Prog 9 - Mach 1

MACH 1 is back in the thick of the action in Turkostan, which is in the middle of a bloody Civil War.

What is he doing there? All is revealed on the second page...
Probe grabs one of the soldiers from the destroyed vehicle and gets the information he needs...the whereabouts of the Professor. As he's getting the information, he sees the reflection of another soldier about to 'sneak' up behind him.

Probe spins around and despatches the guy with a hyper-powered bitch slap!
MACH 1's computer brain reminds him of the seriousness of his mission. He must get to the scientist before he can develop a home-made atomic bomb and trigger World War Three!

Probe sneaks into the Black Mosque and breaks into the vault where Nansen is in hiding. After killing the guard with a hyper-powered chop to the neck, he strangles Nansen until he falls into a mild coma, throws the professor over his shoulder and makes his escape!
But it's not going to be that easy. Nansen managed to get a call out to the military, and now three tanks are blocking Probes way. They tell Probe that they will blow him away if they don't let the Professor go. Probe, realises that even he can't fight three tanks...but his computer brain gives him an idea. He puts Nansen in one of the jeeps. Nansen is still out cold. A countdown has begun for Probe to hand over the Professor, but MACH 1 is having none of it. Initially having trouble to start up the jeeps...everything falls into place and Probe goes on the offensive.
As the jeeps reach 70mph, Probe slams one of the jeeps into the pillar causing it to destroy the three tanks...
...and Probe makes his getaway, with Nansen unconscious, in the second jeep.


Run of the mill stuff for MACH 1. I liked that he was back in Turkostan because it adds some sort of continuity to the strip.

His banter back and forth with his computer is getting more interesting for me. He seems to be always reming his brain that he's human and has a right to get angry, tell jokes etc. The machine is constantly reminding him that he can't consider himself human anymore because of his hyper-powered body and mind.

One thing does puzzle me though...why would the tanks fire on Probe if Nansen is so important? Oh well, it didn't spoil my enjoyment of the strip...just struck me as odd.

The script is by the ever reliable John Wagner and the art is by John Cooper. Again, Coopers art is fantastic and really suits the MACH 1 strip.

Prog 8 - MACH 1

Probe sets off to hand over the ransom. His contact arrives on a motorbike. Probe asks where the girl is and the contact tells him that he has only one thing for him and he pulls a gun. But Probe is quicker than his would-be assassin...
Probe asks again where the girl is. He tells Probe where they are keeping her. Probe knocks him out. (Although, it looks like he's breaking the guys neck in this panel...maybe they decided to censor it and have John just 'put him to sleep for a while' instead.)
MACH 1 then disguises himself as the bike rider and drives up to the villa passing a guard on the way. But not everything is going to work out the way he wants it. Two guards ahead of him flag him down. They want to know if he got the money. Probe doesn't stop and drives right past them. The guards now know he's an imposter and open fire.

Inside the Villa the rest of the kidnappers hear the shooting outside. Pilar, they're leader, has Maria by the hair and holds a knife up to her throat.

Probe is going to have to move fast...
and he does...
The bike crashes on top of the gunmen. Pilar is all that's left. Pilar tells Probe to back off or she'll cut up Maria's face so badly that she'd look beautiful in comparison. Probe is having none of it. He tells her to go ahead and while she's carving up Marias face to take note of what he can do to her when she's done. He lifts up the motorbike he crashed into the villa with and crushes it with his bare hands in front of her.
With Pilars surrender and Maria saved, Probes 'mission' is over.
Wow!

This episode was a tough one to leave any artwork out. John Coopers pages are so dynamic and action packed. He did a really fantastics job at making the story flow at a breakneck speed. His page layouts are fantastic for this five and a half pager.

It's a fairly straight forward MACH 1 story. Although, I wonder what happened to the guards that were chasing Probe before he reached the Villa. Seems like a loose end that didn't get tidied up.

No real advancement of Probes character here, it's not the first time that Probe has done a mission for 'personal' reasons, and it's a basic 'paint by numbers' plotline. It's Coopers artwork that really makes this average story shine.

Fantastic stuff.

Prog 7 - MACH 1

Mach 1 creates a diversion so he can sneak into Armstrongs hotel.
He tells Armstrong that he has come on behalf of Her Majesty's Government and he is to take him back to London. Armstrong stares in disbelief...Probe is just one man and he's not going to risk his life with 'schoolboy heroics'.

He calls in a guard to arrest Probe. Probe does what's neccessary to convince Armstrong.
Armstrong is convinced. Probe lowers him on rope out of the window. He steals an army truck and both men are on their way out of the city. Then, Probe spots a secret police car with an escort. He tells Armstrong to keep his head down. He doesn't want them to recognize him. But Probe spots something else...
He turns the truck around and goes back to help Pepe. Armstrong is enraged! How dare Probe endanger his life for a 'dirty peasant brat!'

Probe smashes the truck into the side of the Secret Police car. He leaves the truck and engages the escort.
Inside the car is the Bolavian Head of the Secret Police - Colonel Villarcho. He can't believe his eyes. Mach 1 is killing all his men! He orders his driver to lock all the car doors...but Pepe smiles and tells him that that won't stop 'Senor Johnny.' And he's right. Probe rips off the car door to free Pepe...but Colonel Villarcho is cunning.
Mach 1 surrenders. Villarcho takes him, Pepe and Armstrong to the secret police H.Q.
Probe decides to have his computer brain shut off his hyperpower. He wants to give them the impression that his power has left him. Villarcho thinks he's faking and has a doctor examine him. The doctor tells him that Probe is not faking, that he is in fact 'as weak as a baby!'

Villarcho takes advantage of the situation. He punches and kicks Probe around. After the beating, they dump Probe into a cell...tomorrow they are going torture him.

Alone in the cell...Probe orders his computer brain to switch his hyperpower back on.

The next day he is brought in front of Villarcho. Villarcho has his men tie Probe to two pillars. He tells Probe that what he is about to feel is 'beyond the normal meaning of pain.' The whipping begins...but with Probes hyperpower back to fool strength, the whipping feels just like a tickling across his back.

Probe makes his move and breaks free...
The toppling of the pillars causes the building to cave in...Probe rescues Villarcho. He uses Villarcho as a human shield while he sets Armstrong and Pepe free. Villarchos' troops won't shoot as long as Probe has him in his grasp.

Probe commandeers a chopper and they escape. But what to do about Villarcho?
Problem solved! That wraps up another chapter in John Probes life.

We get another fictional country here...Bolavia. Gosh, I wonder what country that could be? ;-) And something I didn't think Probe could do. He turned off his power. I didn't know that he could that. It will be interesting to see if it is explored further in the series. My memory is a bit fuzzy and I can't remember if they address this again.

Good writing by Mills again and solid art by Enio.

Prog 6 - MACH 1

We open with MACH 1 coming to the aid of a friend. But he's too late! His friend is dead and now Probe is determined to beat Kreuzer and his 'Werewolves' to the Nazi gold.

Probe arrives at Lake Constance and dives right in. He can't waste time because Karl had told him that Kreuzer and his men where planning on lifting the gold that night. He approaches the wreck of the sunken ship.

He rips the ships hold apart to get the gold but something isn't right...
The 'Werewolf' divers have been using the nazi corpses as cover.
Probe has a fight on his hands. He smashes one of the divers heads with his hand instantly killing him. More divers arrive armed with spear guns. One spears probe in the arm. MACH 1 has to end this quick or else he'll be in serious trouble. If it's the gold they want...they can have it...
Probe swims to the surface and sees Kreuzers boat skimming the lake. He decides to pay Kreuzer a visit...Hyperpower style!

Probe swims so fast towards the boat that the crew onboard think that it's a torpedo that's been aimed at the boat. He attaches himself to one of the hydrofoils and breaks it off. The majority of the crew jump overboard in a panic.
Probe pulls himself onboard the ship even though his computer brain advises against it. He takes out the last member of the crew before he can get off a shot...
And then comes face to face with Kreuzer. MACH 1 rips the spear from out of his arm. Kreuzer can't believe his eyes..the strenght of MACH 1 has him rattled.

Probe wants all the details on the Werewolf Organisation...
Kreuzer hands him a dossier with all the details as the ship heads full steam ahead towards some rocks.
...and that's all she wrote.

Decent episode the only problem I have is that Probe tells Kreuzer to say 'Hello' to his dead Werewolf thugs and also to his friend Karl when he joins them in the afterlife. Why would Probe do that unless he thinks Karl is in hell with Kruezer and co? Strange one that.

Mike Dorey did the artwork on this. Dorey was never one of my favorites but the job he did on this is really exceptional. His drawing Karls beaten face is quite gruesome. You can really tell that the Werewolf thugs went to town on him.

Pat Mills writing is top notch even if the script at the end seems out of place.

Prog 5 - MACH 1

Probe is on a well earned vacation and needs to burn off some energy. It ain't easy being a MACH man. Nice Popeye reference.

Later on the beach, Probe is approached by a stranger. The stranger had seen Probes display of hyperpower swimming. MACH 1's computer brain informs Probe that the stranger is Otto Brandt, an illegal weapons dealer and advises Probe to exercise caution because Brandt wants to find out the secret behind his hyperpower.

Brandt is planning a party and wants Probe to join him as his guest. Probe declines. Brandt 'persuades' him to change his mind... Probe agrees to go with Brandt. His computer brain disagrees with the decision and reminds him that with his hyperpower he could have taken out Brandts' goons. Probe responds that every second doing that would have cost more lives.

They board the boat plane. The 'party' starts. Brandt's goons lay into Probe. They beat him. Brandt asks Probe to be sensible...how much more punishment can he take? Probe says that he's not 'one of your old fashioned heroes - I'll tell you everything - If the money is right!'

The guards relax and Probe picks his moment for...
One guard gets blasted out of the plane...
He finishes the other two guards off by hyperpunching them. Hyperpunch equals instant death!

Brandt is now flying the plane. Probe is making his way toward him. Brandt calls Probe a fool, that they both could have been rich by cashing in on his Hyperpower. Brandt turns the plane so fast that Probe is shot out the side. MACH 1 takes it all in his stride and grabs onto the planes float.

Brandt shoots at probe. If he can't have Probes secrets alive...dead will do. Probe responds with a great line...'cos you got me angry in my skull!'
The plane heads inland and Brandt is going to do his best to make Probe roadkill. He flies the plane dangerously close to the ground trying scrap Probe off. But, a truck turns the corner and is heading straight for the plane. Brandt can't pull up in time and...
We leave Probe pondering that his hyperpower is more of a curse than a blessing.

Nice episode because we get to understand what a burden hyperpower can be. If Probe hadn't burned off some hyperpower by swimming as fast as he did, he wouldn't have attracted attention from Brandt, and the holiday makers that were gunned down would still be alive. It wouldn't be the first time that Probe would question the negative effects of having such power.

John Cooper's art is really suitable for this strip. His work has a totally 70's look to it. Cooper would draw a few Dredd stories too, but his work always seemed out of place for me on Dredd. He was way more suited for MACH 1. Cooper is probably best known for his work on Johnny Red for Battle...
and on John Wagners classic cop - One Eyed Jack for Valiant.

Prog 4 - MACH 1

I love the title of this MACH 1 installment, 'In 24 hours a President must die!'

John Probe is on a mission to eliminate the President of Irania, (No prize for guessing what country 'Irania' is based on.)before the President can launch an invasion on their neighbors Turkostan. It's going to be a tough mission. The Presidents palace is heavily guarded.

Rather than waste time, Probe tries the direct approach.
He's arrested and taken to the secret police headquarters and is interrogated by a Colonel Krall.
The Colonels henchmen are surprised that Probe has no weapons. Probe responds that he 'doesn't need fancy gadgets. I'm going to kill the swine with my bare hands!'

Krall says that Probe is full of it and he's going to skin him alive. The interrogation begins... Thanks to MACH 1's hyper-strength, he's able to withstand the torture with a minimum of discomfort. The interrogation is interrupted by an officer that informs Krall that the President is curious about his British prisoner and would like to see him. Krall chains Probe, he wants to make sure that he can't carry out his threat to kill the President.

Probes gamble has paid off...now, he will get face time with the dictator.

President Mudar is just as vicious as his underling Krall. Probe tells him, quite nonchalantly, how he is going to die.
Mudar is interrupted by one of his men. The officer tell Mudar that his invasion force is ready. Mudar has no time to waste on Probe and orders that he be taken back to Colonel Krall for futher interrogation. MACH 1 makes his move. He snaps the chains that bind him and kills Mudar's men.
And true to his word, Probe kills Mudar by a hyper-powered karate chop!
Krall has been watching and decides to take Probe out with one of his hunting guns. A gun so powerful it can stop a charging rhino! Probe races forward in an effort to stop him...but too late. He takes the brunt of the blast!
With his hyper-power depleting, Probe takes a huge risk, he charges forward, crashing both him and a stunned Krall, through a window.
Krall is dead and MACH 1 makes his escape. He steals an armored car, crashes it through the palace gates and makes his way across the border. We end the strip with Sharpe paying Probe a visit in hospital where he's recovering from his wounds.
He has completed his mission. By assassinating Mudar he has stopped Irania from invading Turkostan.

Lots of good stuff in this strip.

We see that Probe is human after all. He barely makes it out alive. And his computer brain has a weakness...it doesn't have any working knowledge of old weaponry. When Probe steals the tank, it can't give him any data on it because it's an old tank, it can only give him data on 'new' vehicles.

The strip ends with a conversation between Sharpe and Probe and we're left with the impression that Sharpe is glad that Probe made it out alive because he's cost the government so much money. It speaks a lot about Sharpes character.

Nice fun script by Mills and decent art by Enio.

Prog 3 - Mach 1

We're treated to two strips of excellent artwork this issue by Massimo Belardinelli.
Belardinelli would hit his stride later drawing strips like Inferno, Meltdown Man and the absolutely hilarious ACE Trucking Co. Oh, and I actually like his Slaine work.

The latest MACH 1 story opens up with a flashback of a NATO battleship sinking to it's watery grave. Some days later MACH 1 and his superior Sharpe arrive with recovery vessels at the scene of the ships last reported spot. But there's a fishing trawler there. Probe asks Sharpe why the British Navy doesn't intervene. Sharpe replies that they don't want to risk an International incident if the trawler does turn out to be a harmless fishing vessel.

No, this investigation is a job for MACH 1!

Probe dives into the water. No wet suit for this guy! Wet suits are for wimps!
As he nears the 'trawler' Probe notices that the men on the trawler are armed. It's just as Sharpe suspected...it's a ruse. But why and who could be behind it?

There is no way that MACH 1 can get aboard the ship, there are no holds for him to get a grip...so, he gets onboard...
...dolphin style!
Once onboard, Probe sees that the 'trawler' is trying to raise the NATO ship to reveal it's secrets and that he wouldn't be surprised if the 'trawler' crew are the ones that sank the ship in the first place.

He decides to stop them from recovering the ship by blowing up the engine room. But he's stopped in his tracks! He's grabbed by a 'trawler' crew member in a power assisted diving suit!
A fight ensues! No matter how hard Probe punches the diver...it does no damage. The divers suit is made from high-stress titanium can!

MACH 1's computerised brain tells him that there is no solution to beating his assailant. This pisses him off...he gets mad and the extra adrenalin enables him to overthrow his opponent.
He throws the diver into an electric cable and the diver is fried instantly!
Knowing that his actions have alerted the rest of the crew, Probe makes his way down to the engine room.
He breaks the Oil lubrication pipe...forcing the engine of the ship to seize up and blow it to kingdom come...but the computer tells him that it may come with a price...his life!

On fire from the explosion...Probe jumps off the ship and swims to safety! The ship explodes and Sharpe is not pleased. He reminds probe that he was sent to 'investigate' not 'annihialte'. It won't be the first time Probe and Sharpe have a disagreement.
We end on an omnious note that God help us 'If ever MACH 1 turns against us...'

Nice episode. Nice artwork and the script develops the relationship between Sharpe and Probe. The relationship turns frosty at times and eventually leads to a breakdown between both parties.

Check out the 'please don't imitate this at home kids!' box. Love it!