Comic Review: Judge Dredd Lawman of the Future - Issue 20
Coming off a low point in this series, the last few issues have been falling a bit flat. I know the series is ending, and I am worried the stories and artwork are starting to slide as the company began not to care as much as it did. This is a real shame, as the Dragon era of the comic was great. But we seem to be sliding into a more kid-friendly art style and lacklustre, rushed stories. The cover of Issue 20 is bold, bright, and, though well-drawn, looks like something from a Sunday morning kids cartoon.
As I am sure you are used to, we are treated to three tales of adventure. The first is all-new and titled Hotdog Run - traditionally the name given to the Rookie training out in the Cursed Earth, so this has legs to be fun. Then we have Part 3 of First Strike, which, if I am honest, I am not excited about, and the final Part 2 of Medusa. This tale was exciting, but the artwork was left wanting. I hope I can ignore the artwork and enjoy the story.
Hotdog Run - Judge Dredd is teaming up with his old tutor, Judge Cain, to lead a Hotdog run of Cadets into the Cursed Earth. Their mission is to recover the survivors of a transport crash that a local Mutie slaver force has taken prisoner. This mission will prove the worth of the cadets, and failure here means the end of their training and possibly their lives. This is a fun story, and I want to see where it goes. I have a feeling Judge Cain may cause trouble for Judge Dredd. I also find it weird that he looks like Texas Judge Cain from the 2000 AD Preacher series, and I wonder if he was added as a nod to the series. If so, it is a little weird. But at least it is a good start.
First Strike - Judge Dredd gets his arse handed to him by the doppelganger alien. While fighting, Judge Dredd discovers it has a weakness - Electricity. Shocking the creature and causing it to melt, Judge Dredd reports the bad news to the Chief Judge; somewhere in the darkness of space,
an alien fleet is poised to attack Mega-City 1, and now they have all the city's defence info to aid them. I have to be honest. This is a weak bit of a filler that has been dragged on for too long. To make it worse, there is a part 4! There is no way they can do an alien invasion any justice with three issues left. What are they thinking?
Medusa - Nooooo! This story flopped hard and sucked. What has happened? After being bitten by the Medusa, Judge Shiva becomes a host and escapes to a local Munce factory, where the creature has laid some eggs. As the eggs start to hatch, Judge Vishnu plays some random horn to subdue the snakes, allowing Judge Dredd to face and kill the Medusa. I'm sorry, but this is just a shockingly lousy tale, genuinely terrible. And played on some awful stereotypes—a strong fail on this one.
Overall, it is a disappointing comic. I don't have much more to say. It is a strong contender for worst in the series. Hotdog Run was by far the best story, but compared to other tales in this series, it was let down by the artwork. First Strike had solid artwork but lacked a well-thought-out story, and Medusa was cringe-worthy storytelling with painful artwork. I'm looking forward to moving past these comics and getting back to actual 2000 AD pieces once more. It’s incredible how the editorial team managed to tank this line of comics over two or three issues.
