Publisher:  IDW Publishing
Writer:  Duane Swierczynski
Artist:  Shane Pierce
Release Date: 16th July 2014

I have to admit that despite having my interest in Judge Dredd vastly increased by the Karl Urban’s Chin-starring reboot movie and the recent release of several geek-pleasing collections such as Batman vs Judge Dredd, I still haven’t dedicated myself to grabbing a monthly fix of Mega City One’s finest ‘Long Chin of the Law’. While I enjoyed the first few issues of IDW’s series, which aimed to be accessible to new fans, it unfortunately fell by the wayside in my pull list due to an overall lack of funds. So jumping back in at a random issue, did I make a mistake in deeming Judge Dredd a nonessential purchase? Looks like it.

Story-wise I was instantly drawn in, despite having no prior knowledge of the current arc. Judge Anderson has been shot and is on the verge of death, psychically relaying her current situation to Dredd. This fashion of recapping of events to Dredd gives some great and personal insight into how Anderson perceives Dredd as a mentor and protector, as well as serving as basic narration. The focus of the issue is on Anderson and throughout we are treated to examples of how her iron will and psychic abilities make her just as formidable as the comic’s title character. The actual plot of this issue appears to reveal that the Dark Judges are seeking host bodies (in the form of brutally murdered Judges) for themselves and beings from other dimensions. I’m assuming this was hinted at before being revealed in this issue, otherwise the comic may be assuming far more knowledge of the Dredd universe than when the series began.

The painterly style of Shane Pierce’s art is what absolutely makes this issue, lending itself well to a world which seems not only post-apocalyptic but also haunted and sick. The art also manages to portray the sickening and bone-crunching transformations undergone by the dead Judges and Anderson herself, as well as lending itself particularly well to the almost Eldritch horror that pursues Anderson throughout a beautifully ethereal dream sequence.

While this issue may seem a weak reveal for the Dark Judges their plan is certainly given a horrifying weight. With the return of the Dark Judges, and a ludicrous moment in which Dredd shoots a ‘star vampire’ with a crossbow this series seems to be embracing it’s 2000 AD roots a little more than it once had. With that, and an awesome story for the always-incredible Judge Anderson, I think this series has made it back onto my pull-list. And maybe it should have never left.

Rating: 4 Dark Judges/5

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The writer of this piece was: Andrew Stevens