Cam Kennedy is one of the best artists to grace the pages of 2000AD and the Judge Dredd Megazine and this most welcome collection showcases his work on Mega City's lawman of the future. Some of the tales presented here have been reprinted in other collections such as the recent Banzai Battalion volume which focuses on the miniature robot gardeners of Judge Dredd's world. The Fatties stories also appeared in a compilation trade paperback in 2013. However, the production values on this large format hardcover volume with heavy stock paper are far superior. In comparison with volume one, there are far more pages presented in full colour reflecting the increased use of colour in 2000AD - in the old days it was just the centre spread and the back page. The tales presented in volume one were generally more familiar with most if not all of them having been reprinted at least once previously. The great thing about volume two is that to my knowledge most of the stories have never previously been reprinted including some really terrific forgotten gems. In particular, I would pick out the continuing saga of Kenny Who?, the Trial of Orlok, the tales involving the Mega City surfers as specific highlights. I also appreciated "Bodies of Evidence" in which Mega City tourists travel to Caledonia in order to hunt wild Scotties as a memorable tale.
In these tales, we get the humour that we expect from the weird and wonderful characters that inhabit Judge Dredd's world and whilst this is an artist-driven collection we shouldn't forget that it is John Wagner as the main writer who deserves enormous credit for the fantastic stories that he has developed over a period lasting decades. It is quite noticeable that writers with longevity are far less common than artists in the comics world and quite simply it's because it is hard to come up with new stories every week for years on end. One other point, despite the humour, we do get glimpses of Judge Dredd as the authoritarian bully boy stamping on dissent reminding us that Dredd isn't exactly a superhero.
Cam Kennedy's art has evolved from the strips presented in volume one and is perhaps a little more polished although it retains its quirky individual character that makes it so interesting to look at. I recommend this book to anyone with an interest in the world of Judge Dredd but also as a great example of the rich history of British Comics.
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