Judge Dredd Prog 2169
Recap
Mega-City One, 2142 AD. Home to over 140 million citizens, this urban hell is situated along the east coast of post-apocalyptic North America. Crime is rampant, and only the Judges - zero-tolerance cops empowered to dispense instant justice - can stop total anarchy. Toughest of them all is Judge Dredd - he is the Law!
A cold case from before the Apocalypse War comes to head decades later...
Review
Judge Dredd relinquishes the brutal approach to justice as he finds himself on the verge of cracking a cold case decades in the making in prog 2169, an issue that capitalizes on the storytelling potential of Judges other than Dredd.
To be honest, I truly love one shot style stories exactly like what we find in this prog. Dredd serves as a catalyst to expose a criminal pursuit that really is larger than himself. Giant, Wrexler and of course, Patsy make awesome appearances that flesh the story out quite well. Set against a deadly yet elusive criminal, the creative team pulls off a comprehensive story that feels like it’s a full standalone comic and not a simple 6-8 page short!
The artwork from everyone involved is really solid all throughout. Heavy shadows and perfect Dredd faces give the story a classic feel but there really isn’t much action to provide a special place to shine. Even then, it’s a joy to look at, especially the sequence of Dredd talking to Giant about a case in the middle of a raging block war! These types of interactions make Judge Dredd what it is, and you just can’t find dynamics like that anywhere else.
While the ending is a bit more mysterious than enlightening, the story pulls off a well rounded narrative that is sure to entertain. Faraday the criminal might have made it for longer than he thought, but seeing Giant at the end is a true “drop the mic” moment. It’s no nonsense justice that plays more towards the detective angle of the Judges in general and I appreciate that, especially after all the Bloopy events! It’s not the most impactful or critical story, but it sure is a lot of fun.
Final Thoughts
Judge Dredd prog 2169 is a no-nonsense story of justice with impressive artwork that plays to the detective angle of the Judges and their never ending struggle.
Judge Dredd Prog 2169: Cold Case
- Writing - 8/108/10
- Storyline - 9/109/10
- Art - 9/109/10
- Color - 9.5/109.5/10
- Cover Art - 10/1010/10