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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Outstanding in all respects, March 16, 2004
As a long-time fan of the Alien Versus lines, I was rather intrigued to see that the Aliens have branched out of their normal battles with DC superheroes and have made the jump to 2000AD's famous Judge Dredd. Having read the entertaining but mediocre Predator vs. Judge Dredd last year, I had minimal expectations for this comic, but I was very pleasantly surprised.Perhaps the most noteworthy aspect of this comic is the fact that the Aliens get the respect that they so damn well deserve. Most of the "Aliens Versus" comics end up having the Aliens as mere cannon fodder for the hero. Not so in this comic...the Aliens are a horrifying, unrelenting menace...exactly the way they're supposed to be. The story is very well written too...I didn't think they'd be able to come up with a decent explanation as to why Aliens have sudden infested Mega-City One, but it was neatly and clearly explained. Unfortunately I am not a Dredd reader, so alot of the Dredd lingo and references went over my head. Don't be taken back by that though...even if you are not familiar with Judge Dredd, the story is an easy read, and the general principle of Judge Dredd is easy to grasp. You don't really need to be an avid fan to understand the workings of it. The artwork is very well done. The Aliens look excellent, and the rest of the characters all look gritty and worn. This is definitely one of the gorier Alien/Dredd comics, and rather tastefully done. The action is also nicely depicted. Following a similar trait that our beloved classic "Aliens" had, this comic focuses on story, and then explodes with great action scenes, then goes back to story, and then back to action, rather nicely. It never gets boring, and its paced enough to keep you interested. I found myself pushed to finish the story and read through the entire book in one sitting, which isn't something I usually do. I was overall very satisfied with the story and I definitely feel its one of the best "Aliens Versus" titles that I've read in a long, long time. For most of my 21 years, I've been a comic book fan. In the last 5 years or so, I can say with confidence that Dark Horse has put out some of the absolute worst comics ever written, particularly with their Alien and Predator stories, Versus or otherwise. But Dredd vs Aliens was definitely a fine example of Dark Horse crossover writing. There was no Resurrection inspired monstrosities, no ridiculous mutations, and no new gimmicks...the Aliens were the same mechanisms of death and destruction that the first 3 Alien movies painted them as. I wouldn't have it any other way. Kudos to Dark Horse and 2000AD for an absolutely thrilling and fun crossover. This is well worth your money!
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