Action - 28th August 1976

Got this rather yellowing copy off eBay a couple of weeks ago and - yet again - its a case of "they did this for kids????"

From the off the tone is set with Steve McManus rolling out an anecdote of the Editor popping in and offering him a cigar. "Can't stand the things" replies our Steve, "But if you line me up a bit of crumpet..."

Hmmmm...

On to Dredger and some quite nice art - a change as by this point its usually gone right down the dumper. Its amazing how a complete, self-contained story can be done in just 3 pages but here we get a Chinese garden of death, a double cross, a shoot out in a Mall and a show down back in the garden.

Lovely art from Belardinelli, still unsuited to the rather dull story. For me a case of studying the art and ignoring the script.

Appalling art on Hookjaw and a very silly script - the big fella is stunned by a bomb blast, Mason and two others tie him up (while holding their breaths) but then he's woken up by bubbles rising from a lava fissure. Oh dear.

And pretty duff on Hellman, although the story's a good one.

Bit of a let-down issue.

"Aieeee!" Watch:

A 100% spot-on makes an apperance in Dredger, along with a rather protracted "Aaaiiieeee!" as the bad guy falls into the spike pit (must've been a long drop).

Two guys in one of Hellman's tanks buy it, one with a shortned ""Aieee!", the other with a longer "Aieeeeee!".