Comic Review // The Complete Case File 06

I feel it is time to jump into Judge Dredd the Complete Case Files 06, which spans 2000AD Progs 271 -321 and is set in the Dredd years of 2104-2105. I'm excited to jump back in, as when I last left the series, the Apocalypse War between Mega City 1 and East Meg 1 had come to a dramatic finish, so finally finding out how the city plans to rebuild is quite exciting.

Story: Meka City (Part 1) - Following the war in Mega City 1, many robot servants were left ownerless, seeking a purpose to existence. Lucky for them, Precious Leglock can step up and lead them. Within two days, the glorious Meka City is built, at its heart, a wrestling ring for the King of Robots.

Highlight: Precious Leglock - A robot wrestling champ, his body is encased in jewels, and he has a heart as black as a Rad pit!

Story: Meka City (Part 2) - Judge Dredd is now working on the case of Robot Rebellion City, which is located in Sector 555 to the south. Here, Judge Dredd discovers the Meka City and its ruthless leader, Precious Leglock.

Highlight: Still Precious Leglock—styled by the wrestlers of the 1980s, Leglock has a habit of calling everyone a pencil neck and using the term Dingaling.

Story: The League of Fatties (Part 1) - Due to a lack of food, the city's citizens are now on rationing. This is fully understandable unless you're a professional fatty! Starving and hated by the great public, fatties are taking a stand against the Judges and demanding fairer food portions.

Highlight: The failed march on the Justice HQ. The twenty-kilometre walk does the fatties in.

Story: The League of Fatties (Part 2) - Following a successful raid on a food supply camp, The League of Fatties launch bolder raid attempts. Not even the fear of arrest or Death could slow their need for more food.

Highlight: Kamikazes Fatties - Seeking a surefire way to stop a food convoy, one fatty launches himself off a cliff into a passing truck to help set up an ambush!

Story: Fungus (Part 1) - A group of foraging tramps come across a strange-looking fungus in the ruins of Sector 1. One poor tramp named Grubby gets too close and becomes infected by the tiny spores.

Highlight: Grubby is Mayor Jim Grubb. He was assumed dead after he went missing in the opening stages of the war. It seems the Mayor is back, but there is little chance of a re-elect

Story: Fungus (Part 2) - With Grubby dead, Mega City 1 Med-Judge Kildare takes matters into his own hands and purposefully infects himself with Grubb's disease.

Highlight: Judge Kildare - takes a remarkable man to risk his life in such a way. It almost seems like Judge Dredd has respect for the man.

Story: Fungus (Part 3) - Eight tramps infected by the Grubbs disease are loose in Mega City 1, and Judge Dredd only has sixty minutes to find them.

Highlight: Official Deception—As the disease spreads, Chief Judge McGruder decides to lie to the public and tell those infected they have a cure. Then, in the final frames of the comic, the truth is revealed, and the infected are told there is no hope and that they must wait for a slow fungus death!

Story: The Game Show Show RIP (Part 1) - Game show hosts are disappearing across the city, and soon, it is up to Judge Dredd to discover where they are all going.

Highlight: Classic Body in the chem pit. I love this scene, and I'm unsure how often it gets used in the comic. But this is a classic, as they use a bucket scoop digger to drag out forty bodies!

Story: The Game Show Show (Part 2) - Having discovered the bodies of the missing TV hosts, Judge Dredd is now on the search for the killer.

Highlight: Flesh-eating Worm of Orbo. Watching them drop like a cube onto Barrie's head was so creepy before they munched him down to the bone.

Story: Gunge—A new food product has taken Mega City 1 by storm. Gunge by Otto Sump is half the price of regular food! Flavours include Mould Jam, Snake Rings, Maggot Steaks, Slime sauce, Bacteria Soup, and Grot Pot.

Highlight: Otto Sump - Once again, the ugly salesman has hit the big time, and once again, Judge Dredd shuts him down. I love the twist at the end of this tale; it shows how controlling and manipulating the Justice Department is.

Story: Destiny's Angels (Part 1) - The warden of ISO Block 666 has lost his mind and releases the inmates of floor K. Amongst these deadly criminals is Fink Angel. Now he is loose and seeking revenge on Dredd (classic).

Highlight: The Judge Child—If you don't remember this character, you must return to the Judge Child saga. This child was meant to be Mega City 1's saviour, but unfortunately, he was kidnapped by the Angel gang. It seems the child still holds a grudge over being abandoned by Judge Dredd. I find this character annoying but in a good way.

Story: Destiny's Angels (Part 2) - With Fink Angel loose on the streets of Mega City 1, Judge Dredd has his hands full. Then, to make matters worse, Judge Child has raised Mean Machine Angel from the dead to help Fink exact revenge on Judges Hersey and Dredd.

Highlight: Mean Machine - Such a lovable character, there was no way they could keep him dead for long. You don't want to be on the long trip space flight with him!

Story: Destiny's Angels (Part 3) - Fink Angel is at Resyk searching for his pet rat - Ratty. As dead Resyk worker bodies start to mount up, it is up to Judge Dredd to track down Fink Angel and attempt to stop him.

Highlight: Ratty - A bite from a Cursed Earth Rat is fatal. But don't fret. This little guy has a bowler hat.

Story: Destiny's Angels (Part 4) - A week has passed since the last episode, and Mean Machine has finally arrived in Mega City 1. After speaking to survivors, Judge Hersey discovers Mean Machine is back in town and immediately informs Judge Dredd of the dire news. Piecing the parts together, Judge Dredd, with help from the PSI department, discovers that Judge Child is behind it all.

Highlight: Mean Machines arrival - The perfect entry for this madman. Mean hi-jacks the Interstellar Express and nose-dives it straight into Mega City 1. Just love this character!

Story: Destiny's Angels (Part 5)—Mean has finally found Fink, and together, they team up to take on Judge Dredd. They start at his house, where poor Maria and Walter the Robot are home alone. Elsewhere, Judge Dredd dispatches a droid-controlled ship to seek out the Judge Child on Xanadu and end this child's reign of terror.

Highlight: Fink—After paralyzing Mean Machine, it almost seemed like Fink would kill his brother. They are the perfect psycho family.

Story: Destiny's Angels (Part 6) - After invading Judge Dredd's home, Mean Machine head butts his way through Walter the Wobot, whilst Fink believes he has captured Judge Dredd's wife (it's Maria the Housekeeper). Soon, the lawman has his apartment surrounded, only to watch the Angels disappear into the sewer system.

Highlight: Walter Destroyed! - I loved this. I know he will be back, but there is something very satisfying about seeing Walter destroyed.

Story: Destiny's Angels (Part 7) - With Maria now a hostage, Judge Dredd has no choice other than following the Angel brother's demands. Heading into a bombed-out sector, Judge Dredd is soon ambushed by the pair and taken to Fink's lair. But is Judge Dredd really at the Angel's mercy?

Highlight: Ratty - Becomes the messenger. How did he know where to find Judge Dredd?

Story: Destiny's Angels (Part 8) - Judge Dredd is now fighting for his life against the two brothers. Can Judge Dredd stand up to the might of two Angels? I won't spoil it, read it.

Highlight: Lowlight—the ending seemed rushed. Here, we have an eight-part comic, and the ending is rushed and all too obvious. I would have preferred a more epic duel.

Story: Rabid - After Robotic Dogs attack three travellers, it is up to Judge Dredd to track down the beasts and put them down.

Highlight: Short story: The piece is nothing special. It was quick and lovely artwork.

Story: Blobs—A new craze has taken Mega City 1 by storm. First came the Uglies; now comes the blob. Using face-changing technology, criminals now use this trend to hide their identities. With the same clothes and no distinguishing features, picking out a perp in a line-up is impossible.

Highlight: The kidnapping panel was the stand-out piece and sums the story up perfectly.

Story: The Executioner (Part 1) - A mysterious figure all in Black is dealing out street Justice to those who the law is struggling to bring to Justice. But as is well known, Judge Dredd hates a Vigilante!

Highlight: The Highlight Rooms - Mega City One's Premier Hovering Nightspot. I can't help but look at this artwork and imagine how cool it would be to run an RPG campaign where the restaurant has been taken over, and the Judges have to work their way to the control room.

Story: The Executioner (Part 2): We discover more about the Executioner's identity and why she is doing everything.

Highlight: Judge Dredd's heavy-handedness— Judge Dredd seems slightly clumsy in this episode, leaning on an injured perp's leg during an interrogation.

Story: The Executioner (Part 3) - Here, we discover that Judge Dredd suspects the Executioner is none other than a Judge! Can it be true?

Highlight: Chivo Bros Discount Depository of the Semi-Dead—Is your Loved one dying on you? Are you feeling the cold, icy touch of Death? Then get yourself professionally frozen for a small fee and hope to get cured before your cash runs out.

Story: The Executioner (Part 4)—The Executioner is gaining speed, but as the body count rises, Judge Dredd gains more clues and starts to close in on the killer.

Highlight: The Executioner goes out in the best possible way, which is the perfect ending to this tale.

Story: Jimps—Once again, the top criminals meet to try to devise the perfect crime. This time, it's the turn of Heck Stokely. This season's crime is Jimps—Judge Impersonates.

Highlight: Jimps—No matter the plan, it always goes wrong. Poor Heck Stokely loses a dozen men.

Story: Night of the Rad-Beast (Part 1)- A half-melted cyborg emerges from the rad pits, seeking flesh. It seems we are into a classic monster hunt (set during Xmas)

Highlight: The monster - Great artwork and an excellent idea for a story. An old man, mostly replaced by machines, is killed by a Tap Gang and comes back from the dead!

Story: The Night of the Rad-Beast (Part 2) - Judge Dredd is hot on the trail of the Rad-Beast. Can Dredd stop the Cyborg, or will Christmas be ruined?

Highlight: Apocalypse Monument—This giant statue remembers those killed during the Apocalypse War. I feel like I should make one for the table; it could be a great scenery piece.

Story: The Last Invader (Part 1) - Engel, an East Meg Judge, has been hiding since the war's end. Alone in a strange land, Engel has convinced himself that the war is still on. Now Engel plans to wage a one-man war on Mega City 1.

Highlight: Engel reaches out to an agony aunt for advice but gets called insane instead!

Story: The Last Invader (Part 2) - Engel is waging a guerilla war on Mega City One, starting with the Agony Aunt. Can Judge Dredd stop the last East Meg Invader in time?

Highlight: Judge Dredd is clumsy again. While wearing a Jet pack, he attempts to take Engel by surprise. Though ultimately successful, Judge Dredd does bang his head against the ceiling.

Story: Shanty Town (Part 1) - For too long, the Shanty Town located outside of Mega City 1 has been a haven for criminal gangs. Now it is up to Judge Dredd and his task force to bring law back to the lawless.

Highlight: The family of Organ sellers - Such a depressing but comical scene.

Story: Shanty Town (Part 2) - Judge Dredd's team starts dealing justice within Shanty Town, but how long can they go before the locals retaliate?

Highlight: Mad Mox, Girth and Peewee - A team of lunatic perps that escaped the Psycho cubes during the Apoc Wars—now running a criminal ring in the Shanty Town.

Story: Shanty Town (Part 3) - Judge Glennon is dead after falling foul of Mad Mox. Now, Mox is rounding up the local gangs and preparing to chase the judges out of town.

Highlight: Mad Mox—How someone so crazy can rally a town is beyond me, but I love the character, especially since he now has a Stub gun!

Story: Shanty Town (Part 4) - The Judges are under siege in a ruined Strato-V deep in the Shanty Town. What are the chances they will survive?

Highlight: Judge Dredd condemns Shanty Town due to the high risk of crime coming back. Then Mega City 1 burns down the shanty town, destroying the city.

Story: Pretzel Logic - Once again, the Mega City 1 highest-rank criminals meet to design the perfect plan. This month's theme is: How to get rid of Judge Dredd.

Highlight Spontaneous Confessors—Some citizens are so bored that they confess to crimes they didn't commit to pass the time.

Story: Trapper Hag (Part 1) - Alien Bounty Hunter Trapper Hag has arrived in Mega City 1 hoping to score big. Unfortunately, all he has found is Judge Dredd, and boy is Judge Dredd pissed!

Highlight Trapper Hag- Imagine a Wookie on steroids, and you aren't far off. I need to make this character—such a cool theme.

Story: Trapper Hag (Part 2) - After receiving an ass-kicking from Trapper Hag, Judge Dredd's ego has also been beaten. Now, it is Judge Dredd on the offensive after discovering the locations of Hag's Ship.

Highlight: Trapper Hag's Beasts - Weird Dog-like creatures that seem able to track down anyone they have the scent of.

Story: Trapper Hag (Part 3) - Judge Dredd is onboard the alien Trapper Hag's ship. Here, he discovers all the collected bounties and confronts the alien beast.

Highlight: Trapper Hag's demise - As the bounty hunter believes he has bested the lawman, Judge Dredd tricks the alien and destroys his teleporter before knocking him unconscious. No one bests Earth's greatest lawman.

Story: The Prankster—The Grand Hall of Justice is finally built, but during the opening ceremony, it collapses. It seems the Prankster has struck once again. Now, it is up to Judge Dredd to track down the perps.

Highlight: The Pranksters newest prank - Using a strap on chin he attempts to sneak into the new Grand Hall of Justice to plant explosives fooling Judges as he goes.

Story: Starborn Thing (Part 1) - Judge Dredd is sent to investigate a crashed UFO in the Griff Mountains.

As the group ventures further into the mountain pass, stranger and stranger things start to happen. Then suddenly, it all stops, and the group discovers the crashed UFO.

Highlight: The Mountains—This is a cool scene where the rocks come to life as giant faces and hands and proceed to eat/smash the Judges.

Story: Starborn Thing (Part 2) - Judge Dredd and the team have discovered an alien projectile that has given birth to an alien, an alien in pain. Soon, the mysterious alien dies, giving birth to a weird tentacled creature.

Highlight: Starborn - A weird tentacled creature from a Cthulhu story. Though it looks funny, it is as quick as anything and soon takes over Judge Dredd!

Story: Starborn Thing (Part 3) - a weird alien parasite controls Judge Dredd. Forced to head into the Cursed Earth, Judge Dredd begins to attack a Mutie Settlement.

Highlight: Starborn - The last page of this prog showcasing the alien cracks me up. The weird bulbous alien crawling away to the settlement is pure B-movie fun.

Story: Starborn Thing (Part 4)—The alien parasite is slowly working its way through the mutie settlement. What could it be up to, and can Judge Dredd recover before it is too late?

Highlight: The Muties - Can't beat a good Cursed Earth Mutie.

Story: Starborn Thing (Part 5) - Having helped to save the Mutie Settlement, Judge Dredd is overcome by a pain in his stomach. As he attempts to get back to Mega City 1, the muties of the settlement all start showing the same illness.

Highlight: Judge Dredd is having a baby! It turns out the parasites laid an egg in Judge Dredd!!

Story: Starborn Thing (Part 6) - Arriving too late to save the Muties, Judge Dredd has to wait thirteen days before getting the chance to exact revenge on the Starborn things.

Highlight: I don't have one. I feel the story fizzled out and lacked a powerful ending.

Story: Judge Dredd - Mr. Waglan is seriously pissed off that he has to refill his car and goes on a manic crazy spree.

Highlight: Ejector Seat -Mr. Waglan ejects his captive via the passenger seat, straight into the chasing Judge Dredd. I'm somewhat surprised Judge Dredd didn't dodge him!

Story: The Stupid Gun (Part 1)—An unfortunate Juve has managed to get in over his head after accidentally using a Neuro Disruptor gun. Now, with the gun falling into criminals' hands, it is up to Judge Dredd to follow the trail of stupidity and recover the firearm.

Highlight: Bogel's Shuggy Joint - Shuggy is one of my favourite things from the Judge Dredd universe, so seeing inside a Shuggy Hall is always a bonus.

Story: The Stupid Gun (Part 2) - The stupid gun is in the hands of criminal elements and used throughout the city to commit crimes. Unfortunately, after being used on an Interblock Zoom, the perps find themselves on a speeding out-of-control train!

Highlight: Interblock Zoom - The monorail of the future, these trains can reach frightening speeds so when they go out of control it becomes a speeding giant bullet.

Story: The Stupid Gun (Part 3) - With the Wall Street Terminus rapidly approaching, it falls on Judge Dredd to somehow board the Interblock Zoom and stop the train before it's too late.

Highlight: Classic ending to the tail. No real standout part.

Story: Condo (Part 1) - The story opens with a space condominium plunging toward Earth. It seems someone has it in for the Gemini Condo program. It's up to Judge Dredd to visit Gemini 3 and discover the truth behind the attacks.

Highlight: Ezquerra Artwork - I know I'm not the first to say this but Ezquerra's Artwork is just so beautiful and skilled it is a pure pleasure to view his version of the Dredd world.

Story: Condo (Part 2) - Having discovered a saboteur, Judge Dredd is now facing the destruction of Gemini 3 as it travels into a meteor shower without shielding. Can Dredd save the doomed condo in 20 minutes?

Highlight: There is never good news. Even though Gemini 3 survived the meteor shower, it is still screwed. Life support is destroyed, 47% of the population is dead, farmland is all destroyed, and the ship is now uncontrollably heading into the sun! Only in a Judge Dredd strip could things get so messed up.

Story: Condo (Part 3) - Gemini 3 lives on borrowed time. As the stricken vessel rushes towards the sun, Judge Dredd is left manning the escape pods. Will he be able to get everyone off?

Highlight: After Judge Dredd discovers a line jumper for the escape pods, he forces the man to be the last person to enter a vessel—a cruel and fitting punishment.

With that, we are finished with Case Files 06. This book had some standout tales, such as League of Fatties, Fungus, Destiny's Angels, Night of the Rad Beast, Trapper Hag, and Starborn. The artwork throughout the book was also of high calibre. From start to finish, I was locked in on the tales. Yes, there is no grand epic story, but instead, we get to see a wider assortment of crimes and capers that happen throughout Mega City 1. The only lowlight for me is that we don't experience much of the rebuilding of Mega City 1. It would have been fun to see some of that and maybe more of the black market. I can't wait to get started on Casefiles 07.

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