Review by Ian Keogh

Whereas most of the Judge Dredd collections published by Hamlyn in the 1990s are anchored by a single story, this slim volume is just a random selection with little connection of theme or mood.

The title story originally saw print in the 1991 Judge Dredd Annual, and the novelty at the time was John Wagner and Colin MacNeil supplying the first meeting of Judge Dredd and 2000AD’s second favourite son Strontium Dog. It’s professionally handled by both creators, Dredd initially puzzled by the results of the Strontium Dog technology, but more memorable meetings between the pair followed, and with the novelty pulled away it’s a slim story. It’s now more easily found along with other content from Dredd annuals in the third Judge Dredd: The Restricted Case Files.

Two further stories follow, both also supplied in Judge Dredd: The Complete Case Files 16. The single chapter ‘Garbage Disposal’ is early Garth Ennis work on Dredd, based on the idea of any ordinary item from the mid-20th century, no matter how battered, having value in Dredd’s era. When a couple are murdered for their saucepan Dredd investigates. It’s a decent enough and nicely drawn by John Burns, but both creators would produce better work on Dredd.

‘The Art of Geomancy’ occupies the greatest number of pages, as Alan Grant and Burns provide a sequel to Dredd’s encounter with martial artist Stan Lee, Deathfist. This is the collection’s highlight, a tense drama against an implacable foe. Grant enjoys returning the bizarre Max Normal from Dredd’s earliest outings, and the Burns art is stunning from scenes of a futuristic aircraft opening the story to the final panel of a battered Dredd in a hospital bed. The purpose is to underline that Dredd is ageing and now perhaps even vulnerable, and the point is well made.

If you can find it, and love Burns’ art, Top Dog is worth picking up for the slightly larger page size than the Complete Case Files edition.