starblazer Covers archive, this is immensely useful resource when looking at ebay joblot listings.

Retro Sanctuary has a great article covering his top 20 Starblazer Issues which is worth a look and I'm looking forward to reading and reviewing some of these classics in the very near future.

More Starblazer Comics

I blogged recently about Starblazer Comics the small format sci-fi stories from my childhood.  Thanks to eBay a few more dropped onto my doormat this week.

#50 - Moonsplitter - Out of the cosmic rim, one of the many Galactic wars raged. Only one thing stood between the Earth Galac-Squad as it swept triumphantly towards the Mease aggressors homeworld - An impregnable armoury on the barren planet known as Silicon IV.  General Larz Pluto (love it) readied his Earth forces for an invasion that would end the war.  

Issue 50 marks fearless Fighting-Scientist Hadron Halley's first appearance as he fights off the Mease to save some Galac-Squad soldiers on the planet Silicon IV.  Halley uses his gadgets and his knowledge of science to single handedly defeat the bald-headed Mease and get back to the safety of a Terran carrier only to find that General Larz Pluto has been captured.

Halley mounts a one-man rescue mission and infiltrates the Mease base, locates the Genral and makes a bid to escape.  The interior design of the Mease base is really interesting and features numerous psychedelic looking geometric patterns which wouldn't look out of place in a Zenith strip.  Curiously the Mease also seem to use the English alphabet, which is handy.  The titular moonsplitter device makes its debut and the Fi-Sci command use it to bombard the mease base with moon fragments utterly devastating the planet, but that's okay because they are the good guys... right?   

#51 Prisoners of Zorr - By the year 2382 Earth was the administrative centre of The Galactic Foundation.  The gigantic Sandpoint Military Academy trained a multi-planetary peace-keeping force and the highlight of each year was the passing out parade when only the best pupils qualified.  The planet Zorr had observers present... and they were interested in only the best.

Cadets Sol and Hammond are top of their class at Sandpoint (a potmanteau of Sandhurst and Westpoint) and due to graduate in a few days when thay are kidnapped by mysterious alien observers and transported to a prison compound on the planet Zorr.  

Along with cadets from other worldsthey are subjected to batteries of tests and arduous training exercises to turn them into the ace pilots that the planet's ruler Zorr needs to fly his Dragon Ships and conquer the galaxy.   Will they escape the prison and overthrow this evil dictator?  Will they ever see Earth again?

A typical Starblazer tale as our heroes dash from one death defying encounter to the next.  There is definitely a WWII vibe about this issue, the bad guy, Zorr, looks like a cut price Mussolini and the Zorr soldiers have a mild Nazi look to them.  I was most surprised to see Zorr and General Valcan ride in on a sci-fi version of the WWII manned torpedo known as The Chariot.    

#52 The Mask of Fear - By 3000AD Man had spread out and colonised worlds among the stars.  With men, went crime. Wealth and position were highly prized, and life was cheap.  Desperate men did desperate things to achieve wealth and position - even destroy entire worlds.

When a mysterious group of three criminals destroy the planet Deltan they murder millions of innocent inhabitants including the family of Special Agent Hart Tallis.  His mission is to bring the three to justice and to seek revenge.  A fairly simple galactic manhunt as Tallis follows the few clues he can piece together.  Fortunately for him he grew up on a heavy G world he is more than a match for most of his assailants.  One by one he tracks down the members of the group of three and uncovers more evidence of their intergalactic crimes until he finally comes face to face with The Mask.  

Only one question remains... Is the mysterious Mask someow related to Diktor Van Doomcock Future Ruler of Earth?

#54 The Torturer of Triton II - The Terran Galc-Squad were the prime fighting and exploration force of the year 2280, ready to space-warp to trouble spots anywhere within the star-systems of Federation space.  Galactic conflict was a complex business, and could involve forces beyond the experience and understanding of an ordinary galac-soldier.  To meet this challenge, a specialist unit was formed, men who had the brain power to understand science, combined with the strength and courage of a fighter.  They were called the fighting scientists and their outfit was called the Fi-Sci branch of Galac Squad.

Another Hadron Halley adventure, which opens with him deliberately crashing his shuttle into the docking bay.  What a joker!!  But wait, he survives certain death using a force-field shell he has invented.  That's going to be important later on.  The art in this issue is top notch although some of the spaceships look like they were inspired by legendary spaceship artist Chris Foss.  The one of page 31 bears an uncanny resemblance to the Jodorowsky's Dune spaceship.  The cover art depicts the evil Torturer of Triton and reminds me of Thundercats villain Mumm-Ra.  The evil aliens of the story look pretty good even if they are only wearing what look like silver underpants!     

#56 The Sleeping Legion - By the year 3500 Solar powered space craft had blazed man across the Galaxy.  Each passing star was an energy source, charging solar panels that fed unbelievably powerful engines.  Thus was the Milky Way explored until only the galaxies beyond remained a mystery.  Man was too busy forming the Galactic Commonwealth to take up this new challenge, so unmanned probes were sent outside the galaxy.  These reported the existence of strange, alien cultures, and armed forts were built around the galactic perimeter in case of need.  But when those forts were eventually attacked they proved useless against the might of the aliens, who at all costs had to be prevented from activating their sleeping legion.

Our heroes this week are Crane, an eyepatched wannabe Snake Plisken and his trusty droid UNGO or UMGO (The letterer seems to have had a bad day).  The aliens from the planet Largos bear a striking similarity to TMNTs Kang and once again seem to be dressed in nothing but metallic underpants.   

Crane has a real time of his life and ends up getting swallowed by a giant metal right off the cover of Judas Priests, Screaming for Vengeance. The alien art is really outta sight.  We have aliens in mobile guard towers that look like Wallace's wrong trouser's, Blobs that live in frozen craters, an alien spider that looks like it overdosed on H.R. Gieger's Biomechanics, but nothing quite prepares you for the sight of Crane in his space suit.

#57 Galactic Lawman (A Planet Tamer Story) - The Planet Tamer!  Throughout a lawless universe the name was spoken in whispers.  Just who was this mysterious instrument of justice.  Part man and part machine?  none could say for certain, but one thing was sure, wherever Evil went The Planet Tamer followed, and The Planet Tamer punished!

Our story opens on the prison ship Negril (which is also a resort town in Jamiaca) where the monosyllabic Molok, a being of pure Evil with the good looks of Brian Blessed, is none too pleased with being de-corticated.  Meanwhile in a cheap knock off Westworld the Planet Tamer arrives to arrest galactic fraudster Lorix.  With the crook swiftly apprehended and the entire pleasure dome time bombed until the space police can turn up, the Planet Tamer jets off on his space scooter towards Pados 12.  Enroute he encounters the wreckage of the Negril and learns that Molok and some convicts have escaped to the planet below.  

So begins a manhunt across the galaxy but we also discover much about our hero the Planet Tamer's history.  He was once a UPO Marshall called Jubal McKay before he was injured.  His paralysed body was rebuilt by a ceybernetics expert in some Robocop like experiment.  Catching up with Molok we discover that the de-corticator has somehow given the crook the power to manifest creatures made of ectoplasm.

This week's issue throws the kitchen sink of plot devices at our hero and then some.  How did it all turn out, well I;m not telling so you will just have to read it yourself.      

#58 Pyramid Power - After the Great Galactic War of 2482 an uneasy truce was established.  Many worlds joined a concordat to forge a lasting peace, but hte most powerful single nation, the Pugnarions, declined to take an active part.  They saw peacekeeping duties as an increased burden on their powerful spacefleet's patrolling capabilities.  Eventually, in 2492, the Pugnarions were persuaded to take part in the Amity Day celebrations.  In honour of this event they agreed to display their legendary symbol of power - the priceless ancient diamond - The Pyramid of Pugnaria.  A Concordat vessel was sent to transport the diamond along with other treasures to Centros, the Concordat capital.

The early 80s were the golden age of mysticism history authors like Eric von Daniker and this Starblazer's click bait (before click bait was a thing) title suckers us into a gripping tale of intergalactic heist whodunnit.

Investigator Petrie (he's a real dish) enlists the assistance of Professor Calegh as they track down the jewel thiefs before the Pugnarions lose their patience.  On the planet Kanthus they stop a mugging and with their new friend in tow hit the space pub (aka a fluid replenishment centre) and embark on a manhunt to find some aliens who never take off their spacesuits.  That's ruddy mysterious!

On Rogus they find an ancient egyptian tablet they return to earth to the egyptian museum to have it translated, the professor has seen the tablet before along with the spacesuited aliens and in a flash they are off to Sadalmelek.  Flitting from one planet to another is a trope within Starblazer stories.  If you haven't visited at least 4 alien worlds per issue then you feel a bit short changed.  The aliens (Xsilith) have been placing transmitters at strategic locations throughout the galaxy and use pyramid science to harness the energy of five suns energy creating a super weapon.  Surely it would have been easier to build a death star...

Starblazer: Small Format Science Fiction Adventures

I've blogged before about my love of the Starblazer Adventures RPG system which was inspired by the small format single story comic books published by DC Thomson Comics in the 1980s.

Small Size but Big Thrills

Starblazer was never as popular as it's war story cousins Commando and Battle and I know as a kid they were hard to come by in 1980s Bradford.  In fact I seem to remember there being one news kiosk in the bus depot that used to carry them in one of those wire racks for birthday cards.  Isn't it strange what you remember.

DC Thomson had started publishing collections of these long out of print gems, but after 2 volumes the faith seems to have departed.  Not to worry, I have a small collection of these thrill packed little comicbooks and they are still readily available on eBay at very reasonable prices. 

#18 Abandon Earth - Space Wars did not exist.  By a series of treaties each galaxy remained alone and untouched.  Earth built a survey shi, Zephyrus, to prospect in deep space.  It was this ship that led to the call - "Abandon Earth".

In this tale of human humbris, the arrival of the Zephyrus in Vemlin space is interpreted as an invasion and gives rise to an intergalactic war with Earth.  The inexplicably named Carstairs is the robotic hero in this odd tale of politics and miltary strategy.

The cover art is reminiscent of the spaceship paintings of Chriss Foss, Peter Elson and Jim Burns which are gloriously immortalised in the Terran Trade Authority Books published by The Hamlyn Group in the late 70s.  I remember getting one of these coffee table books as a child and they were like nitromethane for the imagination.

#76 The Mind of Meredith Morgan - Benjamin Starr was a teacher - A man who knew nothing of the mysteries of space travel.  Yet, when a simple accident brought him to the attention of the World Council, he found himself at the controls of a starship, pitting his wits against and alien computer, and warping space itself - and if he failed, Earth was doomed to an eternal Hell.

A rollercoaster of a tale which pretty much sums up a standard Starblazer storyline.  Heavy on the cliffhangers, bouncing from one near catastrophe to another a breakneck speed.  There's no time for an indepth discussion or detailed character motivations, its a swift punch to the jaw and a laser blast from the hip.  

The Starblazer Adventures RPG echoes this with it's hilarious random Starblazer Comic Title Generator.  Honestly, I could just spend a couple of hours happily rolling up different scenarios an imagining what might appear on the cover.   

#77 Fortress of Fear - The key to space travel, was the system of wormholes througout the galaxy.  As they were so far away, defence posts had to be constructed.  Operatives from Earth's elite fighting scientist branch, The Fi-Sci's, were put in charge of their construction.  Danger was a part of their lives , but even their brand of courage was put to the test by the... Fortress of Fear.

In this issue we follow the exploits of Hadron Halley (what a zarjaz futuristic name) as he explores the mysterious planet which is home to the even more mysterious Mind Lords.  

These cut price Mekon-like maniacal mentalists have subjugated the native population and turned them into puppets dressed like the Oz's Tin man (I kid you not).  They hide in the safety of their mushroom shaped city come spaceship and finalise their plans for Solar galactic domination.  

Elements of the artwork remind me of Simon Harrison's Bradley the Sprog but in classic fashion DC Thomson never cited who wrote or inked their comic books.  

#160 The Last Days of Earth -  It is 2500 AD, and Earth is protected by Earthwarriors - A select band of highly skilled fighters.  A mission starts on Picture 1 and progressively becomes more and more difficult... It is at this point that your help is needed to make vital decisions.  Read on... unless you succeed you will witness... The Last Days of Earth.

A cheeky subtitle change to "Space role-playing game in pictures" announces that DC Thomson have  jumped on the Fighting Fantasy style adventure gamebook in this story of post apocalyptic survival.  You are Space Patrolman Svenson .  I can't remember ever seeing anything as ambitious as this in comic book form although the Ace of Aces Game Books from Flying Buffalo.

Needless to say the adventure is a pretty ripsnorting affair with Svenson bouncing from one death defying panel to another before ending up in court.  I think this deserves a proper playthrough and mapping of the choice tree so I can work out what the hell is going on in this story arc.

#174 The Terminator - Lawlessness abounded in the pioneer outer worlds of the Earth Federation, and the few over-worked, short lived Marshals attempted to stem the criminal tide.  Assisted by huge, deadly robotic terminators, justice slowly began to return to the colony worlds... Until one of these gigantic, unstoppable machines turned rogue and proceeded to eliminate innocent people.

It's 1986 and clearly James Cameron's lawyers thought it wasn't worth suing DC Thomson over the title of this issue.  This has all the hallmarks of a classic western story where up to no good town officials are lining their pockets with some scheme involving the mine.  Enter Marshall Skarr (God, I love these names) who is sent to Glasis V to investigate.  He gets straight to the bottom of things and stirs up trouble for the local Judge who programs a Terminator to exterminate Skarr before he really finds out what is going on.  

The Judge has done a deal with the Ellon, who basically are starfishmen, and not the cuddly Patrick kind these are more like Zygons.  The Terminator gets its second wind and helps rescue Skarr and everyone lives happily ever after.  The robot is a pretty cool design and lives up to its description as an unstoppable relentless agent of justice.

#180 Eden the Hunter - Made an outcast because his mistake had caused the death of fellow villagers, Eden swore vengeance.  The only trouble was - he didn't know what he was fighting.

The depiction of Eden on the front cover is a bit misleading and clearly someone must have copied a picture of Kurt Russell as once you turn the page he looks more like a Native American Indian tribesman.  

This is such a weird story and the sort of techno savagery story you used to get in science fiction back in the 80s.  As the story evolves the villains of the piece are introduced, a race of electro vampires that look like a cross between a human and a pteradactyl.  Eden encounters various people along the way all of whom seem to have fallen prey to the electro vampires but Eden is a rugged outdoorsman and not to be trifled with. 

The electro vampires reminded me of one of the character Worzel from the excelent Lensman anime movie.  A highly recommended adaptation of the E.E Doc Smith, Hugo Award nominated Lensman books from the 1950s.

#182 - Bron The Avenger - After the Nuclear Wars devastated Earth, civilisation ceased to exist as we know it.  Murderous bands roamed the country taking what they wanted, but the hand of fate selected Bron to stand against them.  A young man with strength in his limbs, and revenge in his heart.

Well from that description Bron sounds like a lot of fun.  Starblazer didn't just do Sci-fi with spaceships and aliens, there was a healthy smattering of fantasy and crossover post apocalyptic mad max style adventure too.  Bron is one of those sword and sorcery tales set in the ruins of 1980s civilization.

The scent of anachronism is heavy and at one point Bron delves into the subterranean underworld chased by zombies and finds himself on a runaway tube train.  This theme runs throughout, the idea that some technology survives, hoarded by the "sorcerors" and technomancers with the knowledge and skill to keep the machines alive and working for their own benefit or that of their overlords.  

#186 Starhawk - The 3rd Millenium, 2600 AD, and the Galaxy spanning Terran Empire is crumbling in decline.  The savage Krell ravaging its borders and order is replaced with choas.  Barbarism exists everywhere, and amid this lawless bedlam one man stands for law and order - Sol Rynn, known as Starhawk. 

This is a return to the square jawed smoke me a kipper type hero who roams the spacelanes like a one man A-Team.  His calling card, quite literally a card you push into a machine to make a call, reads "If your cause is just, but the odds are too great Use Me".  I'm suprised he gets any business at all with approach.

Somone on Wengel IV needs his help, but the first locals he encounters practically ignore him.  Fortunately he finds the terminal used to make the call in an abandoned communications centre.  Enter the Battletoads style mutants who chase Starhawk through the jungle.  Eventually he discovers the secret lab of Hak Galos the owner of Megalos Mining who has hatched a nefarious scheme to mine Trikalak K a banned substance and key ingedient in Quark bombs.  Galos clearly has some sort of plan for those quark bombs, but it is never fully fleshed out.   

Want to Know More?

I found a great resource with some fantastic interviews from some of the original artists and writers who worked for DC Thomson back in the day.  Check it out at downthetubes.net.

Prog 11 - Showdown on the Lido

A continuing series of session reports from my current Judge Dredd game using Starblazer Adventures rules. 

The Judges take up defensive positions in the corridor with a commanding view of the elevator doors.  A few moments later a soothing bong indicates that the lift has arrived.  A waiter emerges pushing a trolley followed by an imposing man mountain dressed in bermuda shorts.  The henchman grabs the waiter with one arm as his other transforms into a stub gun.

Wallaces fires off a Rubber Ricochet round which bounces off the henchman's head and into Hiro's right arm.  Steele selects Armour Piercing ammo and fires a 3 round burst hitting his target square in the forehead.  He crumples to the ground dead leaving the waiter a quivering wreck.  Que attends to the overwhelmed hotel worker.

Hiro steps into the lift and examines the body of the cyborg and determines that he has had extensive work done including cyber-ears.  He surmises that the henchmen are all networked together sharing seamless collective communication.

Wallace runs back to the suite and can see that Faraway is huddled in conversation with the other henchborg.  Holmes stays to give overwatch via the CCTV whilst everyone else bundles into the elevator and heads for the Lido Dec.  The soothing tones of the "Girl from Ipanema" waft from the elevator speakers as everyone chambers AP rounds in their trusty Lawgivers.

Hotel Chupacabra Lido Deck

As they exit the elevator the only person in sight is Iona Skye reclining on a deckchair.  Wallace heads for right hand stairs which lead to the upper Lido Deck.  Steele's egress is blocked by three terrified guests who run straight towards him screaming "Save us Judge Steele" and knock him over.  Que similarly swamped smashes one in the face with her nightstick nocking him out.  Hiro runs over to Iona Skye and attempts to talk to her.  Iona is completely oblivious to everything around her as she is listening to some music on a pair of earbuds and reading a Jackie Collins novel.

Henchborg #2 reveals his position and unloads a full clip at Hiro from the upper lido balcony.  Hero dives under the overhang.  Holmes spots Faraway on the CCTV on the upper deck and radios his location through to the assault team.  Wallace fires a Stumm gas grenade onto the upper deck.  Steele shoots one of the citizens holding him figuring that AP rounds leave easily treated wounds when fired at pointblank range.  Que struggles to reach the other citizens on top of Steels she flails at them with her nightstick.  Hiro shoots a 3 round burst of AP at Henchborg #2 but only hits with one.

Henchborg #2 leaps down from the balcony simultaneously firing another burst at Hiro hitting him in the helmet, the most heavily armoured part of a Judges uniform.  Wallace shoots 3 AP rounds into the cyborgs leg.  Steele fires another AP round at another citizen whose body goes limp.  Que calls Sector Control for an H-Wagon backup and throws a Stumm gas grenade at the observation deck which is slowly filling up with gas.  Shaking of the headshot, Hiro fires a 3 shot burst of AP into Henchborg #2.  Holmes spies two more henchborgs emerging from the shadows and immediately abandons his CCTV station running as fast as she can to the elevator.

Henchborg #3 fires at Hiro and Henchborg #3 fires at Wallace, both miss.  Avoiding the gunfight and the billowing cloud of gas, a group of 4 lemming like citizens leap off the balcony landing in a bone crunching heap below.   Emerging from the pile of bodies, Steele pulls down his respirator and heads for the stairs.  Que gets a bead on Faraway and fires a 3 shot burst of Grenade rounds.  He locks her in a stare as a round hits him in the leg blowing off his foot and ankle.  Hiro tossess a grenade through the balcony glass showering the two Henchborgs in shrapnel and knocking them down.

The unmistakeable drone of a hover vehicle pierces the chaos and a bright yellow hover-taxi floats  into the hotel over the pool.  Whoever's driving that vehicle has just earned an immediate ban and a charge of Dangerous Driving (Code 201: 5 to 15 Years).

Holmes frantically presses the lift buttons to the Lido Deck.  Wallace fires 3 rounds of AP at the oncoming taxi but misses.  Steele gets to the top of the stairs and shoots 3 Grenade rounds at Faraway who is crouching by the edge of the balcony.  The grenades explode showering Faraway's other leg with shrapnel.  Que fires 3 Grenade rounds into the taxi as it slews alonside the balcony with its door open.

Faraway crawls desperately from the balcony into the taxi leaving a trail of blood, and one foot, behind him.  The taxi door swooshes closed and it begins to accelerate away from the scene.

With a bong the elevator doors open and Holmes has a clear shot at the soft mechanical parts of the taxi.  She calmly selects High Explosive rounds and fires a salvo of perfectly timed shots.  The first punches a hole in the floor of the cab, the second passes through the hole and explodes inside the cab, the third blows apart the fuel lines causing the engines to splutter and a fireball erupts from the underside of the cab.

The taxi leaves a firey trail as it coughs and splutters to its death sliding along the perfectly manicured lawn before finally tipping into the pool.  A dull thud shakes the entire block as the cab explodes.

Back at the Sector House

The Judges spend a few hours in the rejuve tanks before reporting to Sector Chief Belloch for debrief.

"Iona Skye has been safely returned to her apartment and compensated for the damage to her property and the distress caused by the perps.  The bodies of Nigel Faraway and the Taxi Cab driver were recovered from the scene of the crime along with the four hired henchborgs.  Tek Squad are doing a full autopsy on their brains to find out who they were, who performed the surgery and who they worked for.  The hotel guests injured in the shoot-out are all making excellent recoveries thanks to your swift actions.  The BREXIT Campaign HQ was raided last night and arrests made, we're submitting them all to lie detector testing to find out who knew what and when.  Tom Vampire is on his way to Luna City so he's Witness Protection's problem now.

The Tek Squad matched the idol to the hood ornament of a Class 1 Mega Hauler.  These behemoths were used to move Pre-Atomic blocks from the edges of the Radzone to their current location and foundations built around them.  Iona Skye is one of the last citizens alive with first hand knowledge of how to operate these machines.

Several explosions have occured on pedways and zoomways connecting Thatcher Towers to the rest of the blocks in the Eurozone.  Arrests have been made and the remaining Nitro-9 recovered.  Citi-Def units in Thatcher Towers have been disbanded and a period of Martial Law has been enacted until such time as new Citi-Def units can be established.  

An alien invasion from the Pokemon dimension is currently being dealt with.  Tek Judges have developed containment field generators (CFGs) which are being issued as we speak.  If you spot any of these cute looking furry spugs then make sure you use your CFGs.  Until we know the scale of the threat, their capabilities and just what they're doing in Mega City One, the policy is Catch 'em All!.

Well, what are you waiting for a medal? Get out there and dispense some Justice!"

Back Issues

• Prog 1 - Another Day in Mega City One
• Prog 2 - Super Duper Loops and Loopy Droops
• Prog 3 - Juve Punks, a Vampire and Meg Way Carnage
• Prog 4 - Pre Race Rumbles, Narcs and Pizza
• Prog 5 - Ed, Edd, Eddy and ED209 
• Prog 6 -Vive La Resistance
• Prog 7 - Mitterand Maison
• Prog 8 - Royal Rumble at Le Teeny Eiffel Tower
• Prog 9 - Beneath Thatcher Towers
• Prog 10 - Confronting Nigel Faraway

Prog 10 - Confronting Nigel Faraway

A continuing series of session reports from my current Judge Dredd game using Starblazer Adventures rules.

The Tech Judges performing the crime scene investigation of the basement temple in Thatcher Towers have identified the bodies of the dead cultists.  All 13 are residents of Thatcher Towers and are wearing clothing displaying their respective Citi-Def Chapter insignia.

They have taken a 3D scan of the idol statue and are preparing to run through BARNEY and MAC when computer time becomes available.

BREXIT Campaign Headquarters

The Judges contact Nigel Faraways campaign office and arrange an appointment.  They take the lift from level 10 to level 300.  The office is located in a converted shop in one of the blocks gentrified retail parks.  They are met by Philomena Plune (PA) and Doug Sucka (Campaign Manager).

The Judges request a full report on Nigel Faraway's Campaign Finances from BARNEY.

Philomena Plune supplies the Judges with a copy of the BREXIT Manifesto from the recent campaign which states the 3 Guiding Principles of BREXIT which are:

1. Only a vote for BREXIT guarantees a positive move away from the Eurozone
2. BREXIT will begin with the breaking of all physical ties to blocks in the Eurozone
   
   
3. Residents must prepare themself for the impact of BREXIT
   

Doug Sucka tells the Judges that following the successful election. Mr Faraway has gone on a two week holiday for some much needed rest and relaxation.  Nigel does not want to be disturbed and so he has kept the location of his holiday retreat a secret known only to his closest assistant Tom Vampire.

Interview with a Vampire

The Judges continue their investigation at the Sector House holding cubes.  Judge Steele proceeds to interrogate Tom Vampire and offers him some encouragement in the form of a reduced sentence.  Vampire is visibly nervous and intimidated by the imposing Steele but begins recounting the first time he met Faraway by chance when they shared an elevator together.  Faraway was impressed with the sartorial elegance of Tom Vampire and said that he could use someone who projected the right impression.  He had no prior experience of politics but he surmised that his previous job as a sewage worker demolishing fatbergs in and around the Eurozone meant he could put up with a lot of shit.

L to R: Nigel Faraway and Tom Vampire

Their relationship grew stronger as they worked closely together.  Faraway confided in Vampire.  He revealed to him that BREXIT quite literally could not happen without Nitro-9.  Tom procured the Nitro-9 from Pepe Le Peu.  Nigel had given him the briefcase to deliver to Le Peu which he assumed contained the payment for the Nitro-9.  Tom did not know when the whereabouts but he knew that it had been delivered.

Hiro calls Sector Chief Belloch to discuss the possibility of entering Tom Vampire into the winess protection programme on Luna City.  Belloch agrees to the transfer and assures Tom Vampire that he will be on a Lunar Shuttle in another 48 hours.

Tom reveals the location of Nigel Faraways holiday retreat.  He has booked a two week vacation at El Chupacabra, a luxury spa hotel which occupies the top 100 floors of Jessica Alba block.

Hotel Chupacabra takes up the top 100 floors of Jessica Alba Block

Welcome to The Hotel Chupacabra

Two hours later Deputy Assistant Under Concierge Hector Ramirez tells the Judges that Mr. Faraway is currently booked into Suite 666.  He tells them that he and his elderley mother gave strict instructions that he was to be left alone, no media or fans were to be allowed to see him and any deviation from that order would result in a very public review on Trip Advisor.  Ramirez also tells them that Mr Faraway was accompanied by his two sons who were exceptionally big and strong and bore no familial resemblance to Mr Faraway.

He also explained that the hotel's reputation was built on it's strict observation of client confidentiality.

Suite 666 is located on the 66th floor of the hotel at the end of a wide corridor behind a pair of synthi-oak doors emblazoned with a brass plaque on which is etched a picture of tri-vid movie actor Ricardo Montalban and the words "The Khan Noonien Singh Suite"

Hiro attemps the number 5 breaching protocal but the door resists his shoulder barge.  An eyebot emerges from the wall next to the door and demands to see a warrant.  Hiro bombards the eyebode with legal arguments, citing chapter and verse from the only book that really matters in Mega City One... The Law.  The eyebot concedes in the face of overwhelming precedence and opens the door.  It informds the Judges that Mr Faraway and his ebntourage are currently relacing on the Lido deck.

Investigating the rooms, the Judges notice that one room contains a few signs that it has been recently occupied by Iona Skye, namely the pungent odourand the collection of hotel toiletry bottels that are now filled with urine.

Judge Wallace contacts the Hotel Lobby and tells Ramirez to invent a reason to call Mr Faraway to the hotel reception.  They enact Judicial Security Override protocols and patch the hotle's CCTV feed into the suite's huge Tri-D vid screen.  They watch as Faraway orders one of the two burly henchmen to deal with it.  The henchman makes his way to reception and then is met by a waiter with a trolley.  They enter the lift and the waiter dials in floor 66. The Judges get ready to receive visitors.

NEXT PROG -> Showdown on the Lido

Back Issues

• Prog 1 - Another Day in Mega City One
• Prog 2 - Super Duper Loops and Loopy Droops
• Prog 3 - Juve Punks, a Vampire and Meg Way Carnage
• Prog 4 - Pre Race Rumbles, Narcs and Pizza
• Prog 5 - Ed, Edd, Eddy and ED209 
• Prog 6 -Vive La Resistance
• Prog 7 - Mitterand Maison
• Prog 8 - Royal Rumble at Le Teeny Eiffel Tower
• Prog 9 - Beneath Thatcher Towers

Prog 9 - Beneath Thatcher Towers

A continuing series of session reports from my current Judge Dredd game using Starblazer Adventures rules.

The tunnel emerges into an ancient substructure whose concrete walls and lofty ceiling are propped up by massive buttresses and columns.  The scene is dimly illuminated by a pair of lit braziers which flank a large concrete altar at the far end of the cavern.  Lying on the alter is a naked and bound Judge Steel.  15 civilians armed with an array of firearms are spread about the cavern whilst a figure armed with a sacrificial knife addresses them from the altar.

Thatcher Towers - Basement Temple

Wallace issues an arrest phrase which goes unheeded as a foolish perp (#1) raises his stubgun in their general direction and he answers with a burst of 3 GP rounds.  The other Judges do not wait for further instruction.  Que fires a single shot into perp #2, Hiro a burst of GP at a third and Holmes fires a GP burst at perp #2.  In the confusion Steele manages to wrestle his hands free unnoticed.

The perps return fire Holmes takes a shot in the left arm, a bullet ricochets off Hiro's helmet and Que takes two rounds to the left arm.  The hooded cult leader drops the knife onto the altar as he ducks for cover.

Wallace's radio buzzes with static as he calls Sector Control for backup.  He launches a Grenade round at perp #3 which blows him to pieces and showers perp #7 in shrapnel. Que fires a 3 shot burst of AP at perp #4 who goes down clutching at the bloody stump of what used to be his leg.  Hiro fires 2 AP at the center of mass of a fifth perp who slumps to the ground instantly and a third shot wings perp #8 in the right arm. Holmes hits perp #6 with a close grouping to the chest.  Steele grabs the sacrificial dagger lying on the altar beside him and he cuts his legs free whilst rolling off the altar.

Perp #9 gets a lucky head hit on Wallace, perp #6 returns fire and hits Holmes in the left arm and leg.  Perp #7 wildly strafes Hiro with his stub gun hitting him in the left leg and right arm.  A new assailant, perp #11, also targets Hiro but misses.

Wallaces gets off a burst of 3 Grenades at #11 who explosively surrenders.  Que shoots 3 grenades at perp #7 killing him.  Hiro fires 3 AP rounds at perps #8 and #10 hitting them both.  Holmes runs back to the pillar nearest the exit in order to get a better signal.  Steele rolls over to the pile of clothes and reunites himself with his lawgiver "Doris".

The cultists strafe the area with stub gun fire but their lack of training and accuracy is telling and no rounds find a target.

Wallace fires a burst of 3 Grenades at perp #6 but misses.  Que downs both #8 and #10, Hiro blows up #14 with 3 Grenade rounds as Holmes makes it to the tunnel.  As naked as the day he popped out of the cloning tank, Steele leaps to his feet and kills the Cult Leader with a single GP round remarking

"Nobody puts Judge Steele on a sacrificial altar!"

His periferal vision spots two more cultists #12 and #13 on the other side of the altar and he snaps off a round at each but misses.

#12 and #13 return fire at Steele hitting him in the torso and left arm.


Wallace cuts down perps #12 and #13 with 3 grenades.  Hiro rushes at perp #6 who is frantically trying to reload and shoots him in the leg blowing off his kneecap.  He drops his gun, clutching at his mangaled leg and surrenders.  Holmes gets to the stairwell at the entrance to the tunnel and calls in backup from Sector Control.  Wallace shoots #15 in the head with a burst of GP rounds and he drops to the floor with a face that resembles swiss cheese.  Running to the leftmost pillar Que yells at the remaining cultist #9. 

"Drop your weapon, you're outnumbered!"

Stiffling the pain and screwing a hypo round into his lawgiver, Hiro chimes in

"Throw down your weapon"

Considering that the offence of Judge Homicide (Code: 101, 30 Years to Life) carries a lengthy sentence the perp retorts

"You'll never take me alive coppas!"  and shoots himself in the head.  Que mumbles to himself "You just saved me a heap of paperwork".

Surveyng the aftermath, Steele is stabilised but his serious wounds need urgent medical attention.  They cuff the two cultists, #4 and #6 who surrendered and stop them from bleeding out.  They take some robes and a stretcher and carry the pair out sealing off the scene for CSI by a team of Tech Judges.  They leave by the nearest exit and are met by a Med Wagon 30 minutes later.

NEXT PROG -> Confronting Nigel Faraway

Back Issues

• Prog 1 - Another Day in Mega City One
• Prog 2 - Super Duper Loops and Loopy Droops
• Prog 3 - Juve Punks, a Vampire and Meg Way Carnage
• Prog 4 - Pre Race Rumbles, Narcs and Pizza
• Prog 5 - Ed, Edd, Eddy and ED209
• Prog 6 - Vive La Resistance
• Prog 7 - Mitterand Maisons
• Prog 8 - Royal Rumble at Le Teeny Eiffel Tower

Prog 8 - Royal Rumble at Le Teeny Eiffel Tower

A continuing series of session reports from my current Judge Dredd game using Starblazer Adventures rules.

The Trail of the Vampire

Judges Hiro, Holmes and Steele are at Thatcher Towers whilst Judges Que and Wallace remain at Mitterand Maisons.

Holmes checks the CCTV cameras, Tom Vampire left Thatcher Towers heading in the direction of Mitterand Mansions.  He relays this information to Que and Wallace who check their CCTV.  They pick up Tom Vampire entering Le TET (Le Teeny Eiffel Tower) and head out to Plaza 4A.

Some 43m up (Euro Zone local cultural laws demand the use of metric units, the only place to do so in the whole of Mega City 1) on the 1st floor observation deck, two people can be seen having an  animated conversation.  One is Tom Vampire the other Pepe Le Peu.

Before the Judges can make their next move their attention is drawn away by an almighty ROOOOOAAAAAARRRRR!!!!!!!.  Two gigantic monstrosities 100m tall and 40m wide emerge from around each side of the block.

From a stuttering loudhailer a voice shouts

 "Ladies and gentlemen, for your entertainment Today we have two of the biggest attractions since the opening of the Atomic War Museum.  On your left we have the Guargantuan Gekko from Guantanamo Bay... GIGASAUR!.  On your right we have the Robotic Rabbit with the Radioactive Rapier, it's... CYBERBUNNY!" 

Gigasaur and Cyberbunny Square off infront of Le Teeny Eiffel Tower

Wallace confronts the giant pink robot rabbit and shouts "This is Judge Wallace, Stop in the name of the Law!".  Cyberbunny leans down to face Judge Wallace and roars "TIMEEEEEEEE!!!".  The giant green reptile raises its head and roars "JIMEEEEEE!!!".

Que runs over to her bike and calls for H-Wagon support as a shot rings out and a nearby citizen's head explodes like a squashed synthi-sauce sachet.  The Judges training instinctively kicks in and they both track the trajectory of the bullet back to the top of Le Teeny Eiffel Tower.

Judges Holmes and Hiro are monitoring the situation from Thatcher Towers security suite and rush to Mitterand Maisons to back up their comrades.  Judge Steele is investigating a stairwell which may have been used by the black clad oldienappers.

You Brought a Lawgiver to a Kaiju Fight?

Wallace fires a GP round into Gigasaur's Chest right where he thinks it's heart should be.  The lumbering lizard does not react so he runs towards Le Teeny Eiffel Tower.  Que takes cover behind her bike as another shot rings out smashing the wing mirror she was using to observe the shooter.  She mentally notes the additional crime of Criminal Damage (Code: 902 - 2 to 6 years) to the perps charge sheet.

The monsters begin closing towards each other intent on slugging it out.

Wallace enters the South West leg of Le Teeny Eiffel Tower and begins running up the stairs.  He can hear the unmistakeable sounds of footsteps running down the stairs towards him.  Que can see Pepe Le Peu on the top most observation platform with a rifle.  She breaks from cover and fires a single GP round but misses, the bullet ricochets off the tower's plas-steel girders with an audible zing.

Cyberbunny brings down his glowing green laser sword as Gigasaur lunges in grabbing his right arm and trying to bite the rabbits head off.  Flashes of light ripple across the two gigantic beasts.

Wallace gets to the 1st floor and hears the panicked footsteps louder and closer.  Que fires another round at Pepe Le Peu and hits him in the shoulder.

Gigasaur gets Cyberbunny but the robot brings a giant pink knee swiftly up into the lizards groin.  The giant lizard roars cross-eyed and in pain.  Waves of electrical static noise dance between the two colossal creatures like two badly tuned TV sets.

Wallace gets to the second floor and confronts a hyperventillating Tom Vampire armed with a stub pistol.

"He made me do it!" he gasps, shakily aiming the pistol at Judge Wallace.  Wallace shoots him in the leg as Vampire reflexively fires a round into his right shoulder.  Thank the Chief Judge for these new Mk 12 Shoulder Pads he thinks to himself.  Que radios through Le Peu's location adding "He's down but still an armed threat".

With a mechanical woosh Cyberbunny fires his jetpack thrusters and executes a perfect front flip with a twist to land facing Gigasaur's spiny back.

Wallace shoots Vampire again whittling him down with another minor wound to the right arm.  "The Game is up Vampire".  Que guns her Lawmaster towards the tower hugging the tank for maximum cover.  Another shot rings out and another wing mirror shatters into pieces.  Que returns fire but misses.

Cyberbunny raises his mighty glowing green sword to slash down on Gigasaur's back but the lizard lashes out his large tail sweeping a leg from under the robotic rabbit.  Cyberbunny overbalances and topples silently onto his back.

Sensing that Vampire is close to surrender, Wallace approaches menacingly brandishing a pair of cuffs.  Vampire realises the futility of it all and runs to the observation deck railing.  Pepe Le Peu shoots again at Que but misses.  As her bike nears the tower her attention is drawn to the 2nd floor observation deck where she can see Tom Vampire trying to climb over the railing.  Judges Hiro and Holmes arrive at Plaza 4A.  Behind Gigasaur, Holmes can see a teenager in a medical exosuit at risjk of being crushed by the gigantic lizards scaly tail.  Too late, the behemoth drops his tail to the ground crushing him.  No wait a minute, the tail passed straight through him.  These Kaiju are holographic fakes.

Wallace grabs Vampires arm as he tries to climb over the barrier.  Que rushes up the South West leg stairs.  Holmes guns his bike past the giant lizard and dismounts.  He arrests the boy in the exo suit on a charge of Disorderly Conduct (Code: 1004 - 1 to 5 Years).  Nearby a second teenager in an exosuit exhaultantly punches the air, his movements perfectly synchronised by the giant pink robot bunny.  "Don't move Juve!" says Hiro as he dials up a Rubber Ricochet and shoots the punk in the head smashing his VR headset visor.  One terrified eye stares back as the the juve stammers "JIMMEEEE".

Wallace cuffs Vampire to the railings but the perp struggles, slips and falls.  Fortunately cuffs are made of strong stuff and Vampire is left dangling from his wrist 100 metres above the cold plas-crete below.  Que continues up the stairs passing the second floor landing.  Holmes shoots an HE round at Pepe Le Peu scoring a direct hit.  With a sickening squelch the remains of a bloodied and burnt arm land at her feet.

An H-Wagon arrives a few minutes later to recover Vampire and to transport the two holographic hoodlums to the iso-cubes.  Under interrogation Vampire reveales that Yesterday Le Peu gave him a locked briefcase to give to Nigel Faraway.  It was heavy, but he doesn't know what it contained.

Back at Thatcher Towers

Judge Steele has located the stairwell and descended into the sub-basement.  His radio crackles with static interference which intensifies as he moves deeper into a forgotten part of this block's history.  The stairwell ends at a recently carved tunnel.  Looks like recent excavation work has uncovered a small tunnel which stretches out into darkness.  He continues onwards emerging into a wide cavern.

"Oh my Grodd!" he remarks as an audible thunk strikes the back of his neck and everything goes black.

NEXT PROG -> Beneath Thatcher Towers

Back Issues

• Prog 1 - Another Day in Mega City One
• Prog 2 - Super Duper Loops and Loopy Droops
• Prog 3 - Juve Punks, a Vampire and Meg Way Carnage
• Prog 4 - Pre Race Rumbles, Narcs and Pizza
• Prog 5 - Ed, Edd, Eddy and ED209 
• Prog 6 -Vive La Resistance
• Prog 7 - Mitterand Maison