We've already seen in Dredd what happens when Judges go corrupt, but how about when they go in the opposite direction? What happens when the Judges go too far, even further than the loyal and ultra-violent likes of Dredd do? That's the question asked by Mechanismo and its follow up, Inferno, which sees Mega-City One policed by robot Judges alongside the real thing, which is tense enough as it is until one of the robo-Judges goes berserk and starts killing everyone. Not just the people who deserve it! The Mechanismos were introduced in the pages of the Megazine following some epic storylines which saw the Judge forces severely depleted, and the storyline isn't necessarily the most original, although it does grasp at some comparison between Dredd's killing-within-reason and the robot's killing-without-reason, and how they may not be so different. No doubt whoever pens the Dredd sequel - fingers crossed for Alex Garland's return - could beef up this angle, give it a more unique spin, and the special effects guys could come up with an android villain that's a little less goofy looking in real life.
Tom Baker is the Comics Editor at WhatCulture! He's heard all the Doctor Who jokes, but not many about Randall and Hopkirk. He also blogs at http://communibearsilostate.wordpress.com/
