24: The Dead Man

It's hard to know what to add to the collective analysis of The Dead Man that hasn't been written before, and better. Even coming to this story almost 30 years after it was initially published, it really is as powerful as the conventional wisdom suggests. Yes, the twist ending can't be as effective as it must have been back in 1990, but the story is much more than just where it ends up.

Probably more than any other story I've covered on this blog so far, The Dead Man is an exercise in atmosphere and mood. When I think about the story, the overall plot isn't what sticks with me so much as John Ridgway's black line artwork that seems to have been etched onto the book in front of me; the sweeping vistas of the Cursed Earth; the sparse dialogue and the narration that grows in dread and despair as the episodes slowly build to the climax.

Knowing that The Dead Man is Dredd doesn't diminish the story, it clarifies it. The Dead Man was always about Dredd. Wagner strips Dredd down, almost literally to the point of burning his skin to the bone. No Lawmaster, no Lawgiver, no Judges. Who is Joseph Dredd when he doesn't have any of those things? The answers are telling. Still focused and determined to reach the truth, despite what it might cost. Concerned for innocents and with a sense of decency, but he is unable to protect Yassa from harm. To be honest, the story becomes far less interesting in episodes 12 and 13 as we revert back to "another episode in the continuing adventures of Judge Dredd". Dredd and Yassa wearily trudging through the stark landscapes, probing deeper into the mysteries of The Dead Man are riveting. Dredd fighting off Nausea and Phobia with arch dialogue is fine, but nothing we haven't seen before.

The Dead Man works to refresh our view of Dredd. Wagner cleverly uses the conceit of the story to look into Dredd's role as a character. Judge Dredd is a completely known quantity. He's a future cop, following the rules, cubing criminals and with very few layers below what we see. The Dead Man is a complete mystery, utterly unknown. We know nothing of his history, his motivations, his values. Rediscovering those things is electrifying to read.

There's a confidence here to Wagner's writing that is still palpable decades later - a writer at the height of his creative powers. The concept here is absolutely rock solid, even if it hadn't had been revealed to be Dredd! A mysterious stranger with no memory but the skills to protect people from dark supernatural threats? That's an incredible series on its own, and Wagner casually just discards it to set up a fantastic twist in the ongoing Dredd storyline! It's bold, brave and dramatic.

I mentioned it briefly earlier but it needs calling out again - John Ridgway is the absolute equal star of this tale. I'm biased as a Doctor Who fan, as Ridgway's work is synonymous with some of Doctor Who Magazine's most iconic tales from the 1980s, but I've never seen better work from him than in here. The hard and unforgiving landscape is reflected in his stark black lines, and it draws the reader in to the unforgiving story that plays out.

The Dead Man is a true classic, and one of my absolute favourites as a reading experience.