Betrayal, lies, military assaults and Martians. If this book doesn’t have what you are looking for, you may not actually need it that much anyway.
What They Say:
Mega-City One, 2130 AD. This vast urban nightmare on the east coast of post-apocalyptic North America is home to 400 million citizens, every one a potential criminal. With lawlessness rife, only the Judges can prevent total anarchy. These future lawmen are judge, jury and executioner. Toughest of them all is Judge Dredd – he is the Law!
The Review: (please note that content portions of review may contain spoilers)
Judge Dredd’s latest chapter concludes the tale of how far Judge Heller has fallen as the previous chapter had him placed over a barrel when the woman he is infatuated with is held hostage and the price for her release is Dredd’s corpse. Beyond just this though the price paid by the Judges is witnessed as Heller is showing his age as well as a desire not to be just the machine that the system requires which, if he were an ordinary citizen Dredd might not care about but as a Judge just further lowers Dredd’s opinion of the man who was trained by a Judge that Dredd greatly respects. But is even Dredd cynical and observant enough to know what Heller’s assignment is or will Mega-City One’s most feared lawman make a fatal mistake in underestimating just how far Heller has descended?
The Red Seas has the assembled cast trying to enter into the land of the dead and damned as they discover that the universe has more mysteries than they even can think of questions to but also that a previous act that brought them an ally has also allowed their opponent an opportunity that they may come to regret. While the pirate cast is making their way to battle in their title, in Savage the battle has well and truly begun as the allied Mark II units begin their assault and kick off what is likely to be a fierce battle for the control of Britain- a battle which will see perhaps the country’s most unifying figure take his place on the front line as he reveals a secret which could very well spell doom for those relying on him. Ampney Crucis Investigates meanwhile shows just how different the world that the investigator finds himself in really is as he is called away from the bizarre robbery scene to meet with a most distinguished guest- an ambassador from the planet Mars who may have access to some stunning information. Finally Strontium Dog shows just how Johnny Alpha escaped a fiery death in the last chapter as he looks to wage war on those who have spelled the end of the mutants while balancing out their righteous rage with those he is gathering as to just who they should fight as not all of humanity is responsible for the current doomsday countdown but, those who are responsible are powerful but must be made to pay for their horrific actions.
Anthology comics can be some of the toughest things to try to really get into as they can vary widely in what stories they present and the makeup of those tales. Most companies that sell such comics tend to group things in something resembling a similar genre that allows for someone who enjoys one type of story to probably get another one that will also appeal to them without throwing out some sort of 180 degree opposite story telling device or theme (say trying to pair Judge Dredd with some sort of cartoon happy fantasy land character piece or a romantic comedy serial). The risk with the atnhology approach though is that a person may not feel the comic is worth picking up if they only like one or two of the titles contained by the reward side is traded off with the gamble that if someone does pick up the comic they may give the other titles a chance since they already have paid their money and the other titles may get a chance to win over the reader that they may never have gotten otherwise standing on their own.
I admit to being the kind of person who has often fallen into the camp of buying an anthology piece for one or two parts that I loved but not giving the rest of the titles much of a shot, and frankly if it weren’t for reviewing I might not have given a few of the titles included here much of a go after the 2013 special as not all of them won me over initially. From the start I was interested in Judge Dredd as I’ve had a little experience with the character over the years and the story line here actually ingratiates the rough character to me more as he can be hard to like in his unwavering sense of upholding the law yet it is clear that he is willing to pay all the costs associated with that as well as he is willing to apply his philosophy to all and not play favorites which helps make him feel a bit more real, if perhaps not entirely makes him come across as a human in a particularly difficult position.
Beyond that though Ampney Crucis Investigates has almost completely won me over as the fantastic set up had me interested but trying to worm my way into a title where the characters were already developed and well under way had given me pause with the 2013 specia,l but now that pause is gone and I find this may be the currently running title I am most impatient to see play out as the story really has garnered all of my attention as it just keeps deepening and enriching its already somewhat fantastic premise. Strontium Dog meanwhile is one that feels a little familiar having read X-Men comics for so many years but the path it is taking toward punishing those who have committed genocide has it standing as something that doesn’t feel like much of what I have read in the past, yet the series’ characters incredibly human responses make it something that can stand proudly on its own two feet and provide a boon of entertainment in its own right. After the previous chapter which left me feeling discontent I found myself being drawn back into Savage and the incredible humanness of its lead as he struggles with a world that has taken what he most loved and which he now fights against with an odd mix of vengeance and apathy toward the final result. I was further surprised that I found myself even getting into The Red Seas which is in the midst of a larger arc and so not particularly welcoming to new readers but its mix of mythology and a keen sense of fantastic as well as a bit of a perfect placing of some dry wit and humor has it as I title I may not exactly be looking forward to every week but not one I don’t want to read which is where it was closer to after the introduction I had to it in the special. With action, drama and pathos abounding, Program 1814 will delight and challenge its readers as its heroes may find themselves having to rise to new heights while others show just how human they really are and how even in that there is a triumph.
In Summary:
With a mix of trouble on the way for its characters, this anthology comic manages to still have a great mix of danger, skullduggery and passion as the various characters that populate the individual titles have to deal with some rather major changes and surprises as they attempt to carry out their individual days least they be their last. With some fantastic art, pacing and unique worlds to explore Program 1814 continues the series shine and makes its own strong case for being added to any comic fans pull list.
Grade: A-
