Comic Review - Judge Dredd Lawman of the Future 10

Starting the week with issue 10 of, Judge Dredd - Lawman of the Future. That's right, we are officially into double digits.

First up, the cover. We knew it would be Judge Death heavy, so no surprise to see his corpse hand on the cover. Whilst Judge Dredd looks worried, PSI Judge Anderson looks like she is giving a speech. Not sure what the artist was thinking with this pose. I am sure it is lifted from the comic, so it will make sense inside. As always there is something for free and two new stories.

This issue contains three tales, as always—Judge Death (Part 3), Election Day and, Perp Running. I also see a picture of Otto Sump, so I am excited to see which tale he will be in, I can only assume it will be Election Day.

Judge Death (Part 3) - Finally, we are getting the showdown I wanted—Judge Anderson versus Judge Death. Breaking through Death's psychic wards, Judge Dredd and Judge Anderson finally come face to face with the supervillain. Physically weakening the body of Judge Death, Judge Anderson attacks Judge Death in the spiritual realm. They ultimately defeat him by using his own spirit-trapping orb to capture the superfiend and entrap him with the spirits he has tormented. Oooo they did him dirty.

The artwork has really grown on me, and though the story deviated from mainstream Judge Dredd, I enjoyed the twist. The way he was trapped at the end was a great way to finish this villain off. Great start to the issue.

Up next is a double page showcasing the ruling council of MC-1 (see gallery below). Lots of new to me characters and was a fun two-minute read. Once again though lacking in information.

Election Day - The city is voting on who will be the next mayor of Mega-City 1. The parties running include: The Ugly Party, The Free Mean Machine Lunatic Fringe, The Peace Party, The Punishment Party and The Citizens for a Non-Violent Society. Just like most things in Mega-City 1, it soon devolves into a fight, and Judge Dredd is called in to make arrests. With attacks rising, Judge Dredd becomes bodyguard to Otto Sump of the Ugly party and has to keep the leading candidate alive long enough to win the election.

A fun read for sure. Reminds me of a novel I read where it was election day, but instead of Mean Machine, Judge Death was the random choice. Pretty sure they lifted the idea from that book, which most likely lifted it from 2000 AD when Mayor Dave was elected (an Orangutan).

Perp Running (Part 1) - This is a continuation of the big mega racket story arc (which must cover a few upcoming stories). We are introduced to Paradise Island, a resort floating out on the Black Atlantic. Here rich Mega-City citizens come for holidays and to view the strange sea creature exhibits. It is also a base for perp running, changing a perp’s face to match a tourist before killing off the tourist and replacing them back home. Of course, Judge Dredd soon has a link to this legal operation and is now heading to Paradise Island to investigate.

Good start to this tale and I am excited to see how the Kraken comes into the story. It's also good to see tales escaping Mega-City 1 and exploring other locations.

Overall this is a great issue. Solid stories for all three. Great artwork and an okay filler piece. Now to start on issue 11.