Comic Review: Dredd: Ma-Ma & Underbelly
Having completed the 1995 Sly Dredd, it seemed only fitting to give the Karl Urban Dredd a run. Today, we are reviewing the movie comic spin-offs. Titled Ma-Ma and Underbelly. Why two? Well, the main reason is they are pretty short tales, one being only 12 pages long, and it seems wasteful not to put them together. So, let us get started.
This comic is an exclusive prologue to the major motion picture. Now, lucky for us readers, both comics are now free to download over on the 2000 AD Website, so go treat yourself to them.
Story: Dredd- Top of the World, Ma- Ma.
Script: Matt Smith
Art: Henry Flint
Cover Artwork: Greg Staples
This comic, as already mentioned, is the prologue to the movie. It gives us a fuller background on the main villain of the Film, Ma-Ma. For those who haven't seen the movie, I highly recommend watching it (there will be a future review). Ma-Ma controls the MA-MA Clan and runs a vast drug ring from their Block called Peach Tree in Sector 13.
As the comic begins, we get introduced to Madeline, a drug-abusing, alcoholic, working girl from the pleasure districts. For her, life seems to pass by in painfully slow motion. Living in a run-down slum house, working for an abusive pimp, she seems to have no route to escape. Madeline had no hope left as life crushed down on her, but that seemed to be changing ever since she'd met Eric. Eric was a drug technician who had just created a new form of Narcotics called- Slow-mo. Cheap to produce and highly addictive, this drug was to be their ticket out and the start of a new life for them both. Unfortunately for the pair, Madeline's pimp, Lester, found out about them and paid Eric an unhealthy visit.
Walking in on Lester killing her love, Madeline's resolve finally broke. The city finally pushed her too far, and all she could do was start fighting back. After giving Lester a dose of Eric's slow-mo, Madeline asks him to call her Ma-Ma before castrating him with her teeth and publicly dumping his body in the pleasure district.
Here's where the story ends. I could have done with another twenty-plus pages of stories. I would've loved to have seen how she rose to power and took down the rival gangs. Or met her loyal lieutenant, but I guess that will be left to our imaginations. The story was quick, easy to read, and fast-paced without feeling rushed. The artwork was fitting and gritty and matched the feel of the movie. So overall, it was a great quick 5-minute read.
4 out of 5
Story: Dredd- Underbelly
Script: Arthur Wyatt
Art: Henry Flint
Set soon after the film. The story opens on the Cursed Earth. We watch a group of muties smuggle into the city inside a false-bottomed truck. As they finally arrive at their destination, all their hopes and dreams are dashed, as they are soon informed the smuggler’s rates have risen and gained interest! The only way to pay it off is to become a part of a slave workforce. We soon find out the smugglers are producing a new kind of drug to replace the void left by Slo-Mo. As the realization of their position sinks in, and fear creeps over the group, the warehouse is raided by the Justice Department Taskforce. A score of perps and muties are killed in the exchange of gunfire, with the survivors being processed and led away. At this point, we see how poorly treated the muties are, as many Judges don't care about them or believe them to be worth their time. One mutie pleads to a disinterested Judge for help finding her son but only receives the cold shoulder. It's at this point that Judge Anderson appears and questions the mutie about their missing child.
The tale rapidly progresses with Judge Dredd's arrival, and he agrees to aid Judge Anderson in her quest to find the child and shut down this mutant trafficking ring. The story ends as most do in the Dreddverse, with a big gun battle and a happy-ever-after finish (well, kind of).
The artwork was great, as you would expect from Flint. The story had good pacing but lacked the background to make it seem special. I felt the villains lacked depth and focus, while another drugs-related story seemed a bit of a cop-out. I would have preferred some other theme for the trafficking victims, maybe household slaves or illegal fight pits. But it was nice to see the city and its outskirts broaden.
3.5 out of 5
Well, thank you for sticking with me for another review. I promise some miniatures will be appearing soon. I might even attempt a Ma-Ma gang soon. As always, please drop me a comment below to say hi. And let me know if you've read these comics yet.
