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Judge Dredd-Brothers Of The Blood
An action-packed graphic novel, which explores Dredd's family, including the future lawman's relationship with his clone Rico and the return of the original Rico's daughter, Vienna. Here, family intrigue and relationships are set against the turbulent and crime-ridden backdrop of Mega-City One.
176 pages, Paperback
First published March 3, 2006
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About the author
John Wagner
1,317 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 - 10 of 10 reviews
February 20, 2020
Differently from many comic-book characters, Judge Dredd's one gets old (and apparently less grumpy with aging), so it was nice to see in this volume that there are new generations of other Fargo's bloodline clones ready to take his badge when old Joe is finally going to take the Long Walk.
Dredd's niece Vienna's return was a real blast and Charlie "The Walking Dead" Adlard's artworks an unexpected and tasty cherry on cake.
Excelsior!
June 4, 2019
It's honestly kind of surreal to think that, at the time of this writing, Dredd's new clone Rico is as old and experienced as Dredd himself was when the comic first started. It's as good reminder as any that - unlike in Marvel or DC - time actually passes on, and that Dredd himself is far from young anymore. I hope I will live to see the story to its definite end.
March 9, 2016
An unstoppably brilliant compilation of stories revolving around the "later" clones of Judge Dredd (via his own clone father, creator of the Justice System Chief Judge Fargo) and the extended Dredd family. These are Rico II, Dolman and Vienna Dredd.
The two other Fargo/Dredd clones hang over this story:
Rico I was Dredd's original clone-brother, who he was raised and trained with. He went bad.
Kraken was another clone of Fargo, raised by renegade Judges in the Australian outback. He went bad.
The stories in this compilation deal primarily with Rico II, originally a Fargo clone sent to Texas City (and almost a Texan Judge Dredd, if you can imagine such a thing) he returns to Mega City One to make up the numbers (after oh so many disasters for the Big Meg!) and is assigned to Judge Dredd for evaluation. These stories, which include the inner thoughts of both Dredd and Rico II, show the depth and brilliance of the Judge Dredd series to their fullest extent, as these "robotic, fascistic" Judges grapple with issues so much larger than cracking the skull of a malcontent.
These stories also provide often nostalgic joy with references to famous events in Dredd's (real time) life and 'easter egg' like references - the sacrifice of Judge Lopez, the infamous time Dredd arrested several perps without getting out of the bath and more.
My personal favourite story in the compilation concerns rookie Judge Dolmen and the tough, excellent, brilliantly "Dredd" decision he makes. It also includes one of my favourite moments in all 2000AD history, as Dredd, Rico II and Dolmen smash apart a siege, kinetically drawn by the original (and for me, definitive) artist Carlos Ezquerra with the three of them abreast, lawgivers pointing out the page - with the amendment of Dredd's usual line "I am the Law" to "This is the Law" hammering home the kinship and continuance of Mega City 1's best lawman and form of justice in one powerful scene.
However, as a fan of Judge Joe Dredd himself, the real insight into him comes from the observations of Vienna Dredd, his niece via an illegal relationship with a citizen by Rico I. Her sweet observations about the unstoppable, unflappable Dredd - that he fidgets, can't make small talk and looks at the clock in social situations ... and, crucially, that he always seems sad, give the lie to the idea that Dredd- the head-breaking, ass-kicking, deep-thinking, morally-challenged man - is a one dimensional character.
The two other Fargo/Dredd clones hang over this story:
Rico I was Dredd's original clone-brother, who he was raised and trained with. He went bad.
Kraken was another clone of Fargo, raised by renegade Judges in the Australian outback. He went bad.
The stories in this compilation deal primarily with Rico II, originally a Fargo clone sent to Texas City (and almost a Texan Judge Dredd, if you can imagine such a thing) he returns to Mega City One to make up the numbers (after oh so many disasters for the Big Meg!) and is assigned to Judge Dredd for evaluation. These stories, which include the inner thoughts of both Dredd and Rico II, show the depth and brilliance of the Judge Dredd series to their fullest extent, as these "robotic, fascistic" Judges grapple with issues so much larger than cracking the skull of a malcontent.
These stories also provide often nostalgic joy with references to famous events in Dredd's (real time) life and 'easter egg' like references - the sacrifice of Judge Lopez, the infamous time Dredd arrested several perps without getting out of the bath and more.
My personal favourite story in the compilation concerns rookie Judge Dolmen and the tough, excellent, brilliantly "Dredd" decision he makes. It also includes one of my favourite moments in all 2000AD history, as Dredd, Rico II and Dolmen smash apart a siege, kinetically drawn by the original (and for me, definitive) artist Carlos Ezquerra with the three of them abreast, lawgivers pointing out the page - with the amendment of Dredd's usual line "I am the Law" to "This is the Law" hammering home the kinship and continuance of Mega City 1's best lawman and form of justice in one powerful scene.
However, as a fan of Judge Joe Dredd himself, the real insight into him comes from the observations of Vienna Dredd, his niece via an illegal relationship with a citizen by Rico I. Her sweet observations about the unstoppable, unflappable Dredd - that he fidgets, can't make small talk and looks at the clock in social situations ... and, crucially, that he always seems sad, give the lie to the idea that Dredd- the head-breaking, ass-kicking, deep-thinking, morally-challenged man - is a one dimensional character.
August 13, 2024
This is a great collection of stories that are Dredd-based, but have more depth than they generally have.
The stories follow the closest thing Dredd has to family by covering young clones of Dredd, and the daughter of the original Judge Rico.
As is normal, there’s plenty of 2000AD violence, fascist law dispensing, and a series of sci-fi crimes to investigate. The art is pretty decent.
The stories follow the closest thing Dredd has to family by covering young clones of Dredd, and the daughter of the original Judge Rico.
As is normal, there’s plenty of 2000AD violence, fascist law dispensing, and a series of sci-fi crimes to investigate. The art is pretty decent.
March 27, 2017
In a future violent society a law enforcer meets some of his "brothers" (fellow clones).
The story and graphics were reasonable but not as good as I remembered (from 30 years ago).
The story and graphics were reasonable but not as good as I remembered (from 30 years ago).
November 5, 2012
Since I have lost faith in Marvel comics (& DC for that matter; though I don't dive into too many of their titles), I have sought out other outlets to satisfy my desire to read comics. I thought Image would be a company who could provide me with some alternatives--& to their credit they have--but I've grown bored with the titles they have to offer; The Walking Dead becoming stagnant with the constant whining of the characters.
Having a huge collection of 2000AD titles & trade paperbacks (many of which I've already read), I decided to go back & treat them as if I was discovering them for the first time.
I'm glad I took this approach because not only am I re-discovering my love of these 2000AD titles, but my love of comics as well (insert a big "Thank you" to the Brits right here). Over the next few years, I plan on reading nothing but "The Great Tharg's Gallery of 2000AD Misfits"--Judge Dredd, Strontium Dog, Rogue Trooper, RoboHunter, etc., etc.--& just immerse myself into their worlds; ignoring all else in comics (except for the occasional indy title or two).
Okay, with that said, I've just re-read Judge Dredd: Brothers of the Blood & I found myself giving it a new "*"-rating--knocking it down from 4-stars to 3. Why? I'll get to that.
The first strips in this collection introduce a new clone of Dredd's who is given to him for a field test evaluation--being on the chopping block & has to prove he is Judge material. Throughout his evaluation, the clone rookie learns about the fate of Dredd's clone brother, Rico, & how Dredd, in the end, had to pass the ultimate sentence on his own brother. It's a great addition to the Dredd saga & the best part of this book's collection.
The problem I had with this collection is the inclusion of a strip involving Dredd's niece, Rico's daughter, Vienna. The first strip involving her is great--bringing forth character development of Dredd himself through his conflicted feelings for Vienna's well-being. We learn Vienna wants to get to know her uncle better--& we discover she already knows a lot more about him than we think--but it's Dredd's reluctance to provide her with the emotional support she craves from him that drives the story. This is good stuff.
But when the next strip comes along, with Vienna in Brit-Cit getting involved with a Satanic cult, that's when the collection goes south for me & makes me wonder why I didn't pick this up the first time I read it? The story is just... just bad. There's no other way to describe it & nor can you argue in favor of it. They've done the same thing with Judge Death stories--involving cults around Death, worshipers, rituals, etc.--& even those were rather weak. So to have a lesser character be a Satanic Cult Leader, & all the trappings which go with the title, it just doesn't work.
The collection on the whole is a good one but I believe there are better Dredd collections & stories out there. I am interested to see where the "New" Rico clone goes with his career as a Judge--will he go bad or finally will Rico's name be redeemed within the Halls of Justice? That's where this collection really shines.
Having a huge collection of 2000AD titles & trade paperbacks (many of which I've already read), I decided to go back & treat them as if I was discovering them for the first time.
I'm glad I took this approach because not only am I re-discovering my love of these 2000AD titles, but my love of comics as well (insert a big "Thank you" to the Brits right here). Over the next few years, I plan on reading nothing but "The Great Tharg's Gallery of 2000AD Misfits"--Judge Dredd, Strontium Dog, Rogue Trooper, RoboHunter, etc., etc.--& just immerse myself into their worlds; ignoring all else in comics (except for the occasional indy title or two).
Okay, with that said, I've just re-read Judge Dredd: Brothers of the Blood & I found myself giving it a new "*"-rating--knocking it down from 4-stars to 3. Why? I'll get to that.
The first strips in this collection introduce a new clone of Dredd's who is given to him for a field test evaluation--being on the chopping block & has to prove he is Judge material. Throughout his evaluation, the clone rookie learns about the fate of Dredd's clone brother, Rico, & how Dredd, in the end, had to pass the ultimate sentence on his own brother. It's a great addition to the Dredd saga & the best part of this book's collection.
The problem I had with this collection is the inclusion of a strip involving Dredd's niece, Rico's daughter, Vienna. The first strip involving her is great--bringing forth character development of Dredd himself through his conflicted feelings for Vienna's well-being. We learn Vienna wants to get to know her uncle better--& we discover she already knows a lot more about him than we think--but it's Dredd's reluctance to provide her with the emotional support she craves from him that drives the story. This is good stuff.
But when the next strip comes along, with Vienna in Brit-Cit getting involved with a Satanic cult, that's when the collection goes south for me & makes me wonder why I didn't pick this up the first time I read it? The story is just... just bad. There's no other way to describe it & nor can you argue in favor of it. They've done the same thing with Judge Death stories--involving cults around Death, worshipers, rituals, etc.--& even those were rather weak. So to have a lesser character be a Satanic Cult Leader, & all the trappings which go with the title, it just doesn't work.
The collection on the whole is a good one but I believe there are better Dredd collections & stories out there. I am interested to see where the "New" Rico clone goes with his career as a Judge--will he go bad or finally will Rico's name be redeemed within the Halls of Justice? That's where this collection really shines.
July 31, 2011
Author/creator John Wagner over the years has added more character and background story to Dredd, keeping stony-face's story fresh. This book includes stories regarding several of the other clones in the Fargo/Dredd line and Rico Dredd's estranged daughter.
It's cool to see the Dredd character broadening, having some doubts about his previous decisions, even feelings of guilt; definitely adding more dimension to the character. The inclusion of so many Dredd clones feels like a set up for when Wagner decides to remove Dredd or kill him off. The Dredd line and series of stories can then continue indefinitely and no one is tied to particular story restraints. Good stuff.
Also great to see Ian Gibson drawing Dredd again.
It's cool to see the Dredd character broadening, having some doubts about his previous decisions, even feelings of guilt; definitely adding more dimension to the character. The inclusion of so many Dredd clones feels like a set up for when Wagner decides to remove Dredd or kill him off. The Dredd line and series of stories can then continue indefinitely and no one is tied to particular story restraints. Good stuff.
Also great to see Ian Gibson drawing Dredd again.
November 8, 2015
One of the best Dredds ever.
As fans know, Dredd and his brother, Rico, are clones of Fargo, the first judge. Here, Joe is ordered to evaluate Dredd, another clone in this series. We also meet Rico's daughter, Vienna. And a second clone who... well that would be telling. A great book for Dredd fans.
As fans know, Dredd and his brother, Rico, are clones of Fargo, the first judge. Here, Joe is ordered to evaluate Dredd, another clone in this series. We also meet Rico's daughter, Vienna. And a second clone who... well that would be telling. A great book for Dredd fans.
May 27, 2009
Great family drama stuff in the world of Dredd. Some brilliant art by maestro Esquerra.
Timo
Timo
September 12, 2012
Classic Dredd. Must go and see that new movie.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews