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Judge Dredd: The Complete Case Files + The Restricted Files+ The Daily Dredds
Judge Dredd: The Complete Case Files 07
The Complete Case Files series is a chronological collection of all of Judge Dredd's adventures.
The global best-selling graphic novel series - over half a million copies sold! Judge The Complete Case Files collects the adventures of the iconic British character, presented in chronological order, complete and uncut! He's judge, jury and executioner - the lawman delivering justice to the mean streets of far-future Mega-City One. This seventh blockbuster volume includes classic storylines `The Graveyard Shift' and `Cry of The Werewolf'. Written by comic legends John Wagner (A History of Violence) and Alan Grant (Batman), with art by Ron Smith, Steve Dillon (Preacher), Carlos Ezquerra (Strontium Dog) and many more! "If you want to sink your teeth into classic Judge Dredd, the best place to start" - Mental Floss "Amazing and addictive" - io9 "What a collection it will be when it's complete." - Den of Geek
The global best-selling graphic novel series - over half a million copies sold! Judge The Complete Case Files collects the adventures of the iconic British character, presented in chronological order, complete and uncut! He's judge, jury and executioner - the lawman delivering justice to the mean streets of far-future Mega-City One. This seventh blockbuster volume includes classic storylines `The Graveyard Shift' and `Cry of The Werewolf'. Written by comic legends John Wagner (A History of Violence) and Alan Grant (Batman), with art by Ron Smith, Steve Dillon (Preacher), Carlos Ezquerra (Strontium Dog) and many more! "If you want to sink your teeth into classic Judge Dredd, the best place to start" - Mental Floss "Amazing and addictive" - io9 "What a collection it will be when it's complete." - Den of Geek
368 pages, Paperback
First published June 25, 1983
15 people are currently reading
182 people want to read
About the author
John Wagner
1,281 books188 followersJohn Wagner is a comics writer who was born in Pennsylvania in 1949 and moved to Scotland as a boy. Alongside Pat Mills, Wagner was responsible for revitalising British boys' comics in the 1970s, and has continued to be a leading light in British comics ever since. He is best known for his work on 2000 AD, for which he created Judge Dredd. He is noted for his taut, violent thrillers and his black humour. Among his pseudonyms are The best known are John Howard, T.B. Grover, Mike Stott, Keef Ripley, Rick Clark and Brian Skuter. (Wikipedia)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews
July 14, 2022
I really miss stories such as Citizen Snork. The people of Mega-City One were so hilariously insane and bored, and all manner of nonsense could draw out of that. The modern stories are good too, some of them my favourites, but... it's lost something in the transition. This certain gleam of madness and audacity. Taking itself too seriously now.
April 1, 2021
Like the previous Case Files, this one doesn't feature any long or 'world changing' stories. But it does feature some interesting ones that give some 'flesh' to the way of life in Mega City One. It starts with 'Cry of the Werewolf' which involves Dredd fighting off werewolves that come up from under Mega City One. Things get complicated when Dredd gets bitten and must complete his mission to wipe out the werewolves before he turns into one. As Dredd 'must' survive, he does get turned back into a human in the end.
'The Graveyard Shift' is probably one of the longer stories and while it does not contain a high degree of 'excitement', it does show the darker side of living in Mega City One. Dredd patrols the city at night and has to deal with various cases, while the number of arrests, deaths (both of perps and Judges) slowly accumulate during the night. Life in Mega City One can be very monotonous and deadly at once.
'Citizen Snork' is a change of pace and concerns the citizen named Snork who grows the longest nose in Mega City One. Now Dredd has to protect him from The Collector who collects human oddities. 'The Haunting of Sector House 9' has Dredd up against an apparent ghost who has a grudge on Sector House 9 in Mega City One.
'Portrait of a Politician' is hilarious as Dredd gets assigned to protect one unusual candidate for Mayor of Mega City One: Dave the Orangutan. Not that Dredd minds since he thinks Dave is better than the other candidates.
Finally, 'The Making of a Judge' shows the training that a Rookie Judge goes through while being evaluated by a Senior Judge (Dredd, in this case).
All in all, a nice selection of stories.
'The Graveyard Shift' is probably one of the longer stories and while it does not contain a high degree of 'excitement', it does show the darker side of living in Mega City One. Dredd patrols the city at night and has to deal with various cases, while the number of arrests, deaths (both of perps and Judges) slowly accumulate during the night. Life in Mega City One can be very monotonous and deadly at once.
'Citizen Snork' is a change of pace and concerns the citizen named Snork who grows the longest nose in Mega City One. Now Dredd has to protect him from The Collector who collects human oddities. 'The Haunting of Sector House 9' has Dredd up against an apparent ghost who has a grudge on Sector House 9 in Mega City One.
'Portrait of a Politician' is hilarious as Dredd gets assigned to protect one unusual candidate for Mayor of Mega City One: Dave the Orangutan. Not that Dredd minds since he thinks Dave is better than the other candidates.
Finally, 'The Making of a Judge' shows the training that a Rookie Judge goes through while being evaluated by a Senior Judge (Dredd, in this case).
All in all, a nice selection of stories.
August 30, 2025
Many of the stories in this volume were great for developing the character of Mega City 1, particularly "The Graveyard Shift".
However, one of the books main issues (content warning) is the continuing demonisation of being overweight, especially through the story "Requiem for a Heavy-Weight". It's notable, because the critical parodying of fascism that undercuts Judge Dredd, means that the series can at times feel progressive. I'm not sure if it was intended to parody American fast food culture, but in reality it just introduces a level of bigotedness aimed at people who are overweight.
Also, have noticed Dredd's chin seems to be being drawn more and more grotesque. Seemed to happen after he was transformed back from being a werewolf. Possible connection???
However, one of the books main issues (content warning) is the continuing demonisation of being overweight, especially through the story "Requiem for a Heavy-Weight". It's notable, because the critical parodying of fascism that undercuts Judge Dredd, means that the series can at times feel progressive. I'm not sure if it was intended to parody American fast food culture, but in reality it just introduces a level of bigotedness aimed at people who are overweight.
Also, have noticed Dredd's chin seems to be being drawn more and more grotesque. Seemed to happen after he was transformed back from being a werewolf. Possible connection???
January 9, 2023
The big surprise for me in this volume is that what I kind of assumed as a kid was Dredd’s glory years are actually closer to the big shift into better plotted drama. This collection, with Requiem For A Heavyweight and Citizen Snork, contains the earliest Dredd stories I read but in context they’re more or less the final hurrah of this era. Already the satire is getting a slightly sour tone, with a lot more disdain at the state of Mega City One and it’s people. Mayor Dave is a wonderful creation, and no other comic could quite get away with it, but is sort of exhibit A for Wagner and Grant kind of getting disillusioned with this fictional world. There’s a whiff of contempt in the air, which I think is a little new
Otherwise this is some great one offs, with a few noble failures and… the Kim Raymond stories, whose art I find almost impossible to enjoy. Raymond aside, this is pretty much the strongest roster of artists the prog has had - maybe it’s because I read these stories first, but for me the great joy of this era is Ron Smith who manages to find a way to find even the weirdest stories fun. He’s just a great and idiosyncratic artist and he finds a sort of sweetness that isn’t always in the scripts. Brett Ewins makes a splash in the horror strip, but there’s also the effortless brilliance of yet another late artist Steve Dillon that I enjoyed every time he showed up. The werewolf story never quite matches the brilliance of *that* cover, but it does allow Dillon to fully explore the Undercity which is done brilliantly here. It’s a world that the series does not return to as much as it does the Cursed Earth, but always leaves an impact when it does
Otherwise this is some great one offs, with a few noble failures and… the Kim Raymond stories, whose art I find almost impossible to enjoy. Raymond aside, this is pretty much the strongest roster of artists the prog has had - maybe it’s because I read these stories first, but for me the great joy of this era is Ron Smith who manages to find a way to find even the weirdest stories fun. He’s just a great and idiosyncratic artist and he finds a sort of sweetness that isn’t always in the scripts. Brett Ewins makes a splash in the horror strip, but there’s also the effortless brilliance of yet another late artist Steve Dillon that I enjoyed every time he showed up. The werewolf story never quite matches the brilliance of *that* cover, but it does allow Dillon to fully explore the Undercity which is done brilliantly here. It’s a world that the series does not return to as much as it does the Cursed Earth, but always leaves an impact when it does
February 18, 2023
3.5-4.
This is an interesting one. A bit like case files 6, it builds on what came in case files 1-5. There are a couple of cool pieces from Steve Dillon which is really needed in the now permanent absence of Brian Bolland. We have some good nose, werewolves and fatty stories but also a few less than memorable ones. Carlos Ezquerra draws some excellent pieces, but the consistent star of the show is Ron Smith.
Ron Smith's work begins to stand out here in the absence of McMahon and Bolland. Don't get me wrong, some of the artists such as Kim Raymond and Cam Kennedy are fine. But the sheer scope of Ron's stories finally comes to a point of realisation in this case study. He really is Mr. Consistent. Quality high, but in my opinion not excellent.
The most original story is the first drawn by Dillon which explores the underground of Mega City 1. Hello Demolition Man. Overall, a strong case file with a lot of humour and the introduction of some new characters (Dekker) and the development of recently introduced ones (Chief Judge). I think what is missing is a significant villain. 6 had Mean Machine - nothing new on that front here.
This is an interesting one. A bit like case files 6, it builds on what came in case files 1-5. There are a couple of cool pieces from Steve Dillon which is really needed in the now permanent absence of Brian Bolland. We have some good nose, werewolves and fatty stories but also a few less than memorable ones. Carlos Ezquerra draws some excellent pieces, but the consistent star of the show is Ron Smith.
Ron Smith's work begins to stand out here in the absence of McMahon and Bolland. Don't get me wrong, some of the artists such as Kim Raymond and Cam Kennedy are fine. But the sheer scope of Ron's stories finally comes to a point of realisation in this case study. He really is Mr. Consistent. Quality high, but in my opinion not excellent.
The most original story is the first drawn by Dillon which explores the underground of Mega City 1. Hello Demolition Man. Overall, a strong case file with a lot of humour and the introduction of some new characters (Dekker) and the development of recently introduced ones (Chief Judge). I think what is missing is a significant villain. 6 had Mean Machine - nothing new on that front here.
June 6, 2023
That concludes volume 7 and my time with judge dredd for at least a couple weeks. I quite enjoy the later parts of the volume, dekker especially. "Cry of the werewolf" is one of the best stories and "portrait of a politician" is literally my favorite JD story out of the 400 progs so far but apart from those three things it's average and "requiem for a heavyweight" is the worst, meanest story so far. So high highs and lows lows I guess.
I'm probably going to read some other 2000ad stuff before I come back to the lawman, I only have restricted files 1 and volume 8 left in my collection. I'll have to buy more, volumes 9, 10 & judge Anderson volume 1 which I'm particularly excited for (also tales from telguth) there's so much great stuff from the galaxies greatest comic!
I'm probably going to read some other 2000ad stuff before I come back to the lawman, I only have restricted files 1 and volume 8 left in my collection. I'll have to buy more, volumes 9, 10 & judge Anderson volume 1 which I'm particularly excited for (also tales from telguth) there's so much great stuff from the galaxies greatest comic!
November 3, 2024
No real stand-out stories here although there is the usual crop of standalones and weird multi-part stories that are mostly inconsequential. One particular story has a robot with a conscience releasing some circus dinosaurs from captivity called "Bob & Carol & Ted & Ringo". It doesn't make a whole lot of sense. I prefer the social satires where the pampered populace experience massive unemployment are so bored they prefer to go to war with their neighbouring tower blocks than stay in and watch TV. The references come thick and fast with a multi-part story covering a single night shift for the judges which could have come straight from the pen of Ed McBain. It's all good even if the black and white images and text can sometimes be hard on the eye.
May 31, 2019
More of the same stuff from 22nd Century Mega-City One.
This particular collection suffers from the same issues that many others do, and that’s lack of any really strong storyline. There’s maybe 2 halfway enjoyable ones here (“The Graveyard Shift” and the one about Dave, the orangutan), but that’s pretty much it.
I think the problem here is that Alan Grant and John Wagner are criminally absent (just one story each) with every other prog being penned by T.S. Grover. Grover isn’t horrible, but he’s definitely not up to the same level that Wagner and Grant achieved.
Messy and inconsistent artwork also lends a hand in bringing 07 down.
This particular collection suffers from the same issues that many others do, and that’s lack of any really strong storyline. There’s maybe 2 halfway enjoyable ones here (“The Graveyard Shift” and the one about Dave, the orangutan), but that’s pretty much it.
I think the problem here is that Alan Grant and John Wagner are criminally absent (just one story each) with every other prog being penned by T.S. Grover. Grover isn’t horrible, but he’s definitely not up to the same level that Wagner and Grant achieved.
Messy and inconsistent artwork also lends a hand in bringing 07 down.
June 5, 2017
A decent collection of progs that continue to highlight the absurdity and squalor of Mega-City citizens. Death comes easy for everyone.
I think, of the lot, my favorite is a unique, relatively low-action story about Dave the Orangutan. That first image, his detailed portrait as Mayor, is one of my favorite panels so far in the AD 2000 line.
I think, of the lot, my favorite is a unique, relatively low-action story about Dave the Orangutan. That first image, his detailed portrait as Mayor, is one of my favorite panels so far in the AD 2000 line.
March 18, 2019
I really miss stories such as Citizen Snork. The people of Mega-City One were so hilariously insane and bored, and all manner of nonsense could draw out of that. The modern stories are good too, some of them my favourites, but... it's lost something in the transition. This certain gleam of madness and audacity.
April 27, 2020
The best story arc in this collection involves subterranean werewolves... which probably tells you everything. Although John Wagner is credited as the author here on GR most (all?) of the stories are not penned by him and it shows. There are a lot of one-off and shorter stories in this collection and for the most part they're pretty weak: staple kid's comic affairs.
July 10, 2025
I am on a bing reading marathon to reread all the Judge Dredd comics since it debut from 1977 upwards.
I just simply love the story plot, the dialogue and the story plot itself. This is my second time around and as ever I thoroughly enjoyed it once again. I can never be bored of the Judge Dredd series as I complete a volume of a graphic novel per week.
Best wishes. Sean
I just simply love the story plot, the dialogue and the story plot itself. This is my second time around and as ever I thoroughly enjoyed it once again. I can never be bored of the Judge Dredd series as I complete a volume of a graphic novel per week.
Best wishes. Sean
January 21, 2017
Enjoyable collection of tales, on the whole, though without any "big ticket" arcs like the Apocalypse War.
The werewolf opener's probably the weakest entry in the book, with the 'Graveyard Shift' tale probably the best overall.
The werewolf opener's probably the weakest entry in the book, with the 'Graveyard Shift' tale probably the best overall.
August 14, 2019
If it weren’t for Requiem for a Heavyweight, this might be a 5 Star review. Cry of the Werewolf, Graveyard Shift, Dave and Super Bowl are all classics. And I am in *love* with Dekker and genuinely fear for her safety as the story continues.
July 31, 2025
I knew I would eventually get to the point where I don't recollect any of the stories and here I am with volume 7. Actually enjoyed this more for exactly that reason and looking forward to building up my collection.
December 1, 2017
No big stories like Apocalypse War but whole bunch of shorter thing. And with some Steve Dillon art! Yay"
February 18, 2019
Brilliant stuff Bub! :D Brilliant Review to Come! :D
March 3, 2019
Revisiting stories I first read when I was 11 in the pages of 2000AD. Cracking stuff. Dark satire, brutal crime, a dose of horror and pretty political. 35 years ago though, jeez....
April 8, 2020
No particularly outstanding stories but solid quality throughout. Dredd in top,form, medium and short stories.
June 1, 2022
Lacked a big arc. Fun to recognise caricatures that I probably missed at the time
March 3, 2024
This is another large book of judge Dredd stories. It was good.
April 4, 2024
Decent collection of stories.
October 24, 2023
My on-again, off-again Judge Dredd marathon continues! Things start out strong with a 7 part epic called Cry Of The Werewolf. I love werewolves. I love Judge Dredd. This is like chocolate and peanut butter combined to make a Reese's Cup. Some of the more typical Dredd elements (i.e. having different types of bullets which can be called out by name via voice recognition) come into play during the course of this book.
As I have stated in reviews of previous volumes, the style and pace of these British comics would go on to be a major influence on American comics. Indeed, it would be difficult to find a mainstream comic published after 2000 that doesn't ape from this style of storytelling. This helps this thirty year old material feel fresh and contemporary. I have enjoyed what I have read so far.
As I have stated in reviews of previous volumes, the style and pace of these British comics would go on to be a major influence on American comics. Indeed, it would be difficult to find a mainstream comic published after 2000 that doesn't ape from this style of storytelling. This helps this thirty year old material feel fresh and contemporary. I have enjoyed what I have read so far.
April 19, 2014
Covering Progs 322-375 this collection puts together the ongoing adventures of Judge Dredd from the pages of 2000AD during 1983/1984. Nothing stunning happens in this collection, no epic events but it still contains some good hours of reading. The most notable highlight is the introduction of Judge Anderson, and yet she only appears in one of several psi-cases. Approximately the first half of the collection contains multi-part issues with serious stories and great cases though as mentioned this volume does contain a number of psi-cases (those involving the paranormal). Then the quality goes down a little and the second half of the book contains one shot episodes or 2-3 parters at most. Some of these move onto the more campy and silly and we get a cross-section of stories that were hit and miss for me. I don't mind and actually enjoy some of the campiness, so that's not a major issue with me, but too much in a row gets a bit much. I do prefer the serious stories. The second half of the book did have one long psi-adventure that I really enjoyed. Overall, I always enjoy a dose of Dredd, this just wasn't as good as previous collections. However, I'm loving reading Dredd in order, seeing things/people appear for the first time and watching Joe's character develop into the one he's become today.
February 13, 2017
What a corker! It started off with an epic through the old underground New York (Futurama I'm looking at you) where Dredd is hunting some werewolves. Then we get back to strange stuff like a music composer obsessed with using weather for his performance (as usual, lots of people needlessly die). The oddity highlight of the book is probably Requiem For A Heavyweight, in which we see a man die from eating his own bed. We are then thrown into several stories which occur during The Graveyard Shift, which is essentially a night in the life of Judge Dredd - we discover the crime rate on that 'quiet' night to be 97 serious assaults, 4 murders, 0.05 riots and 178 traffic offences EVERY MINUTE!
Other stories include nose theft, Mad Max style villains on the highway (which leads to the most 'adult' death in JD so far), an excellent Poltergeist rip-off, an orang-utan running for mayor, a crack-down on some illegal Bingo, and the promotion of rookie Dekker into a Judge.
JD seems to be getting better every year, with the sophistication and flow of stories seeming more natural and engaging than ever.
Other stories include nose theft, Mad Max style villains on the highway (which leads to the most 'adult' death in JD so far), an excellent Poltergeist rip-off, an orang-utan running for mayor, a crack-down on some illegal Bingo, and the promotion of rookie Dekker into a Judge.
JD seems to be getting better every year, with the sophistication and flow of stories seeming more natural and engaging than ever.
June 22, 2014
Strap on your knee pads for some great Judge Dredd action.
There are some longer stories including Cry of the Werewolf, Graveyard Shift, Rumble in the Jungle and Haunting of Sector House 9 all of which offer good adventure stories. Requiem for a Heavy Weight, Bob & Carol & Ted & Ringo and Citizen Snork are absurdist stories, but I only enjoyed Citizen Snork.
The shorter stories of one or two programs were really good and toward the end we meet Judge Drekker as she is being trained by Judge Dredd and gets her full eagle and black helmet. I really liked the absurdist stories, which include Suspect, High Society, The House on Runner's Walk, Super Bowl and Bingo. There was one short adventure story, which was very good The Making of a Judge.
Overall this volume has everything except a long story arc that Judge Dredd fans are looking for with plenty of heroics mixed with over the top fascist law enforcement. Chief Judge McGruder is drawn to look between 30 and 50 depending on the artist, which is kind of weird.
There are some longer stories including Cry of the Werewolf, Graveyard Shift, Rumble in the Jungle and Haunting of Sector House 9 all of which offer good adventure stories. Requiem for a Heavy Weight, Bob & Carol & Ted & Ringo and Citizen Snork are absurdist stories, but I only enjoyed Citizen Snork.
The shorter stories of one or two programs were really good and toward the end we meet Judge Drekker as she is being trained by Judge Dredd and gets her full eagle and black helmet. I really liked the absurdist stories, which include Suspect, High Society, The House on Runner's Walk, Super Bowl and Bingo. There was one short adventure story, which was very good The Making of a Judge.
Overall this volume has everything except a long story arc that Judge Dredd fans are looking for with plenty of heroics mixed with over the top fascist law enforcement. Chief Judge McGruder is drawn to look between 30 and 50 depending on the artist, which is kind of weird.
March 23, 2014
Cracking. Possibly my favourite Case Files volume so far. No long epics, but plenty of varied thrills and ridiculous Mega-City goings on. Werewolves, rookie Judge Dekker, Dave the orangutan, dinosaurs, ludicrous crazes and masses of crime. I always think Dredd would make a perfect TV series and this collection would be a good blueprint: Take almost any regular urban situation and throw it into the extreme, tongue-in-cheek future of The Big Meg. Automatic greatness. Fab.
October 1, 2012
This includes Steve Dillon's (Preacher) werewolf tale and showcases how much his art has changed. I've always enjoyed Dillon's horse face characters, but this shows that to be a stylistic approach. The arc called Graveyard Shift is a haunting night in MegaCity and shows just how cheap life in the Blocs can be.
August 31, 2014
The unbilled co-star of Judge Dredd is Mega City One. This collection of short stories (no multi-prog epic in this collection) shines a spotlight on MC1 crazy charms. My favourite is when the citizens vote for Dave the Orangutan as he couldn't be any worse than the normal politicans that stand for office.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews