2000 AD 8 (16 April 1977)

144898 Harlem Heroes takes place in a world with a Mega City-One. That one detail is more diverting than anything else in this issue’s entry, except maybe how Gibbons draws the Russian players. They’re giant bear furries. They’ve been so attired a while now, I just hadn’t bothered to comment.

The Invasion story isn’t bad. Finley-Day doesn’t really do any character or plot development and his last pages are always hurried.

Flesh, with new artist Boix, is dumb but not too bad. Apparently none of the characters outside Invasion or Dredd make any sense in 2000 AD.

The issue also has less loathsome Dan Dare and M.A.C.H. 1 entries. Dare because it moves too fast to leave an impression but John Cooper’s art on M.A.C.H. is decent. Rough but competent.

Belardinelli, who does so bad on Dare, does a decent job on Dredd.

CREDITS

Invasion, Concorde; writer, Gerry Finley-Day; artist, Mike Dorey; letterer, Jack Potter. Flesh, Book One, Part Eight; writer, Ken Armstrong; artist, Boix; letterer, Potter. Harlem Heroes, Part Eight; writer, Tom Tully; artist and letterer, Dave Gibbons. Dan Dare, Part Eight; writer, Kelvin Gosnell; artist, Massimo Belardinelli; letterer, Potter. M.A.C.H. 1, Spain Kidnap; writer, Nick Allen; artist, John Cooper; letterer, Bill Nuttall. Judge Dredd, Antique Car Heist; writer, Charles Herring; artist, Belardinelli; letterer, Tony Jacob. Publisher, IPC.

2000 AD 4 (19 March 1977)

144894 Pat Wright takes over the art on Invasion and it’s immediately less interesting. Gerry Finley-Day’s writing isn’t terrible, but without dynamic art, the cracks show a lot clearer.

Flesh still has great art from Sola. Ken Armstrong’s writing is even worse than usual, especially the dialogue. And they rip off Westworld whole sale. It’s a chore when dinosaurs aren’t on page.

Gibbons has a great opening splash page for Harlem Heroes. Tully concentrates on making the game seem real; while not exciting, the dedication to the concept is something. They could have cut a lot of corners and they don’t.

Dan Dare is lame. I guess Belardinelli does do well with gross alien creatures. Not a lot of space shots either.

Pat Mills is back writing M.A.C.H. 1. Artist Enio’s apparently scared to make the Arab villains look too Arab. It’s awful.

Dredd’s fun. McMahon compacts his visuals well.

CREDITS

Invasion, The Resistance, Part Four; writer, Gerry Finley-Day; artist, Pat Wright; letterer, Tom Frame. Flesh, Book One, Part Four; writer, Ken Armstrong; artist, Ramon Sola; letterer, Bill Nuttall. Harlem Heroes, Part Four; writer, Tom Tully; artist and letterer, Dave Gibbons. Dan Dare, Part Four; writer, Kelvin Gosnell; artist, Massimo Belardinelli; letterer, Jack Potter. M.A.C.H. 1, To Kill a President; writer, Pat Mills; artist, Enio; letterer, John Aldrich. Judge Dredd, The Brotherhood of Darkness; writer, Malcolm Shaw; artist, Mike McMahon; letterer, Nuttall. Publisher, IPC.

2000 AD 3 (12 March 1977)

144893 Ramon Sola does the art on Flesh and all of a sudden it looks great. The dinosaurs, the landscapes, even the cowboys. All the strip needed was good art to make it palatable.

Belardinelli handles the art on both Dan Dare and M.A.C.H. 1. He doesn’t do a good job on either, but Dare is better thanks to the space scenes. He can draw the space stuff, just not humanoids interacting.

Invasion is okay enough–Blasco’s still the best art. The writing’s a little wonky, but not terrible. Harlem Heroes is inoffensive sports stuff, if a little dumb. And Gibbons’s art is problematic on the athletics.

Judge Dredd, with Kelvin Gosnell writing–McMahon is still on art–is little better. It helps if one reads it as some kind of riff on a Dick Tracy comic strip, some comedically self-aware future one.

AD’s definitely improving.

CREDITS

Invasion, The Resistance, Part Three; writer, Gerry Finley-Day; artist, Jesus Blasco; letterer, Jack Potter. Flesh, Book One, Part Three; writer, Ken Armstrong; artist, Ramon Sola; letterer, Bill Nuttall. Harlem Heroes, Part Three; writer, Tom Tully; artist and letterer, Dave Gibbons. Dan Dare, Part Three; writer, Kelvin Gosnell; artist, Massimo Belardinelli; letterer, Potter. M.A.C.H. 1, Battleship; writer, Nick Allen; artist, Belardinelli; letterer, Tony Jacob. Judge Dredd, The New You; writer, Gosnell; artist, Mike McMahon; letterer, John Aldrich. Publisher, IPC.

2000 AD 2 (5 March 1977)

144892 Once again, Invasion is the best strip, M.A.C.H. 1 is the worst and Harlem Heroes is the strangest.

Starting with Harlem… Gibbons’s art is better this time, but the future setting is poorly thought out (Harlem’s a bad neighborhood even after future retrofitting?). It’s not a traditional storyline though, which is nice.

Flesh is a little better too, with Armstrong getting into some of the day to day of dinosaur hunting. Boix’s art is still iffy.

Dan Dare is crappy again. Bad writing, bad art. The art’s probably worse than the writing.

That Blasco art on Invasion makes up for the hurried pace. It’s a great looking strip. The art on M.A.C.H. is a little better too.

The first Judge Dredd finishes the programme. Peter Harris’s writing is weak, Mike McMahon’s art is indistinct. Dredd’s second seat to the villain even. From mundane beginnings….

CREDITS

Invasion, The Resistance, Part Two; writer, Gerry Finley-Day; artist, Jesus Blasco; letterer, Jack Potter. Flesh, Book One, Part Two; writer, Ken Armstrong; artist, Joan Boix; letterer, Bill Nuttall. M.A.C.H. 1, Vulcan, Part Two; writer, Robert Flynn; artist, Enio; letterer, Potter. Dan Dare, Part Two; writer, Kelvin Gosnell; artist, Massimo Belardinelli; letterer, Nuttall. Harlem Heroes, Part Two; writer, Tom Tully; artist and letterer, Dave Gibbons. Judge Dredd, Judge Whitey; writer, Peter Harris; artist, Mike McMahon. Publisher, IPC.

2000 AD 1 (26 February 1977)

144891 There’s definitely some weird stuff in the first issue of 2000 AD. Quite a bit of silly stuff too. Pat Mills wrote–either solo or with a partner–every story in the issue so the lack of creativity on some of the series might just be exhaustion.

The first one, Invasion, is the strongest. Great art from Jesus Blasco. It’s about some Eastern European country invading Britain; very methodically told. Looks great.

Flesh is about dinosaur hunters from the future. Joan Boix’s art has more personality than quality. It’s likable enough, as it’s cowboys and dinosaurs.

The Dan Dare is lame. Massimo Belardinelli has problems with figures, the writing’s dull.

Nothing’s as lame as M.A.C.H. 1 though. It’s a “Six Million Dollar Man” knockoff. Enio’s art is pretty weak.

Harlem Heroes is the nuttiest–a future version of the Globetrotters. Young Dave Gibbons on the busy art.

CREDITS

Invasion, The Resistance, Part One; writer, Pat Mills; artist, Jesus Blasco; letterer, Bill Nuttall. Flesh, Book One, Part One; writer, Mills; artist, Joan Boix; letterer, Nuttall. Dan Dare, Part One; writers, Ken Armstrong and Mills; artist, Massimo Belardinelli; letterer, Nuttall. M.A.C.H. 1, Vulcan, Part One; writer, Mills, artist, Enio; letterer, Nuttall. Harlem Heroes, Part One; writers, Tom Tully and Mills; artist, Dave Gibbons; letterers, Gibbons and Nuttall. Editor, Kelvin Gosnell; publisher, IPC.