Andy Naylor reviews Judge Dredd Classics #2…
“Block Mania continues here! Mega-City One is in the grips of Block Madness, and Dredd must track down the villain who poisoned his city and turned everyone against each other. Close calls and espionage abound in this re-colored collection of Judge Dredd classics.”
Judge Dredd Classics #2 is a re-issue of the classic 1981 Block Mania story arc, featuring the second 30 pages and in colour for the very first time. This issue continues directly from where issue #1 left off. Mega-City One is in the grip of ‘Block Mania’, the streets are in chaos and only Judge Dredd can bring law and order back to them again.
What I love about this issue is that it is 90% Judge Dredd. Minimal side plots, and only what the reader must know is Dredd free. The rest is Dredd at his law serving best. The lawman proves himself to be clever and forceful, never taking his eyes off the problem. He is single-minded and driven in upholding the law. This comic is fantastic; I loved every second of it. The pace is quick and the story concise – no single panel feels like a needless indulgence. Everything keeps the reader’s attention.
The drawings are excellent and mature. The detail and is sublime and the city-scape scenes are some of the best I have ever seen in any issue of Dredd. Mega-City One looks fantastic yet depressing, it is captured brilliantly. The addition of colouring to these issues is flawless. Any new reader would read the comic, enjoy everything about it and be completely unaware that the colouring is an addition. Charlie Kirchoff has done a fantastic job of capturing the original edition’s feel and style. Everything about the colouring compliments the story and the drawings.
The one big negative I have is the font. Still. It is difficult enough to read at the best of times but once any writing is in bold then you are left pretty much guessing what it says. It really is that bad. I’d have hoped that it would’ve been sorted out since the last issue. I realise that apart from the colour that these stories should be kept identical to the originals. However, when about a quarter of each page is blank white background and the reader is struggling to decipher words, then some kind of formatting should be used to optimise the space provided and give the reader the best experience possible.
Fantastic comic and I can’t wait for the next issue.
Andy Naylor – Follow me on Twitter.
Originally published August 27, 2013. Updated April 11, 2018.
