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Judge Dredd Year One #1-3
Judge Dredd: Year One
Mega-City One, 2080. Judge Joe Dredd's first year on the streets as a full-eagle Judge. Bred for justice, trained in law, Dredd's no helpless rookie, but he's not the seasoned veteran we know either. Three tales follow the first adventures of the future city's greatest lawman. With an introduction by the Mighty Tharg!
CITY FATHERS
The brutal murder of a Justice Department-sanctioned spy uncovers something new and dangerous in the sector's murky black market. Unless Dredd can stop it, chaos will be unleashed.
COLD LIGHT OF DAY
A savage killing spree results in the deaths of two highly-regarded Judges, and many consider Dredd to be responsible: a decision he made five years earlier – while he was still a cadet – has come back to haunt him.
WEAR IRON
"Wear iron, that's the rule." Paul Strader is a stick-up man, and a stone cold professional. But when he gets in over his head, he has to risk everything on the word of a corrupt lawman and break every rule he has. Every rule but one..
CITY FATHERS
The brutal murder of a Justice Department-sanctioned spy uncovers something new and dangerous in the sector's murky black market. Unless Dredd can stop it, chaos will be unleashed.
COLD LIGHT OF DAY
A savage killing spree results in the deaths of two highly-regarded Judges, and many consider Dredd to be responsible: a decision he made five years earlier – while he was still a cadet – has come back to haunt him.
WEAR IRON
"Wear iron, that's the rule." Paul Strader is a stick-up man, and a stone cold professional. But when he gets in over his head, he has to risk everything on the word of a corrupt lawman and break every rule he has. Every rule but one..
432 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published October 28, 2014
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February 19, 2021
Three novellas from the early days of Dredd's life as a judge in Megacity One, I really enjoyed them even though I don't really have much of a history with the character beyond the two films (Stallone's- BAD! and Urban's- GREAT!) and certainly no knowledge about his upbringing or early career.
Of the three the first (CITY FATHERS by Matthew Smith) was probably the weakest but it did a good job introducing the reader to the crazy dystopian setting Dredd inhabits.
My personal favourite was the second, THE COLD LIGHT OF DAY by Michael Carroll, which does a masterful job jumping back and forth between a formative incident during Dredd's time as a cadet and a wild literal race against time across the Megacity to catch a murderous perp during a Deathrace 2000 style event.
The third novella, WEAR IRON, was the most unusual as the narrative flipped between a few villainous characters, including Dredd's frighteningly psycopathic genetic twin Rico, planning an implausible superheist with an explosive finale.
TL; DR: I enjoyed even though I've never read a Judge Dredd comic, worth checking out!
Dredd got zero chill, man...
Of the three the first (CITY FATHERS by Matthew Smith) was probably the weakest but it did a good job introducing the reader to the crazy dystopian setting Dredd inhabits.
My personal favourite was the second, THE COLD LIGHT OF DAY by Michael Carroll, which does a masterful job jumping back and forth between a formative incident during Dredd's time as a cadet and a wild literal race against time across the Megacity to catch a murderous perp during a Deathrace 2000 style event.
The third novella, WEAR IRON, was the most unusual as the narrative flipped between a few villainous characters, including Dredd's frighteningly psycopathic genetic twin Rico, planning an implausible superheist with an explosive finale.
TL; DR: I enjoyed even though I've never read a Judge Dredd comic, worth checking out!
Dredd got zero chill, man...
December 2, 2014
I read DC comics as a kid but was never a huge Dredd fan. It was the sort of comic I picked up once in a while, only to see this colossal prick sending some old man to jail for 7 years because he bumps into him on the street. When said old man takes two hours to say goodbye to his family instead of turning himself in immediately he is given an extra 6 months for being late….though Dredd is really ‘a good guy’ because he could have given him another who year. See what I mean. Prick. That being said I thought the recent film had some nice moments and I thought the core of the character was very interesting.
The chance to see Dredd as a young cadet is one of the reasons I picked up this book which leads us to our first story City Fathers by Matt Smith. Dredd is not quite the straight arrow we know as an adult but definitely on the way and not afraid to tell old hands ‘don’t call me kid’ whenever someone references the fact that he is fact a kid. A grisly murder sets him off on his detective work where he alone see under the layers of lies and discovers a new drug hitting the streets that will have killer consequences for those on the streets. It’s a pretty standard plot but done nicely, and the writer does a good job at showing us Dredd in development as he displays some doubt, vulnerability and even indecision at times which allows him to be seen in a more human light.
In Cold Light of Day by Michael Carroll we get Judge Dredd meets Death Race. It’s the Mega City 5000 and a souped up version of the Cannonball Run as racers battle it out to get from one side of the city to the next. Dredd is on crowd control but is suddenly called away to investigate a crime committed by someone he sentenced years before. Dredd finds his investigation leading him on parallels with the racers and he gets sucked into the action whilst trying to find the prep and this is one awesome non stop thrill ride. The race lends the story it’s own pace and the writer does a great job of bringing the two stories together and at no stage does one feel slower or boring when compared to the other. This was my favourite story of the three.
In Wear Iron by Al Ewing we get a more thorough exploration of the man Dredd might have become by having his brother Rico play a more prominent role than in the previous story. When a professional out of town thief is forced to do a job inside Mega City he breaks his own rules and runs afoul of the Dreddster. Rico is a massive tool and basically Dredd with no redeeming features except a sharper wit and a devious sense of humour. It was nice to see them both played along side each other but for me this story did not hit the exciting heights of the first and second story. It is by no means weaker just different.
This is a nice collection and the writers manage to keep a nice stylistic thread running through all the stories. It does not fall into the trap of many omnibuses by trying to cover anything and quite frankly I could see another similar one following him mid career and maybe in retirement. Just a thought.
I reviewed this book for Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
The chance to see Dredd as a young cadet is one of the reasons I picked up this book which leads us to our first story City Fathers by Matt Smith. Dredd is not quite the straight arrow we know as an adult but definitely on the way and not afraid to tell old hands ‘don’t call me kid’ whenever someone references the fact that he is fact a kid. A grisly murder sets him off on his detective work where he alone see under the layers of lies and discovers a new drug hitting the streets that will have killer consequences for those on the streets. It’s a pretty standard plot but done nicely, and the writer does a good job at showing us Dredd in development as he displays some doubt, vulnerability and even indecision at times which allows him to be seen in a more human light.
In Cold Light of Day by Michael Carroll we get Judge Dredd meets Death Race. It’s the Mega City 5000 and a souped up version of the Cannonball Run as racers battle it out to get from one side of the city to the next. Dredd is on crowd control but is suddenly called away to investigate a crime committed by someone he sentenced years before. Dredd finds his investigation leading him on parallels with the racers and he gets sucked into the action whilst trying to find the prep and this is one awesome non stop thrill ride. The race lends the story it’s own pace and the writer does a great job of bringing the two stories together and at no stage does one feel slower or boring when compared to the other. This was my favourite story of the three.
In Wear Iron by Al Ewing we get a more thorough exploration of the man Dredd might have become by having his brother Rico play a more prominent role than in the previous story. When a professional out of town thief is forced to do a job inside Mega City he breaks his own rules and runs afoul of the Dreddster. Rico is a massive tool and basically Dredd with no redeeming features except a sharper wit and a devious sense of humour. It was nice to see them both played along side each other but for me this story did not hit the exciting heights of the first and second story. It is by no means weaker just different.
This is a nice collection and the writers manage to keep a nice stylistic thread running through all the stories. It does not fall into the trap of many omnibuses by trying to cover anything and quite frankly I could see another similar one following him mid career and maybe in retirement. Just a thought.
I reviewed this book for Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
January 27, 2015
Judge Dredd Year One: Omnibus
By: Matthew Smith, Michael Carroll and Al Ewing
Genere(s): Fiction, Sci-Fi, Mystery, Judge Dredd!
Publisher: Abaddon
Disclaimer: I lawfully received a review copy of this book however under Mega-City One judicial code 69.2314 I am under no obligation to write a positive review.
Description: Three celebrated Judge Dredd writers take you back to Dredd’s first year on the streets of Mega- City One as a full-eagle Judge, in three thrilling novellas. Bred to dispense Justice, the young Dredd is not the wizened veteran we know, but a Judge with built-in determination and little experience. In City Fathers, the brutal murder of a Justice Department-sanctioned spy uncovers something new and dangerous in the sector’s murky black market. Unless Dredd can stop it, chaos will be unleashed. In Cold Light of Day, a savage killing spree results in the deaths of two highly regarded Judges, and many consider Dredd to be responsible: a decision he made five years earlier – while he was still a cadet – has come back to haunt him. The third story in the collection will debut in this collection and is guaranteed to thrill.
This Omnibus has convinced me that not only do we need the next Judge Dredd movie made, but that the BBC needs to turn it into a weekly television series. I have ridden the mean streets of Mega City One for decades thanks to my friend Jeff A.D. (of Birth A.D.) and as a long time fan this omnibus was just what the Judges ordered. I recently reviewed one of the Judge Dredd Year One comic series and between the two, I think this book won out. Reading these stories was comfortable. It was much like reading a Star Wars novel for me, I knew most of the characters and had already established how they looked and sounded (YES, Dredd sounds just like Karl Urban!). Mega City One is a character onto itself and the comics give it such life that the descriptions of it were a no-brainer for me as well.
Even with the lack of heavy lifting my imagination needed to do, this book still kept me very interested. Confession time; my wife Laurie Rust C.P.A. (she just got that so I figured I’d add it) is addicted to crime/police procedurals. Because of this I tend to “get” to watch way more of them than any one person should. While reading this book I got more of the procedural feel than the blood and guts feel I get from many of the comics. Each of these stories had action for sure, but they involved lots of Judge Dredd trying to follow clues and figure out to pass judgment on. So often in the past Dredd’s trigger time is at the forefront, this time there was a pleasant balance between the two. This lead me to believe that Judge Dredd should have a weekly television show, just like most of the popular crime shows out there today.
Enough about television let’ s talk about this omnibus. This book contains three stories about a young Judge Dredd, one of the stories is actually a prequel to this prequel. Each of these three stories is piloted by authors who are not strangers to Judge Dredd. Each story shows just how much love there is out there for the stoic dealer of justice, no matter what the cost. The first story, City Fathers, starts out with a grizzly murder. Dredd is called in to investigate the murder and is forced to go down some rabbit holes he’d rather not. While there was action involved with this story the main focus was on the investigation needed to solve this case. It was good to be able to get inside of Dredd's head. Sure you get that in the comics and graphic novels, but that inner monologue really shines in the written form. Dredd was bred to be the embodiment of law and it was no easy feat for the authors of any of these stories to convey what that thought process must be like. A simple as he may seem on the outside Dredd is and always has been a very complex character. This story follows a predictable formula of most crime novels, but when a story like this is set in Mega City One, things always get interesting and they did. One thing I did find interesting were the amount of resources that Mega City One was willing to put at a rookie Judge’s disposal. I get that Dredd is not your normal or average rookie street Judge, but some of the lengths that he goes to enforce the law would make a current day city budget planners head explode, but isn’t that what Judge Dredd is all about?
The Cold Light of Day, the second story in this omnibus has elements of being a prequel to this prequel. The major suspect in this story is a suspect that Dredd dealt with on a mission as a cadet. As more information comes to light it turns out that many fellow judges blame Dredd for not enacting a more harsh and permanent judgment on the main suspect. This story has several flashback sections that are telling and interesting. Like City Fathers I had no problems visualizing the unfolding action and intrigue. This story was another example of the huge amount of support that the Mega City Leadership was willing to give Dredd to support him on his quest for justice, they went so far as to threaten any judges who they thought were not giving Dredd the support he needed. The fact that Judge Rodriguez specifically brought him in on the investigation was telling as well. Yes he had history with this perp, but to bring a judge who had been on the streets for such a short time combined with the fact that many more experienced judges felt as though Dredd had misjudged the suspect in the first place, shows just how much faith she had in him and to an extent I think she wanted to give him a chance at redemption.
The final story is set up in the description as a surprise and in a world full of spoilers I don’t want to be the one who adds to the epidemic. Other than Wear Iron being a well written, action packed, high speed story all that I will say is that it involves one of the greatest and most important sporting events in Mega City One.
Each of the three stories in this Omnibus is really good, each of them would make great graphic novels, but when combined they create this Dredd synergy that is hard to beat. Each story gives us an intimate peek into vignettes that helped create and shape Dredd into the battle scarred dealer of justice that we know and love. Speaking of love I really feel like each author loves Judge Dredd. It wasn’t a mushy gushing love, but their feelings showed in the small details that they included and the spot on dialogue. For Dredd fans this is a no brainer, for those who barely know Dredd, this is a great way to get to know him. If you are a fan of good police type mysteries, check these stories out, they will surprise you. The bottom line is…. Buy this book Citizen!
Note this review was first posted at www.popcults.com
By: Matthew Smith, Michael Carroll and Al Ewing
Genere(s): Fiction, Sci-Fi, Mystery, Judge Dredd!
Publisher: Abaddon
Disclaimer: I lawfully received a review copy of this book however under Mega-City One judicial code 69.2314 I am under no obligation to write a positive review.
Description: Three celebrated Judge Dredd writers take you back to Dredd’s first year on the streets of Mega- City One as a full-eagle Judge, in three thrilling novellas. Bred to dispense Justice, the young Dredd is not the wizened veteran we know, but a Judge with built-in determination and little experience. In City Fathers, the brutal murder of a Justice Department-sanctioned spy uncovers something new and dangerous in the sector’s murky black market. Unless Dredd can stop it, chaos will be unleashed. In Cold Light of Day, a savage killing spree results in the deaths of two highly regarded Judges, and many consider Dredd to be responsible: a decision he made five years earlier – while he was still a cadet – has come back to haunt him. The third story in the collection will debut in this collection and is guaranteed to thrill.
This Omnibus has convinced me that not only do we need the next Judge Dredd movie made, but that the BBC needs to turn it into a weekly television series. I have ridden the mean streets of Mega City One for decades thanks to my friend Jeff A.D. (of Birth A.D.) and as a long time fan this omnibus was just what the Judges ordered. I recently reviewed one of the Judge Dredd Year One comic series and between the two, I think this book won out. Reading these stories was comfortable. It was much like reading a Star Wars novel for me, I knew most of the characters and had already established how they looked and sounded (YES, Dredd sounds just like Karl Urban!). Mega City One is a character onto itself and the comics give it such life that the descriptions of it were a no-brainer for me as well.
Even with the lack of heavy lifting my imagination needed to do, this book still kept me very interested. Confession time; my wife Laurie Rust C.P.A. (she just got that so I figured I’d add it) is addicted to crime/police procedurals. Because of this I tend to “get” to watch way more of them than any one person should. While reading this book I got more of the procedural feel than the blood and guts feel I get from many of the comics. Each of these stories had action for sure, but they involved lots of Judge Dredd trying to follow clues and figure out to pass judgment on. So often in the past Dredd’s trigger time is at the forefront, this time there was a pleasant balance between the two. This lead me to believe that Judge Dredd should have a weekly television show, just like most of the popular crime shows out there today.
Enough about television let’ s talk about this omnibus. This book contains three stories about a young Judge Dredd, one of the stories is actually a prequel to this prequel. Each of these three stories is piloted by authors who are not strangers to Judge Dredd. Each story shows just how much love there is out there for the stoic dealer of justice, no matter what the cost. The first story, City Fathers, starts out with a grizzly murder. Dredd is called in to investigate the murder and is forced to go down some rabbit holes he’d rather not. While there was action involved with this story the main focus was on the investigation needed to solve this case. It was good to be able to get inside of Dredd's head. Sure you get that in the comics and graphic novels, but that inner monologue really shines in the written form. Dredd was bred to be the embodiment of law and it was no easy feat for the authors of any of these stories to convey what that thought process must be like. A simple as he may seem on the outside Dredd is and always has been a very complex character. This story follows a predictable formula of most crime novels, but when a story like this is set in Mega City One, things always get interesting and they did. One thing I did find interesting were the amount of resources that Mega City One was willing to put at a rookie Judge’s disposal. I get that Dredd is not your normal or average rookie street Judge, but some of the lengths that he goes to enforce the law would make a current day city budget planners head explode, but isn’t that what Judge Dredd is all about?
The Cold Light of Day, the second story in this omnibus has elements of being a prequel to this prequel. The major suspect in this story is a suspect that Dredd dealt with on a mission as a cadet. As more information comes to light it turns out that many fellow judges blame Dredd for not enacting a more harsh and permanent judgment on the main suspect. This story has several flashback sections that are telling and interesting. Like City Fathers I had no problems visualizing the unfolding action and intrigue. This story was another example of the huge amount of support that the Mega City Leadership was willing to give Dredd to support him on his quest for justice, they went so far as to threaten any judges who they thought were not giving Dredd the support he needed. The fact that Judge Rodriguez specifically brought him in on the investigation was telling as well. Yes he had history with this perp, but to bring a judge who had been on the streets for such a short time combined with the fact that many more experienced judges felt as though Dredd had misjudged the suspect in the first place, shows just how much faith she had in him and to an extent I think she wanted to give him a chance at redemption.
The final story is set up in the description as a surprise and in a world full of spoilers I don’t want to be the one who adds to the epidemic. Other than Wear Iron being a well written, action packed, high speed story all that I will say is that it involves one of the greatest and most important sporting events in Mega City One.
Each of the three stories in this Omnibus is really good, each of them would make great graphic novels, but when combined they create this Dredd synergy that is hard to beat. Each story gives us an intimate peek into vignettes that helped create and shape Dredd into the battle scarred dealer of justice that we know and love. Speaking of love I really feel like each author loves Judge Dredd. It wasn’t a mushy gushing love, but their feelings showed in the small details that they included and the spot on dialogue. For Dredd fans this is a no brainer, for those who barely know Dredd, this is a great way to get to know him. If you are a fan of good police type mysteries, check these stories out, they will surprise you. The bottom line is…. Buy this book Citizen!
Note this review was first posted at www.popcults.com
May 10, 2025
Having never read a Judge Dredd comic, only having a vague memory of the 'Dredd' (2012) movie, and never even watching one lore video before, I decided to pick up this book and give it a shot.
I'll go story by story, SPOILERS, SPOILERS:
CITY FATHERS:
Basically a 'peeper' (handicam voyeur pervert turned shut-in turned government informant) is murdered seeming by some local teen gang, Judge Dredd comes to investigate, he sends the Judge Tech's to see what data they can recover from his thermal xray telescope camera the peeper used to overwatch the block for the government, they find the coordinates of the last location it was looking at and Dredd goes to see what's up over there, he finds an empty apartment but he knows the guys name now, a convicted drug dealer but hasn't been caught in awhile doing anything, his only known hangout is a bar so he visits the bar.
The bar security tries to bribe Dredd (and he has an illegal firearm) so he gets arrested, he threatens the bar owner with a tax audit if he doesn't get any info, but the guy says go ahead man I don't know where that drug dealer is.
The story evolves as we watch various people around town take some sort of drug and flip out and have psychotic visions as they die, Dredd thinks it could be an out of town spacer gang making the drug, it seems like it's a new hot drug hitting the scene and it's a slow roll out testing the waters.
Dredd eventually tracks down the missing drug dealer to a packed bar (everyone is there to see what the new drug is like), Dredd figures out that basically anyone who takes the drug will go crazy and kill people and eventually kill themselves (psycho drug). The dealer is in a back room but escapes before Dredd can catch him, que a chase scene where it ends with the dealer taking the drug and Dredd having to tie him to a light pole.
Dredd thinks the case is solved now but gets a call from 'Control' (Judge HQ) saying nice job and they'll have to let the dead 'peepers' former managing agent know what happened to him (or something like that, I am a bit hazy on this part), anyway Dredd figures out that the managing agent got moved to a seaport customs position because of too many violent reports on drug dealers.
Dredd pieces it together, this is suspicious, a drug that seemingly targets drug dealers and drug users, the only one who knew where and what the dead 'peeper' did, this guy could be corrupt or something. He calls in 'SJS' (Secret Judge Service or something, basically internal investigators/secret police) and tells them to go get that guy.
Blah blah blah, it was a whole plot between 5 guys who wanted to get revenge on criminals and drug dealers and wanted real JUSTICE, so they got this boboa root drug and set-up this entire plan, anyways que race around the city to try and round them up, but 3 of the guys are already dead because they probably were gonna snitch cause it was getting too messy, then they find the last two at the airport trying to escape but they actually trap Dredd and then one of them has a gun to his dead but gets too close and too emotional and Dredd just grabs the gun, bam both are dead.
Overall, not bad, I sort of saw the corrupt police angle coming but it was not bad, good intro to the world and character, I like the hoverboard tech and stuff.
COLD LIGHT OF DAY
This one kinda sucks, Dredd seems like such a lawdick riding idiot in this for some reason, my enjoyment of these stories is pretty linked to the overall writers depiction of Dredd I feel. (Every story is a different writer). Anyways there's a Mega City One motorbike race 5000 scheduled in town, I am just gonna explain this whole side story now so I don't have to intermingle it.
The bike race is fine, it's mostly a tool to say that Dredd doesn't have much backup because everyone is paying attention to the race or helping keep the peace, and I sorta enjoy the cutaway to the racer POV, mostly between two people, the mutie (mutant) and spacer (just people who worked on asteroids and other planets) gang leaders (mutie Neopolitan and Spacer Shock). They have some long standing rivalry of who wins, Neopolitan always wins. I'll go ahead and say that the race eventually get's canceled but the racers keep going because they think the other gang has been killing some of their guys in the race so the two leaders go off track and head for the finish line.
Anyways, the rest of the story is told between flashbacks to Cadet Judge Dredd and present day Judge Dredd, I'll now tell the Cadet Judge Dredd story.
Cadet Judge Dredd and Rico (his clone brother who is actually an evil criminal but never gets caught) are on a training mission in the 'cursed earth' (radiation scarred America) with a teacher Judge and another cadet. They go to some town to catch some gun runners, the teacher gets captured, they have to shoot all the baddies, turns out the gun runners were just waiting and watching the town 'scavengers' (people who go excavate and loot old America) and then whenever they found guns would rob them, so when Dredd shoots everyone up the gun runners had some kidnapped scavengers, one of the kidnapped scavengers grabs a gun and shoots a gun runner that was gonna shoot Dredd, but Dredd arrests the scavenger for murder because he didn't need to help or some shit (the guys name is Percival or something).
Anyways AGAIN, the present day story is that Percival is killing people around town and even two Judges so far and all the other Judges think that it's Dredd's fault because he made a wrong decision to charge that guy, blah blah blah multiple killings later we find out that Percival was actually involved with the gun runners and had got double crossed (that's why he was kidnapped and also why he knows how to get all these cool explosives and sniper rifles he's been using to kill everyone), he's actually targeting his former gang who turned on him but weren't caught at the time.
Eventually Dredd just chases him down and kills him, oh and Neopolitan crosses the finish line first but Dredd or Percival shot him in the head so he was probably dead while he crossed it, Shock crosses the finish line and is like "HHAHA I WON", and Judge says "Yeah you won 25 years in Iso-Cube prison" and Shock says "You can't catch me, I just won the Mega City One 5000 and I'm the fastest biker in the world!" and Dredd just shoots the wheels of his bike and says "Okay idiot."
FIN.
WEAR IRON
This one is much better, it's told through the perspectives of the criminals and some of Rico Dredd (the evil brother). First scene is a jewelry robbery going wrong (idiot brings like a scattergun, a gun that jams frequently but is associated with crazy gangs, imagine like a mini AK) and accidently uses it in the heist. The main character of the story is Straiter, he's a somewhat pro that shouldn't have taken a job with these two other idiots who ruined the heist, one of the robbers get's shot, the other one is arrested by Judge Dredd and Straiter just exits through the back, activates his camera blocker, sheds his coat and mustache, makes a fake escape path and ditches his shoes etc. He then escapes as washes his hair.
Straiter is chilling at the bar like "damn that was horrible but I still need money", and some guy Mooney comes up (washed up alcoholic) telling him about a big score he has lined up, he eventually convinces Straiter to join it.
They are going to rob the cash proceeds of a massive eating event, 2 tons of food, 10 fatties, 10 rounds. They are going to have the fatties eat the food, throw it up, then go for 9 more rounds, I think it's even the same vomit food?
Anyways Rico Dredd is actually the one setting this heist up so he can afford a penthouse apartment. Straiter meets Rico and thinks "DAMN THIS IS THE GUY FROM THE JEWELRY ROBBERY" but doesn't say anything to him and is freaked out he doesn't recognize him.
The plan is simple, one guy in the cash counting room capturing the cash counters, one psychotic person they bought from a hospital is filled with liquid explosives that Rico Dredd will allow into the event (Rico is working the event entrance and will hide the explosive scanner results), 2 fake paramedics to hoist a fake latex body bag of a fattie (they are gonna stuff the body suit full of the cash) and Mooney to coordinate it all.
Eventually we find out Mooney also got filled with liquid explosives, Rico had swapped his alcohol for it, the psycho and Mooney exploded. The cash counter vault guy has to kill the two captured people (btw this is Straiter) and the one fake paramedic (complete heist newbie named Ramirez) shows up and they start loading the fake fattie body bag, Ramirez the newbie is like freaking out and also wants to stuff it with the coins (worthless basically and too heavy), Straiter is like "are you an actual idiot?" but can't stop him, now the body bag is brimming and about to tear, they barely put it on the hover stretcher and exist the building, they see the driver paramedic and ambulance is on fire and Judge Dredd is standing there staring at them, Ramirez shouts "ITS A DOUBLE CROSS" and reaches for his gun to shoot Joe Dredd (That's the good clone who I've been just calling Judge Dredd) and Dredd kills him.
Straiter pieces it together slowly that there is two of them and is about to tell Joe Dredd that his brother set this whole thing up but Rico Dredd shots the guy in the head and is like "Hahaha lil bro I saved your ass", and shows him that the guy was carrying a quick release holster on his chest and then Rico says "Always carry iron, that's what these guys are like." and it's supposed to be funny/cool because Straiter was always saying that to himself in his head.
FIN.
Overall first and third story were good, I then also rewatched Dredd 2012 and it was not bad either.
Will I read more Judge Dredd? Maybe eventually, I like detective noir type books I guess, and I like the dystopian Sprawl esque twist of the series but Dredd can be a bit of a hardline asshole
I'll go story by story, SPOILERS, SPOILERS:
CITY FATHERS:
Basically a 'peeper' (handicam voyeur pervert turned shut-in turned government informant) is murdered seeming by some local teen gang, Judge Dredd comes to investigate, he sends the Judge Tech's to see what data they can recover from his thermal xray telescope camera the peeper used to overwatch the block for the government, they find the coordinates of the last location it was looking at and Dredd goes to see what's up over there, he finds an empty apartment but he knows the guys name now, a convicted drug dealer but hasn't been caught in awhile doing anything, his only known hangout is a bar so he visits the bar.
The bar security tries to bribe Dredd (and he has an illegal firearm) so he gets arrested, he threatens the bar owner with a tax audit if he doesn't get any info, but the guy says go ahead man I don't know where that drug dealer is.
The story evolves as we watch various people around town take some sort of drug and flip out and have psychotic visions as they die, Dredd thinks it could be an out of town spacer gang making the drug, it seems like it's a new hot drug hitting the scene and it's a slow roll out testing the waters.
Dredd eventually tracks down the missing drug dealer to a packed bar (everyone is there to see what the new drug is like), Dredd figures out that basically anyone who takes the drug will go crazy and kill people and eventually kill themselves (psycho drug). The dealer is in a back room but escapes before Dredd can catch him, que a chase scene where it ends with the dealer taking the drug and Dredd having to tie him to a light pole.
Dredd thinks the case is solved now but gets a call from 'Control' (Judge HQ) saying nice job and they'll have to let the dead 'peepers' former managing agent know what happened to him (or something like that, I am a bit hazy on this part), anyway Dredd figures out that the managing agent got moved to a seaport customs position because of too many violent reports on drug dealers.
Dredd pieces it together, this is suspicious, a drug that seemingly targets drug dealers and drug users, the only one who knew where and what the dead 'peeper' did, this guy could be corrupt or something. He calls in 'SJS' (Secret Judge Service or something, basically internal investigators/secret police) and tells them to go get that guy.
Blah blah blah, it was a whole plot between 5 guys who wanted to get revenge on criminals and drug dealers and wanted real JUSTICE, so they got this boboa root drug and set-up this entire plan, anyways que race around the city to try and round them up, but 3 of the guys are already dead because they probably were gonna snitch cause it was getting too messy, then they find the last two at the airport trying to escape but they actually trap Dredd and then one of them has a gun to his dead but gets too close and too emotional and Dredd just grabs the gun, bam both are dead.
Overall, not bad, I sort of saw the corrupt police angle coming but it was not bad, good intro to the world and character, I like the hoverboard tech and stuff.
COLD LIGHT OF DAY
This one kinda sucks, Dredd seems like such a lawdick riding idiot in this for some reason, my enjoyment of these stories is pretty linked to the overall writers depiction of Dredd I feel. (Every story is a different writer). Anyways there's a Mega City One motorbike race 5000 scheduled in town, I am just gonna explain this whole side story now so I don't have to intermingle it.
The bike race is fine, it's mostly a tool to say that Dredd doesn't have much backup because everyone is paying attention to the race or helping keep the peace, and I sorta enjoy the cutaway to the racer POV, mostly between two people, the mutie (mutant) and spacer (just people who worked on asteroids and other planets) gang leaders (mutie Neopolitan and Spacer Shock). They have some long standing rivalry of who wins, Neopolitan always wins. I'll go ahead and say that the race eventually get's canceled but the racers keep going because they think the other gang has been killing some of their guys in the race so the two leaders go off track and head for the finish line.
Anyways, the rest of the story is told between flashbacks to Cadet Judge Dredd and present day Judge Dredd, I'll now tell the Cadet Judge Dredd story.
Cadet Judge Dredd and Rico (his clone brother who is actually an evil criminal but never gets caught) are on a training mission in the 'cursed earth' (radiation scarred America) with a teacher Judge and another cadet. They go to some town to catch some gun runners, the teacher gets captured, they have to shoot all the baddies, turns out the gun runners were just waiting and watching the town 'scavengers' (people who go excavate and loot old America) and then whenever they found guns would rob them, so when Dredd shoots everyone up the gun runners had some kidnapped scavengers, one of the kidnapped scavengers grabs a gun and shoots a gun runner that was gonna shoot Dredd, but Dredd arrests the scavenger for murder because he didn't need to help or some shit (the guys name is Percival or something).
Anyways AGAIN, the present day story is that Percival is killing people around town and even two Judges so far and all the other Judges think that it's Dredd's fault because he made a wrong decision to charge that guy, blah blah blah multiple killings later we find out that Percival was actually involved with the gun runners and had got double crossed (that's why he was kidnapped and also why he knows how to get all these cool explosives and sniper rifles he's been using to kill everyone), he's actually targeting his former gang who turned on him but weren't caught at the time.
Eventually Dredd just chases him down and kills him, oh and Neopolitan crosses the finish line first but Dredd or Percival shot him in the head so he was probably dead while he crossed it, Shock crosses the finish line and is like "HHAHA I WON", and Judge says "Yeah you won 25 years in Iso-Cube prison" and Shock says "You can't catch me, I just won the Mega City One 5000 and I'm the fastest biker in the world!" and Dredd just shoots the wheels of his bike and says "Okay idiot."
FIN.
WEAR IRON
This one is much better, it's told through the perspectives of the criminals and some of Rico Dredd (the evil brother). First scene is a jewelry robbery going wrong (idiot brings like a scattergun, a gun that jams frequently but is associated with crazy gangs, imagine like a mini AK) and accidently uses it in the heist. The main character of the story is Straiter, he's a somewhat pro that shouldn't have taken a job with these two other idiots who ruined the heist, one of the robbers get's shot, the other one is arrested by Judge Dredd and Straiter just exits through the back, activates his camera blocker, sheds his coat and mustache, makes a fake escape path and ditches his shoes etc. He then escapes as washes his hair.
Straiter is chilling at the bar like "damn that was horrible but I still need money", and some guy Mooney comes up (washed up alcoholic) telling him about a big score he has lined up, he eventually convinces Straiter to join it.
They are going to rob the cash proceeds of a massive eating event, 2 tons of food, 10 fatties, 10 rounds. They are going to have the fatties eat the food, throw it up, then go for 9 more rounds, I think it's even the same vomit food?
Anyways Rico Dredd is actually the one setting this heist up so he can afford a penthouse apartment. Straiter meets Rico and thinks "DAMN THIS IS THE GUY FROM THE JEWELRY ROBBERY" but doesn't say anything to him and is freaked out he doesn't recognize him.
The plan is simple, one guy in the cash counting room capturing the cash counters, one psychotic person they bought from a hospital is filled with liquid explosives that Rico Dredd will allow into the event (Rico is working the event entrance and will hide the explosive scanner results), 2 fake paramedics to hoist a fake latex body bag of a fattie (they are gonna stuff the body suit full of the cash) and Mooney to coordinate it all.
Eventually we find out Mooney also got filled with liquid explosives, Rico had swapped his alcohol for it, the psycho and Mooney exploded. The cash counter vault guy has to kill the two captured people (btw this is Straiter) and the one fake paramedic (complete heist newbie named Ramirez) shows up and they start loading the fake fattie body bag, Ramirez the newbie is like freaking out and also wants to stuff it with the coins (worthless basically and too heavy), Straiter is like "are you an actual idiot?" but can't stop him, now the body bag is brimming and about to tear, they barely put it on the hover stretcher and exist the building, they see the driver paramedic and ambulance is on fire and Judge Dredd is standing there staring at them, Ramirez shouts "ITS A DOUBLE CROSS" and reaches for his gun to shoot Joe Dredd (That's the good clone who I've been just calling Judge Dredd) and Dredd kills him.
Straiter pieces it together slowly that there is two of them and is about to tell Joe Dredd that his brother set this whole thing up but Rico Dredd shots the guy in the head and is like "Hahaha lil bro I saved your ass", and shows him that the guy was carrying a quick release holster on his chest and then Rico says "Always carry iron, that's what these guys are like." and it's supposed to be funny/cool because Straiter was always saying that to himself in his head.
FIN.
Overall first and third story were good, I then also rewatched Dredd 2012 and it was not bad either.
Will I read more Judge Dredd? Maybe eventually, I like detective noir type books I guess, and I like the dystopian Sprawl esque twist of the series but Dredd can be a bit of a hardline asshole
August 12, 2022
This collection of three novellas set in Mega City One was much more fun than I was expecting. ‘City Fathers’ is possibly the weakest of the three and is a simple police procedural, however ‘Cold Light of Day’ was an interesting look at Dredd grappling with the rights and wrongs of a decision he made a few years before. Finally, in ‘Wear Iron’ we have a story focussing more on Rico Dredd and expanding further on his relationship with ‘Little Joe’.
I’d wholeheartedly recommend this for any fan of Judge Dredd. Equally, you could easily jump in and enjoy this if you knew nothing about Dredd or Mega City One but enjoy well written sci-fi.
I’d wholeheartedly recommend this for any fan of Judge Dredd. Equally, you could easily jump in and enjoy this if you knew nothing about Dredd or Mega City One but enjoy well written sci-fi.
November 10, 2020
I am the law !
Absolutely love reading Judge Dredd stories. Call it my guilty pleasure, I've been a repeat offender going back to my early years in high school. Great job as always to Al Ewing, Michael Carroll, and Matt Smith. So it's only fitting to complete my sentence by reading " year two" of the series. Off to the cubes I go!
Absolutely love reading Judge Dredd stories. Call it my guilty pleasure, I've been a repeat offender going back to my early years in high school. Great job as always to Al Ewing, Michael Carroll, and Matt Smith. So it's only fitting to complete my sentence by reading " year two" of the series. Off to the cubes I go!
March 4, 2018
It's only worth four stars if you love Judge Dredd. Otherwise, it's a perfectly competent series of vignettes about life in the Mega City.
July 21, 2025
This was really good, my first time reading Judge Dredd in prose fiction form. This book is actually an omnibus of three novellas that all focus on the first year of Dredd's tenure as a Judge, when he is young and his twin brother, Rico Dredd, has yet to fall from glory. All three novellas were written in the early 2010s, and so they could draw from a great well of established lore (they didn't really do so). The first novel, City Fathers, was something of a mystery tale, noirish, with a lot of detective work. The second novella, Cold Light of Day, was my favorite, and is more action-oriented and artfully interpenetrated with several flashbacks to when Dredd was a student at the Judge Academy. The third novella, Wear Iron, focuses on a heist and actually only features Judge Dredd at the end. Overall, I loved all of these, with Cold Light of Day winning out over the other two just barely. The Meg was a great setting. The grim dystopian tone with satirical hyperbole was there in all three novellas. The characters were vivid. My only complaint is kind of pretentious: the writing was sparse on worldbuilding/lore, i.e. nods to the previous Dredd storylines and concepts. There were some Easter eggs, but, for the most part, one didn't need to have read a lot of Dredd to enjoy this. Maybe you might benefit from seeing one of the movies, or having read a few progs, but it didn't really pay a diehard fan back. I guess that's o.k. and strategic, and maybe a bonus for some.
December 27, 2014
From the Internet Book Review
http://www.internetbookreview.com/201...
I don’t normally read anthologies, or review them in fact; more than one story in a book seems like too much work for me. However, I will stretch that rule if the subject is one that I’m really interested in and it makes sense to create an anthology, or omnibus as is the case here.
Out of all of my favourite dystopian science fiction story lines, Judge Dredd has always been the one that has grabbed my interest the most. The raw reality of what could well become our future always seems so compelling, if I have a choice when picking up a graphic novel, I normally start with Judge Dredd…
So to Judge Dredd Year One, the omnibus; we have three stories that explore Judge Dredd in his first year on the job as a fully-fledged street Judge, for those counting that’s the year 2080 in Dredd’s world. This is a setting that really sparked my interest as we normally see Dredd in his prime as the hero, one of the greatest judges to walk the streets, not the fresh out of the academy rookie.
CITY FATHERS by Matt Smith
Dredd comes across a murder, not just any typical Mega-City One murder, but a particularly gruesome murder of a serial voyeur, who is working for the city after one too many peeping tom arrests. With local gang markings at the scene it would be easy enough to chalk this one up to a turf war, but for Dredd taking the easy way out is not an option, even now in his first year on the job.
Dredd methodically, and quite often violently, works his way through the underworld of Mega-City One to discover that a new and devastating drug is about to hit the city, one that will topple the city from its knife edge hold on control into chaos.
Matt Smith portrays the seedy underbelly of Mega City One with a gritty realism which is just exactly how Dredd’s world should be portrayed. Dredd himself shows some unfamiliar vulnerability, lack of confidence and even doubt about his next action. This really showed Dredd in a new light, not the completely sure of himself legend that Dredd fans will already know. Adding just a little bit of doubt gives Dredd some real extra depth.
COLD LIGHT OF DAY by Michael Carroll
It’s the day of the annual Mega-City 5000 race, a race that winds from one side of the huge metropolis to the other. It’s one of the only events that makes the normally apathetic citizens stop to watch, if only on the off chance of seeing a spectacular and quite often fatal crash. It’s also the busiest day of the year for the Judges.
Dredd, still new on the streets, is called away from patrolling the huge crowds to a violent massacre that has killed two of his fellow judges. He’s been called to the crime because the perpetrator is someone Dredd sentenced 5 years earlier as a trainee, and he’s being blamed by his fellow judges for the death of the two judges.
In Cold Light of Day we split into two story lines; one taking place on the day of the race, and the other delving into a Hotdog run Dredd and his clone brother Rico took, five years earlier, as Cadets into the Cursed Earth beyond the city.
Once this story is off and racing (pun intended) it defies you to put it down before you’ve finished it. The pace is exhilarating as Dredd gets involved in the Mega City 5000 race in more ways than one. The story of Dredd and Rico dealing with gun runners in the Cursed Earth and the ramifications of that expedition on the race makes this the pick of three stories in the book.
WEAR IRON by Al Ewing
Paul Strader considered himself to be a professional, not just a common thief like most of the others on the city streets; a professional who doesn’t get caught and works by a set of unbreakable rules.
Except that his last job in Texas City was a bust and he owes a lot of money to the wrong people. So he ends up in Mega-City One working with a crew who breaks every rule he has, putting him squarely in the sights of Judge Dredd.
It’s a race against time to pull off one of the largest heists in MC1 history, all the while keeping one step ahead of Dredd who wants to uphold the law, and Dredd’s brother Rico who just wants the money. Paul has to play both sides, one mistake and he’s looking at a standard execution bullet from either of the Dredd brothers.
Wear Iron explores the two different paths Joe and Rico Dredd have taken since leaving the academy twelve months prior at the top of the class. We see the self-doubt over the genetic make-up of both men, how it’s possible that literally the same person can be so different; we also have the thrill of a good heist story too.
Judge Dredd Year One, the omnibus, is a great idea, really well done. I’m a long-time Judge Dredd fan and placing these three stories in his first year on the streets as a rookie really takes Dredd into a different place. Not only is he shown being doubted by his fellow judges, but he also shows his own self-doubts, even a lack of confidence.
The three stories work very well together and paint a really vivid depiction of life in Mega City One, we don’t just focus on Dredd but also those whom he deals with. In the end we really get to know Dredd better and the world he inhabits much better.
So, if your first exposure to Dredd was the excellent 2012 film Dredd with Karl Urban, and you want to read more, you can’t go wrong starting there… just don’t mention the 1995 Stallone version… don’t ever mention that film.
Internet Book Review Rating: ★★★★
Recommendation: An absolute must for Judge Dredd fans, but also a pretty good read for sci-fi fans in general. If you’ve never read Dredd before, this is a great place to start.
www.internetbookreview.com.au
http://www.internetbookreview.com/201...
I don’t normally read anthologies, or review them in fact; more than one story in a book seems like too much work for me. However, I will stretch that rule if the subject is one that I’m really interested in and it makes sense to create an anthology, or omnibus as is the case here.
Out of all of my favourite dystopian science fiction story lines, Judge Dredd has always been the one that has grabbed my interest the most. The raw reality of what could well become our future always seems so compelling, if I have a choice when picking up a graphic novel, I normally start with Judge Dredd…
So to Judge Dredd Year One, the omnibus; we have three stories that explore Judge Dredd in his first year on the job as a fully-fledged street Judge, for those counting that’s the year 2080 in Dredd’s world. This is a setting that really sparked my interest as we normally see Dredd in his prime as the hero, one of the greatest judges to walk the streets, not the fresh out of the academy rookie.
CITY FATHERS by Matt Smith
Dredd comes across a murder, not just any typical Mega-City One murder, but a particularly gruesome murder of a serial voyeur, who is working for the city after one too many peeping tom arrests. With local gang markings at the scene it would be easy enough to chalk this one up to a turf war, but for Dredd taking the easy way out is not an option, even now in his first year on the job.
Dredd methodically, and quite often violently, works his way through the underworld of Mega-City One to discover that a new and devastating drug is about to hit the city, one that will topple the city from its knife edge hold on control into chaos.
Matt Smith portrays the seedy underbelly of Mega City One with a gritty realism which is just exactly how Dredd’s world should be portrayed. Dredd himself shows some unfamiliar vulnerability, lack of confidence and even doubt about his next action. This really showed Dredd in a new light, not the completely sure of himself legend that Dredd fans will already know. Adding just a little bit of doubt gives Dredd some real extra depth.
COLD LIGHT OF DAY by Michael Carroll
It’s the day of the annual Mega-City 5000 race, a race that winds from one side of the huge metropolis to the other. It’s one of the only events that makes the normally apathetic citizens stop to watch, if only on the off chance of seeing a spectacular and quite often fatal crash. It’s also the busiest day of the year for the Judges.
Dredd, still new on the streets, is called away from patrolling the huge crowds to a violent massacre that has killed two of his fellow judges. He’s been called to the crime because the perpetrator is someone Dredd sentenced 5 years earlier as a trainee, and he’s being blamed by his fellow judges for the death of the two judges.
In Cold Light of Day we split into two story lines; one taking place on the day of the race, and the other delving into a Hotdog run Dredd and his clone brother Rico took, five years earlier, as Cadets into the Cursed Earth beyond the city.
Once this story is off and racing (pun intended) it defies you to put it down before you’ve finished it. The pace is exhilarating as Dredd gets involved in the Mega City 5000 race in more ways than one. The story of Dredd and Rico dealing with gun runners in the Cursed Earth and the ramifications of that expedition on the race makes this the pick of three stories in the book.
WEAR IRON by Al Ewing
Paul Strader considered himself to be a professional, not just a common thief like most of the others on the city streets; a professional who doesn’t get caught and works by a set of unbreakable rules.
Except that his last job in Texas City was a bust and he owes a lot of money to the wrong people. So he ends up in Mega-City One working with a crew who breaks every rule he has, putting him squarely in the sights of Judge Dredd.
It’s a race against time to pull off one of the largest heists in MC1 history, all the while keeping one step ahead of Dredd who wants to uphold the law, and Dredd’s brother Rico who just wants the money. Paul has to play both sides, one mistake and he’s looking at a standard execution bullet from either of the Dredd brothers.
Wear Iron explores the two different paths Joe and Rico Dredd have taken since leaving the academy twelve months prior at the top of the class. We see the self-doubt over the genetic make-up of both men, how it’s possible that literally the same person can be so different; we also have the thrill of a good heist story too.
Judge Dredd Year One, the omnibus, is a great idea, really well done. I’m a long-time Judge Dredd fan and placing these three stories in his first year on the streets as a rookie really takes Dredd into a different place. Not only is he shown being doubted by his fellow judges, but he also shows his own self-doubts, even a lack of confidence.
The three stories work very well together and paint a really vivid depiction of life in Mega City One, we don’t just focus on Dredd but also those whom he deals with. In the end we really get to know Dredd better and the world he inhabits much better.
So, if your first exposure to Dredd was the excellent 2012 film Dredd with Karl Urban, and you want to read more, you can’t go wrong starting there… just don’t mention the 1995 Stallone version… don’t ever mention that film.
Internet Book Review Rating: ★★★★
Recommendation: An absolute must for Judge Dredd fans, but also a pretty good read for sci-fi fans in general. If you’ve never read Dredd before, this is a great place to start.
www.internetbookreview.com.au
February 6, 2021
Just OK
The stories are mildly interesting although none feel very original. The overriding impression is that the stories read like fan fiction. Nothing of course wrong with fan fiction but it wasn’t what I expected.
The stories are mildly interesting although none feel very original. The overriding impression is that the stories read like fan fiction. Nothing of course wrong with fan fiction but it wasn’t what I expected.
August 8, 2018
Good old Judge Dredd. Definately my favorite character (right next to Conan). I love everything about Judge Dredd: comics, novel and movies. I did go see the very first (midnight) showing of the Stalone Dredd movie back then and I totally loved it - I still love it today. I was late coming to the different Dredd e-books because I had many paperpack still to read, but I finally did read the Year One Omnibus and loved it tremendously. The 3 stories in the omnibus are fun, well written, perfectly paced and the familiar tone and themes of the Dredd universe are perfectly respected. Reading about the formative years of the Dredd brothers is very interesting and there is so many avenue to explore for the authors involved that I for one can't wait to read there next offering.
January 30, 2018
This was amazing. As a massive fan of Judge Dredd and 2000 AD in general it was great to read this omnibus of this awesomely badass man of the law's first year as a street judge, I just loved how to see his character has formed having just left the academy and being on the harsh streets of Mega City One can't wait to read the next book in this series to see how his second year is.
February 19, 2021
I don't usually read collections like this, but outside of the movies I've never read much Dredd stuff. This collection here seems like it'd be a fun read for veterans and new readers. Clever, reasonably intelligent and absolutely brutal fun. If you like bloodshed and scowling I'd say there's a high chance you'll enjoy this.
August 22, 2017
I couldn't give the book 5 stars as the first novella, City Fathers, just wasn't as good as either Cold Light of Day or Wear Iron. Those latter 2 novellas though, were absolutely brilliant, a written Judge Dredd comic, with all the ridiculousness and comedy that you are used to.
June 1, 2020
This reads more like a 1950s noir crime drama (with added over the top violence) than the comic I grew up with. Don't get me wrong he is still my favourite future nihilistic fascist oppressor anti-hero but this is a little more grown up/realistic dystopian fare.
Read it creeps or eat judge boot!
Read it creeps or eat judge boot!
August 14, 2018
Three good stories. Links back to Dredd in the comics. Enjoyed them
November 13, 2018
Ok
Decent writing. I wouldn't recommend it. Anderson Year One is really good. So I'd check that out instead. That is all.
Decent writing. I wouldn't recommend it. Anderson Year One is really good. So I'd check that out instead. That is all.
October 2, 2025
This was my first literary exposure to Dredd, and it was thoroughly enjoyable. The book contains three vignettes, each of which I think offers different insights into Dredd and his world. The first, City of Fathers, is a good introduction to the character and some of his traits, as well as the role of a Judge. The Cold Light of Day is a dual-timeline story that gives more of Dredd’s background, and strikes a tone I’ve heard is reminiscent of some of the better runs in the comic series of seriousness splashed with humor (sarcastic or morbid as it may be in some cases). The third mostly focuses on Dredd’s corrupt brother whose depredations are mostly only hinted at in the previous two stories.
March 13, 2021
The first story is a bit weak, but the other two are excellent, especially Cold Light of Day by Michael Carroll.
February 9, 2021
Crime doesn't pay
As a fan from way back I was thrilled to get to read this one. Having finished it I can safely say that I've read it before, probably when it was originally released. I can honestly say that it was just as enjoyable this time around. I have always enjoyed Judge Dredd and have an extensive collection of comics. These stories from different authors blend so well together and tell a great story of life in Mega City.
As a fan from way back I was thrilled to get to read this one. Having finished it I can safely say that I've read it before, probably when it was originally released. I can honestly say that it was just as enjoyable this time around. I have always enjoyed Judge Dredd and have an extensive collection of comics. These stories from different authors blend so well together and tell a great story of life in Mega City.
February 23, 2024
Pulp.
But good, solid, gritty, well-written, immersive post apocalyptical pulp.
My only previous contact with the worlds of Dredd had been the iconically cheesy 1995 Sly Stone and darkly brilliant 2012 Karl Urban film versions.
This volume takes us along to the early career paths of Joe & his (possibly psychopathic) brother Rico, the Dredd clones. They are polar opposites in philosophies, lifestyles and moral outlooks. They are like bookends on a shelf filled with violent, explosive and sadistic daily events, but they are nevertheless twins.
Evolving this bleak, edgy totalitarian world. Defining, explicating and differentiating this world and its inhabitants. A difficult, dismal, cruel and violent world where power and the due process of law are now totally devolved into a simplified formula: the only law there is, that of the strongest, most cunning and vicious.
Power and justice are now in the hands of these Judges, who are judge, jury and executioner.
But good, solid, gritty, well-written, immersive post apocalyptical pulp.
My only previous contact with the worlds of Dredd had been the iconically cheesy 1995 Sly Stone and darkly brilliant 2012 Karl Urban film versions.
This volume takes us along to the early career paths of Joe & his (possibly psychopathic) brother Rico, the Dredd clones. They are polar opposites in philosophies, lifestyles and moral outlooks. They are like bookends on a shelf filled with violent, explosive and sadistic daily events, but they are nevertheless twins.
Evolving this bleak, edgy totalitarian world. Defining, explicating and differentiating this world and its inhabitants. A difficult, dismal, cruel and violent world where power and the due process of law are now totally devolved into a simplified formula: the only law there is, that of the strongest, most cunning and vicious.
Power and justice are now in the hands of these Judges, who are judge, jury and executioner.
August 11, 2025
Audiobook - Audible
Narrated by
Jordan Harold
⭐️⭐️⭐️
Normally I love a good dystopian book.
But, these 3 books were really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really repetitive.
The narrator was okay, though.
Narrated by
Jordan Harold
⭐️⭐️⭐️
Normally I love a good dystopian book.
But, these 3 books were really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really repetitive.
The narrator was okay, though.
October 23, 2024
Enjoyed the second story, the other two were okay. Helps if you are a fan of the character.
August 29, 2025
Another reader here who has only seen the two films, but wanted to know more. It was quite tough to learn all the colloquialisms for objects/things in the Dreddverse, especially in audiobook form. Although Dredd is very straight-laced and by-the-book, both in Year One and throughout his career, he really comes across as a dick. His mantra is meant to be that Judges serve the citz, and yet at times he bullies/scares the public into BS public (dis)order offences. Regardless, for the price of free-on-Audible, this was a fun look into the origins of a legendary figure I've always been curious about and didn't know where to start.
April 1, 2018
Actually, I did a video review over
If you were a fan of Dredd the film but are not very familiar with the comic books, read this book. If you are a fan of the comic book, I think you'll still enjoy this book. If you are a fan of the Sylvester Stallone film Judge Dredd... well, chances are in that case you'll find all the words in this book confusing. Okay, that wasn't nice but I really can't see how anyone could have like Stallone's Judge Dredd; it was awful. This book, however, is good. And I think if you are not familiar with Judge Dredd at all, this would be a great introduction.
If you were a fan of Dredd the film but are not very familiar with the comic books, read this book. If you are a fan of the comic book, I think you'll still enjoy this book. If you are a fan of the Sylvester Stallone film Judge Dredd... well, chances are in that case you'll find all the words in this book confusing. Okay, that wasn't nice but I really can't see how anyone could have like Stallone's Judge Dredd; it was awful. This book, however, is good. And I think if you are not familiar with Judge Dredd at all, this would be a great introduction.
November 28, 2017
I've been a fan of Judge Dredd on and off since the late 70s when I first read 2000AD. Have dipped in and out over the years, and this trio of stories from the beginning of Dredd's career was an interesting read. Never really sure why I like Dredd, but here he is stoic and unyielding with just a tinge of inexperience. It gives a chance to witness Joe and Rico Dredd interacting before the "fall", and that gives a bit of a back story to the three different tales. Worth a read if you like Dredd.
July 15, 2018
Having only ever read Dredd in 2000 A.D. or graphic novel form, I doubted if the futuristic adventures of the grim lawman would work in written form but I am happy to report they do. In fact the authors (of three longish short stories) are able to examine the dark and dirty underbelly of Mega City 1 in more detail than can the panels of a comic. My favourite story is the last 'Wear Iron', a nice take on the classic heist tale.
December 21, 2019
First time reading a Judge Dredd novel, have only briefly read the comics and watched the movies.
The book has three different stories, covering events early in Judge Dredds career, with the last story focusing on Rico Dredd. The stories provide a good contrast and the action is as fast as you would expect.
Recommended reading particularly if you are just starting to take an interest in the Judges, a good jumping on point to get to know roughly where their characters develop from.
The book has three different stories, covering events early in Judge Dredds career, with the last story focusing on Rico Dredd. The stories provide a good contrast and the action is as fast as you would expect.
Recommended reading particularly if you are just starting to take an interest in the Judges, a good jumping on point to get to know roughly where their characters develop from.
May 9, 2018
Great fun.
November 19, 2020
A brilliant collection of three stories for Dredd. The last story is a cracker and sheds an interesting light on Rico Dredd. Well worth the read or listen.
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