We met up with Dredd walking around in limbo. It seems he has lost all connection with Anderson. He is on his own, trying to preserve the law in a lawless land. It has been days since he has seen another human being. But he still follows the fuel line of the hover craft in order to save Mega-City One. Finally Dredd sees another human, well human I don’t know, but close enough. All the people in limbo are disfigured. It is quite entertaining seeing these rednecks come to life. They all have too many eyes or fingers or long necks. They ain’t the brightest folks neither. Earl and his gang torture Dredd and explain what the hell this place is. It is an amusement park in the middle of nowhere. There are the weirdest rides ever. The designs on each coaster is pretty freakin’ cool. Well minus the blood and guts that each ride has splatter all over it. Yeah they test the rides and someone always ends up dead. One guy spins so hard that his insides explode from him. Typical Dredd gore.
We don’t ever hear about the craft again so I don’t think these dudes have anything to do with what is happening in the City. I think the next couple of issues will revolve around Dredd’s adventures beyond the city. Dredd always amuses me when he is caught in a situation he cannot understand. He never loses his cool, but instead just wants his damn gun back to feel more comfortable.
Anyway, the amusement park people are led by a guy Woodrell. As a young boy he dreamed of building a park. He has now grown up trying to fulfill that dream. Woodrell, when he was younger, got caught up in Atomic Wars, so he is clearly messed up. The first time we see in him in present day he has a moo-moo dress on or maybe just a really big shirt with a way that just isn’t right for anyone. And the whole gang calls him Daddy. Yeah you can see what creepy way I am going with this. Dredd must face him and his deathly rides in order to escape.
The issue read well and like I said I enjoy seeing Dredd in new elements. He has a lot to offer even if he is one of the most static characters I have ever read. The ending leads me to believe that Dredd has been to limbo before and somehow doesn’t remember it. I kind of hope that the comic flashes to the City next issue though. I feel like the audience may forget what is going on and also I am just wondering how everything is going. Hopefully he and Anderson will gain communication soon to add another layer to the mix. Although the limbo characters add enough.
Score: 4/5
Writer: Duane Swierczynski
Artist: Nelson Daniel
Publisher: IDW Publishing and 2000 AD
Price: $3.99
Release Date: 7/24/13