Big Finish - Death Trap

Getting these slightly out of order but the second 2000AD release from Big Finish was Judge Dredd: Death Trap, written by David Bishop and directed by Nicholas Briggs.

As Mega-City One is commemorating the twelfth anniversary of the events of Necropolis Dredd makes as annual visit to check that his nemesis Judge Death is still safely imprisoned. Meanwhile Amy Steel is investigating the actions of a cult of Death's followers who are campaigning for the fiend's release.

Now this adventure is much better. Dredd's encounter with his infamous enemy in the iso-cubes is fantastic. That "geek made good" Mark Gatiss plays Judge Dredd with sibilant relish, and their meeting has a real Hannibal Lector feel to it. There are also nice little comic cameos from Walter the Wobot and Mrs Gunderson, both of whom are characters from the comics. Having Death locked up in maximum security does rather limit where the story can go, so no great surprise when he escapes to wreak havoc in MC1 all over again.

David Bishop has a nice feel for that balance of action and humour that characterises the best of 2000AD. I'm looking forward to his other stories in this series. Longworth, Gatiss, Buckfield and Reagan all give great performances and the whole thing cracks along nicely. Death Trap just edges out the Simon Pegg Johnny Alpha adventures as my favourite of the Big Finish 2000AD stories so far. 4.5 out of 5 suction traps.