FS 2: TRAWLING.

PROG 26: FOOD FOR THOUGHT

Script: Steve Moore

Art: Horacio Lalia

Letters: Jack Potter

Plot: An Atlantic Trawler is out catching fish when it’s inhabitants are teleported aboard an alien UFO

Shock : Just as the fishermen had viewed the fish as ‘brain food’ so to the aliens view the captain and his crew; munching down on them like tasty fish. 

Thoughts: Steve Moore follows up the first ever Future Shock with this second tale the very next prog, managing to be even less shocking and far more of a Terror Tale before its time. The story is notable for presenting both the twist (human fishermen are in turn alien ‘brain food’ as fish are to us) and the biggest dramatic moment – the abduction of the crew – on the first page. Everything plays out from there in a very straight forward fashion. Lalia, a key artist on the companion title Starlord, gives good squid-like aliens but is guilty of being a bit dull on the teleporters – which look exactly like they come from the Starship Enterprise. The most shocking thing about the tale is that it is one-and done in 10 panels – 2000AD as efficient as ever in telling a story.

Shock’d? Seeing as the twist and the enemy are both flagged  from the off the whole story runs a very predictable course. The impact of the ‘terror’ ending is also diminished by being restricted to a half-page which hinders its visual impact.

FS 1: ANT-ICIPATE THE SHOCK!

PROG 25: King of the World

Script: Steve Moore

Art: Blasquez

Letters:  Tom Frame

Plot:  On the ‘Giant Planet’ Jalez the mighty Red-headed Warrior Vikar leads the Reds to violent triumph over the Black-haired Warriors.

Shock : The final page reveals the humanoid Reds and Blacks to have been two sides in an Ant-child’s pet-creature menagerie. The Ant-mother tut-tuts while the Ant-Children say watching the creatures is fascinating.

Thoughts: From tiny acorns and all that…. Pat Mills makes a rare appearance as hero-archetype as the flame-haired blood-lusting leader in this inaugural Future Shock.  The artwork from the mysterious ‘Blazquez’ sings of the studio tradition that brought us Redondo et al. The initial two pages depicting the fight are in early 2000AD colour and are subsequently a bit garish but the final B&W shock page is a lovely full page ‘domestic scene’ with lots of fun playing with the ‘Ants-at-home’ setting.  The backgrounds to Jalez are a bit termite-hill looking so foreshadow the shock a tad.

Shock’d? Not really. Bit of a  ‘he opens the door and a pig eats him’ disconnect between the first two and final pages.