Judge Dredd vs Judge Death (2000 AD Collector's Editions) [Illustrated] (Hardcover)

The brevity of the Death stories are disappointing which is why it only gets four. But they are fantastic while they last. Only Brian Bolland could create such a nightmarish vision, as Death and his three cohorts from the Underworld, Fear, Fire and Mortis, wreak havoc on Mega City One. There is no artist that ever came near the quality of Bolland's work drawing the Dredd stories. Seeing how this grisly storyline ever passed the Comics Code for youngsters amazes me. First class writing as well from Wagner & Co. This is also an introduction to Judge Anderson as well, who starts here as a dizzy, irritating character but thankfully was given a more serious persona later.

These "mega-stories" make compelling reading. Between 1978 and 1984 plotlines like The Cursed Earth, Judge Cal (The Day The Law Died), The Judge Child, The Apocalypse War and Dredd vs Death appeared weekly in 2000AD, and I wish I was around in the first place to read these, because quite frankly these (and Marvel Comics characters) are lightyears ahead of all these Japanese Manga comics. So snap up these reissues pronto.

The 2nd half of the book doesn't live up to the standard of the first however, with a number of tales taken from the distinctly average lunar era of Dredd. The final story of the trade is particularly confusing, referencing the story told in the 'Day the Law Died' trade- surely it would be better to have placed it at the end of that trade rather than stick it randomly into this one, just because it was written by Wagner and created by Bolland?

The main problem I have with this paperback collection is the lack of a clear introduction (present in many other 2000AD reprint editions) illustrating where exactly these stories fit into the Judge Dredd timeline. The collection jumps back and forth throughout Dredd's early timeline as you read, giving the collection a disjointed feel. Granted, a lot of the stories can be read individually with no reference to 2000AD continuity, but when trying to fit this collection together with other trades, it gets confusing.

If the book had been released at a lower price point with only the two Judge Death stories, I'd have had no hesitation in recommending it to most comic fans. The 2nd half of the book however whilst fun in places, doesn't live up to the promise of the 1st half.

The two Judge Death stories showcase 'seminal Dredd', and still are ranked amongst the top 20 stories ever told in 2000AD.

The first two main stories are about death. Judge Death, that is, a hideous parody of Mega City One's own law enforcers from another dimension where, since crime is only commited by the living, life itself has been deemed as criminal activity. So when Death and his Dark Judges Mortis, Fear and Fire cross to Dredd's dimension the hapless citizens need the Judges like they never needed them before - but how do you stop something that cannot be killed? The other main feature, "Father Earth", puts a cheeky spin on ecology as the inhabitants of the cursed earth find flower power and determine to bring it to the infidels of Mega City One!

This volume also contains the first appearance of Psi-Judge Anderson.

Overall this is a brilliant buy. For a little over a tenner you get the first Judge Death stories, penned in the classic top quality black and white style of Brian Bolland and written by veteran writer John Wagner. If any of you readers are contemplating whether or not to get the new Dredd vs Death game for your PC or if you just don't understand why Judge Death is such a big deal, you should take a look over this release, well protected in hardback. However it is a bit on the thin side, and it might have been nice to squeeze a few more "one-offs" in. And that's the only reason it gets a score of Four Stars rather than five.