If your knowledge of Judge Dredd is limited to the campy Stallone movie or a brace of funnies you learn in the ‘ 90s , you ’ve only scratched the surface of what this sci - fi classic has to declare oneself . With some advice fromDouglas Wolk — comedian critic , Dreddexpert , and writer for the new mini - seriesJudge Dredd : Mega City Two — I’ve compiled everything you might need to know to get started with this surprisingly interesting and complex comedian .
Who is Judge Dredd?
Joseph Dredd is a law enforcement officer in Mega - City One — a sprawling American metropolis in the 22nd hundred , spanning roughly from Boston all the direction down to Charlotte . Dredd and his fellow officers are denote to as " Street Judges " because they have the authority to apprehend , sentence , and even execute criminals on the billet . He is the most famous and most feared Judge in all of Mega - City One , where crime run rearing despite the zero - tolerance polices of its tyrannical government .
We ’ve never seen Dredd ’s face and only learned his honest origin after decades of comic strip . He is a knockoff of Judge Fargo , the first Chief Judge .
Dredd was created by British comic writer John Wagner and artist Carlos Ezquerra for the 2d issue ( or “ prog ” as they ’re called ) of2000 ADmagazine in 1977 . To this daylight , Wagner still writes a majority of the Dredd strip and has been behind many of the most beloved stories in the character reference ’s history . There have been a number of creative person involved in the comic over the age admit Brian Bolland , Mike McMahon , Colin MacNeil , Steve Dillon , and many more .
It’s a comedy, police procedural, and sci-fi epic rolled into one
Most masses with only a passing experience withJudge Dreddtend to intend it ’s a hangover of ' 80s - earned run average right - annex retaliation fantasies in the vein ofDirty Harry . However , even back then , it was actually a satire of those kinds of posture about criminal offense and penalty . The Judges will often slap litterers and traffic violators with idiotic multi - twelvemonth prison sentences . Dredd himself is kind of a fascist jerk who delivers ruthless justice in a way that make believe you question whether he ’s even supposed to be the good guy .
This is a British comic about a dystopian America written primarily for a British audience , and it often has some Anglo - centrical in - joke and sight gag . The writers typically use a police - adjective plot social organisation to search Dredd ’s futuristic earth and socio - political landscape . In recent years , the tone of the report have become more advanced in how they show the politics and ethics of the Justice System in which Dredd operates .
The stories progress in real time and Dredd is now 70 years old
We ’re so used to superhero comics existing in a state of arrested growing , but , since its launching in 1977,Judge Dreddhas work up in real time . It began in 2099 and it is now 2136 . Dredd himself is 70 geezerhood old . He ’s been on active duty for over 50 years and is much more globe - weary and reflective than he was in the former strips . His fellow judges look at him a piddling other than now , too , like an old timer who may be past his flush .
About six years ago , Dredd was diagnosed with benign duodenal malignant neoplastic disease . It ’s not something that is cite much in the current narrative and it may not be life - threatening ( especially with all the succeeding tech cloning possibilities ) , but it seems to point to the fact that we may be reading the protracted end of Dredd ’s taradiddle .
While the comic strip are structured as short tarradiddle — the2000 ADeditions are deliver in 6- to 8- page installments at a time — there is a very tight continuity and the event of one story will have a go impact on succeeding stories . Although it ’s pretty easy to jump into any Dredd narration to revel the action , the more you read and become conversant with his world , the more you appreciate the elbow room it ’s build upon what has come before .
He has an extended family (most of which are his own clones)
An earlyDreddstory require his twinned brother Rico ( who was in reality just another clone of Judge Fargo , like Dredd himself ) . Rico change state malevolent and Dredd was forced to kill him in a duel . In a story called " Blood Cadets , " published in 2000 , another Dredd knockoff joined the academy and train on the name Judge Rico to commemorate Dredd ’s deceased sidekick . The original Rico was fast-growing and antagonistic towards his brother , but the Modern Rico looks up to Joe , who is old enough to be his father .
In 2006’sOrigins , Dredd find a whole kindred of mutant knockoff made from his “ sire , ” Judge Fargo , live in the Cursed Earth , which are the wastelands between Mega - City One , Mega - City Two , and Texas City . Their existence totally changed his prospect on mutant rights and led to Dredd buttonhole for a repeal of the anti - mutant practice of law , showing a glimpse of empathy that we had n’t antecedently pick up from him .
The original Rico had a girl identify Vienna who was orphan by his expiry and has returned in recent long time as an grownup . Dredd is protective of her and even visit Vienna on holiday . She is the only person who seems to elicit Acts of the Apostles of compassionateness from him .
Another Dredd clone is Dolman , who survive out on his own after chuck up the sponge the Academy . He was push to get a face change to protect Dredd ’s individuality and he pops up from time to time . Dolman has become tight with Vienna , who treats him like a slight brother .
There are more clones of Dredd / Fargo out there that we bear on to meet over time such as Judge Kraken ( a rogue clon created to overthrow the judges ) , Nimrod ( a genetically enhanced dead ringer ) , and others .
He has a long tradition of working with tough female judges
Dredd has had a number of tough distaff partners over the geezerhood , from Judge Anderson of Psi Division to Judge Hershey ( both had their own tailspin - off titles for a while ) . The comics have always represent these female evaluator as working on an equal playing field with Dredd and they have , in some cases , been his superior . Judges are nix from having sexual activity and Dredd is as moth-eaten as they come , so there have never been any romantic entanglements . ( Well , except for one time whenJudge Galen DeMarco took him by surprisal . )
Judge America ( Ami ) Beeny is the daughter of an activist who was killed because of an order given by Dredd in perhaps the most celebrated Judge Dredd tale ever , America . InCadet , one of two sequels to that story , we see Beeny uprise quickly through the rank , becoming a full judge by the geezerhood of 15 . She is a prodigy in the Justice System and Dredd has championed and defended her progression , even when other Judges sense uncomfortable pickings orders from a young girlfriend . Although she does not blame Dredd for her mother ’s death , her finish is to straighten out what she sees as a problematical organisation from the inside .
Over 80% of the population of Mega-City One has just been wiped out
InDay of Chaos , the most recent major plot line which ran through2000 ADprogs 1743 - 1789 , Sov City ( the Soviets ) unleashed a virulent computer virus call the Chaos hemipteran in revenge for the desolation they endure during the definitive " Apocalypse War " story from 1982 .
In improver to the Sov City attack , a in series slayer who has been posing as the mayor run berserk and the genocidal Dark Judges are set unaffixed . As a result , 87 % of the population of Mega - City One are kill and a terrorist plan of attack on the Academy of Law take out almost every plebe .
Things are now a hell of a set worse in the world ofJudge Dredd , and future story line must dish out with the aftermath of the disaster(s ) .
There are now two publishers putting out Dredd comics
Historically , British publisher 2000 advertizing has been in bearing of all things Dredd , publishing report in2000 ADmagazine as well asJudge Dredd Megazine . They usually amass individual storylines and include them in their own graphic novels , although these are often hard to track down in the nation . Digitally , most volume are usable in Kindle formatand2000 ADhas an app in the iOS Newsstandwhere they sell affordable volumes of every singleJudge Dreddstory they ’ve ever published .
In 2013 , American newspaper publisher IDW began position out their own monthlyJudge Dreddcomic written by Duane Swierczynski plus spin - offs like Douglas Wolk’sMega - City Twoand aJudge Dredd : Year Onemini - serial . The IDW books draw upon what John Wagner and ship’s company have found in the 2000 AD books , but the stories are set back in 2100 and it looks like they purpose to prove their own unique continuity .
Where to start reading
There are a lot ofDreddstories out there and , in the past decade or so , they ’ve become sophisticated in how they continually build upon what ’s come before . It can be intimidating to work out out how and where to jump in . Douglas Wolk has plausibly the perfect ethical drug on his web log , where he get into a raft of critical detail on each storyline .
This is the kernel of Wolk ’s recommendations :
If you want to go down your teeth into classicJudge Dredd , the upright place to start isJudge Dredd : Complete Case Files 05 . This is a black and lily-white , phonebook - sized collection of strips from 1981 - 1982 that include crucial classic like " Judge Death Lives " and " The Apocalypse War . "
For recentDreddstories where thing get racy and more interesting , you probably ca n’t go wrong with theAmericatrilogy . It ’s considered a turn breaker point in timber for the serial ; however , it does n’t actually sport Dredd himself that much within the story . It ’s hard to track down a print collection of this in the States , butyou can grease one’s palms it digitally from 2000ADonlineor get aKindle edition .
Judge Dredd : Originsis a lately relinquish collection that finally lays out all the piece of Dredd ’s origin that have been hinted at for decades . you’re able to get it inbook formator digitallyvia 2000AD . befittingly , Dreddcreators John Wagner and Carlos Ezquerra reunite to tell this story .
Meanwhile , IDW is aiming for something of an “ Ultimate”Judge Dredd , in which their comics are free of the preceding couple of decades of continuity and have started fresh with a younger Dredd and Judge Anderson figure out cases in Mega - City One . This is still very too soon into its streamlet , withthree volumes of the main series currently available .
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Previously in this series I ’ve helped you catch up on everything going on inthe X - men comicsand inBatman comics .
