Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Not a true classic, but a solid read nonetheless, 31 Mar 2006
Another solid outing for the Rebellion reprint machine. I never bought the various 2000AD family of comics, so most of this material is new to me, and it is great to see compilations like this coming out. This particular collection is about Dredd's outing to a floating holiday emporium where anything goes and his search for a fugitive who is hiding on board. It isn't ground breaking fiction, but Dredd has been going so long now there isn't really anywhere for him to go, so it is the way the story is told that makes it good rather than the story itself.For example, in common with much of the more recent Dredds, it is the interplay between the second tier of characters that helps build the story. Judge Guthrie for example has a strong part to play, sharing the burden of leadership with Dredd. And the interlinks and echos of previous Dredd epics give a positive resonance with the rest of the ethos. I'm not going to go into too much detail for fear of spoiling the book, but there are deliberate parallels with previous works, and this works OK for me. One way in which this book stands out though is in the way that it gets a free hand to show the extremes of Megacity life. Free (more or less) from the Judges, the citizens have a field day with the wierd and wonderful delights that the Island has to offer. The bizarre recreational activities of the average citizen has always been a feature of Dredd and this collection gives it the full monty. As with all collections, the artwork is a mix and match of styles which is both a strength and a weakness. The format makes some of the artwork and text look cramped, but you can forgive this simply to see more of this work out there in compiled format. Also, I can't really comment on whether this is a conclusive collection of this story thread but it does hang together as a coherent volume in it's own right. It helps if you know a bit about the Dredd mythos though - there is little by way of explanation of the history that underpins the story. Generally - I'd recommend it.
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4.0 out of 5 stars
Mega City Vice, 7 May 2009
Satan's Island is a vast, floating city without any laws. It tours the world as a massive travelling vice den, offering all sorts of illicit pleasures to the oppressed residents of the various Mega cities. When it arrives in the Black Atlantic outside Mega City One, Dredd is all in favour of forcing it to float by - but undercover Judges report that an international terrorist is aboard, so instead old stoney face finds himself heading a mission to find her before she can unleash devastation on his city. However, there's also a couple of old 'acquaintances' of Dredd's on the island, who are keen to reintroduce themselves...
At first glance, this seems like pretty much a standard, albeit quirky, Dredd story. It's interesting to see how the Judges cope in an environment where their role is less defined than on their home turf & Wagner has some wickedly funny ideas on the pleasures of people of the future, returning to a staple which occasionally shows up in Dredd's world - twisted game shows where life & limb are literally on the line. It's interesting, nicely written & Kev Walker is the perfect choice of artist for this material but it initially seems like a curious choice for a graphic novel reprint.
As the story progresses, however, events take a curious turn & without wanting to give too much away, we end up with a gripping conclusion which mirrors recent real-world events. This is maturely handled & given balanced treatment - perhaps even more balanced (albeit simplified) than the news media was at the time. As such, the reader is given different points of view & left to judge the Judges & their enemies for themselves.
So what begins as a well-written but standard Dredd tale becomes something much more provocative. It's not an epic on the scale of Necropolis or Total War but it's a thought-provoking read.
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