It was dreadful to see Moon's promise fade to (probably) naught.
Playing devil's advocate, though, I think this could be part of an interesting meta. By the end of A Better World, it's clear that Dredd is losing control. I mean, literally, he's swamped by perps and crying out for Control, and not receiving any help. It's not just that he's lost faith in a leader (that's happened before), although he does seem now partially estranged from Logan. He has support in Beeny, but that only speaks to a wider split within Justice Department. Hernandez represents the Street Judges - and really that's where you might expect Dredd to command respect, but now they don't see their future in him. The SJS tidy away Maitland's evidence, so Maitland is both actually and metaphorically buried by the Department.
So, who can he turn to for support? Perhaps the Cadets? But Rend & Tear With Tooth & Claw shows us both that he needs support (he wouldn't have survived without Moon, or the perp - he's getting old, clumsy, his missions fail before, or just after, they get off the ground) but also can't reciprocate. At the end, he has to be alone (having, really, failed) - and realizing that death is coming - and not just for Arctos. Look at how small he is in the final frame.
It's bleak - yes - but I think it might be poetry.
Playing devil's advocate, though, I think this could be part of an interesting meta. By the end of A Better World, it's clear that Dredd is losing control. I mean, literally, he's swamped by perps and crying out for Control, and not receiving any help. It's not just that he's lost faith in a leader (that's happened before), although he does seem now partially estranged from Logan. He has support in Beeny, but that only speaks to a wider split within Justice Department. Hernandez represents the Street Judges - and really that's where you might expect Dredd to command respect, but now they don't see their future in him. The SJS tidy away Maitland's evidence, so Maitland is both actually and metaphorically buried by the Department.
So, who can he turn to for support? Perhaps the Cadets? But Rend & Tear With Tooth & Claw shows us both that he needs support (he wouldn't have survived without Moon, or the perp - he's getting old, clumsy, his missions fail before, or just after, they get off the ground) but also can't reciprocate. At the end, he has to be alone (having, really, failed) - and realizing that death is coming - and not just for Arctos. Look at how small he is in the final frame.
It's bleak - yes - but I think it might be poetry.