Welcome, Earthlets, to Multiver-City One, our monthly look at the “Judge Dredd Megazine!” Let’s get right to it.
Judge Dredd: The Fugitive
Rory McConville (Script), Staz Johnson (Art), Jim Boswell (Colours), Annie Parkhouse (Letters)
Christopher Egan: Judge Calvin, an angry man on the hunt of a fugitive, lands in Mega City One to team up with Judges Dredd and Raul. Calvin is on the trail of a scientist, Derek Krenshaw, who was caught doing illegal experiments in Euro-Cit. Disgruntled and disappointed with every facet of the city, its Judges, and the general state of things, Calvin sees nothing but roadblocks and a lack of intelligence in the territory that was once the United States.
His anger and annoyance come off as mostly unwarranted as Dredd and the other members of the Justice Department are doing a lot to aid in the investigation and search for the Krenshaw. Calvin voices his disappointment in the situation to his superiors back home, but when things begin to move forward in the hunt for the mad scientist, some revelations are brought to light. Dredd, Raul, and Calvin make their way to Krenshaw’s last known location, but things only go from bad to worse.
This month’s story has a few layers to it that are fairly interesting in what, at first, feels like a very straight-forward Judge vs Criminal storyline. Heavy in conspiracies, secrets within the Justice Department, and interesting twists, ‘The Fugitive’ takes a few turns that most will not see coming. It is about as bleak and uncomfortable as any “Judge Dredd” story tends to get, and it all feels quite prescient in today’s world.
Where in recent years many Dredd stories have made him and those he works for more heroic, this one-shot really makes readers remember why this series exists in the first place. Its dark satire, and warnings of a police-state future are in the forefront. McConville’s script really draws you in with the idea of seeing Judges from different parts of the world coming together to take down a psychopath, and just when you think you know where the story is going, he pulls the rug out from under you. It isn’t what happens that is so original, but how it happens, how it’s revealed, and where things will go from here that keeps you hooked.
Staz Johnson’s artwork is phenomenal. Mega City One and the Judges are alive and dynamic. It’s a gorgeous issue, and Jim Boswell’s color work really gives it all the energy and snazzy effect. This art team gives us an excellent blend of eras. It captures the more modern takes on the Mega City and the Judges through color and some design, while still keeping in touch with the grimy and somewhat sillier vibe of classic “Judge Dredd” strips.
“Judge Dredd: The Fugitive” is an exciting and shocking story of criminal hunting and law enforcement conspiracies that truly nails what this character and series have always been about.
Tales from the Black Museum: The Cackle
Credits: Alec Worley (script), Leigh Gallagher (art), Simon Bowland (letters)
Michael Mazzacane: There tends to be a twisted macabre to “Black Museum” strips, like the Night Gallery but meaner. ‘The Cackle’ eventually ends in that macabre space after beginning in a more common absurdist 2000AD space about the troubles of being Abel Funtch, who laughs at the worst possible moments. On the opening page the worst time involves running the drive through at a funeral home. Otherwise this strip isn’t really a comedy, there is dark humor to it but it isn’t conventionally funny most of the time.
Worley and Gallagher land one joke that is excellent, but it also serves to highlight the isolated nature of Funtch, He is in Mega City One and so surrounded by people but through Gallagher’s use of perspective and composition he is always isolated and apart from the masses. Even when he meets Starflower he’s trying to get away. When they do get together, they still emphasize distance from one another. That sense of isolation is littered throughout the strip and helps you actually feel a little something for this hapless sap.
Continued belowGallagher’s horror work on the “Defoe” series comes through as they track the slow metamorphosis of Starflower, in a sequence not too dissimilar to from the first issue of “Hellblazer.” Starflower slowly turns into this amorphous thing that has at once tons of little noodling definition and texture by Gallagher and seemingly none at all. They show a strong sense of where to spot both black and white to make images readable and carry the right tone.
‘The Cackle’ has some clear influences but it is an overall well-paced and crafted strip by Worley and Gallagher.
Devlin Waugh, The Wolves of St Vitus
Credits: Ales Kot (script), Patrick Goddard (illustration), Pippa Bowland (colors), Annie Parkhouse (letters)
Gustavo S. Lodi: Devlin Waugh is such a strange, nuanced character. Many might take him as a parody of the secret agent trope, mixed with the supernatural and a modern sensibility, but there is so much more to him and his world. Yes, the supernatural and demonic friends are all accounted for, but it is his attitude towards life, especially in the face of adversity, that makes him so compelling. This is a man unafraid of the horror that lie in each corner, despite having seen so much of it. Of perhaps exactly because of that.
On this latest story, the aptly named one-shot ‘The Wolves of St Vitus,’ Devin finds himself on a tourist trap that ends being that in more meanings than one. Kot’s script is very strong (if less epic than the last ‘Big Splash’ arc), but it really is on his dialogue that these pages fly by. Comedic timing is intact, exposition is minimum, and the situations are just as surprising as the character’s reactions.
On art duty, Goddard and Bowland have surely a darker tone than usual, with enclosed spaces, dark alleyways, and dark and purple tones saturating the page. It works really well for the story at play, especially when it shifts the contrast at its final payoff.
Once again, the adventures of Devlin Waugh are a treat: sharply written, beautifully illustrated, with levity and complexity taking turns for a great read.
Blunt III, Part Eight
Credits: T.C. Eglington (script), Boo Cook (art), Simon Bowland (letters)
Rowan Grover: “Blunt” ends with an emotional and satisfying conclusion in this prog, with each part of the creative team delivering some great quality content. Eglington delivers some great emotional beats for the core cast of the overarching “Blunt” narrative, giving us some craft story swerving to keep us on our toes. We see Ilya at one stage think that Blunt is going to sacrifice his life to save the rest of the survivors, so we see the desperation in her to try and find him, only to see that he hasn’t left at all and momentarily letting readers take a breath. Eglington smartly pulls us right back into the emotion that was just built up, however, by having Blunt actually turn around to sacrifice himself for the greater good. It’s a solid end to these characters and we see what happens to Ilya and what she continues to do with her life and how that’s meaningful to the character developments in the story. My only problem with this ending is that it tosses away all the characters introduced in this third book without really giving them satisfying endings to their narrative arcs, after seemingly spending some time to develop them.
There’s a lot of really solid art here that touches on some of the more bombastic elements of the series. Cook starts off a little shaky with some back and forths between characters, specifically the rather emotionless Captain that Cook has struggled to use well in prior progs. However, on the very next page we get a Space Invaders-style top down shot of the ship being pursued by the Zhind, which is a tonne of fun. Hard pink coloring is used to show alarm on the ship’s interiors, but Cook also uses it effectively to depict Ilya’s highly emotional state at Blunt’s departure. The final neat touch, however, is the spread shot of Blunt fighting off the predator creature in a pose that evokes plenty of Jack Kirby, posed like the beginning of a wrestling match. My only regret is that this final prog didn’t reach some of the truly mind-bending visual highs of the series at large, but it does well considering the space given.
Continued below“Blunt III” ends with a literal bang and proves that weird little side stories can exist and thrive in the “Judge Dredd” universe. The creators clearly loved working on this book, and that love is clearly reflected in the work.
Lawless: Boom Town #8
Credits: Dan Abnett (script) Phil Winslade (art) Jim Campbell (lettering)
Matthew Blair: It seems that, no matter how far into the future you go and what planet you decide to travel to, politics and intrigue follow. While “Lawless: Boom Town” #8 doesn’t have a lot of action and violence, it lays the foundation for a very complex web of lies, ulterior motivations, and hidden truths that promise to place the town in a near constant state of pressure.
Writer Dan Abnett uses “Lawless: Boom Town” #8 to step away from Marshal Lawson and the run and gun violence that we’ve come to expect from a Western set in the Judge Dredd universe, and into the stories and motivations of several different characters. We learn that he SJS faction in Bedrock has ulterior motives and isn’t necessarily loyal to the town and the Marshal, we learn that the company in charge of the town isn’t behaving as it should, and we get to see the gangster Mr. Smith, who was introduced in the previous issue, get to work and start taking over businesses through implied intimidation and graft. It’s all tied together beautifully by the boy who had his mind taken over by the psychic in the hospital, and while his reason for being in the story still isn’t that clear, it’s a great framing device for this particular part of the story.
There’s only so many ways that I can talk about how good Phil Winslade’s artwork is, and “Lawless: Boom Town” #8 continues to be great. While this portion of the story is more of a showcase of Abnett’s skills, Winslade continues to go above and beyond and elevate the comic through the quality of his artwork. While this portion of the story doesn’t require a whole lot from the art, Winslade continues to go above and beyond and delivers an incredible amount of expression, meaning, and background detail for the story. It goes a long way towards making the setting feel busy and lived in, and helps lend weight and gravitas to any future violence.
“Lawless: Boom Town” #8 manages to strike a great balance between character development, sympathy for the town and its inhabitants, and big picture intrigue, and while the previous story was fantastic, the future promises to be a whole lot better.
