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Judge Dredd (IDW) #8
Judge Dredd : Mega City Two
Participant à un programme d'échange, Dredd est envoyé à Mega-City Two, une immense cité de la côte ouest californienne, centrée autour de ce qui fut jadis Los Angeles. Mais il va bien vite découvrir que les choses sont bien différentes ici. Nouveau hors-série pour le Juge Dredd qui se retrouve bien loin de chez lui. Style graphique percutant et scénario bien ficelé, cet album est une incontournable pour les fans de Dredd.
124 pages, Paperback
First published August 19, 2014
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
August 17, 2015
Judge Dredd takes part in a Judicial Exchange Program, temporarily relocating to the West Coast to Mega-City Two. They do things a little differently there - instead of sentencing, they choose to fine perps, raising money for the city. Here Dredd’s given a non-lethal gun (instead of a Lawgiver), a car (instead of a Lawmaster bike), and a camera crew who’re filming him for a reality show. Why? There’s actually a reason given right on the last page which is one of the worst reasons you’ll ever read (not to mention, the end - that’s when you decide to let the reader in on why Dredd’s doing any of this!?), but mostly there’s no reason because Douglas Wolk is a terrible writer.
Instead of a story, random stuff just happens. Dredd chases after some perp because that’s what he does, he goes undercover for a Mad Max-ish biker group for no reason, he fights a monster shrimp, goes to (an even more) nightmarish Disneyland, and meets Pug Dredd (daawwww, he’s adorable!!). Who knows what the drokk is going on but I do know it is mighty boring stuff!
Ulises Farinas’ art is VERY much like Geof Darrow’s (The Matrix artist) in that it’s highly detailed. I’m a fan of Darrow’s so I liked it though I’ve never seen Farinas’ art before so I’m not sure if this is how he usually draws or whether he was channelling Darrow for some reason. It’s weird that in the background of one panel, a skywriting plane writes “I am sorry Geof Darr...” though.
Good Judge Dredd comics are few and far between and Mega-City Two definitely ain’t one of them. It’s badly written and all over the place plot-wise but the art sure is pleasant to look at. Still, I wouldn’t say it’s worth checking out.
Instead of a story, random stuff just happens. Dredd chases after some perp because that’s what he does, he goes undercover for a Mad Max-ish biker group for no reason, he fights a monster shrimp, goes to (an even more) nightmarish Disneyland, and meets Pug Dredd (daawwww, he’s adorable!!). Who knows what the drokk is going on but I do know it is mighty boring stuff!
Ulises Farinas’ art is VERY much like Geof Darrow’s (The Matrix artist) in that it’s highly detailed. I’m a fan of Darrow’s so I liked it though I’ve never seen Farinas’ art before so I’m not sure if this is how he usually draws or whether he was channelling Darrow for some reason. It’s weird that in the background of one panel, a skywriting plane writes “I am sorry Geof Darr...” though.
Good Judge Dredd comics are few and far between and Mega-City Two definitely ain’t one of them. It’s badly written and all over the place plot-wise but the art sure is pleasant to look at. Still, I wouldn’t say it’s worth checking out.
January 10, 2020
The city on the west coast looks refreshingly different from Mega-City One: bright and colourful, full of life, actually the sort I might at first glance not terribly mind living in.
But then of course we get to see on the inside and find that it's all basically a huge show. Everything's on telly. This makes the story itself difficult to follow, since I can't always tell what is supposed to be real and what isn't. It didn't seem particularly interesting anyway, apart from one Lucha Judge whom I liked in premise and execution.
And apart from the bright city itself, the art style doesn't really fit the comic: the people are too cartoonish and simplified.
Overall, not an essential read.
But then of course we get to see on the inside and find that it's all basically a huge show. Everything's on telly. This makes the story itself difficult to follow, since I can't always tell what is supposed to be real and what isn't. It didn't seem particularly interesting anyway, apart from one Lucha Judge whom I liked in premise and execution.
And apart from the bright city itself, the art style doesn't really fit the comic: the people are too cartoonish and simplified.
Overall, not an essential read.
August 20, 2014
Looking far too bright and speaking far too clumsily to be the real thing, this revamped and lower-brow Judge Dredd has little semblance of the best of 2000AD. It does still maintain some of the social commentary of the original, but without doing too much about it. When JD is seconded to the west coast USA he finds a city full of media whores – filming anything and everything for broadcast, even Dredd at work. But his duties are about to become far too intrinsically linked to his sudden media fame than he would like.
It's not the easiest of Joe's adventures for us to follow, as we lose the definition of the individual episodes, and therefore get too many characters running into each other and causing confusion while hiding the real case from both us and Dredd. Some huge splash pages do add to this reworked world in a way the weekly could never hope to, but on the whole the artwork is way below the original standard – not seeing the irony in being as flash, overly bright and gaudily coloured as the subject it wants to point a finger at. The book isn't a disaster by any means, but will have many cognoscenti running to live with the Muties.
It's not the easiest of Joe's adventures for us to follow, as we lose the definition of the individual episodes, and therefore get too many characters running into each other and causing confusion while hiding the real case from both us and Dredd. Some huge splash pages do add to this reworked world in a way the weekly could never hope to, but on the whole the artwork is way below the original standard – not seeing the irony in being as flash, overly bright and gaudily coloured as the subject it wants to point a finger at. The book isn't a disaster by any means, but will have many cognoscenti running to live with the Muties.
June 27, 2018
Just not very good
It’s funny, in patches. It’s got an interesting plot, only it takes too long to start, and it falls apart into incoherence at the end. But the problem is: why is this a Judge Dredd story at all? It’s a standard Hollywood parody, and Dredd’s role is to be either a bemused fish out of water, or a subtle manipulator (not clear which), both of which are standard roles in Hollywood parodies. But it doesn’t really involve his being Dredd. It could be any Hollywood parody.
And that’s the problem. If Dredd appears here for any reason, it’s to cash in on the franchise’s reputation. And to use it as a means to sell this tepid fair does nobody any justice.
It’s funny, in patches. It’s got an interesting plot, only it takes too long to start, and it falls apart into incoherence at the end. But the problem is: why is this a Judge Dredd story at all? It’s a standard Hollywood parody, and Dredd’s role is to be either a bemused fish out of water, or a subtle manipulator (not clear which), both of which are standard roles in Hollywood parodies. But it doesn’t really involve his being Dredd. It could be any Hollywood parody.
And that’s the problem. If Dredd appears here for any reason, it’s to cash in on the franchise’s reputation. And to use it as a means to sell this tepid fair does nobody any justice.
March 24, 2016
Being a huge Dredd fan and a bit of a completionist I've trudged through the IDW Dredd collections so far, but I couldn't make it through this one. The previous collections I managed to slog through just to get them finished, but nope, enough is enough. The IDW stuff is just awful sadly, and this has been the last straw for me. Surely the whole idea behind rebooting and launching a US-specific Dredd comic is to draw in readers turned onto the character by the excellent Garland movie? In which case parping out something that fails to capture (or even attempt to capture) the tone or spirit of either the source material or the movie is a baffling choice. Why not repackage some classic Dredd?
If someone in the US wanted to delve into Dredd and for whatever reason didn't want to pick up the Case Files or 2000AD then a much, much better option is the official 'movie sequel' comics (Underbelly etc.) by Arthur Wyatt (and published by Rebellion/2000AD themselves) as these nail the tone and look of the film while also feeling very faithful to the original comic. Also the US Anderson PSI series and the Dredd Year One collection would be a better choice. As for this IDW stuff, everything from the sloppy art to the unintelligable writing feels sub-par, and the idea that someone might decide to give Dredd a try and pick one of these up would be a real shame because they'll no doubt walk away wondering what all the fuss is about. Reading these feels like watching an inferior Hollywood remake of a film you love - pointless, confusing and a bit of an insult to the great original.
So that's that. I won't be struggling through anymore of the IDW series, and find it a real shame that its existence will probably only serve to turn curious readers away from the property rather than draw them in. Ditch these and get some 2000AD down you instead.
If someone in the US wanted to delve into Dredd and for whatever reason didn't want to pick up the Case Files or 2000AD then a much, much better option is the official 'movie sequel' comics (Underbelly etc.) by Arthur Wyatt (and published by Rebellion/2000AD themselves) as these nail the tone and look of the film while also feeling very faithful to the original comic. Also the US Anderson PSI series and the Dredd Year One collection would be a better choice. As for this IDW stuff, everything from the sloppy art to the unintelligable writing feels sub-par, and the idea that someone might decide to give Dredd a try and pick one of these up would be a real shame because they'll no doubt walk away wondering what all the fuss is about. Reading these feels like watching an inferior Hollywood remake of a film you love - pointless, confusing and a bit of an insult to the great original.
So that's that. I won't be struggling through anymore of the IDW series, and find it a real shame that its existence will probably only serve to turn curious readers away from the property rather than draw them in. Ditch these and get some 2000AD down you instead.
September 29, 2018
And I thought that after Megacity Zero nothing could surprise me. But obviously Megacity One is the sane one. Meg2 is full of movie stars and everything is just a chance to shine. Another crazy like Judge Dredd with a good quality story. However, sometimes the layout was a little confusing to read for me in the ebook but probably the whole story is just a too much of a mess. I had my fun (and one obligatory star goes for Pug Dredd) but I would still prefer Meg Zero or other Judge Dredd stories.
September 16, 2014
Not quite your typical grim Judge Dredd tale. Rather this is Judge Dredd in Hollywood of the disastrous future. Crime pays the Judge, everything is being videoed for a possible series, and Judge Dredd learns to work the system to accomplish his goals despite all obstacles tossed, driven, and carefully placed in his path. Plenty of cartoon action. Different, but not bad.
September 13, 2014
The artwork is fantastically detailed and there's a lot to enjoy in this Americanized Dredd. It's a bit too bright and sunny to be a really standout Dredd story, but it certainly was fun and inventive.
September 24, 2020
Ok i got hold of this in individual issues rather than the collected paperback. Let me start out with my credentials: Been reading Dredd since i was a tiny little Juve way back in '77... I like to think i know my Dredd. Well so does Wolk the author! So when I first looked at this cover and the art style and also the Unknown (to me anyway) names at the top and the fact its IDW i was like "meh" IDW are the US version of Dredd and as such seem to be rewriting Dredd for the US audience in their monthly Dredd comic. Well to the UK audience thats of little interest as we have invested so much time in the mad history of Dredd as one giant story spanning '77 -'14. We dont want or need a reboot thanks all the same...However this book is different and should be treated as such. In fact your looking at the best "debut" Dredd story thats come out for a long long time..
This book cleverly sets its self in the "forgotten time" of Dredd's life. See the mad truth of it is that when Joe Dredd first appears in 2000ad he had already been a Judge for 15-20 years! So there is plenty of material there for IDW or 2000AD itself to fill in the blanks. So this tale starts about five years before Dredds first appearence in 2000ad, and again cleverly its set in the totally underdeveloped world of Mega City Two (MC2). So from the first issue of 2000ad all the way to its nuking in Judgement day MC2 gets about 15 panels!! Its the land that 2000ad forgot. So its a joy to see it so fully realised here. So much so that its kind of spooky realising it thinking that in 5 years time 2T(FR)T is going to ravish this city (but at the same time given how dysfunctional it is compared to the Big Meg its easy to see how).
Make no mistake this is an awesome read. Good enough to be considered canon IMO. Nothing featured here contradicts the UK 2000AD version of Dredd, if anything it enhances it. For a start in issue 1 and again in issue 4 Wolk writes two of the best lines ive ever read in Dredd. In issue 1 it comes from Dredd's mouth and in issue 4 from someone who turns out is more Dredd than Dredd and gives maybe the best reworking of one of Dredds most famous lines! (cue Wagner/Grant/Ennis Millar et al all thinking "damn why didnt I think of that") Yes truely a joy to see ol' Joe (or young joe in this case) get "outdredded" and its a total blast to read. If you snub this trust me you are missing some of the best written Dredd in years!
Of course a comic book is nothing without the artist and Farinas hits it out the park on a regular basis. I would put his work somewhere between Otomo and Darrow with a little psychadelic twist! I thought it was awesome and that was after looking at the cover of issue 1 (same as the one used for the collected edition) and thinking "hmmpf another IDW comic that doesnt understand Dredd...look at that car in the background etc etc". BUT! If you read the comic it all makes sense. Also the use of panels and the understanding of when to pull out the double page panel has rarely been used to greater effect than here. I mean "Judge Pugg" was just total genius as was Barry and Foley...by the second issue you are like gimme more as the writing and artwork suddenly seem like comfortable old friends.
So in conclusion if you miss this you miss out ! I would go so far as to say if Tharg and his droids got hit by an asteroid and I heard that Dredd in the UK was going to be written and drawn by these two secretly I would be like "yess!" Now of course that is unlikely so how about getting these two to do a new series following Dredd in the first years on the streets of big meg? I know there is Dredd "year one" from IDW but again its US canon and whilst the writing was ok-ish its nothing compared to whats in here...its obvious to me and it will be to you too that this is someone who has read every Dredd story there is. You cant fake that kind of knowledge. So gruddam it UK ! Lets get this book into the the top 10 Dredd books on Amazon UK ! Its where it deserves to be and anyone who argues; well your looking at a 10 strech in the cubes.....creep!
This book cleverly sets its self in the "forgotten time" of Dredd's life. See the mad truth of it is that when Joe Dredd first appears in 2000ad he had already been a Judge for 15-20 years! So there is plenty of material there for IDW or 2000AD itself to fill in the blanks. So this tale starts about five years before Dredds first appearence in 2000ad, and again cleverly its set in the totally underdeveloped world of Mega City Two (MC2). So from the first issue of 2000ad all the way to its nuking in Judgement day MC2 gets about 15 panels!! Its the land that 2000ad forgot. So its a joy to see it so fully realised here. So much so that its kind of spooky realising it thinking that in 5 years time 2T(FR)T is going to ravish this city (but at the same time given how dysfunctional it is compared to the Big Meg its easy to see how).
Make no mistake this is an awesome read. Good enough to be considered canon IMO. Nothing featured here contradicts the UK 2000AD version of Dredd, if anything it enhances it. For a start in issue 1 and again in issue 4 Wolk writes two of the best lines ive ever read in Dredd. In issue 1 it comes from Dredd's mouth and in issue 4 from someone who turns out is more Dredd than Dredd and gives maybe the best reworking of one of Dredds most famous lines! (cue Wagner/Grant/Ennis Millar et al all thinking "damn why didnt I think of that") Yes truely a joy to see ol' Joe (or young joe in this case) get "outdredded" and its a total blast to read. If you snub this trust me you are missing some of the best written Dredd in years!
Of course a comic book is nothing without the artist and Farinas hits it out the park on a regular basis. I would put his work somewhere between Otomo and Darrow with a little psychadelic twist! I thought it was awesome and that was after looking at the cover of issue 1 (same as the one used for the collected edition) and thinking "hmmpf another IDW comic that doesnt understand Dredd...look at that car in the background etc etc". BUT! If you read the comic it all makes sense. Also the use of panels and the understanding of when to pull out the double page panel has rarely been used to greater effect than here. I mean "Judge Pugg" was just total genius as was Barry and Foley...by the second issue you are like gimme more as the writing and artwork suddenly seem like comfortable old friends.
So in conclusion if you miss this you miss out ! I would go so far as to say if Tharg and his droids got hit by an asteroid and I heard that Dredd in the UK was going to be written and drawn by these two secretly I would be like "yess!" Now of course that is unlikely so how about getting these two to do a new series following Dredd in the first years on the streets of big meg? I know there is Dredd "year one" from IDW but again its US canon and whilst the writing was ok-ish its nothing compared to whats in here...its obvious to me and it will be to you too that this is someone who has read every Dredd story there is. You cant fake that kind of knowledge. So gruddam it UK ! Lets get this book into the the top 10 Dredd books on Amazon UK ! Its where it deserves to be and anyone who argues; well your looking at a 10 strech in the cubes.....creep!
March 20, 2022
As attempts to do Dredd outside of decades of conflicting continuity, this both succeeds and fails but when it fails it fails magnificently. Wolk and Farinas are so in awe of the original comics, that the narrative sometimes gets tangled in little nods to 2000AD continuity and clever in-jokes without ever realising that much of Dredd’s world is made up on the fly and the really important thing for a successful story is to get Dredd himself right (which they mostly do, although they have a nice get out of jail free card to play by having this set before his debut in Prog 2) and then everything should flow from that. Instead they both under and over plot things, and try for a sort of cleverness that the comics never really have - the big tell is the moment in the footnotes where Wolk says how much he likes how buildings in the Meg are named after people who reflect the nature of the story they feature in. That’s way, way, way overthinking what is essentially a mixture of dumb jokes (name it after someone absurd like, say, Robert Kilroy Silk) or a tip of the hat to personal heroes (the Stewart Lee block). That’s all it is, but Wolk kind of ties himself in knots trying to be clever and comes a bit unstuck in terms of storytelling (weirdly I just read the stories about Lawcon in the Case Files but Wolk doesn’t mention them in the footnotes which is a bit odd)
The main problem is that the Dredd universe is basically a very British take on America and American law and governments. And Farinas and Wolk basically get unstuck trying to replicate this tone which, frankly, is a bit tough for a great deal of writers - until the early 2000s, attempts to get other non Wagner/ Grant writers in were almost entirely failures, but Wolk is at an even bigger disadvantage than they were. It’s never bad but does feel a bit like what the Doctor Who movie would have been like if the production team were at all competent: all fine but not quite getting the point
But it’s a valid attempt and has some lovely moments. Farinas can’t physically get Dredd right (he basically needs to look permanently taciturn and have a way, way bigger jaw and be a lot more brooding) but his world building is as ever exceptional. I would like to think that Abnett and Culbard looked at the cutaways with their little boxes and decided to squirrel the idea away for Brink (where it’s been used incredibly). It’s probably considerably better at celebrating the originals on an artistic level than it is in writing, but both are worthy attempts. It’s certainly the best attempt to do Dredd outside of the prog I’ve yet read (with the Urban film second - see the recent Christmas strip’s attempt to address some of the ways that didn’t quite get the tone right)
The main problem is that the Dredd universe is basically a very British take on America and American law and governments. And Farinas and Wolk basically get unstuck trying to replicate this tone which, frankly, is a bit tough for a great deal of writers - until the early 2000s, attempts to get other non Wagner/ Grant writers in were almost entirely failures, but Wolk is at an even bigger disadvantage than they were. It’s never bad but does feel a bit like what the Doctor Who movie would have been like if the production team were at all competent: all fine but not quite getting the point
But it’s a valid attempt and has some lovely moments. Farinas can’t physically get Dredd right (he basically needs to look permanently taciturn and have a way, way bigger jaw and be a lot more brooding) but his world building is as ever exceptional. I would like to think that Abnett and Culbard looked at the cutaways with their little boxes and decided to squirrel the idea away for Brink (where it’s been used incredibly). It’s probably considerably better at celebrating the originals on an artistic level than it is in writing, but both are worthy attempts. It’s certainly the best attempt to do Dredd outside of the prog I’ve yet read (with the Urban film second - see the recent Christmas strip’s attempt to address some of the ways that didn’t quite get the tone right)
July 18, 2018
Mega-City Two sees Dredd in the early days of his career having to to go to Mega-City Two in a ostensibly officer transfer scheme! :D Needless to point but California has changed in very strange ways and this certainly comes as chin raising situation for Dredd as he confronts one whacked out cultural difference to another from his own Mega-City One! :D Mega-City Two runs of a very commercial film orientated culture and this means Dredd becomes the subject matter of numerous shows and the attention of the public! :D
This all adds to the humour of the book that channels throughout the book from Dredd having to go undercover to confront a gang of bikers, at the urging of Hurley, posing as 'The Man' to Dredd having to take on giant mutated Crustaceans! :D This of course is all a ploy by his Chief Judge to get a one one-upmanship and a trade deal in perps! :D The way that Dredd is completely aware of this but still does his duty as well as at the same time overcoming issues this causing is hilarious and really sums up the character! :D
The characterization and the clash of cultures and personalities here is where the book draws it humour and this is show throughout with Dredd taking on the job! :D He falls into the role of director as a result saving his bosses and as the same edging along the line to the Judge who becomes famous for breaking down doors! :D
The art is is bright and vivid and different to other books! :D But this serves the script well and really goes to show the difference in Dredd's society, right down to a car and non-lethal rounds, to that of Mega-City Two and those differences leap off the page and brilliantly play contrasts with Dredd's character!
Mega-City Two sets a cracking humour filled pace from the beginning! :D You really expect it to be fish out of water story until the fish actually takes over! :D Mega-City Two is full of culture clash, adventure, sun, Hollywood sun and action packed throughout! :D Different, vivid, full of parody and highly recommended! :D Crisp high Five! :D
This all adds to the humour of the book that channels throughout the book from Dredd having to go undercover to confront a gang of bikers, at the urging of Hurley, posing as 'The Man' to Dredd having to take on giant mutated Crustaceans! :D This of course is all a ploy by his Chief Judge to get a one one-upmanship and a trade deal in perps! :D The way that Dredd is completely aware of this but still does his duty as well as at the same time overcoming issues this causing is hilarious and really sums up the character! :D
The characterization and the clash of cultures and personalities here is where the book draws it humour and this is show throughout with Dredd taking on the job! :D He falls into the role of director as a result saving his bosses and as the same edging along the line to the Judge who becomes famous for breaking down doors! :D
The art is is bright and vivid and different to other books! :D But this serves the script well and really goes to show the difference in Dredd's society, right down to a car and non-lethal rounds, to that of Mega-City Two and those differences leap off the page and brilliantly play contrasts with Dredd's character!
Mega-City Two sets a cracking humour filled pace from the beginning! :D You really expect it to be fish out of water story until the fish actually takes over! :D Mega-City Two is full of culture clash, adventure, sun, Hollywood sun and action packed throughout! :D Different, vivid, full of parody and highly recommended! :D Crisp high Five! :D
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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May 14, 2023Douglas Wolk's book about Marvel was a masterpiece. Ulises Farinas' art might not be a big deal in a world where we still had Seth Fisher, but in our benighted timeline is always a pleasing sight. And I've always loved the SF idea of a world where different people can subscribe to different legal codes (cue my obligatory plug for the amazing, underappreciated Terra Ignota). But I'm not convinced that any of those promising components are best served by doing a fish out of water, I suppose vaguely Beverly Hills Cop story in which Judge Dredd is sent on an exchange programme to yet another version of Mega-City Two (already one of the very few areas where 2000AD has marred itself with the sort of retcon nonsense the Big Two are forever pulling), and then also gets followed by a camera crew because apparently we haven't tired of reality TV satires in fiction yet (though to be fair, this is from a couple of years back). Not that there isn't a rich vein of comedy in doing Dredd, the ultimate stick-up-ass character, obliged to play nice with, well, pretty much anyone - but for me this rarely lighted on it. Still, we got some amazing cutaways along the ride, and I do love a cutaway. Plus - Pug Dredd!
September 15, 2017
Дуже. Дуже сподобалось.
Це Дредд постмодерний, з купою цитат і алюзій до комікс-культури, до американської поп-культури, до всесвіту Дредда. Авторські нотатки в кінці як дрібка спецій.
І наскрізне медіа. Життя міста як постійне реаліті-шоу, і це не драма, а природний стан речей. Хочеш стати громадянином — іди на кастинг.
Художник і колорист теж дали жару (Дуґлас Волк наприкінці відзначив чимало ідей, які приніс у комікс Улісес Фарінас).
Словом, це любов. Хочу мати його на папері, щоби була можливість роздивлятись деякі розгорти ще і ще.
Sorry Geof…
Це Дредд постмодерний, з купою цитат і алюзій до комікс-культури, до американської поп-культури, до всесвіту Дредда. Авторські нотатки в кінці як дрібка спецій.
І наскрізне медіа. Життя міста як постійне реаліті-шоу, і це не драма, а природний стан речей. Хочеш стати громадянином — іди на кастинг.
Художник і колорист теж дали жару (Дуґлас Волк наприкінці відзначив чимало ідей, які приніс у комікс Улісес Фарінас).
Словом, це любов. Хочу мати його на папері, щоби була можливість роздивлятись деякі розгорти ще і ще.
Sorry Geof…
December 1, 2020
I think that a great deal of my problem with this volume is that it didn't feel like it worked. Mega City One is a weird and creepy place, but if feels like it could have survived the collapse after the atomic wars. This version of Mega City Two just doesn't. There is no indication that the Judge system is even working here. The social satire part of the story, about a city that is basically a giant reality TV show, was mildly amusing, but not handled well enough to be interesting.
Not a horrible story, but not a great one either.
Not a horrible story, but not a great one either.
January 29, 2022
Sadly, the bonus art in the back of the book by Nick Percival, Joe Corroney, Robert Hack and Darick Robertson was far better than anything in the main stories and the writing was chaotic and hard to follow. One to miss.
August 29, 2022
It’s fun to see other parts of Dredd’s world that 2000AD has previously ignored, but this feels badly edited - as Dredd explains what just happened rather than have it shown. Confusing but the Darrow-like full pages are brilliant, shame about the faces.
September 13, 2022
Ulises Farinas is a brilliant artist, some pages I couldn't look away they put Waldo books to shame with the maximalist take, I was just very disappointed in how bad the story was for me, I couldn't keep up and it was allover the place.
October 16, 2024
It's not a great story. Ideas aren't carried far enough to be biting satire. I liked the art, it was busy and hyper-realistic in moments. It reminded me of Geoff Darrow or Brandon Graham or James Stokoe. But it wasn't grimy. It seemed....sanitary, in a way that a mega-city shouldn't be.
May 18, 2018
A fun story, very different to the typical Dredd fair, it was interesting to see MC2 in its heyday before it was almost wiped out by a virus and then actually wiped out by a huge bomb
February 26, 2019
Mostly just lost. 1.5/5.
July 11, 2022
This is the adventure of Judge Dredd on the West Coast. It was a different take for the book as that the laws are different on the West Coast or Mega City Two.
September 15, 2014
'Judge Dredd: Mega-City Two' takes Judge Dredd out of his city and put him in strange circumstances to see what happens. It's an interesting experiment, but I'm not sure it works.
Judge Dredd finds himself in what used to be California as part of a Judge exchange program. He's also paired with a film crew and given a non-lethal gun. All the things he knows are put to the test as things are quite a bit more relaxed. There are strange stories about a giant mutated shrimp, and a criminal zone called Crimeland where Dredd is accompanied by two weird cartoon characters and meets a judge-like guy named Santos.
The art by Ulises Farinas is detailed and great, but perhaps a bit too colorful for what I'm used to in a Judge Dredd story. There is a full page detailed cityscape in each issue that made me stop and study like a Where's Waldo picture. There is humor in all the nooks and crannies of the drawings. But I wanted Dredd to be, well, more like himself. I wanted him to get fed up and just start judging. The social commentary is sort of there, but it just lays there and doesn't do anything. I wanted to like it more than I did, but I'll give another volume of this remake a chance if given the opportunity.
I was given a review copy of this graphic novel by Diamond Book Distributors, IDW Publishing and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.
Judge Dredd finds himself in what used to be California as part of a Judge exchange program. He's also paired with a film crew and given a non-lethal gun. All the things he knows are put to the test as things are quite a bit more relaxed. There are strange stories about a giant mutated shrimp, and a criminal zone called Crimeland where Dredd is accompanied by two weird cartoon characters and meets a judge-like guy named Santos.
The art by Ulises Farinas is detailed and great, but perhaps a bit too colorful for what I'm used to in a Judge Dredd story. There is a full page detailed cityscape in each issue that made me stop and study like a Where's Waldo picture. There is humor in all the nooks and crannies of the drawings. But I wanted Dredd to be, well, more like himself. I wanted him to get fed up and just start judging. The social commentary is sort of there, but it just lays there and doesn't do anything. I wanted to like it more than I did, but I'll give another volume of this remake a chance if given the opportunity.
I was given a review copy of this graphic novel by Diamond Book Distributors, IDW Publishing and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.
September 3, 2014
I have to open this honestly: This was going to serve as my introduction to revamped Judge Dredd, which could explain this whole review for someone who's a fan.
It's well put together, and I laughed out loud as some parts (Dredd's no-bullshit personality definitely comes through). It opens on a nice chase scene, which had me quickly turning pages and was quite entertaining. Though I hate to say this, it could've used a bit more "fill" to introduce the reader to where we are, what's going on, etc. I don't ascribe to the practice often used in mainstream comics where things are quickly rehashed near the beginning, and I think that simple dialog and illustrative pictures can do most of the job of telling the story, but in this case there's slang, new-city speech, and other things that are hard for a new (or, in my case, re-introduced) reader. Having not visited a Dredd comic for years, I found it hard.
Overall, I got lost and lost my momentum in reading. I picked it up a few more times, reading here and there, for the virtue of finishing it, but at no point was enamored with the material. Could be a good fit for a fan.
It's well put together, and I laughed out loud as some parts (Dredd's no-bullshit personality definitely comes through). It opens on a nice chase scene, which had me quickly turning pages and was quite entertaining. Though I hate to say this, it could've used a bit more "fill" to introduce the reader to where we are, what's going on, etc. I don't ascribe to the practice often used in mainstream comics where things are quickly rehashed near the beginning, and I think that simple dialog and illustrative pictures can do most of the job of telling the story, but in this case there's slang, new-city speech, and other things that are hard for a new (or, in my case, re-introduced) reader. Having not visited a Dredd comic for years, I found it hard.
Overall, I got lost and lost my momentum in reading. I picked it up a few more times, reading here and there, for the virtue of finishing it, but at no point was enamored with the material. Could be a good fit for a fan.
September 4, 2014
Judge Dredd is going from the action of Mega City One to the spotlight of Mega City Two and without a real punch packing gun, he is seriously getting irked.
Mega City Two is in what used to be Los Angeles and like a pre-apocalyptic LA this Mega City is more interested in films and looks.
My favorite scene definitely was, the man eating shrimp; mutated shrimp from the atomic wars, how cool is that, shrimp the size of Godzilla.
I could have really used a bit more killing in this book, Judges execute on the spot; also the Chief Judge of Mega City Two was so annoying I really wanted Dredd to Judge. If you're a Dredd fan, you'll still like this, especially how he always seemed to be like 5 seconds away from shooting someone.
Rating 3 out of 5
Read@Book
Mega City Two is in what used to be Los Angeles and like a pre-apocalyptic LA this Mega City is more interested in films and looks.
My favorite scene definitely was, the man eating shrimp; mutated shrimp from the atomic wars, how cool is that, shrimp the size of Godzilla.
I could have really used a bit more killing in this book, Judges execute on the spot; also the Chief Judge of Mega City Two was so annoying I really wanted Dredd to Judge. If you're a Dredd fan, you'll still like this, especially how he always seemed to be like 5 seconds away from shooting someone.
Rating 3 out of 5
Read@Book
May 15, 2016
Fun art. Shit story.
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