116-575: The Dead Man was a science fiction strip in the British comic 2000 AD by writer John Wagner and artist John Ridgway , published in black and white in 1989–90. Although it was not billed as a Judge Dredd story, it featured Dredd as the amnesiac protagonist known only as the Dead Man . It was part of a series of stories that set the scene for the main Judge Dredd story of 1990, " Necropolis ". The story
232-421: A Dirty Harry -inspired tough cop called One-Eyed Jack for Valiant , saw that readers also responded to authority figures, and developed a character that took the concept to its logical extreme, imagining an ultra-violent lawman patrolling a future New York with the power to arrest, sentence, and if required execute criminals on the spot. This would allow the new comic to be as violent as Action had been –
348-402: A mutant bounty hunter created by Wagner and Ezquerra, and Ro-Busters , a robot disaster squad created by Mills. Ro-Busters gave O'Neill the chance to spread his artistic wings and led to the popular spin-off ABC Warriors . Strontium Dog and ABC Warriors continued to feature in 2000 AD for the next 40 years. (A third Starlord series, Timequake , only lasted for four episodes and
464-449: A parallel universe appeared in the 1994 novel Dread Dominion . First appearance: 2000 AD #1378 (2004). Created by John Wagner and Carlos Ezquerra . Dolman was a cadet at the Academy of Law. He was cloned from Judge Dredd's DNA. Although he performed well at the Academy, he resented his lack of control over his own life and chose to leave the Academy and Mega-City One. He joined
580-462: A police state . This would provide plotlines for years to come. In 1986 the comic reached its 500th issue. A new Sláine story, Sláine the King , began, entirely drawn by Fabry. Peter Milligan , a writer who had been contributing Future Shocks , began two series, the bleak future war story Bad Company and a strange, psychedelic series called The Dead . In 1986, 2000 AD was selling 150,000 copies
696-527: A teleport system. This led to a series, Nemesis the Warlock , in which it was revealed that Termight was Earth in the far future. Torquemada was changed from the Chief of Traffic Police to a despotic demagogue leading a campaign of genocide against all aliens, and Nemesis was the leader of the alien resistance. Mills and O'Neill were on a roll and produced a stream of bizarre and imaginative ideas, but ultimately O'Neill
812-547: A "Genetic Infantryman" engineered to be immune to chemical warfare hunting down the traitor general who had betrayed his regiment, who debuted in 1981. He was supported by bio-chips of the personalities of three dead comrades, which, slotted into his equipment, could talk to him. Gibbons left the strip early on and was replaced by Colin Wilson , Brett Ewins and Cam Kennedy . Rogue Trooper replaced Meltdown Man , which had recently ended its run. Another new strip in 1981, inspired by
928-536: A Judda cloned from the same genetic material as Dredd, was captured by Justice Department, who had plans for him. Chopper also spun off into his own series, written by Wagner and drawn by Colin MacNeil . The ABC Warriors finally had their own series again in 1987 as a spin-off from Nemesis . This was written, as ever, by Pat Mills, and drawn by two artists in rotation, newcomer Simon Bisley and science fiction artist S.M.S. In 1988 Grant and artist Simon Harrison began
1044-806: A Nubian slave in the Roman Empire which took a science-fictional turn in 2000 AD with him becoming a gladiator in an alien world; The Mind of Wolfie Smith , a coming of age/psychic story of a runaway teenager, and Captain Klep , a single-page superhero parody. These stories, unlike Starlord's , did not continue for very long. The last issue titled 2000 AD and Tornado was prog 177, dated 13 September 1980. 2000 AD featured an adaptation of Harry Harrison 's novel The Stainless Steel Rat , written by Gosnell and drawn by Ezquerra, beginning in November 1979. Adaptations of two of Harrison's sequels, The Stainless Steel Rat Saves
1160-723: A badge. As the memory of his identity finally returns, the Dead Man shows Yassa the name on the badge: Dredd. The Dead Man recalls that he resigned from the Justice Department and took the Long Walk into the Cursed Earth , leaving Mega-City One behind for ever. After one hundred days of bringing law to the lawless outside the city walls, he reached Crowley, where he was attacked by the Sisters of Death , who incinerated everyone, chased him into
1276-502: A close associate of Dredd. Judge Giant can refer to either of two characters. They are father and son. Their first names have never been given. They are both descended from another 2000 AD character, 'Giant' (real name John Clay), who starred in his own series in 2000 AD , Harlem Heroes , which ran in progs (issues) 1–27 of the comic. John 'Giant' Clay made a cameo appearance in the Judge Dredd strip in prog 28. Since Judge Dredd himself did not appear in 2000 AD until prog 2,
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#17328916807921392-444: A comic which had generated much controversy – but without attracting criticism, because the violence would be committed by an officer of the law. As Sanders put it, "The formula was simple: violence on the side of justice ... Dredd could be as violent as hell, and no one could say a thing." Meanwhile, Mills had developed a horror strip, inspired by the novels of Dennis Wheatley , about a hanging judge , called Judge Dread (after
1508-580: A freedom fighter called Nemesis battles the despotic Torquemada , chief of the Tube Police. All that was seen of Nemesis was the outside of his vehicle, the Blitzspear. The story was a reaction to an earlier tube chase sequence Mills and O'Neill had done in Ro-Busters , which management objected to. The only other Comic Rock story was a follow-up called "Killer Watt", in which Nemesis and Torquemada fought on
1624-510: A full judge in his first story, Cadet Giant remained a cadet for five years during his recurring appearances in the strip. He was a major protagonist in one of Judge Dredd's biggest and most significant epics, " Necropolis ", even taking over the lead role from Dredd himself in half a dozen episodes (including two in which Dredd did not even appear). He led a group of cadets who remained free of Dark Judge control and, at one point, were personally hunted down by Judge Mortis . He would later be one of
1740-465: A future war story inspired by the Vietnam War , drawn by McMahon, Cam Kennedy , Garry Leach and John Richardson . A feature of the early years of 2000 AD was the opportunities it gave to young British comic artists: by the time the title celebrated its 100th issue Brian Bolland, Dave Gibbons, Ian Gibson, Mike McMahon and Kevin O'Neil were all established as regulars. In 1980 Judge Dredd gained
1856-609: A giant killer robot charged with keeping demons from invading earth. Dark Judges This is a list of characters in the British comic strip Judge Dredd appearing in 2000 AD , Judge Dredd Megazine and related publications. They are listed alphabetically by surname, in categories. (Major characters have their own articles: see the navigation box at the bottom of this article .) See Judge Anderson . First appearance: Judge Dredd Megazine vol. 3 issue 20 (1996). Created by John Wagner and Colin MacNeil . America Beeny
1972-460: A good introduction to the character, all of which meant that Dredd would not be ready for the first issue. The story chosen was one written by freelancer Peter Harris, extensively rewritten by Mills and including an idea suggested by Kelvin Gosnell, and drawn by newcomer Mike McMahon . The strip debuted in prog 2, dated 5 March 1977. IPC owned the rights to Dan Dare , and Mills decided to revive
2088-683: A less sentimental take on the same basic plot used in E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial , set in Birmingham and influenced by Alan Bleasdale 's Boys from the Blackstuff . The series was drawn by Jim Baikie . Moore wrote another series, D.R. and Quinch , spun off from a one-off Time Twister . Drawn by Alan Davis , the strip featured a pair of alien juvenile delinquents with a penchant for mindless thermonuclear destruction. He went on to create The Ballad of Halo Jones with artist Ian Gibson . Halo
2204-422: A major public relations boost for Justice Department. In 2131 Judges Sinfield , Cardew and Millan began a campaign to run Francisco as a candidate to replace Judge Hershey as chief judge, running on an anti-mutant platform. He won by a landslide. Mutant townships in the Cursed Earth were set up, to which to expel the mutant citizens. Francisco also had Hershey and Dredd given new postings, off-world and in
2320-422: A marine – a decision Dredd agreed with – and Easter and two others assaulted him in hospital, but Dolman was able to take them down. See Judge Dredd . First appearance: 2000 AD #559 (1988) but had been mentioned earlier. Created by John Wagner, Alan Grant (writers) and Brendan McCarthy . Chief Judge Eustace Fargo was the first chief judge of Mega-City One (and indeed of the entire United States, before it
2436-494: A minor role in the series "Dreadnoughts" in the Judge Dredd Megazine . First appearance: 2000 AD #370 (1984). Created by John Wagner, Alan Grant (writers) and Kim Raymond (artist). Judge Dekker first appeared in 1984 as a rookie judge , being successfully evaluated by Dredd as to her suitability to become a full judge. She did not reappear in the strip again until 1991 , when writer Garth Ennis used her as
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#17328916807922552-479: A multi-dimensional organisation that polices reality, whose most memorable story was "Killing Time", a time travel story featuring Jack the Ripper . Garth Ennis and Philip Bond contributed Time Flies , a time-travel comedy, and Hewlett was paired with writer Peter Milligan for the surreal Hewligan's Haircut . Writer John Tomlinson and artist Simon Jacob created Armoured Gideon , an action-comedy series about
2668-416: A new Strontium Dog story, "The Final Solution". It took nearly two years to complete, and ended with the death of Johnny Alpha, who sacrificed his life to save mutants from extermination. Original artist Carlos Ezquerra did not agree with the decision to kill the character off, and refused to draw it. The number of colour pages was increased, allowing for one complete strip per issue to be painted. Initially
2784-455: A new character, Robo-Hunter , in 1978. The hero, Sam Slade, was a private detective -type character specialising in robot -related cases. José Ferrer was the original artist, but the editorial team were not happy with his work and quickly replaced him with Ian Gibson, who redrew parts of Ferrer's episodes before taking over himself. Gibson's imaginative, cartoony art helped drive the series' style from hard-boiled detective to surreal comedy. As
2900-577: A new enemy. Writer John Wagner realised that Dredd's habit of shooting just about everybody he came up against meant that it was difficult to create a recurring villain. The solution was Judge Death , an undead judge from another dimension where, since all crime was committed by the living, life itself was outlawed. The law had been thoroughly enforced on his own world, and now he had come to Mega-City One to continue his work. Judge Death first appeared in an atmospheric three-parter drawn by Brian Bolland which also introduced Judge Anderson and Psi Division ,
3016-401: A nuclear explosion, the return of Strontium Dog and Dash Decent , a Flash Gordon parody . Pat Mills introduced Comic Rock , which was meant to be a format for short stories inspired by popular music. The first story, inspired by The Jam 's Going Underground , was drawn by Kevin O'Neill and featured a complicated underground travel network on a planet called "Termight", in which
3132-457: A recurring secondary character in several 1991 and 1992 strips – most prominently as the investigating judge against the "Muzak Killer". By this time an experienced street judge, she was killed in the 1992 story " Judgement Day " (set in 2114). Upon her death Dredd considered that she was "...the best rookie he'd ever had, bar none." He later hallucinated her during his crucifixion in "Goodnight Kiss". An alternative, evil version of Dekker from
3248-508: A result of a massive increase in violent gang crime, US president Thomas Gurney appointed Fargo Special Prosecutor for Street Crime. When the Constitution was amended to allow the creation of an elite law enforcement agency to convict criminals without due process, Fargo was made the first "chief judge" in 2031. Fargo resigned and attempted suicide in 2051, but the matter was covered up by deputy chief judges Solomon and Goodman , who fabricated
3364-421: A rifle and some clothes: a brown overcoat and a wide-brimmed hat, giving him the appearance of a character from a Western. The Dead Man sets out alone, but is followed by Yassa and his dog. When the Dead Man discovers Yassa, he forbids him to accompany him any further due to the exceptionally dangerous terrain they will be passing through, but Yassa disobeys and the Dead Man gives up trying to stop him. The rest of
3480-410: A second science fiction comic which had been launched by IPC earlier that year. As Gosnell was editor of Starlord and 2000 AD at the same time, 2000 AD sub-editor Nick Landau largely edited the latter comic himself during this time. Starlord was cancelled after only 22 issues and merged into 2000 AD from prog 86. Two Starlord strips strengthened 2000 AD ' s line-up: Strontium Dog ,
3596-447: A small margin on a desultory turnout, and Dredd was satisfied. 2000 AD gained an influx of talent from other comics. Garth Ennis and John Smith had come to prominence writing for Crisis , a 2000 AD spin-off for older readers, while artists Jamie Hewlett and Philip Bond were the stars of Deadline , an independent comics and popular culture magazine founded by Steve Dillon and Brett Ewins . Smith created Indigo Prime ,
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3712-526: A squad of judges with psychic powers. Dredd soon began another epic journey in " The Judge Child ". A dying Psi Division Judge had predicted disaster for Mega-City One unless it was ruled by a boy with a birthmark shaped like an eagle, so Dredd set off into the Cursed Earth, to Texas City , and into deep space in search of the boy, Owen Krysler, and his kidnappers, the Angel Gang. All of them were killed during
3828-553: A story that he had been killed in a drive-by shooting. In fact he survived, and was placed in suspended animation until such time as medical science advanced to the point where his injuries could be fully healed. He was succeeded as chief judge by Solomon. In 2070, after the Third World War devastated the United States, Fargo was revived, and he advised the chief judge – now Goodman – to overthrow President Bob Booth and take over
3944-430: A strange, supernatural presence: a woman dressed in black. At first beautiful, she later transforms into a terrifying monster before disappearing. Eventually the pair reach a river of acid, where the Dead Man finds traces of the clothing he was wearing when Yassa first found him. His memory slowly begins to return as he recalls running through the river, pursued by an unseen foe, and then losing his footing and falling into
4060-533: A strip about time-travelling cowboys farming dinosaurs for their meat. After 16 issues, Mills quit as editor and handed the reins to Kelvin Gosnell , whose idea the comic had been in the first place. Gosnell also appeared as the fall guy in the Tharg the Mighty comedy photostrips that were a feature of the comic in its early years. Wagner returned to write Judge Dredd , starting in prog 9. His " Robot Wars " storyline
4176-464: A supporting character in Judge Dredd , Judge Anderson finally appeared in her own series, written by Wagner and Grant and initially drawn by Brett Ewins. New artist Glenn Fabry debuted on Sláine , but, due to his slowness, he was rotated with David Pugh . In the Judge Dredd story "Letter from a Democrat", Wagner and Grant introduced a pro-democracy movement in Mega-City One, which is after all
4292-544: A week. In 1987 IPC's comics division was hived off and sold to publishing magnate Robert Maxwell as Fleetway. 2000 AD was revamped, with a larger page size and full process colour on the covers and centre pages. Richard Burton became editor. Kevin O'Neill returned for a short Nemesis series called "Torquemada the God". Not long after came the debut of Zenith , 2000 AD' s first serious superhero strip, by new writer Grant Morrison and artist Steve Yeowell . The title character
4408-436: Is a judge who has been undercover for so long that he has lost his sanity. He refers to himself in the third person, has dubious personal hygiene and can urinate for twenty three minutes non-stop. During the investigation into Judge Smiley, Frank was wounded and later declared dead, but this was simply a ruse and he was once again sent undercover this time abroad to locate and infiltrate the remaining agents of Smiley. According to
4524-458: Is almost assassinated by a sniper as he boards his flight home; Dr Northgate intercepts the bullet and is killed. 2000 AD (comic) 2000 AD is a weekly British science fiction-oriented comic magazine. As a comics anthology it serialises stories in each issue (known as "progs") and was first published by IPC Magazines in 1977, the first issue dated 26 February. Since 2000 it has been published by Rebellion Developments . 2000 AD
4640-407: Is most noted for its Judge Dredd stories, and has been contributed to by a number of artists and writers who became renowned in the field internationally, such as Alan Moore , Dave Gibbons , Grant Morrison , Brian Bolland , Mike McMahon , John Wagner , Alan Grant and Garth Ennis . Other series in 2000 AD include Rogue Trooper , Sláine , Strontium Dog , ABC Warriors , Nemesis
4756-495: Is satisfied and Giant becomes a full Street Judge. Judge Giant became Dredd's recurring sidekick for the next four years. His most important story was the 23-episode Judge Cal storyline, in which he first saved Dredd from being executed and then fought with him against Cal's renegade judges and alien mercenaries (Kleggs) until the end. Although he had an important role in that story, his appearances in later tales were generally little more than mere cameos, and his importance within
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4872-457: Is the child of America Jara and Bennett Beeny, two main characters who appeared in the first America story. America Beeny appeared briefly in the second story, but her first main story was the third in the America trilogy, in which she took a lead role. In 2119 Beeny was enrolled as a cadet in the Academy of Law by her father just before his untimely death, and served well enough to qualify for
4988-473: Is told from the point of view of Yassa Povey, a young boy living in a post-apocalyptic wasteland. Yassa discovers the body of a man with appalling injuries caused by acid burns, leaving him so badly disfigured that he effectively has no face left. At first believing the man to be dead, Yassa is startled when the man regains consciousness, and he runs home to get help. The townsfolk collect the injured man and take him back with them, fully expecting him to die during
5104-477: Is too terrified to heed his warning and is therefore blinded. Once the Sisters have vanished, Dredd takes Yassa back home, where he is denounced by Yassa's mother for allowing her son to be exposed to such peril. Dredd is remorseful, realising too late that he should have done more to stop Yassa from following him in the first place. However he must travel to Mega-City One to investigate what is happening there, since if
5220-472: The London Evening Standard about a wave of forthcoming science fiction films, and suggested that the company might get on the bandwagon by launching a science fiction comic. IPC publisher John Sanders asked Pat Mills , a freelance writer and editor who had created Battle Picture Weekly and Action , to develop it. Mills brought fellow freelancer John Wagner on board as script adviser and
5336-464: The Harlem Heroes sequel Inferno . When Gibbons took over Dan Dare in prog 28 the strip was refashioned as a Star Trek -style space opera. Mills had also created Harlem Heroes , about the future sport of aeroball, a futuristic, violent version of basketball with jet-packs. Similar future sport series had been a fixture of Action , and the similarly themed film Rollerball had been released
5452-440: The Judge Dredd strip for the preceding four years, and collectively had repercussions that were still being felt another four years later, ending at the conclusion of the " Mechanismo " storyline. The Dead Man contained a rare depiction of Judge Dredd in which he is not wearing his features-obscuring helmet, although he is instead disfigured by his earlier falling into an acid river. As soon as The Dead Man finished, "Tale of
5568-459: The Judge Dredd strip, as it heralded the onset of the 26-episode epic "Necropolis" in 1990. To preserve the mystery of the Dead Man story, writer John Wagner used a pseudonym , Keef Ripley, to disguise the fact that a high-profile creator strongly associated with Judge Dredd had written it. It was also not made explicit that the story was set in Dredd's universe until the eleventh episode, in which
5684-527: The Space Corps and was transferred to an offworld Academy, though he regularly returned to the city; keeping in touch with Vienna Dredd and took classes at night school. Shortly after " Day of Chaos ", Dolman returned to the city: he felt obliged to help out, especially with his family in danger. He was an advisor and non-combatant in the Corps by now, and first arrived in the city when Marines were asked to break
5800-426: The reggae and ska artist of the same name ). The idea was abandoned as unsuitable for the new comic, but the name, with a little modification, was adopted by Wagner for his ultimate lawman. The task of visualising the newly named Judge Dredd was given to Carlos Ezquerra , a Spanish artist who had previously worked with Mills on Battle , on a strip called Major Eazy . Wagner gave Ezquerra an advertisement for
5916-410: The Dead Man" began in the same issue (by Wagner and artists Will Simpson and Jeff Anderson ). It was preceded by a one-episode prologue, "A Letter to Judge Dredd" by Wagner and Simpson, a story which also had a significant impact on the events which unfolded in the "Tale of the Dead Man". Besides its immediate importance in the build-up to "Necropolis", the story also features Dredd's resignation from
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#17328916807926032-489: The Giant family's appearance in the comic predates Dredd's debut in his own strip. First appearance: 2000 AD #27 (1977). Created by John Wagner and Ian Gibson . The original Judge Giant first appeared in prog 27 of the comic ( 1977 ) as a rookie judge who had just graduated from the Academy of Law. Set in 2099, his first appearance in "The Academy of Law" (progs 27–28) was a crossover with Harlem Heroes , set decades after
6148-468: The Judge Dredd story "Nightmares" ( 2000 AD progs 702-706) saw Yassa Povey brought to Mega-City One by Judge Dredd, where Dr Zilton Northgate, the city's best eye surgeon, fits him with bionic eyes, while Judge Anderson uses her telepathic abilities to ease his mental trauma. During his treatment, Yassa is kidnapped and rescued by Dredd. In the later story "Death Aid" ( 2000 AD progs 711-715, 719-720), Yassa
6264-580: The Rovers , Battle and the relaunched Eagle in the United Kingdom, and a number of comics in America. With prog 178 all current stories, with the exception of Judge Dredd , were wound up, and a new set of stories was launched simultaneously, consisting of Mean Arena , set around a violent high-tech street football game, Meltdown Man , whose hero was transported to a genetically engineered far future by
6380-469: The Russian city East-Meg One, and led directly to " The Apocalypse War ", another six-month epic and a hard-hitting satire on the concept of mutually assured destruction . East-Meg One, protected by a warp-shield, softened up Mega-City One with nuclear warheads before invading. Dredd spearheaded the resistance, leading a small team to East-Meg territory, hijacking their nuclear bunkers and blowing East-Meg One off
6496-420: The Warlock and Nikolai Dante . 2000 AD was initially published by IPC Magazines. IPC then shifted the title to its Fleetway comics subsidiary, which was sold to Robert Maxwell in 1987 and then to Egmont UK in 1991. Fleetway continued to produce the title until 2000, when it was bought by Rebellion Developments . In December 1975, Kelvin Gosnell , a sub-editor at IPC Magazines , read an article in
6612-617: The World and The Stainless Steel Rat for President , would follow later. The appearance of the main character, galactic thief "Slippery" Jim DiGriz, was based on James Coburn , evidently a favourite of Ezquerra's; Coburn was also the inspiration for Major Eazy , which Ezquerra drew in Battle, as well as Cursed Earth Koburn , a Dredd-universe reworking of the Major Eazy character, who first appeared in 2003. Gerry Finley-Day contributed The V.C.s ,
6728-507: The accelerated graduation program. In her tenth year, as with all tenth year cadets, she was required to plan and execute a criminal investigation on her own. Allowed to choose her supervisor, she chose to work with Judge Dredd. In 2130 she graduated to full judge at age 15. In late 2137 Beeny and Dredd investigated a Total War terrorist cell which had assassinated a member of the Council of Five, Mega-City One 's highest legislative body. Following
6844-535: The acid river and left him for dead. At the very moment of this revelation, the two Sisters of Death – Nausea and Phobia – manifest themselves in their hideous true forms, and burn Yassa's eyeballs out of his skull. They try to kill Dredd, but this time Dredd realises what he did not understand before: the Sisters are not physically present, but are only psionic projections , illusions which can only harm him if he believes they can. By refusing to believe they can hurt him, Dredd survives their assault, but Yassa
6960-476: The acid. Soon after they reach a small town called Crowley, where they both sense the presence of some great evil and Yassa's dog refuses to go any further. Entering the town, they find the whole place has been burned down, and the streets littered with corpses. There are no survivors. The Dead Man discovers more artefacts which belonged to him and which help to jog his memory: a wrecked motorbike, an irreparably damaged handgun, and pieces of an old uniform, including
7076-484: The arrest of the perpetrators, Dredd recommended that Beeny be appointed to the vacant Council seat, and Chief Judge Hershey agreed. She was briefly removed from the Council in early 2141, when the entire Council was dismissed by the new chief judge, Judge Logan . However, shortly afterwards Logan acknowledged that this had been a mistake, and he reinstated her. First appearance: 2000 AD #891 (1994). Created by John Wagner and Mark Harrison . Judge Laverne Castillo
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#17328916807927192-419: The brief CB radio craze, was Ace Trucking Co. , a comedy about pointy-headed alien space trucker Ace Garp and his crew by Wagner, Grant and Belardinelli. In the Judge Dredd series, Mega-City One had grown too large and unwieldy: therefore authors Wagner and Grant they planned to cut it down to size. " Block Mania ", in which wars broke out between rival city-blocks, turned out to be a plot orchestrated by
7308-400: The character to add immediate public recognition for the title. Paul DeSavery, who owned Dare ' s film rights, offered to buy the new comic and give Mills and Wagner more creative control and a greater financial stake. The deal fell through, however. Dan Dare was extensively revamped to make it more futuristic. In the new stories he had been put into suspended animation and revived in
7424-406: The colour pages were reserved for Judge Dredd , but were later given over to a new Sláine story, "The Horned God", fully painted by Simon Bisley . The series was collected as a series of three graphic novels, then as a single volume, and has remained in print ever since. In 1989 the colour pages were increased again, allowing for three colour stories and two black and white in every issue. One of
7540-513: The colour series was Rogue Trooper: the War Machine , written by Dave Gibbons and painted by Will Simpson . The original Rogue Trooper series had run out of steam after the Traitor General had been dealt with, though continued with Rogue's adventures on Horst and the "Hit" series, so Gibbons revamped the concept, creating a different genetic infantryman, Friday , in a different war, albeit in
7656-480: The course of the story, however the Mean Machine was later resurrected by Krysler during "Destiny's Angels". "The Judge Child" was drawn by Bolland, Ron Smith and Mike McMahon in rotation, and the later episodes marked the beginning of Wagner's long-running writing partnership with Alan Grant . The pair would go on to write Strontium Dog , Robo-Hunter and many other stories for 2000 AD , as well as for Roy of
7772-425: The decision was made to make out that Dredd's face had been scarred and the panel had a "censored" banner slapped on it. After this, there were no further attempts to show Dredd's face again. A new story format was introduced in prog 25 – Tharg's Future Shocks , one-off twist-in-the-tale stories devised by writer Steve Moore . 2000 AD still uses this format as filler and to try out new talent. Wagner introduced
7888-405: The encounter. This could mean only one thing: Judge Death was back. This set up the latest six-month epic, " Necropolis ". After Dredd had left, Justice Department had put Kraken through one final test, and given him Dredd's badge. But the Sisters of Death, spirit beings from Judge Death's dimension, were able to use Kraken's inner conflict to take control of him and use him to bring Judge Death and
8004-424: The events depicted in that series. It featured a cameo appearance by his father, John 'Giant' Clay, as a very old man at the end of the story. "The Academy of Law" is also notable for the debut of another important supporting character, Judge Griffin , as well as the Academy of Law itself. It tells of Rookie Giant's Final Assessment , a grueling test of his judgment and abilities under Judge Dredd's supervision. Dredd
8120-408: The evil Dark Judges have returned then the whole city is at risk. Left behind, Yassa struggles to cope not only with his blindness, but also with the nightmares about that fateful encounter which wake him screaming every night. Unable to forget that terrible day, he becomes envious of the Dead Man's loss of memory, wishing that he could forget too. The Dead Man was a major event in the history of
8236-426: The face of the earth. "The Apocalypse War" was drawn in its entirety by Carlos Ezquerra, making a return to the character he created. A new writer, Alan Moore , had started contributing Future Shocks in 1980. He wrote more than fifty one-off strips over the next three years, while also contributing to various Marvel UK titles and the independent magazine Warrior . In 1982 he gained his first series, Skizz ,
8352-466: The film Death Race 2000 , showing the character Frankenstein clad in black leather, as a suggestion for what the character should look like. Ezquerra elaborated on this greatly, adding body-armour, zips and chains, which Wagner originally thought over the top. Wagner's initial script was rewritten by Mills and drawn up by Ezquerra, but when the art came back a rethink was necessary. The hardware and cityscapes Ezquerra had drawn were far more futuristic than
8468-420: The first people to battle Sabbat's zombies during Judgement Day . Eventually, he became the youngest cadet ever to graduate from the Academy, at the age of fifteen, having been fast-tracked. In a story reminiscent of his father's debut, Giant's Final Assessment was conducted by Judge Dredd, who passed him as fit to become a judge in 2116. The new Judge Giant has made several appearances since, and actually saved
8584-449: The force, and the death of his mentor, Judge Morphy . It significantly developed the supporting character Judge Kraken , who was to have a major role in "Necropolis". Its epilogue, "By Lethal Injection", saw Kraken being ordered to impersonate Dredd to cover up Dredd's resignation, a deception which ultimately was instrumental in bringing about the conquest of Mega-City One and the deaths of over 60 million people. Following "Necropolis",
8700-471: The former Judda cloned from his bloodline, to replace him. Kraken was now ready for his final assessment, and Dredd himself was chosen to assess him. Although Kraken performed faultlessly, Dredd thought he perceived a hint of his former allegiance to the Judda in him, and failed him. He then resigned as a judge and took the ' Long Walk ' into the Cursed Earth. There he met the Sisters of Death, and only barely survived
8816-529: The future lawman out of the city on a humanitarian trek across the radioactive wasteland between the Mega-Cities. McMahon drew the bulk of the stories, with occasional episodes drawn by Brian Bolland . The story saw Dredd moved to the colour centre pages for the first time while Dan Dare was given the front page. Steve MacManus took over from Gosnell as editor in 1978, starting with prog 86, dated 14 October. In that issue 2000 AD merged with Starlord ,
8932-401: The government, which was done. Fargo survived an assassination attempt by Morton Judd , but his condition deteriorated and he was returned to suspended animation. Shortly afterwards he was kidnapped by Judd's men, and was thought lost forever. But in 2129 it was discovered that he was being held by terrorists in the Cursed Earth, and Judge Dredd led a team to rescue him. Fargo was revived, but he
9048-461: The introduction in the collected graphic novel, his physical appearance is based on Alan Moore , since his supposed death he has taken a more cleaner, trimmed and tidy appearance. SJS Judge Alex Gerhart was Dredd's interrogator when a Tek-Division scientist was murdered. He used the opportunity to pressure Dredd about whether he felt guilty for Chaos Day , knowing it was revenge for his own destruction of East-Meg One. Gerhart himself did feel Dredd
9164-411: The near-future setting originally intended, and Mills decided to run with it and set the strip further into the future. By this stage, however, Wagner and Ezquerra had both quit. Mills was reluctant to lose Judge Dredd , and farmed the strip out to a variety of freelance writers, hoping to develop it further. Their scripts were given to a variety of artists as Mills tried to find a strip which would make
9280-462: The night, but he survives. When he has finally recovered enough to talk, it transpires that the mental trauma caused by his injuries has caused him to lose his memory, and he has no idea of who he is. Therefore Yassa nicknames him "Dead Man", and for want of a better alternative the name sticks. Once the Dead Man has finished recuperating, he resolves to set out on his own and retrace his steps in an effort to find out who he was. Yassa's father gives him
9396-455: The north pole had melted the polar ice-cap and flooded Britain. In 1977 2000 AD launched the annual 48-page Summer Special, including a full-length M.A.C.H. Zero story drawn by O'Neill. The yearly hardcover annual also started in 1977 (cover dated 1978) and would continue till 1990 (dated 1991). Pat Mills took over writing Dredd for a six-month "epic" called " The Cursed Earth ", inspired by Roger Zelazny 's Damnation Alley , which took
9512-558: The original Judge Giant had fathered a child in 2101, something prohibited to judges. Orphaned when his mother was murdered in front of him shortly after the Apocalypse War in 2104, Giant's son had been inducted into the Academy of Law, where he performed extremely well but with a worrying streak of violence that threatened his ability as a judge. With Dredd's help, Cadet Giant was able to get past his deep-rooted anger and brought his mother's killer to justice. Unlike his father, who became
9628-506: The other Dark Judges back from the limbo dimension Dredd had exiled them to. The Sisters possessed all the city's judges and began to enforce Death's twisted law. Out in the Cursed Earth, Dredd had recovered his memory and returned to defeat the Dark Judges. He then tried to lance the democratic boil by holding a referendum on whether the Judges should continue to govern the city. The judges won, by
9744-472: The outback. This ending was apparently the cause of some dispute between Wagner and Grant, and was a contributing factor (it was The Last American , a mini series for Epic Comics which would mark the end) in ending their regular writing partnership. Wagner kept Dredd , while Grant continued Strontium Dog and Judge Anderson . However the pair would still come together for occasional collaborations. The "Oz" storyline had some lasting implications. Kraken ,
9860-416: The pair began to develop characters. The then-futuristic name 2000 AD was chosen by John Sanders, as no-one involved expected the comic to last that long. The original logo and overall look of the comic were designed by art assistant Doug Church. Mills' experiences with Battle and Action in particular had taught him that readers responded to his anti-authoritarian attitudes. Wagner, who had written
9976-420: The previous year. Wanting to give the new comic a distinctive look, Mills wanted to use European artists, but the work turned in on Harlem Heroes by Trigo was disappointing. Veteran British artists Ron Turner and Barrie Mitchell were tried out, but the newcomer Dave Gibbons won the editor over with his dynamic, American-influenced drawings and got the job. Mills wrote the first five episodes before handing
10092-619: The relevant stories. First appearance: 2000 AD #2082 (2018). Created by Michael Carroll and Staz Johnson . Judge Francesco Deacon was one of the first street judges in the 2030s. Before becoming a judge he was in the military police. He first appeared in Michael Carroll 's novel Judges: The Avalanche , and simultaneously in the Judge Dredd comic strip story "Paradigm Shift" in 2000 AD #2082–2086 in May 2018, also written by Carroll and with art by Staz Johnson . He has since appeared in
10208-586: The revelation of the Dead Man's true identity occurred. The Dead Man was immediately followed in the regular Judge Dredd strip by a prequel, "Tale of the Dead Man", told almost entirely in flashback , which recounted how and why Dredd resigned and took the Long Walk. This was then followed by the five-episode "Countdown to Necropolis" which set the scene for "Necropolis" proper. "Necropolis" and its numerous prologues and epilogues brought together and resolved hitherto separate plot threads that had been running through
10324-459: The same formula as Hook Jaw from Action but with less success) the story of a polar bear pursued by the Army because it had swallowed a secret capsule. M.A.C.H. 1 was killed off in 1978 but a spin-off, M.A.C.H. Zero , continued into the 1980s. Flesh had a sequel in 1978, set on the prehistoric oceans, and Bill Savage appeared again in a prequel, Disaster 1990 , in which a nuclear explosion at
10440-400: The same universe. One of the black and white stories, " The Dead Man ", was a low-key beginning for a major event. In the Cursed Earth, villagers come across a man, burnt from head to toe, with no memory of who he is or what happened to him. As he tries to piece his memories back together, he is being hunted by the evil beings who left him in that state. A creepy, atmospheric horror-western, it
10556-452: The series continued Sam was joined by an idiot kit-built robot assistant, Hoagy, and after a crack-down on smoking in IPC comics, a Cuban robot cigar , Stogie, designed to help him cut down on nicotine . Other ongoing strips included The Visible Man , detailing the misfortunes of Frank Hart, a man whose skin had been made transparent due to exposure to nuclear waste, and Shako , (which followed
10672-511: The siege at Sue Perkins Block. Colonel Lynn Easter viewed him with mild contempt, especially when he tried to stop her bombing the block, but Dolman used his judge training to cripple a marine, forcing her to call off the airstrike, and then assist Dredd in stopping the siege. (For most of the story Dolman went unnamed, leaving his return a surprise.) He was injured in the process and sent to hospital, with Dredd calling him "a judge" over Dolman's protests. The Corps were left angry that Dolman had shot
10788-497: The story tells of their hazardous journey through the wasteland, during which they are attacked by various hostile inhabitants. Throughout the story the Dead Man is plagued by enigmatic nightmares and half-memories of the circumstances of his near-fatal injuries. During a kidnap attempt by mutants seeking food, it is established that the Dead Man is highly proficient with the rifle, and at tracking. During their journey they not only encounter mutants, but also are occasionally visited by
10904-422: The strip tailed off somewhat. He was finally killed off in the " Block Mania " story (1981) while trying to arrest Orlok just before the Apocalypse War . The unheroic circumstances of his death (he was shot in the back in a brief scene) were controversial among fans, since although they were used to seeing popular characters killed off in 2000 AD , they were disappointed with the cursory way in which Giant's death
11020-436: The strip to Roy of the Rovers writer Tom Tully . The other opening strips were M.A.C.H. 1 , a super-powered secret agent inspired by The Six Million Dollar Man ; Invasion! , about a "Volgan" (thinly disguised and originally billed as Soviet, but changed before printing to a "neutral" antagonist) invasion of the United Kingdom opposed by tough London lorry driver turned guerrilla fighter Bill Savage; and Flesh ,
11136-468: The townships respectively, until the mutant issue died down; how much of this was his own idea and how much was Sinfield's remained ambiguous. Sinfield dosed Francisco with a powerful hypnotic drug, persuaded him to resign, and succeeded him as acting chief judge. Both Dredd and the mayor were left confused and suspicious by Francisco's sudden collapse in confidence and by his support of Sinfield. This eventually led to an investigation, and Sinfield's crime
11252-713: The whole world from a deadly virus in 2117. He is apparently one of the best judges in Mega-City One , although he has not featured in any story to the extent that he did in "Necropolis". (In a six-page one-off story in the Judge Dredd Megazine #216 called "Whatever Happened to John 'Giant' Clay?" (2004), Judge Giant met his grandfather for the first time. The original Giant had not appeared in any story since 1978, and this story ended with his death from old age.) First appearance: 2000 AD #2 (1997). Created by Peter Harris and Mike McMahon . Chief Judge Clarence Goodman
11368-489: The year 2177. Several artists were tried out before Mills settled on Italian artist Massimo Belardinelli , whose imaginative, hallucinatory work was fantastic at visualising aliens, although perhaps less satisfying on the hero himself. The scripts were endlessly rewritten in an attempt to make the series work, but few Dan Dare fans remember this version of the character fondly. Belardinelli and Gibbons later switched strips, with Gibbons drawing Dan Dare and Belardinelli drawing
11484-423: Was Dredd's sidekick in a number of stories until she was murdered in 2123 by aliens after eight years on the force. During her time on Hestia, Castillo developed a secret and unrequited crush on Judge Dredd. Writer John Wagner never developed this theme any further with her character, but this idea was taken up again with the character Galen DeMarco and used to greater effect, with significant repercussions in
11600-494: Was Mega-City One's longest serving chief judge, and the first to appear in the comic. He was in the first ever episode of Judge Dredd in prog 2 (March 1977), although not named until prog 86. He was assassinated in prog 89, but returned in flashbacks in the story Origins (2006–2007). Goodman was deputy chief judge of the United States, first under Chief Judge Fargo and then under Chief Judge Solomon . From 2052 each American mega-city ran its own justice department, and Goodman
11716-563: Was a street judge who was taken off street duty when she froze in combat and allowed a fellow judge to be shot and seriously wounded. Transferred to administrative duties, she became the personal aide to Chief Judge McGruder and accompanied the Chief Judge on a diplomatic visit to the planet Hestia . When their spaceship crashed there, Castillo so impressed Judge Dredd that on their return home he recommended that she be transferred back to street duty. This time she excelled in her chosen role, and
11832-409: Was a barbarian fantasy strip based on Celtic mythology . Kincaid was a children's book illustrator who had never worked in comics before, and her opening episode was drawn and redrawn several times before the editors were satisfied. Other stories were written for artists Massimo Belardinelli and Mike McMahon, but these could not see print until Kincaid's episode was ready. In 1985, after appearing as
11948-419: Was a shallow pop singer with superhuman powers, caught up in the intrigues of a 1960s generation of superhumans and the machinations of some Lovecraftian elder gods. Wagner and Grant began a new Dredd Epic, " Oz ", featuring Chopper , a popular supporting character. Chopper was a skysurfer who had been imprisoned for competing in an illegal surfing competition a few years previously. A legal "Supersurf" race
12064-496: Was an everywoman in the far future, born into mass unemployment on a floating housing estate, who escaped the earth and became involved in a terrible galactic war. Three books were published, and more were planned, but Moore's demands for creator's rights and his increasing commitments to American publishers meant they never materialised. A new character, Sláine , debuted in 1983, but had been in development since 1981. Created by Pat Mills and his then wife Angela Kincaid , Sláine
12180-507: Was being held in Oz, the future Australia, and Chopper escaped to compete. Dredd also went to Oz, partly to deal with Chopper, but mostly to investigate the Judda , a clone army created by Mega-City One's former chief genetic engineer. The Judda were defeated, and Chopper narrowly lost the race to Jug McKenzie. Dredd was waiting at the finish line, but McKenzie distracted him and allowed Chopper to escape into
12296-449: Was beyond saving and died shortly afterwards. First appearance: 2000 AD #1520 (2007). Created by John Wagner and Rufus Dayglo . Judge Dan Francisco was chief judge of Mega-City One from 2131 to 2134, except for a brief period when he was deposed by his deputy, Judge Sinfield , from 2131 to 2132. Before becoming chief judge, Francisco was a street judge and the subject of a 24-hour reality show called The Streets Of Dan Francisco –
12412-434: Was depicted. In an interview years later, writer Alan Grant said: "When we wrote the death of Giant, I thought it was a great idea to kill him off in such a casual, natural (for a judge) way. But when the reader outcry came, I was startled and forced to see things from their point of view." First appearance: 2000 AD #651 (1989). Created by John Wagner and Carlos Ezquerra. In 1989 the story "Young Giant" established that
12528-536: Was divided) and the source of the DNA from which Judge Dredd was cloned. In the 1995 film Judge Dredd Fargo was played by Max von Sydow . Almost every appearance of Fargo in the comic has been a flashback, since he was believed to have died in 2051, decades before the stories in the comic. However, in 2006–07 the story Origins , written by John Wagner , described a secret history in which Fargo's death had been faked and he had survived in suspended animation until 2129. As
12644-435: Was drawn by John Ridgway and written by "Keef Ripley", a pseudonym for John Wagner. By the end of the series the Dead Man had discovered his identity: he was Judge Dredd. As "The Dead Man" ended, a new Judge Dredd story, " Tale of the Dead Man ", explained how Dredd had ended up in that position. Dredd was getting older and the democratic movement was causing him to doubt his role, so Justice Department had groomed Kraken ,
12760-409: Was drawn by a rotating team of artists, including McMahon, Ezquerra, Turner and Ian Gibson , and marked the point where Dredd became the most popular character in the comic, a position he has rarely relinquished. Dredd's city, which now covered most of the east coast of North America, became known as Mega-City One . Dredd had also been unmasked in issue 8 in a story drawn by Massimo Belardinelli, but
12876-610: Was not renewed.) Dan Dare was suspended while "The Cursed Earth" was finished in time for the merger. Wagner returned to Dredd following the merger to write "The Day the Law Died", another six-month epic in which Mega-City One was taken over by the insane Chief Judge Cal , based on the Roman emperor Caligula . Another cancelled title, Tornado , was merged with 2000 AD a few months later from prog 127, contributing three stories to 2000 AD : Blackhawk , an historical adventure series about
12992-436: Was probably originally intended for Battle . Its hero was a German soldier who discovered that some of his Romanian allies were vampires. Later in the war, when Romania changed sides, he was the only one who knew their secret. A readers' poll revealed that future war was a popular topic, so Gerry Finley-Day was asked to come up with a new war story. He, editor Steve MacManus and artist Dave Gibbons devised Rogue Trooper ,
13108-460: Was responsible. When their paths next crossed, he was hospitalised saving Dredd from a missile attack: he intends to one day arrest the man and put him on trial for Chaos Day. In 2136, Gerhart was sent with Dredd and a marine squad to investigate a potential uprising on the Titan penal colony. In 2140 he resigned and took the Long Walk. Gerhart was murdered by insane SJS Judge Pin in 2141 for being
13224-420: Was too late, and Mega-City One was infected. By the time the disease was contained, 350 million people had been killed (out of an initial population of around 400 million), and Francisco resigned in shame of "presiding over the worst disaster in our history ". He appointed Judge Hershey as his successor. First appearance: 2000 AD #1389 (2004). Created by Rob Williams and Henry Flint . Judge "Dirty Frank"
13340-469: Was unable to continue the level of work he was putting into it on 2000 AD pay. He left to work for DC Comics in America, and was replaced on Nemesis by first Jesus Redondo and then Bryan Talbot . 2000 AD would occasionally take a gamble on non-science fiction material. For example, Fiends of the Eastern Front was a World War II vampire story by Gerry Finley-Day and Carlos Ezquerra which
13456-409: Was uncovered. Sinfield was arrested, and Francisco returned to office. Francisco appointed Dredd to the Council of Five. In 2134 Dredd learned of a terrorist plot to infect Mega-City One with a deadly pathogen. Dredd recommended a ground assault on the terrorist's camp, but Francisco overruled him and ordered an air strike. Consequently, the fact that it was not the real camp was not discovered until it
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