Welcome, Earthlets, to Multiver-City One, our monthly look at the “Judge Dredd Megazine!” Let’s get right to it.
Judge Dredd: One Eyed Jacks 07
Credits: Ken Neimand (script) Ian Richardson (art) Quinton Winter (colors) Annie Parkhouse (letters)
Matthew Blair: In this latest case, Dredd must confront a serial killer named Lauren Order (groan) who broadcasts their murders online and gets people to pay to decide how they’re going to die. It’s classical social commentary, Mega City One style, so it means there is plenty of over the top violence mixed with just a little bit of social commentary, which means we’re in for a soon to be classic Judge Dredd story.
“Judge Dredd: Ratings War” is written by Ian Edginton, and as stated above this is a classic Judge Dredd adventure. Edginton has a clear understanding of who Dredd is as a character and how Mega City One can be used to put a slightly humorous twist on incredible and overwhelming violence. Edginton has some crazy ideas mixed with politics, social commentary, and enough Mega City One craziness to make this a great Dredd story. There’s even a point where Dredd actually dies (don’t worry, he gets better) which is pretty bold for Rebellion’s favorite character. The only problem is that this is only a one shot, because it would be really cool to see Luaren Order make another appearance.
The artwork for “Judge Dredd: Ratings War” is provided by Stewart K. Moore, and it is some of the trippiest and most chaotic art made for comics. Moore has a cool character design for Lauren Order that helps make her an interesting and engaging villain. The comic has a modern art vibe that looks like someone viewed a Picasso while on some stimulants of dubious quality and it looks bright, colorful, and incredibly high energy. It can look a bit crowded and overwhelming at times, but it’s refreshing to see a comic that takes visual risks.
“Judge Dredd: Ratings War” is a modern Mega City One classic that has a great idea and uses it to tell a great story. The only real problem is that this is probably the only time we’ll see this particular villain, which is a shame because there is so much more that can be done.
Spector: Incorruptible Part 4
Credits: John Wagner (script), Dan Cornwell (art), Jim Campbell (after Tom Frame) (letters)
Greg Lincoln: There is an organic and lived in feel to the future John Wagner writes about in “Spector.” Corruption runs deep in this setting and in this chapter, he introduces one of the vices that are around to this noir world: the orgasmatron. Spector and his partner encounter an addict during their investigation; it’s a momentary scene that become important later, but it’s also one that lends a disquieting feeling to this world. Wagner’s dialogue nicely builds the relationship between Spector and his partner in ways that feel natural and consistent.
The thing that is solidly noir and full on lovely is the art. Not only does Dan Cornell continue to pay homage to Carlos Esquerra with his art, he also makes some obvious and amazing reference to Will Eisner. The tall panel showing Mickelson’s condo and the massive letters hanging on the building calls to mind the iconic “Spirit” title pages. His detailed art is worth spending time appreciating and his sense of design is stunning. The clothing may be a bit much at times, but his vehicles are so very cool, especially the big boxy thing that Spector uses in the story. There is so much to like about the art, from the brilliant city scapes to the well conceived characters. Jim Campbell’s lettering choice leads to great affects too; speaking with the suspect’s apartment, the font and balloon choices carry a dry sarcasm that aids the dialogue.
Lawless: Most Wanted 03
Credits: Dan Abnett (script), Phil Winslade (art), Simon Bowland (letters)
Brian Salvatore: This installment feels like an episode of the soap opera set in Badrock, where we get a few different stories that all help inform the reader a little more about what the town is like. There’s a glimpse at the entertainment, the continued attempts to clean up the town’s corruption, and a better look inside the criminal organization at the heart of it. From a purely world-building standpoint, it’s a solid chapter that gives readers a better sense of the world of the story.
Continued belowThis chapter also allows Phil Winslade to have some real fun. The opening sequence is a burlesque-type show, full of comedy and music, that lampoons the town and its citizens, and Winslade is clearly having a ball with the sequence. He does a really nice job of making it clear that we’re viewing satire, and builds in the limitations to costuming and staging that would be present for the performers. It’s a great scene, and while this installment doesn’t have any super dark sequence to balance it out, it helps the overall story not get too bogged down in the Western glum.
However, a lot of Dan Abnett’s script is somewhat stuck in a rut while Archie is searching for a partner in his crime-busting operation. It hasn’t reached the point of overkill yet, but it’s definitely getting to where the reader is ready for something to happen. That said, this chapter moved that forward more than last month’s did, and so hopefully there is some resolution/growth in that area next time.
Dark Judges: Death Metal Planet Part Nine
Credits: David Hines (script), Nick Percival (art), Annie Parkhouse (letters)
Chris Egan: The end is here! The Death Metal Planet is in the starship’s rear view and Mega City One is going to have to deal with the aftermath of this story. Most of what didn’t work for me with this series is still present with this final chapter, but it does a lot with the final pages that felt to be missing from the majority of this story. It could be argued that the longer format of the Megazine issues didn’t do this series any favors and the it could have been told in shorter chapters over a shorter amount of time in the Progs.
Hine’s attempt to mix heady and emotional sci-fi/fantasy with the tongue in cheek grotesque nature of the Dark Judges and what they always bring to the “Judge Dredd” universe didn’t blend at all and the chapters either felt tonally right for the Dark Judges, or self-important and too serious. If that wasn’t the intention, it unfortunately didn’t come across as to what it’s supposed to be. Too much of the series tried to feel new AND exactly what one might come to expect from “Judge Dredd” and a Mega City One story. I liked this final chapter quite a bit more than most of the previous entries, most notably they stuck the landing on this one, it just took way too long to get here.
Dreadnoughts: The March of Progress – Part Three
Credits: Mike Carroll (script), John Higgins (art), Sally Hurst (colours), Simon Bowland (letters)
Michael Mazzacane: Mike Carroll continues to walk the fine line between condemning the march towards fascism in the Dreddverse, embodied by the Department of Justice, and making them sympathetic to a point. On one hand, we see the Judges rewriting the Law and doing the equivalent of planting evidence in order to get the outcome that they want. On the other, they’re caught up in a heinous ambush by the Cartels, intent on killing every innocent person vaguely connected to a Judge.
Structurally this strip finally turns things down a few notches after a couple of episodes with giant action moments. This episode’s action beat creates the cliffhanger for the episode; it isn’t supposed to be a contained satisfying action beat. That satisfaction will likely come in the next episode.
This lower temperature doesn’t mean John Higgins art is any less engaging. The way he captures the twinkle of a threat in Hanneman’s eye on the seventh page is nearly as freighting as the opening page of the strip a few months ago. Higgins page compositions during these dialog-driven sequences are engaging dramatic pages of effectively a lawyer conversation. This is the kind of dry procedural notices that Law & Order is built but way more visually interested.
Higgins, throughout this strip highlights the subtle movements and character interactions that help to raise tensions and undercut the Judges. A moment that stands is when Judge Romero’s person is pushed back against by security, another law enforcement officer even. We don’t see his facial reaction but the framing of the moment, the emphasis on the single hand, tells the reader everything they need to know.
“Dreadnoughts” continues to be a solid mix of dark not-so-satire and procedural. The Judges are under fire and I’m curious how I will react to this gunfight in the next strip.
