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Judge Dredd The Early Years #4
Judge Dredd Year Two: The Righteous Man
As the Judges cart Rico Dredd away for questioning and exile on Titan, his clone-brother Joe comes under scrutiny. They’re cut from the same cloth; can Joe Dredd be trusted? An investigation begins, and Dredd is shipped off to an iridium-mining town in the Cursed Earth, which has come under pressure from mutant raiders.
But everything is not as it seems. When the reason for the raids becomes clear, Dredd will have some tough decisions to make.
But everything is not as it seems. When the reason for the raids becomes clear, Dredd will have some tough decisions to make.
- GenresScience Fiction
106 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 15, 2016
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20 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
January 10, 2018
Excellent book, worth reading the Rico orientation "Titan Years" book before delving into this one, as it gives you additional backstory.
Carroll really knows how to write a good Dredd story, and hopefully he will put more novels out for 2000ad in the future
Carroll really knows how to write a good Dredd story, and hopefully he will put more novels out for 2000ad in the future
October 25, 2017
Short and sweet and very much to the point. would not have it any other way!
June 12, 2019
good fun dredd novel
April 3, 2018
Full Review appears at Pop Culture Bandit
The first book in this second trilogy of adventures detailing the early years of Judge Dredd’s career, “The Righteous Man” deals with the ramifications of Rico Dredd’s arrest – a defining moment in the Joe Dredd’s development into the steadfast enforcer of the law that we know today. Having written the immensely enjoyable novella, Rico Dredd: The Titan Years – “The Third Law”, which chronicled Rico’s downfall and eventual incarceration on Titan from his point of view, Michael Carroll opens the Judge Dredd: Year Two trilogy with a tale that deals with the after-effects on Joe Dredd and the cloud of suspicion that the arrest of his clone-brother has caused.
Clearly well-versed in early Judge Dredd continuity, Michael Carroll’s narrative is a joy to read as he manages to weave in plenty of nods to existing stories without alienating readers. Those who pick up on his ‘easter eggs’ are rewarded – for example, upon reading this novel, I was surprised to see reference to Sector Zero in one chapter, which turned out to be the focus of a present-day Judge Dredd story running in 2000AD at the time of which the book was published. This is a brilliant bit of foreshadowing, and I’m sure that not many people picked up on that sly bit of continuity. Another aspect of Carroll’s storytelling that really impresses me is how he deals with plot threads that I hadn’t even considered – it hadn’t even occurred to me that the Justice Department would be suspicious of Joe Dredd following Rico’s arrest, and Carroll manages to use this sub-plot to create a background of tension throughout his tale.
While I am eager to praise Carroll’s attention to detail, I don’t want to overshadow his skill in writing strong and exciting prose. The action sequences in this adventure are wonderfully choreographed and flow straight from the words on the page into my imagination where they are re-enacted with all the efficiency of a Crimewatch reconstruction. His characterisation of Dredd, young or old, is perfect and he explores the character’s human side in subtle ways. Obviously, Dredd will always be an impassive, uncaring bastard but Carroll gets under his skin here, thanks to the novella format, and showcases a self-awareness of his faults that is fun to read. “The Righteous Man” is another knockout of a novel from the Judge Dredd: Early Years range, answering questions about Rico’s downfall that readers probably didn’t realise they had and continuing to mould Joe Dredd into the firm, but fair lawman that we love to hate. These novels are some of the best Judge Dredd stories that I’ve ever read, and those readers reluctant to switch from panels to prose should definitely reconsider as they’re missing out!
The first book in this second trilogy of adventures detailing the early years of Judge Dredd’s career, “The Righteous Man” deals with the ramifications of Rico Dredd’s arrest – a defining moment in the Joe Dredd’s development into the steadfast enforcer of the law that we know today. Having written the immensely enjoyable novella, Rico Dredd: The Titan Years – “The Third Law”, which chronicled Rico’s downfall and eventual incarceration on Titan from his point of view, Michael Carroll opens the Judge Dredd: Year Two trilogy with a tale that deals with the after-effects on Joe Dredd and the cloud of suspicion that the arrest of his clone-brother has caused.
Clearly well-versed in early Judge Dredd continuity, Michael Carroll’s narrative is a joy to read as he manages to weave in plenty of nods to existing stories without alienating readers. Those who pick up on his ‘easter eggs’ are rewarded – for example, upon reading this novel, I was surprised to see reference to Sector Zero in one chapter, which turned out to be the focus of a present-day Judge Dredd story running in 2000AD at the time of which the book was published. This is a brilliant bit of foreshadowing, and I’m sure that not many people picked up on that sly bit of continuity. Another aspect of Carroll’s storytelling that really impresses me is how he deals with plot threads that I hadn’t even considered – it hadn’t even occurred to me that the Justice Department would be suspicious of Joe Dredd following Rico’s arrest, and Carroll manages to use this sub-plot to create a background of tension throughout his tale.
While I am eager to praise Carroll’s attention to detail, I don’t want to overshadow his skill in writing strong and exciting prose. The action sequences in this adventure are wonderfully choreographed and flow straight from the words on the page into my imagination where they are re-enacted with all the efficiency of a Crimewatch reconstruction. His characterisation of Dredd, young or old, is perfect and he explores the character’s human side in subtle ways. Obviously, Dredd will always be an impassive, uncaring bastard but Carroll gets under his skin here, thanks to the novella format, and showcases a self-awareness of his faults that is fun to read. “The Righteous Man” is another knockout of a novel from the Judge Dredd: Early Years range, answering questions about Rico’s downfall that readers probably didn’t realise they had and continuing to mould Joe Dredd into the firm, but fair lawman that we love to hate. These novels are some of the best Judge Dredd stories that I’ve ever read, and those readers reluctant to switch from panels to prose should definitely reconsider as they’re missing out!
January 20, 2016
Freddy Year Two
Another exciting book about Joe Dredd's early career, it is true to the character from 2000AD , Freed is as ever stoic no matter what the circumstances. After Rico's trial the SJS are all out to prove Joe is as guilty as his brother, unflappable as ever when excelled to an outskirts of The Big Meg he does what he also a rays does, lower crime rates and save lives.
Another exciting book about Joe Dredd's early career, it is true to the character from 2000AD , Freed is as ever stoic no matter what the circumstances. After Rico's trial the SJS are all out to prove Joe is as guilty as his brother, unflappable as ever when excelled to an outskirts of The Big Meg he does what he also a rays does, lower crime rates and save lives.
May 28, 2016
Another fantastic look at the early years of Judge Dredd, this book covers the aftermath of Rico's arrest and sees Dredd himself under suspicion on account of him and Rico being identical clones. Hope to see more of this.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews