Judge Dredd is one of those characters that is like the old joke about John Wayne brand toilet paper; rough, tough, and won’t take crap off anyone. The world of the future is a desolate place and someone has to enforce The Law. Mega City One has been Dredd’s home since he was born, but what happens when the very soul of the city is at risk? That is a question that is being answered in the current storyline of Judge Dredd #11 from IDW.
Judge Dredd has had to take the Long Walk into the Cursed Earth. This is a journey that Judges must make when they are either retiring or banished for some reason. So, Judge Dredd set off into the Cursed Earth meeting many strange people, not the least of which was a multi-eyed mutant, Dannn, that became his sidekick. They narrowly escaped a crazy redneck killer carnival, so what could be next for our intrepid heroes?
This issue really could have been titled “Out of the Frying Pan and into the Fire.” Dredd and his sidekick raced away from death at the killer carnival at top speed. Who would have thought that right down the road they would run into the Angel Gang, a family of psychotic cannibals that have had run-ins with Dredd in the past. The try to plow through, but, as Mean Machine says, “Paw wants you to pull over!”
After the crash of their vehicle and a short fight, it is clear that Dredd is outnumbered and Dannn is no help. Time for dinner. Dannn is hauled off and introduced to The Chef, a being that has been around for 150 years due to some strange interactions between his DNA and his cholesterol medication. He is always looking for the next culinary thing, since he found he can eat anything and it never harms his body, plus the fact that he never ages. He met the Angle Gang and has taken their cannibalism to a new level by showing them that even the bits they thought were useless can be tasty treats.
The Chef decides that, since there are no more reality TV cooking shows, he has to entertain someone, so eyes are the delicacy of the day. Poor Dannn. Judge Dredd, meanwhile, is a little too tough for everyone’s taste. Mean Machine has his dial turned to TENDERIZE, and Dredd is in for a world of pain. Broken bones are just the tip of the iceberg for our fearless officer. The Butter Lady awaits.
The enormous Butter Lady is the master marinator, using some strange liquid that was found in the wastelands, to bath and soften the meal-to-be. Dredd is thrown into it and finds that is some sort of telepathic sentient liquid that is madly in love with Mega City One. All I can say is, can this journey get any weirder?
Overall another great offering from IDW to add to the awesome universe of Judge Dredd. I look forward to next months installment and hope you do too.
