Judge Dredd: The Complete Case Files 43

Just a few more years of these Case Files and we can say we have collected Judge Dredd from the start, something that seemed impossible not long ago. 😉

Postage could be better the corners where slightly stubbed

A superb case file instalment, some really good quality strips in here. The House of Pain is excellent with particularly good artwork and a great story. But the highlight is Origins with Carlos Ezquerra on art duty. A great multi layered story, drawing together the Dredd/Fargo origin tale.

I can sum up Case Files 43 up as the Good, the Bad and the Average.No surprise… the Origins epic is the Good. Wagner and Ezquerra deliver the background story of the judges, Fargo, Dredd and how Dredd’s world came to be.Given that Dredd’s creators never foresaw 2000AD and Dredd lasting beyond a few years, continuity - particularly in the early years - was fairly hit-and-miss. Wagner attempts (and largely succeeds) to bring together 30 years of Dredd pre-history in a tale that whilst not as compelling as other mega-epics, is a deeply satisfying read. Ezquerra’s art is on point as ever. If there is one criticism to be had, it is that this volume only covers 15 of around 20 issues. Perhaps with the exception of the Pit, it’s the first time a Dredd epic has been broken over two Case Files. Frankly I would have sacrificed any of the Megazine stories to accommodate all of the story.The Bad are the stories written by Spurrier. I found these largely unreadable. I had the impression that the writer thought the story ideas were far cleverer/cooler than they really were and very poorly narrated.The Average are the stories from Gordon Rennie and John Smith. They are fine, however I always think that these writers understand 90% of Dredd’s character but fail in the last 10%, particularly with dialogue that Dredd just would not say. Rennie also seems to a real inability to conclude a story without resorting to ‘leaving it open’. If it were not for Origins, Case Files 43 would have rated a generous 2 stars. If you already own Origins, I’d say give this a miss.