Judge Dredd Progs 2167-2168: Future Crimes Unit

A whodunit Dredd-style!

Progs 2167-2168 delve into the Future Crimes Unit to explore an internal mystery that finds crime making its way into the Judge’s ranks. In just two shorts, readers are treated to a classic Dredd story that shows justice truly knows no bounds.

The Future Crimes Unit honestly goes full Minority Report for Mega-City One. We catch up with Dredd and the other Judges using the results from the FCU to mostly good results, but a bit of faulty information kicks off a murder mystery that embroils multiple departments, putting Dredd at the center of everything.

While the mystery elements are intriguing, it’s Dredd’s steadfastness that keeps the story rolling. You can see that he isn’t buying anything that’s happening, and within just a few questions he is able to shed light on corruption and set off a dramatic chain of events that ends with yet another death. It’s a fast-paced story that uses its time wisely in setting up a classic whodunit contrasted by Dredd’s no nonsense mentality.

We even get a few fun mentions to western comics like the Bat-Gliding Convention with an audience FULL of people in Batman costumes! I thought this would just be a casual cameo or nod, but in the following pages, we see one of these Batman gliders deliver justice to the perpetrator. In the words of Dredd himself…

Who saw that coming?

The artwork helps this story to succeed when it needs to most. From the shadow filled conversations of corruption to the action-packed chase sequence ending in a shocking death, the creative team uses the fast pace to their advantage with great panel layouts and spectacular colors. Along with consistently solid letters, the visuals give the story a punch at all the right times.

Ultimately, the Future Crimes Unit story is a great example of classic Dredd with a flair of unpredictable justice for good measure, delivering action, intrigue and even a touch of humor. What more could you want, really?