Strontium Dog: Journey Into Hell!, Part 13

NAME
Strontium Dog: Journey Into Hell!, Part 13

FIRST PUBLISHED
2000 AD & Starlord Prog 116

DATELINE
9 June 79

PAGE COUNT
6

REPRINTS
Judge Dredd Megazine 3.67, Strontium Dog: The Early Cases and Strontium Dog Search/Destroy Agency Files 01.

SYNOPSIS
Johnny sends Wagner home, puts Hate behind him and heads toward the Black Citadel to cure Wulf.

FIRSTS & LASTS
First Strontium Dog story to reach thirteen parts.

INFORMATION
The Curtis scale is used to differentiate between dimensions. The dimension Johnny Alpha, Wulf Sternhammer, the Gronk and Fly's Eyes Wagner are trying to get back to is Dimension Beta 7 on the Curtis scale. The offices of the Galactic Crime Commission are on Earth at co-ordinates GGZ7952/3452-901.

Travellers are not permitted to re-enter the city of Hate once they have left it. The only method of leaving the Hell dimension is in the Black Citadel. The Wailing Swamp is between the City of Hate and the Black Citadel. The swamp has a bridge, sporadic geysers and contains people who have attempted to cross the swamp trapped until someone pulls them out. There is a sea monster. The sting of a gargoyle causes the body to freeze into a block of ice, reportedly the only individual that can cure it is Satan.

JOHNNY ALPHA
He decides to remain with Wulf and cure him of the gargoyle sting and choose to send Wagner back to their dimension. He and Don carry Wulf on a stretcher across the Wailing Swamp. When Don is pulled in, Johnny rescues him.

WULF STERNHAMMER
He is suffering the effects of being stung by a gargoyle and freezes into a block of ice. Johnny and Don carry him on a stretcher across the Wailing Swamp.

THE GRONK
It chooses to stay with Johnny and Wulf.

OTHER CHARACTERS
FLY'S-EYES WAGNER
Johnny uses his only ticket to send Wagner back to their own dimension and into the offices of the Galactic Crime Commission where he is threatened with a termination order.

DON DORK
He chooses to stay with Johnny, Wulf and the Gronk. Whilst crossing the Wailing Swamp he helps someone out, but falls in himself

FLASH HARRY
Trapped in the Wailing Swamp he is freed when Don helps him out but takes his place.

DEATHS
None.

BEST LINES
Wagner: "Kill me - I don't care! I'd rather be dead than where Johnny Alpha is now!"

WORST LINES
Johnny (to Wagner): "No, you killed another Strontium Dog, and you're going back to pay for it!"

At least he won't have a reason to say it again next week.

CATCHPHRASES
The Gronk worries about his poor heartses, while Johnny exclaims a "My Dok!" and everyone in the Wailing Swamp cries "Help me!".

CONTINUITY & CROSSOVERS
None.

INFLUENCES & REFERENCES
Unknown.

MISTAKES
None.

RETROSPECT
None.

NOTES
None.

CREDITS
Script: T.B. Grover
Artist: Ezquerra
Letters: Aldrich

REVIEW
Mission accomplished. Ordinarily the story would end here, but here again Journey Into Hell! is a departure from what we are used to. Wagner is locked up, the Strontium Dogs got their man and delivered him to justice, but now they have to deal with the consequences of the mission and the personal toll it has taken on them. This is fantastic.

Next Prog: Behemoth Against Blaster!