Review by Roy Boyd

The Complete Case Files 44 reprints material from 2007 and features 25 stories, nineteen from 2000 AD, and six from the Judge Dredd Megazine. The former are six-page stories (or episodes of longer stories), the latter around twice as long. With so much content, we’ll stick to reviewing the highlights.

We’re off to a strong start with a trio of tales written by John Wagner, who rarely puts a foot wrong. The first, ‘The Streets of Dan Francisco’, is particularly noteworthy for Rufus Dayglo’s superb Mike McMahon-flavoured artwork. The great man himself also appears later in the collection, with interesting artwork that manages to stay just the right side of modern art.

‘Judgement’, written by Gordon Rennie, is one of the longer contributions at 35 pages, a spirit of vengeance ghost story harking back to the early days of Dredd and his brother Rico. Ian Gibson’s cartoony art may not seem like the obvious choice, but he does a solid job in a tale that satisfies on many levels.

‘Origins’ (42 pages) concludes the story started in the previous volume. Dredd co-creators Wagner and Carlos Ezquerra (featured art) deliver on the promise made by the first part of the tale. One suspects Wagner of having done a Marty McFly, as Bad Bob Booth, the USA’s final president, bears a chilling resemblance, in many ways, to the current incumbent in the White House. It’s genuinely dramatic, with some weighty philosophical moments that are bound to give Joe much food for thought for years to come. One example: Fargo, the man from whom Dredd was cloned, told him they’d gone too far and created a monster. Origins is also available as an individual collection.

‘Tartan Terrors’ by Gordon Rennie and Jock, is short, but among of the best stories, ripping the piss out of the Scots, but with a great deal of affection. This is very funny and Jock’s artwork is superb.

‘Mutants in Mega-City One’ (24 pages) kicks off an entertaining and intelligent trilogy of Wagner-penned tales about mutants’ rights and treatment, all illustrated by the always-reliable Colin MacNeil.

‘Times Squared’ by Ian Edgington and D’israeli, plays to the pair’s strengths as a Victorian time traveller from Dredd’s past escapes prison. They even manage to sneak in a cheeky Doctor Who cameo or two.

The book ends on a couple of particularly strong stories. ‘Streetfighting Man’ (20 pages) by Robbie Morrison and Henry Flint is hard-hitting and brutal, while ‘Night School’ by Wagner and Peter Doherty is a cracker of a tale featuring Dolman, one of the Dredd clones.

Unfortunately, in a collection of this size, there are bound to be some efforts that are noteworthy for all the wrong reasons, and in this case (file) that dubious honour goes to artists Lee Garbett (‘Shadowkill’) and Len O’Grady (‘The Hotshot’). Both produce rushed-looking work, though that is in comparison to a bunch of very talented artists.

The remainder of the content, all one or two-parters, range from unremarkable to pretty good, and there are no obvious stinkers. We’ve now reached the era of most creators having grown up reading Dredd, so they bring their A-game. This strip is consistently the best thing in 2000 AD, with Joe a slowly but ever-evolving character who is perhaps more relevant than ever. This collection contains plenty of well-crafted stories to satisfy fans both old and new.