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Judge Dredd: The Mega Collection #57
Calhab Justice
North of Brit-Cit is the wild and dangerous area known as Calhab. A dumping ground for the world’s nuclear waste, it’s an environmental nightmare – and the high levels of radiation have left its people more than a little unruly. It’s up to Calhab lawmen like Judge Ed MacBrayne to keep the peace...
232 pages, Hardcover
Published October 1, 2016
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
February 21, 2017
There's not much love out there for Calhab Justice. Current 2000 AD editor Matt Smith offers an introduction to this volume that can be described as equivocal at best, and even writer Jim Alexander in an interview at the back of the book can only say he has "made his peace" with it.
All that said, though, it's not as bad as you might fear. The loch-broad Scottish stereotypes are used in good humour and pretty much in line with what you'd expect from the Judge Dredd universe – it's not as if Mega-City One was a sensitive analysis of modern East Coast America.
In fact the first couple of strips in this collection are actually pretty passable. There are some decent gags and a nice satirical line on 90s Scottish politics that informs the story without overwhelming it.
As Alexander admits at the end of the volume, it's in the later strips that Calhab Justice loses its way. The structure's a mess and, in trying to be obscure, the plot becomes impenetrable – something that's not helped by Lol's oh-so dark, oh-so crowded artwork. The ideas are good (particularly the little speech about believing in God "in lateral terms") but they're poorly executed.
All that said, though, it's not as bad as you might fear. The loch-broad Scottish stereotypes are used in good humour and pretty much in line with what you'd expect from the Judge Dredd universe – it's not as if Mega-City One was a sensitive analysis of modern East Coast America.
In fact the first couple of strips in this collection are actually pretty passable. There are some decent gags and a nice satirical line on 90s Scottish politics that informs the story without overwhelming it.
As Alexander admits at the end of the volume, it's in the later strips that Calhab Justice loses its way. The structure's a mess and, in trying to be obscure, the plot becomes impenetrable – something that's not helped by Lol's oh-so dark, oh-so crowded artwork. The ideas are good (particularly the little speech about believing in God "in lateral terms") but they're poorly executed.
December 31, 2016
Not sure why this missed out on a one-star rating from me as it really is a very weak instalment, but consider it some combination of Christmas and me mellowing in my old age. Scottish Judges seem like a natural avenue of exploration considering 2000AD's long links with that country, and I did quite enjoy Jim Alexander's early more comedic scripts where Calhab is basically to Mega-City One what Dixon of Dock Green is to The Wire. Unfortunately it all goes wrong when Alexander tries to pull a Grant Morrison and plunge future Scotland into a surreal psychic perma-apocalypse courtesy of mad Psi-Judge Schiehallion: I could neither work out what was meant to be going on, nor really care.
The volume is rounded out by a couple of Emerald Isle stories penned by execrable leprechaun Garth Ennis about which there is of course nothing good to say, and no stars whatsoever to bestow.
The volume is rounded out by a couple of Emerald Isle stories penned by execrable leprechaun Garth Ennis about which there is of course nothing good to say, and no stars whatsoever to bestow.
January 16, 2018
On the plus was good to see a different force compared to the big Meg, the Scottish version of the Judges, which are way more relaxed compared to Dredd and the boys. Was hoping for more humour maybe, but it didn't feel completely different. It just felt an okay read but something sadly missing.
July 3, 2025
Mostly Megazine strips and bloody hard work. Ridgway’s art’s lovely as always - and the Ennis/Dillon strip’s okay - but this dodgy volume is very much making up the numbers.
October 16, 2016
Calhab Justice focuses on Scotland in the post-apocalyptic 2000AD universe -Calhab, the world's toxic waste dumping ground. The judges are pure racial stereotypes - hard drinking, kilt sporting, violent... and the protagonist MacBrayne is kinda Dredd meets Billy Connoley. The satirical side of things I hated - just like with the Emerald Isle stuff (the judges there with potato guns) it's somewhat insulting, racist and I'm sorry I just don't find that childish level of humour funny.
However Calhab justice goes from one extreme to the other - as well as the silly stuff we go to some deeply dark, philosophical stuff featuring Psi-Judge Schiehallion. This brings in insanity, cloning, and indeed the end of the entire calhab system. this arc has real potential but I hated the main artist Lol and the narrative structure - it's all over the place, full of non-sequiturs and flashbacks making it confusing as hell to follow.
There are also a couple of really stupid filler stories to conclude taking us back to the Emeral Isle - these have nothing to do with Calhab and make the tone of this volume do a complete u-turn again as we're back with racial stereotypes and really childish satire.
Over all I hated this volume. The satirical stuff is racist and unfunny and the heavy stuff while I loved the concept, was let down by the art and poor story-telling.
My least favourite Mega Collection volume to date.
However Calhab justice goes from one extreme to the other - as well as the silly stuff we go to some deeply dark, philosophical stuff featuring Psi-Judge Schiehallion. This brings in insanity, cloning, and indeed the end of the entire calhab system. this arc has real potential but I hated the main artist Lol and the narrative structure - it's all over the place, full of non-sequiturs and flashbacks making it confusing as hell to follow.
There are also a couple of really stupid filler stories to conclude taking us back to the Emeral Isle - these have nothing to do with Calhab and make the tone of this volume do a complete u-turn again as we're back with racial stereotypes and really childish satire.
Over all I hated this volume. The satirical stuff is racist and unfunny and the heavy stuff while I loved the concept, was let down by the art and poor story-telling.
My least favourite Mega Collection volume to date.
November 14, 2016
Another set of stories that came out of the Judges from around the world theme that was abundant in the 90s Dredd stories. They could at times be borderline racist or lean too heavily on stereotypes.
Jim Alexander writes some stories that are self deprecating (the writer is Scottish) and poking fun (what with the kilts and the drinking and the fighting, although there's also an in story element to explain the prevalence of this), both employing and subverting Scottish stereotypes. There's a heavy element of satire as well with the writer reflecting politics and Scotland in the 90s.
The stories do shift quite suddenly, while there is a little foreshadowing it's not enough, from the self deprecating comedy to dark themes and almost philosophical ideas.
Yeah sure the satirical points are a bit blunt, the art a little inconsistent, and the shift in themes a bit jarring and maybe I got more of a kick out of it because I'm Scottish but these are great reads, you can see what the writer as going for and I got a kick out of the ridiculous over the top scots used in the early stories.
PS
The two Emerald Isle stories included here are also great, When Irish Pies Are Smiling is just fun and very Garth Ennis humour. Innocents Abroad is a great wee action tale.
Jim Alexander writes some stories that are self deprecating (the writer is Scottish) and poking fun (what with the kilts and the drinking and the fighting, although there's also an in story element to explain the prevalence of this), both employing and subverting Scottish stereotypes. There's a heavy element of satire as well with the writer reflecting politics and Scotland in the 90s.
The stories do shift quite suddenly, while there is a little foreshadowing it's not enough, from the self deprecating comedy to dark themes and almost philosophical ideas.
Yeah sure the satirical points are a bit blunt, the art a little inconsistent, and the shift in themes a bit jarring and maybe I got more of a kick out of it because I'm Scottish but these are great reads, you can see what the writer as going for and I got a kick out of the ridiculous over the top scots used in the early stories.
PS
The two Emerald Isle stories included here are also great, When Irish Pies Are Smiling is just fun and very Garth Ennis humour. Innocents Abroad is a great wee action tale.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews