Judge Dredd Megazine 490 - the Latest Thrills, Anniversaries, and New Stories

Judge Dredd Megazine 490 marks a big milestone: the 40th anniversary of Peter Milligan's surreal debut strip, Sooner or Later. Thrill-Cast presenter Chloe Maveal takes a deep dive into its key themes. She looks at them through the lens of Kurt Vonnegut's classic anti-war novel, Slaughterhouse-Five. Meanwhile, Milligan's current series, The Discarded, reaches its second-to-last episode over in the Prog.

Elsewhere, Fargo & McBane return in Favoured Sons, a new story from Ken Niemand and PJ Holden. There's also a self-contained Dredd from Geoffrey D. Wessel and Boo Cook - always a treat. Plus a Tales From The Cursed Earth from Ned Hartley and Steve White. Rok the World, Megatropolis, and Department K round out a typically packed issue.

• RELEASE DATE: 18th March £7.50
• COVER: Cliff Robinson and Dylan Teague

In Megazine 490

Judge Dredd: Human Grade

Writer: Geoffrey D. Wessel.
Art: Boo Cook.
Colours: Boo Cook.
Letters: Annie Parkhouse.

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

Tales from the Cursed Earth: Judge Grrrr's Last Stand

Writer: Ned Hartley.
Art: Steve White.
Colours: John Charles.
Letters: Simon Bowland.

The Cursed Earth, 2148 AD. This inhospitable, irradiated wasteland covers much of what used to be the United States of America. A desolate, blasted plain, the result of the devastating Atomic Wars, it is home to all manner of mutants and strange lifeforms, scratching an existence from the barren rock, far from the walls of the Big Meg. These are their stories...

Fargo & McBane: Favoured Sons

Writer: Ken Niemand.
Art: PJ Holden.
Colours: Quinton Winter.
Letters: Annie Parkhouse.

New York City, the 1970s. Detective Jack McBane was one of the toughest cops to patrol the metropolis, having no compunction in handing out summary justice upon criminals. Although his ruthless attitude wins him few friends, he has one in Officer Eartha Fargo, who’s partnered with him to investigate strange crimes on the mean streets of the Big Apple...

Department K: ...No More

Writer: Ned Hartley.
Art: Mike Walters.
Letters: Simon Bowland.

Mega-City One, 2148 AD. Justice Department has many divisions within it tasked with dealing with the various threats that face the metropolis. The mysterious Department K is a branch of Tek-Div, whose brief is to tackle interdimensional enemies that are seeking to break through the walls of reality. Young intern Afua recently had an encounter with one such entity...

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

Megatropolis II

Writer: Ken Niemand.
Art: Dave Taylor.
Letters: Rob Steen.

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. Now, a mayoral election is looming...

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.