JUDGES Volume Three

Judges #7-9

by Michael Carroll, C.E. Murphy, Zina Hutton

The third volume of the hit series exploring the history of 2000 AD ’s all-powerful “Judges.”

United States of America, 2051 A.D.

It has been twenty years since Eustace Fargo’s justice bill was passed. There are new weapons on the streets and vast city blocks rising to the sky, as the first human being sets out to visit another star system. New York, California and Texas cry out for autonomy, chafing against a federal government they feel has lost control.

Reeling from news of Chief Justice Fargo’s death in service, the nation has it all been worth it?

Genres: Science Fiction

480 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 2022

Reviews

[Daniel Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

JUDGES - Volume Three, continues the series that explores the early days before Judge Dredd, when the world was transitioning from our current systems of law and government, to that of Judge Dredd and the Justice Department having total control. As always, a new volume means we leap forward to a new decade, and this time we cover the 2050 decade.

The three stories are:
1) 'Necessary Evil' by Michael Carroll - 4/5
2) 'What Measure Ye Mete' by C.E. Murphy - 4/5
3) '(In)famous by Zina Hutton - 3/5

I have posted reviews for each story independently, so have included only the scores above and will focus on the collection as a whole, which gets 4/5 based on the scores above.

The introduction for this collection stated that the stories were going to be focused on the citizens. The first two stories found a good balance with enough judge presence to feel authentic, while following the perspectives of citizens most of the time. However, the third story was good but only had minimal judge presence and the judges came across as too soft and compassionate to me. While well written and different, I personally didn't enjoy the third story as much as the other two and it could have fit with any setting by making minor changes.

Overall, a great collection though, and it's fascinating to see the changes roll out over time. I look forward to Volume Four.

[Thomas West · Rating 4 out of 5]

A stronger set of sci-fi crime than Volume Two. Each one tied into Mega City 1's development and set the stage well for the themes in Judge Dredd.

The culmination of the three-part story by Michael Carroll in Necessary Evil was great, and left open with no real win for the protagonist or other characters. Its a satisfying arc that ties into the judges well, and shows some of that Mega City bleakness.

What Measure Ye Mete is a fun standalone story with a well-developed protagonist. It felt like a longer arc compared to the other short stories, but in a good way. There's some neat character drama and interactions, that support some cool sci-fi concepts.
Out of the three, this one felt most in line with Judge Dredd's dark humour.

I saw a lot of people not liking how (In)famous didn't focus much on the judges, but I thought it did a good job at showing how Mega City 1 changes its inhabitants, mixed in with some contemporary messages about young people and clout chasing. It helps recontextualise Judge Dredd's juves with relevant technological developments. It's neat sci-fi on its own, but builds really well on 2000AD's continuity.

[Tim Shelton · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first story ( Necessary Evil by Michael Carroll) is an okay conclusion to the overarching storyline begun in Volume One with the novella of Called The Avalanche. The ending is a bit week but it does seem like they are intent on continuing that story.

The Second Story (What Measure Ye Mete by C.E. Murphy) is the best of the lot. It a police procedural with a cop as the lead character trying to figure out who murdered a Judge while hiding her investigation from the Judges she liases with.

The final story ( (IN)Famous by Zina Hutton) is the weakest of the lot with a petulant Internet fame chasing teenager as the main character caught up with a group of other kids her age to go farther for that game. The Judge is basically a side character in this one and the overuse of the word SIBLINGS is extremely annoying.

[Christian Hamilton · Rating 3 out of 5]

Probably the best of the “Judges” compilations. It’s a running gag by this point, but the first two stories are pretty decent. The last one is just okay. An interesting narrative serves as a good infrastructure system for the book, but it just doesn’t pull together, except for perhaps serving as some sort of prequel to the gangs overtaking the Dredd-verse.

It was nice to see a conclusion to Carroll’s three-novellas-long story.