The Stop Button

Dredd: Underbelly is the comic book sequel to Dredd, the movie, which is based on Judge Dredd, the comic book. So why make a big deal out of a comic book, in this case Underbelly? Well, Judge Dredd wears his new movie outfit and the designs are based on the movie, not the comic. Writer Arthur Wyatt tries to tie the issue's story to the movie, but it's thin at best.

Wyatt has a big problem with the narration. Dredd doesn't narrate, some kind of omniscient third narrates and it's often too expository and stilted. Another obvious problem is Dredd. He's not a character so much as an occasional jaw; writing Dredd to match the movie means somehow imbuing the comic with a sense of Karl Urban's performance. Without it… no go.

So Wyatt doesn't deliver much. Artist Henry Flint does better, though he has some shaky sequences as well.

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CREDITS

Writer, Arthur Wyatt; artist, Henry Flint; colorist, Chris Blythe; letterer, Ellie De Ville; editor, Matt Smith; publisher, Rebellion.