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Judge Dredd (IDW) #7.5
Mars Attacks Judge Dredd
The Martian mayhem overtakes Mega-City One! During the annual meeting of the Mega-City Mafia, a new boss makes a play for power thanks to a mysterious benefactor. Meanwhile, Judge Dredd conducts a routine bust that turns out all but routine when he makes a shocking (and disgusting) discovery!
104 pages, Paperback
First published February 18, 2014
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67 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
October 28, 2023
Mars Attacks is always fun. This was a good cross over that pits Judge Dredd and his colleagues against the Martians as they try to infiltrate the mob to take over the earth. The usual Martian tactics are employed, fantastical weapons, alien beasts, etc.
August 31, 2016
I read 2000AD, and it’s many incarnations, religiously as a teen but gave up on it sometime around 16/17 and only returned to the character in the last year or so (I’m 29). But after reading 2000AD for 4 months, I realised the publication is terrible - the format of four or five pages per story and then packing five or six stories into an issue is so stupid, and the stories themselves are uniformly awful! The Judge Dredd Megazine is boring, as is the Judge Dredd: Year One book, and the other new IDW Dredd comics - I don’t know what it is, maybe the character was never good and my young, inexperienced self just had nothing to compare it to, but I’ve now given up on 2000AD and any comic Dredd’s in because it’s too disappointing for me. Mars Attacks Judge Dredd was the final nail in the coffin.
This book is (and I use the term very loosely) notable for being the first Dredd crossover with a non-2000AD franchise in over a decade, and the idea of the whacky Mars Attacks aliens fighting Dredd appealed to me. I didn’t know much about the story beyond those two franchises colliding, but you don’t really need to, right? Having read it, I can say that you definitely need to, because the story is about Dredd and Mars Attacks but also heavily features an array of cartoon mafia figures too. In other words, characters you don’t want to read about.
There’s a chimp mob boss called Apelino, another one called Mumbletti who mumbles, and another one with his finger perpetually up his nose - I forget his name but it’s probably Nostriletti or something equally dumb. It sounds funny, and initially it is, but for four issues? Boy, it wears thin fast! This cast are just equal parts annoying and corny and they’re a huge part of the story.
Dredd meanwhile behaves like Dredd, taking on monsters with his arsenal alongside, of course, PSI Judge Anderson, a psychic judge, with predictable results. The Mars Attacks aliens vapourise people left and right until Dredd kills a few and they all run off back to Mars. The plot of this book is just soooooooo boring! It must’ve taken Ewing the length of his elevator pitch to come up with as it did to say.
That’s all there is to this book: terrible boring story, awful characters, bad joke after bad joke, and John McCrea’s art - sorry, I’ve never been a McCrea fan. Whatever my feelings about the character might’ve been, I’ve definitely outgrown Dredd at this point in my life. Mars Attacks Judge Dredd: it sounds fun, but it’s non-stop tedium, like buying sweets and expecting sugary sweetness and then chomping down onto mouldy cardboard instead.
This book is (and I use the term very loosely) notable for being the first Dredd crossover with a non-2000AD franchise in over a decade, and the idea of the whacky Mars Attacks aliens fighting Dredd appealed to me. I didn’t know much about the story beyond those two franchises colliding, but you don’t really need to, right? Having read it, I can say that you definitely need to, because the story is about Dredd and Mars Attacks but also heavily features an array of cartoon mafia figures too. In other words, characters you don’t want to read about.
There’s a chimp mob boss called Apelino, another one called Mumbletti who mumbles, and another one with his finger perpetually up his nose - I forget his name but it’s probably Nostriletti or something equally dumb. It sounds funny, and initially it is, but for four issues? Boy, it wears thin fast! This cast are just equal parts annoying and corny and they’re a huge part of the story.
Dredd meanwhile behaves like Dredd, taking on monsters with his arsenal alongside, of course, PSI Judge Anderson, a psychic judge, with predictable results. The Mars Attacks aliens vapourise people left and right until Dredd kills a few and they all run off back to Mars. The plot of this book is just soooooooo boring! It must’ve taken Ewing the length of his elevator pitch to come up with as it did to say.
That’s all there is to this book: terrible boring story, awful characters, bad joke after bad joke, and John McCrea’s art - sorry, I’ve never been a McCrea fan. Whatever my feelings about the character might’ve been, I’ve definitely outgrown Dredd at this point in my life. Mars Attacks Judge Dredd: it sounds fun, but it’s non-stop tedium, like buying sweets and expecting sugary sweetness and then chomping down onto mouldy cardboard instead.
October 6, 2019
This is just silly. Not that it's a bad thing, but the whole idea of Martians working with the Megacity underworld to prep their invasion makes pretty much no sense. It does give Dredd and his allies a lot of chances to shoot holes in Martians, often in overly graphic manners. Dredd isn't even really the center of the story; instead there's a psychic who is much more vital to the resistance. Dredd gets his moments, especially in a hand-to-hand with a giant insect, but the story ends up on a larger scale pretty quickly.
There are some twists and turns, and I like the use of cards to highlight pivotal story moments. The art isn't quite aligned with the classic cards (or Dredd) but it serves the story well. All told, it's silly, hyper-violent fun.
There are some twists and turns, and I like the use of cards to highlight pivotal story moments. The art isn't quite aligned with the classic cards (or Dredd) but it serves the story well. All told, it's silly, hyper-violent fun.
January 15, 2018
A cross-over between Judge Dredd and Mars Attacks, this story has Judge Dredd being called in to investigate a mafia gang in a sector. What he discovers are aliens from Mars who then proceed to start an invasion of the Earth. Only Judge Dredd, with the help of Judge Anderson, can put a stop to the Martian minds suppressing the Judges weapons, giving them a chance to stop the invasion.
A moderately interesting cross-over, with Judge Dredd nearly being killed but acting nonchalant about it, although he is forced to pardon a Mafia don to get his help; but still manages to lay the law on him in the end.
The book also features some stand-alone poster art featuring Judge Dredd versus the Martians.
A moderately interesting cross-over, with Judge Dredd nearly being killed but acting nonchalant about it, although he is forced to pardon a Mafia don to get his help; but still manages to lay the law on him in the end.
The book also features some stand-alone poster art featuring Judge Dredd versus the Martians.
September 29, 2018
2.5 out of 3 (rounded up for ease of rating, and, cmon, it’s Judge Dredd)
In terms of crossovers, Mars Attacks Judge Dredd wasn’t really horrible. Of course it wasn’t great or even good, but it was far from the train wreck that was Predator vs. Judge Dredd.
There’s nothing new or special or unique in this one, but for a good 30 min of entertainment, or does it’s job. Nothing more, nothing less.
I think people tend to forget that Judge Dredd is supposed to be taken at face value, a tongue in cheek satire. The same could be said of the Mars Attacks franchise. So really, to take Mars Attacks Judge Dredd as anything even remotely serious, is a reader’s own fault.
In terms of crossovers, Mars Attacks Judge Dredd wasn’t really horrible. Of course it wasn’t great or even good, but it was far from the train wreck that was Predator vs. Judge Dredd.
There’s nothing new or special or unique in this one, but for a good 30 min of entertainment, or does it’s job. Nothing more, nothing less.
I think people tend to forget that Judge Dredd is supposed to be taken at face value, a tongue in cheek satire. The same could be said of the Mars Attacks franchise. So really, to take Mars Attacks Judge Dredd as anything even remotely serious, is a reader’s own fault.
July 9, 2020
I read this after I finished reading "The Blessed Earth" and I loved it. Compared to how disappointing "The Blessed Earth" was, especially in the second volume, this was a satisfying read. Plenty of action and good art. The talking monkey annoyed me a little, but hey this is the far future so maybe he achieved sentience through some comic book super science. As far as cross overs go, "Mars Attacks" and "Judge Dredd" goes together as well as peanut butter and jelly. The martians were great though according to Dredd cannon, Mars is already colonized by humans. But I explained away this issue by assuming that the martians surely came from a parallel universe version of Mars that wasn't colonized and could sustain life.
November 10, 2022
I knew this would be rather light reading, but it was still a lot of fun. As someone who hasn't read a lot of Judge Dredd stuff, I'm sure this was still a relatively kinder introduction to the franchise. And the use of Topps-style trading card inserts to highlight the action really pushed the Mars Attack Vibe.
The gangsters were over the top. The Martians were vile and ruthless. The Judges were uncompromising, Put things all together and it's a surprisingly solid adventure for both franchises.
The gangsters were over the top. The Martians were vile and ruthless. The Judges were uncompromising, Put things all together and it's a surprisingly solid adventure for both franchises.
October 25, 2020
I didn't have any great expectations for this, so to see it had such a renowned pair of creators involved when I opened the book was a surprise, and it turned out to be very good fun. It felt like a genuine Judge Dredd story, albeit in the IDW continuity, and I especially enjoyed John McCrea's "Gaze into the fist of Dredd" moment. There's not a lot to it, so if I had paid full price I might have been disappointed, but I got it in a Humble Bundle.
February 19, 2021
Mars Attacks! is a terrible film. I don't even consider it so bad it's good; it's just so bad it's bad. After watching the film, I was not feeling enthusiastic about this crossover. It ended up being messy, the art style not being very easy on the eyes, and the story pretty forgettable. Maybe this wasn't the best first Judge Dredd comic for me to read.
August 15, 2017
Absolutely ridiculous but I don't care. Some of the silliness was reminiscent of the old themes from the early years, plus it's always good to see Dredd and Anderson banter.
January 19, 2018
Silly aliens attempting to attack Meg One? Yes, that will be silly. It was a good fun issue with mostly silly jokes but totally fitting into the pulp of Dredd + Mars Attacks theme.
September 29, 2018
According to my records I've read this, but I have absolutely no memory of it. So let's say two stars and move on to something hopefully a little less forgettable.
February 1, 2019
It was filler. Nothing horrible, but nothing caught my attention. 2/5.
August 31, 2020
Fun but not dredd fun
Okay but didn’t fit in with the dredd universe.. was a good effort but just didn’t quite make it there...
Okay but didn’t fit in with the dredd universe.. was a good effort but just didn’t quite make it there...
August 17, 2022
I think you could call that a romp: ACK ACK ACK!
October 8, 2022
Art was meh and the story spent too much time on the mafia crud and not enough on the Martians. This book should've just been old school Dredd smashing Martians with minimal story imo.
January 31, 2025
Absolutely fantastic, and the artwork is gorgeous!
My only gripe is that it's a little on the short side and the finale wraps up a little too quickly.
My only gripe is that it's a little on the short side and the finale wraps up a little too quickly.
October 21, 2016
The rare crossover that feels organic and is a really fun read. As bonkers as you'd expect it to be.
April 28, 2014
I'm not a fan of comic book mash-ups. I feel the characters often suffer distortion in order to adapt to the mashed-up plot. In this case, however, Judge Dredd and Mars Attacks! were a perfect match. The characters were all true to themselves, and the story was believable (in the Dredd universe.) The art was gorgeous— both issue covers and interior art. I would read another series of these books in a heartbeat! I would like to give this book 6 stars— the extra star simply for including Judge Anderson in the story. Drokkin' great! Tharg says you'd be a fool to miss this.
February 16, 2014
Only a so-so book. Too much time was wasted on Dredd investigating the Martians "covert" preparations and barely any on the actual invasion. That's a big missed opportunity. I wanted more pages of the kind of horrific carnage that made Mars Attacks such a cult classic. With the exception of the covers and the interspersed "cards" the art wasn't much either.
Read
January 9, 2014Not much I can add to that title, except to note that Dredd has generally done a lot better than is usual when negotiating the choppy waters of inter-company crossovers, and this is no exception. Thoroughly enjoyable.
June 13, 2016
The Martians could have picked
A better target than
Mega City 1
Any Target
would have been better
because
Judge Dredd
is not having it
Dredd takes on alien perps
It's not hard to guess who wins
Martians should have stayed home
A better target than
Mega City 1
Any Target
would have been better
because
Judge Dredd
is not having it
Dredd takes on alien perps
It's not hard to guess who wins
Martians should have stayed home
August 11, 2015
I've been a Dredd fan for many years. this, one of the craziest crossovers I've ever read, was a ton of fun. I found it far more enjoyable than the movie.
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews