Friday 1 March 2013

Futuregraph: Harlem Heroes Powergear

I'm alternating between Judge Dredd and Harlem Heroes as I focus on some bits and pieces published during the latter's twenty-seven week run:

NAME
Futuregraph: Harlem Heroes Powergear

FIRST PUBLISHED
2000 A.D. Prog 2

DATELINE
05 Mar 77

PAGE COUNT
1

REPRINTS
2000AD Extreme Edition 13 and The Complete Harlem Heroes.

SYNOPSIS
Giant talks us through the equipment used by the Harlem Heroes.

FIRSTS & LASTS
This was the first Futuregraph in 2000 A.D..

INFORMATION
The XJ9 Jet-Pack has a maximum speed of 100 mph, requires a high-octane liquid petroleum fuel and has four turbo jet engines, afterburners and a built-in computer guidance system alters the angle of the thrust nozzles automatically.

XJ9 Jet-Packs are manufactured by Global Dynamics Corporation's Aviation Division in Houston, Texas and used by groups as varied as the army, the police and the Harlem Heroes for traversing minefields, riot or traffic control and playing aeroball respectively.

The jet-pack is controlled with the five buttons on the XJ9 Power Belt: Start, Accelerate, Decelerate, Hover and Afterburner.

The XJ9 helmet incudes a jel-bag to cushion impact, a head-up display detailing speed, altitude and direction, a two-way radio and microphone, ear-phones and a warning vibrator to alert the wearer when fuel is running low.


GIANT
He shows off the XJ9 Jet-Pack, belt and helmet.

OTHER CHARACTERS
None.

DEATHS
None.

BEST LINES
Giant: "Here's the gear we Heroes use! With it, man, we just can't lose!"

WORST LINES
Giant: "Here's the gear we Heroes use! With it, man, we just can't lose!"

CATCHPHRASES
Giant: "Here's the gear we Heroes use! With it, man, we just can't lose!"

So, yeah, it's the only line and it's very like the rhyming chants within the strip itself.

CONTINUITY & CROSSOVERS
None.

INFLUENCES & REFERENCES
Unknown.

MISTAKES
None.

RETROSPECT
None.

NOTES
None.

CREDITS
There are no credits printed in the strip itself and so the following are taken from The Complete Harlem Heroes.

Artist: Kevin O'Neill

REVIEW
Who doesn't love cutaway drawings? I don't know the answer, but in other news: I love cutaway drawings. Apart from the delightfully naive use of the word vibrator, these don't reveal anything particularly groundbreaking about the aeroball equipment or the Harlem Heroes themselves. They do however raise a couple of questions: Have we stumbled in on Giant in a state of undress? What is he wearing on his top half?

This Is A 2000 A.D. Futuregraph - First In A Series For You To Cut Out And Keep - With Exciting Information On The World Of The Future! Look Out For Another Futuregraph Next Week!

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