We have a guest post from what we hope will be a new robot around here, Gax-Bot. And he’d like to review what he calls his favorite comic for you. So, without further ado, take it away, Gax-bot:
About the same time that the new Dredd movie hit theatres, IDW lunched the new Judge Dredd comic line. Newcomers to the franchise may be a bit surprised to find that the source material has comedic and goofy roots as well as the dark and serious ones portrayed in the movie.
Mega City One has always been a grim monument to the mistakes of mankind but has also been home to “Umpty candy” a brand of candy that tastes good it’s even more addictive then hard drugs, a robot rebellion that was lead by a robot named “Call-Me-Kenneth” and Judge Fish, a gold fish that was appointed second in command after the chief judge had lost his mind.
The new movie is a fantastic adaptation but does tend to leave out the tongue and cheek humor that was a staple in the comic. The joke of the Judge Dredd universe tends to be putting the citizens of Mega City One in situations that are so grim and strange that you can’t help but laugh.
To this day 2000 A.D.’s Judge Dredd is one of the few comics that can make me laugh, get me invested in the action and be able to throw it’s characters into more serious situation…like being charged with war crimes or having to deal with mass murder.
So how does IDW’s Judge Dredd hold up to the long standing comic and successful movie?
Despite having a lukewarm reaction to the first two issues I really look forward to picking up the book each month. The world and characters are written extremely faithfully to the original, so much so that they are even building up to the first big story line that was published in the early day’s of the comic.
Each issue has one story about Dredd and one story about a supporting character or the citizens of Mega City One. The side stories are there to feed you information about the world that will come into play latter or build on the lore of the City.
Penciled by Nalon Daniel with a Tank Girl-like style, the world is depicted as a very flashy but an unspent place to live.I particularly love his robots and his flabby or ugly looking bystanders. The second story of each book is normally picked up by a guest artist that can very in quality but is normally up to par with the level of the first story’s art standard.
One thing to note is the books excellent use of color. They use a lot of dark colors in the background that give it a dingy moody feel that contrasts with the neon signs and the bright colors of the Judge’s uniforms. Each page pops out and grabs my attention. It’s one of the big things that stand out to me as I read this back to back with other comics I pick up.
Final verdict – IDW’s Judge Dredd is a faithful adaptation of the original that is a great jumping on point for anyone looking to get into the series.
High recommendation to new and old fans alike.
Judge Dredd is available physically through retail outlets and by digital download with comixology.com.
It is not available on IDW’s website for reasons that confound me and that are probably stupid.
You have been judged.
-Gax