Want to read Judge Dredd; but what should I even get?!

[PsychoGoatee]

Well, they're always releasing new volumes of the Case Files, plus TPBs of the biggest recent story arcs. I'm sure in say... 15 years the Case Files will be mostly caught up.

[UnravThreads]

So bottom line, even if i do buy all the 17 or something TPBs, i'm not gonna get the whole shebang ?? :(

19 Dredd, ~4 Restricted, 3 (in January) Anderson, and you'll only be upto the mid-late '90s with Dredd, not far behind with Anderson and I can't really speak for the Restricted files. On top of that you have Dredd's appearances in things like the Dredd/Batman crossovers (just coming out in their own HC), Dredd/Alien and a fair few others.

[The Adventurer]

So bottom line, even if i do buy all the 17 or something TPBs, i'm not gonna get the whole shebang ?? :(

Its got over 30 years worth of content. You're not gonna get through it all in an afternoon.

[dishpan]

There are. There are many Dredd strips where Anderson appears, and many Anderson strips where Dredd appears. The PSI files collects the Anderson strips, the Dredd files collects the Dredd strips. To get the full picture you need both, but, for the most part, its not critical.

The only time I can think of is if you left out the Anderson strips you'd be confused as to the status of the Dark Judges once you got to Necropolis, but other than that I can't think of any other examples.

i just finished the life and death of judge death, which mostly made sense and was pretty good even though dredd was hardly in it. i like him as an interesting villain.
but i havent read dark judges or necropolis, and i am not sure which order they would go in or if i messed it up already. they were definitely referencing some big event where a lot of people died, and there was also an ad for another judge death collection that i guess i should read.

[Eric Chang]

looks like book depository has most of the rebellion case files... except for vol 2 ugh wtf

[dishpan]

how do i tell what is the most recent volume of dredd, and what the next one coming out is? not the "best of" collections but new material. thanks

[The Adventurer]

how do i tell what is the most recent volume of dredd, and what the next one coming out is? not the "best of" collections but new material. thanks

Well, they don't release new material strictly chronologically for the entire run. Most Judge Dredd is released in stand alone story arcs that don't necessarily have to be read in a chronological order. The Judge Dredd Case Files reprint all of Judge Dredd from the beginning, in order. But are quite a ways from ever reaching current material (currently on Volume 18, reprinting material from the early 90s).

To answer your question, to get on the ground floor of current Judge Dredd events the trade reading order should be...

Judge Dredd: Origins, Judge Dredd - Tour of Duty: The Backlash, Judge Dredd - Tour of Duty: Mega-City Justice, and the upcoming Judge Dredd: Day of Chaos: The Fourth Faction (should be out in Feb/March sometime). A second Day of Chaos trade is expected after that.

Those books basically reprint all the major story arcs printed between Prog 1500 (2006) and Prog 1800 (2012). But it leaves out much of the filler between the major arcs. But that's unnecessary.

[UnravThreads]

It's Vol 19 and early/mid-'90s, Adventurer ;)

[jonwalker]

So I recently picked up the Judge Dredd issue 1, which I kind of liked but I've been told it's not real "Dredd". I really liked the character from the recent film and would love to pick up some material to add more depth to the character. I'm going to start picking up 2000AD as that has already been recommended to me.

So the question is where do I start? I've had a look at the older case files in book shops and without meaning to sound like a snob I don't think the black and white style is for me. Unfortunately, I also have a very limited amount of money to spend on this new hobby, so I don't think starting at the beginning would be a good idea.

Is their more recent material that will help me get a feel for a character? I've read "America" is a good starting point, but I've also seen people say you need a better feel for the character to get the story.

Also will add I'm British, as I realise a lot of recommendations depend on where you are from, thanks guys.

[UnravThreads]

The most important stories are in Black & White. The Day The Law Died, The Cursed Earth Saga, The Dark Judges - all black and white.

[The Adventurer]

Start with Origins or Tour of Duty.

[jonwalker]

The most important stories are in Black & White. The Day The Law Died, The Cursed Earth Saga, The Dark Judges - all black and white.

I understand I'm limiting myself somewhat, but it's just a personal preference having had a quick flick through the case files. If their is something I simply must read I could always look into it.

Start with Origins or Tour of Duty.

Thanks for the suggestions, are these readily available and how recent are they? I'll have a look when I get home anyway

[The Adventurer]

I understand I'm limiting myself somewhat, but it's just a personal preference having had a quick flick through the case files. If their is something I simply must read I could always look into it.



Thanks for the suggestions, are these readily available and how recent are they? I'll have a look when I get home anyway

If you're actually in the UK, it might be as easy as going down to your local comic shop. But don't quote me on that. JD trades have a tendency to go out of print and vanish. I think Origins is MIA online at the moment from all retailers. But again, actual shops might have copies laying around. You might need to call around or do some leg work.

As for recent. Origins ran in 2006 and basically started a major plot thread that continues to run through Judge Dredd to this day (but most specifically into Tour of Duty). So... its a major starting point of current events. Also will hopefully give you a sense of history of the strip and up to speed on semi-current events.

Be aware, there are two Tour of Duty trades. ToD - The Backlash, and ToD - Mega-City Justice. Read them in that order.

EDIT: You know, I've done pretty comprehensive write ups on all Judge Dredd starting points in this thread already. You might want to go back an read some of this thread for more in depth advice. I did a lot of the work for you already.

[jonwalker]

I have read through the thread, sorry if it comes across like I haven't bothered too. I was really asking for recommendations that weren't black and white, thanks for the help so far and I will reread the thread.

[riot_shark]

I have read through the thread, sorry if it comes across like I haven't bothered too. I was really asking for recommendations that weren't black and white, thanks for the help so far and I will reread the thread.

Well, that's the thing. 2000 AD didn't go full color until the very early 90's. There is hope though. Around the early 1980's there was a company by the name of Eagle who reprinted the vast majority of the essential Dredd stuff in color for American audiences. The comics thankfully aren't all that rare, but they're not exactly easy to find either. I come across quite a few issues at my local flea market (the only place in my area that sells comics) along with some others that Eagle ran like Strontium Dog, Nemesis The Warlock, and 2000 AD Monthly (Eagle's attempt at repackaging the brand for us)

When Eagle died off in 86, Fleetway/Quality picked up the slack for the majority of the 90's and even had the courtesy to give us the glorious beast that is the Megazine