The Monthly Megazine Issue #485: 35 Years Of Dredd Megazine

by Richard Bruton

Welcome once more to the Monthly Megazine – doing just what it says, taking you through the latest goings-on in the sister monthly to 2000 AD.

Yes, the Judge Dredd Megazine is 35 years young this month. Starting out as Judge Dredd The Megazine in 1990, through five volumes, it’s gone on to give us plenty of Dreddworld (and more besides) over the years. To reach 35 years of monthly issues is a major milestone, especially in these dark days when comics seem to lack the longevity they once had. So, congratulations to the Megazine for reaching another milestone. Of course, it’s still many years behind its sister publication, as 2000 AD gears up for its 50th anniversary in 2027. But hey, 35 years, that’s still rather impressive.

As befits a special issue, this 35th anniversary Megazine has a nearly all-new line-up, with five strips all starting right here. There’s new Armitage in ‘Drokk the Ripper‘ and a new Anderson Psi-Div tale in ‘Hell Night At The Cine Pit‘. Then we have the return of Mike Carroll and John Higgins‘s excellent look back in time to the beginnings of the Justice Department with more Dreadnoughts. Going sideways instead of back, we get the second volume of the incredible Megatropolis, written by Ken Niemand, exploring the possibilities of an alt-timeline Mega-City One. Of course, seeing Megatropolis in here is a bittersweet thing, as it’s the last new artwork we’ll ever see of the late Dave Taylor, who sadly passed away in August. And finally, we open the Megazine this month, as is fitting, as has been the case for every single issue of the 35-year run, with Judge Dredd, and a rather special tale from Rob Williams and Colin MacNeill looking back to the iconic ‘America’ series from John Wagner and MacNeill that featured in the very first issue of the Megazine all those three and a half decades ago.

Additionally, there’s the usual good reads with The Meg Files, a chat with Peter Doherty, another name from that very first Megazine, and a look at a couple of new books/comics in Anderson Vs Death and the Judge Death Mega Special. Finally, there’s the one reprint this month – but seeing as that’s the latest instalment of the Wagner, Grant, and Cornwell Rok The God, a damn fine thing.

So, once more, let’s take a look inside the Megazine, and raise a glass to the next 35 years….

It all starts with a rather bloody great wrapround cover by Laurence Campbell and Chris Blythe….

Megazine #485 was out on 15th October in the UK. As always, finding it elsewhere is a trial, but it’s one that’s well worth you undertaking. Head to your local comic shop and ask them nicely to order it in for you.

Honestly, you won’t regret it.

JUDGE DREDD: LETTER FROM AMERICA – BY ROB WILLIAMS AND COLIN MACNEILL, COLOURS BY DYLAN TEAGUE, LETTERS BY ANNIE PARKHOUSE

A very special little one-off Dredd now, with Rob Williams joining artist Colin MacNeill for ‘Letter From America’, harking back to the essential Dredd tale, America, drawn by MacNeill, written by John Wagner, and found in that very first Megazine.

That tale featured young America Jara and Bennett Beeny, in a story that had Wagner pointing out to all that read it that living in Dredd’s world was to be living in a fascist state.

Here, we have their daughter, America Beeny, now one of the Council ruling Mega-City One, one of the few Judges in the city Dredd would consider an equal. More than that, she’s one of the very few he completely trusts.

Against that background, Williams and MacNeill spin a low-key look at Beeny and her place in this America. Following a letter ‘to America’ into the Cursed Earth, Beeny and Dredd break up a slaver route, only to find hard, unpalatable truths here.

Oh, it’s a quiet little masterpiece, expertly done, getting to the heart of Beeny’s dilemma, the head Judge trying to effect change from within.

MEGATROLOPIS 2 – PART 1 – BY KENNETH NIEMAND AND DAVE TAYLOR, LETTERS BY JIM CAMPBELL

It’s been four years since the first series of Megatropolis, Niemand and Taylor’s art deco crime drama with a host of familiar faces and names in this alternative timeline Mega-City One. So, perhaps a quick recap to give you an idea of what to expect…

‘In this radical reimagining of the world of Judge Dredd, join disgraced Officer Amy Jarra and Detective Joe ‘Choirboy’ Rico as they navigate the crime-ridden underbelly of the glamourous Megatropolis, attempting to solve a string of murders and brutal executions. Transforming Mega-City One into an art deco cityscape, Niemand and Taylor spin a tale of futuristic noir with luscious art and jaw-dropping set pieces.’

In the preview of the first collection, I described Megatropolis as ‘It’s as though James Elroy wrote speculative art-deco infused sci-fi.’ And I’ll stand by that. It was – it is, a staggeringly good retelling of all that we know from the world of Dredd. A world where Hershey is a journalist, Mayor Booth has both hands firmly round the neck of the city, and Eustace Fargo as the father of the city.

Now, into the second series, we open with a catch-up in a way, Hershey delivering the news, giving us details of the upcoming mayoral election between Mayor Bob Booth and the reform candidate DA McGruder. Rico’s special investigations squad is busy taking down the corrupt Megatropolis PD cops, whilst Deputy Commissioner Caleb ‘Cal’ Calhoun’s Special Justice Squads are looking more and more like the Judges we all know in our MC-1. Meanwhile, despite all of their best efforts, the ‘Dredd Vigilante’ continues its quest to bring some justice to the city. Oh, and Hershey’s investigating Own Krysler, one of the most powerful men in Megatropolis, whilst another familiar name is looking into Rico and Jarra’s latest case.

And there you go, we’re back into this fascinating alt-take on Dreddworld. It’s like we’ve never been away.

There’s so much to love in Megatropolis, and this first part just epitomises all that’s so great about it. Of course, a huge part of that is through Taylor’s art. Sadly, it’s the last of his art we’ll see, but it’s a fitting tribute in so many ways that this was the final thing he completed before his death. The pages are packed with sumptuous details, the stylings so beautifully done, all that art deco sci-fi making this just a gorgeous trip from an artist who we lost way too soon.

ARMITAGE: DROKK THE RIPPER – PART 1 – BY LIAM JOHNSON and STAZ JOHNSON, COLOURS BY QUINTON WINTER, LETTERS BY ANNIE PARKHOUSE

Liam Johnson returns to Armitage after the last couple of rather impressive series with artist Wareen Pleece. No Pleece this time round, but Staz Johnson steps in admirably to give us this new Armitage, where there appears to be a serial killer running around Brit-Cit. And it doesn’t take long for the press to get hold of the story – and ‘Drokk The Ripper’ is born.

Of course, his boss and former mentee, Steel, wants him well away from this one, wants him back in cold cases, knowing he’s far too likely to ‘ruffle the Department heads’ feathers.’

But things have a funny way of involving Armitage….

So, we’ve got a serial killer on the loose, and a face from Armitage’s past dropping in on him, spinning a strange tale that may link her to the Ripper. Maybe it’s time for Armitage to take a little personal time?

All set-up here, but very well-done set-up, where Armitage just can’t help but be dragged into things, and where it’s all looking like a classic bit of off-the-books detective work will bring him right up against all those he’s worked for all these years.

ANDERSON: PSI DIVISION: HELL NIGHT AT THE CINE PIT – PART 1 – BY ALEC WORLEY AND BEN WILLSHER, LETTERS BY SIMON BOWLAND

Okay, hands up if you remember Fairly Hyperman? No, me neither. But he was a bit of typically on-the-nose superhero satire from Wagner, Grant, and Mike Collins back in 2000 AD Prog 1529. Here though, he’s the star of the latest bit of celluloid silliness from Wez Shushman, purveyor of schlock, trying his hardest to get himself out of the crippling debts he’s run up.

Where all this involves Anderson is when his latest screening proves to have a little more excitement than it could ever have hoped – demonic excitement.

So, it’s Anderson off to the races, a fast-paced adventure of possession and portals, all centred on the Cine-Pit. Well, you know Anderson, she’s never been one to stand back and do the sensible thing when there’s a portal to be jumped into.

So, it’s Anderson in demon town, with Worley and Willsher doing rather a fine job of crafting a simple yet fun Anderson strip.

DREADNOUGHTS: QUALIFIED IMMUNITY – PART 1 – BY MIKE CARROLL AND JOHN HIGGINS, COLOURS BY SALLY HURST, LETTERS BY SIMON BOWLAND

Well, we’ve had the return of Megatropolis, the alt-timeline Dreddworld adventure, now we get the return of Dreadnoughts, taking us all the way back to the cowboy-like days of the Justice Department in the Dreddworld we all know. These are the times when the Judges were just rolling out onto the streets of America, a new force of the law, none too welcome with the existing law of the time.

As before, Higgins, with some suitably popping colours from Hurst, really goes to town on the action, all beautifully choreographed on the page….

Through all the series of Dreadnoughts so far, Carroll and Higgins have done things oh so right, concentrating not on the big societal changes of this America in flux, giving up its democracy in favour of the totalitarian regime that will dominate the world for years and years to come, but on the smaller events on the ground. This way, they get to tell us some thrilling stories, packed with action, concerning the new Judges dealing with crime on a small scale, yet also show us, on this personal scale, just how the coming of the Judges changes everything in America.

So it is here, in ‘Qualified Immunity’, where Judge Kahn and officer Mackinnon are dealing with a simple hostage situation, in the tried and tested way of the Judges.

Earl Reames, veteran, dies in the takedown, leading to a rather heated moment in the Judge’s offices, where Mackinnon, the face of the old law, wants to know why the new regime acts the way it does….

Again, we’re setting things up here. But it doesn’t take all that much to imagine that Mackinnon’s not going to let this one go, and that’s going to be the driving force running through this latest, this ever so good, series of Dreadnoughts.

Like I say, Carroll and Higgins’s Dreadnoughts is a perfect thing. It could have been so different; Carroll could have used these early days of the Justice Department set-up to go large on the coming of the fascist new regime. That they haven’t, that they’ve instead used the everyday tales of the Judge’s boots on the ground to flesh out this pivotal moment in Dreddworld history makes this so much better.

Okay then, that’s all the new strips. Now, time for the single reprint this issue. But, as I keep saying, if you’re going to have a reprint, there’s none finer than the adventures of Rok of the Reds by John Wagner, Alan Grant, and Dan Cornwell.

Oh yes, we’re into the second series now, Rok The God. Originally published by BHP Comics, the Rok saga is a simple thing but a quite magnificent thing, bringing us all the best of soccer action, Roy of the Rovers-style, and melding it with some epic sci-fi stuff. Loaded with all that typically brilliant Wagner/Grant action mixed with all the ridiculousness they can muster, with an added love of all things football, it’s a pleasure to be reading Rok of the Reds once more here. And if you’ve never had the pleasure before, it’s going to be something you’ll be kicking yourself for missing out on the first time round. Even better, once this Rok The God reprint is done, we’re promised the all-new third series of Rok in the pages of the Megazine at some point in the not-too-distant future.

As for where we’re at… Rok’s back on Earth after taking on the mantle of Godhood on his native Arkady, and he’s already found plenty of trouble with the new owner of the club, determined to sell him (or sell Kyle Dixon, the badboy strike of the Radford Reds he’s taken the form of anyway). Meanwhile, the original Dixon, in miniaturised form, has found his way, though plenty of ridiculous and funny moments, into the house Rok/Kyle is staying at. And that’s just the start of Rok’s troubles this time round.

Like I say, as a reprint, most of you will be coming to it afresh, and I can only say that I’m jealous for you, as it’s a quite perfect strip.