The A.B.C. Warriors: 'The Bougainville Massacre', Part 1

NAME
The A.B.C. Warriors: 'The Bougainville Massacre', Part 1

FIRST PUBLISHED
2000 AD & Starlord Prog 125

DATELINE
11 Aug 79

PAGE COUNT
6

REPRINTS
A.B.C. Warriors Book 1, ABC Warriors 01, A.B.C. Warriors Mek-nificent Seven, Sam Slade Robo-Hunter (Volume 2) 07 and A.B.C. Warriors The Meknificent Seven

SYNOPSIS
Blackblood attacks Bougainville.

FIRSTS & LASTS
First time Blackblood says "Ssss!"

INFORMATION
Bougainville is a remote Pacific Island with a jungle, mangrove swamps, inland rubber plantations and a beach with a mission school on it.

A.B.C. Warriors can regulate the power to their eye-scanners. The Magnum Macho 3000 is a Sniper Rifle.

Volgan Daddy Long-Legs are an amphibious walking vehicle, Men O' War are flying vehicles and Straw Dogs are robots equipped for jungle terrain and lead by General Blackblood.

HAMMER-STEIN
He came around to the idea of working with Blackblood when he heard that it would require killing him first and them reprogramming him. He carries Miss Sweet away from the remains of her school.

JOE PINEAPPLES
He is armed with a Magnum Macho 3000 Sniper Rifle.

HAPPY SHRAPNEL
He is in need of a new suit of armour.

MONGROL
He refuses to work with Blackblood. Miss Sweet reminds him of Lara.

DEADLOCK
His sword, X-caliber feeds on death and can home in on its target when thrown.

OTHER CHARACTERS
MISS SWEET
School teacher at a mission school on the Bougainville coast. She is trapped in the rubble of her school during the Bougainville massacre. Hammer-Stein rescues her and carries her out.

GENERAL BLACKBLOOD
Robot leader of the Volgan Straw Dogs. He is programmed to be extra cruel and as an expert in camouflage and guerrilla warfare. Blackblood got his name from the rumour that he drinks the oil of dead allied A.B.C. Warriors. He arrives on Bougainville aboard a Daddy Long-Legs.

DEATHS
Dozens. Islanders killed by the Straw Dogs and at least three Straw Dogs killed by the A.B.C. Warriors.

BEST LINES
Deadlock: "Remember my sword, 'X-caliber', feeds on death!"

WORST LINES
Deadlock: "Death is its nourishment!"

CATCHPHRASES
Joe Pineapples says "N & V" again, Happy Shrapnel says "Bzzz" twice, Mongrol refers to "Laaraa!" and Blackblood says "Ssss!" four times

CONTINUITY & CROSSOVERS
None.

INFLUENCES & REFERENCES
The Volgan Daddy Long-Legs look very The War Of The Worlds (1897) or The Tripods, a series of novels by John Christopher that began in 1967.
A Straw Dog is an ancient Chinese ceremonial figure of a dog made from straw often thrown away after use, but also the title of a controversial 1971 film by Sam Peckinpah. The name Blackblood recalls noted pirate Blackbeard, real name Edward Teach (circa 1680–1718), better known as Blackbeard. The General says "No one expects...", which was the opening line of the Monty Python's Flying Circus Spanish Inquisition sketch (1970).

MISTAKES
None.

RETROSPECT
None.

NOTES
None.

CREDITS
Script Robot: Pat Mills
Art Robot: Mc Mahon
Lettering Robot: Peter Knight

REVIEW
The attack on the school is shocking, the Volgan hardware is impressive and it's a great twist that Hammer-Stein has to recruit a member of the enemy, but as the team gets larger most members are reduced to a single characteristic (see CATCHPHRASES above).

Next Prog: The Best Sniper In The World!