Thrill-Power Countdown #23: Judge Dredd Annual 1990

There are only a few less Judge Dredd annuals than 2000ad got, but they are generally of a higher quality, probably because of that tighter focus. This is still the weakest of them, even with a bitching John Higgins cover (more on Higgins later), but the thrill-power is starting to kick in.

There is some terrific art at this stage of the comic - Arthur Ranson never looked better than on the sharp white paper of these hardbacks, and if anybody needed Jamie Hewlett's portrayal of Max Normal (I certainly did), that's here in a Pete Milligan text piece.

There are some fairly forgettable stories with art by Jeff Anderson and Mark Farmer. Farmer is more well known for his inking, and while he is also strong and slick penciller, he is wasted on a slight story with a very clumsy ending ("These guys are actually alive after plummeting from a great height!").

Some of the nicest art is in the reprints - Ian Gibson's daily strip full story about a mad vigilante is cramped but super efficient, and there is a reproduction of the fine three-part A Question Of Judgement stories from Ron Smith, the first to really dig into the idea that Dredd can have doubts, and the first appearance of his tight boots solution. 

That particular reprint does lose points in this annual for being printed out of order, which feels like Tharg isn't paying that much attention anymore. And the Dredd annual might be a nice package, but  doesn't feel like a big deal as it once was, just as the Judge Dredd Megazine is about to come along to give the thrill seeker far more the Dredd than they'll ever need.