Ro-Busters: The Terra-Meks, Part Four - The Big Lie!

NAME
Ro-Busters: The Terra-Meks, Part Four - The Big Lie!

FIRST PUBLISHED
2000 AD & Starlord Prog 101

DATELINE
24 Feb 79

PAGE COUNT
7

REPRINTS
2000AD Annual 1987, Judge Dredd Megazine 4.02, Cyber Crush 07, Sam Slade Robo-Hunter (Volume 2) 05, Ro-Busters Book 1 and The Complete Ro-Busters.

SYNOPSIS
Charlie saves the day, but is rewarded with an attack from the navy and a song from the town.

FIRSTS & LASTS
Last appearance of Charlie.

INFORMATION
HMS Nemesis is a Royal Navy Destroyer.

Northpool Evening Echo and Northpool Sun are newspapers.

Following their involvement in Charlie's destruction, Ro-Busters' share price falls to one credit.

CHARLIE
He is equipped with storm-proof plating. After he has finished with the Terra-Meks, he spots a ship out at sea and goes to help. It is the Royal Navy Destroyer HMS Nemesis, they attack him and he sinks to the seabed. Some weeks later, Charlie rises from the sea and clambers toward Northpool. The people of Northpool offer encouragement.

OTHER CHARACTERS
HOWARD QUARTZ
The price of shares in Ro-Busters falls to one credit each.

EXCAVATOR
He escapes Charlie with Tar-Mek, but they are destroyed two days later by a squadron of jets.

TAR-MEK
He escapes Charlie with Excavator, but they are destroyed two days later by a squadron of jets.

FATHER FLANNIGAN
He knows ships and can diagnose problems (or the lack thereof) by sight.

DEATHS
Two. Excavator and Tar-Mek are bombed by aircraft.

BEST LINES
None.

WORST LINES
None.

CATCHPHRASES
Mek-Quake says "Big Jobs"

CONTINUITY & CROSSOVERS
None.

INFLUENCES & REFERENCES
There have been three ships called HMS Nemesis. One launched in 1780, another in 1826 and a third, an Acorn-class destroyer, launched in 1910. Northpool's residents sing 'You'll Never Walk Alone' to encourage Charlie, a song from the 1945 Rodgers and Hammerstein musical Carousel, it has become synonymous with Liverpool Football Club since the early 1960s.

MISTAKES
None.

RETROSPECT
None.

NOTES
None.

CREDITS
Script: Pat Mills
Artist: Dave Gibbons
Letters: Dave Gibbons

REVIEW
This still features some beautiful artwork and it's nice to see Charlie's return, but the stilted dialogue causes the story to suffer somewhat.

The End.