The FirstJudge-Tutor Semple Blog

Review Booklet

Thought Bubble FestivalLeeds

2013

This booklet is a collection of shortened reviews from the Judge-Tutor Semple Blog. http://judgetutorsemple.wordpress.com/

The badge on the front was created for me by Michael Carroll, a writer of comics and novels. http://www.michaelowencarroll.com/

Judge Dredd and all things connected are copyright of Rebellion. Use of the image is done so under fair use and no profit is made from the Judge-Tutor Semple Blog.

Cover images used in this booklet are copyright of the individual copyright holders and are used here under fair use policy in that they are used solely for review purposes. In many cases I was either invited to review the comic or obtained permission to do so.

Most Comics reviewed in this booklet will be available at the Thought Bubble Convention. Where possible I have included details of where you might find the publication or its creators. Obviously times may vary,it is a live event after all. Unless specified to the best of my knowledge the Creators named are attending Saturday and Sunday.

I have put the reviews in loose groupings for presentation purposes, these are:Small Press – Independent publications from amateur or semi-pre British CreatorsCreator Owned – Whether the publisher may be large or may be small the Creator is published professional and retains all rights to this work (such as film, TV, etc)International – A large International publisher, the Creators may be British.Rebellion – My Blog started out as a Judge Dredd RPG site and a large amount of the reviews I do remain centred around Dredd or 2000AD.

On my Blog I also review Films, TV, Books, Jousting (as seen here at the Royal Armouries), etc. I also write about History and Nature, reporting news or giving my opinion on a subject.

I thank all creators and publishers who have been very supportive of my work on my blog.

All opinions in this booklet are my own.

I'd like to dedicate this review to Creators Unknown (I borrowed this dedication).

Also this booklet is dedicated to my Father, Ted Hargett, who encouraged me to read and encouraged me to see comics as much a valid reading medium as novels. Miss you always, Dad.

All details in this booklet are correct to the best of my knowledge at date of publishing:21st November 2013.

Small Press

Ketsueki is a graphic novel published by Markosia Enterprises

Writer:Richmond ClementsArtist:InkoLetterer:Bolt-01.

Table 9 to 10 in New Dock HallBolt-01 is on Table 30 in Royal Armouries Hall

The story is set in an alternative history of feudal Japan. The main character is Lady Tsuji, bearer of the titular Ketsueki, a sword with magical abilities, a Demon Killer. Raised by her father, the Shogun, Tsuji is a sorceress, a warrior and her father’s champion.

The story is a journey of discovery where knowledge will be gained and loved ones lost. We see the trials of Tsuji and the manipulations of the Witch Queen Rorien. Tsuji is accompanied by Captain Marukomo and her servants Jimu and Bubo. This is a group that could be from a Akira Kurosawa film. The beautiful princess, the loyal Samurai and the comedy side-kicks. The sort of grouping that led from the Hidden Fortress to Star Wars

While seeming predictable the plot manages to be a step ahead of the reader and doesn’t unfold exactly as I expected. Over all it is a very satisfying script and well paced over four parts. The characters, whilst generic in design, are well presented and have enough depth to assist in surprises along the way. To say the characters are generic is in no way intended as a criticism, it worked for Kurosawa well enough. The demons in particular are varied and well thought out. I particularly enjoyed the twins Hanta and Hana.

The art is grey-scale and tones are utilised to show different settings and flashbacks apart. The general style is manga in origin, perhaps predictably for the setting. Panel numbers and shape vary throughout and generally the more even the panel shape the more exposition or elapsing of time. Angular panels accompany action or surprise. Interestingly all anatomical variances in the art are consistent per character, revealing a chosen style; this is familiar with manga.

The lettering is easily read and mostly follows the left to right flow. I don’t know if the sound effects are part of the art or lettering, not knowing this shows they are well placed.

***

Zarjaz, Dogbreath, Drokk fanzines

Edited by Richmond Clements and Bolt 01

Table 30 in Royal Armouries Hall

Formidable 2000AD Fanzines with a very talented range of contributors. It's a crime that I haven't actually reviewed any of these yet on my Blog.

Zarjaz can include any character from the history of 2000AD (except Dan Dare...). Dogbreath is a Strontium Dog specific fanzine. Drokk is currently at Issue 1, a pretty good jump on issue, and features 2000AD stories with a bit of a twist (The Kingdom story is my favourite I think).

If you like 2000AD you'll like these. You even get some of the 2000AD creators contributing to these fanzines, that's how good they are. Plus Rebellion,the owners of 2000AD, have been quite supportive over the years.

The chaps on this table will undoubtedly have other delights to tempt you with.

***

The Psychedelic Journal of Time Travel

EditorOwen WattsAssistant EditorGeoffrey Crescent

Table 73 in New Dock Hall

This is the second edition of The Psychedelic Journal of Time Travel, you can read my review of last year’s edition on my blog

The two editors, Owen and Geoffery, have collaborated on the marvellous Flaubert St Cloud (Goat) which I’ve followed with interest.

Here they present a second filling of oddities in time and space, well mostly time to be honest. As with the earlier batch all of them have timey whimey stuff sprinkled liberally through out.

The mix of stories is very well balanced and though each is short they are fully contained. If you are used to anthologies you'll love it. If you aren't used to anthologies... it is like a grown up Beano, lots of separate stories.

***Creator Owned

Vampire Vixens of the Wehrmacht

Writers: The Emperor, Alex RonaldArtist:Alex RonaldLetters:Jim CampbellIntroduction by:Mark Millar or Paul Campion

Created by Alex Ronald & published by Bump and Grind Comics

Table 50 in New Dock Hall

I first heard about this comic on the 2000AD Forums and have looked forward to reading it for quite a while. The comic launches at Glasgow Comic Con on 13th July 2013.

Alex has previously been published in 2000AD and Judge Dredd Megazine. The Emperor is a bit of an enigma but has been published in Fortean Times. Jim Campbell has also been published in the Megazine.

Vampire Vixens contains adult themes, graphic violence and nudity. But it is called Vampire Vixens of the Wehrmacht so I guess that comes with the territory.

The story is set in WWII as the title suggests, historical figures such as Sir Winston Churchill and Aleister Crowley appear in the comic, as does a young Adolph Hitler. So the story is solidly set in an alternate time-line, we hope…

The German army exhumed a number of female Vampires from an undisclosed location in North Africa, the British managed a counter spell and snared one of them for themselves. She arrived in a rather beaten up U-boat with an eaten up crew. The Vampire Vixen, Libyenah, is teamed up with an Army Chaplain named Morris. Their mission, to stop the Nazi SS Occult Division from casting a powerful spell inside Germany using Hitler's famous severed ball.

The story is played straight but there are some rather hilarious elements, including the 1901 flashback to the incident regarding Hitler’s and his mother. The over all feel of the strip is that of a Boys Own adventure or something from Battle Picture weekly or Commando; except for the scantily clad sexy undead lady and the nude Nazi coven, etc. It is hard not to think of Hellboy in some ways. Nazis, Magic, Baddy-thing-on-our-side.

What stunning art. Each page is a delight to look at for the sheer quality of the artwork.

Department of Monsterology

Writer: Gordon RennieArtist:PJ HoldenColours:Steven DentonLetters:Jim Campbell

Gordon Rennie will be at the 2000AD Table B 12:20 to 13:50 in the New Dock Hall at Tables 177 to 180

I’m familiar with the works of these creators and most readers of my blog are also familiar with them. Gordon Rennie and PJ Holden are frequent contributors to 2000AD and Judge Dredd Megazine – I regularly review 2000AD. I’ve reviewed work by Steven Denton in The Psychedelic Journal of Time Travel and Jim Campbell in Hoax Hunters &Vampire Vixens of the Wehrmacht. This isn’t to show any bias, it just shows I like what they do.

And what are they doing here? Well the obvious comparisons that people will make is to the Hell Boy spin-off, BPRD. Also you could compare it to the TV series Sanctuary. Or indeed to the afore-mentioned Hoax Hunters. Or X-Files (in its early days). Don’t let that detract you from this work, as it isn’t a rip off of anything, comparisons are unavoidable.

What we have here is a refreshingly easy introduction to quite a large cast for a 4 parter. We are introduced to two teams from Dunsay College’s Department of Cryptozoology, Mythological Studies, Parapsychology and Fortean Phenomena. Or the Department of Monsterology for short. The two teams are in different locals on different missions. Team Challenger are in the South Pacific and Team Carnacki are in Budapest. What connections there are in the two teams studies I cannot fathom, pardon the pun.

The first team, Team Challenger have among them, Amelia Court, specialist in ‘Field Work’. There is also the battle-armour wearing Professor Harry Wilmington. There is Cryptozoologist Professor Victor Trondheim, I’m not sure but I’d go out on a limb here and say he isn’t from Kansas. Rounding out the team is Cryptogeographer of Salamanca University, seconded to Dunsay College, Javier De Tovar.

The second team, Team Carnacki consist of Doctor Jang Sonam, late of the 10th Gurkha Rifles and his protegé Samwi. Doctor Michael Calvary, Parapdychology and Occult Studies. With Dominic Belasco, Psychic, Magician and Necronauht (according to his own website).

The pacing of what we see both teams being involved in is excellent. They sit apart so in some ways it does feel like an anthology, albeit only two strips. In this introduction there is enough for us to get a hook in to most of the characters.The art is visually pleasing and flows wonderfully, that wasn’t intended as another water joke by the way. PJ’s lines are excellent and Stephen’s colours are bold but not jarring. Between the two there is obvious difference between below water and above.

***

Death Sentence A creator owned project Published by Titan Comics

Writer:MontyneroArt:Mike Dowlingletters:Comicraft’s Jimmy Betancourt

Cover:Montynero

Montynero and Mike Dowling will be signing at Table 26 in the Royal Armouries Hall 10:45 to 12:15

There is a new sexually transmitted disease, G-plus (or G+), sweeping the world. There is no cure. Suffers, victims might be a better word, experience ‘extranormal abilities’ followed by death within six months. Despite the fact the individual is dying they feel full of health physically until the final weeks. Apparently mood swings and depression are

common… after being told you have a terminal STD, who’d a thunk?

The focus here is on the character, or characters. We are following three G+ sufferers in their journey. Verity Fette, an artist; Daniel Waissel, aka Weasel, a has-been rock-star; Monty, a popular comedian.

One character an artist and another called Monty, it really feels like Montynero has put a lot of himself in to the comic.The three characters are very different and at different points in their road. Verity receives the test results on page one, Waissel is in denial and Monty is talking about his illness on a chat show.

First page in and the attention to character from Mike Dowling is amazing. His art really sets off the emotions that Montynero has written. The lettering also helps give feeling to the ‘Every… fucking… word’ comeback. There are changes of angle that we are observing and variety of panel size. You might not realise it instantly but the third and sixth panel are the same size with orientation altered affecting the size of the second and fourth panels. Beautiful.

Added Bonus

Not only do you get 22 pages of beautiful and intriguing comic but at the back is a 5 page guide to how to get published, written by Montynero. The guide continues each issue. Montynero gives my friends over on Hi-Ex a nice big plug!

***

Six Gun GorillaA six issue series Published by Boom! Writer: Simon SpurrierArtist: Jeff StokleyLetterer: Steve Wands

Six-Gun Gorilla Created by Creators UnknownThis version created by Simon Spurrier

Si Spurrier will be signing at Table 74 in the Royal Armouries Hall 13:55 to 15:25Jeff Stokley is in attendance but I'm not sure where you can find him...

Six-Gun Gorilla was published in Wizard, a UK boys paper (comics with more words than pictures), in 1939. The creators were uncredited and to the best knowledge of Comicdom are unknown. Simon gives credit to those Creators Unknown (I borrowed this dedication).

This version isn’t in the Wild West, we are transported by Mr Spurrier to The Blister. To but it simply by my understanding its a planet in a pocket universe where some of the rules of physics don’t quite work the same. The settlers are in revolt, the Government are fighting back.

More worryingly the war is live streamed for the entertainment of the masses on Earth. Some people volunteer for suicide detail, have a camera surgically implanted in one eye so they can be a camera on legs to give people the full-on deadly experience from the safety of their armchair -’Psychic TV’. These are the down-trodden or forgotten people and they do it for money, a huge payout goes to their nominated person.

Blue-3452 is the main character… well he has a name, a real name. His ex-wife is Sue. We don’t learn these things for a while in to the story. Blue is a volunteer in a war, a suicide soldier, the camera-eye is a tell-tale bright blue. Dehumanised so that the mass market can enjoy him die.

Blue accidentally fails to die. He meets a Gorilla. One armed with six-guns that work.

Blue also encounters a dying General with a watch he wants returned to his beloved wife. Blue also encounters a colonial village trapped in the middle of a war they didn’t want. All this is good viewing figures yet the powers that be dispatch an assassin to kill Blue-2342…

The pacing is pretty darn good. Each issue brings new revelations and new twists, new knowledge to Blue that alters his world. The characterisation is intriguing, we learn more about Blue and Six-Gun Gorilla as we go but we are always left

needing that little bit more.

Auchenbran, the assassin, is partly played for laughs but at the same time rather menacing. In fact the whole book has some very light moments for such sombre setting.

The art is cartoonish, almost Western manga perhaps. And it is free flowing, the colours are brilliant and atmospheric. We know where we are and who is who In the time honoured use of colour. The panel use is varied as are the angles so the eye is kept busy.

***

Fatale

Published by Image

By Ed Brubaker and Sean PhillipsColours by Dave Stewart

Sean Phillips is best known to me as the artist on Devlin Waugh in Judge Dredd Megazine, though I've seen his work on several other 2000AD related stories. Ed Brubaker though is new tome and I read this on the recommendation of a work colleague after he read some of my own original fiction, Trench Coat and Trilby by myself is available to read on my Blog. My story a Detective story written in the first person narative, set in 1930s Chicago and there is a horror element.

“It started at Dominic Reines' funeral...” Nicholas Lash accidentally stumbles in to a mystery after the death of his father's old friend, the once famous author Dominic Reines.

At the funeral he meets the mysterious Josephine and soon finds himself embroiled in a mystery that reaches back through the centuries and into another world all together.

Engaging characters and excellent shifts of pace led me through three graphic novels quite quickly. It is a well crafted story and I can see why my own short story made my colleague suggest this series tome.

I've really enjoyed Sean Phillips' art throughout the years and it was marvellous to see this. The art really does set off the style brilliantly and makes one think of Humphrey Bogart.

A brilliant read.

***International

Mighty Avengers Published by Marvel

Writer: Al EwingPencils: Greg LandInks: Jay LeistenColours: Frank D’ArmataLetterer: Cory PetitCover: Greg Land & Lee Duhig

Al Ewing will be at the 2000AD Table B 15:30 to 17:00 in the New Dock Hall at Tables 177 to 180

Ties in to Infinity

All right first things first. I don’t read much of the Big Two. Not anymore. I used to read quite a lot of DC and a reasonable amount of Marvel. I loved the Defenders, The Hulk. Obviously Avengers, X-Men & Spider-man. Powerman and Ironfist, yes… I really liked them in the 70s.

Luke Cage, written by Al Ewing. That is why I bought this. Not that big A… No, Al Ewing writing an all grown up Luke Cage, with a wife and a child. Yeah, count me in to see how this shakes down.

20 pages. I’m used to 2000AD and I’m used to Al Ewing introducing us to a story in 5 or 6 pages. 20 is 4 Progs worth of story. We’d be knee-deep in action by the second Prog of an Al Ewing story, if we weren’t by page three of the first

episode. So 20 pages of intro gives Mr Ewing a lot to say.

I don’t know this cast. There is a Powerman but it isn’t Luke Cage because Luke Cage is called Luke Cage and he is with a kid called Powerman.

I also am not up to speed on the situation that this story is tied in with, Infinity. No idea what is going on.

Do I get what is going on? Yes, Al Ewing just had 20 pages to tell me what I needed to know, 16 more than he normally needs. So I know how White Tiger sits with Heroes For Hire. I know Danny (Iron Fist) has apparently put Luke and this Powerman together and that the two generations of Powerman do not seem to get on. I know Spider-Man isn’t Peter Parker even though people think he is. I know that Captain Marvel is now called Spectrum and that she has a friend that isn’t supposed to be in USA, but he seems to be a US Citizen as he refers to being ‘in-country’.

Oh I also know that Thanos is in town. I remember Thanos.

A great first issue that does what it needs to do. It tells new readers who is who and what they are doing.Luke Cage, baby!

…wait I was 8 or 9 when I first read anything with Luke Cage in… He’s a dad of a baby??? My eldest Granddaughter is nearly 7!!! I really am used to 2000AD where characters get old…

***

Mars Attacks Judge Dredd mini seriesPublished by IDWWriter: Al EwingArt: John McCreaColours: Jay FotosLetters: Tom B LongCovers ArtGreg Staples (right)Loston Wallace with colours by Stephen Downer (far right)

Al Ewing will be at the 2000AD Table B 15:30 to 17:00 in the New Dock Hall at Tables 177 to 180John McRae is in attendance but I'm not sure where you can find him...

When IDW did some speculative covers for Mars Attacks a few months back people bought them expecting to see inside whatever was on the front DESPITE the fact not a single preview site previewed any content… you get where I’m going??? Some people were singed on that one. But there was a buzz and that buzz brought this.Mars Attacks Judge Dredd.

Al Ewing, a Dredd writer for 2000AD writing for IDW. So when it was announced many Dredd fans were very interested. With art by John McCrea, an artist that has done Dredd among other 2000AD work. So safe hands.

And from the first page we can see it is in safe hands. A table around which are gathered various heads of criminal gangs,. a classic angle. A shadowy figure in a pin stripe suite at the ‘head’ of the table… it is a round table, kinda thrown a little by that to be honest. Not saying more on that here... I’m not giving anything away when I say that Mars is invading Mega City One. At least if you know what ‘Mars Attacks’ is you know that much already.

This story reads like Dredd, it works very well. The confidence of a reader of Dredd in that Al Ewing writer’s credit is well founded.

Al Ewing has the pace well timed for a twenty page issue. Four page set up, that is almost a full page count for an episode of a story in 2000AD and some brief Dredd action before a flash-back for exposition then in to 11 pages of action with a cliff-hanger ending.

The art, not what I remember from John McCrea , looks quite McMahon inspired. I have looked back though to find that my memory was slightly at fault (I was remembering Earth, Wind and Fire). It looks like Dredd and it feels like Mega City One and that is the key to this. The droid songstress is actually a little Ian Gibson inspired perhaps?Importantly the Martians don’t lookout of place. Varied panel lay out and varied angles giving interesting reading. The helmet and the jaw do vary a bit but that’s McCrea’s style (and McMahon’s come to that)

I really like the touches with the bubblegum cards.

***

Rebellion

Judge Dredd Day of Chaos: The Fourth Faction a graphic novel published by 2000ADWriter: John WagnerArtists:Ben Willsher, Staz Johnson, Colin MacNeil, Henry FlintColours:Chris BlytheLetterer:Annie Parkhouse

Ben Wilsher will be at the 2000AD Table A 15:30 to 17:00 in the New Dock Hall at Tables 177 to 180Henry Flint will be at the 2000AD Table B 13:55 to 15:25 Saturday Only

Revenge is a dish best served cold. It’s an old saying, much quoted. This is a cold day for Mega City One, or rather this is the start of the build up to a cold day. This story has its roots in 1981 when John Wagner and Alan Grant decided Mega City One was just a bit too big. Starting with Block Mania in Progs 236-244 where East-Meg assassin Orlok poisoned the water supply to several citi-blocks turning them in to warring factions. Then we entered the Apocalypse War in progs 245-270 when East-Meg One invaded following the chaos their agent had caused. Seeing his city devastated, Dredd led a hand picked band of Judges and in the end wiped the enemy city from the Earth with its own missiles.

30 years later…

There has recently been a change in Chief Judge, the outgoing Sinfield.,sentenced to life on the Titan penal colony. The incoming Chief Judge Francisco, returned to the post after being poisoned by Sinfield. Dredd has been forced to be on the Council of Five, to all intents and purposes not only the leaders of the Judges but the Government of Mega City One, their Mayor being a symbolic leader only.

We see lots of returning faces, such as Judge Logan who previously worked with Dredd in The Satanist, Total War, Origins and Tour of Duty. It also re-introduces Judge Hershey, a very long-standing character first introduced on The Judge Child and later rising in the ranks to become Chief Judge, replaced by Judge Francisco in his first term. PJ Maybe features in this too.

New characters include the twin Psi Cadets Hennessey and a slew of East Meggers and political nuts.

As ever John Wagner has pulled together an interesting cast of characters, old and new. The wealth and depth of material in Dredd cannot be underestimated.

The artists all do wonderful work, with some interesting tweaks to many of the uniforms Judges other than Street Division wear. Interestingly the fact that the same colourist has worked on all the stories it gives this collection a uniform feel while still allowing each artist to use their own style. I really have nothing to criticise in the layout or delivery. Colin MacNeil sneaks in a visual reference to the Judge Dredd fan chat-room – Colin is often found in there, so am I.

***

Judge Dredd: Trifectapublished by RebellionWriters: Al Ewing, Simon Spurrier, Rob WilliamsArt:Henry Flint, Simon Coleby, D’Istraeli, Carl CritchlowColours:Chris BlytheLetters:Annie Parkhouse, Simon Bowland. Ellie De Ville

Al Ewing will be at the 2000AD Table B 15:30 to 17:00 in the New Dock Hall at Tables 177 to 180Henry Flint will be at the 2000AD Table B 13:55 to 15:25 Saturday OnlySi Spurrier will be signing at Table 74 in the Royal Armouries Hall 13:55 to 15:25Rob Williams will be signing at Table 27 in the Royal Armouries Hall 10:55 to 12:15D’Istraeli is in attendance but I'm not sure where you can find him...

Well the cat is out of the bag regarding the big reveal and won’t spoil this book, but if you hate ANY spoilers and haven’t read this story already you might want to skip to the bit I discuss the individual parts, less spoilers down there.This story started in 2000AD Prog 1803 in the Judge Dredd strip Bullet to King Four. An issue later The Simping Detective, starring the Wally Squad under far too much cover Judge Point, joined the line-up in the Prog and an issue later so did Low Life, starring the sometimes not covered up enough Wally Squad operative Dirty Frank.

I must admit to a bit of ire, don’t get me wrong I like these characters but I like my Prog varied, 3 out of four strips Dreddworld… a bit Dredd-full (I’ve used that joke before, not apologising). But…

It is a big but so I’m continuing it in a new paragraph. After all writing can do that, it can play with the rules of writing itself, like I just did. And they did because without anyone suspecting in Prog 1807 reading Judge Dredd it ends with Dredd kicking a door in. Simping Detective starts with Dredd coming through a kicked in door and some data is transferred somewhere. Low Life, data is received on Luna 1.

No one saw he intertwined threads. Outstanding.

The stories diverge again until Prog 1812 where we get a full issue of crossover drawn by Carl Critchlow skilfully rendering each main character so very closely to the main artist from each title. Again outstanding, though not so much a surprise this time.

Yes cross overs have happened before – DC and Marvel do them a lot… and they get messy – but this, to go unguessed on any Blog or Review site. Outstanding.

All-in-all it shows the great writing skills of Messrs Ewing, Spurrier and Williams. It also shows the steely nerve of Matt Smith. Probably Michael Molcher will take credit for the radio silence… but however the did it – Genius!For me it is Carl Critchlow’s art that is the best part of this episode. He not only cleverly keeps the other artists’ designs of their respective characters so accurately but blends their styles too. We have a full colour strip but the colours look like Coleby’s not Blythe’s. beautiful.

***

Cold Light of DayA novel published by Solaris Books, a division of RebellionWritten by Michael CarrollCover by Darren DouglasJudge Dredd was created by John Wagner and Carlos EzquerraThis edition is currently only available as a download.

Sorry, Michael Carroll isn't at Thought Bubble but I've included this review as a thank you for the badge on the front cover of this booklet; Michael made this for me to replace the original I made using a tool called Badger! which he designed.

Michael Carroll is one of the current writers of Judge Dredd in 2000AD.

The story takes place, as suggested by the title, during Dredd’s first year on the streets of Mega City One. Interestingly there are also flashbacks to Dredd’s Cadet years. We see action on Dredd’s Hot-dog Run, also known as Cursed Earth Familiarisation – an often dangerous lesson for Cadets where Street Judges take a group of them in to the Cursed Earth.So we are have a story split between 2075 and 2080.

2080, the annual road race Mega City 5000 is about to start and most Judges in the city are busy keeping an eye on the race and the millions of citizen spectators. The Mega City 5000 featured in Progs 40 and 41 in 1977, starring Dredd and Giant, that story was set in 2099 and features the same gangs The Spacers and the Muties.

In 2075 we see Joe Dredd with his twin, Rico, and class mates including Wagner, Hunt and Gibson. Rico and Gibson both later went bad and were killed by Dredd; Rico of course was sent to Titan for breaking the law and was killed on his return in Prog 30. Gibson after being unmasked as armed robber Mutie The Pig in Prog 34.

So instantly the story is setting itself firmly in the wider story of Dredd’s history.

The Hot-dog run story links in to the present of course and Dredd is partnered with his one time teacher, Judge Amber Ruiz. Someone arrested 5 years ago by Dredd, instead of being executed, is now back on the streets and had murdered numerous people, including two Judges. Many of Dredd’s colleagues blame him.

Michael Carroll manages to mix traditional history of Dredd and blend in the more futuristic technology we are now used to. The early stories that link in to this one were written in a simpler age and in most cases the technology was still recognisable. So where the bikers in Progs 40 and 41 looked like they were from The Wild Ones or Amy Which We but Loose the ones described in this book are from what current readers expect from 2000AD

And that’s a key thing here. Michael is as I said in the introduction one of the current writers of Dredd. He has the character of Dredd very well understood and in this book we get a good insight into Dredd.

The characters are well crafted and the names are also fun. There are several that pop out and are clearly based on references to the real world. I won’t mention any as I think while they are hardly true spoilers it would detract from the enjoyment.

The plot is engaging and isn’t at all obvious, granted I guessed a few things along the way but I didn’t get the full story until Michael revealed it.

So to answer my earlier question - Was my confidence well founded? – I’d have to say a resounding ‘Yes!’

Judge-Tutor Semple blog started life as a site for a Judge Dredd RPG game that never actually took off.

I was fortunate enough to win a ticket to see the Dredd (2012) film in a Fan Pre Release screening in August 2012 in the company of the creators of Dredd, John Wagner and Carlos Ezquerra (and a couple of hundred other people). The film was introduced by Alex Garland and Karl Urban. I had the fortune to chat with John Wagner before the film and Alex Garland afterwards. The experience encouraged me to write a review.

I then saw the fan film Judge Minty at the Leeds International Film Festival and again within the week at Thought Bubble in November 2012. I reviewed that wonderful film also,I've actually written quite a bit about this film and interviewed many of the cast and crew.

I decided then to write reviews on the Blog, particularly focussing at the beginning on Judge Dredd and 2000AD related subjects.

I now write about a number of topics that interest me, including Books, Films, TV, Jousting and Nature.

Yes, I review Jousting, the Royal Armouries where Thought Bubble takes place is the only Museum to my knowledge to have a permanent Tiltyard (the place a Joust is put on). I was very fortunate earlier this year to be asked behind the scenes of the Tournament of Champions and I was honoured to award the Sword of Honour to the victorious Knight, Stacy Evans.

Being a Leeds resident the Armouries is well known to me and Thought Bubble is a wonderful event.

I hope you found my reviews interesting. Please visit the Blog to see more of what I write.

I will be wandering around the Convention but if you want to talk to me about anything you may find me at Table 1 in Allied London Hall. If I am not there my friends will be able to get in touch with me or pass on any messages.

I'd like to thank Mike Carroll again for so kindly making my Judge Semple Badge for me.

I'd also like to thank the organisers of Thought Bubble for organising the event (I'm sure I will have had fun).

And also thanks to my friends at the Royal Armouries Leeds who always make me feel very welcome.

Steve