Book Review: Sweet Justice by 2000 AD
Welcome back for another book review. Today, we are reviewing Sweet Justice, a collection of Short Stories from the 2000 AD archives (ebook).
Fluff:
Featuring stories by New York Times best sellers Neil Gaiman and Dan Abnett, along with hit comics authors Mark Millar, Peter Milligan, Alan Grant and more, this fantastic collection brings together nine thrilling and unusual short prose stories from the 2000 AD and Judge Dredd Annuals and Specials. Never seen outside of those pages until now, this ebook presents these hard-to-find tales in one collection.
It features Judge Anderson, Judge Hershey, Judge Dredd, and Mega-City One's unconventional characters.
Background
This is an e-book from the local library. It contains nine short stories from 2000 AD and Judge Dredd's annuals. The cover for the e-book is drawn by Barry Kitson, showing us Judge Anderson from her Debbie Harry days, riding a Lawmaster. The body is designed in black and white, giving nothing away about what the stories might be about. I found this book at random, so I found no commercial blurb before reading. For once, I was going in with no opinion.
Review
I will review each story separately, just like the comic reviews, to make my life easier.
Judge Anderson: The Scream by Peter Milligan, Judge Dredd Annual 1987.
The story kicks off with Anderson having a nightmare psychic flash. The city is smothered by fear as the Alphabet killer is on the loose. Racking up a body count of enormous proportions. How is Anderson's visions linked to the case? This story progressed nicely and quickly. It had a few twists to keep it interesting, and it was a great quick read overall. It's an excellent start to the e-book.
Diary of a Mad Citizen by Alan Grant, 2000 AD Annual 1986.
This is a great little story, giving the reader a little insight into the life of a citizen. As the story progresses, we see how the day-to-day problems in Mega-City 1 affect the citizens. Soon, we join the main character as he falls down the rabbit hole, and we experience his Future Shock disorder. Stories like this are great as we get to experience Mega-City 1 from a different view. I would love to read more like this.
Judge Anderson: Exorcise Duty by Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning Judge Dredd Annual 1991
Judge Anderson is with some recruits on the Spook squad (specialized team of PSI Judges). An earlier adventure is retold to explain why Judge Anderson is visiting a locked-away perp. It's a sad tale showing how human Judge Anderson still is. It shows how her choices affect her and how she attempts to make amends.
I Was a Teenage Perp! By Alan Grant, Judge Dredd Annual 1983.
This must have been the prequel to Diary of a Mad Citizen. Once again, taking a citizen's viewpoint, this time a fourteen-year-old. The story revolves around how he loses his temper and ends up in the Juve Cubes. I found it to be funny and fast-paced. It helps to flesh out what a better-off block is like and how one action can change your life forever in Mega-City 1.
Judge Hershey: Sweet Justice by Neil Gaiman, Judge Dredd Annual 1988
The title of the book, so I hope it's good! Unlike the title image, Judge Anderson, it is a Judge Hershey tale, which surprised me. The tale follows Judge Hershey as she tracks down Sugar dealer Clute. Unbeknownst to Clute, his sugar is wrong and is killing his users. As the bodies pile up, Judge Hershey tracks Clute to Brit-Cit, and soon, we are treated to a trip to Brit-Cit. Visit locations like Scotland Yard, Hyde Park Car Park, and Speakers Corner. Overall, it was a great story that interested me the entire way. Brit-Cit and their Judges are some of my favourites. The story was quick, and I feel it would make a great comic, too. This has made me wonder why Hershey never got her strip until late into her life.
Judge Anderson: Dear Dairy by Peter Milligan, 2000 AD Annual 1988
A week in Judge Anderson's shoes. Due to Judge Anderson's pre-cog abilities, the diary format is a funny tale to read. She would see the day before it happened and then describe what happened the next day. In all a fun story, but for me it lacked any focus or punch. 2/5
Radical Cheek by Peter Milligan, Law in Order: Judge Dredd Annual 1990
The first line of this tale lets me know it will be a winner. Max Normal- The King of Kool, the Chap with the rap, a.k.a my favourite Judge Dredd character ever! I'm not sure if it's the pinstripe suit, the pencil moustache or the bowler hat, but this is one excellent character. Set during the height of Max's fame, our hero has a chain of stores selling his style to the kids of Mega-City 1. But some Normals (Max's fashion followers) are robbing banks and spoiling the fun for everyone. So it's up to Max to solve the case before Judge Dredd bands flared trousers for life!
Judge Anderson: The Most Dangerous Game by Mark Millar, Judge Dredd Yearbook 1992
Wow. I haven't got much to say on this story. It was terrible, felt forced, read slowly (if that makes sense), and was uninteresting. Based solely on something that must have been popular in the early 90's, this story seems like a waste of space. It made it seem like there was a block that even Judge Dredd wouldn't enter, which would never happen. It also brought in the idea that C-list celebrities have been cloned, too. Bad, bad, bad. Move on.
Roll on Justice by Ian Rimmer, Judge Dredd Annual 1990
It's a nice, fun story to finish the book on. What happens when a young mechanic who loves Lawmasters finally gets a chance to work on one? The most extraordinary joy ride of his life. The story moved comfortably, and the character was likable, making it easy to put yourself in his shoes and understand why he did it. The ending was classic 2000 AD. Leaving me with an excellent parting image of the mechanic. Overall, it was an excellent read.
Final Thoughts
Well, there we have it, Sweet Justice: nine short stories from the World of Dredd. I have to say, for the most part, it was an enjoyable read. But I would comment that you need to be a fan of Judge Dredd to understand the humour and setting. It was great to have no real Dredd-focused stories, with him playing more of a support role instead. It was also an excellent way to flesh out settings and get a view from the perp’s living inside Mega-City 1. It is worth reading, but I'm glad I didn't buy it.
