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Judge Dredd: The Mega Collection #6
Judge Death Lives
He came from a twisted dimension, in which it was deemed- since all crime is committed by the living- that life itself is a crime. An inhuman fiend intent on wiping every breathing thing from existence, his name is Judge Death, and he has arrived in Mega-City One to continue his merciless mission...
Written by John Wagner (A History of Violence) and Alan Grant (Batman) with stellar art from Brian Bolland (The Killing Joke), Brett Ewins (Bad Company), Ian Gibson (The Ballad of Halo Jones) and more, this heart-stopping collection introduces Dredd's most feared foe, and his three killing cousins, Judges Fear, Fire and Mortis!
Written by John Wagner (A History of Violence) and Alan Grant (Batman) with stellar art from Brian Bolland (The Killing Joke), Brett Ewins (Bad Company), Ian Gibson (The Ballad of Halo Jones) and more, this heart-stopping collection introduces Dredd's most feared foe, and his three killing cousins, Judges Fear, Fire and Mortis!
210 pages, Hardcover
Published March 1, 2016
35 people want to read
About the author
John Wagner
1,284 books189 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 - 8 of 8 reviews
December 22, 2019
And so my slow procession through the Judge Dredd Mega Collection progresses and on I move to Judge Death probably one of the most iconic characters after Dredd in the franchise but one which I think (and from the pages of this book shown) which has played a variety of roles from utter fiend to comic relief.
The introduction and notes in these books are almost as fascinating and certainly informative as the book itself. You see the editor openly admits that Death started out as one of the most feared and dangerous enemies of the judges and certainly when you read the story with them rampaging at their worst you can see why - however by the end of the book he has been turned in to a novelty act various characters go and see and is played more for laughs than for terror.
Now I am not criticising the stories and certainly not the creativity but it is interesting to see how far the mighty have fallen - then again you cannot have Judge Death rampaging through the city ever storyline - after all how could you (or even would you) top the previous rampage.
No this book if anything highlights the journey not only has Judge Dredd been on (and is ongoing) but also the creative teams that create the storylines each edition.
I will admit I know parts of the story of the four Judges but I certainly did not know enough.
The introduction and notes in these books are almost as fascinating and certainly informative as the book itself. You see the editor openly admits that Death started out as one of the most feared and dangerous enemies of the judges and certainly when you read the story with them rampaging at their worst you can see why - however by the end of the book he has been turned in to a novelty act various characters go and see and is played more for laughs than for terror.
Now I am not criticising the stories and certainly not the creativity but it is interesting to see how far the mighty have fallen - then again you cannot have Judge Death rampaging through the city ever storyline - after all how could you (or even would you) top the previous rampage.
No this book if anything highlights the journey not only has Judge Dredd been on (and is ongoing) but also the creative teams that create the storylines each edition.
I will admit I know parts of the story of the four Judges but I certainly did not know enough.
May 8, 2016
Enter Judge Dredd's greatest and most iconic foe(s). This volume represents a pretty comprehensive account of the first ten years of Dredd vs The Dark Judges, and it's fascinating how similar their trajectory is to that of equally iconic Doctor Who foes the Daleks:
(1) A competent but actually pretty ordinary story from the early days is elevated by some truly magnificent design work (hats off to Brian Bolland here). The imagination of the public is caught and multiple rematches are inevitable.
(2) After a while it's pretty clear that the rematches, while now contractually obligatory, are actually a bit dull, as every story is by definition "the Dark Judges turn up and try to kill everybody until Dredd and Anderson stop them". You can mitigate this by putting the focus on, e.g. Cassandra Anderson instead (q.v. Genesis of the Daleks, widely considered to be one of the greatest Dalek stories ever by virtue of being the first one to be mostly about something else than the Daleks for a change).
(3) But after a while the writers come to dread the idea of another bloody Dark Judges story so much that you get something like Necropolis, where the writers'd rather spend four weeks sailing a bathtub down the Big Smelly than write the same old Dredd/Anderson/Dark Judges showdown AGAIN.
(4) They start not bothering to take Judge Death seriously any more, having stories where he's running around in a dress or engaging in slapstick comic business with his blind and batty old landlady Mrs Gunderson (Destiny/"if you're so great how come you can't even climb stairs" era Daleks).
This book was never going to be bad; it does after all contain the greatest ever panel of the strip, "GAZE INTO THE FIST OF DREDD!". But at the same time it contains a tedious retread of that panel in the not-actually-that-bad-but-the-very-definition-of-a-romp time travel and transvestitism runaround "Dead Reckoning". So I can't quite bring myself to give it a maximum 5 star rating, even despite the genius inherent in the concept: genius that has to be dragged back into the limelight every year or two for four decades can turn into a bit of a bumpy ride.
(1) A competent but actually pretty ordinary story from the early days is elevated by some truly magnificent design work (hats off to Brian Bolland here). The imagination of the public is caught and multiple rematches are inevitable.
(2) After a while it's pretty clear that the rematches, while now contractually obligatory, are actually a bit dull, as every story is by definition "the Dark Judges turn up and try to kill everybody until Dredd and Anderson stop them". You can mitigate this by putting the focus on, e.g. Cassandra Anderson instead (q.v. Genesis of the Daleks, widely considered to be one of the greatest Dalek stories ever by virtue of being the first one to be mostly about something else than the Daleks for a change).
(3) But after a while the writers come to dread the idea of another bloody Dark Judges story so much that you get something like Necropolis, where the writers'd rather spend four weeks sailing a bathtub down the Big Smelly than write the same old Dredd/Anderson/Dark Judges showdown AGAIN.
(4) They start not bothering to take Judge Death seriously any more, having stories where he's running around in a dress or engaging in slapstick comic business with his blind and batty old landlady Mrs Gunderson (Destiny/"if you're so great how come you can't even climb stairs" era Daleks).
This book was never going to be bad; it does after all contain the greatest ever panel of the strip, "GAZE INTO THE FIST OF DREDD!". But at the same time it contains a tedious retread of that panel in the not-actually-that-bad-but-the-very-definition-of-a-romp time travel and transvestitism runaround "Dead Reckoning". So I can't quite bring myself to give it a maximum 5 star rating, even despite the genius inherent in the concept: genius that has to be dragged back into the limelight every year or two for four decades can turn into a bit of a bumpy ride.
May 1, 2017
Very strong introduction to one of 2000 AD's biggest villains.
Bolland's art is gorgeous - he's somehow fluid and precise - and this collection contains the greatest panel in comics history. The writing bounces from horror to humour in a way that 2000 AD (and particularly Wagner) does so well.
It's all a little inconsistent toward the end of the collection but the main body is so strong that a wobble can be forgiven.
Bolland's art is gorgeous - he's somehow fluid and precise - and this collection contains the greatest panel in comics history. The writing bounces from horror to humour in a way that 2000 AD (and particularly Wagner) does so well.
It's all a little inconsistent toward the end of the collection but the main body is so strong that a wobble can be forgiven.
May 30, 2017
All about those insane dark judges what more do you want.
All life is crime!
All life is crime!
May 16, 2025
Bolland knocks it out of Peanut Park. British comics don’t get much better than this volume’s title story.
May 1, 2016
Judges Dredd and Anderson face Judge Death and his cronies Mortis, Fire and Fear as they try and wipe out life itself.
Adore the Dark Judges and these stories are awesome. Judge Death/Judge Death Lives have the original iconic Brian Bollard art, which has never really been equalled in my opinion and Death here is still frightening. I also love the gothic depiction of Deathworld. The scene where Dredd punches Fear in the face with the line "Gaze into the fist of Dredd!" is one of my all-time favourites. Classic!
Of the later colour strips Dead Reckoning really stands out - I love Death in the body of an old woman and the time-travel arc leading to 5 dark judges is brilliant.
Dreadd featuring the Dark Judges - Doesn't get much better than this. Great stuff.
Adore the Dark Judges and these stories are awesome. Judge Death/Judge Death Lives have the original iconic Brian Bollard art, which has never really been equalled in my opinion and Death here is still frightening. I also love the gothic depiction of Deathworld. The scene where Dredd punches Fear in the face with the line "Gaze into the fist of Dredd!" is one of my all-time favourites. Classic!
Of the later colour strips Dead Reckoning really stands out - I love Death in the body of an old woman and the time-travel arc leading to 5 dark judges is brilliant.
Dreadd featuring the Dark Judges - Doesn't get much better than this. Great stuff.
June 18, 2019
Brian Bolland's art is fantastic here. Very simple, but very menacing, appearances of the Dark Judges.
I mainly liked these stories for the presence of Psi-Judge Anderson. I find many of the other characters difficult to swallow, at times, but she's always good. She's rarely a major attraction for me, but her presence can make tolerable some stories I'd otherwise dislike.
Over the course of these stories, Judge Death becomes more and more like DC's Joker, and... that's bad. But the strength of the early stories (and Necropolis always looming in the back- or foreground) balances them out.
I mainly liked these stories for the presence of Psi-Judge Anderson. I find many of the other characters difficult to swallow, at times, but she's always good. She's rarely a major attraction for me, but her presence can make tolerable some stories I'd otherwise dislike.
Over the course of these stories, Judge Death becomes more and more like DC's Joker, and... that's bad. But the strength of the early stories (and Necropolis always looming in the back- or foreground) balances them out.
February 4, 2017
The story isn't much, but the idea behind the dark judges are solid. The real winner is the art and the design of the judges. Boy where they great! Especially the two-page spread that features them all is beautiful.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews