Judge Dredd: Satan's Island

Judge Dredd

by John Wagner, John Smith, Kevin Walker (Artist)

The Largest mobile man-made structure the world has ever known has come to the shores of Mega-City One and people are flocking to the pleasure island with sin on their mind. However, hiding amongst the dens of iniquity and vice is international terrorist Ula Danser, waiting to release a storm of devastation on the citizens of the Big Meg. Can Dredd and his team find Danser before all hell breaks loose?

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Science Fiction, Comix

Hardcover

First published December 10, 2005

About the author

John Wagner is a comics writer who was born in Pennsylvania in 1949 and moved to Scotland as a boy. Alongside Pat Mills, Wagner was responsible for revitalising British boys' comics in the 1970s, and has continued to be a leading light in British comics ever since. He is best known for his work on 2000 AD, for which he created Judge Dredd. He is noted for his taut, violent thrillers and his black humour. Among his pseudonyms are The best known are John Howard, T.B. Grover, Mike Stott, Keef Ripley, Rick Clark and Brian Skuter. (Wikipedia)

Reviews

[Juho Pohjalainen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Russians attempt a couple other plagues. Getting a bit repetitive here - to the point where it's even, retroactively for me, undermining the to-be Day of Chaos (which I was never the biggest fan of in the first place). Lawcon was all right, though.

[Matthew Marcus · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was poised to give this a less good rating than 4, because the keynote serial, Sin City, while competent enough, suffers massively from a sense of "seen it all before", especially in the context of the unfolding Mega Collection. Oh look, Orlok's back. Again. There's a show trial before a kangaroo court. Again. In which the question of whether, in wartime, any course of action, no matter how obscene, might not be justifiable if it's the only one that can save your people is raised. Again. Sov agents release a bio-weapon that kills a ton of people. Again.

Still, part of the point of the Dredd saga is that history repeats itself over and over, and if this is genuinely the final end of Orlok (please stop bringing him back in lame flashback stories, Arthur Wyatt!) then it's all a little bit historic. Additionally the volume is rounded out with a wealth of above averagely strong material: Reprisal, Jumped (John Smith this time pulling off the trick of writing the stuff he's interested in, e.g. sympathetic cit characters, while still managing to have feel like proper Dredd) and the excellent Lawcon (I'm a really big Roffman fan, finally a Judge who loves the law as much as Dredd while managing to be *completely differentiated* from the big man; and Wagner definitely has a gift for bizarre comedy aliens). A very solid addition to the Mega Collection all in all.

[Leila Anani · Rating 3 out of 5]

The giant floating 'Satan's Island' where every vice is permitted sails up to Mega City One and as you can imaging the repressed citizens are champing at the bit to visit. Dredd is sent in to catch a Soviet agent and gets embroiled in yet another plot to launch a plague weapon... yawn. The other stories in this collection tie together really nicely following Dredd's pursuit of Sov criminal William Orlock... and his eventual trial.

I like the trappings of this one - Satan's Island is a great concept and I also love the jumpjackers who get far more than they bargained for when they accidentally target a Sov. agent. This one is a bit racist though - Russians are evil terrorists continually attempting to launch bio-weapons to wipe out Americans. It's a bit wearing and we've seen it before time and again.... and done better. Block Mania to give just one example.

The last story - Lawcon is rather fun - a sort of Invasion of the Body Snatchers theme, but again the Russians get a bad press - trying to make a deal with aliens. Dredd initially has to team up with Brit-Cit and Hondo City agents to counter.

Artwork throughout is solid but nothing really stood out. Over-all this is a fun volume of classic Dredd - I did like the fact that in the case for defence/trial of Orlock it did try and explain Orlock's actions and compare him to Dredd... but it was still overwhelmingly Anti-Sov and I would have liked a little more variety.

Shame Satan's Island got blown up, there was lots of potential for some great satire there.... Mark II anyone?

[Damian Herde · Rating 4 out of 5]

This volume was more interesting than the initial premise appeared. A floating island visits Mega-City-One, with the premise being that it is outside of the laws of MC1 and anything goes. Bundled into the mix of policing the unpolicable is a layer of trying to expose a hidden terrorist using undercover Judges.

The art is quite different to classic Dredd, but it grew on me. Some aspects of the story really highlight the fascist, hypercritical nature of the Judges.

[Mr James Kendrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Consistent Top Quality

I don't know how old these stories are but the quality of writing and artwork runs through these graphic novels.

[Simon Heldreich · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just a bit bland to be honest. Artwork is great but there's nothing new or interesting here.

[Al No · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some timely stuff from Wagner, and the John Smith back-up strip’s above average. Kev Walker’s Sin City artwork is sublime, and it’s nice to see Cam Kennedy again.

[Johnny Andrews · Rating 4 out of 5]

Think Mega-City One is a place full of debauchery (until the Judges see anyway), prepare for the amusement world of sin. Satan's Island is the floating island allowed to dock by MC1 for a time and the citizens are allowed to go across.
Gambling, sex, bloodsports anything goes. Does old stoneface like this, no way but he has orders to go into the place with a team to keep his citizens safe.
However not long and murder and terrorism is at play.

[Mhorg · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Sovs are back...

No one, no one writes Dredd like John Wagner. Here, when the floating city of debauchery, Sin City docks at Mega City One, much to Dredds unhappiness, there's one additional and bad passenger aboard. An anti meg terrorist! So the hunt is on. Now go read it...