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Cor! A couple of belters there.

Nice colour work from the Mini-bolt.

Cover - Nice. Hug a hoodie.

Dredd - Hurrah! Big things will have to happen. If 'Backlash' is a sign of things to come then I'm a happy camper. My favourite Dredd for a long, long time.

Savage - We actually seem to be getting somewhere at last. Great art again.

Zombo - Magnifique. Formidable centrespread and a memorable first line from our, hero?

Cradlegrave - I really like the look of this. I reckon it's werewolves or possibly skunk zombies. Fast skunk zombies. With fangs.

Nikolai Dante - Superb. Whats with the clockwork zombies?

And it's great to hear from Si Fraser as well. Act-i-vate is an enjoyable site to visit, other than Si's "Lily Mackenzie" strip (which is a brilliant space opera romp) my other favourite is "Mugwump the Great".

The pre-christmas dip is now a distant memory and the prog goes from strength to strength. There's a lot more zombies around these days mind. But they seem to keep themselves to themselves.

Quick doodle on a free art package called Gimp. I'm getting more used to the feel of a graphics tablet now though I might shell out for a slightly larger one at some point. This Gimp programme seems fairly good for gratis, but then I freely admit to knowing jack shit about art packages.

You can see more of the detail now Clam. Even lovelier.

I'm glad I'm not in your parish Albion.

Don't forget you can now vote in the short story comp. I'm sure the entrants would appreciate your feedback. Even if you didn't have the time to write an entry this time round that's no bar to voting. If you haven't had a chance to read them yet I think you'll find there are some cracking tales in here and you shouldn't have trouble finding at least three worthy of your vote.

Voting closes midnight Thursday the 30th of April.....ish.

Cheers Kerrin.

Cracking piece Gibson. Great dynamism.

I wouldn't worry, the swarms of African killer bees will get you first.

That's awesome!

Nice one Ant.

Try it at 700 pixels wide, see what it looks like.

That is a wonderful piece of work LRC. Definitely one for framing and hanging.

Post whatever you like. I don't know about everyone else but I'm always happy to see what people have been working on. It never gets boring. The more artwork threads the better in my opinion.

It's good fun here innit. I'm with you on the attending a convention this year, Bristol is out but I think I might be able to make Birmingham. Mighty Brum, home of the balti, marvelous.

Just think though, one day this site will get finished, what are we going to do then?

Welcome to the board Jamie.

I've had a good read of these again and just wanted to say that there's not one I don't like. Be that as it may my votes are,

1. The Legendary Shark 2.  
2. Mike Carroll.
3. Godpleton 2.

HM. LARF.

Well done to all.

Right that's it. Get voting. Any problems or I've missed something, let me know.

Zarjazzer.

"I see someone! " cawed Beak . "Looks like a norm!"

Spiny and One eye grinned. Norms tasted better than their fellow Cursed Earth muties.

Spiny extended one of his eyes on an armoured head stalk. Just over the scrub dune he could see a tall figure striding purposefully and wearing a long brown coat. The man was hooded. Spiny caught a flash if hard blue eyes from under the cowl. Beyond the figure, in the distance, he could see a dark smudge on the horizon. The armoured wall of the infamous "city".

"Is he armed?" hissed One eye as he sharpened one of his hook axes.

"Don't matter." said Spiny with both his teeth filled mouths. "He's still meat." Spiny waved his shotgun grasped in two huge paws for emphasis. "I'll distract him."

*********************************************************************************

"Hey stranger!" shouted Spiny as friendly as he could manage. The hooded figure stopped at the bottom of the dune and regarded him with those cold blue eyes.

"Trade?" said Spiny waving an old bone that he kept for such purposes. Beak and One Eye must be in position by now he thought.

"No." said the man his voice like ice.

Spiny tried not to show his anger and blast the man straight away. The Norm was tall and Spiny could see black armour under that long cloak. And the stranger looked far too confident. Most Norms he'd met were terrified stragglers dragged from caravans or who's silver air ships had crashed or been shot down by mutie gangs.Spiny decided he'd do this one slow.

"You lost? We can-"

"We?" snarled the man. And with that a shotgun clacked into the mans hands, pulled out from under the coat.Spiny inwardly cursed his slip, but was simply stunned at the strangers speed.

The norm shot a hard glance left and right.

Spiny saw Beak was sneaking over the lip of the dune, pistol and knife in claw. A blind spot unless the stranger turned fully. He knew it was time.

"Maybe you're a preacher man?" said Spiny trying to keep the mans attention. " Sometimes they come here. Always want to preach to us about sin and redemption. You know the wages of sin is -"

Beak cawed a hideous cry of triumph and leapt at the stranger. It was a perfect attack.

"Death!" said the man as he spun and blasted Beak out of mid -air. Beak shrieked horribly as his upper body disintegrated into a bloody rag of shattered bones and exposed lungs.

"Get 'im One Eye!" yelled Spiny.

One Eye charged the stranger from another angle axes raised for the death blow.

Spiny now pulled his own shotgun and began pumping rounds at the human. Shots bounced all around but the Norm simply dove out of the path of fire and rolled.

One Eye came at the stranger again and managed to land a blow on the mans side. The stranger grunted, but then smashed the butt end of his shotgun into One Eye's enormous eye. Jelly and fluid burst like rotten fruit. One Eye screamed and dropped like a stone.


"Scummer!" shouted Spiny and was cheered as a round from his shotgun took the Norm filth straight in the chest.

The man was hurled to the ground by the force of the impact.

Licking twin sets of lips Spiny stumbled forward, eager to finish his enemy off and begin the feast. One Eye and Beak too would be in the pot too. "Waste not , want not.", one of the mutant preachers had said before they'd eaten him.

"I'm gonna enjoy this" slurped Spiny as his mouths drooled saliva. The man was lying face up eyes closed.

Spiny stopped to grab a fallen axe of One Eye. Then he would begin the carving. Suddenly he saw shadow looming over him. He looked up, straight into the barrel of a shotgun.

"No!"

The shot took Spiny in the chest. He was blasted back, the stink of his own burnt flesh filling the air.

The man stood over him.

"How?" whimpered Spiny. "You were shot!"

"Department of Justice Armoured coat." he explained. Spiny saw the mans jacket was pierced and smoking but not much shot had penetrated. As the Norm calmly clicked another round into the shot gun he pulled his coat back and Spiny saw a large golden badge exposed underneath. There were letters imprinted on it, but Spiny couldn't read. As the man aimed again the badge was covered once more.

"Who are you?"

"A Judge," the stranger said jerking a thumb towards the dim smudge on the horizon. "from Mega-City One."

"There?" said Spiny. "You can't be. No one comes from the city. At least no one walks."

Spiny hoped to keep the stranger talking. The axe had dropped out of his paw when he was shot. However his claws were slowly inching towards it. Soon he would reach it. If only he could keep the man distracted.

"I'm the first. The first Judge to take the long walk."

"The long walk?" echoed Spiny smiling to himself as his hand finally gripped the axes haft.

"To bring law and justice to the Cursed Earth." said the Judge.

"Well there ain't no law here!" sneered Spiny as he gripped fully on the axe.

"There is now." said the man and and pulled the trigger.