Judge Dredd Megazine 492 Preview - The Black Tower Crossover Begins

Judge Dredd Megazine 492 kicks off a major crossover event with 2000 AD, and it's one you won't want to miss. While Prog 2483 begins the Oubliette plot thread, Judge Dredd Megazine 492 turns its attention to Mega-City One and The Black Tower - a sinister structure that has just manifested in the heart of the metropolis. You'll want to follow both titles over the coming months to see how the two threads collide.

Elsewhere in this issue, Judge Dredd Megazine 492 delivers fresh instalments of Megatropolis, Fargo & McBane, and Atomfall. The latter is fresh from winning Best British Game at last month's Baftas, with a TV adaptation already in development. You'll also find the final part of Department K, while Rok the World takes a mid-season break after this episode.

The issue also pays tribute to legendary IPC Group Editor Barrie Tomlinson. He was the driving force behind Roy of the Rovers, Scream! and many more British comics classics, who sadly passed away on 21 April.

• RELEASE DATE: 20th May £7.50
• US RELEASE DATE: 17th June $14.99
• COVER: NICK PERCIVAL

Inside Judge Dredd Megazine 492

Judge Rico: The Black Tower

Writer: Ken Niemand.
Art: Nick Percival.
Letters: Simon Bowland.

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 Rico – he is the Law!

Atomfall: The Wicked Isle

Writer: Jonathan L. Howard.
Art: Anthony Williams.
Letters: Rob Steen.

Wyndham village, 1958. A year ago, reporter Jenny Coggins was sent by her newspaper to write a story on the Windscale Atom Plant, but she'd been receiving inside information that all was not what it seemed with the facility. While she was there, however, the plant exploded, and the entire area was quarantined by the military – now a new society has developed, and more mysteries emerge...

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, and 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. Now McBane is learning about a shadowy elite that controls the city...

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 (letterer)

Megatroplis II

Writer: Ken Niemand. 
Art: Chris Weston. 
Colours: Antonietta Saulino. 
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.