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Judge Dredd: The Complete Case Files + The Restricted Files+ The Daily Dredds
Judge Dredd: The Complete Case Files 10
Crime doesn't pay in Mega-City One!
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 tenth blockbuster volume includes storylines 'The Art of Kenny Who?' and 'The Taxidermist'. Written by comic legends John Wagner (A History of Violence), and Alan Grant (Batman), with art by Kevin O'Neill (League of Extraordinary Gentlemen), Steve Dillon (Preacher), Ian Gibson (The Ballad of Halo Jones) 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 tenth blockbuster volume includes storylines 'The Art of Kenny Who?' and 'The Taxidermist'. Written by comic legends John Wagner (A History of Violence), and Alan Grant (Batman), with art by Kevin O'Neill (League of Extraordinary Gentlemen), Steve Dillon (Preacher), Ian Gibson (The Ballad of Halo Jones) 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
384 pages, Paperback
First published June 14, 1986
10 people are currently reading
152 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 - 21 of 21 reviews
July 6, 2016
Stories and art just awesome as ever. Michael Jackson comeback concert made me laugh to tears and Anderson long saga at the end was just the cherry on top of this great volume satyrical distopian action packed for good.
July 11, 2024
Reading these Dredd collections is a lot like sticking your hand in a mystery bag and coming out with a prize. You could get something good. You might get something terrible. Or, you just might get something that’s neither.
Previous Case Files collections have definitely suffered more from that last option as for a quite a while, the progs just felt kinda lame and lacked any consistent storytelling across the issues or any arcs to remember. Complete Case Files 10, thankfully, feels a lot more complete.
Obviously a lot of what’s in here is inane and kind of pointless to the overarching development of old Stoney Face, however, at least most of the one offs are satirical or funny enough to not be taken seriously. I’ve said before that I tend to enjoy the darker and more “grounded” Dredd stories (probably why I like the prose stuff so much) but in this collection, it was the lighter hearted stuff that stood out. Both the ridiculous Michael Jackson (Jaxon) and Christmas one offs were actually laugh out loud funny and obviously written as jokes. And while I’m still waiting for a return of Judge Death and his minions as well as a truly great multiple prog storyline (like “Cursed Earth” or the ever popular “Apokalypse War”), 10 did have a few multi-part progs that were enjoyable, such as the 4-issue involving kidnapped judges.
I’d also like to point out that while Brian Bolland still remains highly missed, the artwork (bar a few examples) has improved to feel at least moderately consistent across the collection.
Previous Case Files collections have definitely suffered more from that last option as for a quite a while, the progs just felt kinda lame and lacked any consistent storytelling across the issues or any arcs to remember. Complete Case Files 10, thankfully, feels a lot more complete.
Obviously a lot of what’s in here is inane and kind of pointless to the overarching development of old Stoney Face, however, at least most of the one offs are satirical or funny enough to not be taken seriously. I’ve said before that I tend to enjoy the darker and more “grounded” Dredd stories (probably why I like the prose stuff so much) but in this collection, it was the lighter hearted stuff that stood out. Both the ridiculous Michael Jackson (Jaxon) and Christmas one offs were actually laugh out loud funny and obviously written as jokes. And while I’m still waiting for a return of Judge Death and his minions as well as a truly great multiple prog storyline (like “Cursed Earth” or the ever popular “Apokalypse War”), 10 did have a few multi-part progs that were enjoyable, such as the 4-issue involving kidnapped judges.
I’d also like to point out that while Brian Bolland still remains highly missed, the artwork (bar a few examples) has improved to feel at least moderately consistent across the collection.
May 22, 2019
Freedom of choice
Is what you got
Freedom from choice
Is what you want--Devo
While I like to pretend that comic books exist as some art form that exists for art's sake (both in story and art) the fact is that the one thing that gets most books published is sales. If a book didn't get read for the most part it wouldn't be published (for the sake of this argument, let's not think about how the internet has allowed for more self-publishing and delivery of both books and comics--these avenues weren't available when the stories in this volume were published in the mid-80s). Having now read ten of these volumes, I have begun to detect that by the time the stories in this volume appeared in 2000 A.D. the British sci-fi comic magazine that brought us Judge Dredd among other things, writing Judge Dredd had likely become "just a job" for writers John Wagner and Alan Grant and although there are always moments where they find a new take on Judge Dredd, for the most part they are going through the motions and collecting a check. They almost seem weary of writing for Judge Dredd. This probably for two reasons--one, by the time you've written enough to fill ten volumes of Judge Dredd collections there probably really isn't really more to say about this character, and two, most of these stories were published at the height of Thatcher's Britain. I'm sure that given the more authoritarian leanings of conservatives, when it came to Judge Dredd, as the Smiths would say--"That joke isn't funny anymore."
However, it's likely that the publishers of 2000 A.D. felt that the flagship Judge Dredd weekly that had been running since issue #2 (they are in the 2000s now) was helping contribute to sales, and since they were getting paid, Wagner and Grant just kept going through the motions. After all, you have to eat. But the fact is that if our current political climate has taught us anything, it is that there is a subset of the population that is never going to find fault with the facist shit that Dredd does in the name of "preserving the law." During a recent sci-fi reading group I attended discussing Adrian Tchaikovsky's The Expert System's Brother I had asked the group if it was possible for you to remain unwavering in your beliefs if your very survival depended on it. One could argue that perhaps in the world of Judge Dredd survival is dependent on obeying laws you might not agree with--but unlike in Tchaikovsky's book, Dredd's society has technology that can help life be fair and equitable, but it is withheld to empower the judges. In that way Judge Dredd is a mirror of our own society...perhaps looking in the mirror every week after many years just dulled Wagner and Grant to what it was showing.
January 29, 2020
Although in its tenth volume, Judge Dredd: The Complete Case Files is still less than a third of the way through the material originally printed in 2000 AD. That’s not including the various annuals and specials appearing over the years, and then there’s almost two decades of the Megazine. What a collection it will be when it’s complete. Let’s just hope they do actually complete it, unlike the ill-titled The Complete Judge Dredd magazine from a few years back, which promised ‘the law in order’ but rolled over and died as soon as it reached the tales originally printed in full colour.
Judge Dredd: The Complete Case Files Volume 10 is a truly weighty tome. At well over an inch thick it takes up a decent amount of space on your shelves, and you won’t read all 368 pages in one sitting either. Covering issues 474 to 522 of the weekly magazine, the stories were originally published from June 1986 to May 1987. And what amazing stories they are.
As 2000 AD approached its tenth birthday, Dredd’s world had become more rounded and sophisticated than in his earlier stories, and the character of Judge Dredd himself was deeper and more thought-provoking. You won’t find him shooting the bad guy and making pithy comments over the corpse here. Instead, look out for The Art of Kenny Who?, where the law seems indifferent to an artist who is blatantly (but legally) ripped off. Stan Lee, the best martial artist to come out of the Radlands of Ji, proved Dredd is not invincible by beating him in a fistfight, and there’s a heart-rending tale set in the Black Atlantic Tunnel about how Mega City One treats its unfortunate mutant citizens, a theme that’s being revisited in the magazine today. All great stuff and beautifully reproduced, in a slightly smaller page size but better quality paper.
We could’ve done with some extras here, maybe interviews with the writers and artists, a little context for some of the characters we meet along the way. Perhaps some historical notes too. 2000 AD, and Dredd in particular, often uses storylines which are inspired by events going on in the real world at the time. The background to some of these 30-year-old tales would’ve been interesting to read.
If the lack of extras is annoying, the complete absence of a contents or index is inexcusable. How much effort would it have taken to include a page at the front offering the stories in the order they appear in the book, and a section at the back rounding them up in alphabetical order? A collection like this should be a reference as well as a good read, making it easy to look up individual Dredd tales of yesteryear with as little effort as possible. There’s no foreword or epilogue either. Just cover-to-cover comics, and a few reprints of 2000 AD covers to fill up a few pages at the end, which makes the absence of a contents or index section even more galling.
Overall, this is a great volume filled with action and smart social satire.
Judge Dredd: The Complete Case Files Volume 10 is a truly weighty tome. At well over an inch thick it takes up a decent amount of space on your shelves, and you won’t read all 368 pages in one sitting either. Covering issues 474 to 522 of the weekly magazine, the stories were originally published from June 1986 to May 1987. And what amazing stories they are.
As 2000 AD approached its tenth birthday, Dredd’s world had become more rounded and sophisticated than in his earlier stories, and the character of Judge Dredd himself was deeper and more thought-provoking. You won’t find him shooting the bad guy and making pithy comments over the corpse here. Instead, look out for The Art of Kenny Who?, where the law seems indifferent to an artist who is blatantly (but legally) ripped off. Stan Lee, the best martial artist to come out of the Radlands of Ji, proved Dredd is not invincible by beating him in a fistfight, and there’s a heart-rending tale set in the Black Atlantic Tunnel about how Mega City One treats its unfortunate mutant citizens, a theme that’s being revisited in the magazine today. All great stuff and beautifully reproduced, in a slightly smaller page size but better quality paper.
We could’ve done with some extras here, maybe interviews with the writers and artists, a little context for some of the characters we meet along the way. Perhaps some historical notes too. 2000 AD, and Dredd in particular, often uses storylines which are inspired by events going on in the real world at the time. The background to some of these 30-year-old tales would’ve been interesting to read.
If the lack of extras is annoying, the complete absence of a contents or index is inexcusable. How much effort would it have taken to include a page at the front offering the stories in the order they appear in the book, and a section at the back rounding them up in alphabetical order? A collection like this should be a reference as well as a good read, making it easy to look up individual Dredd tales of yesteryear with as little effort as possible. There’s no foreword or epilogue either. Just cover-to-cover comics, and a few reprints of 2000 AD covers to fill up a few pages at the end, which makes the absence of a contents or index section even more galling.
Overall, this is a great volume filled with action and smart social satire.
May 6, 2021
Judge Dredd Case Files 10 does not feature any long or highly eventful stories. In fact, most of the time, Dredd just seems to 'cruise along' doing his thing (being a Judge). Still, some stories were enjoyable.
"The Art of Kenny Who?" features a number of "I'm Who. Who are you?" jokes but shows that in a world where robot can imitate art isn't a world for artists. One gets the impression the artist working on the story must be thinking of their own jobs too. "The Fists of Stan Lee" is one of the few stories showing a perp (a future version of Bruce Lee) getting the better of Dredd and Dredd isn't happy with it.
"Attack of the 50 ft. Woman" and "Phantom of the Shoppera" are future versions of their original stories. "A Real Xmas Story" is unusual as it shows people being altered by the narrator and being chased by Dredd. But as it is a Christmas story, it all ends well in the end and Dredd doesn't arrest anybody.
"The Interrogation" shows the SJS (Special Judicial Services) doing a 'service' on Dredd, while "What If Judges Did Ads?" is just plain silly, so thank goodness Mega-City One bans Judges from being featured in ads.
"The Art of Kenny Who?" features a number of "I'm Who. Who are you?" jokes but shows that in a world where robot can imitate art isn't a world for artists. One gets the impression the artist working on the story must be thinking of their own jobs too. "The Fists of Stan Lee" is one of the few stories showing a perp (a future version of Bruce Lee) getting the better of Dredd and Dredd isn't happy with it.
"Attack of the 50 ft. Woman" and "Phantom of the Shoppera" are future versions of their original stories. "A Real Xmas Story" is unusual as it shows people being altered by the narrator and being chased by Dredd. But as it is a Christmas story, it all ends well in the end and Dredd doesn't arrest anybody.
"The Interrogation" shows the SJS (Special Judicial Services) doing a 'service' on Dredd, while "What If Judges Did Ads?" is just plain silly, so thank goodness Mega-City One bans Judges from being featured in ads.
May 6, 2022
This one is particularly fascinating because it’s basically Dredd just before I started reading as a regular reader. It’s very much a transitional year for the character, with a bundle of very old fashioned stories and artists nestling together with some of the newer artists and stories that perhaps begin to show the stress of the Wagner/ Grant collaboration. There’s a sense in some stories, especially The Taxidermist and Kenny Who?, where the black humour is becoming far darker and showing some sense of Wagner wanting to use the strip to actually say something rather than enjoyably daft case of the week. Several strips sort of prefigure bigger ideas to come - SJS for example - and the beginning of Wagner the master plotter, seeding someone like PJ Maybe (barely a year away from the end of this) as a low level threat before he actually becomes a fully realised character. Perhaps the most telling story with this is the tenth anniversary story with poor old Whitey bearing a grudge against Dredd who doesn’t even begin to remember who he is. It’s an enjoyable call back to the very first Dredd story but it’s also a sign of Wagner trying to find new ways of doing the same old thing. Although the next prog’s Judges do adverts is funny, it suddenly feels like the sort of throwaway buried in an annual to pad out the pages. This is not where the character will flourish. From here it’ll just get darker
September 30, 2023
I discovered something when reading this volume: Judge Dredd ages in real time. They refer to his decade of service as a Judge, and this book collects the tenth year of publication of the character. I wonder if this is still the case today. It would make him pretty darn old if it's true.
As usual, the artwork is all over the place in terms of quality. Some of it is photo realistic, while some of it is too cartoonish for my tastes. The writing is consistently solid. Gone are the huge sprawling “arcs” found in the earlier volumes in this line, in are short stories that are cranked out so fast that your head spins. The Taxidermist is one such idea that is tied up in one short story but should have gone on longer. The Shooting Party is another. I've always subscribed to the notion that it's better to be left begging for more than screaming for mercy, but some of these plots have legs beyond their seven page per week allotment.
The Interrogation is brilliant, and again, it's another idea wrapped up in a scant six pages but could have gone on ten times as long and still have been interesting. 10 Years On is amazing, a standout among the standouts in this book. There are some incredible artists who have worked on this title over the years.
I have to be in a specific mood to read Judge Dredd or else it leaves me cold. But when I am in the mood for it I enjoy the heck out of it. It's black humor and satire wrapped in an ultra-violent package.
As usual, the artwork is all over the place in terms of quality. Some of it is photo realistic, while some of it is too cartoonish for my tastes. The writing is consistently solid. Gone are the huge sprawling “arcs” found in the earlier volumes in this line, in are short stories that are cranked out so fast that your head spins. The Taxidermist is one such idea that is tied up in one short story but should have gone on longer. The Shooting Party is another. I've always subscribed to the notion that it's better to be left begging for more than screaming for mercy, but some of these plots have legs beyond their seven page per week allotment.
The Interrogation is brilliant, and again, it's another idea wrapped up in a scant six pages but could have gone on ten times as long and still have been interesting. 10 Years On is amazing, a standout among the standouts in this book. There are some incredible artists who have worked on this title over the years.
I have to be in a specific mood to read Judge Dredd or else it leaves me cold. But when I am in the mood for it I enjoy the heck out of it. It's black humor and satire wrapped in an ultra-violent package.
April 16, 2023
Ten years until Judge Dredd. It is still great with plenty to say and explore. The Art of Kenny Who is a good story here. There are a few cultural references such as Jack the Ripper and Michael Jackson which are typical Dredd style progs. However, where this case file stands out for me is in term so the diversity of art.
As soon as Ron Smith, Steve Dillon and Cliff Robinson's work appears there is a real sense of continuity which I enjoyed. Yet, Barry Kitson and Mark Farmers stuff adds some really nice edges here - and of course, the wicket Ian Gibson whose Halo Jones style rocks.
As soon as Ron Smith, Steve Dillon and Cliff Robinson's work appears there is a real sense of continuity which I enjoyed. Yet, Barry Kitson and Mark Farmers stuff adds some really nice edges here - and of course, the wicket Ian Gibson whose Halo Jones style rocks.
January 2, 2025
Judge Dredd’s tenth Complete Case Files is pretty good. It’s so good that I read it in two days.
As usual I loved all the various characters. Dredd is as good as ever. There’s lots of entertaining stories in this volume but I enjoyed The Art of Kenny Who the most.
The world building of Mega City One is still expanding and it’s glorious. It’s also fun trying to work out what happened in the mid 1980s that these stories are based off on.
(01/01/25 - 02/01/25)
As usual I loved all the various characters. Dredd is as good as ever. There’s lots of entertaining stories in this volume but I enjoyed The Art of Kenny Who the most.
The world building of Mega City One is still expanding and it’s glorious. It’s also fun trying to work out what happened in the mid 1980s that these stories are based off on.
(01/01/25 - 02/01/25)
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
September 1, 2022
Judge Dredd: The Complete Case Files 10 is clever, full of cunning, daring do, great art, plots twists, character developement, unbridled heroics, the laaaaw, adventure and action! Crisp high five! Brilliant and highly recommended! Get it wehn you can! :D
June 9, 2018
liked it
January 19, 2019
A bit rough start, but once it picked up, it delivers.
September 27, 2019
Showing off more of the Fascist elements of Justice in this one.
Amazing how 2000AD can set up really long-term story arcs that Marvel and DC seem incapable of.
Amazing how 2000AD can set up really long-term story arcs that Marvel and DC seem incapable of.
December 2, 2019
So many short stories about the world of Dredd. Some try to be funny and fail and some not but all the way solid good show.
December 31, 2020
A little weak compared to the last volume, but not without its moments.
March 1, 2021
A book full of Dredd. Of course it’s 5 stars!!
August 29, 2025
Point off for the judge adverts. Not that funny tbh but more than happy with the rest. Particularly liked the Kenny Who and the Atlantis stories. Hoping that Atlantis features again.
May 31, 2018
Not bad.
November 14, 2015
Another strong entry in the series with the usual satire, particularly regarding the comics industry (Kenny Who? being a great example). Other highlights include a JD Where's Wally spread called Spot The Perp (I only managed to spot about 6 crimes but apparently there are 26!), Dredd going to the hospital after a beating from a martial arts expert, a trip to Atlantis, wonderfully 2000AD takes on Rear Window, Attack of the 50ft Woman and Phantom of the Opera, a downright bizarre meta Christmas tale, the great Varks story, the tragic return of thawed out pop star Michael Jackson and (in a different story) Jack the Ripper, a taxidermist who manages to evade justice, a 'what if' strip which sees the results of Judges being used in adverts and the 10th anniversary special which sees the return of Whitey. Along the way there is the usual menagerie of monsters, serial killers and robots with screws missing.
The artwork is as good as always, at times venturing into more minimalist styles which I prefer but regular Dredd fans probably dislike.
The artwork is as good as always, at times venturing into more minimalist styles which I prefer but regular Dredd fans probably dislike.
March 4, 2015
5 stars goes to the consistency of the Dredd series over the last few volumes. This one gently increases the role of Dredd and the judges as tyrants rather than good guys. But still a huge, varied collection with plenty of humour. There are a very few full dull episodes but mainly excellent.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews