Ro-Busters: The Ritz Space Hotel, Part 1

NAME
Ro-Busters: The Ritz Space Hotel, Part 1

FIRST PUBLISHED
Starlord Issue 7

DATELINE
24 June 78

This issue of Starlord also contains Strontium Dog, Timequake, Mind Wars and Planet Of The Damned strips, part 4 of the Hell Planet game and a Planet Of The Damned cover by Ramon Sola.

PAGE COUNT
6

REPRINTS
The Complete Ro-Busters.

SYNOPSIS
Quartz sends Ro-Jaws and Hammer-Stein undercover on the Ritz Space Hotel.

FIRSTS & LASTS
First space mission.

INFORMATION
(The year is 2078)

The Ritz Space Hotel is a fully robotised hotel in Earth orbit. Among its facilities are a zero gravity sports centre with robotic partners that are programmed to lose.

Robots Today and Droid Review are publications relating to robots.

RO-JAWS
His catalogue number is SM I/G. Quartz assigns him to work on the Ritz Space Hotel as a waiter and installs a cooker unit in his head.

HAMMER-STEIN
Quartz assigns him to work as his bodyguard during a visit to the Ritz Space Hotel.

OTHER CHARACTERS
SWING-ALONGA-MAX
Singing robot at the Ritz Space Hotel. He strangles his owner.

½ TOUGH
Construction robot working for Ro-Busters. He is awaiting the delivery of a left arm unaware that British Ley-Mek have stopped making them.

HOWARD QUARTZ
He is due to attend a business conference aboard the Ritz Space Hotel.

DEATHS
One. Max strangles the human owner of the Ritz Space Hotel.

BEST LINES
Quartz (whilst his chest is ringing): "Miss Marilyn, answer that phone."

WORST LINES
Robot Bed: "I'm a soft bed that's so comfeee!"

CATCHPHRASES
None.

CONTINUITY & CROSSOVERS
None.

INFLUENCES & REFERENCES
Max sings 'I left my...heart...in San...Francisco', a song written in 1953 by George Cory (1920-1978) & Douglass Cross (1920-1975), and first released by Tony Bennett in 1962. He later sings 'The Twist', written and first released in 1959 by Hank Ballard And The Midnighters as a B-side, but the song was covered a year later by Chubby Checker and was a massive success and caused a dance craze. Ro-Jaws mentions TV detectives Starsky And Hutch (1975-1979)

MISTAKES
None.

RETROSPECT
None.

NOTES
None.

CREDITS
Script: Pat Mills
Artist: Pino
Letters: Tony Jacob

REVIEW
The opening advert and Max's homicidal twist are great, but the Miss Marilyn stuff takes its time.

Next Week: 'From Sewer-Robot To Waiter Robot'