By Ari Carr
Welcome to the best of Judge Dredd, Part two.
Hello and welcome to the next part of the best of Judge Dredd! Part two focusses on the storyline entitled ‘The Day The Law Died, which in itself is a tale of epic proportions. While not as lengthy as The Cursed Earth, it is still just as good and more than earns it’s place in my best of list.
Judge Cal and his newly promoted err Deputy Chief Pet goldfish??
TDTLD introduces a new type of enemy to Judge Dredd in the form of Judge Cal, the former head of the SJS (The Special Judicial Squad, a rather corrupt group who monitor internal affairs and pass judgement on the other judges if they are found guilty of committing a crime) who gains a promotion through his use of the SJS (and by framing Dredd) he rises to become Chief Judge, where he soon becomes mad with power (although it is more than hinted at that he was mad before), and rules over Mega-City One with an iron fist and a truly tyrannical mind. While he rules, Cal introduces all manner of ridiculous decrees, including ‘no laughter’, ‘no conversation’ and even promotes his pet goldfish to the powerful role of Deputy Chief Judge, and in a fit of rage, he sentenced all of Mega-City One to death for not celebrating his reign in a way he sees acceptable. The storyline follows Dredd and his team of Judges who were unaffected by Cal’s brainwashing as they struggle to save the citizens of Mega-City One and restore order. Along the way, we meet the ‘King of the Big Smelly’, Fergee, who despite being somewhat simple and violent, soon becomes a hero. For those of you who were unfortunate enough to have seen the ’95 Dredd film, Fergee was played by Rob Schneider, who was nothing more than comic relief for Dredd’s surliness.
Fergee or for those of you unfortunate enough to see the '95 Dredd....Rob Schneider
TDTLD is fantastically written, with John Wagner retaking the writing reigns after the mammoth Cursed Earth arc (See last entry for my review) and is fundamentally different to many of the previous stories; as opposed to pitting Dredd against the usual law-breaking perps, he was now confronted with the one thing he holds dear- the law and his seniors! Once again, the artwork is stunning, being done by Brian Bolland, Mike McMahon and Ron Smith (who is also known for a career in comics which lasted almost fifty years, wherein he focussed most of his work on Judge Dredd, often giving him a sleeker, meaner look and uniform to other artists) and as can be expected from such a great creative team, TDTLD is an extremely enjoyable arc.
I’ve included TDTLD in this ‘best of’ selection, as even though it is another very early story, it offers a further understanding of the totalitarian law system that Mega-City One resides in, and furthermore, we are introduced the ‘dark side’ (If you’ll forgive the over-used cliché) of the law and those who uphold it; not all Judges are like Dredd, and not all of them want what’s best for Mega-City One. I also find it to be a very enjoyable story, and is a good place for new readers to join!
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Posted on July 3rd, 2012
Category: MARY JANE LOVES COMICS, REVIEWS
Tags: 2000AD, Ari Carr, Comic Review, Judge Cal, Judge Dredd, Mary Jane Loves Comics, Mega-City One