Judges Volume One by Michael Carroll; Charles J Eskew; George Mann (2019)
Nostalgic:
Thought-provoking
Book cover blurb
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, 2033 A.D.
In a time of widespread poverty, inequality and political unrest, Eustace Fargo’s controversial new justice laws have come into effect.
Protests and violence meet the first Judges as they hit the street to enforce the Law; the cure, it’s clear, is far worse than the disease.
Is this a sign of things to come?
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My Review
Oh man, this took me back!
I was 10 years old back in 1977 when the heavily anticipated 2000AD Progs hit newsstands for the very first time, and the following years and Progs had a massive impact on me. In Prog 2 we were introduced to Judge Dredd and Mega City One. It changed everything!
The comics and graphic novels are great, but there's something more immersive about novels, so when I discovered these newer Judges novels, volumes one and two, I paid my money without hesitation.
So, Judges Volume One.
I guess the first question is, "Can you read it without being steeped in the history of Dredd and the Big Meg?" Yes, of course you can. The three novellas within these pages are standalone and self-contained stories. Everything necessary to understand the stories and exactly what's going on is fully explained to the reader. There are some subtle gems scattered within that will make the seasoned Dredd fans smile knowingly, but they will by no means detract from the read or confuse a reader new to the world.
The first two stories, 'The Avalanche' and 'Lone Wolf' read quickly and the prose is presented in a very no-nonsense fashion which works perfectly. And this is exactly what I would expect from a comic world novel. Don't get me wrong, the world of Dredd can be deep, shocking, tense, horrifying and even emotional, but I think the writing should always flow with a fast pace and the wording shouldn't be too poetic, thus distracting you from simply tumbling down the rabbit hole.
Unfortunately, the third story 'When the Light Lay Still' doesn't work too well for me, simply because the author was attempting to be a little too clever with his prose and too abstract with the overall portrayal of the narrative. It's good writing, don’t get me wrong, I just think it's misplaced here.
But overall I loved this read, and losing myself in the imaginings I can still vividly remember as a youngster.
My copy of this novel
Abaddon paperback edition.
Published in 2019
476 pages
ISBN 9781781086391