Orlok used to know a pyro. No, not someone who could start fires with his mind, but someone who genuinely liked to set things ablaze. It is unknown if this was genuine psychopathic behaviour or simply a bid for attention but said person would set fire to farts, maths text books and (on one sad occasion) an entire 1977 Ford Escort. But, like the saying goes, burning will follow playing with fire and he ended up losing his eyebrows.
DATELINE:
April 2107 (Progs 414-415).
WHO’S RESPONSIBLE:
John Wagner and Alan Grant turn the heat up on Ron Smith.
WHAT’S IT ALL ABOUT (IN ONE SENTENCE)?:
A juve with pyrokinetic abilities falls in with a bad crowd.
WHO’S THAT IN THE HELMET?:
Judge Persol is used as pun.
Judge Sharba is burned alive but has the steel balls to call it in.
IT’S CULTURAL, INNIT?:
The apartment number of 16-66 ties in nicely with the date of the Great Fire of London.
Judge Persol’s name is used as a nice pun on the washing powder brand of Persil.
Ferd(inand) Marcos was a piece of shit who became the President of the Philippines.
Brigitte Barot (sic) is probably a nod to the famous French actor and activist. I’ve no idea why the D has been dropped, though some may argue she herself dropped the “D” when she divorced Roger Vadim.
ANY LAW LORE?:
Complicity to murder will get you thirty years.
CANON FODDER:
Puerto Nova is mentioned for the first and only time.
Here the Holocaust Squad appear to be employed for fire fighting rather than for the suicide missions we have previously seen.
WHAT THE DROKK:
We have to talk about the el Chupacabra in the room; the comedy accents and slurs here are a difficult read.
WHAT’S THE ART LIKE?:
When it comes to one pagers of total destruction, Ron Smith is the go to guy. The detailed carnage is incredible. There’s even a circle panel for fuck’s sake.
HOW MANY LINKS?:
Five. Though a thin tale of psi abilities gone awry, this look at the plight of Primo Vesta (and his fucknut family) is well realised. The juves he falls in with are absolute cunts and fully deserve to be torched up but Vesta himself is a tragic character. It’s also disturbing to see that immigrants are still treated pretty shitly (“Thanks, Trump!”), and their ignorance of the law is preyed upon by those out to exploit it. Some great art on offer here, too.