Strontium Dog: 'Papa Por-Ka', Part 3

NAME
Strontium Dog: 'Papa Por-Ka', Part 3

FIRST PUBLISHED
Starlord No. 5

DATELINE
10 June 78

PAGE COUNT
5

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

SYNOPSIS
Johnny and Wulf defeat the pirates.

FIRSTS & LASTS
First time that a Strontium Dog story has reached three parts (and therefore the first three part story).

INFORMATION
Gronks believe that a bit of them lives after death if someone dear to them wears their skin.

A beam polariser draws the fire of projected energy weapons. Electronux are knuckledusters that carry 20,000 volts. Nuclear devices can be small enough to fit in your pocket.

JOHNNY ALPHA
He uses a beam polariser to draw the fire of the pirates. After Wulf has destroyed it, Johnny uses his blaster and calculates the distance and shoots harmlessly through the hostage and into Papa Por-Ka's shoulder. After the release of the captain, he plants a mini-nuke in Papa's pocket.

WULF STERNHAMMER
When Papa Por-Ka takes the ship's captain hostage, Wulf destroys the beam polariser so that Johnny can use his blaster.

OTHER CHARACTERS
THE GRONK
Wulf and Johnny discover the Gronk dying in his box. He asks Wulf to skin him and wear the skin as a jerkin. Wulf dos as he ask and the Gronk's body is ejected into space in its box.

PAPA POR-KA
He takes the ship's captain hostage. Johnny shoots him in the shoulder, plants a mini-nuke in his pocket and releases him to his shuttle. When Papa threatens to return to take revenge on the Strontium Dogs, Johnny activates the small nuke and destroys Papa's ship

DEATHS
Two. Johnny kills Papa Por-Ka with a small nuke. The Gronk dies of too much excitement.

BEST LINES
Papa Por-Ka (with a knife to the Captain's throat): "You finish wid de rough stuff, or de captain be gettin' some air-conditionin', savvy?"

WORST LINES
Papa Por-Ka: "What am...dis?"

CATCHPHRASES
The Gronk says "Heartsies" instead of "Heartses".

CONTINUITY & CROSSOVERS
None.

INFLUENCES & REFERENCES
Unknown.

MISTAKES
None.

RETROSPECT
None.

NOTES
None.

CREDITS
Script: T.B. Grover
Artist: Ezquerra
Letters: Jack Potter

REVIEW
A nice neat ending which allows Johnny another very dark moment as he pre-empts Por-Ka's treachery. The Gronk's death is surprising and his request brilliantly bizarre.

Next Week: 'Go For Your Blasters!'