Judge Dredd Prog 2176: The Bird Lady of Al Capone

In this one-shot style story of Judge Dredd in prog 2176 we find Dredd sorting through the remains of devastation long passed, both psychologically and physically, for a story that truly captures the impacts of this world and their ideals.

Without the potential for a mega prog level of exploration, many of the recent Judge Dredd progs have been essentially one-shots with a quick look at a case Dredd is on. While that trend continues in prog 2176, we get a much more somber tone in the story than what we’ve seen recently. Exploring the consequences of the Chaos Bug so much later gives a aura of sadness to every panel and helps the story to stand out as a reflective tale of the cost everyone has paid.

There is something of a mystery that eventually unravels in this prog, but it isn’t something that readers are particularly aware of until the last panels of the story. That’s not really the point of this story though. Instead, we take a moment to slow down and simply observe the life cycle that continues, emphasizing the presence of justice against the futility of the pursuit.

The artwork is powerful in the sense that it captures the tone in the writing remarkably well, but it’s strength is really in its simplicity. Heavy shadows amidst the ruins and overcast skies to create a moody aesthetic that help flesh the story out and give depth. While the seemingly crazy Bird Lady may be harmless, she offers some great insight and contrasts Dredd’s presence in an interesting way.

This one-shot story is worth checking out just on the art alone, but if you take a second to realize what goal these few pages have in mind it’s easy to see that it is a worthwhile story to tell. Dredd has a funny way of bringing humanity’s quest to light and this prog captures that with an entertaining story.