Whip our your Ataris, as we go into the strange world of Load Runner.
I am fascinated with this series as it is a fascinating time capsule. It emerges out of both the early 80s comics revival and the first generation of home game consoles, trying to marketise the first as the latter was competing for young people’s attention. Yet this is already well into the 1983 video games market crash. Indeed, it would only last for 13 issues, already gone by the end of the year.
But what is it like inside?
Once again we are looking at a combination of different styles. Let us start with the traditional comic strips.
Comic Strips
The first of these, which also gets the cover is the titular Load Runner. Two humans that bounce between different video games in Gameworld. Each time they would have to beat the game before moving on to the next challenge. As such you would commonly see both the game view and how the heroes are experiencing it. This week in a World War I Flight combat simulator:
As the games are changed in each issue, it means there is not much scope for depth. It is more calling on the player to exercise their imagination when they are playing such games.
Next is Andy Royd – The Dominator’s Rogue Star!. This is an attempt to shoehorn in the ever popular subgenre of football stories into the magazine. It follows the usual tropes of a club and a player formerly with an injury trying to turn around their fortunes.
The twist in this one is these are robot players programmed by computers, with the titular player pretending to be a machine:
As you can probably tell it didn’t really impress me.
Then there is The Invasion of the Arcadians, a computery spin on the secret alien invasion story. Here people are being controlled by an arcade game and turned into alien servants called Dazers. Teenagers Jo and D help take them down:
In spite of its silly premise, it may be my favourite of the regular strips. It manages to be more atmospheric and creepy than it has a right to be.
Following this is Trumbull’s World. Two children are hidden by their father in a virtual world and are searching for the missing pieces of a clasp. However, they are being hunted by Simian who has the same objective. The whole thing seems to be a take on text adventures:
It ends up reminding me a bit of Doctor Who’s The Mind Robber. All rather fun in a YA kind of way.
There are also two humour strips. First is Virgin Games’ The Amazing Adventures of the Laughing Shark, where he goes around making silly jokes about their latest releases:
And finishing with The Adventures of Rom and Ram, about two tiny aliens who live inside a computer and fail to conquer Earth in silly ways:
One for those who like the standard humour of British kids comics at the time.
Photonovel
As is often the case, science fiction is mixed with realism in these comics, with the Grange Hill-esque School for Software. Bev Jeavons is trying to win a competition for the best computer programme, but has to deal with the challenges of gender stereotypes, bullying and her own family not having much money:
I like the fact that it touches on issues that are, unfortunately, still common today and is engaging, even though I am not a huge fan of the photo novel subgenre.
Programming & Factual
Of course, for the computer fans, people would write in their own programmes for you to use. Here is one for a spaceship flying game Asteroids:
And here is how to run an address book on the VIC–20:
How well either worked I am afraid I am unable to say.
There are also plenty of factual articles, such as covering the history of computing:
Or Arcade games no longer on the market:
Game Over
I am always a fan of the genre trying new things, and this definitely feels like an interesting comic. I can see why I didn’t last a long time but one I enjoyed and will be certainly seeking out more issues of.
We continue with the world of strange cross promotion, with the bizarre Lyons Ice Cream comic, Whacko #1:
What will we make of this one? See you soon.
Corner Shop Time Stop 