Mechanismo

[Robin Low]

I ordered the Mechanismo collection the other day (along with Grandville and The Misadventures of Jane). It arrived yesterday and I read it last night. I have to be honest and say that I was rather disappointed. Despite the presence of two of my favourite artists and my favourite writer there's little if nothing here worth re-reading, although Doherty's art does standout.

Arguably, it's a pivotal story, part of the Necropolis aftermath, McGruder's crumbling sanity, and Dredd's deviousness. However, the stories are pretty uninspiring affairs and largely predictable. Only Dredd's actions at the end of the third story are of particular interest, but there's no punch there anymore for a regular reader. Mechanismo is a Wagner Dredd that seems caught in the era of mediocre non-Wagner Dredds. It is remains a competent story and is convincingly Dredd in tone - it's still Wagner, after all - but there's no nostalgic thrill and nothing special to be found here.

Controversial?


Regards

Robin

[radiator]

Nah, man - Mechanismo's great! Come on - the singing choir on the bus is classic. I really like the build up of tension, and there's some really gruesome bits to go along with the grittier, more adult tone.

And you better believe it, Crazyface!

[The Cosh]

I also received a copy of Mechanismo yesterday and read it on the bus home last night. I'd never read any of these stories before and I thoroughly enjoyed the book. It was interesting to see just how different a character Dredd is now to then. Can we expect a reprinted Wilderlands volume soon to follow up on those dangling plot threads?

It's actually slightly depressing to realise this interesting stuff was seeing print in the Meg at the same time I was enduring the likes of Book of the Dead and Judge Frankenstein in the Prog.

[SmallBlueThing]

Book of the Dead ... in the Prog.

God, I bloody LOVED Book of the Dead! That was the Egyptian one, wasn't it? By Dermot Power? One of my favourite ever Dredd stories...

SBT

[The Cosh]

Book of the Dead ... in the Prog.

God, I bloody LOVED Book of the Dead! That was the Egyptian one, wasn't it? By Dermot Power? One of my favourite ever Dredd stories...

Seriously?! Each to their own and all that but for me it's the worst one that's ever seen print.

[TordelBack]

Seriously?! Each to their own and all that but for me it's the worst one that's ever seen print.

Book of the Dead ended an 11-year unbroken run of Prog-buying for me.  I never made it past the second episode, and thus missed reading Canon Fodder for another 15 years!  

[Colin_YNWA]

I'd suggest that Judge Frankstein is alot worse than Book of the Dead, oh that ending, that ending. Mechanismo however was great fun and also helped shift things further on towards more political Dredd stories, which I love.   

[Mike Gloady]

Yes, the Egyptian judges ARE cringeworthy national stereotypes, but ALL the judges in the OTHER mega-cities are ridculous stereotypes too - witness the flat out EVIL Sovs, the drinking Irish, the class-ridden Brits, the shorts-and-fosters Aussies, the cowboy hat and chewin' tabbaccy Texans.....

I quite liked Book of the Dead too.  And me not being the hugest fan or Millar/Morrison that's saying something.  It's in the old-school Dredd spirit and beautifully drawn.  Not a GREAT Dredd story by any means, but a perfectly decent story with some fun moments.

I'm used to being in the minority in these things though.

[Mike Gloady]

GAH!  Idiot.  Didn't even comment on Mechanismo!

I thought it was a pretty well-handled action adventure storyline that managed to grow in it's second and third incarnations into something bigger and deeper.  Great art, particularly the robo-judge designs.  I really enjoyed it, not having read it since it originally saw print.  7/10.

Now, roll on Conspiracy of Silence/The Tenth Planet/Wilderlands collection.

[JayzusB.Christ]

I thought it all went well up until Wilderlands. ENjoyed Mechanismo but it was a bit predictable - Of course the bleeding droids that Dredd opposes are going to go haywire.  As for Book of the Dead... well, not too bad, but could have been much, much better. Dredd just wasn't Dreddlike at all in it.

[Mike Gloady]

For me Wilderlands (like Doomsday) suffered from the mechanic - spreading the story between two titles and trying not to pee off the minority of readers who only read Twoth or the Meg. 

Only a British comic would institute that most American of comic book institutions, the cross-over, and then bum it up by attempting to make it possible to follow the story by reading just one title.  That's the BLOODY POINT!  It's MEANT to make you read both if you only read one.  That's it's PURPOSE. 

Judgement Day, for all it's faults, didn't care about any of that and reads better as a whole for it.

[Zarjazzer]

Finally got this today -entertaining and with grand art, bit weird on Chief Judge going bonkers but well if the robots were then perhaps it's no wonder.

[maryanddavid]

I enjoyed Mechanismo when it ran, I havent read it since. While I dont have memories of it being a stand out classic, it was a solid Wagner story in a sea of excellently drawn but ultimatly rubbish Dredd stories. I don't remember the Book of the Dead story but I do remember the art being excellent, great cover when the Mummy attacks Dredd. Likewise Frankenstein, excellent art.

The worst  by Millar and Morrison involved Vatican city Judges, drawn by Mick Austin.  Thankfully I cant remember the details, but it did involve some sort of talking carriage with a Thomas the Tank Engine face. Mick Austin is an absolutley fabulous cover artist, (Marvelman, Anderson anyone?) but God I couldn't stand his comic art.

Anyway, Mechanismo, well worth a read, leading into the hugely disappointing  Tenth Planet/Wilderlands. As people have said, it did get Dredd to the current storyline which is the best in years.


David

[Trout]

BIG STOMPY ROBOTS! I like big stompy robots.

[Colin_YNWA]

I really enjoyed 'Mechanismo'. The art was of course glorious (for the first two I found the change in style in the third a bit jarring) and the story line seemed so plausible for want of a better word. It just seemed such a logical step for the Justice Department to take and I felt Wagner dealt with it is his normal stylist seemingly methodical manner. 

In a collection do I wonder how McGruders desent into insanity will come across as it was a subplot that ran over a number of story that might be made to seem a bit stark with Mechanismo taken in isolation?

All that said I think David raises a good point. It was a good Dredd story in a time when the strip wasn't doing so well. Is its quality somewhat exaggerated due to some of the toss that surrrounded it?