Judge Anderson: Satan

Judge Anderson: Satan

2000 AD / Hamlyn, 1996

'Judge Anderson: Satan' is a trade paperback published in the U.K. by Hamlyn in 1996. It compiles two stories from issues 22-24 of volume 2 (1993), and issues 1-7 of volume 3 (1995), of the Judge Dredd Megazine. 

The first story.' Driven to tears', deals with a Mega-City One evangelist whose actions threaten the rule of the Judges; Anderson sympathises with the evangelist, even though so doing brings her into conflict with her superiors. Writer Alan Grant presents a more tempered portrayal of Christianity than was customary in comics in Anglophone countries during the 1990s, and for that, 'Driven' is noteworthy.

The second story, 'Satan', also is written by Grant, and it's a loony tale. An asteroid crashes into Earth, causing death, destruction, and End Times existential crises.

It turns out the asteroid carried none other than Satan himself ! Liberated from imprisonment inside the asteroid, the Lord of Darkness displays immunity to even the most powerful of Mega City's strongest weapons. Adding insult to injury, it turns out that Satan is a gay man with red eyes and red lips and a simpering manner - !

[ Interestingly, Marvel Comics' big, 60-issue crossover series for the summer of 2024, 'Blood Hunt', features a villain called 'Bloodstorm', whose appearance seems to be modeled on the 1995 Satan............?! ]

In the face of such colossal Evil, only Judge Anderson, and her telepathic abilities, can stop Satan from laying waste to the entire world......

What makes 'Judge Anderson: Satan' a standout comic / graphic novel is the amazing artwork by Arthur Ranson, one of the most skilled artists to work for 2000 A.D. My overview of another of his Judge Anderson series, Shamballa, is here.

Whether its closeups of characters faces, or intricately rendered scenes of crowds, Ranson excels in ways that are rarely are observed in contemporary, 21st-century graphic art.

I want to point out that at 9 x 12 inches, this Hamlyn trade paperback is sufficiently sized to display Ranson's artwork to good effect, something of a rarity in contemporary graphic novels, which tend to be sized to 'American' dimensions (i.e., 7 x 10 inches).

If you are a fan of quality illustration and comic art, then these installments in the Judge Dredd franchise are well worth acquiring. One of the best ways to do this is the recently issued book, Essential Judge Anderson: Satan, available at your online retailers for a reasonable price.