Originally published March 5, 2015. Updated April 13, 2018.
Villordsutch reviews Judge Dredd: The Mega Collection – Origins…
Citizens! Issue 4 has just hit the shelves…
In Origins, you’ll learn the true story behind the creation of the Judges and Justice Department as a villain from the past returns to reclaim his heritage…
In Judge Dredd: The Mega Collection – Origins we skip back only a few years to 2006 – when it was originally published – when we finally take hold of the strands of Dredd’s past and the history that led to the world of the Mega-Cities being built. For years the piles and piles of Dredd Lore had built up, for which numerous writers dodged out of the way not wanting to think about tackling this mammoth saga because of the scale of what Origins would actually have to be – the story of the genesis of the Judges, the Justice Department, the destruction of most of planet Earth due to President “Bad Bob” Booth and of course the “Birth” of Judge Dredd. However finally John Wagner put his pen to paper and with the artistic talents Kev Walker and Carlos Ezquerra they did it.
We have here a true history lesson on the brutal birth and evolution of the world of which Judge Dredd and a few billion other people reside in. This history lesson is delivered in amongst a secondary mystery story involving the kidnapping of Chief Judge Fargo – who has long since been presumed dead – both Judge Dredd and his now dead brother Rico were cloaned from Fargo. For this a posse of Judges trek out into the Cursed Earth with a large amount of ransom money to look for, and hopefully return with the Chief Judge. Along the way we come across Dredd’s distant kin, some friendly and some not so.
It’s unfortunately in the Cursed Earth the Origins tale comes to a bit of a slowdown; whereas the rest of the book is rather excellent the brakes come on as Dredd and Co. come across a mutant attack group, then a Mutie camp and then later his big chinned ancestors; it felt like as though a violence quota needed to be filled and this was it. Though if we put these minor discretions aside the rest of the book is – as said – excellent and is a very important and powerful part of the Dredd universe which has been created by Wagner.
Taking a look at the art I may get some rocks flung at me here, but defending myself rapidly Carlos Ezquerra’s art is sheer perfection (as ever), however I would have loved to have seen the rest of the book completed by Kev Walker who opens the tale. It looked aggressive and energetic and I wanted it to stay, but after the introduction we jumped to Ezquerra’s art, which all be it never a bad thing to look at, I really wanted Walkers.
Judge Dredd: The Mega Collection – Origins as a whole is certainly a book to buy, it has your Dredd history in and is an excellent read. Granted there are moments when the story slows and also moments where you feel like there is killing because somebody highlighted, “We’ve got a surplus of red ink here!” but still don’t let these tiny negatives dissuade you from picking it.
Judge Dredd: The Mega Collection – Origins is available to buy now priced £9.99 or online here.
Villordsutch likes his sci-fi and looks like a tubby Viking according to his children. Visit his website and follow him on Twitter.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SMekjOsexHs&list=PL18yMRIfoszH_jfuJoo8HCG1-lGjvfH2F
