PopCultHQ received advance review copy of JUDGE DREDD: False Witness TPB from IDW Publishing. Available May 5th, the creative team for this book features writing by Brandon Easton, art from Kei Zama & Silvia Califano, colors by Eva de la Cruz, and letters from Shawn Lee.
Here is PopCultHQ’s Spoiler-Free Review of…
JUDGE DREDD: False Witness TPB
Writer: Brandon Easton
Artists: Kei Zama & Silvia Califano
Colorist: Eva de la Cruz
Letterer: Shawn Lee
Cover Artists: Kei Zama w/ Eva de la Cruz
FC • 96 pages • $15.99 (SRP)
Collects JUDGE DREDD: False Witness #1-4
Justice Academy drop-out Mathias Lincoln always survived by sub-legal means, but after uncovering a vast conspiracy, he finds himself pursued by legendary lawman Judge Dredd!
Get ready for a street level look at justice in Mega-City One as one person fights to expose the darkest secrets of the rich and powerful in a thrilling mystery set against a backdrop of media manipulation and social unrest. While on a job for a rich client, Justice Academy drop-out and professional fixer Mathias Lincoln makes a horrific discovery–children are disappearing, and the conspiracy stretches from the wastes of the Cursed Earth all the way to the halls of power in Mega-City One.
PopCultHQ’s Comic Book Review:
JUDGE DREDD: False Witness TPB
Welcome to Mega-City One. A place of crime, anarchy, and where there is only one true form of justice anymore. The justice of the Street Judges. But what happens when that justice is tainted and the contamination has spread from the lowest levels to the highest halls of the city? Be ready to run, because this is one story where everyone is looking for answers and to trust anyone could be the end.
Writing: Whenever there’s new crime brewing in Mega-City One, the dedicated members of the Street Judges deal out law and order the only way acceptable…with extreme prejudice. But what the Judges often overlook is the people who become ground under the heels of law and crime. Brandon takes dedicated readers from the war-torn chaos of Dredd’s crusade against injustice and shows everyone the consequences of his work. The people who are left behind, forgotten, or just plain beaten down. It’s a trip down to the lower levels of Mega-City One, and nobody is going to want to miss this trip.
Art: Sleek and well-drawn, with just the right amount of nitty-gritty that one would expect from any Judge Dredd comic. These are the words that this reviewer would use to best describe Kei and Silvia’s artwork for Judge Dredd: False Witness. Oh and violent. It just wouldn’t be a good Dredd book without high levels of ‘ultra-violence’. In all seriousness, the art is fantastic. Rich, detailed, and, like the aforementioned violence, intense. Kei and Silvia work well together taking Brandon’s script and putting their names down as the latest in the long line of artistic persons who have brought the world of Dredd and Mega-City One to life.
Colors: Eva worked wonders on choosing the various colors for the book. The different hues worked well in concert with Kei and Silvia’s artwork, enhancing it and bringing it further to life. For the Judges and their uniforms, in particular Dredd’s, the color choices are very on-par with what has been done in the past. That same level of nitty-gritty that exists within the art also exists within the colors. There is a cohesive unity at play here with Eva’s work as colorist, which is both subtle and utterly fantastic.
Letters: Judge Dredd is a man of words. They are always righteous, full of dedication to the law and above all else…they could very well be the last words a person hears. To articulate that intensity, as well as the various dialects, back-talks, and chatters of Mega-City One, requires a letterer who understands the power of words. In this case, it is Shawn Lee, a person who is a master of the written word and letterer extraordinaire. Shawn’s work on other projects establishes his credentials and why he was the right choice to work on this book.
PopCultHQ’s overall assessment:
Judge Dredd and his world of chaos, law, and insane futuristic adventures are always a treat to read. ‘False Witness’ is certainly a book that lives up to the long tradition of terrific stories told about him over the years. Thanks to the work of a terrific creative team, another story is told that adds to the myth of Dredd and adds up the body count even more.
PopCultHQ’s Rating:
5 out of 5 Stars
Purchase JUDGE DREDD: False Witness TPB online:
About IDW Publishing:
IDW Publishing stands proudly at the forefront of printed visual entertainment, cultivating a formidable library of world-renowned licensed brands and creator-owned original IP. Its diverse array of comic books, graphic novels, and art books deliver reading enjoyment to fans of all ages. Its award-winning imprints The Library of American Comics, Yoe! Books, and Artist Editions preserve the valuable cultural history of the sequential art medium, while titles under the critically acclaimed Top Shelf and Black Crown banners celebrate fiercely independent voices. IDW Publishing is a division of IDW Media Holdings, Inc. (OTCQX: IDWM), a fully integrated media company with robust offerings in publishing, tabletop gaming, multimedia entertainment, and art exhibition via the San Diego Comic Art Gallery.
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