Judge Dredd - How good is Garth Ennis ?

[redlaco]

I'm shopping for some Judge Dredd comics and I plan by getting the classics like "Judge Death" and "Cursed Earth". When I saw that Garth Ennis took up the franchise I was thrilled since I'm a Preacher fan. I was wondering how he compares to Wagner or Pat Mills ?

Another way to put it : which books should I start my collection with ?

Thanks in advance for your time and precious counsel.

 

[Arabin]

Okay, here we go...

A great, fairly recent (about 4 years ago) full color twin set of books, is "Doomsday for Mega-City One" and "Doomsday for Judge Dredd". They are set at the same time, but from different angles. Both are fantastic reads.

Another great color book is "The Pit" that shows how tough it is to resist corruption.

For the old classics, you are right, you should get:
Cursed Earth (2 books or one combined hardcover)
The Day the Law Died (Released as 2 books titled Judge Caligula or as a single hardcover titled The Day the Law Died.)
Judge Child (I think this was three small books, but I have it in a single cover)
Apocalypse War (2 books or one combined hardcover)
Necropolis

The classics are listed in order of timeline. The stories can be read out of order, but I do recommend you read the Cursed Earth story right before you read The Day the Law Died.

Here is a link to the JD timeline if you are interested:
http://www.2000adonline.com/index.php3?zone=dredd&page=timelines

I hope that helps.

Arabin

 

[redlaco]

Thank you very much Arabin, it's just what I need. Now gotta start collecting; it will be a costly summer again. :lol:
I have to choose between books + a new computer OR a trip. I prefer the former as its stays with you, not just photographs... :wink:

Oh, and what do you think of later books by Ennis ?

 

[hassanisabbah]

I prefered the earlier works of Ennis (Preacher I felt slid off the rails around issue 25 - Post this I felt he was simply rehashing and became very formuliac in his approch), incidently he wrote the magnificent Democracy Now storyline in Dredd.

However the Emerald Isle stuff is very good....

Although not Dredd, Ennis's run of Hellblazer is probably his finest work (41 to 86?). Also if you can pick up True Faith anywhere, do so, its probably his single best one off.

 

[Dredd Times]

Garth Ennis is one of the best Dredd scriptdroids with the exception of perhaps John Wagner and some of his work on Dredd is stunning to say the least.

Arabins hit the nail right on the head by pointing you in the direction of some of the best Dredd graphic novels around and all I can really add to that list are a few more, but those listed are perhaps the most important

Oz: Books 1 & 2. If you can find this as it is now out of print, Oz not only follows my favourite character Chopper on an epic journey from the Big Meg to down under, but also introduces The Judda, excellent bad guys for a Dredd campaign.

Mechanismo: Again likely to be out of print but an ideal background adventure and featuring some of Colin McNeils best artwork.

The Complete America: Not so much a Dredd story as such but gives an excellent look into the lives of everyday citizens adn just how the Justice Department rules them with a rod of iron. Again stunning artwork by McNeil.

Of course you can always add Song of the Surfer, Goodnight Kiss, Three Amigos, Young Death and Hour of the Wolf to this list. Check out eBay as you can often get your hands on second hand copies quite cheaply.

Marc

 

[Arabin]

I tend to have a better knowledge of the stories themselves, than of the individual artists, so I defer to others comments above on Garth Ennis's work.

Great additional suggestions Marc. I often see those for sale on Ebay... unfortunately they are almost always for sale in the UK, and with the exchange rate as bad as it is (from a US point of view) they become very expensive.

I remember reading the Oz stories in 2000AD years ago, and loved Chopper. I'm still trying to pick up a copy of Oz and Mechanismo though.

You guys in the UK should be buying anything you want from the US right now as it's so cheap for you... hmm, maybe you should all buy City of Heroes and join my super group

Arabin

 

[redlaco]

Many thanks Hassan, Marc "Dredd Times" and Arabin. I just bidded on several out-of-print titles on e-bay and located others on Amazon.

Although Arabin is right, it does cost a lot when you count exchange rate + Shipping... Ouch. But I guess it's worth it.

 

[BigSteveUK]

Slightly of the Point.

Buy Preacher, one of the best series of comics I have ever read, Warren Ellis rocks as well.

Steve

 

[hassanisabbah]

Slightly of the Point.

Buy Preacher, one of the best series of comics I have ever read, Warren Ellis rocks as well.

Steve

Warren Ellis and Ennis, sure, but don't forget Jamie Delano, Alan Moore, Peter Milligan, Grant Morrison and Ted McKeever. Now those names will get you hooked on comics.

Is there anything better than Peter Milligans Shade, or better written than Mark Millers Swamp Thing run... all very underated.