Written by John Wagner & Alan Grant
Art by Brett Ewins, Cliff Robinson, Robin Smith, Barry Kitson, Jeff Anderson and Will Simpson
Cover by Arthur Ranson
[the cover image solicited in 2/04, and displayed below, is by Barry Kitson]
DC Solicitation: Cassandra Anderson is a member of Psi-Division, the psychic section of the Justice Department. A precognitive telepath and empath, she can detect crimes before they're even committed!
In this first collection of Anderson stories written by John Wagner (BATMAN) and Alan Grant (LOBO), with art by Brett Ewins (SKREEMER), Cliff Robinson, Robin Smith, Barry Kitson (LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES), Jeff Anderson and Will Simpson (VAMPS), Cassandra must face the horror of the Dark Judges once more, enter a demonic realm in a quest to save a young boy's life, and face Orlok, the terrifying assassin who nearly destroyed Mega-City One!
On sale May 11 [2005] o 7.375" x 10.1875" o B&W, 192 pg. $14.99 US
This volume reprints:
Four Dark Judges, 12 episodes, progs 416-427 (May to July 1985). Story by John Wagner & Alan Grant, art by Brett Ewins, Cliff Robinson, Robin Smith.
The Possessed, 11 episodes, progs 468-478 (May to July 1986). Story by "Rick Clark" (Alan Grant), art by Brett Ewins.
Hour of the Wolf, 12 episodes, progs 520-531 (May to July 1987). Story by Grant, art by Barry Kitson, Will Simpson.
Commentary: Judge Cassandra Anderson was introduced in 1980's three-part story "Judge Death," returned for 1981's "Judge Death Lives" and became a supporting player in the Dredd universe afterwards. In 1985, she got a series of her own, which has been a recurring feature in either 2000 AD or the Megazine for two decades. This edition features the first 35 of some 200 Anderson episodes. (The first two appearances of Anderson and Death are available in another Rebellion/DC trade, Judge Dredd: Dredd vs. Death.)
Unfortunately, it skips over her first two solo appearances. "The Haunting" and the wonderful "Mind of Edward Bottlebum" were one-off episodes which appeared in 2000 AD Annuals. Instead, it starts with "Four Dark Judges," the third Judge Death story, which ran for three months in 1985. Most of the art is by Brett Ewins, who turns in some wonderful work, and clearly has a lot of fun both with his bizarre angles and his use of shading. Cliff Robinson and Robin Smith step up for fill-in episodes to conclude the story. Robinson's episode, which shows Death and his associates attacking the judges in one of their sector houses, is really amazing.
One year later, Ewins handled the art for a complete three-month Anderson adventure, "The Possessed," which is an intensely freaky adventure full of incredibly bizarre character designs, with twists and contortions in the art to match the unsettling script. This also introduces the rarely-seen exorcists of Psi-Division, who just look alarmingly cool.
The last of the stories presented here is 1987's "Hour of the Wolf," which features some fantastic art from Barry Kitson (now illustrating DC's Legion of Super-Heroes). The story is a great one, matching Anderson against psychic sleeper agents from another mega-city, but what they're doing and from whom they're taking their orders is a mystery.