Judge Dredd Megazine 341

[Steve Green]

Ordinary is just fantastic.

The Meg overall is really strong at the moment.

[Goaty]

Bloody hell! The Meg so hot to handle on my iPad on train tonight! Sooooo brilliant!

Post more later as re-read the Ordinary, so brilliant maddest as Dirty Frank's Low Life!

[Recrewt]

Another fantastic Meg this one - I don't think I have ever read through one so quickly but I just couldn't put it down. 

Surprisingly, I thought it was Dredd himself that was weaker in this one.  The first story was not bad but not as good as recent others have been and underbelly just seemed to stroll along a bit - great artwork though.  Beyond that, Ordinary was fantastic and I'm really loving this story. 

But, this Meg belongs to insurrection.  I have enjoyed this so far although it never really grabbed me but this one really got my attention - there are two twists in this story but the one at the end was not surprising in the least.  That doesn't matter because the first one was fantastic - the artwork on that 2nd page was amazing and full of impact and really made me think 'what the f*** just happenned?'.  Congratulations to all involved for the fantastic artwork and for so craftily leading me up the garden path with the last episode and totally catching me by surprise this time.  As others have mentioned, Rebellion really need to release a complete TPB of this in the near future.

One last thing - what do people think about the cover?  Sometimes you get covers that relate directly to the story and sometimes you get more general ones that just show Dredd and don't relate to anything in that Meg.  Then, you get ones like this month's - it shows Dredd and the Nun from the story but doesn't really relate to what happens in it.  Does anyone else find this a bit strange? 

[Jimmy Baker's Assistant]

One last thing - what do people think about the cover?  Sometimes you get covers that relate directly to the story and sometimes you get more general ones that just show Dredd and don't relate to anything in that Meg.  Then, you get ones like this month's - it shows Dredd and the Nun from the story but doesn't really relate to what happens in it.  Does anyone else find this a bit strange?

I thought the cover was great. I understand that it was meant to be reminiscent of Alex Ronald's work on Vampire Vixens, hence the somewhat tenuous relationship to the actual story.

[Mabs]

So another month and another cracking Meg. Lets begin with the cover, a little on the saucy side perhaps but I'm not complaining! Alex Ronald (who's name I've not seen before in the Meg) does a really nice job here. The grey tone in the background - Dredd included - and the more colour-centric shot of the explosion and the naughty nun in the foreground, works really well.

Judge Dredd: Fifty Shades of Crime by Rob Morrison and Patrick Goddard, was very enjoyable. I also loved the colours by Peter Doherty which rendered the strip very eye-catching. The title and indeed the story is an obvious riff on 'Fifty Shades of Grey' (perhaps that's why there was a lot of grey shades on the cover!), I haven't read the novel and to be honest, couldn't be arsed to even if I had the chance. But the lack of knowledge on the book did not detract my enjoyment of the strip. I loved Goddard's artwork here, I'm more accustomed to seeing his black and white work but here, even his colour work looks great (as does it too in his work on Aquila for the prog at the moment). Overall it was a fun little story with some saucy shenanigans thrown in for good measure!

Next was a prologue story to the Dept. Of Monsterology by Gordon Rennie and P.J Holden, with lettering by Jim Campbell. #1 of the comic is out right now, and judging by the spectacular work on show in this teaser, I best get myself a copy before it all goes! P.J's artwork here is simply exquisite; his double page splashes in particular nearly had me salivating! It's not hard to see why he is one of the most exciting artists
working in comics (and 2000ad) right now.

Insurrection III Part Eight was up next and I must say, the opening pages just left my jaw hanging in disbelief - not only at the shocking development in the story but Colin MacNeil's masterful artwork. The second page in particular is just a work of breath-taking beauty, and art. It's Terrence Malick and Michaelangelo rolled into one.



There's almost a poetic resonance to that splash page, both for the depiction and what it entails. There's a feeling of despair and betrayal towards the end from the gruddamn Judges, Dan Abnett's excellent script has kept me intrigued throughout this series and it'll be a big drokking shame to see this excellent story end next month.

The awesome 'Ordinary' is next and another enjoyable treat of an episode it is too. If the Meg was a Cadburys Cream Egg, then Ordinary would be the delicious cream at the centre! (in fact the strip is right in the middle of the Meg!) Our protagonist, plumber Michael Fisher continues to watch as everything around him goes as mad as a hatter! Not only is he worried about the safety of his kid but Tweedle Dumb and Tweedle D also make an appearance. My favourite moment is when we see Michael in the pub and his friend who's turned into a big Black Bear walks in. The conversation which follows is really funny. I love some of the powers that the people start to exhibit, esp. in the case of the President when his private thoughts start materialising as thought bubbles! That was bloody hilarious. There's so much stuff happening in this strip, Rob Williams script is really fun and D'Israeli's brilliant artwork almost pops off the page. Take my word for it, Ordinary is frikkin' Extra-ordinary, and I bloody love it!

Dreddlines is up next and hold on, what's this? A letter by none other than myself to start off proceedings it seems? The pun-tastic header 'Burger Off' is a little 'cheesy' but I like it! Thank you Dreddlines! I enjoyed the other letters, and I wholly agree with Matt Badham; you guys do an excellent job and to call it all 'fillers' is utter nonsense and rude. I love the interviews in the Meg and the other features, that is why I love the Meg in the first place aswell as the strips. So well done to all you guys.

Patrick Goddard's Interrogation by David Baillie up next was very insightful. I've been wanting to see Goddard interviewed for a long time ever since I fell in love with his artwork in Savage. And his recent work in this very Meg and Aquila is outstanding, long may his presence in the Meg and prog continue.

Last but not least, Dredd: Underbelly Part Two, which was another exciting episode. Dredd is starting to go deeper into dangerous territory as he tries to bring the slavers to justice, but it's not all plain sailing. Henry Flint's artwork is excellent here, but I must say his style is starting to look more 'jagged' than some of his prior work, or even the prequel Ma-Ma story last year. Honestly if you compare both there's a considerable difference in the style although both are set in the same world - regardless of the change of Dredd's chin. But that is a small niggle, I'm still enjoying it. Page 3 with the shot of the city's red light district was really great, with its neon lights and wet walkways - very dystopian in a Blade Runner fashion which I love. Page 7 and the the middle panel is also a standout, as we see two things happening at once; Dredd approaching and the creep trying to escape, the box of turds was a nice idea too! And a nice shot of Anderson to cap things off.

So a magnificent Meg overall. I cannot fault any of the strips at all, all of them are really enjoyable from Judge Dredd to, er Dredd! The standout though has to be Ordinary and Insurrection. Great stuff.

The floppy 'Detonator X' was also great fun. Those who've watched the recent Pacific Rim movie will no doubt see a few similarities (although Edginton's story was done earlier, no doubt inspired by Godzilla and others). Steve Yeowell's colour artwork was great, I'm a big fan of his work. Talking of Ian Edginton and Steve Yeowell, I would love to see their other work Red Seas getting reprinted, hopefully as floppies? I know it'll probably come to a lot of floppies due to the length, but I'm desperate to read the first few series which I missed as I new reader jumping on. It'll be a big shame if we never see them re-printed. Detonator X was a fine romp, my favourite moment was when the posh martian colonists eat a 'shit-cake' unknowingly! The look on their faces when they realise was hilarious; Edginton sure has a wicked sense of humour!

Judge Dredd Megazine - 5/5
Detonator X - 4/5

[Jim_Campbell]

Insurrection III Part Eight was up next and I must say, the opening pages just left my jaw hanging in disbelief - not only at the shocking development in the story but Colin MacNeil's masterful artwork.

If I had one tiny criticism, it's that there are two pages of ads at the end of Insurrection. I'd have put one of them before this episode, which would have pushed Pg1 onto a right hander and saved Pg2 for the page-turn.

Cheers!

Jim

[Mabs]

Insurrection III Part Eight was up next and I must say, the opening pages just left my jaw hanging in disbelief - not only at the shocking development in the story but Colin MacNeil's masterful artwork.

If I had one tiny criticism, it's that there are two pages of ads at the end of Insurrection. I'd have put one of them before this episode, which would have pushed Pg1 onto a right hander and saved Pg2 for the page-turn.

Cheers!

Jim

You know, you're absolutely right Jim. That would've worked much much better if it was on the next page. Maybe that's something that could be taken into consideration for future strips.

[Proudhuff]

Colin had that page of artwork at the Lakes Con, i think he MAY have got the idea I liked that page!

[Professor Bear]

For some reason I had to give up on page 4 of the Dredd.  The title just made me groan, then Christians in Mega City One? Catholics with their King James bibles, no less...  By the time it got to the superhero punching-bag-style gangsters I'd had enough.
Insurrection was good, if predictable, though I saw page two before I saw page one thanks to it being on the right, which I thought was poor placement.  I'm on the fence about the Evil Emperor supervillain type and his baby-eating plans as seeming a bit out of place in Dredd canon, but this is still my favorite strip in the Meg right now.
Will read the rest upon my next trip to the poophouse, though I recall being underwhelmed by Detonator X first time around, and then it ended with some people shagging on a robot's belly while it watches - though I am sure I remember that wrongly.

edit: Jim makes the same observation about the page-turn as I did - to the Reader Survey!

[Molch-R]

Catholics with their King James bibles, no less...

King John, actually.

[Professor Bear]

YOUR SUCH A NERD FOR NOWING THAT

[Molch-R]

YOUR SUCH A NERD FOR NOWING THAT

I knows!

[The Prodigal]

I haven't read the meg but it is a King James Bible historically. There is no "King John" Version.

Have I made a stupid point and need to read the meg?

[Molch-R]

I haven't read the meg but it is a King James Bible historically. There is no "King John" Version.

Have I made a stupid point and need to read the meg?

I do believe it's intentional. In the same way that Grud = God.

[TordelBack]

I haven't read the meg but it is a King James Bible historically. There is no "King John" Version.

Have I made a stupid point and need to read the meg?

I do believe it's intentional. In the same way that Grud = God.

King John = John Wagner?