Dredd: Underbelly Review
2000AD
Script by: Arthur Wyatt
Art by: Henry Flint
Colours by: Chris Blythe
Letters by: Ellie De Ville
Reviewer: Ross Rivers
Summary: DREDD: Underbelly picks up a year after the movie with Judge Dredd and Judge Anderson investigating a gruesome mass grave - could this be linked to a new drug that has flooded into the blocks of Mega-City One after the fall of the Ma-Ma clan?
Review: 2012’s Dredd was, in my very RIGHT opinion, one of the best comic book adaptations of all time. It was violent, action packed and Karl Urban looked like he had been drawn by Carlos Ezquerra himself. The plot wasn’t exactly original but it was incredibly well executed.
And now we have Dredd: Underbelly! A comic book sequel! Unfortunately, 2000AD teased it with something like “If you’re a fan of the Dredd movie, stay tuned...” This kind of got a lot of hopes up, including mine. But, still; a comic book sequel’s better than nothing, right?
Or is it?
Underbelly follows Dredd as he investigates the smuggling of illegal mutants, from the atomic wasteland that surrounds Mega-City 1. Among them is a mother looking for her son, who arrived in the city before disappearing.
To find the boy, Dredd takes to the streets to beat on thugs, kicking ass and taking names. Meanwhile, Anderson uses her psychic abilities to find information in more subtle ways.
Along the way, they come across a new drug, Psyche, that’s flooding the streets, now that Slo-Mo has more or less been eradicated.
So the story, written by Arthur Wyatt, isn’t too different from that of the movie. But it does explore the movie version of Mega-City 1 a bit more and it gives us some insight into the surrounding atomic wastes.
Unfortunately, the script is limited by the One Shot format. Wyatt’s pacing seems a little rushed at times, with action scenes passing by too quickly and some elements, such as Psyche and the Psi Division, being pushed to the side to get the story told in the space available. It’s clear that this story would have been better suited to a miniseries, at least.
That shouldn’t detract from Wyatt’s well written script, of course; it’s still a fantastic read. Everything that made the movie great is here, except for the lack of over the top violence. It’s got action, drugs and Dredd himself. Could have done with more Anderson, of course, but that would have required more pages.
But who could possibly present Wyatt’s script and do it justice? Why, Henry Flint, of course! One of the best Dredd artists of all time.
Flint has worked on 2000AD comics for a heck of a long time and his style is one of the most recognisable out of all the 2000AD regulars. His work on Dredd has always been some of his best and this book is the perfect example of that.
Flint helps the book come alive in a way that few artists can manage; he inserts the grittiness one would expect from a book like this but he also brings a slight cartoon edge to it, which brings a hint of the dark comedic themes 2000AD does so well. There’s no comedy or light heartedness here, but the mix helps separate this book from the average gritty, angry comic book that floods the market every week.
Both Wyatt and Flint help flesh out the movie version of Mega-City , making it look incredibly horrible in all the right ways. While this version is a bit more realistic than the one seen in comics, it’s still obvious that a lot of creativity and imagination has been put into this universe.
But I wouldn’t call this book a direct sequel; it’s more of “Dredd 1.5” kind of thing. It could lead perfectly into Dredd 2, which kind of NEEDS to be made.
I highly recommend picking this book up. It has its flaws but they’re easy to ignore when Wyatt’s script and Flint’s art sucks you in.
Editor's Note: Remember to be sure and pick up your copy when it comes out on the 29th!
2000AD
Script by: Arthur Wyatt
Art by: Henry Flint
Colours by: Chris Blythe
Letters by: Ellie De Ville
Reviewer: Ross Rivers
Summary: DREDD: Underbelly picks up a year after the movie with Judge Dredd and Judge Anderson investigating a gruesome mass grave - could this be linked to a new drug that has flooded into the blocks of Mega-City One after the fall of the Ma-Ma clan?
Review: 2012’s Dredd was, in my very RIGHT opinion, one of the best comic book adaptations of all time. It was violent, action packed and Karl Urban looked like he had been drawn by Carlos Ezquerra himself. The plot wasn’t exactly original but it was incredibly well executed.
And now we have Dredd: Underbelly! A comic book sequel! Unfortunately, 2000AD teased it with something like “If you’re a fan of the Dredd movie, stay tuned...” This kind of got a lot of hopes up, including mine. But, still; a comic book sequel’s better than nothing, right?
Or is it?
Underbelly follows Dredd as he investigates the smuggling of illegal mutants, from the atomic wasteland that surrounds Mega-City 1. Among them is a mother looking for her son, who arrived in the city before disappearing.
To find the boy, Dredd takes to the streets to beat on thugs, kicking ass and taking names. Meanwhile, Anderson uses her psychic abilities to find information in more subtle ways.
Along the way, they come across a new drug, Psyche, that’s flooding the streets, now that Slo-Mo has more or less been eradicated.
So the story, written by Arthur Wyatt, isn’t too different from that of the movie. But it does explore the movie version of Mega-City 1 a bit more and it gives us some insight into the surrounding atomic wastes.
Unfortunately, the script is limited by the One Shot format. Wyatt’s pacing seems a little rushed at times, with action scenes passing by too quickly and some elements, such as Psyche and the Psi Division, being pushed to the side to get the story told in the space available. It’s clear that this story would have been better suited to a miniseries, at least.
That shouldn’t detract from Wyatt’s well written script, of course; it’s still a fantastic read. Everything that made the movie great is here, except for the lack of over the top violence. It’s got action, drugs and Dredd himself. Could have done with more Anderson, of course, but that would have required more pages.
But who could possibly present Wyatt’s script and do it justice? Why, Henry Flint, of course! One of the best Dredd artists of all time.
Flint has worked on 2000AD comics for a heck of a long time and his style is one of the most recognisable out of all the 2000AD regulars. His work on Dredd has always been some of his best and this book is the perfect example of that.
Flint helps the book come alive in a way that few artists can manage; he inserts the grittiness one would expect from a book like this but he also brings a slight cartoon edge to it, which brings a hint of the dark comedic themes 2000AD does so well. There’s no comedy or light heartedness here, but the mix helps separate this book from the average gritty, angry comic book that floods the market every week.
Both Wyatt and Flint help flesh out the movie version of Mega-City , making it look incredibly horrible in all the right ways. While this version is a bit more realistic than the one seen in comics, it’s still obvious that a lot of creativity and imagination has been put into this universe.
But I wouldn’t call this book a direct sequel; it’s more of “Dredd 1.5” kind of thing. It could lead perfectly into Dredd 2, which kind of NEEDS to be made.
I highly recommend picking this book up. It has its flaws but they’re easy to ignore when Wyatt’s script and Flint’s art sucks you in.
Editor's Note: Remember to be sure and pick up your copy when it comes out on the 29th!