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Judge Dredd: The Mega Collection #33
Judge Dredd: The Day the Law Died
When Judge Dredd returns from the Cursed Earth, he’s convicted of murder! So begins an epic slice of Judge Dredd history, available now in paperback! With Dredd out of the way, the crazed head of the Special Judicial Service, Judge Cal, seizes control of Mega-City One and imposes a murderous dictatorship upon its citizens. Only Dredd, aided by a handful of wounded Judges, can stop the madness — and save Mega-City One from its darkest hour yet! Featuring work by fan-favourite Brian Bolland ( The Killing Joke) and classic Dredd artist Mike McMahon (Sláine, A.B.C. Warriors), this gorgeous new paperback is a must for the collection of every Judge Dredd and 2000 AD fan!
144 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1995
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About the author
John Wagner
1,294 books191 followersJohn 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)
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
June 6, 2021
Two great storylines right after one another! First Pat Mills had Dredd thrown into the tense and thrilling action hellscape of Cursed Earth; and now, without a moment's break, John Wagner has him fight a more comedic but no less challenging front right at home. The two men are at their best in these early years.
If you were to twist my arm and pick a favourite, though, I'd say this Wagner's contribution would fall a little short, by comparison. It's got some of those early gimmicky characters I never cared for - Walter, Maria, and Giant and his outdated slang - and for that matter, a whole Mega-City-spanning epic always has a bit of an uphill battle to earn my approval. Put together, they chip away maybe a half-star of the whole thing: it's just a matter of personal taste, anyway, these little niggles that many here will disagree on.
I also wish we'd seen more of the Chief Judge Goodman before he passed. He should have had at least another forty years of chief judging ahead of him. Truly a good man.
If you were to twist my arm and pick a favourite, though, I'd say this Wagner's contribution would fall a little short, by comparison. It's got some of those early gimmicky characters I never cared for - Walter, Maria, and Giant and his outdated slang - and for that matter, a whole Mega-City-spanning epic always has a bit of an uphill battle to earn my approval. Put together, they chip away maybe a half-star of the whole thing: it's just a matter of personal taste, anyway, these little niggles that many here will disagree on.
I also wish we'd seen more of the Chief Judge Goodman before he passed. He should have had at least another forty years of chief judging ahead of him. Truly a good man.
September 22, 2016
I don't know if The Day The Law Died is conventionally held to be in the A-list of Judge Dredd mega-epics? But for my money it's basically perfect, finding as it does that elusive alchemical formula between dramatic tension, ultraviolence, and untrammeled silliness that will power a golden age of Dredd for years from this point.
Which means that any shortfall in this volume comes from its (loose) sequel, Helter Skelter. And while this Ennis-penned story is no disaster of Judgement Day proportions, its conceit of "a team-up of all the protagonist's greatest foes" was bloody silly in The Pandorica Opens and it's bloody silly here. But in the wrong way: Judge Cal was so joyously bonkers in the original, that this spiteful, pull-the-wings-off-flies sadist is cheap in comparison. And obviously none of Dredd's other "greatest foes" finds their finest hour as part of a gauntlet for Joe to run, in which he obviously disposes of them in a few panels/with a cheap quip each. Also, what did Judge Giant ever do to Garth Ennis to get branded as a pan-dimensional loser here?
It's interesting to see Ennis writing Dredd here as a dichotomy between the unlikeable, inflexible stone killer and the moral hero with total commitment to protecting every single citizen at absolutely any cost. However in spite of the hagiographical sections, I do think the Dredd of this era comes across as quite unpleasant, engaging in way too much unnecessary brutality towards the perps; give me the uncomplicated idealism and the singing-and-dancing-Klegg musical interludes of the late 70s any day.
Which means that any shortfall in this volume comes from its (loose) sequel, Helter Skelter. And while this Ennis-penned story is no disaster of Judgement Day proportions, its conceit of "a team-up of all the protagonist's greatest foes" was bloody silly in The Pandorica Opens and it's bloody silly here. But in the wrong way: Judge Cal was so joyously bonkers in the original, that this spiteful, pull-the-wings-off-flies sadist is cheap in comparison. And obviously none of Dredd's other "greatest foes" finds their finest hour as part of a gauntlet for Joe to run, in which he obviously disposes of them in a few panels/with a cheap quip each. Also, what did Judge Giant ever do to Garth Ennis to get branded as a pan-dimensional loser here?
It's interesting to see Ennis writing Dredd here as a dichotomy between the unlikeable, inflexible stone killer and the moral hero with total commitment to protecting every single citizen at absolutely any cost. However in spite of the hagiographical sections, I do think the Dredd of this era comes across as quite unpleasant, engaging in way too much unnecessary brutality towards the perps; give me the uncomplicated idealism and the singing-and-dancing-Klegg musical interludes of the late 70s any day.
January 23, 2022
"The Day the Law Died" where Judge Cal takes over Mega City One and begins an incredibly tyrannical spree of terror that includes naming his fish Deputy Chief Judge, banning happiness, and other acts of insanity.
Based after Caligula, Judge Cal is always entertaining but as deep as a puddle. We never learn why Judge Cal is insane and you'd think they would have picked that up in the Judge's genetic as well as psychological screening. Even so, he proves to be a formidable foe for Judge Dredd and it's interesting to watch our protagonist largely helpless against the system that trained him.
Despite enjoying it more than "The Cursed Earth" I have to say that I it is a story that runs a little too long. It also doesn't get very deep into the contradictions Judge Cal introduces into Dredd's world of being the Chief Judge and making Dredd an outlaw. Hell, even the Sylvester Stallone movie touched on that. The fact Judge Cal is using mind control on his fellow Judges also makes the story less interesting than it might have been. On the plus side, it has giant alien mutant alligators with guns.
Still, I consider it to be a must read.
Based after Caligula, Judge Cal is always entertaining but as deep as a puddle. We never learn why Judge Cal is insane and you'd think they would have picked that up in the Judge's genetic as well as psychological screening. Even so, he proves to be a formidable foe for Judge Dredd and it's interesting to watch our protagonist largely helpless against the system that trained him.
Despite enjoying it more than "The Cursed Earth" I have to say that I it is a story that runs a little too long. It also doesn't get very deep into the contradictions Judge Cal introduces into Dredd's world of being the Chief Judge and making Dredd an outlaw. Hell, even the Sylvester Stallone movie touched on that. The fact Judge Cal is using mind control on his fellow Judges also makes the story less interesting than it might have been. On the plus side, it has giant alien mutant alligators with guns.
Still, I consider it to be a must read.
January 28, 2017
Da pravda postoji, već bi se uveliko radovali nastavku filma "Dredd" iz 2012. godine a za tematika tog nastavka bi, nadam se, bila ova priča. Iako mi je u početku bio pomalo odbojan koncept poprilično nagomilanih kratkih, povezanih priča na nekih 6 strana po broju, prilično lako sam se zaukao i prevazišao tu strukturalnu barijeru i sa lakoćom i uživanjem ispratio sve nedaće na koje su sudije Megasitija 1 naišle. Dred ima tu finu moralnu stranu da racionalno pristupa različitim situacijama dok ne krene sve da se ruši na njega gde i sam prestaje da bira sredstva i čini sve što je potrebno da bi se obezbedila sigurnost većine, makar to značilo i ostavljanja pojedinaca po strani. Kal je jako simpatičan negativac čije su ideje vickaste i iako na prvu loptu metaforične, uvek pokušava da ih realizuje što samo još više izražava njegovu mentalnu nestabilnost.
Jedva čekam da se bacim na sledeću knjigu.
Jedva čekam da se bacim na sledeću knjigu.
July 29, 2015
Στα Ελληνικά θα το βρείτε ως Judge Dredd Ολοκληρωμένες υποθέσεις 2.2 (ουσιαστικά το 2ο μισό του Judge Dredd: The Complete Case Files 02. Καλό, αν και λίγο αφελές (λογικό για την εποχή του - 1978) με ευφάνταστα σκηνικά και μία μεγαλύτερη πλοκή (σπασμένη σε "τευχάκια" των 6-8 σελίδων) που σε κρατάει
March 11, 2021
Coming immediately after the sprawling "Cursed Earth" saga Dredd returns to Mega-City One and must fight through a murderous power grab by the despotic Judge Cal which sees the city change forever. This political epic is one of a handful of absolute key stories in the earliest phase of the enormous Dredd canon occurring remarkably just a year or so after the character's creation and really cementing a lot of the core concepts of the world. 2000 AD was a children's weekly anthology comic in the late 70s and the sillier trappings of that demographic and era of comics mixed in with serious brutality and genuinely brilliant storytelling make this a mind-bending read. The tyrannical Cal is a fantastically realised villain and his disturbing narcissistic leadership feels magnificently timeless - the pace is relentless and the constant twists and turns necessitated by episodic storytelling gives it a glorious energy.
In terms of comic art there isn't a single arc in Dredd history which presents such a complete cross-section of contemporary talent with no less than seven of the legendary golden age Dredd artists covering the 20-odd parts of the saga. Even Dredd's co-creator Carlos Ezquerra (who wasn't working for 2000 AD at the time to my knowledge) gets a cameo drawn in for him. From the bold idiosyncrasy of McMahon, to the mesmerisingly detailed Bolland, to punky legends Brendan McCarthy & Brett Ewins and magnificent Dredd journeymen like Garry Leach and Ron Smith. Even Dave Gibbons has six pages in there! It's hard to put into words what it is to go through it all and see these masters all handing the baton about so ably, seeing each one have a go at Cal - it's like some sort of glorious concept album with all the greatest musicians of an era contributing parts to it and covering eachother's songs. I mean it was likely an unimaginable pain to organise in the paper-only era but that only makes the execution of it all the more remarkable.
The edition I have is one of the glossy and pleasingly massive Titan soft-covers from the early 00's - when I was a teenage newbie to 2000 AD and was rapaciously consuming the entire back catalogue. Every purchase was a trove of incredible riches and this is no exception and took me back to those heady days of pure comic consumption. My personal joy over it as an item combined with it being an absolute technical pinnacle of British comics, a vital part in Judge Dredd's history, a wildly anarchic tale within of itself and a showcase of some of the finest comic artists of the era makes The Day the Law Died one of my most precious book-shaped objects. That and the Apocalypse War. Oh and The Cursed Earth itself of course. Also all the thousands of 2000 ADs I've got in the house. Them as well. Drokk.
In terms of comic art there isn't a single arc in Dredd history which presents such a complete cross-section of contemporary talent with no less than seven of the legendary golden age Dredd artists covering the 20-odd parts of the saga. Even Dredd's co-creator Carlos Ezquerra (who wasn't working for 2000 AD at the time to my knowledge) gets a cameo drawn in for him. From the bold idiosyncrasy of McMahon, to the mesmerisingly detailed Bolland, to punky legends Brendan McCarthy & Brett Ewins and magnificent Dredd journeymen like Garry Leach and Ron Smith. Even Dave Gibbons has six pages in there! It's hard to put into words what it is to go through it all and see these masters all handing the baton about so ably, seeing each one have a go at Cal - it's like some sort of glorious concept album with all the greatest musicians of an era contributing parts to it and covering eachother's songs. I mean it was likely an unimaginable pain to organise in the paper-only era but that only makes the execution of it all the more remarkable.
The edition I have is one of the glossy and pleasingly massive Titan soft-covers from the early 00's - when I was a teenage newbie to 2000 AD and was rapaciously consuming the entire back catalogue. Every purchase was a trove of incredible riches and this is no exception and took me back to those heady days of pure comic consumption. My personal joy over it as an item combined with it being an absolute technical pinnacle of British comics, a vital part in Judge Dredd's history, a wildly anarchic tale within of itself and a showcase of some of the finest comic artists of the era makes The Day the Law Died one of my most precious book-shaped objects. That and the Apocalypse War. Oh and The Cursed Earth itself of course. Also all the thousands of 2000 ADs I've got in the house. Them as well. Drokk.
June 25, 2020
There’s a plot here, and a plotter. Deputy Chief Judge Cal has Dredd famed for murder then has the Chief Judge stabbed to death by several evil dudes in a Caesar style assassination. Cal himself, who looks quite a lot like the Roman emperor Caligula, a subtle classical reference, takes over as Chief Judge. He is bonkers. He has one Judge doing duty in his underwear as punishment for having a loose button; he passes laws making happiness illegal and appoints a fish as Deputy Chief Judge. Writer John Wagner has a lot of fun. It ought to be a fantastical notion that a sophisticated civilization could be taken over by a complete lunatic but sadly it has happened too often in real life.
Dredd, found guilty of murder, is shipped off to the prison moon Titan but makes a daring escape from the ship conveying him thither. He launches a resistance movement, aided by loyal Judge Giant and an assortment of old tutors from the Academy, former Judges wounded in action and more used to inactive service.
The story is episodic, made up week by week rather than to an overall plan, I suspect but that can work out okay. Dickens often wrote that way and Alan Moore’s 'V for Vendetta' apparently started out without any grand design, evolving along the way. Wagner keeps the plot wheels turning nicely with evil reptilian alien mercenaries called Kleggs serving Chief Judge Cal and a strong, stupid brute called Fergee, from the smelly river, helping Dredd. The art by Mike McMahon, Ron Smith, Brian Bolland et al is all of good quality.
There is a cover gallery at the back which reveals that back in 1978-1979 when these stories appeared the 2000AD comic - such a futuristic title then! - cost just 10p in Earth money. As the British empire did not conquer the entire globe even in its heyday this was only British money really. Even so, the current issue of 2000AD will set you back 23 times as much. It won’t be 23 times as good, I’ll warrant, though it might be 23 times as gory. Times have changed.
This digest-sized volume is easy on the wallet at £6.99 but the small print can be a bit hard on the eyes for older readers. Still, it’s meant for younger readers mostly. For that small amount of Earth money, you get 135 pages of good quality story and art. A bargain.
Dredd, found guilty of murder, is shipped off to the prison moon Titan but makes a daring escape from the ship conveying him thither. He launches a resistance movement, aided by loyal Judge Giant and an assortment of old tutors from the Academy, former Judges wounded in action and more used to inactive service.
The story is episodic, made up week by week rather than to an overall plan, I suspect but that can work out okay. Dickens often wrote that way and Alan Moore’s 'V for Vendetta' apparently started out without any grand design, evolving along the way. Wagner keeps the plot wheels turning nicely with evil reptilian alien mercenaries called Kleggs serving Chief Judge Cal and a strong, stupid brute called Fergee, from the smelly river, helping Dredd. The art by Mike McMahon, Ron Smith, Brian Bolland et al is all of good quality.
There is a cover gallery at the back which reveals that back in 1978-1979 when these stories appeared the 2000AD comic - such a futuristic title then! - cost just 10p in Earth money. As the British empire did not conquer the entire globe even in its heyday this was only British money really. Even so, the current issue of 2000AD will set you back 23 times as much. It won’t be 23 times as good, I’ll warrant, though it might be 23 times as gory. Times have changed.
This digest-sized volume is easy on the wallet at £6.99 but the small print can be a bit hard on the eyes for older readers. Still, it’s meant for younger readers mostly. For that small amount of Earth money, you get 135 pages of good quality story and art. A bargain.
August 17, 2018
This part of the Judge Dredd Mega Collection houses two stories - the brilliant “The Day The Law Died” and the dull and woeful “Helter Skelter”.
The link between these two stories is the presence of the main villain, Cal. Unfortunately the humour and creativity in the title Dredd epic is lacking in the second. In the first story, Cal comes across as completely mad, a pantomime villain with a cruelty and flamboyance that feeds his character and makes him one of the greats. In the second story Cal is just another cardboard villain. In fact, aside from the visual nostalgia of Helter Skelter, there is nothing memorable or worthwhile in the story.
5* for The Day The Law Died
1* for Helter Skelter.
The link between these two stories is the presence of the main villain, Cal. Unfortunately the humour and creativity in the title Dredd epic is lacking in the second. In the first story, Cal comes across as completely mad, a pantomime villain with a cruelty and flamboyance that feeds his character and makes him one of the greats. In the second story Cal is just another cardboard villain. In fact, aside from the visual nostalgia of Helter Skelter, there is nothing memorable or worthwhile in the story.
5* for The Day The Law Died
1* for Helter Skelter.
December 23, 2018
The story’s a 5* classic, this edition loses a star for the horribly tiny reprint.
June 2, 2025
Another classic mega-epic. Cal (played by Pat Mills) has some great lines. The backup strip (Helter Skelter) reads like Ennis is pitching to Big Finish.
January 25, 2016
Okay... so this is Judge Dredd. Although I am in a period of reading pieces of miscellany, I came across this blast from the past. This book should remind lover's of Dredd why they loved it. The art is sharp, the writing crisp. This work came out of the ground breaking (for Dredd) 'Cursed Earth' series. Although it has all the ingredients, it doesn't live up to its predecessor. Don't get me wrong. All of the elements are there. The short episodic construction of story. The whole "I am the law" approach of the Justices... but it isn't as engrossing. Perhaps too much of the Adolescent Andy was present in his memories of Mega-City One, and the rest of the world of Judge Dredd, but it is good for a blast to the past and for reaching for a comic that was cutting edge back in the day.
August 14, 2016
Cal former head of the SJS becomes chief Judge and begins an insane reign of terror causing Dredd to rise up and storm the hall of justice!
Being a Classics nut I absolutely love this one. Cal is a thinly veiled Caligula and there are lots of parallels - like him making his favourite pet (here a fish) his second in command. Dredd's speech impeded robot Walter is also on hand giving some great comedy.
The other story in this one is Helter Skelter in which Cal and a bunch of Classic Dredd villains come from alternative dimensions to kill Dredd as this is the only reality in which he still lives. Quite a clever story and a wonderful homage to old skool 2000AD.
A must for Dredd fans.
Being a Classics nut I absolutely love this one. Cal is a thinly veiled Caligula and there are lots of parallels - like him making his favourite pet (here a fish) his second in command. Dredd's speech impeded robot Walter is also on hand giving some great comedy.
The other story in this one is Helter Skelter in which Cal and a bunch of Classic Dredd villains come from alternative dimensions to kill Dredd as this is the only reality in which he still lives. Quite a clever story and a wonderful homage to old skool 2000AD.
A must for Dredd fans.
February 19, 2015
Aventura extensa que toma como eje la llegada al poder (mediante argucias y asesinatos) de un Juez Jefe con aires dictatoriales, bajo cuyo gobierno la ciudad se convierte en un lugar caótico y déspota.
No son pocas las referencias a Caligula y Nerón, satirizadas al límite en paralelos como el de nombrar a un pez de consejero. Más orientada a la guerra civil que al filón policial (como suele ocurrir con los guiones extensos de Wagner), resulta una amena lectura para el aficionado, pero quizás no tanto para el lector casual.
No son pocas las referencias a Caligula y Nerón, satirizadas al límite en paralelos como el de nombrar a un pez de consejero. Más orientada a la guerra civil que al filón policial (como suele ocurrir con los guiones extensos de Wagner), resulta una amena lectura para el aficionado, pero quizás no tanto para el lector casual.
June 9, 2011
One of the all time classic Judge Dredd stories. Also, this was the first efford done to turn the world of Judge Dredd to audio drama.
Sadly, it was not all well done. Some of the action was a bit hard to follow. But as Big Finish proved later, it could be done very well also.
But anyhoo, good stuff. Not totally brilliant, but good.
Sadly, it was not all well done. Some of the action was a bit hard to follow. But as Big Finish proved later, it could be done very well also.
But anyhoo, good stuff. Not totally brilliant, but good.
November 13, 2021
Read this again because I'd read the history of Judge Dredd a couple of weeks back. The original run of the Judge Cal saga is still entertaining... the modern story at the end by a different writer, not so much.
January 4, 2013
Have listened to the BBC audio drama. This is pretty terrible. Way, way too silly for my tastes.
June 1, 2017
Another episode from Judge Dredd, nothing really interesting... Not Making a review. Only watch if you are going to watch the other two dozen or so...
October 15, 2013
Love Dredd, but have always found this story just a little too silly.
May 15, 2014
To small for comfortable reading
April 8, 2017
Political satire via action thriller with everything turned up. It's funny and rockets along. And, though obviously based on Caligula, the mad wall-obsessed golden-head leader still feels relevant today.
There's an extra story at the end which is mostly fan service but has surprisingly good character moments in there.
There's an extra story at the end which is mostly fan service but has surprisingly good character moments in there.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews