Mars Attacks Judge Dredd
4 issue mini series
Published by IDW
Writer: Al Ewing
Art: John McCrea
Colours: Jay Fotos
Letters: Tom B Long
Covers Art
Greg Staples (right)
Loston Wallace with colours by Stephen Downer (far right)
Final issue and for me the strongest out of a very pleasing mini-series.
As I said in my review of Issue 1 I was reasonably certain that this mini-series would be pretty good. After all Al Ewing is one of the top writers on Judge Dredd for 2000AD and John McCrea has drawn Dredd and Chopper in 2000AD and Judge Dredd Megazine in the past.
This may be a separate continuity to the ongoing IDW Dredd, it certainly isn’t set in 2000AD continuity. We get a look at Brit Cit, East Meg 1, Texas City and Antarctic City as the Martians make their final move in their plan to conquer Earth.
Anderson coerces Don Uggie in to helping Dredd and herself in the fight that ensues in Mega City One.
Martians and their brains… There is Brain on Brain action in this issue, with Anderson involved obviously. Some hilarious stuff in this part.
The script has pace with action and drama mixed with excellent comedic timing. Dredd is Dredd, always a plus but Al Ewing is trusty hands for this after all.
The art is brilliant, I said before that John McCrea’s art here put me in mind of McMahon, John quite liked that when I told him at thought Bubble in November 2013. It isn’t that you’d confuse it for McMahon, but the angular helmet, jaw and over-sized feet (granted not as exaggerated) and the biological life in the art. It’s great. And the pink tinges in the ‘Brain on Brain’ scenes is perfect.
I don’t know if IDW will absorb this in to the ongoing continuity or not. I’d rather they didn’t so that we can see someone else tackle Don Uggie there and we can sometime revist this version of Dredd and his world with Al and John in the same seats.
Extremely satisfying read.
Judge-Tutor Semple 
Finished this last night and loved it. The brain vs brain page was brilliant I thought, very funny and totally suited to the humour of the Mars Attacks universe.
My only complaint with the whole series was Don Mumbletti’s dialog. The joke wore thin pretty quickly for me and it made the story hard and slow to read. Reminded me of the Esperanto dialog in Damnation Station from the recent progs, I didn’t like that either. It’s my only fault with Al Ewing’s recent writing, the current crop of writers (Ewing, Williams, and Carroll) all write brilliant Dredd IMO.
As a complaint that’s pretty minimal!
I haven’t read any other IDW Mars Attacks – but it certainly fits the film.
And I thoroughly agree. Michael Carroll and Rob Williams are also top notch. I’ve reviewed both of them elsewhere on the blog. And of cours Mike created the shiny badge at the top of the page! (I originally had one I made using his Badger! software but he did the one above for me in time for Thought Bubble).