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Review: Judge Dredd Year One #4

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20130810-125724.jpgJudge Dredd Year One take places ten years after the Atomic War, in a Mega-City One that is still recovering and rebuilding. Our immovable lawgiver is a recent graduate of the Academy and still in his rookie year as a representative of the Hall of Justice. Tasked to investigate a rash of paranormal incidents involving violent juveniles, Dredd has found himself trapped in a parallel Mega-City One with a band of judges unwilling to take back their fallen city. Can he motivate his peers and save their city with enough time to make it back to his own?

I have limited experience with the Dredd universe, and while ‘Year One’ sounds like a decent starting point, I’m pretty sure diehard fans would refer me to Wagner’s Judge Dredd Origins to find out how it all started. Regardless, this four book mini-series is still an interesting look at how a young, idealistic judge delivers hard justice on the streets of Mega-City One.

While one would assume nonstop wordless action, editor-turned-writer Matt Smith packed the pages full of dialogue (letterer Gilberto Lazcano was gainfully employed). And although I wasn’t wild about the supernatural tint, Smith crafted an engaging storyline that made me look forward to each subsequent issue.

Simon Coleby‘s visuals bring out the gritty streets and hollowness of Dredd’s current predicament. His pencils have an early 90s look to them, much like The Wake‘s Sean Murphy. Unfortunately, at times faces lose detail in close ups, thankfully this doesn’t detract from our helmet-wearing protagonist. Leonard O’Grady‘s colors compliment Coleby’s artwork, and although they pay homage to Dredd’s 2000 AD days, I’ve always disliked the green gloves and boots.

While the story and art were thoroughly executed, I mistakenly expected unending, futuristic action…yet Smith delivered a mature, extended X-Files episode. Just because I failed to manage my expectations going into it, doesn’t mean dedicated fans won’t truly appreciate this glimpse at Dredd’s early days on the force.

Story: Matt Smith Art: Simon Coleby
Story: 7 Art: 7 Overall: 7 Recommendation: Read

IDW Publishing provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

IDW and 2000 AD Take Dredd Back to Year One!

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Though Judge Joseph Dredd’s exploits have changed the post-apocalyptic sprawl of Mega-City One forever, there was a Mega-City One before Dredd ever hopped aboard a Lawmaster. In March 2013’s Judge Dredd: Year One, Eagle Award-winning 2000 AD Editor-in-Chief Matt Smith takes up arms with Dredd veterans Simon Coleby on interiors and Greg Staples on covers to deliver the thrilling exploits of a younger Judge Dredd!

One would be hard pressed to call the young Dredd “fresh-faced” or “eager,” but there is certainly a learning curve to policing Mega-City One’s vast and vicious criminal element. This thrilling period of Dredd’s career was previously explored by Smith in Judge Dredd: Year One – City Fathers, the hit e-novella published by 2000 AD earlier this year, but was immediately recognized as an avenue perfectly suited for a different story told through a comic-book miniseries.

In “The Long, Hard Road,” Smith and Coleby tell a tale where “all the young juves, carry the news,” only in this case, that news is that juves across sector start manifesting psychic abilities. Dredd must team up for the first time with Psi-Division to combat the spreading chaos. But just what is causing the psi-outbreaks as it crosses the dimensions—and what does it have in store for Mega-City One?

By taking to the comics page and telling a new tale from Dredd’s early years on the force, IDW and 2000 AD are thrilled to be bringing fans a Dredd story the likes of which they’ve never seen; not to mention a rare look at the kind of harrowing futuristic criminal saga that built Dredd’s signature grimace. Like the old saying goes, “You can’t strike fear into the deranged heart of a criminal underbelly without breaking a few legs.”

In addition to the stellar team of Mega City One veterans on the book, dedicated Dredd fans will also find variant covers by Cerebus mastermind Dave Sim and Dredd co-creator Carlos Ezquerra in the offing! Fans are urged to appear at their nearest comic shop for judgment, lest they face eternity in the iso-cubes!

JUDGE DREDD: YEAR ONE #1 (FC, 32 pages, $3.99). In stores 3/27/13

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