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Judge Dredd novels from Black Flame #3
Black Atlantic
Ruthless twenty-second-century crimefighter Judge Dredd ventures aboard the Cityship Sargasso to find a lost cargo of illegal bioweapons that has unleashed its deadly purpose on the inhabitants of the ship. Original.
256 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published June 29, 2004
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
May 30, 2019
I’ve slowly been getting back into the world of old Stoney face after a year or two absence, making my way through the various collected progs, one-offs, and novels. There’s been some hits and misses to be sure, but, aside from the new novellas by Michael Carroll and team, and the famous Apocalypse War arc, Black Atlantic is easily the best.
Another reviewer nailed it right on the head when they said Black Atlantic is a mix between Waterworld and Predator. While there’s no Arnold or Jesse Ventura, Thankfully, there’s no Kevin Costner. And all those lame moments of Waterworld are replaced by a tense, action packed thriller.
In all honestly, this never really felt like a true Judge Dredd story. Yes it had the titular character and there were the requisite amount of fictional universe terms, but to me, this was nothing more than an balls to the wall, post apocalyptic novel.
Ands that’s a not a bad thing at all. Evans and Jowett Know how to write a great story that never lets up and keeps the reader interested the entire time. I never felt like Black Atlantic lagged it was bogged down by unnecessary words or description. And, unlike a lot of the more tongue-in-cheek humor and writing of early Dredd, this one feels realistic (as much as a City ship of mutant sea farers can be). Even Peter’s and Jowett’s iteration of Dredd is probably the most fleshed out and “real” of them...at least u til the 2012 movie version of him was created.
What it really comes down to is this: Black Atlantic was a ton of fun to read and probably my favorite story so far in the Black Flame line.
Another reviewer nailed it right on the head when they said Black Atlantic is a mix between Waterworld and Predator. While there’s no Arnold or Jesse Ventura, Thankfully, there’s no Kevin Costner. And all those lame moments of Waterworld are replaced by a tense, action packed thriller.
In all honestly, this never really felt like a true Judge Dredd story. Yes it had the titular character and there were the requisite amount of fictional universe terms, but to me, this was nothing more than an balls to the wall, post apocalyptic novel.
Ands that’s a not a bad thing at all. Evans and Jowett Know how to write a great story that never lets up and keeps the reader interested the entire time. I never felt like Black Atlantic lagged it was bogged down by unnecessary words or description. And, unlike a lot of the more tongue-in-cheek humor and writing of early Dredd, this one feels realistic (as much as a City ship of mutant sea farers can be). Even Peter’s and Jowett’s iteration of Dredd is probably the most fleshed out and “real” of them...at least u til the 2012 movie version of him was created.
What it really comes down to is this: Black Atlantic was a ton of fun to read and probably my favorite story so far in the Black Flame line.
August 28, 2021
A random stake out at a building where illegal chemicals are in use turns into something much deadlier.
A rogue scientist has been creating biological killing machines and their bodies are supposed to be taken away for destruction, after Dredd battles one, of course, but they end up instead dumped in the Atlantic Ocean. One of the pods containing a creature is salvage by a Shipcity (it's like a Mega City full of mutants floating on the ocean) and before you can think 'Alien' the beast is loose. An SOS is broadcasted and Mega City decides to send in Dredd with some other Judges to collect the beast.
There's some solid action that's extremely fun--if you're a fan of Judge Dredd, you won't be disappointed. Not as much humor as the Dredd comics, but enough to keep me turning pages.
The only reason for the book losing a star in my review is that it loses the focus on the creature two-thirds of the way and focuses on a much larger threat. When the beast does reappear it's very anticlimactic. However, this book is still immensely fun and has me hyped to read the final novel, Eclipse, in this omnibus edition titled I Am The Law.
A rogue scientist has been creating biological killing machines and their bodies are supposed to be taken away for destruction, after Dredd battles one, of course, but they end up instead dumped in the Atlantic Ocean. One of the pods containing a creature is salvage by a Shipcity (it's like a Mega City full of mutants floating on the ocean) and before you can think 'Alien' the beast is loose. An SOS is broadcasted and Mega City decides to send in Dredd with some other Judges to collect the beast.
There's some solid action that's extremely fun--if you're a fan of Judge Dredd, you won't be disappointed. Not as much humor as the Dredd comics, but enough to keep me turning pages.
The only reason for the book losing a star in my review is that it loses the focus on the creature two-thirds of the way and focuses on a much larger threat. When the beast does reappear it's very anticlimactic. However, this book is still immensely fun and has me hyped to read the final novel, Eclipse, in this omnibus edition titled I Am The Law.
February 3, 2016
Dredd goes sailing.
This is Predator crossed with Waterworld.
A vast island of ships where a million mutants and other jetsam & flotsam eke out an existence are inadvertently dragged into a Mega City One investigation when they salvage a cryo-tube that contains something nasty.
Dredd and his team are sent to the mobile island "SARGASSO" with the creator of the cryo-tubes contents, who has her own agenda
.
Plenty of action and interesting characters, though Dredd does seem to be a tad more lenient in these novels than he ever was in the mag.
A reasonably good read, the story bounds along in typical 2000AD fashion and should satisfy the majority of Dreddies! Dredders! Dreddheads!
This is Predator crossed with Waterworld.
A vast island of ships where a million mutants and other jetsam & flotsam eke out an existence are inadvertently dragged into a Mega City One investigation when they salvage a cryo-tube that contains something nasty.
Dredd and his team are sent to the mobile island "SARGASSO" with the creator of the cryo-tubes contents, who has her own agenda
.
Plenty of action and interesting characters, though Dredd does seem to be a tad more lenient in these novels than he ever was in the mag.
A reasonably good read, the story bounds along in typical 2000AD fashion and should satisfy the majority of Dreddies! Dredders! Dreddheads!
April 12, 2013
One minor nitpick - Dredd and Buell are weirdly antagonistic to each other in this. Feels like it should have been Edgar in Buell's role.
Apart from that, it's a decent read and it was cool to learn more about the cityships.
Apart from that, it's a decent read and it was cool to learn more about the cityships.
February 5, 2013
Warchild rocks
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews