Judge Dredd Megazine 216
08 March 2004
Cover by Cliff Robinson and Len O Grady

Synopsis and 1st review by Gavin Hanly
2nd opinion by Paul White

Synopses and reviews contain spoilers for this issue

GH: While it is essentially a cover with a Judge Dredd stock pose from Robinson, this has enough of a twist to make the image visually interesting and, as such, is much more preferable to a similar image of Dredd in this stance. It nicely sums up the content of the book, and retains the originality of most recent Megazine covers.

PW: Excellent. This really stands out and manages to bring to life the old Harlem Heroes uniform. The "split-character" pose has probably been used thousands of times, but is entirely justified in linking the "past" and "present" (of the, er, future.) in one simple yet devastating image. Good, solid Robinson at his best.

Prodigal

Rico shows off his throwing arm...

Synopsis: At the "Concerned citizens for a better tomorrow" rally, Judges Spurrier and Giant are covering crowd control. Giant sees a confrontation between a judge and a citizen. Assuming it to be Dredd, he approaches, only to discover it's Rico. Giant and Rico have heard of each other and have been impressed with their respective reputations. Giant, being a senior judge, asks Rico to join him on an inspection. As they do, a pickpocket hightails it - but Rico brings him down with a thrown daystick. A citizen mistakes Rico for Dredd while another group, the Tony Martin Block Equalizers, launch a rocket into the crowd. Dredd and Rico head after the perps, as Giant realises that Rico is being groomed to replace Dredd, and muses over rumours that about 6 more Dredd clones were in the academy.

Getting to the block car park, they run into some perps and after gunning them down are almost run down by a truck. But Rico jumps on board, leaving Giant to follow suit when the truck appears on a lower level. They shoot the perps and order the driver to pull over.As things calm down, Giant tells Spurrier that he's not as good as Dredd yet, but he will be. He tells Rico that he's available to talk to if Dredd's not, and they part company.

GH: Unfortunately, this story didn't really have a great impact for me. While at heart it's an great opportunity for a meeting between two judges with legends to live up to, I feel it doesn't quite live up to its promise. At the end of the tale, not much has been achieved, other than the two judges gaining respect for one another. It also compares rather poorly with the similar styled tale in the weekly comic - between Rico and another Dredd "offspring". This is perhaps unfortunate scheduling, but it doesn't take away the fact that very little happens in this tale. In addition, while I'm sure Simon Spurrier is happy to appear as a judge, this inclusion immediately broke the fourth wall for me due to it's prominent use in the early part of the story, and it took me a while to get past this obvious back-slapping.

The artwork, in the meantime, is varied. Davis style can be very impressive, if the story suits it, but I'm not sure this is the case with this tale. It's slightly odd that his Dredd is drawn as a characature, when the rest of the art has a more realistic quality - it almost has a "Roger Rabbit" feel about it in some of the scenes. That said, some of the action sequences are well realised (apart from the frankly stupid "miracle jump" from Judge Giant) and there's nothing that I could pin down as being at all sub- standard. It's just that the mesh of story and art don't seem to gel for this strip, and I find myself a little disappointed by the end.

PW: A wonderful tale with only a flashback image of Dredd's left glove to remind us that the big man doesn't actually appear in the tale. Rico's character development took place in my "wilderness" years, although the links with the 6 clones live on in a Ron Smith flashback style, and this story is obviously a lead-in to a lengthier tale in which he plays a bigger part. Not much actually goes on other than the bonding between Rico and Giant, but I get the feeling that it'll live on long in the memory and be seen as a pivotal point in the history of the strip.

Simon Davis turns in an excellent art job that manages to retain all his hallmark traits (paint-splashed effects, suitably strange yet almost photo-realistic baddies) without introducing the overly slapstick tone that defines his work on Sinister Dexter. He gets extra marks though for making Rico look like Dredd. I mean, really look like Dredd. The chin and mouth are perfect, and the last page is my favourite mainly due to panel 5 where Giant and Rico are seen in profile. Too often many artists fail to convey Dredd's 'individual' look, but Davis get's the chin just right (especially in contrast to Giant's).

This is pretty much as enjoyable tale i've read in many years, and definitely since i came back into the fold in later '02. Top Class.

GH: While this "Whatever happened to" is in my mind the best of the bunch so far, it is still some way short of making the most of the format. It feels that too much of the story is simply a recap of the characters in question that has already appeared in the comic, rather than an actual exploration of what happened to them after their last appearance. For example, would the time here have been better spent focusing on the young years of the 1st Judge Giant - i.e. something that hasn't been covered yet? These have been characters with potential who seem to be being wasted as filler material, feeling like the comic equivalent of a Simpson's"clips" episode. It's certainly a very good idea, but can we have more of the actual "happening", than the "recapping"?

As for the art, this is a fine job by Dayglo, even if he shows his influences a little too clearly at some points - especially with his early McMahon influence Giant on the first page. But many 2000AD artist go through this settling down phase, and there's certainly enough here to mark Dayglo down as one to watch.

PW: It's impossible to start on the story without first commenting on the artwork on display here. Rufus Dayglo has only previously made one appearance in 2000ad, and it's a big step in awarding him the art chores in this important themed issue. It's well documented within the 2000AD community that he is heavily influenced by Mike McMahon, and much of his fanzine work could be said to almost overly imitate the old-school styling of (for me) the definitive Dredd artist. However, I think it's pretty good stuff and although it can be seen to nod respectfully in the direction of late '70's Dredd, it's different enough to stand on it's own two feet here.

Gordon Rennie gives us another nice 'wrapping-up' of a loose thread that probably no-one really cared about, but everyone will enjoy (well, those of us who remember the old days anyway). The very brief potted history of the first Judge Giant serves his memory well and places his importance firmly in the Dredd continuity. The ending could be seen as a bit twee to some, but in a six-page stand-alone story it's hard to make an impact and Rennie managed to do just that. Well worth re-reading and the best 'Whatever happened to..?' as yet.

Blood of Satanus II - Dark Matters part 3

Dredd gets out the big guns...

Synopsis: The changed Caleb remembers part of Satanus' last encounter with Dredd and is about to kill him, but Jasmine stops him. They escape to the church of Black Nobility where she explains to the Archduke that Caleb is getting harder to control. The Archduke says the final change is about to happen but Caleb doesn't really understand. He demands respect from the Archduke and his man Theo but they decide it's time to get on with the ceremony. He is introduced to the sisters of Satanus: bathed in Dark Matter, they are mistresses of Saurian Combat. They grab him and bring him to the altar.

Meanwhile, Dredd interviews the scientist who developed the plasma from Satanus. He tells him that the church of Black Nobility believe that there are two earlier species of humans, with mutation possibilities that made them suitable for biomorphosis, usually identified by an extruding second toe. If the blood was injected into such a person, it would create a link with Satanus in his own dimension, and Satanus could return. Dredd is concerned that the church was allowed to continue, and prepares a judicial force to shut it down.

Back at the church, Jasmine prepares Caleb for the ceremony. They give him the final injection of blood and Satanus rips out from within Caleb's body. The judges arrive, but the church defends itself with Dark Matter, sending the judges to hell. Dredd escapes, bursting into the church. Satanus recognises him and prepares to strike...

GH: First of all, the length of this tale is a great improvement on last week's, giving the story room to breathe. It's still a fairly enjoyable Dredd tale (and the only new one to actually feature Dredd this month) and still remains one of the best things that Mills has done for a while. But there are problems. Even without reading other readers' reviews of this on the message boards, I can see that there's stuff in here that would drive them crazy. While I wasn't too bothered by Dredd's blinkered view of justice last month, the locker room scene with a trio of particularly undisciplined judges grated. This is "ol Stoney face" for god's sake. A judge would never ask Dredd "how do you get your fun?" without expecting a severe reprimand. But other than this somewhat skewed look at Dredd's world, the rest of the story remains entertaining, even when Mills gets a bit wordy in his explanation of the cult. There's some wonderful artwork to accompany the strip from Mighten although the page with the repeating images seemed a little lazy - especially the 3 shots of Dredd's foot.

One last thing - how did Dredd know what happened to Satanus, when it happened in Nemesis? Did I miss something?

PW: I'll get this out of the way and say I'm not a fan of this story. Even though it's set in the 'present', there is a very old feel to Dredd and his dialogue that is completely at odds with the regular version we normally see in the Meg and weekly. Page 7 especially jars with me from the junior judges' banter to the hardass "let's do some judging" quote. Throw in some dark matter mumbo-jumbo, and it's fallen right off the interest-ometer. The artwork is clear and crisp in a totally-suited-to-black-and-white kind of way (did I say this last month?), but the main blunder for me is Dredd's complete lack of chin compared to Simon Davis' effort in Prodigal.

This is fast becoming the new Devlin Waugh... skip over it each month and promise to read in one sitting later. But probably never will.

The Wilderness Days - Part 8

Death comes to Death

Synopsis: Las Vegas is destroyed by the nuke, but Ritter and his horse seem to appear on a higher plane. Mega City one interceptor missiles meet the missiles launched by Death, with only one landing some 80 kays outside the city. Death muses about his failure, but not for long, as MC1 retaliates with bunker busters. The base is destroyed, and Death's body is annihilated.

But as his spirit enters the astral plane, he meets Ritter who is able to harm him there. A fight ensues, but it looks that Death may get the upper hand, until the thousands of souls wanting revenge drag Death into a vortex - the pit of Hell.

Death disappears - gone for good, this time?

GH: So the potentially great Judge Death story comes to an end. But regrettably falls some way short of the mark. I'm not sure where this story started to falter, but in retrospect it had to be when Death reached Vegas. Although there was some great storytelling, and the Death boxing match was entertaining, it was at this point that the menace of the story was left behind, and the humorous elements (that were always in the background) started to take over. It's this loss of Death's horrific nature, that was handled incredibly well in the earlier issues, that is the main failing of the story. That and the camping up of Ritter's character, which meant that his final confrontation didn't have the effect it needed. Ritter's bizarre scenes in Vegas last month completely ripped out the memory of the character that was avenging the loss of his family. If Wagner had kept the Ritter story more straight, this could have worked well to offset the humour of the Death scenes. As it is, the lack of drama makes the final scenes seem too hollow.

But despite this feeling of "What could have been", it hasn't been a bad tale, and there have been enough moments each month to make the whole thing quite enjoyable. It's also been a showcase for some of Frazer Irving's best work, who has proven himself to be the best Death artist for some time. Indeed, Irving would work well on an unrestrained black & white horror story - something that hasn't really been attempted by 2000AD yet.

PW: A surprisingly interesting end to what was, for me, becoming a tedious affair. I'm not keen on the comedy version of Judge Death, and I was sure that this story was meant to banish that side of the character, but the ending was a resolution of sorts and there is some comfort in the fact that Death is going to suffer for his actions. I've been attempting to reconcile why I don't like Frazer Irving's art when it's so obviously very very good. I think it's due to the fact that I've only seem him draw stories I didn't like - ie Death, From Grace, and those Sex, Drugs and Rock 'n' Roll things in the end of year Progs. I think if he drew a story I liked, I would see his art in the way everyone else sees it...

Back to the story, this feels like it's set in some kind of alternate Dredd universe as it doesn't feature chin-face himself, and the repercussions - even given the fact that a couple of warheads have been detonated - don't appear far reaching enough. I may be proved wrong in the end, but i'm going to wait quite a while before I bother reading this again.

Half Life - Part 3

De'ath appears...

Synopsis: Anderson is carried away from the sisters den by Half Life. She tries to get Half Life to come along, but he refuses, saying he belongs to the sisters. Anderson seeks shelter until she is found by a rebel group who take her in at gunpoint. These are the resistance, led by Kotten, who tells her that the judges' murderous ways have spread throughout the city. Anderson warns them that everyone will dies unless they stop De'ath. Anderson seems to recognise a resistance member Fuego, but doesn't know why. Kotten tells her that children who don't stop dreaming are taken away and locked up - Anderson realise these are PSis, and may be able to help.

They storm the holding facility and free the children, but as they leave they are ambushed by De'ath and his judges. Most of the resistance an all the children are slaughtered, but Kotten and Anderson escape. When they get to the base they think there must be a traitor in the ranks. Anderson wonders if it's Fuego, but he catches up with them, having caught a bullet in the battle. Then Anderson has an idea, realising that Nausea and Phobia are the ones who crate Judge Death. She tells Kotten to gather the remaining resistance, and meet under Ex Sector 17 - with a dead body...

GH: This remains one of the best Anderson stories, despite not really featuring her. The menace of Death's world is growing, and unlike "The Wilderness Years" any elements of humour aren't allowed to overwhelm the horror. Indeed, the slaughter in the facility, especially that of the child Anderson carries is quite shocking, and the whole story seems to be heading towards an inevitable conclusion. It seems highly unlikely that Anderson will be able to stop the destruction od this alternate Earth, and as such a happy ending seems very far away indeed.

Arthur Ranson's art also seems to be going from strength to strength in this issue. His anderson work has always been more preferable to me than his "Button Man" as the fantastical elements work well at distracting the reader from the photo referenced art. In addition, his action sequences seem more kinetic than they have in the past, with the above mentioned slaughter working particularly well.

So much to look forward to with this story. As for Fuego? Well anyone with a smattering of Spanish knows well who he is...

PW: A bit of a dip in quality this month for me. The art is beautiful as ever, but the introduction of a 'resistance' and an obvious pointer to a baddie in Fuego makes it all seem a bit too contrived for my liking. Things all seem a bit too convenient at the moment as far as the plot goes, but I'm more than willing to show patience because it's still the best Anderson I've read since ooh-i-can't-remember. I was initially undecided about the child (with associated emotion enducing plaintive 'mummy' cries) head blown apart scenes, but then once reminded of the horrific scenes of genocide taking place in this warped vision of future earth, it made more sense.

Oh (**spoiler alert**), and fuego is (according to babelfish) spanish for fire or something related. I can see it all coming together now, and it's a bit too clumsy for comfort.

Miscellaneous Material inc.

• Dredd Files
• Young Giant
• Charley's War
  

GH: The Young Giant backup has the unfortunate effect of being much better than many of the new stories this month, an odd occurrence for the usually top class Megazine. Charlie's war continues to entertain, but I have to admit that I now skip over the Dredd Files...