Thursday, December 31, 2009

Jimbo's Top 9 of 2009 #3: Calhab Justice: Hogmanay

These days a sighting of Calhab Justice is as rare as a new Hugh Grant motion picture. I mention it as much as I can get away with on this blog (initially I typed in 'blob' there, and was tempted to leave it in). It was with some surprise then when I received an e-mail from Jon Haward informing me that 'Hogmanay' was reprinted in January's Judge Dredd Xmas GN 'Season's Beatings'.
I mean wow. The story still reads well and John Ridgway's art is as superb and uncluttered and smart as ever.
One wag lamented that all 'Hogmanay' involves is some future Scottish judges in plainclothes first footing each other for New Year. Which is kind of the point really. "Japanese whisky, huh?"

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I loved Calhab, clunky as some bits of it were! With Scottish Independence on the horizon, do you think it might be time to have another bash at it?

Jim Alexander said...

Thanks for the kind words. These days people are more appreciative of the strip than they were at the time. It's still being talked about I suppose over 15 years on!

I think a new Calhab would be interesting. My run of Calhab ended with the zone being reduced to a radioactive-strewn wasteland, but that might be an interesting starting point trying to build a new country from scratch, or habitation zone to be more exact.

Or do a retcon and have a situation where Brit-Cit is preparing to leave however reluctantly - and all that wonderful tension, subterfuge and back-stabbing as a result.