The Law at War - Rated 
This volume starts off on a pretty low-key note after the wall-to-wall brilliance of book 4's stories. Dredd investigating the Mega-rackets is inoffensive, entertaining stuff but not really anything special. It's when Judge Death makes his long-awaited comeback that the magic starts to happen. This five-parter, lushly illustrated by Brian Bolland, represent some of the finest pages ever seen in sequential comics - and contains the single most iconic panel in the history of the Dredd strip. You'll know the one when you see it.
And then came Block Mania and the Apocalypse War, an epic to end all epics at 30+ parts. Apocalyptic is the right word. Mega-City One is razed to the ground by atomic fire, half the city's population wiped out by tidal wave, radiation poisoning, bitter civil war and the merciless tanks of the Sov occupation. The use of Soviet-styled enemy judges dates the story a tad, but it's such a tour-de-force that that's a minor criticsm. More than any other, this is the story that really defined Dredd and put it on the map, generating stories for years to come. Because the Dredd strip unfolds in real-time, unlike most american comics, the after-effects of this mammoth event would haunt Dredd far into the future.
The whole thing is, once again, written solely by John Wagner and Alan Grant, and the Apocalypse War is drawn entirely by Carlos Ezquerra - the man who had originally designed Dredd and his uniform, but up to this point had been absent on the strip. After the chunky stylings of McMahon, and the fine detail of Smith and Bolland, Ezquerra's more euro-centric, almost brutal art comes as a bit of a shock, but it's perfect for the scope of the story. The story stands as a towering achievment for all concerned, and marks the moment Dredd really became a force to be reckoned with.
excellent - Rated
I am now on this book and have to say this is the best so far. The Cursed Earth series prior to this was excellent, but nothing beats Block Mania followed by Apocolypse War for me so far. In this series, everytime you think things can't get worse for Old Stoney Face they invariably do, but he just takes it on the chin and does what needs to be done. Some pretty shocking scenes in terms of death and Dreddy sure throws out justice on those who calls traitors...absolutely excellent. Yes the shorter stories about the Mega Rackets are interesting in terms of building the world of Dredd but are no way on a par with the series.
And yay Judge Death makes a comeback! Judge Anderson looks great in her outfit in this series, god knows how Dredd every stayed celibate...
"Next time, we get our retaliation in first!" - Rated
If anyone new to Dredd has read the first couple of volumes in this collection & was disappointed, I would strongly recommend that you buy volume 5 & give Dredd another try. That's because this collection contains the Block Mania storyline, which unexpectedly leads into The Apocalypse War - a significant turning-point & one of the greatest epic tales in the series to date.
When this storyline was written, the Cold War was going strong - no doubt inspiring Wagner to set this series in a post-apocalyptic future in the first place. But Dredd's world wasn't merely post-apocalyptic for long, as in this storyline, East-Meg One launches an all-out nuclear assault on Mega-City One. The result is devastating - the Big Meg's population is reduced from 800 million to 400 million as much of the city is reduced to radioactive rubble. Unable to penetrate the Sov's defences, Mega-City One & its greatest lawman are seriously on the ropes.
The subject of nuclear war is handled maturely, creatively & with Dredd's typical black, ironic & very British humour that came to typify the series & make it truly stand out. It also left quite a legacy on the Dredd universe. It gave Wagner & Grant the opportunity to create a whole host of colourful perps, muties & plagues twisted by radition in future storylines. More significantly, Wagners' desire to bring some social commentary to the series is combined perfectly with Dredd running round killing the baddies & saving his uncaring city but never getting the girl.
Also included is 'Death Lives' - Judge Death returns & this time he's brought some friends with him! This volume also contains The Mega Rackets - a series of short stories centred around organised crimes of the future. These range from the quirky (peaceful aliens farmed for their youth-giving properties) to the dark (virtually unstoppable Gila Munja mutant assassins). These stories are OK but not on par with the other classics which make up most of this volume - which certainly represent good value for money!
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