Comic Review // Lenny Zero and the Perps of Mega City One

It's time for a new comic review post. As you may have guessed, I'm currently going through a Judge Dredd phase in my life, and I love entirely all things Mega City-One. So this time, we are visiting a less showcased side of the Big Meg. I welcome you to Lenny Zero.

Title: Lenny Zero and the Perps of Mega-City One

Writers: Andy Diggle- John Wagner- Alan Grant- Gordon Rennie- Robbie Morrison

Artists: Jock- Steve Dillon- Xuasus- Greg Staples- Simon Coleby- Henry Flint- Robert McCallum

Fluff:

It takes a special kind of criminal to survive on the mean streets of Mega-City One. Here are some of the best. Meet Lenny Zero, an ex-undercover Judge who's always one step ahead of the game, playing mobsters and the law alike. Slick Dickens, master criminal and style trendsetter, is always ahead of the pack. He kills good and looks even better – but can any real person ever be this cool? In the Big Meg’s Barrio Blocks, they call Carlito Agarra the ‘Bato Loco’ or ‘crazy guy’! Carlito is just trying to make a few dishonest creds, but that’s not so easy when both the mob and the judges are always on your back.

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The comic starts with the title character's tale;

Lenny Zero

Zero has spent the last 15 years working the streets of Mega-City One. As a Wally Squad Judge, Zero has upheld the law, but sometimes, being that close to perps and citizens can rub off on a Judge. In the case of Zero, he has fallen in love and is now looking for a big retirement day payout. As Zero attempts to play mobsters off against Judges, he is drawn into picking sides and can only trust his instincts and that of his lover. Having now betrayed both the Mob and the Judges, Zero is being hunted through the streets and attempts to flee MC-1. He meets his lover at the Spaceport with the stolen money but soon discovers the one he trusted the most is an SJS Judge, attempting to honeytrap Zero and prove his corruption.

This is a great character intro story. It shows a different viewpoint to Mega-City One and how human and fallible a Judge can genuinely be. Filled with quirky Mega-City One mobsters and some great plot twists, this tale will leave you guessing and wanting more.

Dead Zero

Lenny Zero is dead, found rotten and burnt in a chem pit, or so we are meant to believe. In truth, Zero is hiding out in a fat suit and calling himself Fatso while he lays low. But this all ends abruptly when famed bounty hunter Trapper Khan discovers him. Fearing his safety unravelling around him, Zero offers Khan a deal he can't refuse. But the judges also discovered Zero wasn't dead, and set Judge Dredd on his tail to bring him in.

This is an action-packed follow-up, and we get Zero again trying to play different sides against each other. We also see Judge Dredd in the strip as he joins the search for Zero. Watching Zero's plan come together and how easily he can manipulate people was enjoyable.

Wipeout

Lenny Zero is believed dead once again, blown to pieces, attempting to escape Earth with the Bounty Hunter Trapper Khan. But we know better. When a deal goes south, Zero's identity is revealed to Little Caeser. Zero has no choice but to destroy the mobsters' empire. Using his Justice Department training, hacking skills, and trickery, Zero starts to unravel the Little Caeser Empire. Knowing he would be a marked man for life, Zero finally decides to take out Caeser for good.

The final tale of Zero in this book holds no punches. We get to watch Lenny Zero do what he does best! Caeser is soon left reeling as his empire collapses around him, and the other Mobs start smelling blood in the water. The best part of this story is the toilet teleporter scene; it is so funny. The tale finishes neat and tidy, with the option to continue Zero's tale later. Overall, it is a great three-part tale.

Slick Dickens

Slick Dickens is a renowned thief and style icon. There is nothing that Slick can't steal, and he does it dressed to kill. After completing a robbery, Slick is soon chased down by Judge Dredd. In the fight that follows, Slick overpowers Judge Dredd and shoots him in the head, killing the greatest lawman ever. But not all is as it seems, as this is actually from a book written by an ISO-Cube inmate.

This story is a classic oldie from Prog 505 and has a comical ending as we find out that the author is nothing like Slick. It even turns out that the author was arresting attempting to carry the crimes he was writing about. After admitting this to Judge Dredd, he was linked to another few crimes, raising his sentence from 5 years to 50!

Dressed to Kill

Slick is back and he's down his nemesis, Judge Dredd. Using an elaborate scheme to escape an ISO-Cube, Slick uses his style and grace to evade the law. With a quick Face and Body change, Slick, dressed as a woman, once again kills Judge Dredd in a shootout (a plot point that even Judge Dredd points out as stupid) before using pixie dust to escape.

Like the previous tale, this is a story written by a perp in the ISO cells. For me, this tale seemed a bit filler. Having only just read the previous story, this tale had no surprise ending, as you knew it wasn't true. But in the comic timeline, enough time had passed for people to forget the original tale and be surprised by the ending.

Slick on the job

Slick has been hired to kill Judge Dredd (how does Judge Dredd keep coming back to life?), and his payment is the last pair of Elton Boots known to exist. Knowing full well the mob would betray him, Slick tricks a worried Judge Dredd into attacking the Mob’s hideout. While this all happens, Slick steals the boots and rides off into the sunset.

Once again, the tale is written from inside a cell, and the poor author is sentenced to another five years for his crime fiction. When will this author learn? The highlight of this tale was the artwork. If I'm honest, I'm glad Slick is now gone.

Bato Loco

Carlito Agarra, the ‘Bato Loco’ or ‘crazy guy’. Somehow, bad news follows this guy, and he seems to always come out ahead. In this caper, Carlito is hired to grab some diamonds from inside a dead body at the local morgue. Unfortunately for Calito, he isn't the only guy after the diamonds. A few pages of comedy follow, including chainsaws, a shootout and riding a fat dead body. Ultimately, Carlito manages to escape the criminals and Judge Dredd while getting the diamonds.

Despite lacking depth, it's a pretty comical tale of farfetched ideas, making for a light-hearted tale.

True Romance

Carlito is in a tight spot; his girl demands that he propose to her soon. She is not the kind of girl you keep waiting. Needing money quickly, Carlito double-crosses some off-world aliens to make a quick buck. But his betrayal is soon discovered by the aliens, and Carlito becomes a hunted man. His only hope for survival is to turn to his Watanabe fiancee, but will she save him without a ring?

Another quirky comedy strip, some little quick read which you'll soon forget about—average at best.

Head Job

This is the last of the Bato Loco tales. Carlito has been hired to strike a deal with some Organ Leggers this time. It soon becomes apparent that these men are pretty insane, and poor Carlito is in over his head. But once again, our Bato Loco has the luck of Grud on his side and, through a series of accidents, manages to stay alive and escape everyone in one piece.

The highlight of this story is when Carlito hits Judge Dredd with a frozen head. But like the other two stories in this series, it lacks any natural pull to the tales. I wouldn't need to hunt down more stories to learn what happens next, for me these are just filler.

Street Fighting Man

Lee Walker is an ex-gang member attempting to change his life. But Mega-City One has a habit of keeping you down. When Lee returns home, he finds his family missing and members of his old gang, the Cobras, in their place. If he ever wants to see them again, he is going to have to do one last job: kill the rival gang, The Blades. As the death toll rises, Walker gets closer to completing the task, but he also gains Judge Dredd's attention.

This is a solid story of hope, loss and revenge. It was an excellent read and a highlight for me. It was helped that the art was by Flint, one of my current favourite Dredd artists.

Wallcrawlers

A light-hearted tale. A wallscrawler artist is on community service, cleaning the side of his block with the residence wallcrawler (clean-up crew). During his one-day shift, he experiences Batgliders, dog vultures and even a block war! Then, just as the day ends, the poor kid realizes they are back where they started and tomorrow will have to cover it all again. This breaks the poor kid’s sanity, and he commits another crime, preferring the idea of the cubes over this job.

This is a really funny and cool way to show off life in Mega-City One. It's a short tale, but it really shows the crazy lifestyles of the citizens.

And here ends the book. We are treated to some rough panels of Jock's sketchbook to finish up, mainly showing off Lenny Zero's stuff. Overall a good read, a lot of filler stories sadly. Is it worth the asking price, though? Properly not, if I’m, honest. I love Lenny Zero which is why I bought it. But maybe wait until a sale and then treat yourself. Have you read this comic? What are your thoughts? Drop me a comment.