by John Wagner, Caros Ezquerra, Charlie Adlard, Simon Fraser, Colin MacNeil and Ian Gibson 

What to expect: a thorough examination of what it is to be a Dredd. 

Review by Alex Frith  

This is essential reading for any lover of Judge Dredd. Longtime fans of the character will know the pleasure of seeing Mega-City 1 move on through time and thus generate its own impressive sense of history. And most of the stories in this volume are all about the weight of time, the importance of moving on, and of course the cycle of events repeating themselves. The other great achievement of the book is to give Dredd a genuine set of emotions. There have been plenty of stories in which Dredd is merely impassive and extremely hard, not even bothering to snarl. And so when a writer tries to show him being affectionate, it often grates. Pat Mills managed to give a sense of this side of Dredd (and get it right) in 'The Return of Rico' and the 'Cursed Earth' epic, but it's creator John Wagner who knows how to get it right every time. 

And with that in mind, we open this volume with 'Blood cadets', in which Joe Dredd meets his latest clone and tells him the story of his own experiences as a youngster, with particular focus on the question of why Rico Dredd went bad. This no doubt will be touched upon further in Origins, where we are once again treated to 'young Dredd' shenanigans. Simon Fraser on art duty is impressive at distinguishing between the past and the present, and is one of those who can give Mega City 1 a real sense of depth, height and futuristic decay. He gives good violence, too. 

Then we are treated to 'Sector House', in which the new clone Dredd (now called Rico) becomes the main character. It's a bit like reading a 'young Dredd' strip, showing what life might have been like for Joe Dredd in his first few years on the beat. Only there's an added weight to it because both the creators and the readers get to suss out if there could be mileage in Dredd stories without the man himself. Can the clone cut it as a Judge, and can he cut it as the future star of 2000 AD? With stories as engaging as 'Sector House' - which as its name suggests is not very dissimilar from 'the Pit' - the answer to at least one of those questions is a resounding yes. And Wagner drives the replacement issue even further with two comedy shorts - 'Leaving Rowdy', in which Dredd senior hands the keys to his flat over to Dredd junior. And 'the End of the Affair', in which Rico inherits and old flame of Dredd's (so to speak). 

But it's not as simple as creating a replacement Dredd. Wagner is keen to explore the idea that clones are not identical in every way - they are all individuals with their own hopes, fears and doubts. Thus Dredd and the new Rico respond in different ways to the same problems, but are obviously cut from the same cloth. To drive this point home even further we are introduced to cadet Dolman in the final story in this volume: 'Brothers of the Blood'. Ezquerra, whose art on 3 of the longer strips in the book is exemplary throughout, presents us at the end with three generations (sort of) of Dredds in action, as well as exploring how each can have a different approach to Judging and what they want out of it. 

But that's not enough for Wagner, who remembers that there is another Dredd - namely Vienna, daughter of the first Rico. Not a true Dredd, in that she has a real mother, she is still enough of a Dredd that we can see yet another perspective on how to deal with being a genetically pre-disposed stoic. Dredd's reunion with his niece in 'Blood and Duty' is a poignant piece of work. Not only does Wagner convincingly explain how Vienna was ever conceived while Rico was on Titan, he also gives Dredd a reason to explore his humanity in a way most other Judges already do, but he perhaps never has. And if you want an emotional Dredd story, who else do you use but Colin 'America' MacNeil? 

Which just leaves us with 'the Satanist', a story that many feel to be one of Wagner's worst Dredd efforts. As an action thriller with a woman-in-peril core, it is rather weak. However, as a further exploration of Dredd's emotions, it succeeds in serving an emotional purpose. It doesn't help that Adlard on art is the least of the artistic talents in the book, but he is as always reliable, and he knows how to fill a face with menace and horror. Important in what is essentially a supernatural horror strip. Also, he knows how to draw Brit-Cit and make it look and feel different from MC1, perhaps because he was one of the artists who first fleshed it out during his long tenure on 'Armitage'. 

As for the emotional core, well, firstly we see Joe Dredd bending and breaking the rules because he has a personal involvement in a case for a change. Secondly we see him determining to be more involved in Vienna's life, partly because he is human after all, but perhaps more because he wants to know what it's like to have a family (an issue explored to almost comic effect in the later 'Brothers of the Blood' story).

Thirdly, we get to learn a little bit more about Vienna herself.  Spoiler ahead -skip this paragraph if you haven't read the book yet.   She was never kidnapped by the Satanists, she was rather indoctrinated into their cult. Now, on the one hand this is a twist that is so old it's almost obligatory for cult-based stories (it's been done in Slaine before now, not to mention a whole host of Hammer horrors), and it cheapens the piece as a result. But on the other hand, isn't it right that a Dredd should be susceptible to this kind of thing? Vienna, after all, grew up in a normal(ish) home setting. All the other Dredds have been institutionalised since birth, and don't they just love it. I'd like to think that Wagner was saying something subtle about the Dredd temperament requiring something to believe in and follow utterly. 

If there is one criticism of the book, it is in the fact that Wagner puts so much effort into the characterisation that he rather leaves us a bit short-changed on actual plotting. The Dredds need perps to bust, and Wagner falls back on his old staples - numerous Block Wars and people making snuff/vi-movies; Judges going bad or slipping up in 'Sector House'. And his supernatural horror in the Satanist doesn't exactly thrill to new heights, even if it keeps the plot moving. But who cares? The result is Dredd delivering summary justice while carrying on scintillating conversation. Mr Wagner, please can we have more from the family Dredd? 

As for the package itself, well, you have the usual lovely matt finish cover and well-designed chapter intro pages. We get a selection of original cover art at the back, although not a complete one. And of course there are no extras (perhaps Wagner is fed up of talking about Dredd? I wouldn't blame him). I suppose with this in mind there is another criticism - why is this book so expensive? At £15.99 it costs more than any of the Case Files, which are nearly three times as long. Sure, the art reproduction is fantastic, but what gives? But this is essential reading, especially for anyone who hasn't read these stories before, so I guess we just shut up and fork it over like good little Squaxxes...