What do you think are the best Judge Dredd stories?

[thesteamboy]

Hey everyone.

I have never read any Judge Dredd comics, so I want to know what you think are the best Judge Dredd stories/series!
I would appreciate the advise!

Thanks!

[Colin YNWA]

On the rare occasions my friends ask me this I always point them in the direction of 'America' and 'Cursed Earth' (when I say rare I of course mean once!). Two stories that I think capture the diversity of Dredd. Also blooming good reads too!

[Dr Feeley Good]

For me its The Cursed Earth and The Day The Law Died........

[TordelBack]

Tricky one, since so many of the great Dredd stories must seem a bit dated to young eyes.  For a complete beginner I'd go for "The Judge Child Quest' for sheer barminess, great villains and the very start of the self-doubting Dredd (to be found in The Complete Casefiles 4), followed by 'The Graveyard Shift' to learn what being a Judge is all about (Casefiles 7 - and really that whole volume is 'my' Dredd), and the 'Block Mania/Apocalypse War' duology for a rousing bit of Dredd as a hero, once you're a bit more invested in the city (Casefiles 5).

Then you're ready for the hard stuff.   First, go back and read 'The Cursed Earth/The Day the Law Died' (Casefiles 2) to understand where Dredd comes from, then skip onto 'America' (a colour GN) to understand life in MegaCity One, then 'The Pit' (GN) for life as a Judge, then onto 'Brothers of the Blood' and 'Origins'  (GNs) for, well, origins, and then you're all set for the greatest Dredd epic of them all, currently running, the Dredd the Reformer saga.

Some essential asides to taste some of the many other flavours of Dredd would be Necropolis, Mandroid and the erroneously titled The Complete PJ Maybe.  Oh how I envy you.

[Pete Wells]

Oh I have real reservations about recommending those older epics to folk these days as, in my opinion, they've aged terribly! I'd say America for the definitive look at Dredd's world and Total War for a pretty good indication of where Dredd is at now.

[Dark Jimbo]

Oh I have real reservations about recommending those older epics to folk these days as, in my opinion, they've aged terribly!

I think you all worry far too much about this. Undeniably, some of the epics have aged, but without exception they remain great reads. I'm 24 and as the Case Files have come out, I've been gradually catching up with these old epics one by one for the first time. And all have been a joy - from Cursed Earth right up to Oz.

What I would say is that a new reader, particularly if he's more used to the look and 'voice' of more modern comics, is probably best starting off with the the more recent collected stuff (America, PJ Maybe, The Pit, Total War, Hunting Party, etc) and working backwards to the classics, once he's got a feel for Dredd's world.

[radiator]

If you're new to Judge Dredd, I would recommend the following graphic novels:

Satan's Island
Mandroid
The Pit
The Chief Judge's Man

All great stories that will give you a taste of what Judge Dredd is all about - and they aren't saddled with lots of backstory, so they're very accessible for new readers.

If you like them, then I would say move on to stuff like America, Total War, The Complete PJ Maybe, Brothers of the Blood, Origins and also the Complete Case Files series for all the classic early tales.

[stacey]

Being fairly new myself, I would reccommend The Cursed Earth, The Day the Law Died, America and The Pit.