Review - Judge Dredd GuatemalaComic Reviews 

Review – Judge Dredd Guatemala

Review - Judge Dredd Guatemala

Review – Judge Dredd Guatemala

Availability: Publishes 24 June 2021

Author: John Wagner

Artwork: Colin MacNeil, Carlos Ezquerra, Henry Flint, Dan Cornwell

Publisher: 2000 AD Graphic Novels

ISBN13: 9781781088951

Stories

Coming in June is a collection of some of the best Joe Dredd stories with Guatemala taking centre stage. We then have five stories from the pages of 2000AD and Judge Dredd Megazine. A deathbed request sends Judge Dredd on a diplomatic mission to Guatemala, a dictatorship ruled by the despotic robot El Presidente. Under the military rule of robots, humans are enslaved, trafficked, and farmed for parts. El Presidente seeks to expand its repressive regime – and if Mega-City One doesn’t give in to its demands, its nuclear arsenal will blow the city off the map!

After the cover story, we have a nice little Dredd and Johnny Alpha crossover, who has put a bounty on Dredd 100 years in the future find out in By Private Contract.

Get Jerry Sing is next up when tags appear all over Mega-City One. But what does the message Get Jerry Sing mean is it a threat, a promotion, or something else?

The Trouble with Harry follows the last heir to the British Monarchy after the Government sold them off 100 years earlier, what could go wrong with a mass knighting ceremony?

The final tale, The Victims of Bennett Beeny is a follow to the critically acclaimed America story. In the exclusive Bennett Beeny Block, why are terrorists killing anybody with links to the Hall of Justice?

Writing

What can I write about John Wagner that has not been written before? He has been scripting for 2000 AD for more years than he cares to remember. His creations include Judge Dredd, Strontium Dog, Ace Trucking, Al’s Baby, Button Man, and Mean Machine. Outside of 2000AD, his credits include Star Wars, Lobo, The Punisher and the critically acclaimed A History of Violence.

He has been consistently writing stunningly subversive stories for decades and snubbing his nose at politicians, celebrities, and so-called heroes. Rather than speak for him why not listen to the 2000AD podcast where he gives some of the more interesting sorties behind his life!

Carlos Ezquerra

Along with Wagner the Godfather of 200AD the late, great Carlos Ezquerra. The co-creator of Dredd famously had many fallouts with Pat Mills and John Wagner over the character which infamously was dropped from the first issue of 2000AD. After his death in 2018, Rebellion published a collection including this “missing” artwork.

His styles converge in this issue with the two great short stories the By Private Contract and Get Jerry Sing shorts. As a Scot I love seeing Middenface McNulty and Alpha using their mutie style to work with the Lawman to both get the bounty and dispense justice. His artwork is distinctive, honest and will be missed.

Colin MacNeil 

Since joining 2000 AD in 1986 Colin MacNeil has worked on many strips, including Chopper: Song of the Surfer and the infamous death of Johnny Alpha in Strontium Dog: The Final Solution. He went on to collaborate with John Wagner on the award-winning America for the Judge Dredd Megazine.  Later he has also worked on Shimura, Maelstrom, and Fiends of the Eastern Front: Stalingrad, and, outside of the Galaxy’s Greatest Comic, provided the atmospheric artwork on Bloodquest for Games Workshop. Colin also enjoys creating large abstract paintings. He says it’s art therapy! In Guatemala, his full colour style and stunning full-page shots explode out the pages. Thankfully you can see he doesn’t take it at all seriously and has fun with the Robots!

Henry Flint

Henry Flint, is the winner of the National Comics Awards for Best Comic Artist 2004, is one of the Galaxy’s Greatest Comic’s rising superstars. Co-creator of Sancho Panzer, Shakara, and the fan-favourite strip, Zombo, his incredibly versatile pencils have also graced A.B.C. Warriors, Judge Dredd/Aliens, Deadlock, Judge Dredd, Rogue Trooper, Nemesis the Warlock, The V.C.’s, and Venus Bluegenes. His Trouble with Harry short works well taking the inbreeding jokes about the Monarchy as well as the greed to governments desperate to sell off assets to the highest bidders.

Dan Cornwell

Dan Cornwell is a comics artist who is on the ascent. He illustrated Rok of the Reds, published by Black Hearted Press takes two of Britain’s comic fans obsessions Aliens and Football. Cornwell has also appeared in the anthology comic 100% Biodegradable and has illustrated Judge Dredd in 2000 AD. His realistic style works will in this Block Assault style story that will have you diving to rewatch Dredd on Netflix!

I am the Law!

If you are a fan of the stone chinned one.. this is a great little collection. I would have one small complaint I’ve always thought that some of the stories are just fillers sometimes and the weakest story here is the Get Jerry Sing with a predictable twist in its tail.

I wouldn’t but this if you have no gotten up to speed with America as well as the fate of the Chief Judge Hershey.

If you have enjoyed my review of Judge Dredd Guatemala then click the links below to leave your own rating!

[yasr_multiset setid=1]

[yasr_visitor_multiset setid=1]

Buy tickets for BGCP Comic Con in and around Glasgow Scotland – BUY TICKETS

Check out all of our Comic, Movie, Television and Videogame Reviews HERE and our Podcasts/Interviews HERE

If you want to be part of the BGCP community, Join us on Discord, Twitter, Instagram etc then click HERE

Michael Lennox

Written by 

T'was a cold dark night in East Kilbride... and below the roundabouts, something old and ancient began to shudder awake. The world would rue the day that it gave the Green Jaguar comics to read!

Related posts