Reading – Judge Dredd vs Aliens: Incubus
Another 2000 AD book I grabbed this year (see my Insurrection reading post) is Judge Dredd vs. Aliens: Incubus* which I snagged while at SDCC in July. Originally published about a decade ago (both serialized and in trade paperback), I mainly grabbed this trade paperback collection for two reasons:
- It’s Judge Dredd vs. Aliens.
- Henry Flint artwork is awesome.
Fortunately, the story in the book is equal to the quality of the artwork and concept and, ultimately, the book turned out to be one of the better “vs. Aliens” cross-overs I’ve ever read.
Henry Flint is Amazingly Talented
After reading Judge Dredd vs. Aliens: Incubus* I immediately started searching for more stories illustrated by Henry Flint. and checking his Wikipedia page has given me a list of titles I have got to find and pointed me at his official website. I am fairly certain I’ve seen Flint’s work before buying this book, but it was this collection where I really noticed just how much Flint’s stylized linework and I’m now hitting myself for not catching his work earlier.
Infection in Mega-City One
Judge Dredd vs. Aliens: Incubus* works well for me because the Aliens fit so neatly into Dredd’s world of Mega-City One. A futuristic city where everything goes wrong and weirdness is fairly common, dropping the Aliens — introduced in this story when a perp chased by Dredd suddenly has a Chestburster erupt into the tale — doesn’t take much of a “suspension of disbelief” to make the monsters fit right in.
The story takes us from the discovery of the monsters — including their blood as acid trick which leads to a couple of fun scenes — to an underground hive of the beasts waiting to break out and totally overwhelm Mega-City One . . . but not if the Judges and a squad of exterminators have anything to say about it. It’s pretty lighthearted fun that doesn’t take itself seriously, which is exactly what I want from a Judge Dredd story. Give me gunfights, monsters, and lots of action when I’m reading one of these and I am very happy . . . and the story delivered exactly what I wanted.
Closing Thoughts
Judge Dredd vs. Aliens: Incubus* totally escaped my notice when it was first released, but now that I’ve gotten my hands on the trade paperback from 2000 AD it’s going on my shelf where I can find it and enjoy it any time that I want to. Andy Diggle and John Wagner did a good job writing the book, but for me it’s Henry Flint’s artwork that takes this from a good story to a fabulous comic.
Definitely recommended if you can find the collection at a reasonable price; anything less than $20 is a good price for this book. And it’s such a good story that I can easily see it being reprinted again and again every few years . . . so be patient and grab this when you see a new printing.