Comic Review: Judge Dredd - Lawman of the Future Issue 16

Do we have a horror-themed issue set before us? The cover is dominated by the chin of Judge Dredd (looking very Slystone), with a vampire lunging in over his shoulder to take a bite. I like something about this cover; it's neither well-drawn nor detailed, but it screams Judge Dredd. What are your thoughts?

As is the way of every issue before this comic, we have three stories inside. The all-new one is Thirst - which, as the cover artwork suggested, is a vampire-heavy tale. Cybernetic Jungle - Part Two - Sharpnel is fast becoming my favourite character, so I hope they don't kill him! Then we have something a bit rarer in the comic. Part three, Dragon's Lair, is shaping into one of the greatest stories in the magazine collection. Let's get in and get going.

Thirst: A beautiful entry panel showing the chaotic nature of Mega-City One's Spaceport. A skimmer from Euro-City Two is on autopilot and fails to initiate landing procedures, resulting in a dramatic crash. Following an investigation, the medical Judge realized that the pilots were dead before the crash, but what drained them of all their blood? Soon, it becomes evident that a vampire is loose in Mega-City, and Judge Dredd is on its tail. Can Judge Dredd stop Midnight in time, and how do you stop a vampire? It's a great story, and I love an excellent Zoom train chase scene.

Then we get a weird double-sided poster; one side is Mean-Machine from the front and then from his back. It's great to see all the characters’ authentic details, but who finds the back image of any genuine interest (well enough to hang it that way round)? I guess a model maker or an artist, maybe?

Cybernetic Jungle (Part Two): Judge Dredd has tracked down Cyber, and following a fistfight, Judge Dredd bests him in combat. Cyber and the robots soon give Judge Dredd reason to believe that the current head of Darwin Corporation - Sharpnel - murdered Cyber's parents and is now attempting to finish the job in a selfish attempt to remain in power of the massive corporation. With the tide turning, it is now that Darwin Corp. and its Stalker Droids attack, hoping to kill both Cyber and Judge Dredd, along with the truth of its corruption. Once again, we have a three-part story! What is happening with this magazine - we are suddenly getting epic stories. The drilling machine looks like it was pulled straight out of the Labyrinth and designed by Jim Henson. Love it!

Dragon's Lair (Part Three): By far my favourite story. Judge Dredd is getting his arse handed to him, and it looks like Judge Dredd could be beaten. That is until Judge Hershey blasts through the wall and distracts the monster-tattooed assassin. Outnumbered by the prison riot escapees, Judges Dredd and Judge Hershey head to the rooftop to regroup and here the Dragon strikes again. Letting loose his tattoos, Dragon once again gets the best of Judge Dredd, and only with Judge Hershey's aid and a concussion grenade is Judge Dredd able to beat the Dragon. After seeing Dragon fall, the rioters surrender and walk back to their cells - a classic ending to a Judge Dredd case. It's such a fantastic issue. I enjoyed every story and am sad not to have the Dragon in the next issue.

This is by far the most standout magazine in the series! Let me know your thoughts, and drop me a comment below.