WRITER: BRANDON M. EASTON | ART: KEI ZAMA | PUBLISHER: IDW | FORMAT: SINGLE ISSUE | RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW

Some of the most interesting Judge Dredd stories are ones where the future cop plays more of a tertiary role, existing from the sidelines to crash the party at the end, blazing in and busting heads. These are the stories where we get a sense of Dredd as the hammer of the establishment; fascist, monster, and frequent bastard. “What is fascism?” asks False Witness as this first issue opens; it’s a question we associate with 2000 AD’s handling of the character, but not necessarily IDW’s. 

Until now, IDW has usually stuck with the mega epics and weird sci-fi concepts for their Judge Dredd stories. Brando Easton’s False Witness feels closer to 2000 AD Dredd than any of IDW’s previous work, telling a relatively grounded crime story which heavily features Dredd, but not as the main character. Here we follow Justice Academy dropout turned courier Mathias as he uncovers a powerful conspiracy in the Big Meg. Standing in the way of his smashing the whole thing wide open – Judge Dredd. By keeping Dredd on the sidelines, his personality here feels more consistent with how we remember him from 2000 AD; unbending, unyielding, and a total dick. The more he speaks, the less he feels like Dredd, but Easton has a good handle on the character – and, besides, why shouldn’t IDW get to do their own thing?

It’s a fine balance, and False Witness manages it well. Kei Zama’s artwork is some of the best ever seen in an IDW Judge Dredd comic, and her Joe Dredd looks tremendous (if reminiscent of Jock’s). This is a fantastic looking book, and we can’t wait to see more of Zama’s Judge Dredd and the Big Meg. Just so long as he keeps his mouth shut.