Judge Dredd: The Small House

Judge Dredd

by Rob Williams, Henry Flint (Illustrator)

The critically-acclaimed and fan-lauded latest Judge Dredd tale which sent shockwaves through the universe and Mark Millar called “one of the best runs ever!”

Everything is at stake and no-one is safe – in the critically-acclaimed storyline from Rob Williams and Henry Flint, Judge Dredd and his team of hand-picked allies finally takes on the nefarious Judge Smiley, Mega-City One’s behind-the-scenes manipulator – but who will be left standing at the end? And with tensions with Chief Judge Hershey at breaking point, has Dredd finally met his match?

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Science Fiction, Dystopia

96 pages, Paperback

First published September 3, 2019

Reviews

[Alex Sarll]

Since Al Ewing departed for Marvel, Rob Williams has been the only writer turning in Dredd stories to rival John Wagner's. And this ties up the strands of stuff he's been doing pretty much as long as he's been working in Dreddworld – including, heavens help us, the secret origin of Dirty Frank. In amongst the deaths and reversals, it was also one of the best reminders in recent years of the dark underside – and indeed, the dark side on full view – of the whole Judge system by which Mega-City One is run. As Williams put it just ahead of the conclusion coming out, this was the regularly scheduled reminder, more important than ever given the state of world politics, that Dredd is not an aspirational figure: "Mega-City One is a prison. The Judges are the jailers. And the world outside, beyond the Great Wall – The Cursed Earth – is utterly deadly and something even worse. The wall keeps the greatest horrors out." In the end, perhaps there couldn't help but be a slight sense of punches pulled, doors left open which should maybe have been slammed with a little more destructive force. But it was still one hell of a tense read.

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

The drokking price of control in a stommed facist society. Grud's pure law & justice get muddied.

[Stephan Brusche · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of those rare comicbooks where the art inside surpasses the cover art. Solid Dredd story with excellent art.

[Paul Spence · Rating 4 out of 5]

There’s a thread running through Rob Williams’ Judge Dredd stories, the hint of something big, nasty and possibly corrupt. It started with the horrific events related in Titan, and The Small House begins with a survivor of that holocaust, an architect expedited to Judge status. That Judge Sam is an architect is important and clever, Williams making the point that he’s trained to recognise structure, which leads to a breakthrough, and the other meaning of his trade name is also well applied.

Previous Dredd graphic novels written by Williams haven’t always come together. It’s not that the ideas were absent, but they weren’t always articulated as well as they might have been, but The Small House is the breakthrough. It’s classic conspiracy, excellent Dredd and a collection to be enjoyed standing alone. And that’s before considering Henry Flint’s contribution. He fills those backgrounds, and has an innate sense for what plain works. His Dredd is classically craggy, his Dirty Frank appropriately wild and his Judge Smiley the smart combination of ordinary and sinister – very Alec McGuinness. It’s the goggles that do it. When Williams and Flint work in synthesis, the results are great, with Flint’s illustrations accompanying the captions on the first page of the title story first rate. Those captions strike the right mood as well: “There is a house, you know. A small house. And it has no doors. There is no way in and no way out. Yet someone lives there.”

Dredd’s problem is a cabal within the Judges who have access to alien technology enabling them to phase in and out of the regular world, walking through walls they enter and disappear through via electronic access gates created with that technology. They’ve carried out a series of assassinations designed to spread fear and confusion toward unknown political ends, and in a chilling sequence ending with the sample art there’s shocking disclosure of how some judges see themselves.

Having Sam as the narrative voice for most of the story is very effective. Not only do we come to know him, which is important, but he offers his thoughts on Dredd and his world, which can either be taken as those of Williams or not. Either way, they’re interesting, and Smiley’s unapologetic use of the term ‘fascist’ to describe the Judges and their system is stating explicitly what may have escaped notice among the adventures over the years. Smiley also offers his assessment of Dredd, and that could equally be Williams. Maybe they both are. Ultimately, that doesn’t matter because the clue’s with the villain that Williams and Flint are supplying a complex thriller with nods to John LeCarre. Visual clues and metaphors abound, and with a cracking pace The Small House demands a big payoff. It’s duly supplied with a terrific revelatory ending that reconfigures much about what the Judges are responsible for, Williams filtering speculations about our history to good effect. It’s his coming of age on Dredd.

A slim coda addresses a scab that might have been best left unpicked, and it’s going through the motions. It’s the only wrong foot in a phenomenal thriller that surely ranks near the top of any Dredd without John Wagner or Alan Grant’s involvement.

[Ashe Catlin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a far cry from what IDW have been doing with Dredd recently, this is the 2000AD and it doesn't pull any punches . It embraces all the weird and sometimes campy aspects of his mythos.

The story about it is quite simplistic, there is an invisible killing and Judge Dredd isn't having any of it. It plays perfectly to his strengths, even going as far to point out he isn't the sharpest tool in the box but what he lacks in brains he makes up with sheer force of will.

Rob Williams knocked it out of the park with this, I've been converted to reading the 2000AD version now. I love the IDW stuff but it does play it a little safe and turns down the cookiness. The best example I can think of is this guy with a crocodile head, is running around chatting to people casually and no one is battering an eyelid. You also got this tramp running around nonsensically, talking gibberish but it's so enthralling I couldn't take myself away from it.

[Darik · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dredd as paranoia thriller!

I'd heard a lot of positive buzz about this book for a while now... and finally having read it, I can understand why. This story pits Dredd against the Justice Department itself, as a conspiracy unfolds to reveal that someone has been committing black-ops assassinations to steer political events in the Judges' favor. Unsure of who to trust and with his faith in the system shaken to its foundations, Dredd's directly confronted with the inescapable fact that the Judges are fascists, and is forced to ask himself whether there is any distinction between his understanding of the law and Judge Smiley's ends-justify-the-means form of control.

This is a tense, taut thriller with some genuinely shocking twists and major revelations lurking within. A landmark Dredd tale. It doesn't get much better than this.

[Steve Barnes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Up there with the best Dredd stories of recent times - more subdued than the epic storylines such as Apocalypse War, Inferno, Day of Chaos but a great impact and a farewell to one long-standing supporting character and the breakdown of a relationship between Dredd and another.
Henry Flint’s artwork is great; I don’t think anyone draws surprised expressions as well as he. The “I no longer recognise...” scene really comes across as a cinematic scene thanks to Flint.
Rob Williams hits the spot too. I really like Michael Carroll’s work and enjoy Rory McConville’s work on Dredd but think that Rob Williams might be piling ahead of the pack (that’s still a distance behind Wagner but closing).

[Dan Daniels · Rating 4 out of 5]

This weekend’s reading has ended with too many characters I like dying in two different series. I love these Dredd stories with conspiracies and plot points that tie in with actions across the history of Dredd, although I’ve got a few questions about what happened here with Dirty Frank as I’ve missed lots of stories. Need to reread the Enceladus stuff. And the run with Smiley helping Dredd. Not sure which that was. Maybe the Pit?
Williams and Flint are a great pairing for story and art. Not sure about that cover though.

[Damjan M. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Henry Flint, the modern Dredd master, does his usual stellar work . Williams, a worthy heir to the still unrelinquished Wagner throne, spins a nice yarn about a rogue secret ops squad with invisible/teleporting tech, being run by Judge Smiley for years. Gary Caldwell provides some great colors for Flint, in addition to Flint and Blythe.

[Martin Nisbet · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great script, adding nuance to historic events from Dredd's past whilst also being a magnificent tale of Dredd's crumbling belief in the Justice Department and what he'll do to make it right in his eyes. Henry Flint's art provides great visual storytelling. His Dredd art in recent years is untouchable in it's depiction of Dredd and the brutal streets of MC1.

[Dave · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best Judge Dredd stories I've ever read. It's a combination of all the things that make the character fun and fascinating, noir, and elements of the great conspiracy movies of the '70s like The Parallax View

[Sezer Turgay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yeni Judge Dredd okuyucuları benim kadar sevmeyecektir ama en azından klasikleri okuduysanız inanılmaz kaliteli kısa bir iş olmuş.Çizimlere ayrı parantez açmak istiyorum sıkı bir çizermiş Henry Flint bir kaç işini daha kontrol edeceğim.

[Timo · Rating 5 out of 5]

First of all: Henry Flint art is truly amazing. Now that is said: The story ain't that bad either. Couple of "wow" moments, some good action, some really tragic moments and bunch of interesting ideas.
Nice way to wrap some loose ends up.

[Jack · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good story but as a non regular Judge Dredd reader I didn't have any context on the prior events to this story or who a lot of these new Judges are. The art is a little dated by today's standards also.

[David Sanz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un buen final para varios personajes, con alguna que otra frase mítica de Dredd que queda para el recuerdo.

[Adam Muise · Rating 5 out of 5]

Classic Dredd

This book brings the Smiley story line to a satisfying conclusion. Great art and story, thoroughly well paced. A must read for Dredd fans.

[Wulf Sternhammer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Action, intrigue, humour and a great cast of characters. Standard for dredd at this point.

[Dan Blackley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an interesting story about Ghost judges being used in the city. Judge Dredd teams up with a group of judges to bring them down. It's a fun read but short.

[Sophie Ingley · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a way to rekindle my love for Dredd!
Gripping story with sensational artwork, this really was one hell of a read. So glad to be back in the fold. 🖤
Loved this very.