IDW Judge Dredd. Why so confusing?

[Michael Knight]

Hiya folks!
Being the 2000AD/Judge Dredd completist i am i try and support any ventures outside the Prog/meg i can/afford.
I loved Matt Smiths IDW Judge Dredd Year One, and IDW's Judge Anderson and Rogue Trooper. However I just dont really enjoy their take on Judge Dredd at all. Mega City Zero is such a chore to read. Having recently caught up with gaps i had in the Dc comics Judge Dredd of my teens I have no say i much preferred reading these (although they much maligned) than the IDW 'Mega City 2' or 'Mega City Zero' sagas.
Surely Judge Dredd can be presented better than this for the wider comic market? Discussed this with a few friends earlier and they think much the same. Non Dredd heads also have heard the same things said.
What do my new friends on here think?
It just occured to me that im buying this title out of loyalty rather than anything else. There are interesting ideas in there don't get me wrong but IDW publish some great stuff and i think Dredd should be so much better than this! 

[dweezil2]

Mega-City Zero started strongly, but it has meandered of late and I agree the disjointed and rather muddled storytelling hasn't helped.
The fantastic art is a major plus in it's favour and I hope we see more of McDaid on Dredd, whether it's on a new IDW run of Dredd comics, after this arc finishes with #12, or in the Prog.

I can't recommend IDW's Rogue Trooper minii-series enough though and it was a real shame that this wasn't picked up for a longer run!

[Michael Knight]

Dweezil2 i concur 100% regarding art on IDW Dredd and IDW Rogue Trooper 

[Grugz]

do rebellion not have any say on the tone/direction/stories? or is it like those dc ones set in some sort of alt universe?

[COMMANDO FORCES]

Stop moaning you lot! How many times do we have to be told. These are not aimed at us

[Michael Knight]

  but were Dredd fans mate and i just dont feel they spreading the love like they could! Yes i am talking about a fascist future cop lol

[radiator]

In my humble opinion, the best Dredd stories tend to be extremely simple in nature, and thus easy to follow week to week, and can usually be boiled down to something like 'Dredd is on the trail of a perp/suspect', 'Dredd uncovers a conspiracy' etc etc. Even the most sprawling and mythos-heavy of the classic Wagner & Grant epics generally tend to follow these kind of formulas.

I can't speak to the IDW stories specifically, but to my mind, where a lot of Dredd writers fall down is trying to tell overly plot-heavy, complicated stories (or ones that are perhaps a little too mired in old continuity), or taking Dredd too far out of his customary role - ie that of a futuristic policeman. To be honest, 9 times out of 10, I just want to see him busting heads and locking people up, or investigating some new wacky new crime or craze.

Just my two cents.

[maryanddavid]

 I only read a handful of the first IDW to know it wasn't for me.  RT was great , and I have seen McDaid's art on the second series, love it, wouldn't mind seeing him in the Prog/Meg. Great style.

[Rogue Judge]

Im a newbie - IDWs Judge Dredd Mega City Zero was the first Dredd comic i read (10 months ago more or less). It was good enough to get me interested in the character that I bought a couple of case files to read more of the character, and now im hooked! I now have the first 14 case files, America, The dead man etc. (Not to mention a few volumes of rogue and strontium, and recently purchased Kingdom, Jaeger, and Glimmer rats!) Im addicted to everything 2000 ad! So i can thank IDW for that - the only problem is i no lounger enjoy the IDW dredd as much, as it feels like a hollow comparison to the real thing.

[BPP]

Im a newbie - IDWs Judge Dredd Mega City Zero was the first Dredd comic i read (10 months ago more or less). It was good enough to get me interested in the character that I bought a couple of case files to read more of the character, and now im hooked! I now have the first 14 case files, America, The dead man etc. (Not to mention a few volumes of rogue and strontium, and recently purchased Kingdom, Jaeger, and Glimmer rats!) Im addicted to everything 2000 ad! So i can thank IDW for that - the only problem is i no lounger enjoy the IDW dredd as much, as it feels like a hollow comparison to the real thing.

ONE OF US!
ONE OF US!

[Spikes]

I can't recommend IDW's Rogue Trooper minii-series enough though and it was a real shame that this wasn't picked up for a longer run!

Never did get this, but I've heard a few folks rate it, so maybe try to snag these somehow.

Year One was very good indeed. Tharg, and the Coleby droid on writing and art duties respectively, so what's not to like. Wish they'd do more, tbh.
Did buy the original IDW run of Dredd, but for my money they wasn't very good at all. A shame.

[dweezil2]

I can't recommend IDW's Rogue Trooper minii-series enough though and it was a real shame that this wasn't picked up for a longer run!

Never did get this, but I've heard a few folks rate it, so maybe try to snag these somehow.

Year One was very good indeed. Tharg, and the Coleby droid on writing and art duties respectively, so what's not to like. Wish they'd do more, tbh.
Did buy the original IDW run of Dredd, but for my money they wasn't very good at all. A shame.

IDW's Rogue Trooper was issued as a GN if you want to check it out.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Rogue-Trooper-Alberto-Ponticelli/dp/1631400452/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1477689386&sr=8-1&keywords=Rogue+trooper+idw

[Dandontdare]

I've found all the one-offs and short series to be pretty good, but he ongoing Dredd series, not so much  - as CF says, it's not our Dredd but it's not supposed to be.

[Spikes]

IDW's Rogue Trooper was issued as a GN if you want to check it out.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Rogue-Trooper-Alberto-Ponticelli/dp/1631400452/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1477689386&sr=8-1&keywords=Rogue+trooper+idw

Cheers for that - and that Amazon link comes with a handy 'look inside' feature.