Harlem Heroes: 'The Seattle Sluggers'

NAME
Harlem Heroes: Untitled
(I have called this post 'The Seattle Sluggers', to give it a name in the vein of those listed on the Wikipedia article and differentiate between this strip and another equally Untitled one from the 2000 A.D. Annual 1979)

FIRST PUBLISHED
2000 A.D. Summer Special 1977 (between Progs 14 and 15)

DATELINE
01 June 77

PAGE COUNT
6

REPRINTS
The Complete Harlem Heroes.

SYNOPSIS
The Harlem Heroes take on the Seattle Sluggers.

FIRSTS & LASTS
First six page Harlem Heroes strip.

INFORMATION
The Seattle Sluggers are not in the League, but have been doing well in local matches. They are sponsored by International Robotic Inc. and never give interviews to the press or newsfax. The Slugger's smash tackle has been compared to flying into a brick wall. During the game with the Harlem Heroes they are revealed to be robots and their sponsors set up the Seattle Sluggers as a publicity stunt. They pull out of aeroball after the game.

Final score Harlem Heroes 6, Seattle Sluggers 2.

GIANT
He is not in favour of robots playing aeroball.

SLIM
He scores an air-strike.

OTHER CHARACTERS
None.

DEATHS
None. Although several of the robots will be in dire need of repair.

BEST LINES
Commentator: "And the Heroes are in the air now, folks jokey and rhyming as usual..."

(See CATCHPHRASES)

WORST LINES
Zack: "What gives, man? We just wanna say hello to our opponents..."
Seattle Slugger Security: "You'll meet them in the game, boy..."

The racist connotations here are presumably unintended, but definitely unfortunate.

CATCHPHRASES
Another strip, another rhyming chant: "Look out Sluggers, here come the Heroes! You just watch which way the score goes!"

CONTINUITY & CROSSOVERS
This strip was published between Parts 14 and 15 of Harlem Heroes, but cannot be set then because the team were in the middle of playing the Flying Scotsmen. This story features Zack, King, Sammy and Chico meaning it must be set somewhere between Harlem Heroes Parts 2 and 11, but the only times it could take place are between Parts 5 and 6 before the trip to Moscow, or during Part 9 between their return and the Montezuma Mashers game.

INFLUENCES
None.

MISTAKES
None.

RETROSPECT
None.

NOTES
None.

CREDITS
There are no credits printed in the strip itself and so the following are taken from Barney.

Script: Unknown
Artist: Unknown
Letters: Unknown

REVIEW
This is pretty bad. The story is an obvious one and the Harlem Heroes are portrayed with as much character as their robotic opponents. The artwork never lives up to the regular strip and the geography of the aeroball sequences isn't as clear as you'd like.

The End