The Monthly Megazine Issue #486: Weird War In The Cursed Earth For Dredd

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.

So, into its 36th year for the Megazine, meaning that it’s time for the second episodes from the Armitage, Dreadnoughts, Anderson, Psi-Div, and Megatropolis strips that began last month. Plus, a one-off special Judge Dredd from Garth Ennis and Keith Burns, and the continuing (and very, very welcome) reprinting of John Wagner, Alan Grant, and Dan Cornwell‘s Rok The God.

100 pages of rather fine goodies await you inside. So, once more, let’s take a look inside the Megazine, which starts off with a suitably aerial-focused wrapround cover from Keith Burns…

Megazine 485 was out on 19 November in the UK. Apologies for the lateness – stuff, y’know.

As always, finding it outside the UK can be trial. Head to your local comic shop and ask them nicely to order it in for you. Honestly, you won’t regret it.

JUDGE DREDD: RHINEMANN SEVEN – BY GARTH ENNIS AND KEITH BURNS, COLOURS BY JASON WORDIE, LETTERS BY ROB STEEN

Well, here’s a turn-up, as the Johnny Red team of Ennis and Burns turn up for a one-off Dredd, a little follow-up to the 1985 tale The Squadron That Time Forgot, where we saw, thanks to one of those just occasionally pop up out of nowhere with no explanation time portals, six German WWII Messerschmitts appear in the skies over Mega-City One. This time, it’s another portal, just opening up over the Cursed Earth.

All of which means that Keith Burns, who’s rather an expert at all things aviation, and Ennis, who does love a bit of a war story, get to bring their talents doing what they do to Dredd. It’s also Burns’s first-ever Dredd, and he’s done a fine, fine job of it.

As it is, we’re headed back to 2108 AD for Dredd in this one (it’s currently 2147 AD), a year after The Squadron That Time Forgot, with Dredd and back to 1942 and Stalingrad for a new pilot in a knackered old Messerschmitt. But for Rhinemann Seven, this day’s about to go from potentially deadly to damn weird. It turns out there weren’t six planes through the portal but seven. It’s just that Rhinemann Seven’s old plane was behind the others, the fact it was so knackered being the only thing that saved him from the fate of his six comrades. He managed to get it out over the MC-1 wall and into the Cursed Earth, where he’s spent a year amongst the muties until the portal’s due to appear again.

Unfortunately for him, Dredd’s got the call and is headed towards him and his new mutie friends.

A very neat little Dredd, playing very sympathetically into what went before, and giving us a year’s worth of friendship and camaraderie ruined, of course, by Dredd, definitely playing the bad guy here. And then there’s the ending, where Rhinemann Seven… well, no, let’s not ruin it for you. Suffice it to say that, as you’d expect, things don’t go well for him after his little sojourn into Dredd’s world. Although his eventual end comes, if I’m not mistaken, with a cheeky nod to past aerial adventures from Ennis and Burns – a neat little touch at the end of a neat little Dredd.

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

Again, and I make no apology for this, do take your time to pore over Dave Taylor’s artwork here, the last completed before his death. It’s quite simply stunning in its detail and its depth, the tone of it just perfect, this retro-futurist version of Mega-City One a pure joy to behold.

So, Megatropolis, a world where familiar names are in unfamiliar surroundings and roles. Case in point, as we open up here, Hershey the journalist is investigating one of the most powerful men in Megatropolis, Owen Krysler, an essential player in the creation, along with Eustace Fargo, of Megatropolis.

Unfortunately, Krysler’s power (or perhaps powers, there’s been plenty of rumours over the years) extends every where in the city, which is how his second-in-command, Grunwalder, pays Hershey a little visit, which soon goes from ominous to out and out threatening…

Elsewhere in the city, Officer Jara, the one cop trusted by crusader against the city’s corruption Joe Rico, is back in Shantytown, and we get to see the Megatropolis versions of the Angel Gang and Preacher, now Reverand Cain, the Missionary Man created by Gordon Rennie and Frank Quitely in the Megazine back in 1993). She’s investigating more murders down there, murders that match the M.O. of shantytown slasher Philip Maybry.

No sign of Aimee Nixon, PI, who we closed the first episode with, but there is another very familiar name making an appearance this time round…

Yep, interesting.

Thing is, Megatropolis could well have been just an exercise in precisely that sort of thing, just a thrown-together tale playing off the novelty of putting all these characters we know into new situations and roles. You know, a Dreddworld Elseworlds sort of thing. But no, the brilliance with Megatropolis isn’t that you have that, although that’s fun in and of itself, but that you have all these characters wrapped up in a really well-done bit of retro sci-fi, something like Chandler and Elroy if they were writing for 2000 AD back in the day. That, and of course Taylor’s lush artwork, is what makes Megatropolis so damn enjoyable.

ARMITAGE: DROKK THE RIPPER – PART 2 – BY LIAM JOHNSON and STAZ JOHNSON, COLOURS BY QUINTON WINTER, LETTERS BY ANNIE PARKHOUSE

More from Liam Johnson, whose recent work with Warren Pleece on Armitage gave us plenty of decent detective tales from the grumpy old Brit-Cit copper. Now joined by Staz Johnson on art, Drokk The Ripper is promising to be exactly the same, a well-crafted thing revolving around a potential serial killer loose in Brit-Cit, and Armitage, despite everyone above him wanting him well out of the way of this, poking his nose in.

Things get a little more complicated now that Victoria Shanks, former Undercover Division officer who worked with Armitage has been fingered as a person of interest. She’s got memory gaps and a sense that she might well have been the one doing the killings. And just to add a little more intrigue into things, there’s a… well, let’s say a history between the pair…

Which is why Armitage has taken a little personal time and is following this case he’s absolutely meant to be having nothing to do with. Just as you knew he would.

It’s an interesting chapter as well, all of it pretty much talking heads as Armitage and Victoria have a chat in a cafe well out of the way of the decent streets of Brit-Cit. And what could have been just an exposition dump ends up being a really well done thing where Johnson walks us round the room, concentrating not just on Armitage and Vic, but on the reactons to them from the other patrons, keeping everything flowing, never letting us get in any way bored with the lack of action happening.

The only real criticism I’ve got is that Johnson relies on someone else to put two and two together, pushing things forwards to Armitage’s next lead. It’s something that, given that Armitage is the best detective in Brit-Cit, you’d have expected him to notice and connect the dots – especially as it’s literally under his nose all the way through their little chat. But hey, even Armitage has a bad day.

ANDERSON: PSI DIVISION: HELL NIGHT AT THE CINE PIT – PART 2 – BY ALEC WORLEY AND BEN WILLSHER, LETTERS BY SIMON BOWLAND

Like Armitage, this Anderson strip isn’t trying to do anything more than just tell a fine little Anderson tale. No huge ideas, not massive threats, no complicated conspiracies. No, nothing but sticking Anderson in a whole host of trouble investigating the demonic presence inside the local Cine-Pit.

And there’s absolutely nothing at all wrong with that. There’s plenty to be enjoyed with ‘just’ a simple tale, especially as Worley and Willsher are really on form here giving us threat after threat, a breathless romp of a thing, complete with Willsher choreographing it all with his always good to see style and all that lush colour he uses.

Along the way, alongside the action, there’s Worley having a laugh with the glorious added camp nonsense coming from the two Judge Exorcists…. ‘For Grud’s Sake, Kerrin, enunciate, luv! That’s “Maynard’s fifth rite of expulsion” you’re butchering!’ And then there’s the fun of seeing all the little nods to 2000 AD strips of the past and a few other comics in the imagined movie theatre posters and merch al the way through. A hell of a lot of fun.

We join it with Anderson inside the demonic cocoon shielding the Cine Pit from the rest of the city, all down to crappy movie maker Wez Shushman having something nasty in his head. The Exorcist Judges are outside the demon cocoon, Anderson’s dealing with things inside. But quite what she’s dealing with we’re still not entirely sure. The Exorcist Judge has narrowed it down to Shushman getting ‘directed by whispers from the other side.’ All of which makes me wonder if there isn’t something more to Anderson’s seemingly offhand observation back in episode 1 that the voice (and the laugh) she picked up in Shushman’s head ‘sounds kinda familiar.’

But that’s for next time, or the month after, depending how long this one runs. As it is, strap in and enjoy – keeping the whole cinema references going, it’s the equivalent of settling down for some decent popcorn movie.

DREADNOUGHTS: QUALIFIED IMMUNITY – PART 2 – BY MIKE CARROLL AND JOHN HIGGINS, COLOURS BY SALLY HURST, LETTERS BY SIMON BOWLAND

Back to the brilliant Dreadnoughts, back to the earliest days of the Judges, in a world that doesn’t want to accept the new regime lightly. This is Carroll and Higgins showing us, through personal tales of individual Judges on the ground, just how the world changed and democracy died.

The brilliance of Dreadnoughts, as I keep saying, is that Carroll doesn’t focus on the bigger picture of democracy being overthrown and the rule of law radically shifting to the Judges having powers unheard of previously. Instead, the action focuses on the Judges dealing with the new regime on the grounds, intensely personal stories of one Judge coming up against crime and corruption, and bulldozering through it all.

Which is where we are right now with Qualified immunity, where we’ve already seen Judge Kahn and Officer Mackinnon in a hostage situation where the outcome led to an innocent man’s death, an outcome that Mackinnon just refuses to accept doesn’t have any repercussions for Judge Kahn.

At the end of last episode, Mackinnon was suspended, his refusal to back down in his claims that Khan held responsibility for the man’s death getting short shrift with the Judges. All of which makes Mackinnon perfect for turning. Or, as Carroll puts it, from Mackinnon’s mouth when approached at the funeral of the dead man, ‘Which shady three-letter agency do you delightful assholes belong to?’ To which the answer, ‘One that still believes in accountability,’ lets us know that there’s plenty of law organisations above simple cops that have a dog in this fight, ones that will fight to keep the Judges from steamrollering their new vision of the Law into being.

On top of all this, there’s a raid that the back from suspension Mackinnon and Judge Kahn go on, one that will have repercussions down the line.

Like I say, the work that Carroll and Higgins put in on Dreadnoughts to tell the story of democracy falling is clever, subtle, we’re watching as the old order changes, leading to the world of the Judges and a fascist, authoritarian world to come. That they’re doing it with a series of stand-alone stories full of incredible action, perfectly choreographed by Higgins all the way through, just makes it all the better.

All right then, that’s all the new strips covered. Time for the one reprint this issue. And, as I keep on saying, if you have to have reprints, there’s none better than this, something all too many folks missed the first time round, Rok The God by John Wagner, Alan Grant, and Dan Cornwell.

As I keep reminding you, Rok of the Reds and this sequel, Rok the God, are just perfect things, mixing the glorious game (soccer to you American folks) and sci-fi and doing it in a way that just works so well. Every bit of the classic Wagner/Grant writing partnership is here, all the great storytelling, all the comedy, all the ridiculous set-ups that feed into some epic sci-fi situations. And, on top of it all, an understanding of how to do a great football (again, soccer) comic. If you missed it the first time round, this is the perfect time to pick it up before the all-new third series comes to the Megazine in 2026.

Here, in part 5 of Rok The God, Rok’s back on Earth, where things are hotting up, on and off the pitch. Suspended by his club after refusing the new American owner’s demand that he’s sold to Real Madrid, he’s on international duty for Scotland, in a home match against Germany. Now, seeing as Scotland have just qualified, rather brilliantly, for World Cup 2026, I can’t use the line, if only they had a Kyle Dixon in the team, but you know what I mean.

Anyway, Rok/Kyle do the business for Scotland, winning a dream game 4-2. You’ll have to forgive Wagner and Grant that little bit of fantasy. I mean, it would be great if that could be replicated in 2026, but… well, they can only hope.

Back to the strip though – where Rok’s got to deal with the suspension, as the Reds face missing the play-offs, mostly down to a lack of Rok/Dixon on the pitch. But, as he says, there’s benefits to being an actual God, one of which is being able to manipulate greedy, grasping men like Mr Griedy, the Reds new owner…

Yes, Rok’s not above using his powers to manipulate and get what he wants. Although, you have to think it’s the love of the game and the love of his club that’s made him go down this route.

And we get a fair bit of on-pitch action this episode, where there’s just this sense that Wagner/Grant and Cornwell just know what the great game means, bringing the joy to the comic in every bit of action. It’s classic Roy of the Rovers stuff, all the feels of something that just gets sports right, and anyone who loves sports will see the ecstatic energy in those sequences. But alongside that, we get really great sci-fi drama – it’s just a truly great modern comic.

ROK THE GOD: CHAPTER 5 – BY JOHN WAGNER AND ALAN GRANT, ART BY DAN CORNWELL, COLOURS BY ABIGAIL BULMER & JIM BOSWELL, LETTERS BY JIM CAMPBELL