The Monthly Megazine #492: The Black Tower Lands In Mega-City One & Judge Rico Is On The Case

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.

Here we go, six brand-new strips, all of them rather damn good. Another 100 pages of the Megazine, and time to dive in.

We kick off with Ken Niemand and Nick Percival bringing us ‘The Black Tower‘, the culmination of all the nightmares that they’ve been bringing back into Dredd over the last couple of years. It’s a story running in both the Megazine and the Prog — something genuinely of that whole epic Dredd nature. In the Prog, it’s Niemand and Dan Cornwell giving us The Oubliette, as Dredd wakes up in somewhere damn strange, enemies all around. Meanwhile, Niemand and Percival drop ‘The Black Tower‘ into a very different Mega-City One in the new strip … Judge Rico. Yes, Rico. The new mega-epic kicks off right here.

Alongside Judge Rico, we’ve got Fargo & McBane doing their thing in ‘Seventies New York. There’s the new second series of video game prequel Atomfall, rising above the usual rubbish that ‘video game prequel’ entails, and giving us this perfectly done folk horror, strange sci-fi thing that’s just really, really great. Then we’ve got more of the second series of the alt-history retro-futuristic look at a very different Mega-City One in Megatropolis. Plus, there’s the final — genuinely final, seriously final — episode in the final series for Mega-City One’s strangest department, as Department K: … No More concludes. And of course, we have Chapter 5 of Rok The World, John Wagner and Dan Cornwell’s so good bit of sci-fi meets soccer strip, possibly the last Wagner comic you’ll ever read. And, if you need telling, it’s a damn fine comic indeed.

Everything starts underneath a gloriously dark Black Tower wraparound cover by Nick Percival …

Judge Dredd Megazine 492 was out on 20 May in the UK. Which means I’m way late getting this to you. But, then again, seeing as it’s also available in the Americas on 17 June, that means that this one isn’t actually late, despite it actually being, well, late. Anyway, if you are in the Americas, get yourself down to your local comic shop and ask them very nicely to order in both the weekly Prog and the monthly Megazine. Seriously, you won’t regret it for a moment.

Okay then, preamble done. Let’s dive into this latest Megazine….

Judge Rico: The Black Tower — Part 1 — By Ken Niemand and Nick Percival, letters by Simon Bowland

Okay then, here we go, launching into the new big Dredd mega epic tale. The thing is, ‘The Black Tower’ is only really one half of it. Niemand’s worked up this one to be BIG. So big, in fact, that it’s a story that takes place across both the 2000 AD weekly Prog and these monthly Megazines. Yep, that’s the sure sign that this one’s BIG.

In the Prog tale of The Oublietter, we’ve already seen Judge Dredd waking up in a strange, dangerous place — alone, disconnected, weaponless, and surrounded by bad things. Here in The Black Tower, we’re getting the view of all this from Mega-City One, as things get very bad, very quickly. Together, it’s all playing into the stories that Niemand and Percival have been running across the last couple of years, all with the intention of bringing back the horror to Judge Dredd.

Although, as you’ll notice from page 1 previewed below, this isn’t Judge Dredd, this is Judge Rico. Because here, right now, in this Mega-City One, Rico’s the Greatest Ever Lawman, not Dredd. Why? Well, because, as we’re about to find out, there’s no record of Dredd having ever existed. Not a physical record, not a memory. Nothing. It’s like he’s been wiped from existence.

Although, as you’ll see, Rico’s memories are full of doubt, all tracking back to the Shift, and the horrors found within, with Rico questioning what he remembers of that, his memories show him someone else, a badge, but a blank badge …

As he gets called into Psi-Div, all hell breaks loose, an old Psi warning him of the Black Tower being ‘A prison. A hidden place. For the children of Judd. His abandoned mistakes,’ and then talking of ‘the forgotten man,’ and of ‘The Shift! It’s inside us all!’ And outside, The Black Tower breaks through into this reality, a devastating incursion of something else into MC-1, immediately wiping out most of Psi-Division, something ancient and deadly, something overwhelming all of the City.

Elsewhere, we have Marsha Hobbes, another of Niemand and Percival’s creations in the stories leading up to this, running a search across the citywide databases for Judge Joe Dredd …

Nothing, not a trace. Dredd’s gone. And who, we wonder, are the Fathers?

And then off to Judge Giant, fighting back against a City gone mad.

And then, switch to Judge Inviata and Iron Teeth, who we’ve seen plenty of in Niemand and Percival’s run-in to this moment, and a glimpse into the past, a very specific past …

Oh yes, like I said, Niemand and Percival have been seeding all this throughout everything they’ve been doing recently, even down to Niemand bringing in his Fargo & McBane strip.

There’s so much going on here, so much that it’s one of those tales that needs to run across both the Megazine and the Prog, a big, big Epic Dredd, one that promises that it’s going to bring lasting change to the status quo. Well, maybe it will, maybe it won’t, but one thing’s for certain, it’s sure being set up as something important, and it’s sure a damn fine bit of big Dredd.

Atomfall: The Wicked Isle — Part 2 — By Jonathan L. Howard and Anthony Williams, letters by Rob Steen

The first series of this one was a wonderful surprise. I never have that much hope for video game tie-ins, as they’re usually not my thing. But Atomfall, as written by the game’s chief writer, Howard, proved me completely wrong in my presumptions. It was a great little series, full of mystery, loaded with all that 1950s sense of optimism in the future, undercut with a real dash of menace and folk horror delights. So, having an unexpected second series is a real treat.

Again, this second series takes us into the weird world of a post-nuclear-accident, as journalist Jenny Coggins discovers more of the mysteries of Wyndham Village, in the aftermath of the Windscale nuclear plant accident of 1957. Except here, things took a far nastier turn than the real-life accident. Here, Jenny’s investigating the tip-off from some mystery insider that all’s not well with the nuclear plant. Unfortunately, the tip-off is spot-on, as Windscale exploded, resulting in the quarantine of the whole area by the military.

Jenny’s on the island, throwing in her lot with a murdering ex-postmistress, despite being warned of ‘The Wicked Isle, where wicked folk live.’

This episode, everything really goes to hell. The military continues to lay down its law, brutal and violent. The villagers continue to take hits, and the body count rises. Meanwhile, plots are hatched, and everything gets even more mysterious indeed. Oh, it’s all just this enjoyable thing, watching a microcosm of a world turn into a nightmare.

Fargo & McBane: Favoured Sons — Part 3 — By Ken Niemand and PJ Holden, Colours by Quinton Winter, Letters by Annie Parkhouse

Well, we’ve already seen Fargo & McBane make an unexpected appearance in the memories of Iron Tooth over in Judge Rico: The Black Tower. But now we’re actually back on the ground, on the mean streets of ’70s New York, as Fargo and McBane find themselves right in the middle of something very nasty indeed.

McBane sits and listens to a tale of old New York, ancient New York, and power that moved from the forests to the cities, and the city fathers are still running the city, ancient things extending their reach into every part of the city, rewarding those that help them – those ‘Favoured Sons.’

And the city fathers have noticed McBane, want him on side, willing to offer him all they can to make him one of those ‘Favoured Sons.’ Yet this is McBane, sitting there, listening to the tale spun, and all through it, his only words, again and again … ‘Fargo.’ Over and over, the partner of his out in the wild, being hunted. It’s never an option for him to give her up.

By the end, we’ve learned a hell of a lot more of what’s going on here, and, in the way Niemand does these things, a hell of a lot more of what’s happening right now in the Dredd mega epic both here and in the Prog. It’s all to do with the ancient spirits of this land, forces that have worked their way into the very bones of the city – and by extension, centuries on, into the Mega-City.

You’ve got to love just how deep Niemand’s been seeding this Dredd epic, all the way back through the ancestral line to Fargo here in ’70s New York.

And a mention, of course, for what PJ Holden‘s doing so well here. There’s a real menace to all he’s putting on the page through Fargo & McBane here, his art just bringing the story to life so well.

Department K … No More — Part 4 — Final Part — By Ned Hartley and Mike Walters, Letters by Simon Bowland

Here we are — the very last day of Dept K. We’re experiencing it all through Judge Kirby’s report. And it’s a report that doesn’t read well at all for Dept K.

Judge Estabon is dead. His killer, an alien organism-infected Judge Afua. His killer is now trapped in a psychic dimension. It’s just Judge Kirby and Judge Blackcurrant left of Dept K. Neither of them gets out of this one unscathed.

Well, it was trailed as the final adventure for Dept K, and it really is. All this is coming from Kirby’s report to the tribunal deciding her fate. And Hartley’s really taken the idea of ending Dept K to heart, really going as deep and as dark as he possibly can. Seriously dark.

From something that began as this all-ages slice of fun, a diverse and colourful cast bouncing around dimensions for their adventures, seeing it all end this way, dark and deadly, half the team dead, the other half destroyed, really feels a little wrong.

Sure, I can see what Hartley’s done here, and Walters gives great art all the way through it all, but it seems like an opportunity wasted. The characters and the idea were so packed with potential, the adventures ahead full of colour and weirdness. Yet, here we are, at the end, with Dept K gone, seemingly never to return. Hartley and Walters have done what they’ve done really well, but I just don’t like that they’ve done it.

Rok The World — Chapter Five: Facing The Music — By John Wagner and Dan Cornwell, Colours by Jim Boswell, Letters by Rob Steen

Alongside all the normal Megazine-length strips (10-15 pages), we have this, 20 pages of Rok The World, where we’re likely seeing the final ever bit of Wagner’s writing.

And damn, it’s every bit as good as you could want. From the start, this saga of equal parts soccer and sci-fi has been just some incredible cosmic romp, mixed in with a perfectly done sports comic (which has always been something so very difficult to do).

But now, with the third (and most likely the final) Rok tale, we’re stepping back a little from the sport and focusing on the big stuff. And Wagner’s rather taken us into draker territory, showing us just how alien Rok can be, how his ideas of morality and boundaries are not limited by human thinking.

Here’s where we’re at — Rok’s under pressure, having been told by the elders of Arkady that Earth is under notice of destruction unless it can change its ways. Hence why Rok’s had to step up his plans, first revealing himself to the oil giants, threatening, killing, in the expectation it would cause them to change their ways. Except that didn’t work, his reveal of himself as an alien was suppressed.

Now though, he’s stepped it up again, revealing himself at a massive rock gig …

His message is simple — ‘Time is short. Change your ways, or you will face extermination.’ And the message finally gets out. But it’s also a message that this alien is dangerous, deadly. Like I say, Wagner’s switched it up here, really undercutting all he’s done thus far with the friendly face of Rok we’ve been seeing through the first couple of series. Instead, this is a violent, vengeful, take no prisoners to get the message across, Rok here …

Yes, there’s a darkness here in Rok The World, one that’s understandable, so well written by Wagner. The finest moments come as Rok returns to his Earthly home, where the reception from those who thought they knew him is understandably frosty. They’re scared of what he’s capable of, what he’s done, the killings. It’s a masterpiece of character work pulled off by Wagner and Cornwell as we see Rok attempt to explain to those he’s come to see as friends, those he may well love.

As it is, by the final page, we get the unfortunate news that this Rok episode is the last for a while, with the promise that Rok will return later this year – which shouldn’t mean too many Megazines without him. But damn, I was looking forward to seeing where Wagner and Cornwell are taking this brilliant bit of comics. Guess I’ll have to wait with bated breath just that little longer.

Megatropolis Book II — Part 8 — By Kenneth Niemand and Chris Weston, Colours by Antonietta Saulino, Letters by Rob Steen

Again, before we get into things, a note on the art. Chris Weston gives us his second episode here, taking over from the much-missed Dave Taylor, who passed away from prostate cancer in 2025. (Again, for heaven’s sake, go get yourself checked out, people.) Anyway, as good as Weston is, and believe me, he is doing really impressive things here, I’m sure Chris wouldn’t mind me saying that I just wish it were Dave’s artwork I was seeing here.

Anyway, back to Megatropolis, which really is just a great strip. The whole concept really is just so good, taking all the ideas and characters of Judge Dredd and Mega-City One and retrofitting it to a wonderfully art deco, sci-fi futuristic idea, reintroducing familiar names in unfamiliar roles. It’s something that’s full of moments and concepts that really gets the older readers going. But more than that, even if you don’t get half the references, Niemand and now Weston are giving us something that’s, as I’ve said before, as if James Elroy suddenly decided to do a sci-fi comic.

Here, we have the Dredd vigilante taken down by the ‘Choirboy,’ Detective Rico, one of the few clean cops in Megatropolis. Of course, being the clean cop in a corrupt city makes him a big target for those on the take.

Meanwhile, we’re on the eve of the Mayoral election, where McGruder is up against bad Bob Booth. But there’s a powerful man behind Booth, and that powerful man is already putting plans into place for what looks like the inevitable election of McGruder on an anti-corruption platform.

Elsewhere, there’s more from Hershey, the reporter, news on Aimee Nixon, a little from Fargo, father of the city, and the threat of both serial killer Philip Maybry and the assassin Orlok.

It’s a strip that rewards you more and more as you get deeper into it all. It’s also one of those that I’d recommend you go pick up the first Megatropolis book to really get the best from it all.