Dreadnoughts: Breaking Ground

An excellent look at the early years of the Judges. America is descending into anarchy, and in a reactionary move the Judges have been established. Still adjusting to this new reality of law enforcement, we get to see a particularly.... *dedicated* Judge conduct a missing child investigation. Carroll gives readers a great, short insight into the tensions of this near-future: chillingly plausible, given the past 10 or so years.

The artwork is great, and perfectly suited to the story. The second story included in the book isn't as good, but still an interesting Judge Dredd tale.

Definitely recommended.

I have always been a fan of the Judge Dredd comics, being both a fan of cyberpunk as well as British satire. However, the premise sometimes cries out for a more serious take on the subject. The best Judge Dredd stories are not the ones that deal with Judge Death or the weird almost comical cariactures but handle the fundamental premise of the series seriously: what happens when the law an authoritarianism becomes an end to itself. My favorite of the Dredd stories is the AMERICA arc and all of its horrors as well as the flashbacks to the destruction of American democracy. This one treats its premise as seriously as possible with the transformation of American policing and prisons to the horrors of Dredd's world. The art is beautiful and the story is dark as well as sad. This isn't a "fun" comic but it's not meant to be.