Yeesh, it only took four issues for Danny to go full-on hardened vet.

Also, I'm reading these out of order, so it's like picking up an issue of Sgt. Rock and instead of Bulldozer, Little Sure Shot, and Ice Cream Soldier; Rock was leading Hotfoot, Lefty, and Alamo Pete. Somewhere along the line, something bad had happened...From 1988, Bad Company #4, reprinting the titular serial from 1987 progs 2000 AD #509-510, written by Peter Milligan, pencils by Brett Ewins, inks by Jim McCarthy.  

On the planet Ararat, Bad Company was getting it on all sides, as the Krool's "zombie beat" was re-animating dead earth soldiers against them. (I'm sure it's just 90's techno; Grant Morrison established that ages ago!) Robot medic Wallbanger thinks it can block the frequency, but they needed equipment, so the rogue unit was forced to head for the remaining earth soldiers at Sector 8; which involves fighting through the insane Marshal Bonehead and the Skull Possee. (The extra 'e' is for...insane? That's how crazy they are!)

After a battle, their commandeered Krool transport breaks down again, near where Danny had buried his friend Malcolm, but he finds the grave empty. Mac tries to play it off as animals got the body, but Danny's pretty sure Malcolm was now a war zombie. Pointed-eared Thrax asks, why not just decapitate all the bodies before the zombie beat brings them back; but Wallbanger says that'd take about three months to get all the earther corpses...Arriving at Sector 8, the remaining regular forces are disorganized and leaderless; but also afraid of the "wild animals" of Bad Company, which Danny remembers had been his first impression of them as well, and now he was one of them.

While the Krool could have just rolled over Sector 8 now if they had known how bad off it was; reinforcements were coming: earth elite Lord Ireland, who would almost certainly try to kill Bad Company, since they knew the truth, that earth was dying. Sector 8 finds itself under siege by the Skull Possee, as the zombie beat starts; and Danny is as cool as the other side of your pillow, since all he sees is "a lot of soft skin to be burst or scorched or torn..." Damn, son.

Darn, I thought I had all of Bad Company on digital...I'm pretty sure Milligan is building up Danny as hard when in some ways he's still all marshmallow: he has far more human feelings than Kano or Thrax, who are more like robots than Wallbanger. Also this issue: more Peter Milligan, with the first two progs of "Freaks", then more street football in "The Mean Arena." "Freaks" has art by John Higgins, but the protagonist is an unlikeable, looks-obsessed cad, who gets sucked into another world of hideously ugly inhabitants--or, they're ugly to him, anyway. "The Mean Arena" starts to get rolling, as the Slayers lose another player, but per the rulebook they can ask for a volunteer from the crowd, and dear Grudd I wish the NFL would institute that immediately. (In the pre-season, that'd get viewership up!) The Slayers get a ringer, though: fabled American player Matt Tallon, long believed dead, steps in; but he has reasons of his own...(Written by Tom Tully, art by John Richardson.) Warning: if you dig up the next few issues of Bad Company, you might get to read all of "Freaks," but after this title ended, "The Mean Arena" continued in 2000 AD Showcase until that series ended, so you'd have to look overseas for the conclusion!

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Pretty sure I've ggnmornf'd on a first date, but I don't have self-respect...

60% sure I've bought this issue three times--not just because of the cover! Well, maybe. From 1989, Time Twisters #19, featuring more sci-fi shorts from the pages of 2000 AD, including two--no, three!--from that specific issue! Cover by John Workman.

"It's the Thought that Counts!" is a Peter Milligan/Steve Dillon number--the blond spaceman's chin is immediately recognizable as one of Dillon's! Two spacemen are on a secret mission for the ultimate weapon, although one plots to kill the other as soon as he can grab it. Also, I don't know if trial-and-error is the best way to try their grab-bag of weapons out...

"The Contract" is the first from 1984's 2000 AD #374, as a businessman misses his train, but a meek salesman then sells him a watch that can turn back time! A steal at five pounds...and his soul. Can the businessman get out of the deal? Or, judging by his actions cooking the stock market, did he deserve hell? (Written by Chris Lowder (credited as J. Adrian) and art by Massimo Belardinelli.)

"What's Up, Dock? is a bit of fun, with a shout-out for 2000 AD's editorial frontman Tharg the Mighty: the massive new supertanker Juggernaut was speeding to New York City, with only one crewmember. With all the computers, the captain was all that was needed, and even he was checking out for a nap...as a seagull gets in, and hopping on the keyboard, makes a few course adjustments, like full speed ahead! (Written by Alan Hebden, art by Jose Casanovas.) This and "Uncommon Sense" were from 1984's 2000 AD #372, the editor of this issue must've had an easy time of it! "Uncommon Sense" was by Hebden again, with Mike Collins on art, for a Twilight Zone-like short where an alien scientist attempts to help earthlings with their meager, paltry senses; by increasing them immensely. Results are mixed, as in, three deaths right off. Back to the drawing board there.

Hebden and Casanovas again, for "Working on a Chain Gang..." as three convicts think their luck has turned, when aliens abduct them...because there's a market for experienced slaves. (Sad trombone noise.) And another double-cross in "The Ghost Outside the Machine" from Milligan and Casanovas: a space miner shoots, then spaces his partner, but is haunted by his partner seemingly haunting him every time he looks out the window. Or, there might be a (slighty un)reasonable explanation. "The Art of Advertising" finds an ad agent scrambling after blowing his budget on a big sci-fi campaign, only to be told nostalgia was in now. But, when he hears about a mad scientist who claims to have invented a time machine, an idea is formed...that of course goes awry, that's just the style of these stories, sorry. (Written by Kelvin Gosnell, art by Massimo Belardinelli.)

Finally, "You Win Some, You Lose Some..." is Hebden with classic 2000 AD mainstay Ian Gibson: with earth under siege by the alien Grodge, a desperate back-up plan is put into place, to move the entire planet for safety! And for security reasons, only one man should be trusted with where...yeah, that's gonna go well. 

 For some reason, I seem to find this issue fairly regularly, but I'm not sure I've ever seen Time Twisters #18.

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I was going to blog an actual horror comic, from a series we had seen a few times before, but looking it up the issue in-hand was the last issue; so that has to wait for the end of the year! So, we'll try another issue of this! From 1988, Time Twisters #5, cover by Bil Maher.

The credit box for "Bad Maxwell!" has "J. Roberts" on art, but it's obviously Brendan McCarthy, on the first of four shorts this issue from Peter Milligan. Maxwell Mills was experimenting with improving the teleporter--mainly, in keeping just any yahoo with a teleporter from popping into your house--by keying it to his own molecular structure. Instead, he goes to a post-apocalyptic alternate earth, where a lone band of survivors was surrounded by horrible "waste-mutants!" Maxwell swindles the survivors out of their gold and leaves, knowing they wouldn't be able to follow unless they matched his molecular pattern. Like a mutant Maxwell Mills! Who shouldn't be able to match that, but hey, we only had four pages.

"Extra! Extra!" features a future where the computer-generated newspaper the World doesn't report what happened yesterday, but what was going to happen today. Computer genius J.B. Ropey is one of the few people in the world that could maybe affect the World, which is why today's headline was about his upcoming death: can he avoid it? Maybe for four pages! (Written by Peter Milligan, art by Jose Casanovas.) "Slashman, Kolwalski, and Rat" follows a three-person hit squad: but the main hitter may not be who you would expect. (Written by Steve Moore, art by Mike White.)

Milligan again for "But is it Art?" wherein an art thief and his trainee figure the most well-protected painting in a gallery would be the most valuable, right? Unless there was another reason for it to be locked up...(Art by Eric Bradbury.) And one more Milligan, in "The Snikker Snack!" A murderous smuggler loses a shape-changing snikker on his ship, but figures he can seal it off and the client can find it later. Unless the snikker makes a bad choice to hide as...(Art by Jeff Anderson.)

"The Collector" is a brief air-fighter number set in the Vietnam War (written by Kelvin Gosnell, art by Ian Kennedy) then in "The Mousetrap" a lunatic with a shotgun claims to be stopping an alien invasion, aided and abetted by mice; and like many lunatics in Future-Shocks he might be right! (Written by Alan Hebden, art by Massimo Belardinelli; as was the final story.)

Finally, in "Bad Vibrations" a galactic survey vessel tries to figure out what killed the colonists on a distant world. The captain is a Native American, which is mildly noteworthy; also, this is like the second 2000 AD story I've seen with plot points bearing a passing resemblance to M.Night Shyamalan's the Happening. What a twist! Read more!

It's another Quality 2000 A.D. reprint, so I'm pretty much obligated to blog it.

From the cross-sell ad on the back, I know I was reading Judge Dredd and the earlier reprint title the Law of Dredd at the time; but this was a series I didn't read until much, much later: from 1989, Bad Company #9, featuring stories from 1987's 2000 AD #519 and #548. Written by Peter Milligan, pencils by Brett Ewins, inks by Jim McCarthy.

These two stories were the end of the first main story arc, and the beginning of another; and the main viewpoint characters of the book (Mac, Danny, and "Mad" Tommy) find out the secret of the black box their missing commander, Kano, had left behind; which contained half of Kano's brain. Tommy knew most of this: in the war against the alien Krool--who were about as bad as they sound--they had captured and experimented on Kano; in an attempt to get past their "evolutionary limits." Kano had, in a complicated and painful series of operations, been given half a Krool brain, which explained why he looked like Cable with a Frankenstein square-head. Kano eventually escaped, but wasn't quite himself, or human: Tommy pretended to be insane, largely to keep Kano from murdering him to keep his secrets buried; although he was probably more than a bit insane by then as well. Tommy had actually given Kano the black box, telling him it was the human half of his brain: it totally wasn't; it was just some dead soldier's; but Kano needed to hear that so he could manage to go on. As they leave the planet, Danny leaves his diary behind; telling Mac if Kano didn't need the box, he could leave the diary as well.

What was left of humanity was scattered throughout the "ghetto" planets, at the start of the next storyline; with Danny the de facto leader of Bad Company. They're given a new member--an alien Protoid, who had his own secrets and motives, but a nicer ship--and a new mission: find and stop a mysterious killer, that had been slaughtering humans and Krools alike. (It's Kano; I don't think it's intended to be a surprise.) I was surprised to realize Milligan had written this: it feels a lot like a classic British war strip; just with sci-fi elements and the nihilism turned up to 11. 

Also this issue: the start of short-lived strip "Project Overkill," which featured a passenger pilot sucked into a conspiracy and on the run, Fugitive-style. Ian Gibson art, though! And another chapter of "Mean Arena; which was partly about the violent future sport of "street football" but also a quest for revenge. That one's slightly more remembered, and had a brief relaunch in 1993.

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Well, at least most of that was as advertised.

Yet another X-title picked up randomly, because it had a lot of X-Men on the cover. This was promoted in the checklist as "guest-starring ALL the current X-Men!" And maybe it will illustrate some of the problems of the line at the time, at least for me: from 2005, X-Men #174, "Bizarre Love Triangle, part 4: Election Day" Written by Peter Milligan, pencils by Salvador Larroca, inks by Danny Miki and Allen Martinez.

Previously, a new mutant named Foxx entered the Xavier Institute; and in short order started pursuing her team lead, Gambit. Gambit had been going through a rough patch with Rogue, but rejected Foxx and was going to move her to another squad, when she revealed herself to be Mystique, and tried to seduce him again! Once discovered, Mystique then made an unusual plea: to join the X-Men. The team had a history of rehabilitating former foes, and a vote was scheduled. Rogue confronts Mystique, about whether anything happened between her foster mom and her slightly sketchy boyfriend: Mystique remained tight-lipped, if suggestive. Even Rogue's powers couldn't see the truth: she later describes it to Gambit as "a wall of white mental noise. She's had something done to her, or--" Which would line up with current continuity! Gambit denies everything, and Rogue apologizes to young mutant Bling for momentarily suspecting her of something as well. Rogue tells Bling the story, which she passes to her teammates, including Onyxx, who had been sprung on Foxx. (Onyxx was an odd design: Thing-like skin, a weird skull and metal helmet, four eyes.)

Rogue approaches Emma, suggesting she could read Gambit's mind without him even knowing it--not necessarily suggesting she do it, just that she could. Emma might deflect that, by telling Rogue Havok had asked her to do the same to Polaris; which Rogue decries as "sneaky." Before the vote, Mystique stands before 15 X-Men--with a notable exception--and pleads her case: she was 80 years old (lie!) and her mutation developed when she was 12. She had been forced to do things to survive, and hadn't had the same opportunities or support anyone there had received. She had never had a chance, to be "good." Mystique is taken to a cell by Colossus, and doesn't appear particularly contrite: bored, she asks if he'd be up for strip poker...?

The X-Men aren't a unified front here: Rogue absolutely doesn't want Mystique there, but others point out that's what was said when she joined the team, and she turned out pretty good. On the other hand, Mystique. Gambit sides with Rogue, and Iceman says he's just trying to score points: I get the feeling Iceman didn't have strong feelings about it, and was just being contrary. Polaris suggests the team could use more women, Wolverine says it ain't about that, Storm turns on Wolvie a bit there. No one there seems to be making a real strong argument for Mystique. Meanwhile, in her cell, Mystique is confronted by Onyxx, who wants her to be Foxx again. They fight, interrupted by someone, and Mystique finishes the fight by smashing a toilet over Onyxx's head. He seems like he's only staggered, but Mystique may or may not be seriously hurt; as she's confronted by Nightcrawler, who asks a favor: whichever way the vote goes, go away for a while, so he could sort his head out over it. Mystique's answer is a scowl. (I don't love this: it feels more selfish than Kurt would let himself be. Also, feels like the other X-Men maybe should've asked how he felt about the situation, which we don't see here.)

Disappointingly, we don't see how the actual vote went, but Mystique is awarded probationary status. Rogue is sullen, and Gambit tries to cheer her up, but they find Mystique's cell smashed open, and her gone. Onyxx is hospitalized by Beast, who notes Onyxx had signed a waiver, "admitting culpability" in their fight. Mystique escapes with a shadowy figure, "Augustus," who would later be revealed as Pulse, a mutant Mystique seemingly intended to replace Gambit in Rogue's heart. That...that's weird, right? Mystique also says, she didn't want to stick around for the verdict, since she "could see in their miserable faces they were going to turn me down." But, she felt she had opened a wound between Rogue and Gambit, that would now fester. She'd be back, in relatively short order. Read more!

I'm a casual fan, but I swear I've seen him relaunched like eight times.

Old 2000 AD Presents reprints with Dave Gibbons art, the Garth Ennis version, I've never been able to get the last two issues of the 'memoir' from Grant Morrison...I feel like there were more? Maybe if I had full runs of any of those, or of this one. From 2017. Dan Dare #2, "He Who Dares, part two: Fire" Written by Peter Milligan, art by Alberto Foche.

If you aren't familiar with the classic space hero, well, Dan Dare was basically the British Buck Rogers. And not unlike some other early comic strips, the art was high-end, and the storylines lengthy serials. The wiki there details his publishing history; I wasn't entirely aware the 2000 AD version differed so much from the original. His main recurring villain was the Mekon, an alien tyrant with a massive head, who always looked like he couldn't believe he kept getting beat by someone he considered too stupid to work pants. This version wasn't quite the full-scale deconstruction of Morrison's, or the war-is-hell/adventure story of Ennis; but a Dare perhaps a bit past his glory days: with the Mekon defeated and the system at peace, Dare was left with little to do and bored out of his mind. He idly prays for something to happen, and a new alien force invades: the Treen Imperium.

This issue, Dan meets a possible new ally: an alien spitfire, who seems moderately surprised a man could even be a space pilot; but he almost seems smitten with her already for having the spirit he felt he had lost. Kind of feels like Dan's midlife crisis there. Also, while the Mekon seems like a former foe this issue, there's a pretty good chance he wasn't anywhere near reformed and probably invited the Treen there. He was absolutely that bitch; even if there's an Elton John song that mentions him! Read more!

Gee, if only Batman knew a librarian, or maybe had one on speed-dial or something...

I wasn't sure if I'd read this one before, so better pin it down now. Then, it'll go into my own god-awful filing system. from 1992, Detective Comics #343, "The Library of Souls" Written by Peter Milligan, art and letters by Jim Aparo.

This was the last issue for Milligan and Aparo; and doesn't reach the heights of "the Hungry Grass," or "The Bomb," but features another oddball crime for Batman to sort out. Bodies are being dug up and placed at odd locations around Gotham, with later corpses being found wearing nice new leather jackets, which Batman notices have little numbers sewn on. After security is tightened on cemeteries, as Batman feared, people start getting murdered. When a body is found in a library, there it clicks: the killer was a librarian. (Batman knew Barbara Gordon was a librarian, didn't he? Although, I forget if she had been one in-continuity or just on the TV show; and I don't think she was Oracle quite yet--no, she was, but maybe not for Bats yet.)

The librarian Batman consults, Ms. Holding, later remembers a former employee, Stanislaus Johns, who had what today would charitably be described as a mental health crisis after the death of this mother, believing he was hearing the voices of the dead complaining they were buried all willy-nilly, no sense of organization or structure. They should be filed, like books, with the Dewey Decimal Classification! Modified a bit, perhaps. While Batman goes to stake out where the next body would probably be placed, Holding has a flash of insight and goes to consult with Johns, although she doesn't realize until much later than she should that Johns probably was the killer! Batman gets there in time to save her, and Johns is probably still in the background in Arkham Asylum to this day. 

Not as affecting as some of Milligan/Aparo's others, but still interesting. Feel like it could have used one more draft, but Milligan was leaving the book due to his workload, so maybe not. It does feel like a throwback to an era where Batman didn't know everything, off the top of his head. Written later, Batman would've rattled off the history of the Dewey system himself: no consult with Ms. Holding, just Bats being a know-it-all.

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In the old Star Trek episode, "The Devil in the Dark," there's a scene where Dr. McCoy yells at a crewmember, to beam down the thermal concrete like he asked, "...and never mind what I want it for. I just want it! Now move!" And that seems to be how I'm buying action figures lately, since I don't usually buy a lot of McFarlane figures, but I wanted Atrocitus. Because, that's why! Although, Build-a-Figures or "Collect to Build" rarely come with accessories, so he didn't have a Red Lantern or his beloved pet, Dex-Starr! But there may be more rage-inducing elements in this issue: from 2013, Red Lanterns #18, "The Decision" Written by Peter Milligan, art by Miguel Sepulveda.

I had to re-read Tales of the Green Lantern Corps Annual #2 before this post, since like so much DC continuity, this spins-off a throwaway line in an Alan Moore story. Billions of years ago, space sector 666 was destroyed by the Manhunters, as part of a ploy of the renegade Guardian Krona to show maybe robot space-cops wasn't such a great idea. There were only five survivors, beings that would eventually become the demonic Five Inversions, and one of them was Atrocitus, formerly Atros of Ryutt. He had seen his wife and daughter murdered before his eyes, which would set him on a path of vengeance spanning millennia...but what if it didn't have to be that way? This was part of yet another Green Lantern-title crossover, "Wrath of the First Lantern," featuring the return of the nigh-omnipotent Volthoom. (A name that might ring a bell if you know your Crime Syndicate!)

Volthoom toys with Atrocitus, wondering where his "critical moment" was. And, just to see what would happen, he offers to show him "an alternate life-path," It's a Wonderful Life-style: what if the Manhunters hadn't destroyed his world? Would Atros have lived a happy and peaceful life? Not according to Volthoom, anyway: in his version, Atros becomes a tyrant, conquering his world, even murdering his wife in a show trial. Atrocitus argues he never hit his wife, Volthoom says in that life you did: someone with the potential to become Atrocitus was never going to be "a regular man." But, at the peak of power, his son avenges his mother, gunning down Atros. Volthoom suggests he may want to reconsider hating the Manhunters: "They saved you from yourself."

Still, Volthoom offers Atrocitus the chance to change things, to stop the massacre of his planet...even if it would mean death at the hands of his son. Atrocitus declines, which leaves Volthoom free to get the Macguffin he wanted, which would make him controller of all reality. Atrocitus then makes a call to all Red Lanterns: he had discovered the individual responsible for the destruction of his homeworld...Atrocitus! He could have stopped it, and didn't; and orders all Red Lanterns to execute him, immediately...!

I only read a few issues of this fresh off the racks, but Milligan takes what should probably the dumbest thing ever, and makes some interesting choices: how long can rage keep you going? What will you be if you let go? Some bastards probably should die, but who should make that choice? Atrocitus does seem to occasionally consider the deeper issues, then get rolled back to being the basic bad guy since his name is "Atrocitus." We don't see Dex-Starr this issue, either: he would be softened a bit later in Justice League Odyssey, because he's a cat and everyone loves them, even though he really was a hatey little monster. Read more!

 

After Kevin Conroy passed away, a lot of people posted the death of Ace, from Justice League Unlimited episode "Epilogue," as one of his finest moments; as well as a character-defining scene for Batman. There's a deeply compassionate core to Batman, that's not seen as often as maybe it should be. And re-reading this issue, I wonder if it inspired that scene: from 1991, Detective Comics #638, "The Bomb" Written by Peter Milligan, pencils by Jim Aparo, inks by Mike DeCarlo. Cover by Scott Hampton.  

On a deeply secret military base, a group of commandos free the Bomb, later described by a military attaché to Batman as "Oppenheimer's monster on two legs." A mute genetic freak, with the ability to psychokinetically cause explosions, the attaché really tries to sell it as a monster, and there is a massive explosion at a Gotham bus station, but there are also gaping holes in his story; and Batman realizes the attaché has the one creeping him out. 

Following a string of small explosions to their hideout, Batman frees the Bomb from the commandos, who had intended to force it to explode if they didn't get their ransom: one had gone crazy, possibly as a result of spending too much time with the Bomb. She then removes her protective suit, revealing herself as a rather slight girl, who was unwilling to use her powers to harm anyone, and surprisingly understanding about the army's wish to study her. But, the army also blew up the bus station, to convince Batman that the Bomb was a menace. 

Bats manages to get the Bomb out of Gotham, but knows she was going to have to go back into containment. He promises to get her better treatment, as a person; but the Bomb requests just a morning outside, in the sun. Luring the attaché away, Batman has to fight a helicopter from his glider, but manages to take him down. Still, the pilot tells him the Bomb wasn't just locked up for their protection: she needed her suit and various drugs to protect herself, probably an immune system, Boy in the Plastic Bubble situation. Batman returns to the Bomb--Rebecca--who dies happy, at peace.

It kind of feels like 200 years since I read any, but Detective Comics was, for me, for a long time, "my" Batman book. 

I read it from Detective #589, and while the Grant/Breyfogle team was my favorite, Milligan and Aparo had some standouts there: we saw #629, "The Hungry Grass!" some time back. Although, looking at the covers, I don't recall #643, "Library of Souls!" We'll have to look into that...

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The cover's stronger than most of these Future Shocks!

But we'll still glance at a couple! From 1988, Time Twisters #12, featuring "The Avenging Kong Meets Laurel and Hardy" from 1983's 2000 AD #313, written by "Stavros," art by Mike White; and "Kaboom!" Written by Peter Milligan, art by Anthony Jozwiak. The GCD knew that was from 2000 AD somewhere...

Future movie producers have a delightful scam running in "Avenging Kong," wherein they send their robo-Terminator-actress back in time to murder some Mongols or whatever, edit it into a feature, and profit! As long as she doesn't leave any witnesses, it's in the bag; but like every successful film series, next come the copycats.

In "Kaboom!" the super-rich have taken refuge in bunkers, and left the rest of humanity to fight a war that they started with aliens. Although the war is noisy, they're safe as houses with their robot guards, but some of started to wonder why their robots haven't driven off the aliens yet...unless they wanted the planet for themselves. Nope, there's more of a twist then that! Read more!

Not living up to that title this issue.

I have a vacation coming up shortly, even though in all likelihood the blog will continue to trundle along aimlessly while I'm gone. I am going to be far away from my usual haunts, though; and in an area completely new to me. Which means I'll be hitting some new comic shops! I should put together a list of anything I'm seriously looking for; but c'mon, I really just want a big messy pile of random quarterbooks. Like today's book! From 1990, 666 #1, featuring stories by Peter Milligan, Tom Tully, David Anderson, and more; and art by Massimo Belardinelli, Eduardo Vano, and Chris Weston.

The full title for this reprint book was 666: the Mark of the Beast; that and the covers make it sound a lot more hardcore than it actually was. In fact, there was an ad for it on the back of the same issue, so the Fastner and Larson cover art is on both sides; with the ad's breathless copy: "The science of horror is exquisite in its precision, relentless in its application, and ulimately deadly in its execution!" Whoa, ease up there. These were British imports like Judge Dredd or Rogue Trooper, but from pretty far down the roster: oddball Peter Milligan strip "the Dead," in which an immortal man has to die to find out why demons are appearing; and early Tornado serial "The Mind of Wolfie Smith," a hard-luck psychic boy's adventures, last seen in 1981. The rest of this issue is filled out with a couple tame horror shorts.

Nowhere near the strongest of Fleetway/Quality's reprints, but I'd still grab a pile if I found them cheap. #4 has a Simon Furman/Steve Dillon werewolf story, and another Peter Milligan strip, "Freaks," starts in #7.


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There weren't any garbage cans on Nu-Earth...

...otherwise, Rogue could've pulled that Spider-Man walking away panel, in today's book: from 1987, Rogue Trooper #14, "Nort by Nortwest" Written by Peter Milligan, art by Jose Ortiz.

Rogue's biochipped comrades Helm, Bagman, and Gunnar are either playfully ribbing each other to distract and cheer him up; or are generally sick of each other after all their time at war. Finally having enough, Rogue tells them he could do it alone, but Bagman counters with a time they totally saved Rogue's hash.

In the Scum Sea Triangle, after hitting a "Mauve Monsoon" ("Purple Rain!") Rogue loses his memory, and the 'chips have to talk him through a visit to the undersea city of Nu Atlantis, which had been taken by Nort soldiers. With the 'chips guidance, Rogue frees the Atlanteans, who explain the amnesia caused by the purple rain is temporary, but will take away any memory of their city. But that wouldn't work on biochips; Bagman explains they never told Rogue because they thought he would be embarrassed about being such a liability. Rogue does see a plot hole, though:

I first read this story in the larger-sized, nicely colored Judge Dredd's Crime File #1; but neither entry in the GCD seemed to know where it was originally published. Actually, it seemed more curious why it was in a Judge Dredd reprint book, but it might've been the first story I read with Rogue, and it's still a favorite.
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If the stock market's spiraling today, bootstrap yourself up like Batman:

From 2013, Legends of the Dark Knight #13, "Return of Batman, part two" Written by Peter Milligan, art by Riccardo Burchielli. With Waynetech stock tanking, Batman finds "what happens when I go out to play without my expensive toys." While he still has some instincts, he's rusty; and worse, there's a disturbing scene where he hears the voice of his cowl mocking him, for throwing him aside "for a computerized robot suit." Still, with R'as al Ghul about to poison all of Gotham, Batman has little choice but to get himself together again, by going back to basics.

If it's weird that R'as appears to have a stock guy named Buddy, it's weirder that he also has a parrot named Rameses here. In the hand, after Batman has stopped R'as's scheme, and Waynetech stock has started to rebound; Batman regrets not getting his hands on R'as, even if he may have to thank him.

I'm trying to take care of something this week, so light posting for a bit. Still, I always like to make sure something new goes up...
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