Prog 1355 - 27 August 2003
Cover by Clint Langley

Synopsis and review by Gavin Hanly
2nd Opinion by Paul White

Summaries and reviews contain spoilers for this issue.

GH: Another wraparound cover from Clint Langley, and even better than the last one. This is a truly stunning image, if very similar to a panel in the comic strip itself, and if Rebellion have any sense they'll soon start releasing posters with some of these cover images. It is great to see wraparound covers making more of a regular appearance these days, although it is something of a surprise that Rebellion don't advertise this fact more on the front cover - i.e. something to make casual newsstand browsers pick up the comic to take a look? Let's also get some more artists to provide these covers - an Ezquerra or Flint one would be very welcome indeed.

PW: Fantastic wraparound art by the ever-reliable Clint Langley. Even though there's not much to differentiate between Sláine covers these days, this is pretty dramatic and worthy of the wraparound treatment (and goes some way to repairing the damage of last week's monstrosity).

The Satanist - Part 6

Synopsis: As Mercator's followers debauch themselves outside, Dredd is chained up and prepared for the ritual by Vienna who appears to be drugged. She tells him that they sacrificed babies to let "him" through but it wasn't enough. Mercator appears, claiming to be a demon using Mercator's corpse and that sacrificing Dredd, who represents justice the world over, will help his real self cross the divide. Dredd breaks loose but is caught by Mercator's followers. He's tied to an alter within a pentagram and cut several times by the followers to draw blood. Mercator gives Vienna the knife who prepares to sacrifice Dredd.

GH: This is an enjoyable enough Dredd tale but as it reaches its conclusion it's becoming clear that it's less of the classic than we hoped it might be. Run of the mill satanic worship is at hand here and with only one more episode to go it remains to be seen how satisfactorily this is going to be wrapped up. However, it's still more successful than the last longish Dredd story "The Return of the Chief Judge's Man" as it has managed to keep a large degree of tension right up until the end. We know Dredd will escape by his very nature, but so far it's looking difficult to see how he's going to manage it. However, Mercator has unfortunately become a rather one dimensional baddie - but most of this can be put down to the constraints of the limited run of this series. Perhaps it's time to let Wagner loose on another really long Dredd epic? And one that has lasting effects?

PW: Disappointing. Looking back to my review of prog 1350, I'm saddened by the drop in quality of the story over the last couple of weeks. A "must-read" story that promised so much has fizzled out to the point where I'm past caring. The stereotypical cock-er-nee character with his 'cor lummee' style outbursts really grates, Mercator - lacking any kind of depth - trots out cliched line after cliched line and Vienna as a character doesn't 'grab' me in any way whatsoever. I sincerely hope that there are some (not so distant) future storylines featuring Vienna that lead on from here to make it all worthwhile.

I don't know if the Adlard art is any worse this week, or just seems it due to the faltering storyline. I'll give him the benefit of the doubt and tune in expectantly next week.

Golamh - Part 6 (final episode)

Synopsis: Sláine's forces prepare to do battle with the Atlanteans. However, he fears that even if he wins this battle the Fomors will keep coming and he needs to do something to stop them forever. The Princess prepares her troops as Gael comes to her and asks to spend the night as Odacon is asleep, allowing them privacy. Gael tells her that being a Golamh has its advantages, as he has seen lost cities in the depths of the sea and witnessed races of humans that have adapted to live there. Gael and the Princess make love one last time but unknown to her, Odacon is actually awake...

Dawn comes and the battle begins. Sláine throws his enchanted spear into the battlefield with orders it to continue killing until no invader is left standing. Both armies claim to fight for the Goddess as carnage ensues. Sethor wields the silver sword of the moon, taken from Niamh's grave. Sláine is shocked - but Sethor says it is necessary to win the battle. A group of Golamhs see Sláine, and after talking of a failsafe plan if the battle goes badly, they attack Sláine.

GH: Never before have I read a series which I loved one week and hated the next. Thankfully, this last episode is one of the good weeks as all hell breaks loose. Langley seems to have learned his lesson from the murky battle images of the opening of Book 1, as he really cuts loose this issue. There are some truly awesome battleground scenes on display here, clearly only made possible by Langley's prowess at the computer, but everything is clear and well laid out, allowing for little of the confusion that has dogged his earlier work on the series. He is visibly improving as an artist as the series continues, and I'm enjoying his work more than I ever thought I would. His skill at depicting underwater scenes is also impressive, and seeing as Sláine seems to be hinting at taking the battle to the Fomors in the next series, this is a good sign.

The actual story is even pretty good this week, at least when compared with the preceding episodes, with Odacon clearly scheming something, and the foreshadowing laid down by Sláine's musing that something needs to be done to stop the Fomors for good. There's still much to learn from this series that should be carried into Book 3. Some examples are:

• Stop trotting out the old Sláine clichés. The main character seems to have a very limited vocabulary these days.
• Less Sláine = more enjoyable story - as proved by this series. So either give Sláine a purpose other than a general or move him over to the sidelines
• Bring back Ukko - and the humour of the series with him. Sláine's far too earnest of late and the whole series needs to lighten up
• No one cares about Niamh - let's forget about her now

So it remains to be seen if the next series will improve on this very patchy one. At the very least, I want to know what happens next, which is way more than I could say about the ending of Book 1.

PW: Not a bad episode (or two) at all. Although it all seems rather rushed (effectively 8 episodes does not a book make). There's some good character development here, and Gael and 'the Princess' stand out amongst a plethora of similarly forgettable characters. The former's relationship with Lord Odacon has been the most intriguing aspect of this 'book' (he understands and sympathises with his master and gratefully wonders at the sights he's seen living and breathing below the water...).

The storyline has finally got to the point where i want to see more - it's a compliment (at last) that i'm disappointed Sláine ends this week. However, I'd love to see the next book wrap everything up and have Sláine (permanently) leave us in a blaze of glory - this whole saga has gone on for far too long. Let it go.

A special mention has to go to Clint Langley - he's raised the bar where Sláine artists are concerned and i don't envy anyone who might have to follow. Top drawer stuff.

Part 5

Synopsis: Lament is taken to "Baker" by Baker's daughter Sky, the woman who knocked down Lament last week. He tells Lament that they are the law in steerage. Lament tells them of the murders, and they instantly recognise the handiwork of the Stokers. Lament asks for a guide to the engine room, but Baker refuses. Sky says she'll go, so Baker warns Lament to keep her safe.

Sky says she's a Mace, called that because of the weapon she and other Maces carry. She says that in the old days, the toughest men got the rations, and the weakest starved - until her dad and uncles took them on and started sharing the food fairly. She asks if Lament has anyone: "No...not anymore". They get to the huge watertight compartment doors and open them - after this point they're on their own. As the door opens, deep in the bowels of the ship, something stirs. It looks like the eye that Lionel and Ashbless were wearing. The eye opens...

GH: This is still one of the most intriguing stories to come out of 2000AD in quite some time. From the amazing effort in design that D'israeli has put into the whole series, to the slowly unfolding plot, everything in this strip reeks of class. For instance, in the one scene where he has to really show the scale of the ship, with the massive watertight doors, D'israeli pulls it off with ease, with an amazing contraption that dwarves the two main protagonists.

The story matches the art perfectly, with the idea of the "Maces" and the order they impose set up simply and effectively. And now that Lament has someone to bounce off of, we are starting to learn a little more about his background - and hopefully there's more of that to come.

PW: The storyline moves along at a not inconsiderable pace and has, over the last couple of weeks, found its focus in Detective Sergeant Lament. The more I read about the inner workings of the Leviathan itself, the more I want to know. There's a thousand stories to be told here, and I pray that the end of this story arc does not signal the end of the Leviathan and it's multi-tiered society. There's definitely echoes of 'Scarlet Traces' (indeed, it would have been easy to base the construction of the ship on the stolen Martian technology), and that is most definitely no bad thing - if Edginton and D'Isreali are pitching for their own 'universe' of characters and storylines, the they should be encouraged every step of the way.

I feel that DS Lament is going to meet a sticky end, but will enjoy the characters and revelations that will be thrown up every step of the way. In some ways this story is not at all '2000AD like' in it's style and content, but it's certainly a change for the better...

The Tax Dodge - Part 6

Synopsis: The brothers realise that Rufus must have been caught, and another Brother goes to check. They then demonstrate to the bird that the collar they have put around its neck will explode if it is not back in 20 minutes. The bird reluctantly flies out, struggling to get to the top of the temple.

Down below, Alpha is trying to convince the guards that the kabob is about to be stolen - but they don't believe him. So Alpha goads them, relying on their belligerent nature, until they come out bristling for a fight. Alpha and Sternhammer knock them both out easily and head in, with Paxman still in tow.

Inside, the sun hits the kabob, just as the bird dives for it and grabs it, flying outside as all manned of weapons are thrown after it. A fight explodes inside the temple, as the bird flies over the wall - spotted by Alpha and Sternhammer...

GH: So the reason the bird was stolen was simply to fly in and steal the kabob? I can't help but feel a bit cheated by this, I thought that its capacity for insulting would be brought in to the equation somehow - but I guess that was just a red herring. Bit of a shame really. Despite that, this is still as entertaining as ever - mainly due to the supporting characters - from the calculating Brothers to the easily riled Gnobbians, and the put-upon bird. A light-hearted story like this could easily fail in another's hands, but Wagner has the skill to make clear nonsense like this extremely captivating, and a great way to end the issue.

PW: Ah, it's like it's never been away. Many aspects of the story are not to be taken seriously (Smerk, Unrighteous Brothers, Gnob gags, Paxman, The Kabob) but it all works perfectly well in the backdrop of Johnny and Wulf's world. I love the Gnobs and their fiery attitude to all things alien - well, to all things full-stop. Even though Strontium Dog does follow a set formula in many of its stories, the situation on show here is unique enough to sustain interest in the characters and storyline. I have no idea how the story will be resolved - and that's surely the point? I still think that Paxman should have his own series... but make sure it's set on Gnob for 'hilarious consequences' a-plenty.