Judge Dredd Megazine #300

[skjam]

Yep, three hundred monthly issues, twenty-five years of what can be called a niche product. Pretty amazing, actually.





One of the interesting things about Judge Dredd is that unlike 95% of comic book characters, time passes on roughly a one-to-one ratio with the real world. Thus it is that the infant daughter of one of the characters in "America", a very early Megazine storyline, is now a grown woman, Judge Beeny. For this anniversary story, we call back to the America story and how it affects Beeny in the present. Four scans from the most recent issue and neatly enough, four pages from a twelve-page story.


Dredd calls Beeny to Nevus Street, where her father was shot. There's a flashback (possibly biased) to the ambush her parents set up for some Judges, and the cold-blooded murder of a witness. Beeny asks why the trip down Memory Lane. Seems there's been some concern expressed that Beeny's too lenient on dissenters, possibly because of her mother.






This being a Judge Dredd story, it ends in a bloodbath.

But Beeny's critics are upset about what happened next. Not only did Judge Beeny give only an eighteen-month sentence to Carly Sagar for "aiding and abetting", but she made sure to have a nurse-rob and childminder on hand at the arrest to make sure the fetus and toddler would be okay. Wouldn't Dredd have done the same? He admits he wouldn't have thought of that touch...he lacks a certain sensitivity. But since this arrest was terrorism-related, the petty desk jockeys are concerned such coddling will send the wrong message.

Beeny thanks Dredd for the info, and asks him to pass along to her critics that she certainly will reconsider what sort of message she's sending about the law.

And indeed she does. The next scene is of the Desk Judges whining to Dredd that Beeny's suspended Sagar's sentence, and put him on strict probation, with custody of his children. Dredd points out that while it's not what he would have done, it's clear proof that Beeny did as requested and "reconsidered." And that she's twice the Judge these whiners will ever be. The critics slink off to send strongly worded protest letters.



By the by, if anyone has handy scans of the America storyline, that'd be interesting to see.

Also in this issue: "Lilly MacKenzie and the Mines of Charybdis", another of those hellworld stories the 2000 AD crew love so well--this one is an exposition chapter, with the action to start in #301.

"Armitage: The Unpleasantness at the Tontine Club": A murder mystery LARP goes horribly wrong when it turns out that someone has tricked people who aren't suicidal into signing up....

"Hondo City Justice": Like Judge Dredd, but in Japan. In addition to the killer schoolgirls in mini-skirts, there's a James Bond shoutout in the first couple of pages.

"Anderson: PSI Division: The House of Vyle": The popular Psi-Judge investigates weird goings-on in old Salem.

And a bunch of cool articles.

Oh, and it's a good thing I ordered this for my pull list--the FLCS was going to cancel it because nb one bought these things for the last few months.


Your thoughts and comments?

Suggested tags
char: Judge Dredd/Joe Dredd, creator: Colin MacNeil, creator: John Wagner, medium: British comics, publisher: Rebellion, theme: mpreg, title: Judge Dredd Megazine

Comments

[nervousystem.livejournal.com]

I totally love the art here.

I was looking up the artist because I've never read a Judge Dredd story but I SWEAR I've seen this style before...it's a very specific style. Like perhaps on something from DC or Dark Horse 10+ years ago?

Anyway, a new name for my database, thanks!

[skjam]

Would not be surprised. A lot of the 2000 AD artists do work for US comics companies when they can get it. Oh, and do look up the Judge Dredd tags for glimpses of earlier stories; he's an iconic character for a reason.

[http://www.google.com/profiles/mighty.emperor]

Colin has indeed worked for Dark Horse, which is probably where you've seen him before - a story for Conan (1994) and Predator (1997), as well as a number of Conan covers, some of which have been reprinted recently. His only DC work I'm aware of was a Legends of the Dark Knight issue back in 1992.

[nervousystem.livejournal.com]

I will have to investigate those works. Shouldn't be difficult, I think Dark Horse is good at keeping the franchise stuff in print.

Thanks for the info!