Strontium Dog: 'Papa Por-Ka', Part 1

NAME
Strontium Dog: 'Papa Por-Ka', Part 1

FIRST PUBLISHED
Starlord No. 3

DATELINE
27 May 78

PAGE COUNT
5

REPRINTS
2000AD Sci-Fi Special 1986, Strontium Dog Book 1 and Strontium Dog: Search/Destroy Agency Files 01

SYNOPSIS
Johnny, Wulf and a Gronk travel as cargo, while a group of space pirates seek to steal a ship's cargo.

FIRSTS & LASTS
First appearance of a Gronk.

INFORMATION
(This strip is set in 2180)

Kaol-7, Cedus Major, Cassiopeia, Cygnus-9 and Pol are destinations for astro-liners leaving Earth. Ursa Minor is another destination.

Mutants are only permitted to travel cargo.

The planet Blas is in the Gallego system. The native species are called Gronks. They have more than one heart, speak through their noses, have their mouths directly attached to their stomachs and eat metal. They are very shy and travel in boxes to avoid shocks.

A tractor-beam can be used to decelerate an astro-liner quicker than the the ship itself can slow down. Smaller spacecraft attached to a larger ship are called limpet craft.

JOHNNY ALPHA
He can see through the hull of a space ship. He and Wulf travel aboard the Astroliner Sondheim in the cargo hold bound for Pol. They meet and befriend a Gronk. When pirates board the Astroliner, he and Wulf attempt to fight them off.

WULF STERNHAMMER
He and Johnny travel aboard the Astroliner Sondheim in the cargo hold bound for Pol. They meet and befriend a Gronk. When pirates board the Astroliner, he and Wulf attempt to fight them off.

OTHER CHARACTERS
PAPA POR-KA
He leads a group of space pirates.

THE GRONK
Travelling a box in the cargo of the Astroliner Sondheim. The Gronk meets Wulf Sternhammer when he sits on its box.

DEATHS
None.

BEST LINES
Wulf: "Wulf is not offended! Stomach smart place to haf mouth-close to business end, ja? I like you, Gronk! You und Wulf friends vill be!"

WORST LINES
Wulf: "Vot in Gott's name are......You?"

Bit rude.

CATCHPHRASES
More vots and Gotts from Wulf, but joined here by the Gronks over pluralisation in words like heartses and stomachses.

CONTINUITY & CROSSOVERS
None.

INFLUENCES & REFERENCES
The Sondheim is presumably named after American composer Stephen Sondheim.

MISTAKES
None.

RETROSPECT
None.

NOTES
None.

CREDITS
Script: T.B. Grover
Artist: Ezquerra
Letters: Peter Knight

REVIEW
The set up here is nice as the Strontium Dogs are forced to travel in the cargo hold, but are welcome out with the captain's compliments once the ship is under attack. There is some great worldbuilding here and the Gronk is a wonderful creation.

Next Week: 'Death Is No Stranger To A Strontium Dog!'