Previewing ‘Judge Dredd Complete Case Files: 44’ – More Of The Law In Order, More Classic Dredd

Time for a BIG preview of the latest Judge Dredd Complete Case Files, taking us through to the end of Origins and plenty more…

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44 volumes in and plenty still to come – the Complete Case Files is 2000 AD‘s absolutely exhaustive reprinting of every single Judge Dredd serial that’s ever been published – from both 2000 AD and Judge Dredd Megazine.

Now, I’ve gone on about how damn good this is many times before and, since the last month has rather flown by in an absolute blur of chaos and ridiculousness and this one’s happens to be one of those previews published after the book was published – it was out last week – I’ll be taking this one at speed…

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Right then, as you should know by now, the real joy of these Complete Case Files is that it’s one that completely sums up everything there is about Dredd.

Sure, there’s a hell of a lot of incredible epic Dredds released, the sort of things that involve wars with the Sovs, mad Chief Judges, incredible stories of politics and deceit, all that sort of thing.

But the things those epics miss out is just what the Complete Case Files includes – everything. Because Dredd, since the beginning, has been more about the city and the people and the world that Dredd exists in, and that means all those perfect little one-off stories or the two- and three-parters. In those we get Dredd the cop, Dredd the symbol of the Law, Dredd the cypher from which great writers can spin the tales they want to tell about the city and the system.

And alongside them, these writers have some of the best artists in the business to show us ever possible artistic vision of Mega-City One and Dredd. I mean, just in this volume, there’s the likes of Carlos Ezquerra, Ian Gibson, Colin MacNeil, some absolutely stunning and very divisive stuff from Mick McMahon, Henry Flint, Jock, the increasingly rare interiors of Cliff Robinson, and plenty more. Seriously, you show me something this long-running, this successful, that’s had this many stellar artists work on it? And still does.

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Anyway, what you get through this volume is a big opener – the second half of ‘Origins’, John Wagner and Carlos Ezquerra’s truly epic Dredd, taking us back to the very creation of the Justice Department with Cadets Dredd and Rico, all set against a modern tale of the search for Fargo’s body.

‘Origins’ was split into two at the time, due to Ezquerra needing more time to finish it, which is why this volume begins with some, shall we say, lesser tales – Origins Interludes. Still good, just nothing compared to what’s coming with Origins itself. And there is the chance to see some typically beautiful art on Judgement from the much-missed Ian Gibson.

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However, after ‘Origins’, Wagner delves deeper into the whole family history of Dredd and the fact that lineage has a fair number of mutant relatives in it means Dredd is put through the wringer somewhat. When you’ve lived your life by the Law and that law tells you muties out, muties not welcome in MC-1, what’s a Dredd to do?

In the Wagner-written ‘Mutants in Mega-City One’, ‘The Facility’, and ‘The Secret of Mutant Camp 5’, a trio of tales with Colin MacNeil’s fabulous art adorning them, it’s Dredd questioning himself, questioning the Law, and it’s a damn fine set of tales, all giving depth and character to Dredd that only Wagner seemed to be able to do way back when.

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Of course, there are plenty more I could pick out – take Ian Edginton and D’Israeli’s ‘Time’s Squared‘ where we’re treated to a divine bit of slapstick in a wonderfully ridiculous time-travel misdaventure comedy with some timey-wimey guest stars.

Sure, comedy in Dredd might be a rarity, but it’s something that’s been there right from the off, and it’s something this team are great at bringing out.

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But if I had to pick just one in here that is a perfect Dredd, it’s the one-off, six-pager by Robbie Morrison and Cliff Robinson – ‘Cycle of Violence‘. It’s a ‘the city’s ills create victims and the victims grow up to lash out’ sort of tale, just with this particular victim of the city growing up to be a Judge himself.

Like so many great one-off Dredds, it’s not really about Dredd at all, he’s just the symbol, ever-present, a representation of all that’s wrong with this place.

Six pages of sheer class, the cycle of violence heartbreakingly sad yet chillingly predictable. And the Robinson art, a real rarity as 2000 AD went on, just gives it so much more.

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I’ll say it again, Complete Case Files is a fabulous way to read Dredd, giving you the perfect in on a character that, even though he gets old in real time, doesn’t get old – if you know what I mean. Sure, there’s a greatness to the epic stuff, the Dredds that get their own collections – ‘Apocalypse War’, ‘Day Of Chaos’, ‘The Small House’, ‘Regicide’, that sort of thing. But the real joy of Dredd is seeing the world and the character in all its detail, all those small tales that make the character and the world he’s in so damn big.

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JUDGE DREDD: COMPLETE CASE FILES VOLUME 44

Written by John Wagner, Gordon Rennie, Rob Williams, Robbie Morrison, and Ian Edginton.

Art by Carlos Ezquerra, Ian Gibson, Colin MacNeil, Mick McMahon, Jock, Henry FLint, Rufus Dayglo, Vince Locke, PJ Holden, Patrick Goddard, Boo Cook, Richard Elson, Cliff Robinson, Len O’Grady, D’Israeli, Lee Garbett, Anthony Williams, Peter Doherty, and Paul Marshall.

Colours by Eva De La Cruz, Chris Blythe, and Steve Roberts

Letters by Annie Parkhouse and Peter Doherty

Cover by Staz Johnson and Eva De La Cruz

Originally serialised in 2000 AD Progs #1520-1554 andJudge Dredd Megazine #353-260 (2007)

Now, preview time – a little from here, a little from there, a little from all over the Complete Case Files Volume 44…