Review- JUDGE DREDD: THE COMPLETE CASE FILES VOL. 11

JUDGE DREDD: THE COMPLETE CASE FILES VOL. 11 (2000 AD, First Printing, October, 2008; Softcover)

Collects the Judge Dredd stories from 2000 A.D. #523-570 (cover dates May 23, 1987- April 16, 1988)

Writers: John Wagner and Alan Grant

Artists: Brett Ewins, John Ridgway, Cliff Robinson, Robin Smith, Mike Collins, John Higgins, Liam McCormack Sharp, Steve Dillon, Barry Kitson, Jim Baike, Garry Leach, Will Simpson, Dave Elliot, and Brendan McCarthy

It all started for me with an Anthrax song and then the 2012 movie Dredd. That is what prompted my mad quest to procure every single Complete Case Files as well as the Restricted Case Files books in the winter of 2012-13 . Over the past few years I've slowly been reading these books and have realized that I may never finish reading them all.

The writing is solid throughout, with continuity that is as tight as a drum. It's the artwork which swerves all over the road here, from brilliant to what I politely call “deadline art”. Cliff Robinson's artwork is head and shoulders above the rest of the pack here. Judge Dredd was a weekly strip, and there was a rotating crop of artists in order to make the going to press deadline. As a weekly reader this probably didn't matter, but when reading a huge swath of issues in a row like you do with this book it can be jarring from one story to the next.

The highlight of this book is the 26 part epic, Oz, where former champion skysurfer Chopper makes a prison break. Jug McKenzie has been the champion for the two years since Chopper has been in prison and was talking a lot of smack, which caught Chopper's attention. With nothing to lose, Chopper hops on a skyboard and goes on a harrowing journey across the ocean to Australia to compete in Supersurf 10. Some of the arcs in this book were about as fun to read as chewing chalk, but this one was a real page turner that kept me awake until I finished it.

Dredd's a good character and a good concept, but in my case a little goes a long way. There is a sameness to it all, even when they switch gears and Dredd is fighting rats, mutant alligators or martial artists. Dredd is great when I am in a certain frame of mind. The problem for me is that this frame of mind is becoming less and less frequent right now.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 3 out of 5.

The OCD zone- This is the part where I go into tactile sensations and materials of physical media. Those with heart conditions, high blood pressure, or women who are pregnant should exit my blog at their earliest convenience, as their safety cannot be guaranteed beyond this point.

These books are wider than standard trade paperbacks. The material reprinted here is presented in a smaller size than it was in the original publications.

There is a cover gallery in the back of the book which features only nine of the twenty one covers that Judge Dredd appeared on out of the issues collected in this book.

Linework and Color restoration: This book is printed in black and white, which is becoming a problem as the full color (or colour, since this is British) double page spreads are now an every issue occurrence. Those are scanned and printed in black and white, resulting in a grayscale mess. Starting with the next Volume I noticed that they have switched to a full color, glossy paper format for this line of books. The first two pages out of each six-eight page story in this book are a murky grayscale abomination with gutter loss.

Paper stock: Uncoated paper stock. The paper used in the European printed versions (like my copy here) feels odd to the touch. I can't quite explain it.

Binding: Sewn binding. There is an annoying amount of gutter loss across the double page spreads, with the word balloons getting sucked right down the middle.

Cardstock cover notes: Super thick cardstock covers with a matte coating that is sufficiently resistant to scuffing.

Review- Free Comic Book Day Review Part One

Free Comic Book Day Review Part One

I have been lackadaisical in my reviews lately and did not do a Free Comic Book Day overview this year. Rather than do one at this late date, I'm just going to list two stores with each batch of Free Comic Book Day comic reviews. Please note that the comics reviewed here did not necessarily come from the shop listed in this review, nor does the shop endorse these reviews.

Not all of the comics that I'll be reviewing over the three parts of my Free Comic Book Day reviews will be FCBD editions. Some are singles that I paid for on FCBD while others were offered for free as part of the FCBD festivities.

The first shop that I hit this year was Detroit Comics in Ferndale, MI. Detroit Comics has recently celebrated ten years in business. Brian and crew are a friendly bunch so stop in and hello.

Resurrxion Free Spotlight #1 (Marvel, cover date May, 2017)

This is a fat 52 pager with previews of 11 different X-Men titles which have been relaunched as part of Marvel's supposedly new fan friendly line. Excuse me, eleven titles is new fan friendly? Come on Marvel. This is ridiculous. Some of these ideas were interesting in a way, but eleven titles? What kid can afford this? Hell, what adult can afford eleven titles for one line of comics? Ridiculous.

Secret Empire Free Previews Spotlight #1 (Marvel, cover date June, 2017)

I have come to the conclusion that I have outgrown modern Marvel Comics. My son really enjoys whatever new comics he reads by them. Maybe I am too old and jaded and have seen it all too many times before. Any way you slice it, the writing and artwork no longer resonate with me so I won't be buying them. There is nothing in this comic that makes me want to throw money at it. I will stick with old Marvel Comics and leave the new Marvel Age of Comics to my son.

Miserable Americans #4 (Independently published by artist Evan Derian, copyright 2016)

Coming in at issue 4 of a series is like walking in late to a movie. Locally produced and published here in Detroit, Miserable Americans is a series about the clones of President John F. Kennedy and President Abraham Lincoln who are on the run from some secret organization that is trying to kill them for reasons that are as yet unknown. It was intelligently written (two or three typos aside) and there is so much story and characterization crammed into this issue that I am intrigued enough to read more.

2000 AD Free Comic Book Day Prog 2017 (2000 AD, cover date 2017)

2000 AD is celebrating it's fortieth anniversary this year, which is kind of crazy when you think about it. This year's FCDB sampler starts out with a story by a character who goes all the way back to the beginning of the series, debuting in #2. Judge Dredd leads the charge in a story that is a sequel to one of the stories that I've recently read in one of The Complete Case Files phonebooks. Blackblood is one of those early '90s British feeling comics, heavy on the robotics and light on humor. Hope has the potential to be an interesting read. Judge Anderson doesn't interest me at all, while Dreams Of Deadworld shows what happens in Judge Death's dimension, where life is a crime and the sentence is death. This is an interesting strip that I would be willing to read more of.

The second shop that we hit this year was Time Travelers in Berkley, MI. Time Travelers is a well stocked shop, although I swear some of those toys have been in those glass cases since the first time I walked in there roughly 25 years ago. They have an ample selection of everything: comics, toys from all eras, video games, cards, and more.

The Incal: Free Comic Book Day (Humanoids, cover date 2017)

Humanoids (the US branch of Les Humanoides Associes) offers English language translations of European comics. The first 26 pages of the book, the first published in the Jodoverse line of Humanoids books, are presented in this FCBD edition. I read and loved Metabarons as well as Technopriests, but this left me cold. It's interesting in a “this is how it all began” sort of way but that's about it. Your mileage, as always, may vary.

Star Trek: The Next Generation- Mirror Broken #0 (IDW, cover date May, 2017)

In the original Star Trek television series they had that parallel universe where everything was the opposite of ours. Spock was evil, and since goatees are evil, evil Spock had one. So on and so forth. The Next Generation may or may not have had such an episode as well. I haven't watched an episode since it originally aired in the '80s.

This was an absolutely fantastic read. The writing and artwork are flawless and it reads and feels like an episode of the television series.

Afterlife With Archie- Halloween ComicFest Edition #1 (Archie, cover date 2014)

I borrowed the first trade from the library and found it to be unreadable. I could barely make it through an issue. This version is printed in “black and white” (really grayscale and black) and I enjoyed it well enough to want to read more...just not in color.

Doctor Who: Free Comic Book Day 2017 #1 (Titan, cover date June, 2017)

I know next to nothing about Doctor Who but enjoyed this comic. It's slick and polished stuff. I can't say how well it relates to the source material, nor do I care. 

Review- JUDGE DREDD: THE COMPLETE CASE FILES VOL. 10

JUDGE DREDD: THE COMPLETE CASE FILES VOL. 10 (2000 AD, First Printing, 2008; Softcover)

Collects the Judge Dredd stories from 2000 A.D. #474-522 and 2000 A.D. Sci-Fi Special 1985 (cover dates 1984 for the 2000 A.D. Sci-Fi Special 1985 and June 14, 1986- May 16, 1987).

Writers: John Wagner and Alan Grant

Artists: Kevin O'Neill, Ian Gibson, Cam Kennedy, John Higgins, Barry Kitson, Robin Smith, Ron Smith, Brendan McCarthy, Cliff Robinson, Garry Leach, Steve Dillon, Mark Farmer, John Cooper, Jeff Anderson, Jose Ortiz, Kim Raymond, and Paul Hardy

I discovered something when reading this volume: Judge Dredd ages in real time. They refer to his decade of service as a Judge, and this book collects the tenth year of publication of the character. I wonder if this is still the case today. It would make him pretty darn old if it's true.

As usual, the artwork is all over the place in terms of quality. Some of it is photo realistic, while some of it is too cartoonish for my tastes. The writing is consistently solid. Gone are the huge sprawling “arcs” found in the earlier volumes in this line, in are short stories that are cranked out so fast that your head spins. The Taxidermist is one such idea that is tied up in one short story but should have gone on longer. The Shooting Party is another. I've always subscribed to the notion that it's better to be left begging for more than screaming for mercy, but some of these plots have legs beyond their seven page per week allotment.

The Interrogation is brilliant, and again, it's another idea wrapped up in a scant six pages but could have gone on ten times as long and still have been interesting. 10 Years On is amazing, a standout among the standouts in this book. There are some incredible artists who have worked on this title over the years.

I have to be in a specific mood to read Judge Dredd or else it leaves me cold. But when I am in the mood for it I enjoy the heck out of it. It's black humor and satire wrapped in an ultra-violent package. I have Volume 11, and whenever the mood strikes me I'll crack it open and tear through it.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 4 out of 5.

The OCD zone- These are wider than standard trade paperbacks. The material is still reprinted smaller than it was in the original publications.

There is a cover gallery in the back of the book which features only six of the twenty two covers that Judge Dredd appeared on out of the issue collected in this book.

Linework and Color restoration: Everything looks clean and clear. This book is printed in black and white, which is fine since that's how the title was back then with the exception of the occasional color double page spread which kicked off the strip. Those are scanned and printed in black and white, resulting in a grayscale mess.

Paper stock: Uncoated paper stock. The paper used in the European printed versions (like my copy here) feels odd to the touch. I can't quite explain it.

Binding: Sewn binding. There is gutter loss across the double page spreads, which is often annoying as the word balloons get sucked right down the middle.

Cardstock cover notes: Super thick cardstock covers with a matte coating that is sufficiently resistant to scuffing. 

Review- JUDGE DREDD: THE COMPLETE CASE FILES VOL. 9

JUDGE DREDD: THE COMPLETE CASE FILES VOL. 9 (2000 AD, Second UK Printing, 2008; Softcover)

Collects the Judge Dredd stories from 2000 A.D. #424-473 (cover dates June 29, 1985- June 7, 1986)

Writers: John Wagner and Alan Grant

Artists: Steve Dillon, Carlos Esquerra, Ian Gibson, John Higgins, Cam Kennedy, Barry Kitson, Brendan McCarthy, Cliff Robinson, Ron Smith, and Brian Talbot

Curse the 2012 film Dredd!!! It was that movie that compelled me to gobble up the entire run of these books in a matter of months, leaving me still trying to catch up on reading them four years later.

Judge Dredd is the greatest black humour comic of all time. Much like Stephen Colbert, those who want to believe it as straight up commentary will do so, while the rest of us see it as the satire that it truly is. Dredd's the straight man, the absolute rule of law, might makes right testosterone-laden caricature with minimal characterization. In short, the order of the day for the 1980s. There's no need for depth or humanity here, as Dredd mirrored the material girl decade to a T.

I enjoyed the Nosferatu arc. Dredd often drifts into Horror territory, as the science fiction dystopian future is only a notch away from that anyways. Many of the arcs in this volume are lighter fare, less epic and more tongue in cheek fun than what came before. There are even some done in one stories here, like Love Story. In that one we find Dredd reaffirm his one true love: the law, going as far as to arrest a lovesick woman who wastes a judge's time, itself a criminal offense. There is another done in a few issues story where a Judge goes rogue when he falls in love. I guess that those are the most “human” stories in the book. The Warlord arc finds the '80s' fascination with martial arts on full display.

John Higgins turns in some stellar artwork on Beggar's Banquet. He of course went on to do the coloring for Watchmen and Batman: The Killing Joke. In many ways 2000 AD is like Saturday Night Live. New and unproven talent break out and leave here for the big time but are not afraid to come back once in a while.

This was an uneven yet entertaining read. Like I said, little in the way of character development but lots of action. I am okay with this, as it is better than a dumb comic which pretends to be smart. This is a smart comic that pretends to be dumb.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 3.5 out of 5.

The OCD zone- There is gutter loss on the double page spreads. Some word balloons are swallowed up in there, resulting in you trying to pry the book a little to try and read what is written.

This book is wider than a standard trade paperback. The material is still reprinted smaller than the original publications, as UK comics were larger than US comics.

Linework restoration: Everything looks clean, although the handful of pages that were originally in color look like they were scanned from the original issues and look murky.

Paper stock: Thick uncoated stock. The paper has a coarse feeling to it which I find to be unpleasant to the touch.

Binding: Sewn binding.

Cardstock cover notes: This book has that dull matte frosted feeling coating which scuffs if you breathe on it too hard.  

Review- JUDGE DREDD: THE COMPLETE CASE FILES VOL. 8

JUDGE DREDD: THE COMPLETE CASE FILES VOL. 8 (2000 AD, Third UK Printing, 2011; Softcover)

Collects the Judge Dredd stories from 2000 A.D. #376-423 (cover dates July 7, 1984- June 22, 1985)

Writers: John Wagner and Alan Grant

Artists: Steve Dillon, Brett Ewins, Ian Gibson, Cam Kennedy, Kim Raymond, Ron Smith, Cliff Robinson, Robin Smith, and Ian Kennedy

If you are still hanging out for the eighth book in any given line then you are likely a fan or you hate your money and buy solely out of habit. Either way, this era of Judge Dredd is low on character development and high on action. Dredd isn't much different here than he was in his earliest adventures. This is a fast-paced, light read that holds up very well three decades later.

In the Dredd Angel arc we see Mean Angel of The Angel Gang return. Due to forced brain surgery Mean Angel temporarily sees his sworn enemy, Judge Dredd, as his father. Dredd and Mean Angel journey into the north Texas Rad-Lands to recover the five clones of Mega-City's greatest judges. I really enjoyed Ron Smith's artwork on that arc.

Kim Raymond takes over the artwork for the Gator arc, and his art has a gritty, hard-edged vibe to it. It gives the strip an almost Noir feel. It is an interesting take, because despite the over the top violence there has always been an almost tongue in cheek feeling to the strip due to the somewhat cartoony feel of the art. Things seemed more serious with Raymond's artwork.

Folks who discovered the character because of both Judge Dredd movies (the 2012 one and the other one that sucked) are led to believe that Judge Anderson was his constant sidekick. This is, so far at least, false. She was his partner for a short while in The Complete Case Files Vol. 3 trade paperback, and is featured again here.

In the City Of The Damned arc Dredd and Anderson journey to the future of 2120 to find the answers to disastrous predictions, finding themselves face to face with The Mutant. The Mutant turns out to be (!!!SPOILER!!!) the evil clone of the Judge Child.

In The Hunters Club we find The Hunters Club Of Mega-City One randomly target people from the citizens directory. They warn them and then pick them off at their leisure. Unlike most cases, Dredd does not nail the perps this time out.

The writing and artwork are all solid, and the brisk pace of the stories makes them hold up well when compared to modern day comics. While some of the Cold War overtones and black humor might be lost on younger readers I think that these stories read well enough as straightforward action tales to hold their interest. This is fun, escapist stuff.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 3.75 out of 5.

The OCD zone- There is gutter loss on the double page spreads. Many word balloons are swallowed up in there, resulting in you trying to pry the book a little to try and read what is written.

This book is wider than a standard trade paperback. The material is still reprinted smaller than the original publications, as UK comics were larger than US comics.

Linework restoration: Everything looks clean, although the handful of pages that were originally in color look like they were scanned from the original issues and look murky.

Paper stock: Thick uncoated stock.

Binding: Sewn binding.

Cardstock cover notes: This book has that dull matte frosted feeling coating which scuffs if you breathe on it too hard.  

Review- JUDGE DREDD: THE RESTRICTED FILES VOL. 1

JUDGE DREDD: THE RESTRICTED FILES VOL. 1 (2000 AD, First Printing, 2010; Softcover)

Collects the Judge Dredd stories from 2000 A.D. Summer Special 1977, 2000 A.D. Annual 1978-1985, 2000 A.D. Sci-Fi Special 1978-1984, Dan Dare Annual 1979, 1980, and Judge Dredd Annual 1981- 1985 (cover dates Summer 1977- Annual 1984)

Writers: John Wagner, Alan Grant, Steve Moore, and Malcom Shaw

Artists: Mike McMahon, Carlos Ezquerra, Brian Bolland, Kevin O'Neill, Brett Ewins, Brendan McCarthy, Steve Dillon, Ian Gibson, David Jackson, Keith Page, Colin Wilson, Cliff Robinson, Robin Smith, Jose Casanovas, and John Byrne

This book collects the material from the ancillary specials that should have been included in the core Complete Case Files line. I am guessing that the reason why they didn't go that route originally is that many of these issues are in color and the first bunch of CCFs are in black and white. Later volumes in CCFs are in full color, but the optimal route would be what they did for the third Rogue Trooper collection: Coated stock paper so that they can print the color stories in color and in their proper place. That ship has sailed, although there is a hardcover of The Complete Case Files Vol. 1 on the horizon. We'll see if that rectifies this error. If it does, that, along with the larger trim size that it will boast, may just suck me in for the double dip. Kill me now.

These stories are all over the place in terms of quality. These are all self-contained short stories for obvious reasons, since they appeared in random special editions to lure new readers into the fold. There are a number of references to then-current events in the core title that would have made these stories more enjoyable if they were presented in their proper context in the Complete Case Files line, especially the one with the sort-of return of Fergie, King Of The Big Smelly.

We get treated to a Brian Bolland drawn story in The Alien Zoo from the 2000 A.D. Annual 1982. I was shocked to see John Byrne handle the artwork in Block Out At The Crater Bowl from 2000 A.D. Sci-Fi Special 1983. I was unaware that he had ever done work for the UK comic industry. It also makes me wish that he would have been able to give this character a shot, because I think that he could have done some cool stuff with him. Oh well, at least we have this one story.

It's interesting to see the airbrushed and water colored art, as some UK comics were printed on slick paper. While it looks primitive by modern computer coloring it was a real step forward. I remember seeing some of the Marvel Magazines from the late '70s and thinking how cool comics on slick paper with an expanded color palette looked.

This was an uneven but entertaining read. Aside from the stories mentioned this is for completists only.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 3 out of 5.

The OCD zone- These books are wider than standard trade paperbacks, although they are still smaller than the original publications.

Five of the covers which Judge Dredd appeared on are presented in coloUr in the back of the book.

Linework and Color restoration: High resolution scans with minimal tinkering. Since many of these are in color you get to see the limitations of the printing processes of the time.

Paper stock: Thick glossy coated stock.

Binding: Sewn binding on a softcover? Yes please.

Cardstock cover notes: Dull matte coating on the cardstock which is easily scuffed, even when handled gingerly.

Review- JUDGE DREDD: THE COMPLETE CASE FILES VOL. 7

JUDGE DREDD: THE COMPLETE CASE FILES VOL. 7 (2000 AD, Fourth UK Printing, 2012; Softcover)

Collects the Judge Dredd stories from 2000 A.D. #322-350, 353-375 (cover dates June 25, 1983- June 30, 1984)

Writers: Alan Grant and John Wagner

Artists: Steve Dillon, Ron Smith, Carlos Ezquerra, Cam Kennedy, Ian Gibson, Kim Raymond, Brett Ewins, and Jim Baikie

My on-again, off-again Judge Dredd marathon continues! Things start out strong with a 7 part epic called Cry Of The Werewolf. I love werewolves. I love Judge Dredd. This is like chocolate and peanut butter combined to make a Reese's Cup. Some of the more typical Dredd elements (i.e. having different types of bullets which can be called out by name via voice recognition) come into play during the course of this book.

As I have stated in reviews of previous volumes, the style and pace of these British comics would go on to be a major influence on American comics. Indeed, it would be difficult to find a mainstream comic published after 2000 that doesn't ape from this style of storytelling. This helps this thirty year old material feel fresh and contemporary.

I have enjoyed what I have read so far. I hope that volumes 8-23, all four Restricted Files, and Daily Dredds hold up...or I will have bought a lot of sucky books! Stay tuned to find out.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 4 out of 5.

The OCD zone- These Rebellion/ 2000 AD books are wider than standard US trades. The artwork is still shrunk down from the original publications to fit.

The stories in #351 and #352 were reprints from earlier issues and thus are not included here.

Linework and Color restoration: Mostly good. Sometimes the backs seem too heavy, resulting in the letters of the word balloons being murky.

Paper stock: Thick uncoated stock.

Binding: Sewn binding.

Cardstock cover notes: Matte coating, easily scuffed. It is nearly impossible to assemble a mint condition collection of these books.