Judge Dredd Megazine 488 Preview: Halfway House Debuts and Rok the World Returns

Judge Dredd Megazine 488 kicks off 2026 with a packed issue full of major developments across the Dredd universe. This month brings the final chapters of the current Dreadnoughts and "Anderson, Psi‑Div" arcs, alongside ongoing favourites Megatropolis and Armitage.

The Meg also launches a brand‑new Dredd thriller, Halfway House, from Ken Niemand and Jake Lynch. This is a direct follow‑up to last year's acclaimed Old Man Joe story.

Plus, readers get the exclusive third instalment of John Wagner and Dan Cornwell's Sci-Fi football epic, Rok the World.

• RELEASE DATE: 21 January £7.50
• COVER: SIMON HARRISON

In this Megazine 488

Judge Dredd: Halfway House

Writer: Ken Niemand.
Art: Jake Lynch.
Colours: Matt Soffe.
Letters: Annie Parkhouse.

Mega-City One, 2148 AD. This vast urban hell on the east coast of post-apocalyptic North America is bordered by the toxic Black Atlantic and the irradiated Cursed Earth. It is home to over 300 million citizens, where tensions run a constant knife-edge. Crime is rampant, and stemming the tide of chaos are the Judges. Toughest of them all is Judge Dredd – he is the Law!

Megatropolis II

Writer: Ken Niemand.
Art: Dave Taylor.
Letters: Jim Campbell.

Imagine a Mega-City One from an alternate timeline – less the gleaming metropolis of the twenty-second century, but instead an art deco retro-future variation. Joe Rico is the one good cop in a police department riddled with corruption, and partnered with the young Amy Jara, they investigated a series of vigilante killings committed by a robot...

Armitage: Drokk the Ripper

Writer: Liam Johnson.
Art: Staz Johnson.
Colours: Quinton Winter.
Letters: Annie Parkhouse.

Brit-Cit, 2148 AD. While the UK equivalent of Mega-City One has its own Judge force, it's retained its CID plainclothes division, of which Detective Inspector Armitage was one of its veteran officers. Now a consultant, who works on cold cases, Armitage hasn't lost his surly demeanour and distrust of authority – and now an old flame is wanted for murder...

Anderson, PSI-DIV: Hell Night at the Cine-Pit

Writer: Alec Worley.
Art: Ben Willsher.
Letters: Simon Bowland.

Mega-City One, 2148 AD. Psi-Div is a section within Justice Department that deals with the supernatural, and its operatives all have psi-powers, from telepathy to psychokinesis. Cassandra Anderson is one of the division's most experienced and powerful officers – and now she must deal with a cinema multiplex that's overrun with demons...

ROK THE WORLD by John Wagner (writer), Dan Cornwell (art,) Jim Boswell (colours,) Rob Steen (letters)

Dreadnoughts: Qualified Immunity

Writer: Mike Carroll.
Art: John Higgins.
Colours: Sally Hurst.
Letters: Simon Bowland.

USA, 2036 AD. The new Justice Department is still in its early years, with Judges working alongside the police. It's proving an explosive transition, with many citizens – and more than a few cops – unhappy with these helmeted officers taking to the streets. Boulder, Colorado, was a recent flashpoint, and now the Judges' influence is spreading wider to California...

Available in print from: newsagents and comic book stores via Diamond.
Available in digital from: 2000 AD webshop and apps for iPad, Android, Windows 10.