Comic Review 32 // The Complete Case File 06

Wow seems like forever since a comic review, so let's start 2019 with a review! I've been so into reading that my comic reviews have taken a hit. In order to fix this error here is Judge Dredd the Complete Case Files 06. Spaning 2000AD Progs 271 -321 set in the Dredd years of 2104-2105. I'm excited to jump back in as when I last left the series the Apocalypse War between Mega City 1 and East Meg 1 had come to a dramatic finish, so to finally find out how the city rebuilds is quite exciting.


Story: Meka City (Part 1) - Following the war in MC-1 many robot servants were left ownerless seeking a purpose to existence. Lucky for them Precious Leglock is able to step up and lead them. Within two days the glorious Meka City is built, at it's heart a wrestling ring for the King of Robots.
Highlight: Precious Leglock - A robot wrestling champ, his body is encased in jewels and he has a heart as black as a Rad pit!

Story: Meka City (Part 2) - Dredd is now on the case of the Robot Rebellion City located in Sector 555 to the south. Here Dredd discovers the Meka City and it's ruthless leader Precious Leglock.
Highlight: Still Precious Leglock - styled on the wrestlers of the 80's Leglock has a great habit of calling everyone a pencil neck and using the term Dingaling.


Story: The League of Fatties (Part 1) - Due to a lack of food the city's citizens are now on rationing. This is fully understandable unless your a professional fatty! Starving and hated by the great publics, fatties are taking a stand against the Judges and demanding fairer food portions.
Highlight: The failed match on the Justice HQ. The twenty kilometre walk really does the fatties in.

Story: The League of Fatties (Part 2) - Following a successful raid on a food supply camp, The League of Fatties start launching bolder raid attempts. Not even the fear of arrest or Death could slow down their need for more food.
Highlight: Kamikazes Fatties - Seeking a surefire way to stop a food convoy, one fatty launches himself off a cliff into a passing truck to help set up an ambush!

Story: Fungus (Part 1) - A group of foraging tramps come across a strange looking fungus in the ruins of Sector 1. One poor tramp named Grubby get's too close and becomes infected by the tiny spores.
Highlight: Grubby is in fact Mayor Jim Grubb. Assumed dead after he went missing in the opening stages of the war. Seems the Mayor is back, but there is little chance of a re-elect

Story: Fungus (Part 2) - With Grubby dead, MC-1 Medically Judge Kildare takes matters into his own hands and purposefully infects himself with Grubb's disease.
Highlight: Judge Kildare - takes a special man to risk his life in such a way. It almost seems like Dredd has respect for the judge!

Story: Fungus (Part 3) - Eight tramps infected by the Grubbs disease are loose in MC-1 and Dredd only has sixty minutes to find them.
Highlight: Official Deception -  As the disease starts to spread Chief Judge McGruder makes the call to lie to the public and tell those infected that they have a cure. Then in the final frames of the comic the truth is relieved and the infect are told there is no hope and that they a wait a slow fungus death!  

Story: The Game Show Show RIP (Part 1) - Game show hosts are disappearing across the city and soon it is up to Dredd to discover where they are all going?
Highlight: Classic Body in the chem pit. Love this scene and not entirely sure how many times it gets used. But this one is just a classic, as they use a bucket scoop digger to drag out forty bodies!

Story: The Game Show Show (Part 2) - Having discovered the bodies of the missing TV hosts Dredd is now on the search for the killer.
Highlight: Flesh eating Worm of Orbo. So creepy watching them drop as a cube onto Barrie's head before they munched him down to the bone.



Story: Gunge - A new food product has taken MC-1 by storm. Gunge by Otto Sump, is half the price of normal food! Flavors include - Mould Jam, Snake Rings, Maggots Steaks, Slime sauce, Bacteria Soup and Grot Pot.
Highlight: Otto Sump - Once again the ugly salesman has hit the big time and once again Dredd shuts him down. I love the twist at the end of this tale and shows how controlling and manipulating the Justice Department is.

Story: Destiny's Angels (Part 1) - The warden of ISO Block 666 has lost his mind and releases the inmates of floor K. Amongst this deadly criminals is Fink Angel. Now he is loose and seeking revenge on Dredd (classic).
Highlight: The Judge Child - If you don't remember this character than you need to head back to the Judge Child saga. This child was meant to be MC-1's saviour unfortunately for him he was kidnapped by the Angel gang. Seems the child is still holding a grudge over being abandoned by Dredd. Find this character annoying but in a good way. You need to hate a villian.

Story: Destiny's Angels (Part 2) - With Fink Angel loose on the streets of MC-1, Dredd has his hands full. Then to make matters worse the dumb Judge Child has raised Mean Machine Angel from the dead to help Fink exact revenge on Judges Hersey and Dredd.
Highlight: Mean Machine - Such a lovable character there was no way they could keep him dead for long. You definitely don't want to be on the long trip space flight with him!

Story: Destiny's Angels (Part 3) - Fink Angel is at Resyk searching for his pet rat - Ratty. As dead Resyk worker bodies start to mount up it is up to Dredd to track down Fink Angel and attempt to stop him.
Highlight: Ratty - A bite from a Cursed Earth Rat is fatal. But don't fret this little guy has a bowler hat.


Story: Destiny's Angels (Part 4) - A week has passed since the last episode and Mean Machine has finally arrived in MC-1. After speaking to the survivors Hersey discovers Mean Machine is back in town and immediately informs Dredd of the dire news. Piecing the parts together Dredd with help from the PSI department is able to discover that the Judge Child is behind it all.
Highlight: Mean Machines Arrival - The perfect entry for this mad man. Mean hi-jacks the interstellar express and just nose dives it straight into MC-1. Just love this character!

Story: Destiny's Angels (Part 5) - Mean has finally found Fink and together they team up to take on Dredd. Starting at his house where poor Maria and Walter are home alone. Elsewhere Dredd dispatches a droid controlled ship to seek out the Judge Child on Xanadu and end this child's reign of terror.
Highlight: Fink - After paralzying Mean it almost seemed like Fink was going to kill his own brother. The perfect psycho family.

Story: Destiny's Angels (Part 6) - After invading Dredd's home Mean Machine head butts his way through Walter the Wobot, whilst Fink believes he has captured Dredd's wife (it's actually Maria the Housekeeper). Soon the lawman has his apartment surrounded only to watch the Angels disappear into the sewer system.
Highlight: Walter Destroyed! - Love this. I know he will be back but there is something very satisfying about seeing Walter destroyed.

Story: Destiny's Angels (Part 7) - With Maria now a hostage, Dredd is left with no choice other than following the Angel brother's demands. Heading into a bombed out sector Dredd is soon ambushed by the pair and taken to Fink's lair. But is Dredd really at the Angel's mercy?
Highlight: Ratty - Becomes the messenger, how on earth did he know where to find Dredd?

Story: Destiny's Angels (Part 8) - Dredd is now fighting for his life against the two brothers. Can Dredd stand up to the might of two Angels? I won't spoil it, go read it.
Highlight: Lowlight - the endings seemed rushed. Here we have a 8 part comic and the ending is rushed and all too obvious. Would have preferred a more epic duel.

Story: Rabid - After three travellers are attacked by Robotic Dogs, it is up to Dredd to track down the beasts and put them down.
Highlight: Short story nothing that special about the piece. Was quick and nice artwork.

Story: Blobs - A new craze has taken MC-1 by storm. First came the Uglies now comes the blob. Using face changing technology criminals are now using this trend to hide their identities. With the same clothes and no distinguishing features it is now impossible to pick out a perp in a line up.
Highlight: The kidnapping panel was by far the stand out piece and sums the story up perfectly.

Story: The Executioner (Part 1) - A mysterious figure all in Black is dealing out street Justice to those who the law is struggling to bring to Justice. But as is well known Dredd hates a Vigilante!
Highlight: The Highlight Rooms - Mega City One's Premier Hovering Nightspot. I can't help but look at this artwork and imagine how cool it would be to run a rpg campaign, were the restaurant has been taken over and the Judges have to work their way to the control room.

Story: The Executioner (Part 2) - We start to discover more about the identity of the Executioner and why she is doing it all.
Highlight: Dredd's Heavy handedness - Dredd seems to be a bit clumsy in this prog, leaning on an injured perps leg during an interrogation.

Story: The Executioner (Part 3) - Here we discover that Dredd suspects the Executioner is none other than a Judge! Can it be true?
Highlight: Chivo Bros Discount Depository of the Semi Dead - Love one dieing on you? Feeling the cold icy touch of Death? Then get yourself professional frozen for a small fee and hope to get cure before your cash runs out.

Story: The Executioner (Part 4) - The Executioner is gaining speed but as the body count rises Dredd gains more and more clues and starts to close in on the killer.
Highlight: The Executioner - Goes out in the best possible way, the perfect ending to this tale.

Story: Jimps - Once again the top criminals meet to try to come up with the perfect crime. This time it's the turn of Heck Stokely. This seasons crime is Jimps - Judge Impersonates.
Highlight: Jimps - No matter the plan it always goes wrong, poor Heck Stokely loses a dozen men.


Story: Night of the Rad-Beast (Part 1)- A half melted cyborg emerges from the rad pits, seeking flesh. Seems we are into a classic monster hunt (set during Xmas)
Highlight: The monster - Great artwork and a great idea for story. An old man mostly replaced by machines is killed by a Tap Gang and comes back from the dead!

Story: The Night of the Rad-Beast (Part 2) - Dredd is hot on the trail of the Rad-Beast, can Dredd stop the Cyborg or will Christmas be ruined?
Highlight: Apocalypse Monument - A giant statue to remember those killed during the Apocalypse war. Feel like I should make one for the table could be a great scenery piece.

Story: The Last Invader (Part 1) - Engel a East Meg Judge has been hiding since the end of the war. Alone in a strange land Engel has convinced himself that the war is still on. Now Engel plans to wage a one man war on MC-1.
Highlight: Engel reaching out to an agony aunt for advice but gets called insane instead!

Story: The Last Invader (Part 2) - Engel's is waging a guerilla war on MC-1 starting with the Agony Aunt. Can Dredd stop the last East Meg Invader in time?
Highlight: Dredd being clumsy again. Whilst wearing a Jet pack Dredd attempts to take Engel by surprise. Though ultimately successful Dredd does bang his head of the ceiling.

Story: Shanty Town (Part 1) - For too long the Shanty Town located outside of MC-1 has been a haven for criminal gangs. Now it is up to Dredd and his task force to bring law back to the lawless.
Highlight: The family of Organ sellers - Such a depressing but comical scene.

Story: Shanty Town (Part 2) - Dredd's team starts dealing out justice within the Shanty Town but how long can they go before the locals retaliate.
Highlight: Mad Mox, Girth and Peewee - A team of lunatic perps that escaped the Psycho cubes during the Apoc Wars. Now running a criminal ring the Shanty Town.

Story: Shanty Town (Part 3) - Judge Glennon is dead after falling foul of Mad Mox. Now Mox is rounding up the local gangs and preparing to chase the judges out of town.
Highlight: Mad Mox - How someone so crazy can rally a town is beyond me but I love the character especially as he now has a Stub gun!

Story: Shanty Town (Part 4) - The Judges are under siege in a ruined Strato-V deep in the Shanty Town. What are the chances they will survive?
Highlight: Dredd condemns Shanty Town, due to the high risk of crime coming back. Then MC-1 burns down the shanty town destroying the city completely.

Story: Prezzel Logic - Once again the MC-1 highest rank criminals meet to design the perfect plan. This month's theme is: How to get rid of Dredd.
Highlight: Spontaneous Confessors - Some citizens are so bored they turn to owning up to crimes they didn't commit to pass the time.

Story: Trapper Hag (Part 1) - Alien Bounty Hunter Trapper Hag has arrived in MC-1 hoping to score big, unfortunately all he has found is Dredd and boy is Dredd pissed!
Highlight: Trapper Hag- Imagine a wookie on steroids and you aren't far off. I really need to make this character. Such a cool theme.

Story: Trapper Hag (Part 2) - After receiving an ass kicking from Trapper Hag, Dredd's ego has also taken a beaten. Now it is Dredd on the offensive after discovering the locations of Hag's Ship.
Highlight: Trapper Hag's Beasts - Weird Dog like creatures that seem able to track down anyone they have the scent of.

Story: Trapper Hag (Part 3) - Dredd is onboard the alien Trapper Hag's ship. Here he discovers all the collected bounties and confronts the aliens beast.
Highlight: Trapper Hag's demise - As the bounty hunter believes he has bested the lawman, Dredd tricks the alien and destroys his teleported before knocking him unconscious. No one bests Earth's greatest lawman.

Story: The Prankster - The Grand Hall of Justice is finally built then during the opening ceremony it collapses. It seems the Prankster has struck once again. Now it is up to Dredd to track down the perps.
Highlight: The Pranksters newest prank - Using a strap on chin he attempts to sneak into the new Grand Hall of Justice to plant explosives fooling Judges as he goes.

Story: Starborn Thing (Part 1) - Dredd is sent to investigate a crashed UFO in the Griff Mountains.
As the group venture further into the mountain pass stranger and stranger things start to happen. Then suddenly it all stops and the group discover the crashed UFO.
Highlight: The Mountains - Cool scene were the rocks come to life as giant faces and hands and proceed to eat/smash the Judges.

Story: Starborn Thing (Part 2) - Dredd and the team have discovered an alien projectile that has given birth to alien, an alien in pain. Soon the mysterious alien dies and gives birth to a weird tentacled creature.
Highlight: Starborn -  A weird tentacled creature straight out of a Cthulhu story. Though it looks weird it is quick as anything and soon takes over Dredd!

Story: Starborn Thing (Part 3) - Dredd is under the control of a weird alien parasite. Forced to head into the Cursed Earth Dredd begins to attack a Mutie Settlement.
Highlight: Starborn - The last page of this prog showcasing the alien cracks me up. The weird bulbous alien crawling away to the settlement, pure B-Movie fun.

Story: Starborn Thing (Part 4) - The alien parasite is slowly working it's way through the mutie settlement. What could it possibly be up to and can Dredd recover before it is too late.
Highlight: The Muties - Can't beat a good Cursed Earth Mutie.

Story: Starborn Thing (Part 5) - Having helped to save the Mutie Settlement, Dredd is overcomed by a pain in his stomach. As he attempts to get back to MC-1 the muties of the settlement all start showing the same illness.
Highlight: Dredd is having a baby! Turns out the parasites laid an egg in Dredd!!

Story: Starborn Thing (Part 6) - Arriving to late to save the Muties, Dredd has to wait thirteen days before getting the chance to extract revenge on the Starborn things.
Highlight: Don't have one. I feel the story fizzled out and lacked a real strong ending.

Story: Judge Dredd - Mr Waglan is seriously pissed off that he has to refill his car and going on a manic crazy spree.
Highlight: Ejector Seat -Mr Waglan ejects his captive via the passenger seat, straight into the chasing Dredd. I'm quite surprised Dredd didn't dodge him!

Story: The Stupid Gun (Part 1) - An unfortunate Juve has managed to get in over his head after accidently using a Neuro Disruptor gun. Now with the gun falling into criminals hands it is up to Dredd to follow the trail of stupidity and recover the gun.
Highlight: Bogel's Shuggy Joint - Shuggy is one of my favourite things from the Judge Dredd universe so seeing inside a Shuggy Hall is always a bonus.

Story: The Stupid Gun (Part 2) - The stupid gun is in the hands of criminal elements is being used throughout the city to commit crimes. Unfortunately after being used on an Interblock zoom the perps find themselves on a speeding out of control train!
Highlight: Interblock Zoom - The monorail of the future, these trains can reach frightening speeds so when they go out of control it becomes a speeding giant bullet.

Story: The Stupid Gun (Part 3) - With the Wall Street Terminus rapidly approaching it falls on Dredd to somehow board the Interblock Zoom and stop the train before it's to late.
Highlight: Classic ending to the tail to real standout part.

Story: Condo (Part 1) - The story opens with a space condominium plunging towards earth. Seems someone has it in for the Gemini Condo program. It's up to Dredd to visit Gemini 3 and discover the truth behind the attacks.
Highlight: Ezquerra Artwork - I know I'm not the first to say this but Ezquerra's Artwork is just so beautiful and skilled it is a pure pleasure to view his version of the Dredd world.

Story: Condo (Part 2) - Having discovered a sabator, Dredd is now facing the destruction of Gemini 3 as it travels into a meteor shower without shielding. Can Dredd save the doomed condo in 20 minutes?
Highlight: There is never good news. Even though Gemini 3 survived the meteor shower it is still screwed. Life support is destroyed, 47% of the population is dead, farm land is all destroyed and the ship is now uncontrollably heading into the sun! HA only in a Dredd strip could things get so messed up.

Story: Condo (Part 3) - Gemini 3 is living on borrowed time. As the stricken vessel rushes towards the sun Dredd is left manning the escape pods. Will he be able to get everyone off?
Highlight: After Dredd discovers a line jumper for the escape pods, he forces the man to be the last person to enter a vessel. A cruel and very fitting punishment.

And with that we are finished with Case Files 06. For me this book had some serious standout tales - League of Fatties, Fungus, Destiny's Angels, Night of the Rad Beast, Trapper Hag and Starborn. The artwork throughout the book was also on high calibre. From start to finish I locked in on the tales. Yes there is no grand epic story, but instead we get to see a wider assortment of crimes and capers that happen throughout MC-1.Only lowlight for me is that we really don't experience much of the rebuilding of MC-1, would have been fun to see some of that and maybe more of the black market. Can't wait to get started on Casefiles 07.

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