The future is a harsh place and in this post-apocalyptic world Judge Dredd is the best he is at what he does. And what he does is The LAW! He is the judge, jury, and executioner. Mega City One, one of the many walled city states in the future world, is policed by the Judges, cops with the power to mete out justice as they see fit.
This is the world of Judge Dredd Classics from IDW Publishing. Continuing a recent trend of republishing older stories from current pop figures, IDW has done a great job collecting classic Dredd stories with new covers and new colors. Judge Dredd Classics #4 is no exception. A retro classic-looking Jim Fern cover and solid story form the pages of 2000 AD, the long running British pulp comic, featuring the continuing saga of the Apocalypse War make this a great book to fill in some iconic Dredd-ology necessary for any fan.
I really enjoy reading the old stories and seeing some of the classic black and whites in amazing colors all thanks to Tom Mullin, makes it all the better. Issue #4 continues with part 5 of The Apocalypse War as Mega City One fights back against the soviet incursion from the East-Meg One, the soviet controlled city. Dredd fires TADs, Total Annihilation Devices, missiles designed to, as the name says, completely annihilate the opposition.It reminds me of the nuclear proliferation at the height of the Cold War in the 1980’s. Hurling missiles back and forth, trashing each other, turning the people of one city/country against the other. All in a days work for Judge Dredd.
Judge Dredd Classics #4 continues with parts 6, 7, and 8 of this story as the battle of two worlds escalates. Dredd trying to protect democracy and the army from the East trying to spread the red curtain of Communism. First missiles, then warships, finally robot walkers… what more could you ask for but all out war and mayhem. How about an earth shattering conclusion to part 8? Yeah, we’ve got that.
This is a great story, a little wordy, but good stuff. I am not so keen on the political aspects of the story, although I understand the setting and that it illustrates the conflicts that still exist even in the world after the great war. Some things never change. To sum it all up, IDW continues to deliver a quality book, the artwork is classic, the new colors are really a good add, and the new covers are awesome. I recommend you at least pick it up and leaf through it, to see if this is for you.
