Campier than couture. [Judge Dredd: Blaze of Glory by Al Ewing]

Fast, furious and hysterically funny stories from the pen of Al Ewing (Marvel's Immortal Hulk), chronicling the highs and lows of Judge Dredd, Lawman of the Future. This action packed collection has an exclusive Liam Sharp (Green Lantern) cover.

"I’d struggle to overstate how much I enjoy and admire Al Ewing’s work [...] A typical Ewing story is technically ambitious, ethically astute, and intellectually playful. In short; great fun." - Sequart 

Go on patrol and see Mega-City One - and beyond - through the eyes of Al Ewing (Immortal Hulk), one of the most original writers in comics, as Judge Dredd dispenses justice to mutants, laidback religious cults, the Sex Olympics and Santa Claus. But when polite ex-stripper Zombo appears in his dimension, has old Stoney Face finally met his match?

Collecting many of Ewing’s outrageous Dredd stories for the first time and featuring an all-star cast of artists, including Liam Sharp (Green Lantern, Wonder Woman), John Higgins (Dreadnoughts: Breaking Ground, Judge Dredd, Watchmen), Simon Fraser (Judge Dredd, Nikolai Dante) and Ben Willsher (Roy of the Rovers, Judge Dredd), this is an essential collection for fans of the Law.

My first exposure to Judge Dredd came as it did for many other children of my generation, through exposure to the 1995 Sylvester Stallone movie of the same name. Before reading Al Ewing's Judge Dredd: Blaze of Glory, I'd never read any Judge Dredd comic. I'm not even sure I can confidently say I knew it was a comic. Maybe I'd thought the '95 film a video game adaptation? So I went into my read expecting something along the more serious, conspiratorial tone of the movie - at least that's the tone that I think of when I think of the movie. Boy, was I wrong. 

This collection of Dredd stories was a perfect entry into the Mega-City One universe. Not only part of  branch of serious mega-cops, Dredd is also an unambiguous upholder of and fervent believer in police-state justice ironically set against comical futuristic scenarios. Death by idleness, downfall by homegrown snitchery, comeuppance at a price, and the list goes on. Each story had the classic "beware the perils of going too far" sci-fi tone paired with a comical, ironic retort in message. I found myself grinning or laughing at nearly every story. And they all felt linear and cohesive in the collection. As I write this on my laptop I have the movie pulled up in another tab. I know it won't be the same brand of funny as these comics were, but my new insight into the source material should provide a new viewing experience. 5 stars from me.

Judge Dredd: Blaze of Glory (ISBN: 9781786184832) is due for publication March 01, 2022.