Page 45 Review by Jonathan
"Don't do small talk, do you? Drive with me."
Haha, that alone cracked me up, Dredd telling someone else they're not the chatty type!! Right, as we were…
"Witness said he was sure he saw Judges. Just for an instant. Two reaching for Benn. Then there was nothing. 'Ghost Judges.'"
"Do you believe that?"
"I've seen the supernatural. I've put my fist through the supernatural.
"That's not what this is. There are other cases, though nothing proven.
"A stealth group, operating outside the remit of the Chief Judge. Operating for someone else."
Indeed… and there is nothing like someone thinking they are above the Law to get right up Joe Dredd's nose…
Here's the bullet laden bulletin from the publisher to give pretty much everything away…
"The critically-acclaimed and fan-lauded latest Judge Dredd tale which sent shockwaves through the universe and Mark Millar called 'one of the best runs ever!' Everything is at stake and no-one is safe, as Judge Dredd and his team of hand-picked allies finally takes on the nefarious Judge Smiley, Mega-City One's behind-the-scenes manipulator! But who will be left standing at the end?"
Errr… well, I know who I would guess!
I would have to heartily concur, though, with the plaudits for this series. I was absolutely riveted as it came out week by week in 2000AD. Featuring some of my favourite characters like the Wally Squad's Dirty Frank, who featured prominently in the fabulous JUDGE DREDD: TRIFECTA and former SJS Judge Gerhart, it builds on recent stories such as Williams and Flint's own excellent JUDGE DREDD: TITAN, but also shines a new, disturbingly revealing light on events as far back as Block Mania and the Apocalypse War as it builds and builds to a crunching crescendo.
Dredd's going to win obviously. It's what he does. But at what cost? How many colleagues will be acceptable collateral damage along the way this time? And just how high up does this conspiracy go? I mean, is it really conceivable that Chief Judge Hersey is completely unaware of the secret cabal armed with cloaking technology performing covert assassinations made to look like accidents, both locally and globally, that all serve to benefit Mega-City One politically…?
I sincerely hope Rob Williams is going to be involved with the writing of the forthcoming Dredd TV show which is being produced by Rebellion themselves, as he's been responsible for much of the best Dredd material of recent years and this tale is just pure thrill power. Even Tharg needed a lie down after reading it. So for those lovers of a bit of casual future fascism who might have been wondering whether old Stoney Face has still got it, the answer is a resounding yes. In fact that's five years for even doubting him creep. Head directly to the cubes and do not pass the counter without collecting this book.
