JUDGE DREDD vs ALIENS review

Review of JUDGE DREDD vs ALIENS: Incubus graphic novel

Originally published in 2000ad progs 1322-1335

Writers: John Wagner/Andy Diggle

Art: Henry Flint

Review by Stewart Loud

Judge Dredd proves once and for all that, no, he isn't frightened of anything when he goes head to head with science fictions most fearsome face biter in one of the best, and most obvious comic book crossovers since Alien and Predator.

There have been quite a few comic book crossovers involving the Aliens creatures over the years. Predator, Batman even Superman. Some have worked well and some have just been plain awful so I was relieved to discover that the collision between Geiger's iconic monster and 2000ad's flagship character falls firmly into the category of Aliens crossovers that work.

The reason it works so well is that the Alien creature fits so seamlessly into Judge Dredd's world. Set in the sprawling metropolis of Mega City one, in the far flung, post-apocalyptic nuclear future where interstellar travel is commonplace, it doesn't seem odd at all that the Judges would have to deal with a threat like this. To be fair, a creature that gestates inside a human host and bleeds concentrated acid is probably one of the less outlandish things they've faced when you put this book into context next to over 30 years of stories where the Judges have done battle with things like zombies, mutants, giant floating sharks and the nightmarish Dark Judges who regard life itself as a crime.

The book sees The Judges uncovering a plot by an underground cult of mutants and outcasts to overthrow the Judges by unleashing a horde of the Aliens on Mega City One. One of the things that sets this apart from a lot of other Aliens stories before it is that, far from being an isolated group of badly equipped miners or a massively outnumbered team of marines cut off from rescue, Mega City One's judges have massive manpower and resources and are fully used to fighting threats of this nature and magnitude. So you can expect some monumental stand up fights between the bugs and Mega City Ones awesome reserves of fire power.

Also fighting in Judge Dredds corner are the Mechanismo droids (a previous attempt at mechanised law enforcement) and the Verminators (Mega City One's answer to pest control) so you can probably begin to guess how wild things get.

The art in this book is a spectacle to behold. Henry Flints gritty detailed illustration creates fantastic atmosphere in the dark, sinister tunnels and shafts the aliens hide in, as well as the outside scenes detailing the cities impressive structures and busy streets. As well as this, the colours and lighting effects are some of the best I've ever seen! You can almost feel the heat of the explosions and flames. This is a very nice looking book indeed. Something else Henry draws well is the horrific gore that results from the action scenes. The acid burns on both peoples flesh and the concrete and metal scenery look tremendous. Although strangely I did think the acid seemed about five times as potent as it was in any of the films. Killing an alien in this book often means dissolving an entire intersection of road and everything underneath it for about a hundred metres. But this small inconsistency doesn't stop this from being a fantastic read from start to finish.

As seems to be the standard with graphic novels now, there's also a quality cover gallery in the back.

Judge Dredd? Aliens? Science fiction/horror? action? If you like any of these things then you'll enjoy this book. Judge Dredd continues to kick wholesale ass and people who read comics but haven't ever read a Judge Dredd book, don't know what they're missing!

SCORE 8/10