We see another judge be given the title of Dredd at the start of this graphic novel. They hope to keep this city safe and uphold the law to the best of their ability. When two mysterious sisters appear things in this city take a bad turn fast. When they get a hold of this judge he helps bring some deadly foes back. To save the city someone must return to Mega City One and find a way to stop them once and for all. As this graphic novel comes to a close it looks like Judge Dredd is back, and has no plans to leave anytime soon.

Absolutely amazing. This is a must have for any fan. Beautiful art, great story. The layout of the book is excellent. This is a great starting point for old and new fans alike.

Another decent collection of all things Dredd. We see Dredd return from his long walk to fight the Dark Judges along with some new recruits. I think the Essential Judge Dredd collections are worth the time as it is much easier to access than, say, tracking down individual comics.

Thank you to NetGalley and 2000AD for making it possible to read this ARC. Sorry for the long delay in posting, had some familial and technical problems keeping me away from reading.

'Essential Judge Dredd: Necropolis' by John Wagner with art by Carlos Ezquerra is a massive graphic novel collecting a Judge Dredd story from the early 1990s.

Mega-City One gets attacked by the Dark Judges, and boy are they a gruesome bunch. With them are the Sisters of Death and their goal is to turn the city into a necropolis and reap all the people. When an errant Judge becomes one of them, who will stand up to them?

At 224 pages, this is a pretty epic story, but it moves along pretty well. The are is heavy in saturated color, and i liked the style. I think the story holds up pretty good for being 20 years old.

I'm a huge fan of Judge Dredd, on the page and on the screen, and this well edited volume is a great deep dive into the character and his world. Judge Dredd is often associated with the hypermasculine bonkers action of the 80s, but there's a lot of really cutting and insightful social and political commentary in these pages. "Essential" indeed!

This is a great collection - enjoyed revisiting the stories in the book. Necropolis is an epic story arc and perfectly collected in this one volume.

My reading of graphic novels was some time ago, so this was a bit of personal nostalgia, time to spend with an utterly iconic character. This is from the early 1990’s I think, when the comic was at its best, character and artwork just perfect.
Dredd has been exiled to do “The Long Walk” in the Wastelands and has been replaced by another Judge. Somehow the Dark Judges have returned to Mega City One and are causing chaos, can Dredd’s replacement make a difference or will the original have to find his way back?
Glorious artwork and fantastic characters set within the dystopian environment of Mega City One. It’s subversive, clever and compulsive and represents the best of Dredd.

Although my older brother is a big 2000AD fan, this was my first real experience of Judge Dredd (I don't even remember seeing the Stallone film!). I appreciate this wasn't an ideal jumping-off point but I think I understood enough of the context to be able to read it for what it is.
The story follows Judge Death's sisters' attempts to have someone reincarnate their brother so they can take over Mega City One. Meanwhile, the read Dredd has vanished and been replaced with essentially a clone, but one who may have a screw loose (or one more loose than the former hard justice dealing head case).
While I'm not sure how much of a standard Dredd story i could read (to my mind they will all be somewhere between dealing out tougher-than-necessary justice for small crimes and dealing with truly despicable characters (worse than the law enforcers), this one suited me well. The need for the judge/jury/executioners on the street to try and stop the rise of Judge Death and his cronies was the age old case of siding with the psychos that are more understandable to defeat those less so.
There was enough to be able to understand each character's abilities, motives and history and see it used in the fight against Death and I really quite enjoyed the book.

I received a free advance copy of this book from the publishers and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Classic Dredd from an era where massive story arcs were to be expected as part of the weekly comic. This was one of those stories that brought together a large number of things that had been brewing in the background running up to it.

Anything involving the four dark judges is going to be good, but adding in the sisters of death and the realisation that the Dredd that's on the streets isn't in fact Dredd, we have the massive storyline where so much of Mega City One was under threat and the odds were so far against the heroes that victory was a slender chance at best and even if they succeeded, what would be left of the city.

Compared with future storylines like Day of Chaos, the death toll may now seem small, but because it was told at the level of the streets, where the best of Dredd is to be found, rather than time travel and nuclear warfare, this felt far more like the quintessential Dredd.

Well recommended.

Necropolis was a massive storyline in the annals of 2000AD history. It was proceeded with portents of foreshadowing and the aftershocks of the storyline were felt many years after. I recall this series with a kind of fondness as it is such a good story.

The comic starts with the run up to the main event and we learn that Judge Dredd has taken the long walk to the Cursed Earth. In Mega City One, Judge Kraken (Judge Dredd’s clone brother) is sentenced to death for his part in the Judda rebellion. However, a plan is hatched to replace Judge Dredd with his clone brother, Kraken, in attempt to plug the gap that the retirement of Judge Dredd has left.

Necropolis, written and drawn by the dream team of Dredd creator John Wagner and artist Carlos Esqurra, and brings back fan favourites Judge Death and the Dark Judges (Mortis, Fear & Fire), and also brings in the Sisters of Death, Nausea & Phobia.

So, if you are not familiar with Judge Dredd & the Dark Judges, let me explain! The Dark Judges are from a parallel dimension in which they have judged that all crime is undertook by the living, so in an attempt to rid crime, they have deemed that all life is the crime and have eradicated the sin from their own world by eradicating life.

It was so good to revisit this seminal storyline. The story is as fresh as it was thirty two years ago. Surprisingly, it does have an element that was a little risky in that the main protagonists don’t actually make an appearance until quite some way into the story. You would expect that the main characters would be the star of the show from the beginning, but there is a significant amount of story building with the Sisters of Death before the Dark Judges make an appearance and devastate Mega City One. In addition, Judge Dredd does not blast his way on to the page until much later in the story, and he has been radically changed by his time in the Cursed Earth.

The artwork by Carlos Esquerra is equally as amazing as the story. As I said earlier, the story was written in 1990 and it does reflect the time period. Madchester was in full swing and there was a neo - psychedelic edge to popular culture and this is evident in the multi- coloured panels and vivid strokes that were present in Esquerra’s art.

The story itself is cleverly written by John Wagner, highlighting that Dredd can never be replaced, and we see that as Judge Kraken succumbs to doubt and questions his ability as a law maker. Wagner does not hold anything back and this is an over the top storyline that continues to delight.

If you are new to the earlier Judge Dredd storylines, is this a good place to dive in? It is a steep learning curve and some knowledge of earlier storylines is useful as there are references to these stories and the mythology surrounding Judge Death, such as when he was encased in the expanding plastic Boing in one of the earlier stories, or the time that Judge Anderson was taken over by Death. However, I think that the new reader should get along with this iconic story and be able to enjoy it without hours of investigation.

Judges Death and Dredd are back!

When Necropolis was published in the early 90s, both seemed to be permanently exiled from Mega City One - Death and the Dark Judges to an inter-dimensional limbo and Dredd to the atomic wastes of the Cursed Earth, having taken the Long Walk. This storyline would bring both back.

I read 2000AD growing up and had some familiarity with the early Dredd stories. I had assumed that later stories wouldn’t match them until I read the Origins story, which Is probably one of the very best. How does this measure up? There is a lot to like. Written by John Wagner and drawn by the much missed Carlos Ezquerra we are in the hands of Dredd’s creators and this is classic Dredd.

Ezquerra’s art got better, if anything, with time. In a comic strip/graphic novel the art is integral to the story telling and this benefits from the care and skill Ezquerra brings. Colour gives an extra depth to his images and here occasional use of black and white graphics for Death is very effective. Other storylines, such as America, for me, suffer by comparison.

Wagner’s script is good. The horror and humour inherent in the Dark Judges is well captured and neither element is overplayed. The story is, if anything, overly compressed with some important events only happening ‘off screen’. The events are cataclysmic- as is so often the case ! -and Mega City One needs Dredd to rescue it from certain disaster, so it is definitely engaging. There are returns for some other judges - Anderson and another judge who took the Long Walk - as well as the son of a well loved character from the early days, Judge Giant. Readers familiar with Dredd’s past will enjoy these.

The return of characters - or relatives of other characters - calling back to earlier stories, is, however, a problem with this book. A new reader will find him or herself utterly at sea. This is not the point to start with Judge Dredd. Knowing previous encounters with the Dark Judges is probably close to essential to get into this, recalling who individuals such as Fargo and Rico are and their relationship to Dredd is important and I was still caught cold by the references to Judd and Judda. These stories have a lot of backstory to catch up on by this stage and this is an adventure that throws you right into the middle of things. That’s also another real problem with the presentation of this book. The start of the book deals with a summary of the events immediately before the story presented here. That includes Dredd’s judgement on another clone of his bloodline, Dredd retiring in secret to take the Long Walk and his near death in the Cursed Earth. This sounds like a much grander and more epic story than what we have here. Stripped of this, what we have feels like half a story. The Dark Judges in Necropolis are just the conclusion of a longer Judge Kraken story.

For that though, I guess, I will have to try picking up the Complete Dredd books which cover it. The fact that, as only an occasional reader of Dredd, I am tempted is testament to all that is good here.

Recommended.

art 4.5
story 4

Thanks to Rebellion Publishing and NetGalley for gifting me with this A.R.C.

Being more of a manga fan, I haven’t read that many graphic novels. But I’m so glad I asked to review this Dredd story.

This Essential Judge Dredd Necropolis graphic novel seamlessly blends science fiction and horror. Making it a must read for fans of genre fiction. The two creators of this novel, John Wagner, the writer and the artist Carlos Ezquerra, prove with this book that they’re absolute masters of their craft.

The world building here is a cross between Fallout and Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind with a post nuclear mutant infested American wasteland full of psychological horrors. And they bring all this to life with beautifully drawn panels.

Another great story line from Judge Dredd and 2000 AD. Though it was originally published way back in 1990, this classic Dredd tale felt like it could have been brand new. The gritty, surreal artwork is the star of the show, though any Dredd story featuring Judge Death and the Dark Judges is guaranteed to be stellar. I wasn't familiar with the Kraken story line that preceded this graphic novel, but enough background is provided so as not to be completely in the dark. And the overall story just gets better as it goes along, drawing you in to become fully immersed in the world, so much so that you don't need full details of what went on before. This truly is "essential" Judge Dredd.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher Rebellion 2000 AD for an advanced copy of this graphic novel collection.

Judge Dredd the comic has always combined some supernatural aspects into its science fiction storyline, usually hiding it oddness of spirits from another world with a mix of mega-ultra-violence, with grim humor and satire. Mutants, other worlds, that seems to work in Dredd, alternate Judges from another world well I don't know, oh my god it's wiping out Judges left and right. However when you have two creators who are at the top of their game, John Wagner on writing and the great Carlos Ezquerra on art, well sometimes you let the story take you away. Essential Judge Dredd: Necropolis was one of the big stories with plots and ideas that still reverberate through Dredd's long history.

The story begins with Dredd leaving Mega-City One to travel the Cursed Earth. In his place the other Judges have decided that Dredd is so much a force for Law that he can't be replaced so a clone Judge Kraken is given his badge, and made Dredd. Kraken has doubts, as Dredd had declared him unfit, but the Judges are desperate, and a terrible mistake is made. Soon Kraken is used by the Sisters of Death, corrupted by their words, allowing the Dark Judges to return, Fear, Fire, Mortis, and Judge Death, who plans to kill everything, for that is the only way there can be law. However far in the Cursed Earth, Dredd hears of the Dark Judges, and begins to return home.

One of the classic storylines in Dredd, one that most people have an idea about, and one that still effects the current Dredd storylines. The story holds nothing back, not violence, not humor, and allows Dredd to be Dredd. The art is spectacular, with full colors and incredible visuals and panels that just stand out. The writing is good, telling a story of Dredd without even having Dredd in many of the earlier issues. Familiarity with the basics of the story will be helpful. Who is Judge Anderson, what is the Cursed Earth, where did Kraken come from, who are all these old Judges, but the reader will pick up on this as the story unfolds. The story is very engaging, and is nice to have in one collection.

A good place to start with Dredd, if you like this, well you are going to like other Dredd stories. A classic story, told by creators at the top of their games. Great art, Judge Death. You really can't ask for more. Recommended for beginners and experts to the world of Dredd, and for comic readers who want a great over-the-top story.

This Judge Dredd story first appeared in 2000AD comic during a six month period during the early 1990s.
It is essentially a mixture of science fiction and horror: The 22nd century metropolis of Mega City One has been brought to its knees by the malevolent supernatural forces of Judge Death and the Sisters of Death, Phobia and Nausea. The city's traditional defender, Joe Dredd, who is absent for a number of early episodes of this is initially unable to help as he's taken ''the Long Walk': a traditional form of retirement for ageing judges which involves them essentially going walkabout in the mutant-infested wasteland of America's desolate post-nuclear landscape.
This dark material is beautifully illustrated throughout in full colour (much of it dark blue) by the late great Carlos Ezquerra.
For some reason, this has never been my favourite Dredd mega-epic. Given a choice, I much prefer the earlier The Apocalypse War from the same Wagner/Ezquerra team. Probably, I'm just not that into horror.
But technically, it's definitely good, although a bit scary.
Read it with the light on.

*Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for supplying a copy of this e-book in return for an honest review.*

I am not always attracted to superhero stories but I really enjoyed this dramatic graphic novel exploring the struggle between the competing worlds of Judge Dredd and Judge Death. The story was easy to follow and relate to. The characters were engaging on emotional/ethical/moral levels that drew the reader into the story's drama. The supernatural themes add to the gripping nature of the book constantly sliding from the familiar to something beyond our world. All of these themes would not have been portrayed as well without the amazing artworks, which I could imagine on my walls. In particular, comic frames brought to life (and death) with beautiful watercolours were an exquisite addition to the book. I would recommend this book for people looking for action and supernatural themes in a graphic form.