by Ed Fortune
The world of Judge Dredd The grim and haunted world of Mega City One and the extreme measures humanity has taken to keep civilisation together following a nuclear war has kept readers fascinated for decades, and though many of the stories revolve around ‘super-cop’ Dredd himself, there’s always room for more characters and stories.
Following the success of the Essential Judge Dredd series, those lovely folk from 2000 AD have launched a follow-on series, Essential Judge Anderson. The titular Judge has always been a slightly more interesting character than her grumpier, more down-to-earth colleague. Not only does Anderson have a sense of humour, but she also has psychic powers, which means her solo adventures tend to take a darker, supernatural tone.
Essential Judge Anderson – Shamballa brings together four stories; Triad, The Witch? Report, Leviathan’s Farewell and the titular Shamballa. These all loosely hang together to form an over-arching narrative.
Triad sets the tone nicely, a dark little story of mystical terrorism and the loss of innocence, and the Witch? Report is a sort of coda to this tale, following up on events of the first story. Triad is a solid paranormal thriller with a slightly disappointing ending, so the coda is appreciated. Leviathan’s Farewell is bleak and broadly uncalled for; it uses fairly hackneyed story-telling to establish the mood for the main event, Shamballa.
Alan Grant’s story-telling is at its best when it focuses on one core idea. If that idea is strong, then the story is strong. Shamballa’s core idea appears to be ‘take the wildest ideas from the Fortean Times’ and make that a thing. The story is a little short, and we spend enough time establishing Anderson’s relationships for anything to have a real impact.
Steve Potter’s lettering is near-perfect, and good typography doesn’t get enough praise. Arthur Ranson’s art is gorgeous, grainy and vivid throughout. It is atmospheric and perfect for these spooky stories of rough justice in a world that has lost its soul.
It’s called ‘Essential Judge Anderson’ for a reason; well worth a look.
