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¦ Reviews ¦ 2000AD
Extreme Edition 9
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11th
May 05 |
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Cover
by Jim Murray |
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2000AD
Extreme Edition 9
By Pat Mills, Carlos Freixas, Steve MacManus, Ramon Sola, Roy Preston,
Montero, Oniano, Jesus Redondo, John Cooper, Nick Landau, Lothano
What to Expect:
M.A.C.H.1
A classic slice of Thrill-power as hyper powered secret agent John Probe (AKA
M.A.C.H.1) returns to face alien invasions, government conspiracies and... well,
backwards redneck lumberjacks.
Originally Appeared
In:
- UFO: Progs
30-33
- Mach 0: Progs
43-46
- Return to
Sharpe: Prog 53
- The Dolphin
Tapes: Progs 54-57
- Swamp Saga:
Prog 58
- Origins: Progs
59-60
- The Final
Encounter: 61-66
Review by Paul
I
Ah, the Extreme Editions. To paraphrase a quote from Forest Gump, they are
indeed like a box of chocolates. Despite a few strawberry ones ruining the overall
flavour, they often have a very good selection. And of course, you never know
what you're going to get (oh, now come on! I had to say it eventually!). This,
for me, is what makes the Extreme Editions so exciting. You really have no idea
what you are going to get until it's on your doorstep. Every issue seems to have
a fresh feeling about it, which is a real compliment for a collection of reprints!
And I have to say, this issue was no different. I was as excited as ever about
receiving an issue of the EE, and imagine my surprise when I found it was M.A.C.H.1.
Now, my first thought might have been 'Hold on a minute, haven't we already had
one of these before?' if it wasn't for the impressive Jim Murray cover! This highlights
another strong point of the Extreme Editions, the covers are always amazing. And
this was no exception, indeed if anything it exceeded anything that had come before!
Murray really captured the essence of the last story with this breath taking image.
Indeed, the only complaint I can make about it is that coupled with the title
of the final story, it really gives the whole game away doesn't it?
Well, once my jaw was off the floor and lodged back into its correct place, I
had a flick through the contents. I have to say, not even been born during the
golden age of 2000AD, the older 2000AD stories always impress me the most. The
reason for this is because they seem so mature and well written even by today's
standards, unlike the older stories from American comics I have seen that seemed
to have come off far worse from the aging process.
This is true of M.A.C.H.1 as well. While it's no Robo-Hunter and has become tarnished
by the passing decades, it is still an impressive piece of fiction. John Probe
has certainly come a very long way from his beginnings as a British take on Steve
Austin. He's become such a complex, and to a degree, tragic character. And while
some of his adventures are clearly by the book adventure tales, there always seemed
to be an underlying tone of 'who exactly can you trust?' in M.A.C.H.1 that makes
the whole thing very interesting and worthwhile.
So we begin as we
end, with Mills. This is what seems to be the most brutal of the tales within
the EE, and has some very typical Mills traits. The most obvious being the intolerant
rednecks, who were a very nice touch. The brutal murder of each and every one
of them was just icing on the cake. In fact, despite some very dodgy frames of
art (most of them involving the white alien fluid), this seemed to be the highlight
of the whole thing. Everything seemed to flow nicely, capped off superbly by the
appearance of Probe's perfumed sinister boss Sharpe. The art was also very clear
and fluid, which almost foreshadows the rest of the issue.
The following tales vary in the standard of writing and art. The two things that
really stand out in my mind are M.A.C.H.0 and Origins. These tales, while not
as strong as Mills' contributions, really highlight some important points about
both the character of John Probe and the department he operates in. It shows us
how far Sharpe will go to cover his tracks and really humanises the character
of Probe which, considering the man has a computer built into his skull, is a
very impressive task to accomplish. This also goes back to what I was saying about
how mature these early 2000AD adventures are. While I saw the Dolphin Tapes as
mostly filler, it still had a real edge to it that seemed to set it apart from
other comics of the era.
Which brings us nicely onto what was, for me, the highlight of the issue, The
Final Encounter. Mills again, picking up on the alien invasion theme once more.
Except this time, the tables are turned and it's not the humans that are running
for cover. A typical peaceful alien met with brutish human force story, with a
very dramatic twist. Of course, it does have it's pitfalls. I for one, am still
rather confused about how exactly these hostile aliens have suddenly become cute,
cuddly E.T like creatures. It also falls into the trap of having an alien with
a horrendously long, unpronounceable name and then shortening it to something
like, in this case, 'Fred'. But still, these are petty arguments compared to the
several brave and bold moves that Mills made in this strip. And I have to say,
I was impressed.
Of course, all the
tales had downfalls that were typical of the era. The constant recapping of certain
points does grate on your nerves after awhile but, hey, at least you'll never
forget the words 'Man Activated by Compu-Puncture Hyperpower' and, who knows,
they may come in handy some day. Also, the constant change in artists is rather
off- putting at times, with some of the art displayed being crystal clear and
other parts of it looking rather scratchy and rushed.
Not an essential piece of thrill-power history, with some parts being particularly
forgettable. Indeed, some may argue that there are more worthy candidates for
an Extreme Edition. But as one who never had a chance to read this when it was
first in print, I enjoyed it.
If anything, it makes me wonder what surprise will await me when the next EE lands
on my doorstep...
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