Judge Dredd: The Complete Case Files 01

I am the law!

Four words that changed comics forever. Now thanks to Rebellion Press a new generation can discover the toughest lawman to ever carry a badge. Judge Dredd.

For those not familiar with the character or concept, in the year 2099 the world is a very different place. Mega-Cities, immense areas of territory have taken the place of the states and even countries. Densely populated, their citizens enjoy the latest technology and best comforts. The Mega-Cities have also given rise to an extreme amount of crime and a new breed of criminal. To combat these criminals the Judges patrol the streets. In their fight against crime they ride giant cycles and their weapon of choice is the Law Giver, a pistol that fires six different kinds of rounds of ammo. In order to be a Judge you have to be the toughest of the tough and be willing to up hold the law no matter what. In Mega City One no one is tougher than Judge Joe Dredd.

Similar in format to Marvel’s Essentials collections, Judge Dredd: The Complete Case Files 01 reprints the first fifty-eight episodes in black and white and in their entirety from the premier British sci-fi comic book 2000 AD. It’s a nice, thick book to add to anyone’s collection, if you can find a copy since the collection has already sold out in America.

What amazes me about Judge Dredd isn’t the fact that these stories are now almost 30 years old but the fact that after 30 years they all hold up amazingly well. The entire concept is a political satire (for lack of a better term) of America and it’s citizens. Setting the stories over 100 years in the future allowed the creators to break down elements of the way we lived and worked without dating them.

However, what really enthralls me about this collection, as a writer is that each of these tales is no more than six pages long. Some are even as short as four pages. About half are complete, one and done stories while the rest are multi-part adventures. John Wagner (Dredd’s co-creator) might be the only name in the group of writers familiar to most American readers but the rest of the group which includes 2000 AD staples Pat Mills and Kelvin Gosnell carry through with brilliant ideas and concepts. Not only are these great reads if you love sci-fi comics but if you’re a writer this collection can be an invaluable tool in learning the craft. To this day 2000 AD still publishes four page sci-fi stories.

The art is nothing to ignore either. Just take a look at Brian Bolland’s work. It’s as clean and crisp and as fresh as anything he does today. Ian Gibson also has a style and a draftsmanship that is still far beyond anything seen in some comics even today. Co-creator Carlos Ezquerra set the tone for everything these men did and Mike McMahon is credited for giving Judge Dredd his ‘defining look’ even though he only illustrated a few of these early tales.

Overall, Judge Dredd: The Complete Case Files 01 is more than just a great read. It’s a piece of illustrated history and an essential learning tool for anyone who loves comic books and the art of graphic story telling. Go and reserve a copy today. A second printing will be released March 24th and keep an eye out for more Judge Dredd collections soon.

Reviewer: Ian Ascher

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Ian Ascher is a freelance Writer/Creator -- Any publishers that would like Ian Ascher to do a review, please feel free to contact him or you can contact Ed Dukeshire on the contact page.

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