Judge Dredd Megazine #495: Meg 495

Judge Dredd Megazine #495 is OUT NOW!The Black Tower reaches its explosive finale this issue, but make sure you read the episodes of both Dredd and The Finders in Prog 2496 – on sale right now – before you launch into the Meg.The multistranded Oubliette epic is coming together as the various plotlines and characters intertwine, but while the Meg side of the things is wrapping up this month, don’t miss the conclusion to the story in 2000 AD, which runs until Prog 2499!Elsewhere, we’ve got two new series starting within these pages – Ken Niemand & Conor Boyle reunite for another arc of retro-Dredd tales in Mega-City 2099, and John Reppion & Lee Carter collaborate on the latest case for Brit-Cit’s prickly Psi-Judge Lillian Storm as she investigates a death in a stately home. Plus there’s more Lawless, Rogue Trooper and The Angry Planet, Karl Stock chats with colourist Emily Roach, Stephen Jewell interviews writer James Lovegrove, and Si Spurrier & Mike Dowling give the lowdown on their new comic Minotaur.All in all, another packed issue with plenty to chew on – see you in thirty, citizens!JUDGE RICO // THE BLACK TOWER, Part FourMega-City One, 2148 AD. This vast urban hell on the east coast of post-apocalyptic North America is home to over 300 million citizens, where tensions run a constant knife-edge. Bordered on one side by the toxic Black Atlantic and the irradiated Cursed Earth to the west, crime is rampant, and stemming the tide of chaos are the Judges. Toughest of them all is Judge Rico – he is the Law! .LAWLESS // STRAYColonial Marshal Metta Lawson was appointed to the frontier township of Badrock on the planet 43 Rega, intent on stamping her authority on the colony. But in doing so, Lawson made many enemies, including Munce, Inc., the mega-corporation that funded Badrock. Now, with the SJS also running things, Lawson’s recently returned to the force after going undercover…STORM WARNING // SLAUGHTERHOUSE, Part OneBrit-Cit, 2147 AD. Much like its Mega-City counterpart, Brit-Cit Justice Department has its various divisions, from Tek to plainclothes, Tactical to Psi, and one of its more prickly operatives in the latter is Lillian Storm, who has the ability to talk to the dead, and is always accompanied by her ghostly helpers. Now, Storm’s been called to a stately home called Slaughter House…MEGA-CITY 2099 // REMEMBRANCE DAYMega-City One, 2099 AD. Before the Judges took complete control of the metropolis, there were two strands of law enforcement – regular uniformed cops did much of the day-today policing, while the helmeted Judges were called upon to pass judgement on certain criminals, their vested powers giving them the ability to dispense on-the-spot sentences…ROGUE TROOPER // AN ITERATION OF ALLIES, Part ThreeNu Earth, a planet ravaged by war, its atmosphere poisoned by the use of chemical and biological weapons. It is the site of the conflict between the Southers and the Norts, each side battling for supremacy, and where Genetic Infantryman Rogue Trooper, along with his biochipped buddies Helm, Gunnar and Bagman, is on a quest to find the Traitor General that sold out his comrades…