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Day of Chaos #1
Judge Dredd Day of Chaos: The Fourth Faction
The events of the Apocalypse War come back to haunt Dredd and the whole of Mega-City One thirty years later as agents of the destroyed Sov Cit East-Meg 1 seek revenge.
With the much-loved mayor of Mega-City One presumed dead by the citizens, an election has been scheduled to choose his successor. Cadet Judge Hennessey has predicted that something terrible will happen on election day and she may be right. East-Meg assassin Nadia has arrived in the Big Meg, looking for a scientist who has created a very dangerous virus...
This game-changing beginning to the biggest Judge Dredd story ever written, has been produced by comics' legend and Judge Dredd co-creator John Wagner (A History of Violence, Button Man), and features the incredible artwork of Staz Johnson (Detective Comics, Catwoman), Henry Flint (Zombo, Shakara), Colin MacNeil (Song of the Surfer, Insurrection) and Ben Willsher (Lenny Zero, Doctor Who).
With the much-loved mayor of Mega-City One presumed dead by the citizens, an election has been scheduled to choose his successor. Cadet Judge Hennessey has predicted that something terrible will happen on election day and she may be right. East-Meg assassin Nadia has arrived in the Big Meg, looking for a scientist who has created a very dangerous virus...
This game-changing beginning to the biggest Judge Dredd story ever written, has been produced by comics' legend and Judge Dredd co-creator John Wagner (A History of Violence, Button Man), and features the incredible artwork of Staz Johnson (Detective Comics, Catwoman), Henry Flint (Zombo, Shakara), Colin MacNeil (Song of the Surfer, Insurrection) and Ben Willsher (Lenny Zero, Doctor Who).
192 pages, Paperback
First published February 14, 2013
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98 people want to read
About the author
John Wagner
1,263Ìýbooks183ÌýfollowersJohn Wagner is a comics writer who was born in Pennsylvania in 1949 and moved to Scotland as a boy. Alongside Pat Mills, Wagner was responsible for revitalising British boys' comics in the 1970s, and has continued to be a leading light in British comics ever since. He is best known for his work on 2000 AD, for which he created Judge Dredd. He is noted for his taut, violent thrillers and his black humour. Among his pseudonyms are The best known are John Howard, T.B. Grover, Mike Stott, Keef Ripley, Rick Clark and Brian Skuter. ()
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
March 2, 2022
Reading Judge Dredd as a kid it was obvious the Judges and Justice Department weren’t the heroes in a wider ethical sense, but in general they were the heroes in a structural sense - they have to be for the satire to be effective. The Judges are on one level terrible, but they also win - Dredd is an action hero in that he can get the job done against overwhelming odds, but to the average citizen he IS the overwhelming odds. So for a long time the victories antagonists scored against the judges were largely symbolic ones - characters like Chopper who could beat the system but had no chance of actually altering it.
Day Of Chaos works so well because it undermines this structure. The threat Dredd and company face is existential, but the story is about how the Judges fail to overcome it*. So a lot of The Fourth Faction deals with material that reminds the readers how the Judges are fallible and how the apparently omniscient, omnipresent justice department is just an organisation, with internal tensions, budgetary constraints and errors of judgement abounding.
That’s why so much stuff in this volume focuses on PJ Maybe, the anti-Chopper in that he beats the Judges not by rejecting their terms but by entirely accepting them and still getting away with it. Maybe stories work in a paradigm where the Judges screw up and the perps get lucky, which is the mode the rest of Day Of Chaos is going to operate in. They’re also stories which are steeped in the day to day life of the city, which helps set the tone for a story that is vast but also a very slow burn in which moments of action are rare. Nobody does the texture of the Mega-City like Wagner, which makes Day Of Chaos an absolute moment-to-moment treat as well as a gradually building thriller.
*Dredd himself is still the avatar of operational competence, though - when the judges make their one absolutely critical error in this volume the story emphasises how he is the lone voice against it, which of course underscores how bad the mistake is.
Day Of Chaos works so well because it undermines this structure. The threat Dredd and company face is existential, but the story is about how the Judges fail to overcome it*. So a lot of The Fourth Faction deals with material that reminds the readers how the Judges are fallible and how the apparently omniscient, omnipresent justice department is just an organisation, with internal tensions, budgetary constraints and errors of judgement abounding.
That’s why so much stuff in this volume focuses on PJ Maybe, the anti-Chopper in that he beats the Judges not by rejecting their terms but by entirely accepting them and still getting away with it. Maybe stories work in a paradigm where the Judges screw up and the perps get lucky, which is the mode the rest of Day Of Chaos is going to operate in. They’re also stories which are steeped in the day to day life of the city, which helps set the tone for a story that is vast but also a very slow burn in which moments of action are rare. Nobody does the texture of the Mega-City like Wagner, which makes Day Of Chaos an absolute moment-to-moment treat as well as a gradually building thriller.
*Dredd himself is still the avatar of operational competence, though - when the judges make their one absolutely critical error in this volume the story emphasises how he is the lone voice against it, which of course underscores how bad the mistake is.
February 13, 2021
Way back in the 1982 there was an event that took place in the pages of 2000AD that not only changed the landscape of the Big Meg forever, but also reader’s perception of Judge Dredd himself. This event was known as The Apocalypse War. The Apocalypse War saw Mega-City One and East-Meg One at all-out war, ultimately ending with Dredd exploding a nuke on East-Meg in one of the most controversial ‘hero� actions in comic book history.
Over the years that followed, what remains of the East-Meg have retaliated, but no act of vengeance was as huge as Day of Chaos. Spanning 48 episodes, and taking place over 11 months, Day of Chaos is the biggest event to grace the pages of not only 2000AD, but also Judge Dredd Megazine to date.
Judge Dredd: Day of Chaos: The Fourth Faction takes the first six stories in this world changing event written by Judge Dredd creator John Wagner himself, and collects them all into one hefty 190 page tome.
Things kick off with The Skinning Room. Judge Dredd, now a member of the council of five, motions to impose a zero tolerance crackdown on the current crime wave plaguing Mega-City One.
Meanwhile we are introduced to the villain of the story, Mr Skinner, a man who must have graduated from the same seamstress class as Buffalo Bill. This is easily one of the more interesting scenes in the entire book as it is viewed completely through the eyes of a characterless victim, making it seem like the events playing out are happening to you, the reader, and does a great job at building a sense of tension and urgency.
The two paths merge as the crackdown reaches Skinners building, the suitably named Gein Tower, and an overly curious Judge discovers the truth about Skinner. It them becomes a race against time for Dredd and a group of Judges to find Skinner and the young Judge before it’s too late.
From the moment the crackdown is initiated, The Skinning Room is an action packed story that will have you on the edge of your seat. Mr Skinner is a genuinely creepy character, whose actions throughout the story help detract from the heavy handed actions of the Judges, justifying their otherwise brutal behaviour.
Next up in this collection is Hot Night in 95. Judge Hershey, after a series of medical examinations, Joins Judge Dredd, the temporarily appointed Chief of Sector 95, on a bike ride through Sector 95 where a series of stoning’s have been occurring. Things quickly escalate as Rage Against the Megs � an anti-Mega-City group� shoot up the Jelly Bowl, a hyperarena playing host to a televised eating contest.
Judges Dredd and Hershey must then coordinate with the other Judges in the area to stop the terrorist group by any means necessary before more civilian lives are lost. As the gunfight spills into the arena, bodies are dropped, fluids are dispensed, and cheap Python-esque gags are had.
Despite all the action, Hot Night in 95 seems to miss the mark as far as an interesting story goes. It definitely feels like it’s setting up something bigger with Rage Against the Megs, which sadly doesn’t come to fruition in this volume.
The Further Dastardly Deeds of PJ Maybe is the third story on offer, and is one of the best in the collection. Telling the tale of Mr Maybe’s escape from prison it’s short, and setting up the events for the rest of the book, it’s as stylish as it is clever. Unlike the previous stories in this collection, there is little to no action, but it works in the story’s favour, focusing more on character and situation development.
Choosing to follow just one thread instead of the previous stories two gives this chapter much more focus and allows it to move along at a steady pace. PJ Maybe comes across as a devious and clever advisory for the Judges, and despite the fact he’s the villain of the piece, it’s hard not to root for him, which makes his return in a later story even more impactful.
The fourth story, Nadia, is the biggest in Day of Chaos: The Fourth Faction, and with good reason. Set amidst the chaos of a mayoral election after previous mayor Ambrose is announced dead, an East-Meg assassin known only as Nadia arrives in Mega-City One with the intention to kidnap and extract a well-known scientist and his family.
Nadia’s arrival set’s off a chain of events, ultimately leading to a murder investigation that is not entirely what it seems. Filled with action, suspense, and humour, Nadia is an edge-of-your-seat ride from start to finish that completely takes advantage of its longer length.
The final two stories are, by contrast, incredibly short. Taking place directly after the events of Nadia, The Fourth Faction focusses on introducing the string pullers of the previous story, and setting up the events for the second part of the event which doesn’t appear until the next collection.
And the final story of the book, Elusive, focusses on the hunt for PJ Maybe, as he cons his way into the life of a billionaire widower and plans an assassination of a government official. The length and content of the final two stories leave the book ending with more of a whimper than the bang it was leading up to in Nadia.
The art is mainly strong, but does fall short of greatness in a couple of places. It’s definitely at its best when Ben Willsher and Chris Blythe are teamed together. Willsher’s thick line work and sleek character design allow for some bold colouring from Blythe that really make the focal characters pop. Everything has a sharp look to it, and even in the more chaotic scenes your eye is always drawn to where it is intended to be. The gore and explosions are especially eye catching, which is nice.
The duo especially shine during Nadia, especially with some of Judge Hennessy’s visions, and action sequences.
Sadly, Staz Johnson’s art seems a little inconsistent, jumping from bold detail to an almost forced realism that ends up looking sloppy in places. This may be in part to Blythe’s colouring style not mixing well with Johnsons line work � his sketchy shading lines make it difficult for the colours to pop, and forces a dark pallet on everything, making what could have been exciting visuals come across as dull at times.
Colin MacNeil’s chunky art style, on the other hand, is the perfect fit for Blythe’s bold colouring, and the dull backdrops of Mega-City One play off nicely against the deep reds and yellows of the Judges uniforms, making them jump of the page to great effect.
The problem with collections like this is 2000AD’s way of storytelling. Episodic story telling works great in weekly serialised form, but when those episodes come together in one book it can often feel disjointed, often losing momentum or rhythm as one story ends and another begins.
Cliff hangers don’t carry the weight they should due to it being picked up immediately on the next page, and on the flip side if the book itself ends flat, as it does here, it elicits no sense of urgency or need to acquire the next volume as the story slows down to a point where nothing happens.
Over the years that followed, what remains of the East-Meg have retaliated, but no act of vengeance was as huge as Day of Chaos. Spanning 48 episodes, and taking place over 11 months, Day of Chaos is the biggest event to grace the pages of not only 2000AD, but also Judge Dredd Megazine to date.
Judge Dredd: Day of Chaos: The Fourth Faction takes the first six stories in this world changing event written by Judge Dredd creator John Wagner himself, and collects them all into one hefty 190 page tome.
Things kick off with The Skinning Room. Judge Dredd, now a member of the council of five, motions to impose a zero tolerance crackdown on the current crime wave plaguing Mega-City One.
Meanwhile we are introduced to the villain of the story, Mr Skinner, a man who must have graduated from the same seamstress class as Buffalo Bill. This is easily one of the more interesting scenes in the entire book as it is viewed completely through the eyes of a characterless victim, making it seem like the events playing out are happening to you, the reader, and does a great job at building a sense of tension and urgency.
The two paths merge as the crackdown reaches Skinners building, the suitably named Gein Tower, and an overly curious Judge discovers the truth about Skinner. It them becomes a race against time for Dredd and a group of Judges to find Skinner and the young Judge before it’s too late.
From the moment the crackdown is initiated, The Skinning Room is an action packed story that will have you on the edge of your seat. Mr Skinner is a genuinely creepy character, whose actions throughout the story help detract from the heavy handed actions of the Judges, justifying their otherwise brutal behaviour.
Next up in this collection is Hot Night in 95. Judge Hershey, after a series of medical examinations, Joins Judge Dredd, the temporarily appointed Chief of Sector 95, on a bike ride through Sector 95 where a series of stoning’s have been occurring. Things quickly escalate as Rage Against the Megs � an anti-Mega-City group� shoot up the Jelly Bowl, a hyperarena playing host to a televised eating contest.
Judges Dredd and Hershey must then coordinate with the other Judges in the area to stop the terrorist group by any means necessary before more civilian lives are lost. As the gunfight spills into the arena, bodies are dropped, fluids are dispensed, and cheap Python-esque gags are had.
Despite all the action, Hot Night in 95 seems to miss the mark as far as an interesting story goes. It definitely feels like it’s setting up something bigger with Rage Against the Megs, which sadly doesn’t come to fruition in this volume.
The Further Dastardly Deeds of PJ Maybe is the third story on offer, and is one of the best in the collection. Telling the tale of Mr Maybe’s escape from prison it’s short, and setting up the events for the rest of the book, it’s as stylish as it is clever. Unlike the previous stories in this collection, there is little to no action, but it works in the story’s favour, focusing more on character and situation development.
Choosing to follow just one thread instead of the previous stories two gives this chapter much more focus and allows it to move along at a steady pace. PJ Maybe comes across as a devious and clever advisory for the Judges, and despite the fact he’s the villain of the piece, it’s hard not to root for him, which makes his return in a later story even more impactful.
The fourth story, Nadia, is the biggest in Day of Chaos: The Fourth Faction, and with good reason. Set amidst the chaos of a mayoral election after previous mayor Ambrose is announced dead, an East-Meg assassin known only as Nadia arrives in Mega-City One with the intention to kidnap and extract a well-known scientist and his family.
Nadia’s arrival set’s off a chain of events, ultimately leading to a murder investigation that is not entirely what it seems. Filled with action, suspense, and humour, Nadia is an edge-of-your-seat ride from start to finish that completely takes advantage of its longer length.
The final two stories are, by contrast, incredibly short. Taking place directly after the events of Nadia, The Fourth Faction focusses on introducing the string pullers of the previous story, and setting up the events for the second part of the event which doesn’t appear until the next collection.
And the final story of the book, Elusive, focusses on the hunt for PJ Maybe, as he cons his way into the life of a billionaire widower and plans an assassination of a government official. The length and content of the final two stories leave the book ending with more of a whimper than the bang it was leading up to in Nadia.
The art is mainly strong, but does fall short of greatness in a couple of places. It’s definitely at its best when Ben Willsher and Chris Blythe are teamed together. Willsher’s thick line work and sleek character design allow for some bold colouring from Blythe that really make the focal characters pop. Everything has a sharp look to it, and even in the more chaotic scenes your eye is always drawn to where it is intended to be. The gore and explosions are especially eye catching, which is nice.
The duo especially shine during Nadia, especially with some of Judge Hennessy’s visions, and action sequences.
Sadly, Staz Johnson’s art seems a little inconsistent, jumping from bold detail to an almost forced realism that ends up looking sloppy in places. This may be in part to Blythe’s colouring style not mixing well with Johnsons line work � his sketchy shading lines make it difficult for the colours to pop, and forces a dark pallet on everything, making what could have been exciting visuals come across as dull at times.
Colin MacNeil’s chunky art style, on the other hand, is the perfect fit for Blythe’s bold colouring, and the dull backdrops of Mega-City One play off nicely against the deep reds and yellows of the Judges uniforms, making them jump of the page to great effect.
The problem with collections like this is 2000AD’s way of storytelling. Episodic story telling works great in weekly serialised form, but when those episodes come together in one book it can often feel disjointed, often losing momentum or rhythm as one story ends and another begins.
Cliff hangers don’t carry the weight they should due to it being picked up immediately on the next page, and on the flip side if the book itself ends flat, as it does here, it elicits no sense of urgency or need to acquire the next volume as the story slows down to a point where nothing happens.
August 15, 2020
‘Day of Chaos; The Fourth Faction� is a collection of Judge Dredd stories that build up into a larger story arc. The scripts are all by Dredd co-creator John Wagner and the art is by various well-known talents of the genre. A forward by Keith Richardson explains that way back in 2000AD prog 266, in 1982, as a conclusion to the Apocalypse War, Dredd used nukes to wipe out East-Meg One, a Sov city. Thirty years later our hero may be about to reap what he has sown.
The first chapter is ‘The Skinning Room�. Former Chief Judge Sinfield has been sent to the penal colony on Titan and a Council of Five now runs Mega-City One - five Judges, obviously. Crime seems to have fallen under Sinfield’s reign but the figures have been manipulated by downgrading some offences to misdemeanours. Wagner neatly echoes the real-life effects of government targets and how statistics are fiddled. Dredd, our man on the street, says there is actually a crime wave and calls for a crackdown. Zero tolerance, starting with sector 50. As it happens Mister Skinner lives in this sector, a man with a very apt name and peculiar fashion agenda. The art, a beautiful job by Ben Willsher, contains nudity and violence. You have been warned.
The art in the next instalment, by Staz Johnson, is also very good. ‘Hot Night in 95� has Joe Dredd taking over temporarily as Chief of sector 95. His old comrade Hershey comes back from a leave of absence and is not sure she wants to carry on Judging. That night gangs of terrorists attack across the city, shooting civilians at random. They wear T-shirts bearing the logo ‘Rage Against the Megs�. Throw in a grotesque eating contest and you have another darkly humorous tale of Dredd.
In the next segment, ‘The Dastardly Deeds of P.J. Maybe� that villain P.J. Maybe escapes from the iso-cubes. I felt that the art by Colin MacNeil was not as nice as that which preceded it but it’s all a matter of taste. There was nothing at all wrong with it, mind. Ben Willsher is back doing the pictures for ‘Nadia�, a long segment in which a female by that name arrives in the city intent on causing chaos. She meets with associates already in place and sets to work. A cadet Psi Judge named Hennessy is getting some cognitive flashes of trouble ahead but no one takes her seriously, except Dredd. There is an election for Mayor in progress to complicate matters. ‘The Fourth Faction� continues the story begun in ‘Nadia� and this book concludes with ‘Elusive� in which P.J. Maybe rears his very changeable head once more. The fine art in both these episodes was by Henry Flint.
All in all an enjoyable collection of Dredd. The character of the Judge has grown slightly more complex over the years. He’s not exactly softened but he has done things like letting muties into the city which are not popular with everyone. He has a few friends too, like Hershey and other Judges he respects. The art varied from good to great and the Wagnerian scripts are as elegant as ever. There are little jokes in some panels - graffiti on walls, names of buildings, some character names - that would only be understood by a Brit-Cit audience but that’s fair enough. Wagner is one of us after all.
I look forward to the next book in the series.
The first chapter is ‘The Skinning Room�. Former Chief Judge Sinfield has been sent to the penal colony on Titan and a Council of Five now runs Mega-City One - five Judges, obviously. Crime seems to have fallen under Sinfield’s reign but the figures have been manipulated by downgrading some offences to misdemeanours. Wagner neatly echoes the real-life effects of government targets and how statistics are fiddled. Dredd, our man on the street, says there is actually a crime wave and calls for a crackdown. Zero tolerance, starting with sector 50. As it happens Mister Skinner lives in this sector, a man with a very apt name and peculiar fashion agenda. The art, a beautiful job by Ben Willsher, contains nudity and violence. You have been warned.
The art in the next instalment, by Staz Johnson, is also very good. ‘Hot Night in 95� has Joe Dredd taking over temporarily as Chief of sector 95. His old comrade Hershey comes back from a leave of absence and is not sure she wants to carry on Judging. That night gangs of terrorists attack across the city, shooting civilians at random. They wear T-shirts bearing the logo ‘Rage Against the Megs�. Throw in a grotesque eating contest and you have another darkly humorous tale of Dredd.
In the next segment, ‘The Dastardly Deeds of P.J. Maybe� that villain P.J. Maybe escapes from the iso-cubes. I felt that the art by Colin MacNeil was not as nice as that which preceded it but it’s all a matter of taste. There was nothing at all wrong with it, mind. Ben Willsher is back doing the pictures for ‘Nadia�, a long segment in which a female by that name arrives in the city intent on causing chaos. She meets with associates already in place and sets to work. A cadet Psi Judge named Hennessy is getting some cognitive flashes of trouble ahead but no one takes her seriously, except Dredd. There is an election for Mayor in progress to complicate matters. ‘The Fourth Faction� continues the story begun in ‘Nadia� and this book concludes with ‘Elusive� in which P.J. Maybe rears his very changeable head once more. The fine art in both these episodes was by Henry Flint.
All in all an enjoyable collection of Dredd. The character of the Judge has grown slightly more complex over the years. He’s not exactly softened but he has done things like letting muties into the city which are not popular with everyone. He has a few friends too, like Hershey and other Judges he respects. The art varied from good to great and the Wagnerian scripts are as elegant as ever. There are little jokes in some panels - graffiti on walls, names of buildings, some character names - that would only be understood by a Brit-Cit audience but that’s fair enough. Wagner is one of us after all.
I look forward to the next book in the series.
April 18, 2018
The first of a fascinating three-part story, this story is set sometime after the Apocalypse War when Dredd unleashes a holocaust against a Sov Block city. After a meandering start involving Dredd being mainly bored with sitting on the Council of Five and itching to deliver street justice, the story settles into two main threads.
In the first thread, the criminal murderer (and former mayor of Mega City One in another identity) PJ Maybe makes a daring escape from prison. Told mainly from his point of view, it shows his cunning ability to evade Justice Department and Dredd, who believed he should have been shot instead of imprisoned. PJ has a plan to disrupt the election of upcoming Mayor of the City although by the end, this has not been revealed.
The second tells a darker story of a Sov Block spy infiltrating Mega City One and kidnapping a scientists and his family to discover the secret to creating a killer virus. This is being orchestrated by Yevgeny Borisenko of the Fouth Faction who is eager for revenge against Dredd and Mega City One for the havoc Dredd's action had on the Sov Blocks after the Apocalypse War. In the process, the spy nearly kills Dredd (and has a few scenes showing him in bed without his helmet).
How the two threads tie together is not shown in this book, other than via a Cadet who is psychic and tells Dredd that something terrible will happen to Mega City One during the election for Mayor. This would be revealed in the next book of this series.
In the first thread, the criminal murderer (and former mayor of Mega City One in another identity) PJ Maybe makes a daring escape from prison. Told mainly from his point of view, it shows his cunning ability to evade Justice Department and Dredd, who believed he should have been shot instead of imprisoned. PJ has a plan to disrupt the election of upcoming Mayor of the City although by the end, this has not been revealed.
The second tells a darker story of a Sov Block spy infiltrating Mega City One and kidnapping a scientists and his family to discover the secret to creating a killer virus. This is being orchestrated by Yevgeny Borisenko of the Fouth Faction who is eager for revenge against Dredd and Mega City One for the havoc Dredd's action had on the Sov Blocks after the Apocalypse War. In the process, the spy nearly kills Dredd (and has a few scenes showing him in bed without his helmet).
How the two threads tie together is not shown in this book, other than via a Cadet who is psychic and tells Dredd that something terrible will happen to Mega City One during the election for Mayor. This would be revealed in the next book of this series.
January 17, 2021
As someone getting back into dredd this was recommended as the best place to start . It definitely is. There’s a real sense of the world , dredds character but also a wide ranging plot involving numerous characters. By the end of the volume I felt I understood the situation perfectly and was gripped throughout. PJ Maybe is a lot of fun , all the art was great and in my opinion the best story was Nadia
April 2, 2018
Day of Chaos: Fourth Faction is an immensely enjoyable read, as much for the hilarious political satire as for the explosive action. It's not perfect, but it is a lot of fun.
Can't think of much else to say. The artwork's great. PJ Maybe is a pretty great villain. I'll definitely be reading 'Endgame', I can't wait to see where this story goes next.
Can't think of much else to say. The artwork's great. PJ Maybe is a pretty great villain. I'll definitely be reading 'Endgame', I can't wait to see where this story goes next.
March 30, 2020
Great buildup to the revenge attack on MC1 by the embittered East-Meg survivors. A taut story with many possibilities to avert what is obviously inevitable - the only question is...how bad will it be?
Superb artwork as usual and a gritty, relentless narrative by the excellent John Wagner. What will the Endgame bring?
Superb artwork as usual and a gritty, relentless narrative by the excellent John Wagner. What will the Endgame bring?
August 17, 2024
In an act of vengeance for the Apocalypse War, Sov agents set in motion a long-in-coming plan to destroy Meg One. The Judges chase the clues and the trails and track the suspects, but can they shut it down in time? Wagner expertly orchestrates the mounting tension and dread through complex plots and plot-lines, including the escape of one PJ Maybe.
April 4, 2019
An interesting Dredd story with the East Meg city plots, killers on the loose and the classical reflection of real-life issues. Some switches between the storylines were, however, confusing to me and that drags the issues a little down. Otherwise a worthy Dredd addition.
February 23, 2022
I am not a huge Judge Dredd fan but I found this volume particularly disappointing, it feels very stuck in the 90s with very old fashioned problematic views in it and dated satire (having a candidate called "Tony Blore", really?). Hopefully, the elements will pick up in the next part.
March 24, 2022
Recent Reads: Judge Dredd - Day Of Chaos - The Fourth Faction. The first volume of John Wagner's epic Dredd saga starts small, with random crimes that slowly unveil an existential plot to destroy Mega City One. Wagner undermines everything we know. This is how the Judges fail.
January 18, 2024
Really great art in this modern (2012 seems modern to this reader, who read Dredd back in the 70’s).
However, I’m not sure that I see the through line that makes this a series worthy of its own collection.
Onto endgame!
However, I’m not sure that I see the through line that makes this a series worthy of its own collection.
Onto endgame!
March 11, 2019
To be honest, I was lost. But the art was interesting and plenty of parts kept me motivated. 3/5.
November 22, 2023
I do like the feeling that something really big is brewing underneath the PJ Maybe plot that seem to be dragging on and on. But I do hope the big thing would come sooner.
February 2, 2017
3.5
Solid volume of Dredd stories but, clearly, set up for some kind of huge payoff in part 2.
Solid volume of Dredd stories but, clearly, set up for some kind of huge payoff in part 2.
January 9, 2016
Have been a Dredd and 2000AD fan for decades but other interests and commitments have meant I have not kept up. One of my fave all time story arcs was The Apocalypse Wars which I have read several times via my old and increasingly whiffy comics so maybe I should acquire the graphic novel version. I also have a tape of it somewhere... maybe they should rethink the decision not to make Dredd II the movie?
This graphic novel as I pigeonhole it, really is not such a thing as it is the reprinted episodes of a linked set of stories from a few years ago all wrapped in a convenient if a tad smallish glossy paperback package that looks good on your bookshelf.
I was given this and its sequel for xmas by my son who is also a fan; we "grew up together" immersed every week in the alternate universes of 2000Ad. This was a very welcome surprise and I enjoyed it all very much, the look, the feel, even the smell of having this as a physical object.
My only gripe is that sometimes I needed a magnifying glass to read some of the text (am a vain old git who dislikes wearing his specs).
Otherwise really looking forward to the next part which the kind lad also got me...
This graphic novel as I pigeonhole it, really is not such a thing as it is the reprinted episodes of a linked set of stories from a few years ago all wrapped in a convenient if a tad smallish glossy paperback package that looks good on your bookshelf.
I was given this and its sequel for xmas by my son who is also a fan; we "grew up together" immersed every week in the alternate universes of 2000Ad. This was a very welcome surprise and I enjoyed it all very much, the look, the feel, even the smell of having this as a physical object.
My only gripe is that sometimes I needed a magnifying glass to read some of the text (am a vain old git who dislikes wearing his specs).
Otherwise really looking forward to the next part which the kind lad also got me...
July 1, 2015
In short: The Big Meg's Chickens come home to roost.
John Wagner and co. have penned nothing less than a masterpiece which sees the repercussions of a genocidal decision made at the height of "The Apocalypse War" explode in the centre of Mega-City One.
"The Fourth Faction" is neatly divided between the latest exploits of recurring serial killer character PJ Maybe and the terrifying strategies of Yevgeny Borisenko - a Sov Block intelligence officer who puts a devastating plan of quite terrifying intricacy into play.
"Judge Dredd" has always been a comic-strip which has drawn its inspirations from the miasma of the zeitgeist of the time and popular culture and one does not need to look very far to see the parallels between the hot-button issues of unchecked immigration (in our world) and the festering resentment towards the growing mutant population of MC-1.
Make no bones about it, "The Fourth Faction" is the set-up for the events of "Day Of Chaos: Endgame" and what a set-up it is. It's brilliantly written and drawn and is highly recommended.
John Wagner and co. have penned nothing less than a masterpiece which sees the repercussions of a genocidal decision made at the height of "The Apocalypse War" explode in the centre of Mega-City One.
"The Fourth Faction" is neatly divided between the latest exploits of recurring serial killer character PJ Maybe and the terrifying strategies of Yevgeny Borisenko - a Sov Block intelligence officer who puts a devastating plan of quite terrifying intricacy into play.
"Judge Dredd" has always been a comic-strip which has drawn its inspirations from the miasma of the zeitgeist of the time and popular culture and one does not need to look very far to see the parallels between the hot-button issues of unchecked immigration (in our world) and the festering resentment towards the growing mutant population of MC-1.
Make no bones about it, "The Fourth Faction" is the set-up for the events of "Day Of Chaos: Endgame" and what a set-up it is. It's brilliantly written and drawn and is highly recommended.
July 20, 2013
Dredd is at its best when dealing with the consequences of Dredd's actions.
Day of Chaos plays out the Sov's revenge on Mega-City One for Dredd's decisive action in The Apocalypse War thirty years prior.
The result is a gripping, tragic tale as a virus spreads throughout the city, taxing Justice Department's resources to the limit as they struggle to contain the virus and halt the deaths of billions.
Day of Chaos plays out the Sov's revenge on Mega-City One for Dredd's decisive action in The Apocalypse War thirty years prior.
The result is a gripping, tragic tale as a virus spreads throughout the city, taxing Justice Department's resources to the limit as they struggle to contain the virus and halt the deaths of billions.
October 26, 2014
This book started off with some uninteresting (but linked) story threads. When it started to pick up, I felt Wagner was headed towards a tired rehash of one of the great Dredd story archs. He may still be, but at least reading through this collection I enjoyed the multiple story layers and slow build up. It may be the more mature modern version of Blockmania/Apocalypse War, for a more mature modern audience.
I'm excited to see where it will all go.
I'm excited to see where it will all go.
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October 3, 2012John Wagner, like Dredd himself, just gets better with age. And what he puts Dredd - and his city - through here...well, I read the classic Day the Law Died while this was running in the weekly, and this is far superior.
August 27, 2015
A brilliant set-up for Chaos Day, and has plenty of examples of classic black humour from The Galaxy's Greatest Comic.
June 9, 2015
Very much The First Part of a Thing but well told and it escalates nicely and deals with choices made long ago.
January 17, 2016
30 years of trouble brewing in the big meg...
Dredd
Beeny
PJ Maybe
A Sov plot years in the making. What does this add up to? Another great Dredd epic.
Dredd
Beeny
PJ Maybe
A Sov plot years in the making. What does this add up to? Another great Dredd epic.
April 12, 2016
Very enjoyable modern Dredd story
March 10, 2013
Epic!
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