Andrew Newton reviews Judge Dredd: The Complete Case Files 10…
Judge Dredd takes to the mean streets of the Big Meg once more to tackle the city’s most dangerous offenders, including the deadly martial artist Stan Lee! The tenth book in this bestselling series collects together some of the very best in Thrill-power, including such stories as ‘The Art of Kenny Who?’, ‘The Fists of Stan Lee’, ‘Atlantis’ and ‘The Taxidermist.’ Featuring the writing of Judge Dredd dynamic duo Alan Grant (Batman) and John Wagner (A History of Violence) and the work of such classic artists as Steve Dillon (Preacher), Cam Kennedy (Star Wars) and Kevin O’Neill (The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen), this is the perfect collection for all discerning comic fans!
Judge Dredd, undoubtedly one of the finest bringers of law the world has seen, comes to our attention again today as Judge Dredd: The Complete Case Files 10 hits comic store shelves. It’s no surprise that this remarkable series has reached 10 issues. There is something brilliant about the character of Dredd and the humour contained within each and every storyline. Who can forget the story of the Judges showing up at a fight between Andy Ridgely block and George Michael block which I believe came out at around the time Wham split up (Correct me if I’m wrong though).
Complete Case Files 10 has been compiled from some of the best storylines of the mid 1980’s and includes stories that really help develop the character that is Dredd. In some stories such as ‘The Urge’, we can see the fascist policeman that ultimately Dredd and the other Judges are. However, we also see Dredd has got a sympathetic side towards the victims of crimes for example, his treatment and compassion towards Igor in ‘I,Beast’ or the character in ‘They Shoot Deejays don’t they?’.
Humour plays a pivotal role in a majority of Dredd compilations and Case Files 10 is no different. A strip titled ‘What if the Judges did the ads’, will have you laughing out loud as a bunged up Judge Death makes an appearance.
If you fancy yourself a Judge in the making there is also a little observational test for you to carry out where you have to spot the perp. Trust me, it’s a hard test but I’ll be interested to know if anyone gets them all.
John Wagner and Alan Grant have done an amazing job over the years of turning Dredd from a mere comic strip into a living, breathing character who is at times emotional and entertaining yet always loyal to his fellow Judges and has a deep sense of duty.
Bringing Dredd and his world to life isn’t solely thanks to Wagner and Grant though, tribute should also be made to the numerous artists who give us our visual impression of our chisel-jawed hero and his place in the gleaming high blocks that reach into the sky of Mega-City One and the pedways with literally thousands of civilians. There are literally too many artists to name who helped create the stories in this compilation but they all do a great job making Mega City One a real city.
The Complete Case Files 10 is one of the best case files to date, there’s a little bit of Dredd to suit all tastes. If you haven’t already purchased it then that is most probably worth 5 years in an Iso-cube.
Andrew Newton
https://youtu.be/yIuEu1m0p2M?list=PL18yMRIfoszEaHYNDTy5C-cH9Oa2gN5ng
Originally published June 10, 2015. Updated April 14, 2018.
