The Best of "Judge Dredd"

by John Wagner, Alan Grant, Pat Mills

A selection of strips from '2000 AD' and the 'Judge Dredd' magazine

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Science Fiction, Anthologies

304 pages, Hardcover

First published August 3, 2009

About the author

John 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)

Reviews

[Steve Chaput · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great collection of Dredd stories from the early days through over a decade. Both in B&W and color with numerous artists and co-writers.

Some story arcs are not complete, but they give you a good idea of how Warner could put in some humor while other tales tend to be darker.

A nice introduction to Dredd and his world, especially if you only know the characters from the films.

[Michael Allan Leonard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Judge Dredd is one of comics' most unique characters, able to be either protagonist or antagonist, depending on the nature of the story -- he's either a jackbooted thug serving a pseudo-fascist post-apocalyptic regime, or he's the no-nonsense, hard-nosed straight man of justice holding together what's left of law and order in a deranged, ultraviolent future.

And in the best Dredd tales, he's a complex mix of both.

Few comic heroes invite an internal debate of a reader's personal moral and philosophical stances the way Dredd does, mostly served with a deep vein of pitch black humor and satire to keep it from taking itself too seriously. This volume contains a nice overview of strips dating back to his first appearance in 1977 -- there a few samples of longer tales that are left hanging, fully reprinted in other volumes to seek out if you're so inclined -- but plenty of powerful and entertaining complete stories, as well.

For a newcomer or casual fan, this is a great mix of classic and modern material that serves as a nice day trip to Mega-City One.

[Skjam! · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is the dark future of the 22nd Century. Nuclear war and environmental devastation have made large portions of Earth’s surface barely inhabitable, and the majority of the remaining population is crowded into sprawling urban areas called Mega-Cities. Overpopulation, high unemployment, and a general social despair have caused crime to skyrocket. To combat this, most law enforcement has been turned over to an elite force of Judges, who act as police, the judicial system and the prison system all in one. It takes a special breed of human to become a Judge, and the most legendary of these is Judge Dredd.

Judge Dredd first appeared in the second issue of the British comic weekly 2000 AD in 1977, but quickly became the magazine’s flagship character. The strip combined dystopian science fiction with dark humor and Dirty Harry style violence. Over the course of the first few years, the Judges went from an adjunct to the regular police force to the only viable government of Mega-City One due to repeated disasters. As a literal police state, the Judges tackled any problem by criminalizing it, the flaws in this becoming more obvious with time.

Dredd himself is an antihero, an incorruptible man who is trying his best to make the system work, but the system is so oppressive that it crushes the people beneath it, even when properly applied. And one of the recurring themes is that the Judge system lends itself to corruption and abuse, and fails even at its most basic purpose of reducing crime. Judge Dredd may be fair, but he’s harsh.

The first story in this volume is the first Judge Dredd story, and contains only the seeds of these themes. “Meet Judge Dredd” by John Wagner (writer droid) and Carlos Ezquerra (art droid) introduces Dredd as he avenges the death of a fellow Judge. The criminals are holed up in the old Empire State Building, now a dwarf building compared to the mile-high construction around it. The Judges’ advanced crimefighting motorcycles and firearms are introduced, but it is the prison the head criminal Whitey is put in that shows the most imagination. “Devil’s Island” is a traffic island, surrounded by mega-freeways constantly flowing with high-speed traffic. There’s no wall or fence, but just try crossing to safety!

There are several fine single stories, including the first appearance of Rico, Joe Dredd’s corrupt and vengeful clone-brother. While he dies at the end of that chapter, Rico’s legacy affects Dredd for decades. This volume also has bits of several of the epic stories that ran for months in the strip, including the Cursed Earth saga and the Judge Child storyline. If there is one flaw in this volume, it’s that they only have those fragments.

However, all of “America”, which was the first storyline in the Judge Dredd Megazine monthly magazine, is included, in full color. This hits the dystopian elements hard, as the child of immigrants is named after their dream of a better life, but the America they’re thinking of is long dead, and eventually so is the title character when she tries fighting for her ideals. The story is told from the perspective of her childhood friend, with a bizarre science fiction twist at the end. It’s a hard-hitting story, and perhaps the best in this book.

The weakest story for me is “Mrs. Gunderson’s Big Adventure.” A profoundly deaf and legally blind senior citizen is embroiled in the escape of a crime boss who has unfortunately for him attracted the attention of Judge Dredd. The “humor” stems from Mrs. Gunderson being almost completely unaware of what’s going on around her due to her sensory handicaps, and swiftly grows tedious.

Also of note are the first two appearances by serial killer P.J. Maybe who is only thirteen years old at that point. It feels like the second story was created first, and the first story written to make sure the reader realizes that Maybe is not the good guy here. In the first story, he kills two random people and their pet vulture, just to establish that he can. In the second, Maybe wipes out the obnoxious relatives that stand between his family and a fortune in manufacturing. (It took a long time for Judge Dredd to figure out that there was a serial killer, let alone that P.J. Maybe was him. Years later, Maybe was the best mayor Mega-City One ever had, while remaining a remorseless serial killer.)

In addition to the expected ultra-violence, there’s some nudity and sexual situations.

This volume is a good choice for an introduction to Judge Dredd and his setting, with a variety of his writers and artists (including Brian Bolland) represented. Recommended to fans of dystopian science fiction and dark humor.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

This should really be a "Taste of Dredd" and not the "Best of Dredd" since ultimately, this is not then entire story arcs, with each story ending with "story continued in the "XXXX Trade Paperback".

So, not accurate in my opinion, but I can't expect to only pay $5 for Half-Price book for a pedigree characters entire ouvere.

Dredd is a character that whenever I bristle with, gets me a bit uncomfortable, because he's a fan favorite but he's generally totally unlikable.

The one take away, is the the entire "America" story-line is here. Which is a phenomenal gutting/deconstruction of the character. I don't think any US Publishers would be brave enough to be introspective enough with any of their heroes.

However, it does wet my appetite to reread Scorched Earth and get the Brendan McCarthy collection.

[Dan Blackley · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is a compilation of Judge Dredd comics. I was disappointed that they were not complete stories. Some of the stories ended with a byline, "read the rest of the judge child at your local store". This meant you only got a third of the story and it didn't finish.

There were some complete stories, but I would not waste the money on this book.

[Ned Leffingwell · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a collection of Judge Dredd stories. One thing I like about collections is that you get a variety of stories and art. My favorite are the early strips. They have an EC comics feel to them. Each one is a mini-morality play in a wacky sci-fi setting. I enjoyed it.

[Tamas Szechy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great sampling of Judge Dredd stories, both old and new.
Recommended for anyone interested in getting a glimpse in the Dredd-verse.

[Mark Stratton · Rating 3 out of 5]

I kinda lost interest.

[Hayley Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really like this book but this edition does not complete the whole story making it quite frustrating to read

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book earns four stars for the history of the character it shows and its inclusion of the longer "America" storyline which reads like Dredd meets a philosophical argument of democracy versus security which has embodied a seemingly timeless element over the last roughly twenty years as it does not resolve the issue, but rather shows us why Dredd's dark future should be seen as commentary on our own fluid present.

As other reviewers note, some stories are introduced and then never resolved with the resolution being referred to in another work, but the book is a best of in that it gives you samplings of the great elements, but not the resolutions. Luckily, the "America" comic us complete, powerful, and worth the cost. Not the complete Dredd by any means - but enough of Dredd to be recommended as a starting point for newcomers or as a historical review for the casual fan.

If nothing else, again, worth it for the "America" storyline, then for the little elements the other historical stories offer that highlight Dredd's evolution.

[Dan Weiss · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bargain book and worth the price. Is it the definitive Dredd? No. The Dark Judges are not in here (so no Anderson) and most of the material I have already read in the Complete Case Files. However, Dredd: America is in here which is worth the price. If you don't know much about Dredd, this is a good overview. It has the first story, the Judge Child Quest (portion) and a lot of the major runs (again, portions of them), as well as America, Summer Vacation, and the beginning of Origins. If you can find it on the bargain shelves at Barnes and Noble like I did. Go for it.

[Murray · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some very good strips here, although the book is let down by several of the more engrossing storylines being cut short, with a note that they continue in another book. It cheapens this collection, making it feel like a barely-concealed sales pitch for the full Judge Dredd Case Files series.

[▫️Ron S. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a 'best of' collection, by any stretch - but the first 65% or so is well worthwhile. Skip the awful color sections, and you'll have a blast.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good, but it's frustrating that it's incomplete story arcs. I thought it was gonna be random full stories.

[Roger Walker]

A good selection, making me want to read more!

[Arnel Dionisio · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice sampling of the early Judge Dredd strips. Beware some storylines do not conclude in this book. We witness the transition in styles from the black and whites to the color strips.

[Joseph · Rating 3 out of 5]

Seems like a good introduction to Dredd. I don't mind using extracts as hooks and it's good to see the progression of the character as the strip evolves. Will investigate further.

[Jason · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ace, a few wee teaser strips of Dredd's classic encounters in the Meg and Cursed Earth. Happy days