Welcome, Earthlets, to Multiver-City One, our monthly look at the “Judge Dredd Megazine!” Let’s get right to it.
Judge Dredd: Ravenous Part 2
Credits: Mike Carroll (script) Anthony Williams (art) Annie Parkhouse (letters)
Matthew Blair: Dredd and his crew of Mega City One Judges are stranded on an oil rig out in the middle of the ocean with a creature capable of ending all life on the planet, who can shrug off multiple hits from every type of Lawgiver round imaginable, and no rescue in sight.
In short, it’s time for Dredd to go hunting.
“Judge Dredd: Ravenous Part 2” continues the rapid pace set by writer Mike Carroll, except this story is basically one long action scene. Carroll does a good job of treating the Judges with a certain amount of respect. They’re clearly outmatched and can’t fight the creature on their terms, but they certainly try their best and even make saving civilians a priority. Naturally, Dredd is at the center of it all, kicking butt and taking names. It’s actually kind of cool to see Dredd in a situation where he may be outclassed, but Dredd is a stubborn old bastard who has no problem ordering the death of hundreds to see that a million might live.
The most noticeable thing about the artwork of “Judge Dredd: Ravenous Part 2” is just how violent it can be. Artist Anthonly Williams has no qualms over showing people getting dismembered and violently hurt and the blood splatter looks a little bit…pretty in its own special way. Also, Wlliams has a great eye for action and his use of speed lines to convey the energy and violence of what is happening is really interesting and well done.
“Judge Dredd: Ravenous Part 2” is a heck of an action scene and sets things up in a way where it seems like Judge Dredd may be no more, even though we all know that if he were to ever die his work would live on through the ages.
Devil Waugh: Nightclubbing, Part 1
Ales Kot (script), Steven Austen (art), Matt Soffe (colors), Simon Bowland (letters)
Greg Lincoln: The opening pages of ‘Nightclubbing Part 1’ are a bit too nail on the head to be blunt and to make a pretty British pun. Having the literally gay bashing villain decked out in the American flag with a similarly decorated club makes a pretty strong statement that goes right along with the narration. Ales Kot’s introduction of Devlin sets up a lot of the vampire hero’s current state but in a way that isn’t new reader friendly. At that it does present the conflicted nature of out hero and sets up the situation for him to go out hunting the club killer. The narration in ‘Nicheclubbing’ is a little disorienting as it swaps between the extremist villain of the story and Devlin and the writing for each is pretty strongly stated. The narration is blunt and a bit in your face setting the tone for the story right out of the gate.
Steven Austin’s art captures the flavor of the body image centric nature of the gay clubbing culture. He makes it clear that image is important to these characters with his attention to style. Matt Soffe’s color pallet effectively captures the stereotypical dimly lit nature of club life. Though there is nothing wrong with any of the art it doesn’t really jump off the page and take on a life of its own until the final panel where Devlin subtly reveals his fangs, placing the hook to bring you back for part two.
DeMarco, PI: A Picture Paints – Part Four
Laura Bailey (script), Rob Richardson (art), Simon Bowland (letters)
Chris Egan: A new arc and a new mystery are underway for Galen DeMarco. After a rough go with her last case, she’s a bit more bruised and battered this time around than even she’s been recently. Ready to get back into action Galen takes on a new case involving an auction house and its owner who holds a serious and deadly grudge against a competitor.
Continued belowGalen wastes absolutely no time picking up the trailer and getting right into the thick of it, leaving us, as per usual with a pretty wild cliffhanger and Galen in mortal danger. The script has zip and fits classic detective noir and punchy screwball comedy, to a point. Fans of light and airy detective tales will absolutely love this intro, and it truly works from top to bottom.
The art and colors by Richardson are quite gorgeous and nicely detailed. He continues to flesh out the world that is already familiar with his own flourishes. DeMarco, P.I. is still one of the more fun Megazine strips, without sacrificing genuine thrills and chills.
Mega City 2099: Inside Man
Credits Ken Niemand(script) Connor Boyle(art) Jim Campbell(letters)
Michael Mazzacane: After the previous “2099” strip I had high ups for this next iteration. ‘Inside Man’ by Niemand and Boyle isn’t particularly bad, but it lacks a spark that pushes it above just being a fine read. Dredd is investigating the Ghost Gang a gang of thieves who keep pulling off impossible jobs even as the Justice Department tightens security further and further. It’s like they can walk right through it.
Connor Boyle’s art continues to be a highlight, they’re use of inky pen work and dynamic perspectives gives this Mega City a feeling of energy and disorder as Dredd rides his bike from crime scene to crime scene. In particular the second page stands out for this as Dredd has a conversation with the Chief Judge. Coyle never shows Dredd from the same angle on this page and incorporates the motorbike to make a panel.
Niemand’s scripting is efficient and cold, but in a way that fits the ironic bleak humor of the strip. After discovering how this inside information has been getting out, Dredd ever a paragon in his quest to enforce the law further walls himself off from attachments and the citizenry he nominally protects (read: terrorizes). It isn’ exactly subtle or new material here but it fit the story. His plotting does a good job of laying the clues to allows the reader to figure out the answer to the puzzle as Dredd is putting it all together.
“Mega City 2099” is far from a “bad strip” it just isn’t particularly stand out.
Harrower Squad: Calhab County, Part Two
Credits: David Baillie (script), Steve Yeowell (art), Chris Blythe (colors), Annie Parkhouse (letters)
Brian Salvatore: This chapter stockpiles as many cliches about a post-apocalyptic civilization as you can in a small space. There are ritualistic cults, opportunists, folks who think they can solve the problems through study, and folks who think they can only solve the issues through brute force. This sounds like it might be a little too much for one chapter, but David Baillie’s script really sticks the landing here, allowing each element to stand on its own and help build the chaos. The death of the ‘nerd’ is a bit predictable, but successful stories don’t always have to be incredibly surprising; sometimes they just have to be well executed.
And well executed is a perfect description for Steve Yeowell’s art, which balances a desire to keep the action clear and understandable for the reader with the need to show just how fucked up everything has become. Yeowell’s art sometimes veers a little too towards the clean, but that is more or less a criticism for the pages that don’t feature action. When Yeowell is expected to make something a little messier, he more or less obliges. There’s still something a little too neat about the overall presentation, but that is not a dealbreaker for this story.
