Fiction Reviews

Dark Justice – Dominion

(2018) John Wagner & Nick Percival, 2000AD / Rebellion, £19.99 / US$24.99, hrdbkbk,96pp, ISBN 978-1-781-08654-4

This is the continuation of the Judge Dredd-verse overall Dark Judges story arc.  I will assume that you are familiar with this last: if not, click on the link.

Dominion follows on from Dark Justice.  Dark Justice saw the Dark Judges (Death, Fear, Mortis and Fire) stow away on a luxury space cruiser leaving Mega-City One with the wealthy seeking to leave behind the squalid Mega-City for a carefree life among the stars.  In interstellar space they begin dispensing their form of justice (only the living commit crime).  Dredd and Anderson are sent to deal with the Dark Judges.  Judge Fear was captured and returned to Mega-City One but Death, Fire and Mortis were ejected into space…

This brings us up-to-date.

Death is floating in space when he gets impaled on the anterior aerials of a passing cargo ship. One of the crew goes out to clear the aerial of the body (big mistake) only to find that it is alive.  The astronaut is cut adrift with his umbilical cut and Death makes for the airlock.

The cargo ship Solips makes an annual run from the colony world to Earth for essential supplies beyond the ability of the otherwise largely self-sufficient colony world.  On landing it is welcomed by the colonists. However, they are unaware that the three crew that emerge are in fact the Dark Judges.

The Dark Judges must move carefully for, though only small, there are many colonists.  The three crew ask for a private meeting with the colony leaders.  And so begins the colony's takeover.

John Wagner and the 2000AD editorial team were blown away (as were we readers) with Greg Staples' artwork in Dark Justice: that artwork was simply mega-stunningly brilliant.  Conversely, Nick Percival's full-colour artwork is only stunningly brilliant! (It is a little more impressionist than Staples': think Turner.)

This artwork, together with it being a slightly larger format hardback than most of the current large format paperback Judge Dredd graphic novels, make Dark Justice: Dominion a lovely addition to a reader's 2000AD graphic novel collection.

Dark Justice: Dominion was originally serialised in the monthly Judge Dredd Megazine in 2017.

This story will continue in the collection Dark Justice: The Torture Garden.

Jonathan Cowie

Other Judge Dredd related graphic compilations reviewed on this site include:-

• Dredd vs. Aliens - John Wagner et al
• Judge Dredd: The Art of Kenny Who? - John Wagner et al
• Batman – Judge Dredd Collection - John Wagner et al
• Judge Dredd: Brothers of the Blood - John Wagner et al
• Judge Dredd: The Carlos Ezquerra Collection - Ezquerra et al
• Judge Dredd: The Chief Judge's Man - John Wagner et al
• Chopper: Surf's Up - John Wagner et al
• Judge Dredd: Cold Wars - John Wagner et al
• Judge Dredd: The Complete America - John Wagner et al
• Judge Dredd: The Complete P. J. Maybe - John Wagner et al
• Judge Dredd: Crusade & Frankenstein Division - Grant Morrison & Mark Millar et alet al
• Judge Dredd: The Cursed Earth Saga - Pat Mills & John Wagner
• Judge Dredd: The Dark Judges (2012 mini-pbk edition) - John Wagner, Aland Grant, Brian Bolland et al
• Judge Dredd: The Dark Judges (2015 edition) - John Wagner, Aland Grant, Brian Bolland et al
• Dark Justice - John Wagner & Greg Staples
• Judge Dredd: Day of Chaos End Game - John Wagner et al
• Judge Dredd: Every Empire Falls - Michael Carroll et al
• Judge Dredd: The Fourth Faction - John Wagner et al
• Judge Dredd: Goodnight Kiss - Garth Ennis et al
• Judge Dredd: The Henry Flint Collection - John Wagner et al
• Judge Dredd: The Hunting Party - John Wagner, Henry Flint et al
• Judge Dredd Featuring Judge Death - John Wagner & Brian Bolland
• Judge Dredd: Judgement Day - Garth Ennis et al
• Judge Dredd The Life and Crimes of P. J. Maybe - John Wagner et al
• Judge Dredd: Mandroid - John Wagner et al
• Judge Dredd The Mega Collection: Mean Machine - John Wagner et al
• Judge Dredd: Necropolis vols 1 & 2 - John Wagner et al
• Judge Dredd: Origins - John Wagner et al
• Predator vs. Judge Dredd vs. Aliens - John Wagner et al
• Judge Dredd: Satan's Island - John Wagner et al
• Judge Dredd: The Small House - Rob Williams & Henry Flint
• (Judge Dredd:) The Taxidermist - John Wagner et al
• Judge Dredd: Total War - John Wagner et al
• Judge Dredd: Tour of Duty - Backlash - John Wagner et al
• Judge Dredd: Tour of Duty - Mega-City Justice - John Wagner et al
• Judge Dredd: Trifecta - Al Ewing et al
• Young Death: Boyhood of a Superfiend - John Wagner et al

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