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Mega-City Undercover #1
Mega-City Undercover, Vol. 1
HELMET NOT REQUIRED!
Sometimes it takes a special kind of Judge to work the mean streets of Mega-City One. Meet Lenny Zero and Aimee Nixon, two under-cover Judges who work the lowest levels of the Big Meg, mixing with mob bosses and murderers alike.
Featuring the writing of Andy Diggle (The Losers) and Rob Williams (Asylum) along with the stunning artwork of Jock (Green Arrow), Henry Flint (Shakara) and Simon Coleby (Judge Dredd) this collection of Sci-Fi Noir is not to be missed!
Sometimes it takes a special kind of Judge to work the mean streets of Mega-City One. Meet Lenny Zero and Aimee Nixon, two under-cover Judges who work the lowest levels of the Big Meg, mixing with mob bosses and murderers alike.
Featuring the writing of Andy Diggle (The Losers) and Rob Williams (Asylum) along with the stunning artwork of Jock (Green Arrow), Henry Flint (Shakara) and Simon Coleby (Judge Dredd) this collection of Sci-Fi Noir is not to be missed!
210 pages, Paperback
First published January 15, 2008
1 person is currently reading
76 people want to read
About the author
Andy Diggle
534 books172 followersAndy Diggle is a British comic book writer and former editor of 2000 AD. He is best known for his work on The Losers,Swamp Thing, Hellblazer, Adam Strange and Silent Dragon at DC Comics and for his run on Thunderbolts and Daredevil after his move to Marvel.
In 2013 Diggle left writing DC's Action Comics and began working with Dynamite Entertainment, writing a paranormal crime series Uncanny. He is also working on another crime series with his wife titled Control that is set to begin publishing in 2014.
In 2013 Diggle left writing DC's Action Comics and began working with Dynamite Entertainment, writing a paranormal crime series Uncanny. He is also working on another crime series with his wife titled Control that is set to begin publishing in 2014.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
May 22, 2021
Lenny Zero's stories at the beginning, and Baby Talk right at the end, were the highlights. All the stuff in between wasn't bad either. The usual 2000AD quality.
July 21, 2019
Okay first an admission - and to be honest this is the curse I always seem to fall foul of - is that when ever you have a collection of shorter stories put together, basically one shot comic book stories, I always find that I have duplicated them. And so is the case when I realised that the contents of Low Life Paranoia.
In fact there are only two additional stories along with the Lenny Zero story arc, admittedly there are two other volumes of Mega-city Undercover so I suspect that this book introduces me to characters I will be seeing again in the later volumes and I do not believe there are any other books dedicated to these characters so I should be safe from duplications - well that the plan at least.
And this is one of the things for me - yes I am a little OCD when it comes to completing stories and collections but when ever it comes to comics and graphic novels it seems that the rules are a little hazy almost as if there is an unwritten rule about trying to entice the last penny out of the fans.
Anyway I still enjoyed the book - the artwork is fresh and the book is nicely presented - so yes mixed feelings about this book I guess I will have to see what the other two instalments are like.
In fact there are only two additional stories along with the Lenny Zero story arc, admittedly there are two other volumes of Mega-city Undercover so I suspect that this book introduces me to characters I will be seeing again in the later volumes and I do not believe there are any other books dedicated to these characters so I should be safe from duplications - well that the plan at least.
And this is one of the things for me - yes I am a little OCD when it comes to completing stories and collections but when ever it comes to comics and graphic novels it seems that the rules are a little hazy almost as if there is an unwritten rule about trying to entice the last penny out of the fans.
Anyway I still enjoyed the book - the artwork is fresh and the book is nicely presented - so yes mixed feelings about this book I guess I will have to see what the other two instalments are like.
June 22, 2020
This interesting collection, set in Judge Dredd’s stomping grounds, opens with three stories about Lenny Zero. The first is ‘Lenny Zero’ with a script by Andy Diggle, art by Jock. Lenny Zero is an undercover Judge in the Wally Squad and confesses this fact to crime boss Little Caesar Piccante when that worthy’s chief accountant is captured with all the access codes to the gangster’s accounts. Zero says he can get the accountant away from the Judges, and does. A neat film noir style short from Andy Diggle with excellent noir artwork by Jock. We can only presume that this is a pseudonym for a comic artist of Caledonian extraction.
The second part is ‘Lenny Zero: Dead Zero’ by the same creators. Zero is still alive and on the run from both the Judges and Piccante’s gangsters while cooking up another bit of grand larceny. A famous senior Judge with a very big jaw tracks him down. The artists seem to be trying to outdo each other on jaw size so that sometimes the star Judge of Mega-City One looks as if he has a massive tumour under his bottom lip. Never mind. I thought Jock’s art was a bit slapdash on the last few pages of this but that can happen when deadlines loom, I guess. ‘Lenny Zero: Wipeout’ by the same team concludes Lenny’s story. Happily, the art was back to a higher standard and the story was good too.
The next two stories are by Rob Williams and artist Henry Flint. In ‘Low Life: Paranoia’ Aimee Nixon, an undercover Judge with Wally Squad, snuggles up to a small-time hood who’s getting a bit part in a big caper. Aimee can beat any lie detector and on qualifying as a Judge volunteered to have one arm chopped off the better to fit in as an undercover low life. The arm was replaced with a hi-tech prosthetic but even so, she is obviously a bit mad. Her colleague Dirty Frank, on the other hand, is entirely mad. ‘Low Life: Paranoia’ is plotted like a complex cop thriller with lots of double-dealing and treachery. The art includes some very good views of Mega-City One. In ‘Low Life: Heavy Duty’ Aimee Nixon gets pumped full of fat to infiltrate a suspicious slimming company called Low-Cal. Its devotees are so devoted they leave it all their money when they die, and they soon die.
The same writer, Rob Williams, is paired with artist Simon Coleby for the remaining stories. In ‘Low Life: Rock and a Hard Place’ Dirty Frank goes undercover as the manager of a low life rock group suspected of killing off rival groups to get a coveted record contract by winning the battle of the bands, a talent show the like of which is all over the television in our own time. The lead singer writes very cheesy lyrics, literally.
A cute Christmas story next. ‘Low Life: He’s Making a List’. Every Christmas Eve someone known as Mister Claws comes to the Robert Helpmann block orphanage and steals some children. At least the kids say it’s Mister Claws but he is just a story, as everyone knows. Dirty Frank and Aimee go undercover as children’s entertainers to investigate. This Christmas cheer is followed by ‘Low Life: Con Artist’ in which Aimee Nixon and a conspiracy theorist named Ronson Morse working together. He writes a website and has learned that the world’s assassins are convening in the low life area for Hitcon, their annual get-together. This seems like one of the 2000AD ideas for a jolly jape but turns out to be a pretty traumatic examination of Aimee’s own dark psyche.
The last story is more fun with Dirty Frank, the craziest loon ever modelled on a real-life comic writer. ‘Low Life: Baby Talk’. A firm called Grey Matters is charging high fees to increase the I.Q. of babies and their method seems to work. Dirty Frank apprehends some baby criminals and then takes Eric ’Mortal’ Coil, the Judge that looks like a baby, to the firm, pretending to be his father. There are amusing scenes when Dirty Frank is attacked by Baby Ninja’s and the solution to the mystery was clever. Simon Coleby’s art seemed a bit slipshod in this one but perhaps my eyes were blurring from staring at the computer screen too long. I read the whole of this in download format which I don’t recommend. Comics are better on paper.
All in all an enjoyable collection. The Lenny Zero stuff was probably the best but the other Wally Squad Judges are a fine bunch of eccentrics and no doubt good fun to write, especially Frank.
Eamonn Murphy
This review first appeared at https://www.sfcrowsnest.info/
The second part is ‘Lenny Zero: Dead Zero’ by the same creators. Zero is still alive and on the run from both the Judges and Piccante’s gangsters while cooking up another bit of grand larceny. A famous senior Judge with a very big jaw tracks him down. The artists seem to be trying to outdo each other on jaw size so that sometimes the star Judge of Mega-City One looks as if he has a massive tumour under his bottom lip. Never mind. I thought Jock’s art was a bit slapdash on the last few pages of this but that can happen when deadlines loom, I guess. ‘Lenny Zero: Wipeout’ by the same team concludes Lenny’s story. Happily, the art was back to a higher standard and the story was good too.
The next two stories are by Rob Williams and artist Henry Flint. In ‘Low Life: Paranoia’ Aimee Nixon, an undercover Judge with Wally Squad, snuggles up to a small-time hood who’s getting a bit part in a big caper. Aimee can beat any lie detector and on qualifying as a Judge volunteered to have one arm chopped off the better to fit in as an undercover low life. The arm was replaced with a hi-tech prosthetic but even so, she is obviously a bit mad. Her colleague Dirty Frank, on the other hand, is entirely mad. ‘Low Life: Paranoia’ is plotted like a complex cop thriller with lots of double-dealing and treachery. The art includes some very good views of Mega-City One. In ‘Low Life: Heavy Duty’ Aimee Nixon gets pumped full of fat to infiltrate a suspicious slimming company called Low-Cal. Its devotees are so devoted they leave it all their money when they die, and they soon die.
The same writer, Rob Williams, is paired with artist Simon Coleby for the remaining stories. In ‘Low Life: Rock and a Hard Place’ Dirty Frank goes undercover as the manager of a low life rock group suspected of killing off rival groups to get a coveted record contract by winning the battle of the bands, a talent show the like of which is all over the television in our own time. The lead singer writes very cheesy lyrics, literally.
A cute Christmas story next. ‘Low Life: He’s Making a List’. Every Christmas Eve someone known as Mister Claws comes to the Robert Helpmann block orphanage and steals some children. At least the kids say it’s Mister Claws but he is just a story, as everyone knows. Dirty Frank and Aimee go undercover as children’s entertainers to investigate. This Christmas cheer is followed by ‘Low Life: Con Artist’ in which Aimee Nixon and a conspiracy theorist named Ronson Morse working together. He writes a website and has learned that the world’s assassins are convening in the low life area for Hitcon, their annual get-together. This seems like one of the 2000AD ideas for a jolly jape but turns out to be a pretty traumatic examination of Aimee’s own dark psyche.
The last story is more fun with Dirty Frank, the craziest loon ever modelled on a real-life comic writer. ‘Low Life: Baby Talk’. A firm called Grey Matters is charging high fees to increase the I.Q. of babies and their method seems to work. Dirty Frank apprehends some baby criminals and then takes Eric ’Mortal’ Coil, the Judge that looks like a baby, to the firm, pretending to be his father. There are amusing scenes when Dirty Frank is attacked by Baby Ninja’s and the solution to the mystery was clever. Simon Coleby’s art seemed a bit slipshod in this one but perhaps my eyes were blurring from staring at the computer screen too long. I read the whole of this in download format which I don’t recommend. Comics are better on paper.
All in all an enjoyable collection. The Lenny Zero stuff was probably the best but the other Wally Squad Judges are a fine bunch of eccentrics and no doubt good fun to write, especially Frank.
Eamonn Murphy
This review first appeared at https://www.sfcrowsnest.info/
August 5, 2021
So, this is my first accidental yet conscious foray into the Judge Dredd universe. The prior review I just did for Counterfeit Girl is technically my first, but I only really realized that after reading this compendium. Mega-City undercover serves as an interesting entry point, because it's a compilation of issues in the Judge Dredd universe that focuses on two judges dwelling within the Mega City world, Lenny Zero and Aimee Nixon (and company). They both interface with the underbelly of Mega-City.
The first set of issues compile the story of Lenny Zero, a judge who decides to double cross the justice department and the mafia, and the story follows him trying to escape detection and apprehension from both of these sides. We actually do see Judge Dredd in this incarnation, which I can't help but think is interesting here.
Our other sort of issue set, one that takes up more of the book is that of Aimee Nixon, a judge serving on the Wally Squad, a unit that serves to focus on the "Low Life," a notably dangerous and poor part of Mega City. I hesitate to say that this is really a set of issues about Aimee Nixon, although she is a large part of the stories, but rather that of the Wally Squad itself. Two of the stories focus more on her mentor/occasional partner Dirty Frank.
As with all kinds of compilations and anthologies, the stories were definitely hit or miss for me. The Low Life stories were certainly my favorite between the two sets, as the stories were more isolated and included a mystery to be solved. There's a sort of humor in many of them. I think Lenny Zero was a good story, but I struggled to really care about Lenny as a character. The story sort of took for granted that I actually cared about his fate from the outset, but I found it difficult to really get immersed in Lenny's story.
I'd say that the art was certainly not my style. The gritty, frenetic black and white art was hard to follow, and there were times that I had absolutely no idea who was talking or what was going on, even after re-reading the panels. Sometimes, there would be characters sharing the conversation, but because the artist opted to stylize and really zoom in on the character's face, I absolutely could not tell what was going on. This would be more of an issue in the Low Life stories. Counterfeit Girl got to benefit from color, which allowed me to more easily discern that was going on, as not only did you have shape cues to figure out what was going on but also color.
Overall, I'd say that the compilation was fine. There isn't anything so offensive that it warrants taking things below a 3, but this certainly didn't cause me to completely adore the Judge Dredd universe. I certainly have quite a bit more to go in my foray, but I also don't want to burn myself out either.
The first set of issues compile the story of Lenny Zero, a judge who decides to double cross the justice department and the mafia, and the story follows him trying to escape detection and apprehension from both of these sides. We actually do see Judge Dredd in this incarnation, which I can't help but think is interesting here.
Our other sort of issue set, one that takes up more of the book is that of Aimee Nixon, a judge serving on the Wally Squad, a unit that serves to focus on the "Low Life," a notably dangerous and poor part of Mega City. I hesitate to say that this is really a set of issues about Aimee Nixon, although she is a large part of the stories, but rather that of the Wally Squad itself. Two of the stories focus more on her mentor/occasional partner Dirty Frank.
As with all kinds of compilations and anthologies, the stories were definitely hit or miss for me. The Low Life stories were certainly my favorite between the two sets, as the stories were more isolated and included a mystery to be solved. There's a sort of humor in many of them. I think Lenny Zero was a good story, but I struggled to really care about Lenny as a character. The story sort of took for granted that I actually cared about his fate from the outset, but I found it difficult to really get immersed in Lenny's story.
I'd say that the art was certainly not my style. The gritty, frenetic black and white art was hard to follow, and there were times that I had absolutely no idea who was talking or what was going on, even after re-reading the panels. Sometimes, there would be characters sharing the conversation, but because the artist opted to stylize and really zoom in on the character's face, I absolutely could not tell what was going on. This would be more of an issue in the Low Life stories. Counterfeit Girl got to benefit from color, which allowed me to more easily discern that was going on, as not only did you have shape cues to figure out what was going on but also color.
Overall, I'd say that the compilation was fine. There isn't anything so offensive that it warrants taking things below a 3, but this certainly didn't cause me to completely adore the Judge Dredd universe. I certainly have quite a bit more to go in my foray, but I also don't want to burn myself out either.
April 17, 2018
A collection of stories that looks at life in Megacity One as lived by one part of its inhabitants: the underground, filled with drugs, prostitution and other unsavoury characters. Judge Dredd would stick out like a sore thumb in this environment, so it is the job of the undercover Judges to infiltrate the underground.
The book focuses on two sets of Judges. The first one is Lenny Zero who turns out to be double-crossing not only the gang he infiltrates but also the Justice Department when he swipes money from a gang leader (kept perpetually young by swapping his bio-chipped mind into young bodies) but transfers it into his personal account before fleeing. Judge Dredd briefly appears in this series to pursue him but even then Zero manages to escape. But Zero knows he'll run out of time (and life) unless he really vanishes and the only way to do that is to stop the gang leader who is after him for the money he stole.
The other set of stories concerns a 'Wally' group of underground Judges who appear to enjoy tweaking the noses of both Justice Department and the underground gangs. The initial stories include infiltrating a drug gang that would lead them back to at attempt to eliminate the entire underground by a senior Judge and finding out the identity of a top assassin during a gathering of killers.
But the last few stories become weird: infiltrating a extreme weight loss club, finding out who is blowing up music bands and who is making babies smarter. The weirdness of the last story becomes clearer when a new character is introduced what immediately reminded me of a character in another 2000AD series, Robo-Hunter.
The artwork throughout the book is sharp and full of strong lines without much shading, which probably serves to bring out the characters in sharper relief and maintains the atmosphere of the scenery: the undercover Judges world is not full of colour but made up of strong contrasts.
The book focuses on two sets of Judges. The first one is Lenny Zero who turns out to be double-crossing not only the gang he infiltrates but also the Justice Department when he swipes money from a gang leader (kept perpetually young by swapping his bio-chipped mind into young bodies) but transfers it into his personal account before fleeing. Judge Dredd briefly appears in this series to pursue him but even then Zero manages to escape. But Zero knows he'll run out of time (and life) unless he really vanishes and the only way to do that is to stop the gang leader who is after him for the money he stole.
The other set of stories concerns a 'Wally' group of underground Judges who appear to enjoy tweaking the noses of both Justice Department and the underground gangs. The initial stories include infiltrating a drug gang that would lead them back to at attempt to eliminate the entire underground by a senior Judge and finding out the identity of a top assassin during a gathering of killers.
But the last few stories become weird: infiltrating a extreme weight loss club, finding out who is blowing up music bands and who is making babies smarter. The weirdness of the last story becomes clearer when a new character is introduced what immediately reminded me of a character in another 2000AD series, Robo-Hunter.
The artwork throughout the book is sharp and full of strong lines without much shading, which probably serves to bring out the characters in sharper relief and maintains the atmosphere of the scenery: the undercover Judges world is not full of colour but made up of strong contrasts.
August 18, 2024
A nice, mixed bag of undercover Wally-squad Judge stories in Mega City 1. A mix of writers and artists, so some of the styles clicked with me more than others.
The book is a decent length read, containing multiple, unrelated story arcs following a range of different Wally squad Judges, with some character overlaps. I enjoyed the Judge Zero series, with his attempts to run a long scam and get away with it. Judge Nixon was my favourite reoccurring Wally. Dirty Frank was my low point.
The stories were originally published from 2000 to 2008, and there are a few moments or stories that haven’t aged well, but not as many moments as there could have been.
The book is a decent length read, containing multiple, unrelated story arcs following a range of different Wally squad Judges, with some character overlaps. I enjoyed the Judge Zero series, with his attempts to run a long scam and get away with it. Judge Nixon was my favourite reoccurring Wally. Dirty Frank was my low point.
The stories were originally published from 2000 to 2008, and there are a few moments or stories that haven’t aged well, but not as many moments as there could have been.
April 13, 2018
The drawing style did not sit well with me in neither of the stories, too many details that take away the attention from the main parts. The stories, however, show again a more layered and complete image of MegaCity One and the people living in it, technology and society-wise. If you are a Dredd fan, worth checking out. I prefered Zero, the twists and ideas were not too suprising, but cool and kept me entertained. Classical Dredd crazy and nice sketches at the end.
October 23, 2018
Meet the undercover Judges - men and women fighting crime in Mega-City both in Uptown and in Low-Life area. Characters are mix of Judges trying to get out of undercover work (Zero story-line) and live normally and those that enjoy undercover work or a are simply .... crazy is the best word :)
Cases start normal way and very soon enter the realm of weird (baby gangsters story was hilarious).
Recommended to all fans of Dredd, cyberpunk and action.
Cases start normal way and very soon enter the realm of weird (baby gangsters story was hilarious).
Recommended to all fans of Dredd, cyberpunk and action.
January 10, 2020
There are loads of stories set in Mega-City surrounding. These Wally Squad stories are better batch of those ones.
From really grim to silly stupidness in stories, nice crisp b/w art throughout.
From really grim to silly stupidness in stories, nice crisp b/w art throughout.
Read
August 10, 2016Weird being reminded how grim Low Life was at first, before the shambolic legend that is Dirty Frank stole the lead role. This collection also contains the first stories subsequent to that switch (complete with ninja babies), but it opens with the double-crossing heists of undercover Judge gone rogue Lenny Zero, which feel a little generic in comparison.
March 17, 2014
An interesting concept at first, with Lenny and Aimee, of undercover judges working on the streets, but it finally gets strained and degenerates into parody in Dirty Frank, with stories on rock band concerts and ninja babies. Surreal as this fantasy is, it gets ridiculous here.
April 26, 2015
Undercover judges makes for refreshing shades of grey - from criminal-with-a-badge Zero to mentally ill Alan Moore analogue Dirty Frank to conflicted badass Aimee Nixon. Great fun, more so with the later stories.
September 9, 2016
Dirty Frank liked this.
You should like it too.
Don't disappoint Dirty Frank.
You should like it too.
Don't disappoint Dirty Frank.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews