28: Tale of the Dead Man

So now we get the full story of The Dead Man, with the lead-up to Dredd’s decision to take the Long Walk. It brings together a range of story threads, some we’ve seen in the Mega Collection and some we won’t be seeing for quite a while.

John Wagner builds on his storytelling in The Shooting Match to tell more a slow burn story of Dredd coming to terms with his doubts, framed around taking rookie Cadet Kraken out for his assessment. As with that previous story, it’s clear that Kraken can outperform Dredd technically. Wagner cleverly plays with this, forcing the reader to question how much of Dredd’s negative reaction to the ex-Judda is just jealousy that he’s better.

This is highlighted by the introduction of Judge Morphy, who took Dredd out as a cadet and made him a full Judge. A blast from the past that Dredd actually likes and admires? There’s no way this can end well for Morphy. Dredd is forced to reflect on his own time as a cadet, and compare it to Kraken’s performance. Morphy’s eventual death then brings the reflection full circle - is it time for Dredd to be on the scrap heap as well?

We get two artists here, Will Simpson and Jeff Alexander. Their rich painted colours are both great, and in fact they complement each other so well I had assumed it was all one artist!

Now all the pieces are in place for Necropolis. Will Wagner’s complex and circular storytelling serve as a successful prologue to what’s to come?