10: The Devil You Know

There's a really effective sense of build-up and ramping tension to "The Devil You Know". In the grand scheme of things, it's really just holding off the democratic vote we know is coming (see you next blog post "Twilight's Last Gleaming"), but where some series would have moved immediately to the vote John Wagner chooses to show the tension and fallout of the possibility that democracy may be returned to Mega-City One.

Once again, Dredd is really effectively portrayed here. His insistence on a democratic vote isn't evidence that he's gone soft or is some kind of "bleeding heart", but a cold calculation of the facts as he sees them. He actually believes that given the straight choice, the citizens will choose to have the Judges protecting them. There's a cold cynicism to the ongoing democracy storyline that is really crystallised here. The citizens are portrayed as stupid and ridiculous - a whole opening two pages is given over to a citizen trying to wrap his head around choosing between two options. There's some sort of genius at play here that has a story holding up the importance of freedom and democracy, while saying that the people aren't really worthy of it anyway.

The band of Judges turning on Dredd is also unsettling and effective. It's not overly dramatic and overstated, but it leads to a killer final episode as Dredd lays into the ringleader Grice - not for attacking him, but for putting at risk that which Dredd holds so dear. The respect and sense of duty that comes with being a Judge.

"You're damn right I'm dangerous" Dredd screams at Grice. And he certainly is. He's the reasonable, sensible and calm force of stability in this story - and he's advocating for the continuation of a brutal totalitarian state. Dangerous doesn't begin to cover it.