Back at the turn of a new decade when the 80's had finished and the new 90's was coming into view, I was at secondary school. I was getting a bit too old for The Beano and The Dandy, and it was hard come by for any of the American comics like X-Men and The Avengers. Although I was particularly fond of getting Uncanny X-Men and The Flash comics as regularly as possible, the local newsagents in my local towns were terrible at getting the issues regularly. I didn't stand a chance when it came to crossover issues! I was getting older and I needed something to satiate my comic need!
After a brief obsession with Dan Dare and The Mekon, I stumbled upon Judge Dredd in the more adult 2000AD magazine that was regularly available at my local newsagents. I started reading and was immediately hooked on Megacity One and Joe Dredd's iconic look and style. Some of the magazines artistry was amazing... like I had never seen before. Meanwhile my friend and I had been running an RPG club at school and he had found a Judge Dredd Role Playing Game which we loved playing. Our computers had the Judge Dredd computer game too but luckily we hadn't been subjected to the Stallone fronted Judge Dredd movie that I would rather forget.
At the same time all this happened, someone somewhere decided to release a magazine called the Judge Dredd Megazine: The Law In Order. I remember issue one having a gold Dredd badge and I carried it around with me thinking that, like Stallone, "I am the law!". The magazine, in black and white, reprinted the stories from the original 200AD comics from the very beginning. I remember the Megazine being a very thick tome and great value for money.
Judge Dredd had been created within a year of when I was born so I will always have an affinity for this lawman. I was lucky enough to meet Pat Mills, who worked on 2000AD and Judge Dredd, in 2014 at the last Sci Fi Weekender in Wales.
But now, in 2015, there is a new thing in town - and this is the latest collection for Judge Dredd fans - Judge Dredd: The Mega Collection. Spanning 80 issues (RRP £9.99 every fortnight) the hardbacked comics explain the stories and major events in Megacity One. Issue one is at a special reduced price and includes a leaflet which opens out into a poster. Issue 2 will be available at the special price of £6.99.
The hardbacked books feature a specific set or sequence of stories but also some extra bits including extra stories, sketchbook prints and galleries. These stories are grouped thematically, unlike the Megazine which is running stories in chronological order. The presentation of stories differs dependent on artists and stories it was lifted from and each book has it's own title. Issue one's is America, followed by Mechanismo in issue two and three is The Apocalypse War. If you collect all of the issues the hardbacked books they all create a rather fetching picture of Dredd in action. I'm told that the issues also include out of print stories that are exclusive to this collection.
Subscribers are well looked after too - and for those of the collector elite check this out : you can get six limited edition prints if you want to upgrade your subscription for an extra £1 per issue. The gifts you get from the subscriptions are: discount issue two, issue three free, a replica Judge Dredd badge, Judge Dredd tin coasters, Judge Dredd Metal bookends (goes well with the series) and, if you do it online, a free Judge Dredd takeaway coffee mug (which I think is a really weird thing to give to a subscriber, but it seems a good quality ceramic one).
This is a quality collection, no doubt about it, and great for Judge Dredd fans and collectors alike. It costs £9.99 an issue so it's going to be a fortnightly thing - so that's around £20 a month (£21 if you are a premium subscriber). If you are a true Dredd fan and have a lot of comics and magazines it might be a bit expensive to get this, and may have already most of the stories. But, if you are new to Dredd or want to have a spectacular collection gracing your shelves, this could be something to look into. Now, excuse me while I go dig out my copy of Judgement on Gotham, gotta love the Batman Vs Judge Dredd stories.
Until next time
Paul
What I'm talking about: Judge Dredd : The Mega Collection
Where do I go to find out more? http://www.judgedreddcollection.com/
Just to let you know I've started subscribing to this collection. I will let you know what it's like in a few issues time. I've selected the premium one, for the prints.
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