Judge Dredd Megazine #471: Meg 471

Those of you born in the seventies and grew up in the eightiest are just the right age to appreciate the Scarred For Life books, which celebrate (and perhaps question too) the weirdness of popculture during these decades, from public-information films to children’s TV, sweets to urban legends.

The first two self-published doorstop tomes have just been joined by a third volume, which examines life under the shadow of the Bomb, and naturally focuses a chapter on The Apocalypse War, which was originally published when nuclear fear was at its height. In this issue, Scott Montgomery chats to the SFL authors about how formative 2000 AD was for an audience terrified by Threads and When the Wind Blows.

Elsewhere, there’s chats with artists Mark Farmer, Paul McCaffrey and Gemma Sheldrake, a look at the return of 2000 AD fanzine Zarjaz, plus a whole bunch of stories wrap up as Dredd, Harrower Squad, Dreadnoughts and Armitage all reach their final episodes. It clears the decks for next month’s crossover event Nordland Rising, in which the Norts from the Rogue Trooper universe wage war on the worlds of 2000 AD!

Judge Dredd » Hive (Part 2)

Mega-City One, 2146 AD. This vast urban hell on the east coast of post-apocalyptic North America is home to over 200 million citizens, bordered by the irradiated Cursed Earth to the west and the toxic Black Atlantic to the east. Tensions run a knife-edge and crime is rampant. Stemming the tide of chaos are the Judges. Toughest of them all is Judge Dredd – he is the Law!

Armitage » Bullets for an old man (Part 5)

Brit-Cit, 2146 AD. While the UK equivalent of Mega-City One has its own Judge force, it’s retained its CID plainclothes division, of which Detective Inspector Armitage was one of its veteran officers. Now a consultant, Armitage hasn’t lost his surly demeanour and distrust of authority, even when the CID chief is now his long-suffering former partner Treasure Steel...

Tales from the Black Museum » The Haunting of Borley block (Part 1)

Mega-City One, 2146 AD. Deep in the heart of the Grand Hall of Justice lies the Black Museum, Justice Department’s permanent exhibition of the relics from bygone crimes. Whether it’s a notorious serial killer’s trophies or the weapons of the Dark Judges, the violent history of the Big Meg is laid bare here. Let undead guide Henry Dubble show you around... The Haunting of Borley Block.

Judge Dredd » Toxic (Part 4)

Mega-City One, 2130 AD. This vast urban nightmare on the east coast of post-apocalyptic North America is home to 400 million citizens, every one a potential criminal. With lawlessness rife, only the Judges can prevent total anarchy. These future lawmen are judge, jury and executioner. Toughest of them all is Judge Dredd - he is the law!

Pandora Perfect » inPerfect Sounds (Part 3)

Earth, the far future. While the towering starscrapers and flying cars may make this look like some idealised Utopia, crime is still a major problem, and there’s no felon more wanted than the nefarious Pandora Perez — burglar, safe-cracker, armed bandit and all-round career criminal. The authorities may think they’ve finally managed to incarcerate her, but they’re reckoned without her loyal robot assistant Gort, who’s succeeded in breaking her out of her cell. With every cop likely to be on their tail, Pandora and Gort are going to have to lie low — plus there’s the problem of her ankle shackle, which will explode if she tries to flee...

Department K » Mecha-City One (Part 3)

Mega-City One, 2142 AD. Justice Department has many divisions within it tasked with dealing with the various threats that face the metropolis. The psychic personnel of Psi-Division, for example, are at the forefront in the fight against supernatural foes, while TekDiv conducts all manner of experiments and develops advanced weaponry. The mysterious DEPARTMENT K is a branch of the latter, whose brief is to tackle interdimensional enemies that are seeking to break through the walls of reality. Ever since Judge Death’s appearance, Kirby and her team have been working on ways to keep Mega-City safe from further dimensional incursions...

Harrower Squad » Urban rotation (Part 4)

Cal-Hab, 2146 AD. This wild area north of Brit-Cit has become notorious as a dumping ground for the world’s radioactive waste, and as a consequence much of it outside the major conurbations such as Glascal is an inhospitable wasteland populated by mutant tribes. Patrolling the wilderness are heavy-weapons Judge teams like Harrower Squad...

DreadNoughts » Nothing to Fear (Part 4)

USA, 2035 AD. The new Justice Department is still in its early years, with Judges working alongside the police. It’s proving an explosive transition, with many citizens – and more than a few cops – unhappy with these helmeted officers taking to the streets. Boulder, Colorado, has been a recent flashpoint, and now the Judges’ influence is spreading wider...