29: Nightmares

So we reach the end of another Volume. Nightmares actually takes place after the events of Volume 5, but I can see the argument for placing it here. It's the end of the story of Yassa and the Dead Man, which is the thread that holds Volume 4 together. It does unfortunately undermine the story told in Necropolis as we now know a fair bit about how that plays out, but I don't mind the individual Volumes being seen as essentially standalone. All these stories are decades old now, so telling them this way I think is largely not a problem.

We're firmly into aftermath territory yet again here, but as it's aftermath to a story I'll be reading again pretty soon, I'd rather focus on Yassa and Dredd. The ending of The Dead Man was horrific - Dredd had his memories back but Yassa's only reward for helping Dredd and Mega-City One was a violent attack that left him blinded and beset by hellish nightmares and visions. Things don't often go too positively in the Dredd universe, so it's a nice touch that Dredd remembers Yassa and ensures he is brought to Mega-City One.

This is Steve Dillon's first artwork in the run of the Mega Collection, and it works really well for me. It has some connective tissue with John Ridgway's artwork in terms of the sharp lines, but the colour is dramatic. I like how Dillon balances the flashbacks and new material, and makes them all feel of a piece.

Dredd's character journey over this Volume has been big. He's doubted the system, then left the City behind. This decision has dramatic consequences which will play out in Volume 5, and now he has to reckon with his doubts being correct but his call to take the Long Walk not being the right answer. There's a really nice moment where Dredd rescues Yassa from the kidnappers who had hoped to ransom him, and he quietly and gently assures the traumatised boy he'll be OK. Saving the entire City wasn't enough for Dredd - it had to be about saving the individuals like Yassa. Dredd doesn't get many gentle moments, so when they arrive they land hard.

That moment for me leads directly to Dredd's reckoning with the Justice Department. For him, the only way they can move forward with iron control is in partnership with the citizens. Dredd's insistence on a democratic vote circles back to Volume 2 and the stories that play out there. Despite the story order problems it presents, this is why Nightmares really needs to be here. By dealing with Yassa's personal fallout from his part in The Dead Man, Dredd is able to come to terms in some way with his own personal fallout. Yassa lost his eyes, while Dredd's were opened.

Yes, his doubts about the system were right, but he has to be part of the solution. And that solution means trusting people like Yassa and his family, not dominating them.