I know it’s not horror but I love some comics so thought I’d slip the odd graphic novel review onto the website, mostly it’ll be Judge Dredd. After watching the amazing Dredd film it peaked my interest in the comics and as it happens a subscription advert appeared on TV and I signed up. This means I receive two Dredd graphic novels every month.
It’s not really considered one of the best comics ever but for me Judge Dredd is the best world in comics. There’s a ton of interesting characters that pop up now and then, from a openly homosexual hunter of vampires and other beasts who works for the Church to aliens stranded on earth. There’s Russian super spies constantly making trouble for Dredd, there’s people who used to be judges but ended up on a more sinister path. There really is such a rich history to the Dredd universe, I could be wrong but I don’t think Dredd has ever reset the universe like Marvel and DC do whenever they need some more cash from people. This means for decades Dredd’s universe has been built upon and expanded.
You can gamble anything in Sin City
The Justice Department rule with an iron fist and keep the law through fear. Even caffeine and sugar are banned substances in Mega City One. So it’s a surprise to everyone that when the biggest man made structure on the planet arrives and docks at Mega City One that the citizens are allowed to go to it. Satan’s Island or Sin City as it’s known is a place where anything is legal. Want to have sex with an alien or a robot? Want to hunt and kill humans? Want to gamble your internal organs on your ability to answer questions for money? Want to fight crazed maniacs for money in a gladiator arena? Want to sell your sister or your kids? Then Sin City is the place for you.
Dredd is outraged when he’s informed that this place of debauchery is docked on his city port and they’re to allow the citizens access to all that law breaking. However apart from the twenty percent cut of the profits the city is getting there’s another reason they’ve allowed Sin City to dock. An undercover Justice Department worker has sighted a renowned terrorist on board and it’s up to Dredd to find her. Now the real evil bastards in Dredds world haven’t just killed a few people this terrorist is responsible for 30,000 deaths. The rest of the book unfolds with Dredd working his way round Sin City trying to find the terrorist. There’s plenty of weird stuff to see and lots of action as you’d expect.
Dredd has a score to settle with an old rival
These monthly graphic novels add a few stories to the end that relate to big main story. In this one we get.
Case For The Defence – A young Judge tries to appeal to Dredd to not seek the death penalty on a second terrorist. Arguing that in their position Dredd would act the same as they did.
Reprisal – A Short story of what happened to some of the Russians who were behind the terrorist attack on Sin City and Mega City One.
The Trial of Orlok – Orlok returns the trial that the young Judge wanted help from Dredd with begins.
Jumped – An enjoyable story loosely related to the Satan’s Island story. A bunch of kid who bungee jump off buildings and steal things before bouncing back up to the top of the building nab the wrong thing. This leads to a boatload of trouble for the jumper but in a strange way his accidentally killing someone proved to be a good thing.
Dredd always speaks his mind
Lawcon – An intergalactic meeting of various planets police and justice people. The Russians who’ve been devastated by the actions of Dredd appear to make a deal with the Law Lords who believe everyone should live by their rules. It’s up to Dredd to work out what the hell is going on and to make sure the Law Lords don’t set foot on earth.
Whilst this isn’t the best Dredd story I’ve read it is still top class, that art work as usual is brilliant. The main story along and Lawcon are the best parts of this graphic novel, with a couple of the other stories being simply filler stuff. Still a great read that helps to expand the Dredd universe!
Overall Score
Acid Horrors 