Mars Attacks Judge Dredd #1 Written by Al Ewing
Art by John McCrea
Colored by Jay Fotos
Lettered by Tom B. Long
Covers by Greg Staples, John McCrea and Jay Fotos, Loston Wallace and Stephen Downer, Nav! and Thomas Mason IDW Publishing
Release Date: September 11, 2013
Cover Price: $3.99
Mars Attacks Judge Dredd #1 starts in a dark room with shadowy figures, talking about the mega-mafia. It quickly devolves into an argument about who is in charge, until a man shows up and says he is the only person to control the mega-mafia. A month later, Judge Dredd gets called in to help the North Sector with their troubles with the mega-mafia’s new plans.
The art, by John McCrea, is all over the place, sometimes clear as day, sometimes looking like a photograph from the ’40s. It works well with the writing though, and doesn’t interfere with reading the comic. The writing, by Al Ewing, doesn’t stand out in any way; it is clear and coherent, but not much else.
Guarding the Globe, Volume 1: Under Siege Written by Robert Kirkman & Benito Cereno
Pencils by Ransom Getty & Kris Anka
Inks by Ransom Getty, Cliff Rathburn, Jonathan Glapion, Russell Jackson, and Kris Anka
Colors by Thomas Mason, Ron Riley, Rex Stabbs and FCO Plascencia
Letters by Russ Wooton
Editor: Sina Grace
Cover by Todd Nauck & John Raunch Image Comics
Release Date: August 29, 2012
Cover Price: $16.99
Guarding the Globe, Volume 1 is an interesting comic. I didn’t have anything invested in the characters or the book itself, but I was pleasantly surprised. But, not as much as I’d wanted to be.
Writers Robert Kirkman and Benito Cereno sure know how to write a giant, sprawling superhero team vs super villain team epic, earth shattering story. I just wish I cared a little bit more. And I wish it wasn’t so cluttered. My first problem was that I barely knew any of the characters in the book, which, I’ll admit, was my fault. I’m not a huge fan of the Image Comics’ superhero universe, so almost all of these characters were foreign to me. That being said, I wish they would’ve spent a little more time introducing the characters…because there are a TON of characters in this book. It boils down to a double-page spread with each character getting a “This is…Kaboomerang!”
Students of the Unusual™ comic cover used with permission of 3BoysProductions
The Mercuri Bros.™ comic cover used with permission of Prodigal Son Press