Mega City Zero (IDW)

[Magnetica]

I've always thought IDW aimed to produce content to access not 2000ad fanboys or curious North American readers but the trade collection market that services bookstores, newsagents, schools, libraries, prisons - as well as foreign territories in translated form.

As for the dissonance between IDW Dredd and 2000ad Dredd, isn't that just the "if Wagner didn't write it" thing again?  Some Dredd writers just do it differently.

Not really. It's marginally better than the DC Dredd, but so far removed from actual Dredd that it's almost an entirely separate character. To be fair, that's also happened sometimes during 2000 AD/Meg history, but only really during the bad old days, and also only rarely. The odd modern Dredd is sometimes a bit off, but not nearly to the same extent.

I also don't think it is just that Wagner isn't writting it. There are numerous examples of fantastic Dredd stories in the Prog and Meg that weren't written by him but by the likes of Al Ewing, Rob Williams, Michael Carroll (and that's without even mentioning Alan Grant).

[dweezil2]

And yet still it is far far better than the two previous 'all' IDW efforts.

Two previous all IDW efforts?  Year One and Mars Attacks! both featured script or art droids.

Yeah, I appreciate that but often all IDW's attempts at the Dreddverse gets lumped togethet as an abject failure on how to approach the character.
Often unfairly in my opinion.

[W. R. Logan]

The only good IDW Dredd universe stories were written or drawn by creators who had previously worked on Dredd.
The Anderson and Year One storylines were enjoyable but everything else has been destined for the bargain bucket.
Even their Dredd classics have looked no better than the 'Quality' reprints.
I've picked up all the IDW comics out of UK & AUS bargain bins.

[sheridan]

Mars Attacks Judge Dredd seemed to go down well (on this board, at least) while it was being released?  It's seeming that it's being lumped in with the main IDW JD now.  Confused...

[Ghost MacRoth]

Anderson, Mars Attacks, Year One, even Rogue trooper, all quite good.

Just the main title and 'city of courts' that sucked ass in my opinion.

[IndigoPrime]

To clarify, my distain was and is for the main line. Year One was fine, and the Mars Attacks crossover was amusingly madcap. Rogue Trooper was, to my mind, a massive missed opportunity, in terms of a potentially great reboot for the character. I felt cheated when that was done, and I've never been a fan of Rogue (bar, to some extent, War Machine).

[BPP]

And yet still it is far far better than the two previous 'all' IDW efforts.

Two previous all IDW efforts?  Year One and Mars Attacks! both featured script or art droids.

The main title and City of Courts. 'All' IDW efforts in that the other three Dredd titles had 2000AD / Rebellion alumni working on them.

[COMMANDO FORCES]

I managed to grab all the covers, including the Nerd Block exclusive.

As for the comic itself, 20 pages, which just took us past the staples. We wuz robbed! I'd've preferred it in black and white, as having seen some of the uncoloured pages, they look a lot better.

The story and how Dredd reacts are just not Dredd, PERIOD

Page 4, Dredd seems to mysteriously move around the assault scene. In one panel he's in front of the boys and all of a sudden he's behind them, EH!
The poor bloke that they are beating up goes for Dredd's weapon, after Joe yanks the main trouble maker off him and so Dredd blows the back of his head off. That seemed way over the top for Dredd. The bloke was being beaten up, he's probably in a bit of shock, so why not just subdue him!

The Mechanismo incident! Dredd shoots one of the robots head off and doesn't immediately do the same on the other, so it starts shooting. On page 13, the middle right hand panel, it looks like Dredd has been shot in the back, as the laser targeting beam (I'm guessing it's that) is on Dredd's back. The problem is that it's the same colour of the shots that take out loads of people straight after, which is were the confusion lies.

Then we have the assault to take out the 2nd Mechanismo and Dredd decides not to shoot this one in the head. All during this, time seemingly happens at different speeds, which you will notice as you read the sequence with incredulity.

There are numerous other inconsistencies but why ruin all your fun, for when you pick it up!

Obviously I'll be collecting it, as I'm mad!

[dweezil2]

To clarify, my distain was and is for the main line. Year One was fine, and the Mars Attacks crossover was amusingly madcap. Rogue Trooper was, to my mind, a massive missed opportunity, in terms of a potentially great reboot for the character. I felt cheated when that was done, and I've never been a fan of Rogue (bar, to some extent, War Machine).

I really enjoyed IDW's Rogue Trooper, such a shame it didn't take off!

[Ghost MacRoth]

Have now read the second one....it is not growing on me.  Messy art, and some of the red text on blue backgrounds while also being thin and warped....yeah, cheers for the eyeache! Then there's the 'lets make it like the internet with trolls and admins and stuff but it's real life!!' storyline that's just doing nowt for me at this point.  Hopefully it's another 4 parter, and they will stop this garbage soon and move onto something which had better be an improvement.

[jacob g]

In my opinion art is the only good thing in this series. Since I saw McDaid in Doctor Who I was waiting for his interpretation of Dredd. Sadly this is another out of character Dredd...

[Dash Decent]

First volume of collected MC0 now listed for pre-order at Amazon UK:

Judge Dredd: Mega-City Zero - volume 1 – 23rd June 2016, IDW, paperback, 100 pages.

[Hawkmumbler]

Well as far as the first two issues are concerned it's all a little....flat.

Dan's art is simply magnificent, too get the positives out of the way. I'd love to see him in the prog sometime. The story on the other hand feel's quite tired, well troden and generaly not very well written.

[Link Prime]

Well as far as the first two issues are concerned it's all a little....flat.

Dan's art is simply magnificent, too get the positives out of the way. I'd love to see him in the prog sometime. The story on the other hand feel's quite tired, well troden and generaly not very well written.

I'm with you here, Hawk.

The artwork has really impressed, but the story and crucially the portrayal of Dredd hasn't.
I appreciate that the writers are enthusiastic and were trying something different, but it just doesn't read as 'Judge Dredd'.
If this was the other way round (great story with questionable art) I genuinely think I'd stick with it, but as is I'm out after 2 issues.

[jacob g]

I kinda like how the story is making fun how people behave in the net. The problem is Dredd, nervous, triggerhappy... he's not like Dredd in previous IDW horrible attempt but still they missed the oportunity.

Seriously, the only US market Dredds I liked was always done by 2000 AD writers, first 4 issues of Legends of the Law, Year One, Mars Attack vs Dredd.

Damn, after first MC-0 issue for a second I thought this can be good.