Library Classics... 'Judge Dredd: Judgement Day'

The 'Judgement Day' storyline was originally published back in 1992 (so thirty years old next year, way to make a Graeme feel old...) and was collected in Progs... Oh I don't know, I had trouble remembering what courgettes looked like yesterday (seriously) so don't expect too much from me right now. I do know that The 'Judgement Day' storyline is collected in 'Judge Dredd: The Complete Casefiles Volume 17' though, which is where I read it (this time round) funnily enough, so that's where you need to go if you want to find out more.

'Judgement Day' was one of those stories where I'd pop off up the road, during my breaks at 6^th Form, and read the newsagent copy of 2000AD. Yeah I know... You can judge me if you want, I wasn't eactly flush with cash those days but it still wasn't a cool thing to do. It kept me coming back each week so definitely did something right. . Or maybe it didn't and I was just reading it for the zombies (even then...) With that in mind then... I decided that it was re-read time, grabbed myself a copy of Complete Casefiles Volume 17' and got reading...

The Necromagus Sabat has been killing his way across the galaxy (well raising the dead to do his killing for him) but the law is on his trail. One time jump later and Sabat finds himself in the year 2114 and ready to do it all over again, this time on Earth itself.

Mutant bounty hunter Johnny Alpha has time jumped as well and is on the hunt and Judge Dredd isn't go to stand by and let Sabat turn Earth into a charnel house. Will either of them be able to make a difference though when Sabat has raised millions of zombies worldwide and they're all hungry?

You know the answer to that of course. 2000AD writers will always put Mega City One through the wringer but it's always left standing at the end. The fun lies in the journey and waiting to see how things pan out by the end (and what's left). 'Judgement Day' is one of those stories, fun to read through but you know how that will end. A little too predictable? Maybe, but this is balanced out by the fun you have reading along. And I love zombies so I don't really mind about the lightweight plot (more on that in a bit).

'Judgement Day' is what you'd call simple but effective, very effective. There isn't quite enough plot for it to really stand on it's own (kill zombies, find Sabat, kill him) but that's ok. When the plot gets a little thin, you can always kick back and watch the cities of the world crumble under a relentless zombie attack. And it is relentless, there are pages upon pages of Judges fighting to hold back the zombie horde, up to and including burning chunks of Mega City One's wall to buy themselves time to wait and see if Dredd can deal with Sabat. There is a little tension here but like I said earlier, you know what Dredd can deliver so that tension goes really. But that's ok though as 'Judgement Day' is a big excuse for a massive zombie scrap. It's great and all I need really. John Wagner and Garth Ennis know that sometimes, all you can do with a massive zombie scrap is throw loads of firepower at it and make a decision on the outcome further down the line. That's what they do here and it works a treat. Just the sheer scale of it (feels like a movie in a comic book) really holds your attention and keeps you reading.

Wagner and Ennis do play attention to the plot though, even if it feels like there isn't a lot to it. Again, it feels like they're acknowledging the simplicity of the plot (and the fact that most readers will have a pretty good idea of how it ends) by throwing a bit curveballs at it just when you're getting a lttle complacent. The curveballs are well placed and do drag the tension out at just the right moment.

Not just that but Dredd and Alpha have a pretty good chemistry considering how similar they can be. They do bounce off each other in a way that doesn't affect the plot at all but lets you that these two have a little history and they're itching for a rematch (but will sort out the zombie invasion first because they can prioritise). It's all simple fare but there is a lot to get your teeth into here.

And that goes for the artwork as well. You know it's a 'Mega Epic' when Carlos Ezquerra puts in an appearance and his artwork is as iconic as ever. This seems to make everyone else up their game and the end result is a story that is eye catching in the best way. Special mention goes to, well... everyone really but I'd highlight Ezquerra (of course) and Peter Doherty as two artists that I particularly enjoyed.

So there you have it, some quick thoughts on 'Judgement Day' which you can probably tell that I loved. I love a good 2000AD epic, just to see what state the city is in by the end, and this is a favourite of mine; because of the zombeis (naturally) but also because what could be seen as a weakness is embraced and turned into a strength. If you like zombies and/or 2000AD, I'm pretty sure you'd like 'Judgment Day'.