Andy Naylor reviews Judge Dredd: Anderson, Psi-Division #1…
I’ve been reviewing Judge Dredd comics for a little while now, and reading them for much, much longer. The lawman has a special place in my heart, as does the world in which he inhabits. So to get to visit Mega-City One, the cursed Earth and other landmarks in Dredd’s world and view them through the eyes with a fresh perspective was an opportunity to jump upon. To see Mega-City One without Dredd’s black and white view on the world is actually quite an exciting prospect. Judge Dredd: Anderson, Psi-Division does not fail to live up to my hopes.
After a brief prologue, featuring Anderson’s parents, which at present bears no impact on the main plot (I suspect the ominous figure watching on has some relevance later on), we are with Anderson’s sleep being disturbed by a pre-cog psychic flash of a would be crime. From the off, the art is serious and conveys just the right amount of mood for the story. Only occasionally are little dabs of colour used, more often than not on the eyes of the perps, and works very well. It gives the whole introduction to the story an eerie atmosphere and the reader is instantly aware that the story-arc is going to be one of the more serious comics, not the over-the-top ridiculousness than occasionally crops up.
The whole feel of this issue is more of a true detective story than what it would’ve been with Dredd present in it. Anderson and the readers have little knowledge of the suspects and their motivations throughout the entire issue, and just when we think we have even the smallest of grasps on what is possibly going on, the end leaves us with the appearance of, what can only be described as “the big bad” behind the whole plot – we see a male in a suit from behind, simply called Mr. Ashbury.
This is simply an introduction to Anderson’s own solo flight into Dredd’s world. It has started very positively and I hope the quality of art and story-telling is maintained at this high standard. I’m eager to see where we go from here.
Read a preview of Judge Dredd: Anderson, Psi-Division here.
Andy Naylor – Follow me on Twitter.
Originally published August 15, 2014. Updated January 18, 2020.
