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Judge Dredd: The Complete Case Files + The Restricted Files+ The Daily Dredds
Judge Dredd: The Complete Case Files 17
The latest in the smash-hit, best-selling graphic novel series! Almost half a million copies sold!
Mega-City One – a nightmarish enclosure located along the Eastern Seaboard of North America. Only the Judges – powerful law enforcers supporting the despotic Justice Department – can stop total anarchy running rife on the crime-ridden streets. Toughest of them all is Judge Dredd – he is the law and these are his stories...
Judge Dredd and Strontium Dog Johhny Alpha have to team up in order to stop the evil Sabbat and his zombie hordes from destroying the world!
Mega-City One – a nightmarish enclosure located along the Eastern Seaboard of North America. Only the Judges – powerful law enforcers supporting the despotic Justice Department – can stop total anarchy running rife on the crime-ridden streets. Toughest of them all is Judge Dredd – he is the law and these are his stories...
Judge Dredd and Strontium Dog Johhny Alpha have to team up in order to stop the evil Sabbat and his zombie hordes from destroying the world!
304 pages, Paperback
First published March 28, 1992
7 people are currently reading
138 people want to read
About the author
Garth Ennis
2,625 books3,186 followersEnnis began his comic-writing career in 1989 with the series Troubled Souls. Appearing in the short-lived but critically-acclaimed British anthology Crisis and illustrated by McCrea, it told the story of a young, apolitical Protestant man caught up by fate in the violence of the Irish 'Troubles'. It spawned a sequel, For a Few Troubles More, a broad Belfast-based comedy featuring two supporting characters from Troubled Souls, Dougie and Ivor, who would later get their own American comics series, Dicks, from Caliber in 1997, and several follow-ups from Avatar.
Another series for Crisis was True Faith, a religious satire inspired by his schooldays, this time drawn by Warren Pleece. Ennis shortly after began to write for Crisis' parent publication, 2000 AD. He quickly graduated on to the title's flagship character, Judge Dredd, taking over from original creator John Wagner for a period of several years.
Ennis' first work on an American comic came in 1991 when he took over DC Comics's horror title Hellblazer, which he wrote until 1994, and for which he currently holds the title for most issues written. Steve Dillon became the regular artist during the second half of Ennis's run.
Ennis' landmark work to date is the 66-issue epic Preacher, which he co-created with artist Steve Dillon. Running from 1995 to 2000, it was a tale of a preacher with supernatural powers, searching (literally) for God who has abandoned his creation.
While Preacher was running, Ennis began a series set in the DC universe called Hitman. Despite being lower profile than Preacher, Hitman ran for 60 issues (plus specials) from 1996 to 2001, veering wildly from violent action to humour to an examination of male friendship under fire.
Other comic projects Ennis wrote during this time period include Goddess, Bloody Mary, Unknown Soldier, and Pride & Joy, all for DC/Vertigo, as well as origin stories for The Darkness for Image Comics and Shadowman for Valiant Comics.
After the end of Hitman, Ennis was lured to Marvel Comics with the promise from Editor-in-Chief Joe Quesada that he could write The Punisher as long as he cared to. Instead of largely comical tone of these issues, he decided to make a much more serious series, re-launched under Marvel's MAX imprint.
In 2001 he briefly returned to UK comics to write the epic Helter Skelter for Judge Dredd.
Other comics Ennis has written include War Story (with various artists) for DC; The Pro for Image Comics; The Authority for Wildstorm; Just a Pilgrim for Black Bull Press, and 303, Chronicles of Wormwood (a six issue mini-series about the Antichrist), and a western comic book, Streets of Glory for Avatar Press.
In 2008 Ennis ended his five-year run on Punisher MAX to debut a new Marvel title, War Is Hell: The First Flight of the Phantom Eagle.
In June 2008, at Wizard World, Philadelphia, Ennis announced several new projects, including a metaseries of war comics called Battlefields from Dynamite made up of mini-series including Night Witches, Dear Billy and Tankies, another Chronicles of Wormwood mini-series and Crossed both at Avatar, a six-issue miniseries about Butcher (from The Boys) and a Punisher project reuniting him with artist Steve Dillon (subsequently specified to be a weekly mini-series entitled Punisher: War Zone, to be released concurrently with the film of the same name).
Taken from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garth_Ennis
Another series for Crisis was True Faith, a religious satire inspired by his schooldays, this time drawn by Warren Pleece. Ennis shortly after began to write for Crisis' parent publication, 2000 AD. He quickly graduated on to the title's flagship character, Judge Dredd, taking over from original creator John Wagner for a period of several years.
Ennis' first work on an American comic came in 1991 when he took over DC Comics's horror title Hellblazer, which he wrote until 1994, and for which he currently holds the title for most issues written. Steve Dillon became the regular artist during the second half of Ennis's run.
Ennis' landmark work to date is the 66-issue epic Preacher, which he co-created with artist Steve Dillon. Running from 1995 to 2000, it was a tale of a preacher with supernatural powers, searching (literally) for God who has abandoned his creation.
While Preacher was running, Ennis began a series set in the DC universe called Hitman. Despite being lower profile than Preacher, Hitman ran for 60 issues (plus specials) from 1996 to 2001, veering wildly from violent action to humour to an examination of male friendship under fire.
Other comic projects Ennis wrote during this time period include Goddess, Bloody Mary, Unknown Soldier, and Pride & Joy, all for DC/Vertigo, as well as origin stories for The Darkness for Image Comics and Shadowman for Valiant Comics.
After the end of Hitman, Ennis was lured to Marvel Comics with the promise from Editor-in-Chief Joe Quesada that he could write The Punisher as long as he cared to. Instead of largely comical tone of these issues, he decided to make a much more serious series, re-launched under Marvel's MAX imprint.
In 2001 he briefly returned to UK comics to write the epic Helter Skelter for Judge Dredd.
Other comics Ennis has written include War Story (with various artists) for DC; The Pro for Image Comics; The Authority for Wildstorm; Just a Pilgrim for Black Bull Press, and 303, Chronicles of Wormwood (a six issue mini-series about the Antichrist), and a western comic book, Streets of Glory for Avatar Press.
In 2008 Ennis ended his five-year run on Punisher MAX to debut a new Marvel title, War Is Hell: The First Flight of the Phantom Eagle.
In June 2008, at Wizard World, Philadelphia, Ennis announced several new projects, including a metaseries of war comics called Battlefields from Dynamite made up of mini-series including Night Witches, Dear Billy and Tankies, another Chronicles of Wormwood mini-series and Crossed both at Avatar, a six-issue miniseries about Butcher (from The Boys) and a Punisher project reuniting him with artist Steve Dillon (subsequently specified to be a weekly mini-series entitled Punisher: War Zone, to be released concurrently with the film of the same name).
Taken from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garth_Ennis
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
April 3, 2011
Sometimes graphic novels are much more quotable than you'd expect:
'All his life he's been on the edge, a blaster in his hand and a sea of blood at his feet - the most lethal bounty hunter ever to stalk the galaxy -
But Him - they carved Him from iron and gave him a heart of stone - he's done thirty-five years on the streets of the Big Meg, and before that fifteen in the toughest school on Earth --
In fifteen years you could teach a man to do anything... And they did.'
Unfortunately most of the Complete Dredd Volume 17 doesn't even approach this sort of level. This latest selection was originally published in 1991, and is drawn from 2000AD (the Dredd strip being written by Irish lunatic Garth Ennis at this point) and the Megazine (still under the auspices of the legendary John Wagner).
The meat of the collection within the rather-inappropriate pink cover is Judgement Day, the latest in a long line of Dredd epics, which by this point are definitely reaping diminishing returns. The concept sounds a winner - Judge Dredd and his (by now very extensive) supporting cast are confronted by a zombie apocalypse, threatening to wipe out the human race worldwide - but it's not that dissimilar from the relatively-recent Necropolis storyline (to which it is a semi-sequel).
Matters are pepped up a little by a crossover appearance by Wagner and Carlos Ezquerra's other great creation, the Strontium Dog Johnny Alpha, but it soon becomes clear that a) Alpha isn't actually going to do anything before the climax but deliver an infodump and b) he's only a (relatively) cuddlier version of Dredd anyway, albeit with mutant powers - he and Dredd share a love of odd headgear, funky guns and ridiculous shoulder-pads. Their initial meeting in the story 'Top Dog' - annoyingly, not included in the main run of Complete Dredd - covered all the bases for a Dredd/Alpha crossover (the two of them beat the crap out of each other at length) leaving Judgement Day with little to do but briefly reprise this.
The main problem, though, is that Garth Ennis seems to be taking the piss out of the story even while he's writing it. The main villain, Sabbat the Necromagus, certainly doesn't seem to be taking his plan to change history by committing genocide very seriously. He spends a lot of time talking to his own (sentient) cape in an irritatingly jokey way. When his origin is finally revealed, it turns out to be an extended parody of another famous British comic character, but not a particularly funny one. Also starting to grate is Ennis's fondness for giving foreign Judges silly names: stand up Soviet Judges Brylkreem and Traktorfaktori in particular.
Nevertheless, Ezquerra's artwork remains a delight and there are a few great moments along the way. Dredd's in 'implacable bastard' mode for most of the book and gets to nuke out a few more cities before it's done (surely no other comics character is so willing to start breaking out the ICBMs), but this means he's bit less ambiguous (and thus less interesting) than he is in some of the more sophisticated stories.
Outside of Judgement Day, there's the usual mixture of pathos, zaniness, and down-the-line action that partakers of the Complete Dredd will be accustomed to. None of these other stories are particularly outstanding, but none of them are completely awful either. If you want to get into Dredd ahead of the new movie, this book isn't the best place to start, but it does show flashes of what makes this character and setting so unusual and enduring.
'Beyond honour, there is Duty... Beyond duty, Obsession... And beyond obsession, Insanity. Beyond that, there is only Judge Dredd.'
Enough said!
'All his life he's been on the edge, a blaster in his hand and a sea of blood at his feet - the most lethal bounty hunter ever to stalk the galaxy -
But Him - they carved Him from iron and gave him a heart of stone - he's done thirty-five years on the streets of the Big Meg, and before that fifteen in the toughest school on Earth --
In fifteen years you could teach a man to do anything... And they did.'
Unfortunately most of the Complete Dredd Volume 17 doesn't even approach this sort of level. This latest selection was originally published in 1991, and is drawn from 2000AD (the Dredd strip being written by Irish lunatic Garth Ennis at this point) and the Megazine (still under the auspices of the legendary John Wagner).
The meat of the collection within the rather-inappropriate pink cover is Judgement Day, the latest in a long line of Dredd epics, which by this point are definitely reaping diminishing returns. The concept sounds a winner - Judge Dredd and his (by now very extensive) supporting cast are confronted by a zombie apocalypse, threatening to wipe out the human race worldwide - but it's not that dissimilar from the relatively-recent Necropolis storyline (to which it is a semi-sequel).
Matters are pepped up a little by a crossover appearance by Wagner and Carlos Ezquerra's other great creation, the Strontium Dog Johnny Alpha, but it soon becomes clear that a) Alpha isn't actually going to do anything before the climax but deliver an infodump and b) he's only a (relatively) cuddlier version of Dredd anyway, albeit with mutant powers - he and Dredd share a love of odd headgear, funky guns and ridiculous shoulder-pads. Their initial meeting in the story 'Top Dog' - annoyingly, not included in the main run of Complete Dredd - covered all the bases for a Dredd/Alpha crossover (the two of them beat the crap out of each other at length) leaving Judgement Day with little to do but briefly reprise this.
The main problem, though, is that Garth Ennis seems to be taking the piss out of the story even while he's writing it. The main villain, Sabbat the Necromagus, certainly doesn't seem to be taking his plan to change history by committing genocide very seriously. He spends a lot of time talking to his own (sentient) cape in an irritatingly jokey way. When his origin is finally revealed, it turns out to be an extended parody of another famous British comic character, but not a particularly funny one. Also starting to grate is Ennis's fondness for giving foreign Judges silly names: stand up Soviet Judges Brylkreem and Traktorfaktori in particular.
Nevertheless, Ezquerra's artwork remains a delight and there are a few great moments along the way. Dredd's in 'implacable bastard' mode for most of the book and gets to nuke out a few more cities before it's done (surely no other comics character is so willing to start breaking out the ICBMs), but this means he's bit less ambiguous (and thus less interesting) than he is in some of the more sophisticated stories.
Outside of Judgement Day, there's the usual mixture of pathos, zaniness, and down-the-line action that partakers of the Complete Dredd will be accustomed to. None of these other stories are particularly outstanding, but none of them are completely awful either. If you want to get into Dredd ahead of the new movie, this book isn't the best place to start, but it does show flashes of what makes this character and setting so unusual and enduring.
'Beyond honour, there is Duty... Beyond duty, Obsession... And beyond obsession, Insanity. Beyond that, there is only Judge Dredd.'
Enough said!
April 3, 2014
Poor. Despite John Wagner helping plot this, it's very much Ennis' show. And Ennis's Dredd is, frankly, a two dimensional charicature compared to Wagner's. Wagner's Dredd epics always give you the sense that Dredd, despite being a ruthless law machine, isn't simply a one-note brute: he thinks, he evolves. There's none of that here. Considering the story involves the fate of the whole world, it's trite, facile, and not even particularly entertaining. Strontium Dog Johnny Alpha - another character who's a violent man in a violent world but no fool - comes off equally badly. Some piss-poor art doesn't really help either.
January 27, 2024
Full of epic world building from the start, a rollercoaster ride, great art that marries up perfectly with the script, rib breaking humour from the beginning, full of daring do, adventure and action! :D
October 29, 2021
IT'S
JUDGEMENT DAY
:')
JUDGEMENT DAY
:')
February 13, 2017
A worthy entry into the series of Case Files, it begins with an explosion of fun artwork with Babes in Arms, a sort of Thelma & Louise rip-off. As usual it doesn't take long for it to venture into the bizarre with a story about a cult that worships Dredd but find themselves having to fight him off, the tragic and beautifully drawn story of A Magic Place, excellent fighting in The Marshall, and the customary hokeyness of Texas City Sting. The bulk of the volume however is taken up by the Judgement Day story, a fun zombie epic featuring a crossover from 2000 AD's Strontium Dog Jonny Alpha. Although there are dips in quality, overall it's the usual fun Dredd extravaganza.
December 31, 2023
Not the best volume, most of it being taken up with the Judgement Day epic crossover, the plot of which can be summed up as "Zombies! Shoot them!" for 150 pages.
July 27, 2024
Garth Ennis truly is a talentless hack
May 8, 2025
Continuing the Garth Ennis-ification of the Dredd books, the main draw of this volume is the "Judgment Day" event.
This big, sprawling storyline, in which a necromancer unleashes a zombie hoard across the planet, clearly feels like it was made to be of-a-piece with John Wagner and Alan Grant's "Apocalypse War"... but "Apocalypse War" was a satirical tale about the absurdity of war and the ultimate destructiveness of the militant authoritarian mindset. "Judgment Day", on the other hand, is an outright fascist wet dream.
The first big chunk of the story is just spent with the characters mindlessly mowing down zombies. Over and over and OVER again. It's all rather pointless; the zombies don't have any deeper symbolic meaning to them other than just being ghouls. Mostly this part of the story is just about showcasing all the ridiculous giant guns the artists can draw, and putting lots of graphic gore on the page.
Then a turning point comes when Judge Dredd decides that they should just nuke multiple Mega-Cities that have fallen to the zombies, regardless of any possible survivors. This is Garth Ennis transparently trying to one-up "Apocalypse War": Wagner and Grant had Dredd nuke ONE city, so Ennis has him nuke a BUNCH of them. SO HARDCOOOORE!
And of course, Ennis has Dredd get into a fist-fight with both Sino Judge Sadu (a Japanese judge that had kinda-sorta bested Dredd in an earlier issue) and Johnny Alpha, a time-traveling bounty hunter from a different strip... and he immediately and easily kicks the sh*t out of both of them, establishing him as the ultimate macho badass with the biggest swinging d*ck there. Does it move the story forward? Does it build anyone's character or change relationship dynamics? NO! It's just a juvenile display of dominance-- "my guy can beat up YOUR guys!" It's so, so stupid.
Oh, and did I mention the RACISM? 'Cause there's a bunch of it!
Anyway, it's... it's bad. Garth Ennis at his most childishly nihilistic. I'm starting to remember why I stopped reading Judge Dredd on this volume... (But at the very least, there are two decent John Wagner stories in the back.)
Screw this, I'm skipping to vol. 21 next.
This big, sprawling storyline, in which a necromancer unleashes a zombie hoard across the planet, clearly feels like it was made to be of-a-piece with John Wagner and Alan Grant's "Apocalypse War"... but "Apocalypse War" was a satirical tale about the absurdity of war and the ultimate destructiveness of the militant authoritarian mindset. "Judgment Day", on the other hand, is an outright fascist wet dream.
The first big chunk of the story is just spent with the characters mindlessly mowing down zombies. Over and over and OVER again. It's all rather pointless; the zombies don't have any deeper symbolic meaning to them other than just being ghouls. Mostly this part of the story is just about showcasing all the ridiculous giant guns the artists can draw, and putting lots of graphic gore on the page.
Then a turning point comes when Judge Dredd decides that they should just nuke multiple Mega-Cities that have fallen to the zombies, regardless of any possible survivors. This is Garth Ennis transparently trying to one-up "Apocalypse War": Wagner and Grant had Dredd nuke ONE city, so Ennis has him nuke a BUNCH of them. SO HARDCOOOORE!
And of course, Ennis has Dredd get into a fist-fight with both Sino Judge Sadu (a Japanese judge that had kinda-sorta bested Dredd in an earlier issue) and Johnny Alpha, a time-traveling bounty hunter from a different strip... and he immediately and easily kicks the sh*t out of both of them, establishing him as the ultimate macho badass with the biggest swinging d*ck there. Does it move the story forward? Does it build anyone's character or change relationship dynamics? NO! It's just a juvenile display of dominance-- "my guy can beat up YOUR guys!" It's so, so stupid.
Oh, and did I mention the RACISM? 'Cause there's a bunch of it!
Anyway, it's... it's bad. Garth Ennis at his most childishly nihilistic. I'm starting to remember why I stopped reading Judge Dredd on this volume... (But at the very least, there are two decent John Wagner stories in the back.)
Screw this, I'm skipping to vol. 21 next.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 4, 2024
Written by Garth Ennis and John Wagner, "Judgement Day" unveils a compelling narrative featuring Sabbat the Necromancer, a pivotal antagonist who reanimates the deceased, sparking a global undead conflict. As a fervent George A. Romero enthusiast predating the Walking Dead by two decades, my anticipation for this story was met with satisfaction.
It is worth noting that Johnny Alpha, the protagonist from 2000ad's Strontium Dog, plays a significant role in this tale. Although unfamiliar with that strip, the Restricted Files Volume 3 provides a backstory that establishes the relationship between Dredd and Alpha. Regrettably, the book is currently out of print, necessitating a recommendation to explore "Top Dogs" from the Restricted Files 3 online prior to delving into this narrative.
The other three parts encompassed in this case file prove engaging and entertaining. However, a flaw emerges in the final section, spanning around 15 pages, as it abruptly veers into an unrelated direction, failing to seamlessly connect with the rest of the book.
Carlos Ezquerra's contribution to the artwork, particularly in illustrating Judgement Day, is commendable, marking a return after being the lead artist on the Apocalypse War and Necropolis. Notable artists such as Ian Gibson (Halo Jones) and the late Steve Dillon (Preacher) further enrich the visual experience. Although unfamiliar with some other talented artists, the overall quality of the compilation is exceptional.
It is worth noting that Johnny Alpha, the protagonist from 2000ad's Strontium Dog, plays a significant role in this tale. Although unfamiliar with that strip, the Restricted Files Volume 3 provides a backstory that establishes the relationship between Dredd and Alpha. Regrettably, the book is currently out of print, necessitating a recommendation to explore "Top Dogs" from the Restricted Files 3 online prior to delving into this narrative.
The other three parts encompassed in this case file prove engaging and entertaining. However, a flaw emerges in the final section, spanning around 15 pages, as it abruptly veers into an unrelated direction, failing to seamlessly connect with the rest of the book.
Carlos Ezquerra's contribution to the artwork, particularly in illustrating Judgement Day, is commendable, marking a return after being the lead artist on the Apocalypse War and Necropolis. Notable artists such as Ian Gibson (Halo Jones) and the late Steve Dillon (Preacher) further enrich the visual experience. Although unfamiliar with some other talented artists, the overall quality of the compilation is exceptional.
February 17, 2023
Is that Strontium Dog, Johnny Alpha, in the same 20 issue story as Judge Dredd? Yes? Well have five stars then! Carlos Ezquerra was a colossus of British comics. Apart from co creating two of the most iconic characters in British comic history he also single handedly drew 'The Apocalypse War' and 'Necropolis', two of the most important epics in the Dredd cannon. His art work is instantly recognizable and whenever I see it I get strong blast of formative sci-fi nostalgia.
October 2, 2021
Pink cover. Ok.
After long gap, there is another mega-epic-thing here: Judgement Day. These are always fun. And as this is pretty much Garth Ennis show, that is just the problem: He tries way too much to be fun. Apparently, in his world, Judge Dredd is more funny than a lawman.
But still, so good bits, some bad bits and a megalong story. Next one, please.
After long gap, there is another mega-epic-thing here: Judgement Day. These are always fun. And as this is pretty much Garth Ennis show, that is just the problem: He tries way too much to be fun. Apparently, in his world, Judge Dredd is more funny than a lawman.
But still, so good bits, some bad bits and a megalong story. Next one, please.
May 9, 2020
Judgement Day...
When an evil magus decides earth has to go to the dead, and revives the corpses of all the dead, even Dredd needs help. This comes from the future in the form of Johnny alpha - the strontium dog! Also angry wives, the retaking of city blocks and more!
When an evil magus decides earth has to go to the dead, and revives the corpses of all the dead, even Dredd needs help. This comes from the future in the form of Johnny alpha - the strontium dog! Also angry wives, the retaking of city blocks and more!
December 11, 2018
Ennis kept delivering the goods.
February 28, 2019
superb, with a huge epic in the second half to really bring a good book home for the win, though 3 billion plus do die in the story
November 28, 2020
A bit of a bumpy run after the highpoint of Necropolis. Still, even if it's not at its apogee Dredd is pretty fantastic.
July 24, 2023
These stories were so much fun, especially the mega-epic Judgement Day. Too bad these books are too expensive where I live, thanks to inflation and exchange rates.
September 3, 2023
The undead is one of those grand scale numbers - not subtle but intense
January 30, 2026
Judgement day and mechanismo are not the best epics, but still acceptable.
Some not so great art styles have started creeping in though
Some not so great art styles have started creeping in though
January 15, 2024
Includes the Judgement Day storyline - with Sabbat and more zombies (after Neropolis) and Johnny alpha. Ok, but not great.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews