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Judge Dredd: The Complete Case Files + The Restricted Files+ The Daily Dredds
Judge Dredd: The Complete Case Files 15
In the aftermath of 'Necropolis', Judge Dredd returns to full duty, policing the mean streets of Mega-City One and beyond. No one can escape the law; not even in the Emerald Isle!
Collects:
- Theatre of Death (Prog #700-#701)
- Nightmares (Prog #702-#706)
- Wot I Did During Necropolis (Prog #707-#709)
- The Revised Macbeth (Prog #710)
- Death Aid (Prog #711-#720)
- First Offence (Prog #716)
- Fixing Daddy (Prog #717)
- La Placa Rifa (Prog #718)
- Driller Killer (Prog #721)
- The Apartment (Prog #722)
- Bill Bailey Won't You Please Come Home (Prog #723-#726)
- Emerald Isle (Prog #727-#732)
- Return of the King (Prog #733-#735)
- Midnite's Children (Meg #1.01-#1.05)
- I Singe the Body Electric (Meg #1.06)
- Black Widow (Meg #1.07-#1.09)
- The Gipper's Big Night (Meg #1.10)
Collects:
- Theatre of Death (Prog #700-#701)
- Nightmares (Prog #702-#706)
- Wot I Did During Necropolis (Prog #707-#709)
- The Revised Macbeth (Prog #710)
- Death Aid (Prog #711-#720)
- First Offence (Prog #716)
- Fixing Daddy (Prog #717)
- La Placa Rifa (Prog #718)
- Driller Killer (Prog #721)
- The Apartment (Prog #722)
- Bill Bailey Won't You Please Come Home (Prog #723-#726)
- Emerald Isle (Prog #727-#732)
- Return of the King (Prog #733-#735)
- Midnite's Children (Meg #1.01-#1.05)
- I Singe the Body Electric (Meg #1.06)
- Black Widow (Meg #1.07-#1.09)
- The Gipper's Big Night (Meg #1.10)
320 pages, Paperback
First published October 13, 1990
9 people are currently reading
134 people want to read
About the author
John Wagner
1,284 books189 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 - 21 of 21 reviews
April 24, 2016
More Necropolis fallout and it's getting dull by this time. Once that's over we get regular short pieces. The art is mediocre and frequently garish. The non epic stories are dull. It's all very humourless. I really found myself wishing for the crisp black and white art, wit and satire of the old days. At this point John Wagner had been walking away from the writing and Garth Ennis stepped in. My least favourite of the case files so far, by a long way.
June 25, 2020
The story continues. The Complete Case Files v. 14 featured the long Necropolis story which ended in 2000 AD Prog 699. This volume starts with Prog 700 and Judge Death is still on the loose in Mega-City One. So is P.J. Maybe, the genius psychopathic killer, who escaped during the chaos of Necropolis. Furthermore, the good citizens of the city are disgruntled with the Judges after their failure to stop Judge Death's sisters, which resulted in sixty million dead. The democrats are on the march and the Chief Judge is a bearded lady with a split personality. All in all, Dredd has his work cut out.
This volume is more of a collection of short tales, albeit with a continuing background and sub-plots running through it. The Judges are trying to restore order to Mega-City One and have a full caseload. Yassa Povey, a boy blinded when he saved Judge Dredd out in the Cursed Earth, is bought to the city to get new eyes but kidnapped and held for ransom. A group of nutters called the Hunters Club decides to go on a sponsored killing spree, for charity. 'It's for charity' they say as they wipe out several dozen citizens, the ultimate justification. The Rudee Vallee Rude Juves and the Jason King Bloods dare to have turf wars on Judge Dredd's turf. There are illegal street fights with Driller Killer. The destruction caused by Judge Death and his pals has created a housing list of five million, all living in camps and getting tense. A Citydef outfit from Bill Bailey block goes rogue and Dredd pins them down in the Peter Palumbo Shelter for the Harmlessly Insane. As ever in 2000 AD strips the names are richly evocative of British culture.
Among my favourites was a multipart story 'Emerald Isle' in which our hero goes abroad to track down a terrorist who assassinated a foreign ambassador in his city. Murphyville, excellent name, has become a theme park in which stereotyped images from the Isle's past are emphasized. There are charming cottages, pubs, synthi-stout and spuds. Dredd liaises with the Irish Judge Joyce whose first move is to invite him out for a few jars. The terrorists want to overthrow the theme park regime and get rid of the quaintness, the spuds and so on. I have met Irishmen who feel exactly this way about their cute image. Garth Ennis, the author, is from Northern Ireland.
Old stalwarts John Wagner and Alan Grant are the other contributing writers to this volume. To find out who wrote what would be a laborious process of tracking down the title pages and locating the microscopic credits. Unfortunately, the publishers have not included a contents page. There is one in 'Judge Dredd: The Restricted Files 01' and it is probably useful for the casual reader as well as reviewers, not least because some of the credits are pseudonymous, for whatever reason, and the contents page gives the real names of the creditworthy.
There is a long list of artists and again the individual story credits must be located to see who did what. Steve Dillon stood out for me. G. Caldwell did some good things, with an airbrush I think, to give an eerie feel to a tale of two mad sisters. Some of the other fellows seem to use gaudy painting to cover bad drawing. Comic artists are not illustrators and in the name of style and dynamism can get away with a lot but I thought some could have tried harder. Overall, though, the art is pretty good and this volume is another worthy addition to the continuing story. Later Dredd stories are good, sometimes great, but the very early ones were not so wonderful so it's hard to know at what point to start collecting this series. A completist, of course, would buy the whole lot.
This volume is more of a collection of short tales, albeit with a continuing background and sub-plots running through it. The Judges are trying to restore order to Mega-City One and have a full caseload. Yassa Povey, a boy blinded when he saved Judge Dredd out in the Cursed Earth, is bought to the city to get new eyes but kidnapped and held for ransom. A group of nutters called the Hunters Club decides to go on a sponsored killing spree, for charity. 'It's for charity' they say as they wipe out several dozen citizens, the ultimate justification. The Rudee Vallee Rude Juves and the Jason King Bloods dare to have turf wars on Judge Dredd's turf. There are illegal street fights with Driller Killer. The destruction caused by Judge Death and his pals has created a housing list of five million, all living in camps and getting tense. A Citydef outfit from Bill Bailey block goes rogue and Dredd pins them down in the Peter Palumbo Shelter for the Harmlessly Insane. As ever in 2000 AD strips the names are richly evocative of British culture.
Among my favourites was a multipart story 'Emerald Isle' in which our hero goes abroad to track down a terrorist who assassinated a foreign ambassador in his city. Murphyville, excellent name, has become a theme park in which stereotyped images from the Isle's past are emphasized. There are charming cottages, pubs, synthi-stout and spuds. Dredd liaises with the Irish Judge Joyce whose first move is to invite him out for a few jars. The terrorists want to overthrow the theme park regime and get rid of the quaintness, the spuds and so on. I have met Irishmen who feel exactly this way about their cute image. Garth Ennis, the author, is from Northern Ireland.
Old stalwarts John Wagner and Alan Grant are the other contributing writers to this volume. To find out who wrote what would be a laborious process of tracking down the title pages and locating the microscopic credits. Unfortunately, the publishers have not included a contents page. There is one in 'Judge Dredd: The Restricted Files 01' and it is probably useful for the casual reader as well as reviewers, not least because some of the credits are pseudonymous, for whatever reason, and the contents page gives the real names of the creditworthy.
There is a long list of artists and again the individual story credits must be located to see who did what. Steve Dillon stood out for me. G. Caldwell did some good things, with an airbrush I think, to give an eerie feel to a tale of two mad sisters. Some of the other fellows seem to use gaudy painting to cover bad drawing. Comic artists are not illustrators and in the name of style and dynamism can get away with a lot but I thought some could have tried harder. Overall, though, the art is pretty good and this volume is another worthy addition to the continuing story. Later Dredd stories are good, sometimes great, but the very early ones were not so wonderful so it's hard to know at what point to start collecting this series. A completist, of course, would buy the whole lot.
January 7, 2023
There’s a handy metaphor for how quickly Dredd goes to pot post Necropolis and that’s to look at how long Dredd’s facial disfigurement gets mentioned: during the earlier, more carefully plotted episodes here it’s a big deal that
Dredd looks nearly as monstrous as the missing in action Judge Death. It’s a sort of useful reminder of the very real scars that are left on Mega City One and when suddenly it’s just not there any more we also get the sense that the mass PTSD of Necropolis isn’t a big deal either. Take for example Judge Silver’s exit, which could have been an interesting way of exploring how so many Judges were complicit in Necropolis (hinted at better in the very good Nightmares story). But no, it’s just a sort of vaguely wacky concept of an undead chief judge being blown apart by Dredd
And the person who writes that also typifies the other handy metaphor for the decline in the story. The plan seems to be this: Wagner has been trying to set up an exit plan from the somewhat onerous task of feeding the Dredd world with weekly plots for some time, has neatly recalibrated the status quo and probably thinks he can happily pass it off to a new writer while he beds in the Megazine and then hopefully can do new stuff. This resolutely and successfully works with Day of Chaos, but here? A chaotic prodigy of a sort gets the reins in the form of Garth Ennis, and his problems as a writer are evident from the off. He’s not as huge a nihilist as Mark Millar, thank god, but he has a tendency to find a good set up for a story and then be tempted by black comedy, resulting in a conclusion that’s inevitably a godawful mess. Death Aid shows this from the off, and the only reason Emerald Isle just about escapes unscathed is because Dillon seems to be able to bring out the best in Ennis. Plus the plot has a bit of anger to it, which means that it doesn’t just end as a mess but has a bit of a purpose to it
Otherwise things are messy plot wise and especially artistically. There’s a belated last hurrah for Ron Smith, who completely muddles a story unsuited to his skills, and by the halfway point there’s a succession of highly stylised and, quite frankly, highly shit artists who try and push the series into new shapes and frankly can’t do it. You get good stories muddied by awful artwork, decent plots ruined by muddled understanding of sequential storytelling and a sort of laziness to the quality control. The worst example is a dull little story called Black Widow, ruined by one of the most extraordinary artists the prog has ever had - John Hicklenton - getting precisely no guidance for his incredible talent, one that worked so brilliantly with Nemesis, resulting in some of the most muddled and unreadable work ever published by 2000AD. It’s as if the publishers have decided to just coast and let any old shite get in the comic. This is hard going by the end, I can tell you
Dredd looks nearly as monstrous as the missing in action Judge Death. It’s a sort of useful reminder of the very real scars that are left on Mega City One and when suddenly it’s just not there any more we also get the sense that the mass PTSD of Necropolis isn’t a big deal either. Take for example Judge Silver’s exit, which could have been an interesting way of exploring how so many Judges were complicit in Necropolis (hinted at better in the very good Nightmares story). But no, it’s just a sort of vaguely wacky concept of an undead chief judge being blown apart by Dredd
And the person who writes that also typifies the other handy metaphor for the decline in the story. The plan seems to be this: Wagner has been trying to set up an exit plan from the somewhat onerous task of feeding the Dredd world with weekly plots for some time, has neatly recalibrated the status quo and probably thinks he can happily pass it off to a new writer while he beds in the Megazine and then hopefully can do new stuff. This resolutely and successfully works with Day of Chaos, but here? A chaotic prodigy of a sort gets the reins in the form of Garth Ennis, and his problems as a writer are evident from the off. He’s not as huge a nihilist as Mark Millar, thank god, but he has a tendency to find a good set up for a story and then be tempted by black comedy, resulting in a conclusion that’s inevitably a godawful mess. Death Aid shows this from the off, and the only reason Emerald Isle just about escapes unscathed is because Dillon seems to be able to bring out the best in Ennis. Plus the plot has a bit of anger to it, which means that it doesn’t just end as a mess but has a bit of a purpose to it
Otherwise things are messy plot wise and especially artistically. There’s a belated last hurrah for Ron Smith, who completely muddles a story unsuited to his skills, and by the halfway point there’s a succession of highly stylised and, quite frankly, highly shit artists who try and push the series into new shapes and frankly can’t do it. You get good stories muddied by awful artwork, decent plots ruined by muddled understanding of sequential storytelling and a sort of laziness to the quality control. The worst example is a dull little story called Black Widow, ruined by one of the most extraordinary artists the prog has ever had - John Hicklenton - getting precisely no guidance for his incredible talent, one that worked so brilliantly with Nemesis, resulting in some of the most muddled and unreadable work ever published by 2000AD. It’s as if the publishers have decided to just coast and let any old shite get in the comic. This is hard going by the end, I can tell you
December 31, 2024
It was always going to be hard to follow up the fantastic “Necropolis” story arc that came before the stories in this collection, so in a sense, I’m not really all that surprised that Case Files 15 really didn’t do much for me. There are a few ok-ish 3 or 4 part progs here, like “Nightmares” and “Death Aid” and the 2 part “Black Widow” that comes from the restricted files, but otherwise, the rest of the stuff that comes in Case Files 15 is forgettable or boring. The consistency also fails when it comes to the artwork, as it’s all over the place, from excellent to downright ugly and everything in between. If anything, the collected progs in this collection at least showcase that the Dredd mythos has changed. A lot of the tongue in cheek silliness of the first couple of years of the comic has been washed away and things feel a bit more serious. That’s not to say some of the original ideas and concepts aren’t all gone (we still see Driller Killer and a few dumb characters from previous progs), however it’s pretty apparent Garth Ennis’s version of Dredd is slowly taking over and replacing a lot of the past. For better or worse? I guess we will just have to wait and see…
January 17, 2021
Kind of disappointing in that it doesn't follow the ideas set up in the Necropolis arc, but just returns to the status quo, ho-hum.
On the bright side, the legendary Garth Ennis becomes one of Dredd's main writers. His "Death Aid" storyline is easily the best in the book. The "Emerald Isle" storyline is also pretty good.
Aside from that there's not a whole lot to speak of, apart from the "Bill Bailey" and "Midnite's Children" storyline.
On the bright side, the legendary Garth Ennis becomes one of Dredd's main writers. His "Death Aid" storyline is easily the best in the book. The "Emerald Isle" storyline is also pretty good.
Aside from that there's not a whole lot to speak of, apart from the "Bill Bailey" and "Midnite's Children" storyline.
September 1, 2018
Really few derivatives, most stories are really good, the highlight being "Emerald Isle" which is (to my knowledge) the first collaboration between Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon (R.I.P.) and it's lots of fun. Highly recommended.
November 29, 2018
A climb down after the huge events of Necropolis in 14, 15 is more a getting back to business as usual in the Big Meg. The Emerald Isle storyline was perhaps the stand out of this volume for me, the judges there really needed to learn from Dredd's example when it comes to crime imho
July 29, 2021
So much happened in the previous book, Necropolis and such. Sadly this collection does not follow the high now the previous one set. Maybe now it is time to take a breather. Or maybe it is that Garth Ennis never quite got the way to write Judge Dredd rightly.
But great Steve Dillon art.
But great Steve Dillon art.
November 4, 2023
This was an entertaining case file with a fix of old characters returning and the shadow of the Necropolis story hanging high. The biggest challenge in this case file is that it follows the last which was simply so hardcore.
April 23, 2018
Post Necropolis stories, which were actually new to me. A mixed bag, but generally pretty good.
March 30, 2019
Solid collection of Dredd stories including some early work by "Preacher" team Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon.
January 1, 2020
Enter Garth Ennis!
April 28, 2020
Dredd...
Takes the long Walk.
Faces necropolis aftermath.
The black widow.
P. J. Maybe is back.
Will any take down Dredd?
Takes the long Walk.
Faces necropolis aftermath.
The black widow.
P. J. Maybe is back.
Will any take down Dredd?
June 5, 2020
It's pretty phenomenal up until Midnight's Children, which sadly signals a sharp downward turn for the whole volume.
May 14, 2021
Garth Ennis is no John Wagner.
February 12, 2023
Eye read about 2018-2019
7/10
7/10
April 13, 2023
Full colour but pretty dark. Not sure i have read these before
Read
August 16, 2023Full of plot twists right from the beginning, cunning opponents, brilliant eye popping art, daring do and epic events from the start! :D
July 26, 2025
A mixed bag of stories. Some great stuff.
December 4, 2025
I am on a reading marathon bing reading of rereading the Judge Dredd graphic novels as I simply love them. I can't get enough of them as they are so additives.
Best wishes Sean
Best wishes Sean
February 13, 2017
A few interesting art directions in this volume, but overall business as usual. Many a story deals with the aftermath of Necropolis, although there is a welcome return from The Hunter's Club and wonderfully prejudiced tale set in the Emerald Isle, an Ireland of the future that has been transformed into a stereotype encouraging theme park... all in the name of satire, of course. P.J.Maybe is back, as well as some soldiers who haven't realised the SOV war is over (interestingly, they are from the Bill Bailey block). Return of the King is a great set up but ultimately a three part story that goes nowhere. While the story may not be great, the art department really take Dredd to the next level with their beautiful full-colour drawings of an alien creature that feeds on desperate men in Black Widow.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews