Judge Dredd: Mega City Two #1
Written by Douglas Wolk
Art by Ulises Farinas
Colors by Ryan Hill
Letters by Tom B. Long
IDW Publishing
Release Date: January 22, 2014
Cover Price: $3.99

Judge Dredd: Mega City Two #1 was one fun book to read! The first impressions sold me immediately, with artist Ulises Farinas’ ultra detail in the city shots, instantly bringing Geoff Darrow and the late, lamented, Seth Fisher, to mind.

But Farina has got his own look and the detail expressed in the environments is sharply contrasted with the simplicity of his figure illustrations. I should note that the city shots contain lots of gags, like the “Van Halen Expressway” and “Stallone Megway” signs and the neon “Carl’s Sagan jr” restaurant.

If you’ve not yet seen the 2012 movie take on the Judge Dredd character, simply titled Dredd, you really should. Unless you’re easily put off by violence, in which case you should still totally watch it. It’s all cuddles and rainbows and sugary sweet treats, I swear.

One particular scene involves a trippy slow-motion shootout in a drug den that’s bound to leave your jaw at least a little dropped. As part of their DIY Effects series, Epix decided to recreate this same scene, only using puppets.

The results, which you can watch in the video below, are both funny and still pretty awesome.

Mars Attacks Judge Dredd #1
Written by Al Ewing
Art by John McCrea
Colored by Jay Fotos
Lettered by Tom B. Long
Covers by Greg Staples, John McCrea and Jay Fotos, Loston Wallace and Stephen Downer, Nav! and Thomas Mason
IDW Publishing
Release Date: September 11, 2013
Cover Price: $3.99

Mars Attacks Judge Dredd #1 starts in a dark room with shadowy figures, talking about the mega-mafia. It quickly devolves into an argument about who is in charge, until a man shows up and says he is the only person to control the mega-mafia. A month later, Judge Dredd gets called in to help the North Sector with their troubles with the mega-mafia’s new plans.

The art, by John McCrea, is all over the place, sometimes clear as day, sometimes looking like a photograph from the ’40s. It works well with the writing though, and doesn’t interfere with reading the comic. The writing, by Al Ewing, doesn’t stand out in any way; it is clear and coherent, but not much else.

Dredd
Netflix | Amazon | Epix | iTunes | Vudu
DVD | Blu-ray
Directed by Pete Travis
Starring Karl Urban, Olivia Thirlby, Lena Headey
Lionsgate
Originally Released: July 11, 2012

Dredd, the most recent adaptation of the hero/antihero Judge Dredd, who made 2000 AD the amazing comic book it was, was easily my favorite movie of 2012. Dredd is above and beyond that of the appalling version featuring Stallone in the 1990s, and though it has some faults, it comes with some of the most stunning cinematography effects and visuals, along with an exciting action chronicle that keeps your attention.

For those unfamiliar with the lore of Judge Dredd, sometime in the distant future, the human race is recovering from some kind of apocalyptic event involving radiation. The surviving society in the remains of the United States gather together in megacities, originally established to remain sequestered from radiation, but since expanded to gigantic proportions with a massive population density.

Judge Dredd: The Complete Carlos Ezquerra, Vol. 1
Illustrated by Carlos Ezquerra
Colored by Carlos Ezquerra
Cover by Carlos Ezquerra
Edited by Justin Eisinger
Designed by Robbie Robbins
IDW Publishing
Release Date: April 23, 2013
Cover Price: $49.99

Confession of a comic book reviewer: I’ve never read a single Judge Dredd comic in my life. *Gasp!* It’s true. It’s never even been on my radar; however, having recently watched Karl Urban’s performance of the toughest Judge out there in the ultra-violent 2012 adaptation, Dredd, I have been clamoring to get my hands on some futuristic police enforcing material. Judge Dredd: The Complete Carlos Ezquerra, Vol. 1 is the perfect introduction to the world of Judge Dredd.

This massive 266-page collection pulls together a fantastic assortment of stories with illustrations by Carlos Ezquerra“”the man behind the design of Judge Dredd. What better way to immerse myself into Mega-City One than by reading some of the earliest Dredd stories around, combined with the premiere character interpretations of Judge Dredd and the world he’s sworn to protect? I’ll admit that these comics aren’t the most well written works you’ll ever find. They’re campy, no-holds-barred action comics, but they can be really weird and out there, which is what made me enjoy them. Not only does Dredd issue out justice to wrong-doers and criminals, but he protects Mega-City from alien invasions, disgustingly mutated creatures and viruses, and undead villains, just to mention a few.