Tuesday 5 November 2013

Ro-Busters: Hammer-Stein's War Memoirs, Part 2 - Baptism Of Fire!

NAME
Ro-Busters: Hammer-Stein's War Memoirs, Part 2 - Baptism Of Fire!

FIRST PUBLISHED
2000 A.D. Prog 89

DATELINE
4 Nov 78

PAGE COUNT
6

REPRINTS
2000AD Annual 1988, Cyber Crush 02, Ro-Busters Book 1, Extreme Edition 24 and The Complete Ro-Busters.

SYNOPSIS
Hammer-Stein saves and then shoots his superior officer.

FIRSTS & LASTS
First Ro-Busters art by Mike Dorey

INFORMATION
A snow-demon is a land vehicle designed for travel on snow.

The Volgan infantry use Blitzkrieger tanks. The Chem-Korp (or K.K.W.) deploy poison gas.

Bionic eyes are expensive.

RO-JAWS
He still doesn't want to hear Hammerstein's war memoirs.

HAMMER-STEIN
It takes a special spanner to unscrew his head. Hammer-Stein records a huge Volgan offensive moving under cover of a blizzard. Kowalski orders Hammer-Stein to kill him and then pass the recorded information to US Generals. He complies.

OTHER CHARACTERS
MEK-QUAKE
He still wants to hear Hammerstein's war memoirs. He has read books about Japanese war tortures, he struggled with the words but enjoyed the pictures.

KOWALSKI
He's from the Bronx. He is a fan of the Harlem Heroes. Hammer-Stein saves him, but when he discovers his saviour is a robot he tries to attack him. When Hammer-Stein records the movements of Volgan troops and must get the information back to US forces. Kowalski orders the robot to kill him, he complies.

DEATHS
One. Hammer-Stein kills Kowalski under orders.

BEST LINES
Hammer-Stein: "Must have my brain checked for illogical action...wasted 25 minutes burying the Sarge."

WORST LINES
Kowalski: "Oh yeah? Well I still got me a gun...an' you ain't Superman. An armour-piercer will tear your trannies out!"

I beg your pardon?

CATCHPHRASES
A Volgan soldier gives us another "Aieeee!"

CONTINUITY & CROSSOVERS
Kowalski alludes to the Harlem Heroes.

INFLUENCES & REFERENCES
Unknown.

MISTAKES
The Snow-Demon becomes a Snow-Devil.

RETROSPECT
None.

NOTES
None.

CREDITS
Script: Pat Mills
Artist: Mike Dorey
Letters: Jack Potter

Mike Dorey also provided artwork for Invasion, Tharg's Future Shocks, M.A.C.H.1, M.A.C.H.0, Rogue Trooper, Tharg The Mighty, Time Twisters, The Mind Of Wolfie Smith and a one-off called Psi-Testers, as well as covers for both 2000 A.D. and Tornado.

REVIEW
The story is still great, the change in the artwork jars slightly but it isn't bad in and of itself.

Next Prog: "Wheels Of Terror!"

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