The Good
Dredd escapes the robotic revolution and the rest of the judges get a bit of justice. Dredd finally realizes what's going on with the clone problem.
Up until now, JUDGE DREDD has been a phenomenal series that set a high bar for Dredd. Writer Duane Swierczyski has done a wonderful job at bringing this character and the world he inhabits to a new American audience. He still continues to build on the world here by introducing the audience to little technological innovations like a tube that simulates a full night of sleep in only ten minutes, for that Judge on-the-go. We also get to see a laser fence that strips the flesh of of the bones of anyone that passes through it.
Nelson Daniel's art, as it is with every issue, is the highlight of this book. Don't get me wrong, what Swierczyski is doing is awesome, but if I had to chose between the writing and the art, I'd cry for a while, then choose Daniel's art. His style is fun and bold, which is a perfect match to the writing. I love the way the onomatopoeias envelop the panels. They become part of the action and have their own life to them in each scene.
The Bad
Well, here we are, at the first bump in the series. We've been caught up in this Dredd vs the robot uprising for three issues now. The book is extremely focused on that. That story wraps up and jumps right back into the story from issues 3 and 4. It threw me completely off, and I had completely forgotten about the specifics of the issue. So while Dredd comes to this amazing realization about what's really going on, as a reader, it's not that stunning or interesting because it's something I thought we moved on from months ago.
This is probably my least favorite of the back up stories I've read. The story really didn't grab me, and Jimbo Salgado's art felt a bit foreign for this series. This
The Verdict
The issue was a bit of a disappointment for me. The JUDGE DREDD series has been on quite the roll, and while I enjoyed the overall issue, I felt it was a tad disjointed and trying to hard to jump back to an unresolved story that happening in issue 3. It was something I didn't really remember and I needed a refresher. However, Swierczyski's writing is solid. I like his dialogue and overall tone in the issue and I love Daniel's art. This is a great creative team.
I'm hoping that the issue hasn't hit it's slumped or already peaked. It's too soon to say, and it's only one ok issue. I still think this is a book you should have on your pull list because overall, this is one of my favorite on-going series. Hopefully, it gets better with the next issue.
Overall, I mildly recommend this issue.