Dredd hs been the mainstay of British comics for over thirty years and his success has been largely down to the adaptability of the main character to reflect a distorted view of our own society, whether by mimicking true events or satirising them. As a strip it has also tackled many social issues from delinquency, immigration, junk food, and obesity. Whilst there have been plenty of stories focused on the machinations of the judicial system itself through the actions of the Judges themselves, including corrupt or evil ones, The Pit takes its premise the ultimate bad-luck posting for any judge, where fighting crime is as much a fight against the odds. but more importantly a fight against corruption. Serialised in 2000AD back in 1995/6, its large cast of characters is more reminiscent of grittier TV police dramas like Hill Street Blues and CSI.

Set in the furthest outpost of Mega City One, it’s been regarded as the dumping ground for all the misfits and renegades on the force, hence it’s called The Pit. Dredd's arrival is not only to turn it into an efficient, organised division but also to weedle out the good cops from the bad. In the process, it unearths more than one or two dark secrets, and showing that no-one is quite who they seem. It's an odd bunch of people too: spoilt rich kid Demarco, mean-spirited Warren, the veteran Garvel, as well as the volatile, murderous Priest and judge-turned-outlaw Guthrie. Whilst there's the ongoing corruption investigations, there's also the wider crimes to tackle: racketeers, child killers, traffic violations, chemical spillages, grot pot contamination, the fanatical Seventh Heaven Apocalypse Day Group as well as gangland warfare with mob leader Fonzo Bongo and his Mega-City Frendz.

Having evolved over a number of issues, it's not surprising that the artistic chores have been shared by a quartet of lawgiving artist from the definitive Dredd imagineer Carlos Ezquerra to the young pretender to the throne, Colin Macneil, as well as sturdy work from Alex Ronald (Rogue Trooper/ Sinister Dexter) and Lee Sullivan, who's made an international name for himself with Dr Who and Spawn, and between them they keep the momentum of the drama going in lurid full colour. This episode in Dredd's life is certainly not the pits. It twists and turns so that you're always doubly guessing who will find themselves at the wrong end of Dredd's law.