#40 Years of Thrillpower | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

2000adonline · 8 years ago

Photo

40 Years of Thrillpower: Mavericks

The Astonishing Mind of Alan Moore - Various Artists

Attention aspiring writers, any budding script droids, or comic creators of any description, if you study Alan Moore’s earliest 2000AD short stories they are perfectly penned pearly parables!

A lot can be learned from these one, two, three or more page short stories, just the right length, plenty of humour and usually with an unexpected twist or moral lesson.

Whilst at the Galaxy’s Greatest Comic™, the Moore droid sharpened the tools of his trade, writing dozens of short stories: Future Shocks, Robo-Tales and Time Twisters, before venturing into some of the comic’s best-loved series: DR & Quinch, Skizz and, of course, The Ballad of Halo Jones - the story of an ordinary girl, with extraordinary dreams - undoubtedly some of his best work, as vital and resonant now as it was when it was written, over 30 years ago.

So, whether you’re already a fan, a frustrated script droid, or just a lover of tall tales, this is the introduction to one of the finest fiction writers of his generation - and he honed his career under the guidance of The Mighty Tharg at 2000AD - where else?!

A restless, creative and prolific young droid busies himself at his desk, under the watchful gaze of the omnipotent, Tharg the Mighty! Art by Robin Smith.

An early example of the Moore droid’s mastery of the short story, The Return of the Two-Storey Brain, has an unforgettable lead character, in this case so popular that Abelard Snazz, or the 'double-decker dome' aka the ‘two-storey brain’, etc, would return for further far-fetched fabulous fails! Mike White (a).

Chronocops, with partner-in-sublime (sorry!), the legendary, Dave Gibbons, is another short story, a ‘Time Twister’, aptly, that is so simply constructed, it has been ripped off in popular culture a million times since. However, thanks to superior draughtsmanship, and gags aplenty, this is perhaps the sweetest sci-fi short of all time - a lesson in the art of the twist-in-the-tale!

Everybody’s favourite extra-terrestrial teenage delinquents, the irrepressible DR & Quinch. Starting out, unsurprisingly, as a hugely enjoyable one-off short story, a Time Twister: DR & Quinch Have Fun On Earth (Prog 317, 21Mar’83)Our anarchic heroes plan a galaxy-wide jaunt seemingly just to cause some mayhem and drokk with the backward minds of some backwater stomm-hole known as Earth. But the diabolic duo stop off throughout different eras in Earth’s distant, and more recent past, leaving their mark on this temporal journey in subtle (and not-so subtle!) ways. In fact it’s all just a..(well, visit unofficial 2000AD database, Barney, and read the whole sociopathic short story above for yourself online, for free!). Fortunately, this terrific Time Twister spawned a whole series for the terrible twosome, bringing the best out of co-creative art droid, the awesome Alan Davis (Harry Twenty on the High Rock, Captain Britain).

ABC Warriors: Red Planet Blues (2000AD Annual 1985, 1Aug’85). Although by no means a regular scribe on the Mek-nificent 7 (to be fair, as far as I know, the only other script droid other than creator Pat Mills to ever have written an ABC Warriors’ story). A soulful, introspective Hammerstein reminisces on his time on Mars with the heroic war droids - “seven robots sent to tame a planet” - lovingly scripted, with beautiful artwork from the late, great Steve Dillon & the usual perfect palette from the colouring box of John Higgins (Watchmen). Having said that, the Moore droid did pen a few short stories from ‘Ol’ Red Eye’s’ mouthy sewer droid pal, loveable scamp & former Ro-Buster, Ro-Jaws.

Skizz (Progs 308-30, 19Mar-20Aug’83) an hilarious homage to Spielberg’s E.T. (The Extra-Terrestrial), with a brilliant bit of early ‘80s blackly comic television drama, Boys From The Blackstuff thrown into the mix. A plucky working class teenage girl, Roxy, from Birmingham finds kangaroo-like alien interpreter, Zhcchz of the Tau-Ceti Imperium hiding in the garden shed. With help from loveable layabout, Loz and psychotic mental patient with-a-heart, Cornelius. The frightened, gentle creature, although highly intelligent finds himself on a noisy, polluted planet, that due to Roxy’s Midlands accent, he believes is called Burmy-gam (nice touch, for anyone familiar with a ‘Brummie’ accent) and left alone in Roxy’s family home, whilst her parents are on holiday. With Roxy at school, Skizz tries to understand Earth’s culture, and the easiest way to absorb that, is to watch TV. The mild-mannered alien whose species are largely pacifistic, is horrified by the sheer brutality and atrocities that he sees daily on the news. But, also what humans constitute as entertainment - boxing, wrestling and other contact sports, combatant or not, are complete anathema to Skizz’s race. To make matter’s worse his alien metabolism is also causing a problem, every foodstuff she tries to feed him causes a violent reaction, making him vomit. In the end Roxy discovers that baby food is a winner, and at least he won’t starve to death. Knowing that Skizz’s craft has been discovered, Roxy, with help from loveable layabout, Loz and psychotic mental patient with-a-heart, Cornelius, realise they must get the creature back to his home world, before government agencies seize him, eager to get the creature in a laboratory and see what makes him tick. Their biggest obstacle is a South African, apartheid-era scientist, van Owen, an obsessed alien-hunter, who had found Skizz’s crashed spacecraft and knows he’s in the area. Can this teenage girl, and her ragtag bunch of misfits, really hope to win against overwhelming forces, who want a living extraterrestrial to ‘study’, and will stop at nothing to get their way? A great little story, with relatable characters, that is funny, tragic and exciting in equal measures - light years ahead of Spielberg’s movie, of which it is a blatant pastiche. This wouldn’t be the last time Moore would use aliens or a plucky teenage heroine in the Galaxy’s Greatest Comic...

The Ballad of Halo Jones [Books 1-3]. (Progs 376-85, 7Jul-29Sep’84), (Progs 405-15, 16Feb-27Apr’85) & (Progs 451-66, 4Jan-19Apr’86) When Halo Jones grows bored with her life in The Hoop — a futuristic place, of where jobs are scarce and excitement is non-existent — she sets out to see the galaxy orbiting the former island of Manhattan, any way she can. But can she survive the highs and lows that lie in her path, including an extended period of shipboard servitude and a tour of duty in a terrifying war that defies the physics of space and time? This triumphant tour-de-force is the most critically acclaimed of the Moore droid’s contribution to the Galaxy’s Greatest Comic, with good reason. The only disappointing aspect of this remarkable work of fiction, sequential strip art, or not, is that it was meant initially to run to 5, 6, 7 volumes,,following an idealistic, headstrong teenager through her life, ending with a worlds-weary elderly woman,looking back on her eventful history (according to his script droid daughter, Leah Moore, that is). Either way, although unfinished it really is a super story of an optimistic innocent, taught the realistics of leaving home, and what life is really all about. In a way, though the final book leaves you wondering what happened to our heroine, we all remember her motto: “Where did she go? OUT. “What did she see?” EVERYTHING! Ultimately, though Halo Jones is a survivor, and that’s something we can all relate to... Beautifully drawn by another top creative collaborator, Ian Gibson.

#Alan Moore #40 Years of Thrillpower #2000AD Mavericks #2000AD #comics

71 notes · View notes

2000adonline · 8 years ago

Photo

40 Years of Thrillpower - Judge Dredd’s Greatest Epics

Last month, of course, saw our beloved weekly Prog reach the big 40. Cue cliches about life beginning at 40, or how 40 is the new 28, or some other bullstomm, that makes middle-aged people feel better about growing old.

In the case of the Galaxy’s Greatest Comic however, similar to the anti-ageing drugs that Dredd himself is occasionally required to take, the mighty mag is regularly infused with youthful talent, keeping it fresh and vital.

But we’re not here to discuss the present roster of top-rate talent, this is a brief history of Dredd’s most memorable multi-part adventures, or as we know them better - the mighty mega-epics!

Dire, deadly threats to the future metropolis, Mega-City One, and its bizarre, vulnerable citizens, are an unsettlingly frequent occurrence. The only defence to these city-shattering challenges are the Judges, sworn to protect MC-1 and its inhabitants. One such lawman in particular takes this oath incredibly seriously, his name, of course, is Judge Dredd and he will do whatever it takes to ensure that his city remains the pre-eminent superpower of his post-nuclear world.

Unfortunately, you can’t make an omelette without breaking a few eggs, or should that be heads.., Sadly, this sprawling megalopolis that once housed 800 million citizens, over the years has been decimated, and is presently a shadow of its former self.

Recent tragic events aside, Mega-City One would have perished many years ago, several times over, if not for the iron will of Justice Department’s legendary lawman, Judge Joseph Dredd. Prepare for a tour-de-force of mega-epic proportions, strap in it’s gonna be a bumpy ride...!

The first multi-part storyline, Robot Wars (Progs 10-17, 30Apr-18Jun’77). John Wagner (w). Carlos Ezquerra, Mick McMahon & Ron Turner (a), deals with an idea, that has now become a science fiction staple: robotic servants rebelling against their human masters. In Mega-City One unemployment makes up over 85% of the human population, a robotic workforce deals with the menial tasks deemed beneath mankind. In reality, it’s a lot cheaper to use machines that don’t require payment, complain about workers’ rights or require time off! In other words; the perfect labour force.. Even robots, though, can apparently be pushed too hard. So when a messianic leader, a lowly carpentry droid (sound familiar?), known as Call-Me-Kenneth), malfunctions, overcoming his programming, he hacks the city’s broadcasting outlets and urges his fellow robots to turn on their human owners, with the battle cry: “Death to the Fleshy Ones!” The machines rise up. Only one man can stop this crazed robot, but can even Dredd stop an army of messed-up mechanoids?!”

Possibly the most popular and fondly remembered of all of Dredd’s mega-epics, is timeless classic, The Cursed Earth (Progs 61-85, 22Apr-7Oct’78). Pat Mills takes a rare outing into the world of Judge Dredd, but produces a vintage Thrill-powered tour-de-force. On a mercy mission across the atomic wasteland that was once middle America, the future lawman reveals a more heroically humane side by bringing a life-saving serum from Mega-City One to its west coast counterpart, Mega-City Two, where the inhabitants are tearing each other apart due to the 2T (Fru-T) virus. Fighting all sorts of vicious desperadoes, back-stabbing townsfolk, mutant gangs, and even roaming dinosaurs...not to mention the myriad of mutated Cursed Earth fauna! Breathtaking art duties are shared between two Judge Dredd creative legends, Mick McMahon and Brian Bolland, although employing wildly differing styles, the pair are master storytellers even at this early stage of their careers. A must-read true classic.

The Day the Law Died - Having just saved Mega-City Two from certain doom, you’d think that Dredd would be given a hero’s welcome on his return to his own city, however not everyone is pleased to have the legendary lawman back at Justice Department. A certain ambitious senior Judge, head of the infamous Special Judicial Squad (SJS) - the Judges who judge the Judges - Judge Cal, through blackmail, coercion and ultimately murder has managed to seize the reins of power, in Dredd’s absence, and install himself as Chief-Judge. Cal, aware of Dredd’s influence and possible obstacle to his plans for absolute domination over Justice Department and the city, has been plotting the heroic lawman’s downfall.. The twisted despot successfully frames Dredd for murder. Fatigue and some convincing video footage has even Judge Dredd questioning his innocence. Put on the shuttle to the penal colony on Titan, reserved for Judges who break their own rigid laws, Dredd finally snaps out of the haze of confusion fogging his mind, and with almost superhuman strength breaks the cuffs he is wearing. Dredd overpowers the pilot and guards, and escapes from the downed craft, with the help of Judge Giant who also distrusts Cal and believes in his friend’s innocence. Meanwhile the crazed Cal has enlisted the help of an army of reptilian alien mercenaries known as the Kleggs, appointed his pet goldfish as Deputy Chief-Judge and humiliated, bullied or creatively executed anyone who dares to criticise his increasingly bizarre behaviour. But Dredd isn’t the kind of Judge who goes down easily, as Cal rightly feared, and together with a rag-tag rebel army made up of other Judges and citizens, including a gigantic, baseball bat-wielding simpleton, known as Fergee, ‘King of the Big Smelly’, prepares to fight back.Can Judge Dredd succeed against all odds and defeat Judge Cal before he destroys the entire population of Mega-City One? Find the answers in The Day the Law Died.. wth artwork from a plethora of top UK art talent: Brendan McCarthy, Brett Ewins, Brian Bolland, Dave Gibbons, Garry Leach, Mick McMahon & Ron Smith.

When Judge Feyy, Mega-city One’s oldest pre-cog has a vision of the city being destroyed in 2120, Judge Dredd and a select group of other Judges (including future Chief-Judge Hershey), are sent on a mission to find a boy bearing a birthmark of the Justice Dept. eagle, thereafter referred to as the Judge Child. Apparently, young Owen Krysler may have the power to stop the apocalyptic event from ever happening. It is discovered that an insane 22nd century self-proclaimed pharaoh, Filmore Faro ‘the Garbage God’, has also learned of the child’s alleged psychic powers. In turn, an infamous Texas City badlands family, known as the Angel Gang, steal him away from Faro’s followers and swiftly spirit him off-planet. With the fate of the ‘Big Meg’ in the balance, Dredd follows the boy’s trail through the irradiated wastelands of the Cursed Earth and venture out into the depths of uncharted space to find him!

Often the most critically acclaimed of the multi-part Dredd epics, The Apocalypse War stands out (and holds up) due to the sheer scope and genuine threat to the survival of Mega-City One, Justice Dept., and even Judge Dredd himself. Moreover, it sees the return of art droid, Carlos Ezquerra, to the strip that he co-created after five years away from his character, single-handedly drawing every panel of this 25 episode, 150 + page classic. Mega-City One has maintained an uneasy peace with it’s eastern European counterpart, East-Meg One, for years. However, the Sov-diktatorat, the ruling, military government of East-Meg One, led by the warmongering Supreme Judge Bulgarin, along with Judges Vlad and Snekov, break this detente by releasing the Block Mania virus on the citizens of the Big Meg. The effects of this contaminant, introduced into the city’s water supply by the Sov’s top agent, Orlok the assassin - a thorn-in-the-side of MC-1 and Dredd’s human nemesis time and again - turned citizen against citizen, driving people into a murderous rage, causing all-out wars between neighbouring citi-blocks. Weakened by this viral attack, East-Meg One press home their advantage by launching a devastating nuclear assault against Mega-City One. After the missiles have flown, ground forces invade, led by ruthless War Marshall 'Mad Dog' Kazan. Supported by Strato V aircraft, Rad Sweeper tanks and killer robot Sentenoids, overwhelming numbers of Sov troops cause Dredd and the remaining survivors to engage in a desperate guerrilla war to maintain control of the streets. Kazan, mad with power, eliminates the diktatorat, and takes complete control of the Sov forces, setting up base in the captured Grand Hall of Justice. Chief-Judge Griffin is held prisoner, and becomes a victim of Sov psycho-surgery, transforming him into a propaganda tool - forcing Dredd to assassinate him. The lawman, apparently dead by his own hand, pulls off a dramatic escape, assisted by his loyal droid - Walter the Wobot. Dredd hatches a plan to end the war once and for all, leading a small hand-picked team on a virtual suicide mission. Against all the odds, the squad successfully infiltrate a Sov missile silo and a steely, battle-hardened Dredd, having witnessed 150 million of his citizens die at the hand's of the Sov-Blokkers, destroys East-Meg One along with its population of half a billion people by launching their own nukes at them. Dredd ends the conflict by publicly executing Kazan, and a deflated, dispirited Sov army agrees to unconditional surrender, with remaining survivors fleeing to East-Meg Two. A brutal story, with a massive toll on the population of the ‘Big Meg’, virtually cutting the population from it’s initial 800 million, in half to a more manageable 400 million, and the utter annihilation of another, showing a ruthless, win-at-all-costs side to the heroic lawman, effectively making him the biggest mass murderer in history. One which could come back to haunt him in the decades to come...

The next major mega-epic, Oz (Progs 545-70, 24Oct’88-16Apr’89) focuses on an infamous citizen; serial offender, Marlon Shakespeare aka Chopper, wall-scrawling graffiti artist-turned-illegal World Powerboard Champion, aka the ‘Midnight Surfer’, is a hero to many of the city’s disenfranchised youth. Unfortunately, he is currently serving 18 years in an Iso-cube, for his reckless-but-death defying aerial exploits, in Supersurf 7, that made him the greatest sky surfer of his generation. However, a new, cocky, powerboard protégé, Jug McKenzie, a beer-swilling loudmouth from the Sydney-Melbourne Conurb in Oz, is boasting of his prowess on a ‘board, claiming that Chopper is deliberately avoiding attending the now-legalised Supersurf 10, despite being barely 3 years into his 18 stretch in the most secure detention facilities in the world! The resulting backlash from fans of the ‘Midnight Surfer’ in MC-1 caused a demand for his release to attend the forthcoming world championship on the other side of the planet. Of course, Justice Department were having none of it. But the burgeoning outcry from an outraged populace to silence the mouthy McKenzie and restore the pride of Mega-City One, caused the Judges to move Chopper to an even more secure unit. Somehow, the citizens get wind of this extreme resolution, and when Shakespeare is led from one Iso-cube, carrying his property, including the World Championship-winning powerboard, to a new location, a crowd had formed leading to an unruly mob clamouring for a glance at the high profile prisoner, and perhaps, even a chance to spirit their hero away. In the intervening chaos the ever-expanding horde of highly-charged onlookers burst through the hastily erected Justice Dept. cordons, jostling Chopper’s judicial escorts causing the keys to the prisoner’s cuffs to be dropped. Seizing his opportunity, Shakespeare unlocks his restraints and leaps onto his board, zooming off into the Mega-City skyline. Hiding amidst the towering citi-blocks, avoiding the intense glare of searchlights from Justice Dept. hover-wagons, Chopper makes his way cautiously to his childhood friend, and fellow powerboarder, Flip Tillis’ apartment window. Flip had inherited Chopper’s spare suit, power cells and other paraphernalia associated with their chosen pastime, after Mrs. Shakespeare couldn’t bear to keep them once her son was sent to the isolation cubes for many years. Flip also supplies Chopper with food, whilst informing his friend of the huge clamouring of public support for the Mega-City skysurfing ace to take part in the upcoming Supersurf 10, though it would be held thousands of miles across the Pacific Ocean in Oz. The ambitious Shakespeare, ever rebellious with a yearning to be free of MC-1′s harsh laws, has a dawning realisation: give himself up to the authorities and go back to the Iso-cubes - probably for decades, after his daring escape - or make a near-suicidal dash for freedom, cross the Pacific Ocean on a powerboard, win Supersurf 10, in Oz and, most importantly for Chopper, prove that he is the best in the world and, unlike his parents, along with most of MC-1, he is somebody! Meanwhile, as angry as Dredd appears that Chopper got away, it conveniently coincides with a series of attacks on Justice Dept.’s top brass. Mysterious, strange-looking, physically superior assassins, garbed in a twisted version of a Judge’s uniform, have been teleporting straight into the Grand Hall of Justice and targeting important senior Judges. Justice Dept. set up a trap, putting a huge security detail on any vital, veteran Judges, including Dredd himself. They succeed in capturing two of these ruthless killing machines, and killed a third. After interrogating one, who immediately commits suicide by crushing a lethal vial hidden in his tooth, they reverse the controls on the attackers’ teleporters and make the return journey back to a hidden base in the middle of Ayers Rock in Oz. Whilst there, Judge Dredd discovers a hidden race of Judges, cloned and controlled by a former, founding Judge, Morton Judd. Judd was a brilliant, but radical, senior Judge whose cloning programme kick-started the success of Justice Department. The problem was that he wanted to clone the citizens of MC-1, from Justice Dept. material, ensuring a law-abiding, controllable populace. Fortunately, the ‘father of justice’, first Chief-Judge Eustace Fargo vetoes this somewhat sinister solution to crime and public order. A furious Morton Judd storms from the room, but later returns to the Grand Hall, using Judges loyal to him, and attempts to assassinate Fargo. The coup fails, but before he can be captured, Judd flees the city, ending up in Oz, founding a base in Ayers Rock, from which he could build an army of Super-Judges without detection. So, armed with this knowledge, using the cover story that he is there to extradite the fugitive Marlon Shakespeare aka Chopper, should he make the unlikely journey across the Pacific Ocean, Judge Dredd heads to Oz. Fighting muties, giant birdmen, dodging random gunfire and the odd Justice Dept. H-wagon, Chopper has made it across the Cursed Earth to the Pacific Ocean. He looks across the endless horizon and is faced with the sheer enormity of what he has set himself to achieve - crossing the largest body of water on the planet, thousands of miles of hostile conditions, and unknown horrors lurking beneath the waves, on nothing more than a flying plank! After an incredibly eventful journey of stunning wildlife encounters, adverse weather conditions and murderous robotic ship’s cooks, Chopper eventually makes the perilous voyage, barely standing on his board, to a hero’s welcome in Oz. Of course, there is one person who isn’t giving the intrepid skysurfer such a triumphant reception: Judge Dredd.. Immediately, the Mega-City lawman attempts to take Marlon into custody. However in a country where low-level powerboarding is not a crime, and has hosted the last three Supersurf World Championships, the Oz judiciary refuses to cooperate with MC-1, denying any extradition orders, threatening to arrest Judge Dredd himself if he uses any force to bring his fugitive back to Mega-City. A disgruntled Dredd turns his attention back to his primary mission: to capture Morton Judd, destroy his base in Ayers Rock and possibly turn his army of cloned Judges into assets for MC-1′s Justice Dept. Dredd succeeds in destroying the base, but Judd is killed and the brainwashed Judda are too far gone psychologically to be of any use to the Mega-City Judges. Supersurf 10 goes ahead meanwhile, and in a death-defying demonstration of powerboarding mastery, between the ‘Wizard of Oz’, Jug McKenzie, and ‘Midnight Surfer’, Marlon Shakespeare aka Chopper, a nail-biting race for the line ensues. Sadly, for all Mega-City One proud Chopper supporters, the Ozzer, McKenzie pips the ‘Midnight Surfer’ to the post. Fickle fans of the MC-1 man, quickly forget his impossible Pacific Ocean crossing, and no longer want anything to do with the heroic ‘loser’. A begrudgingly respectful Judge Dredd is at the finish line, determined to bring his fugitive to justice, despite Chopper’s fantastic feats, and has a clear shot at his quarry, as Shakespeare turns his back on his nemesis. In an increasingly rare moment for the cynical aging Judge, Dredd hesitates. The previously boastful Jug McKenzie, too, has a newfound respect for his rival surfer, and, ‘accidentally’, flies into Dredd throwing off his aim, as Chopper disappears into the Oz outback, and freedom! An unimpressed Oz Justice Dept. take Dredd into custody, and he leaves the continent empty handed. Back in MC-1 however, there is one of the Judda still alive in custody. Taken from the genetic material of former Chief-Judge Fargo, Judge Kraken, as he is named, is basically a younger version of the aging Judge Dredd. Assigned to Dredd, as his Rookie, Kraken’s future rests in the hands of his older counterpart. Although an outstanding specimen, crackshot, and takes to the streets of the ‘Big Meg’ very quickly, Dredd spots something in this flawed ex-Judda. Others in Justice Dept. disagree, including current Chief-Judge Silver, and overrule the veteran lawman, forcing Dredd to resign and take the ‘Long Walk’ out into the Cursed Earth, but that’s another story...

Which brings us neatly into our next mega-epic, the terrifying nightmare which would lead to Necropolis (Progs 672-99, 31Mar-6Oct’90) After Dredd left, Chief-Judge Silver faked Kraken's death, and kept Dredd's resignation secret from the public, to instil Kraken as a replacement for Dredd, regardless of his failed assessment by the departed Dredd. Kraken was easily manipulated by the Sisters of Death, who had attacked and left Dredd for dead in the Cursed Earth in The Dead Man saga, to bring about the Dark Judges; Judge Death, Mortis, Fire and Fear. They would go on to wreak havoc in Mega City One, creating their own Necropolis, with life the ultimate crime. Kraken was also made a Dark Judge for the duration of their reign. Dredd, who had regained his memory, although visibly scarred, returned from the Cursed Earth along with ex-Chief Judge McGruder, as he sensed that something was wrong with the city he had served so loyally. The Dark Judges had soon taken control of the remaining Judges, who were now executing citizens, that were often committing suicide or succumbing to disease or starvation. Dredd and McGruder met with a group of cadets who were in hiding from the Dark Judges, along with Psi-Judge Anderson, and a plan of action was formed. Firstly, Dredd killed fellow Judge Kit Agee, who had been used as a psychic bridge for the Dark Judges to return. This caused the remaining judges to return to normal, free of the Sisters of Death's control. With the Judges now together and able to form a unit, they began to capture the Dark Judges. All but Death himself were captured, who had flung himself from a city block down into the city bottom, and vanished among the sixty million dead from the Dark Judges' tenure. Judge Kraken, now free of Death's control, accepted his execution at the hands of Dredd. Among the chaos of the Dark Judges' reign, Chief-Judge Silver was killed and then reanimated as a zombie.

Judgement Day (Progs 786-99, 6Jun-5Sep’92) & (Megs 2.04-09, 13Jun-22Aug’92). This multi-part adventure was significant for a number of reasons. Firstly, this was only the second mega-epic not written by Judge Dredd creator, John Wagner (the other was early classic The Cursed Earth by Pat Mills), scripted instead by future comics superstar, Garth Ennis. Ennis himself, admits that it wasn’t his best writing, citing his closeness and childhood affinity to the strip and character as reasons for his below par storytelling Secondly, this was the first ever crossover event, sharing story arcs with recently-released sister comic, the Judge Dredd Megazine (of which Wagner & Alan Grant had been editing, as well as writing, to ensure its success), essentially meaning regular readers had to buy both comics to keep up with the storyline. Set mainly in 2114 it tells of how the Fourth World War took the lives of three billion people when a powerful necromagus called Sabbat raised all the corpses in the world as zombies. It also killed off most of the supporting cast of Judge Dredd. On top of this. it was the first story to feature Johnny Alpha since he was killed off at the end of the Strontium Dog series (from Alpha's point of view it was set two years before his death). The pair had encountered each once before, leaving Dredd initially distrustful of the future bounty hunter who had transgressed one of Justice Dept.’s minefield of strict laws, and escaped unpunished. Alpha & Dredd resolve their issues, and assemble an elite squad of world Judges to bring the fight to the all-powerful dark sorcerer, Sabbat. Using hi-tec Hondo City combat suits, capable of HALO jumping, whilst protecting the wearer from all-manner of threat, including zombie attack, of course. Many Judges are killed off in their frontal assault, including another former adversary of the mega-city lawman, Hondo’s Judge-Inspector Sadu. Alpha and Dredd are also captured, but eventually turn the tables, with their usual mixture of cunning, wile and extreme violence! The lodestone, a massive-crystalline object Sabbat was using to tap into the Earth’s leylines, harnessing the power of the planet, finally became his headstone when Dredd decapitates the planetary overlord, skewering his head onto the crystal’s sharpened point. Although Ennis is critical of this mega-epic, read in one volume, Judgement Day is still a drokking good adventure story. it didn’t quite work, mainly because it was split over the two publications (it’s very rare to have Megazine crossovers these days). Artwork is a slight issue, too, as multiple art droids were drafted in to lighten the load of main artists, Carlos Ezquerra and Peter Doherty, including Chris Halls (aka Chris Cunningham, creator of disturbing Aphex Twin videos) and Dean Ormston. Judge Dredd is a notoriously difficult character to pin down, and other than the legendary Pat Mills who played up Dredd’s heroic side, as opposed to Wagner’s grim-faced stickler for the law, it is only the recent crop of Dredd script droids who understand the relationship between the legendary lawman, and the crazy city he loves, laying down his life over and over, again to ensure its survival; let’s be honest life in the ‘Big Meg’ is rarely boring! Ennis, whilst commendably showing us a view of the larger picture of Dredd’s world outside of MC-1, he takes away the main protagonist, the future megalopolis itself. The most memorable scene from this mega-epic, now an iconic image from co-creator, Carlos Ezquerra, comes in the full-page final scene, showing a bruised and bloody Judge Dredd and Johnny Alpha striding side-by-side; Alpha reminds Dredd that they have a long walk through the most dangerous, inhospitable place on the planet, the Cursed Earth. Dredd simply replies: “Who the hell’s gonna mess with us?”! Classic 2000AD! Great fun, with a massive worldwide death toll, Judgement Day is an enjoyable read, showcasing the talents of a young comics writer, who would go on to write some of the best comic books in recent memory.

Origins - The ambitious, epic history of Justice Dept. and the reign of the Judges. A box is delivered to Chief-Judge Hershey, who informs Dredd that it contains a ransom note and a sample of living tissue which matches the DNA of Judge Eustace Fargo, the first Chief-Judge and the revered founder of the Judge System. (Forensic tests establish that toxins in the tissue show that the source lived through the last century, and so the sample must be Fargo's rather than Dredd's.) The note requires payment of a billion credits in exchange for Fargo's body. As required by the terms of the exchange, Dredd leads a small, lightly armed party on a mission across the hostile Cursed Earth to retrieve their esteemed "Father of Justice". Since Fargo was believed to have died in the year 2051, and the mission takes place in 2129, much of the story consists of Dredd explaining to the members of his team how it is that Fargo could still be alive – a secret history which was concealed from the public for decades. The middle chapters of Origins cover Fargo's life history, and how he founded the Judge System in 2031. After serving twenty years as Chief-Judge, however, Fargo succumbed to a moment of weakness and had an illicit affair with a female colleague, something strictly forbidden by the Judges' code of celibacy. Unable to cope with his own lapse in the exacting moral standards he had inflexibly demanded of his subordinates, Fargo tendered his resignation to the President of the United States. Spurning the entreaties of his two deputies, Judge Solomon and Judge Goodman, and of President Pierce, to reconsider his decision and resume his office, Fargo instead chose to commit suicide. However his attempt to take his own life failed, leaving him with significant brain-damage and without the use of his legs.Fearing that their political enemies would use the scandalous circumstances of Fargo's resignation and injuries to destroy Fargo's legacy, Solomon and Goodman covered them up. Using sophisticated video technology, they faked footage of Fargo bravely sacrificing his life in the line of duty, gunned down in a brutal drive-by shooting. This enabled them to present Fargo as a martyr, increasing public support for the Judges. This deception had been conceived while Fargo's doctors had predicted that he would not long survive. However Fargo defied their expectations and began to slowly recover. He was therefore kept in a secret medical facility, isolated from the world so that the cover-up would not be discovered. When his condition began to deteriorate again, Chief-Judge Solomon had him cryogenically frozen in suspended animation until such time as medical science could cure him.By 2070 President Robert Linus Booth was in the White House, having illegally rigged the voting computers to win the 2068 presidential election, and murdered one of his aides who threatened to expose the fraud. Booth pursued an aggressive foreign policy, openly stating that he would begin a nuclear war if the rest of the world did not comply with his demands. The Judges – now led by Chief-Judge Goodman – attempted to dissuade him, but to no avail, and the Third World War laid waste to most of the world. Booth had believed that his new "nuclear screens" would protect America from retaliation, but only Mega-City One on the east coast, Mega-City Two on the west coast, and Texas City survived. The rest of America was virtually annihilated, creating the Cursed Earth which became populated by mutants and outlaws. Consequently another of Booth's aides turned against him and provided Goodman with evidence of Booth's earlier crimes. Goodman made the evidence public, and public opinion turned against Booth. A demonstration outside the White House became a massacre when troops opened fire on the crowd. But the evidence of election fraud was not conclusive, and impeachment proceedings against Booth were too slow for Goodman to protect his position, for Booth had discovered that Fargo was alive and had been revived from suspended animation. Booth sent troops to arrest Fargo, intending to expose the myth of his death and thereby destroy the Judges' reputation for integrity. Joe and Rico Dredd, cadets at the time, managed to rescue Fargo from capture. However Goodman realised that urgent action was needed to defeat Booth, and the constitutional mechanism for trying him and removing him from office could not be completed in time. On Fargo's advice, Goodman deposed Booth, suspended Congress, and usurped the government of the United States. For his crimes Booth was sentenced to 100 years in suspended animation, to let posterity decide his ultimate fate. Goodman became dictator of the United States (which soon split into three sovereign city-states), with Fargo – his existence still a secret – advising him from behind the scenes.However Fargo soon deteriorated again. He also became demoralised, having intended that the overthrow of democratic government should be temporary, and regretting his own part in establishing a lasting dictatorship. Shortly after surviving an assassination attempt by renegade Judge Morton Judd, Fargo was returned to suspended animation once more. However only one month later Fargo's body was stolen by Judd's agents. When Judd was eventually brought to justice and Fargo's body was still not recovered, it was thought lost forever. Thirty years later Booth's cryogenic machinery failed, and he was inadvertently revived. Judge Dredd resentenced him to life working on a farm in the Cursed Earth, to make amends for the destruction he unleashed on America. (This was first portrayed in the The Cursed Earth.) Instead, however, Booth raised an army of mutants, the "New Mutant Army," who he intended to use to overthrow the Judges and become president again. By 2129 he had discovered Fargo's stolen cryogenic unit, which had been lost in the Cursed Earth when Judd's agents' hovership crashed. When Dredd attempted to exchange the ransom for Fargo, Booth double-crossed him and put him on trial for treason, intending to execute him. However Dredd had anticipated this and planned a timely rescue by his comrades. Taken hostage for use as a human shield, Booth was killed by his own side during the ensuing battle.Back in Mega-City One, Fargo was revived again, but this time he did not survive. His final words were spoken to Dredd alone: "We created a monster ... we're the monster!" He told Dredd that the Judges had gone too far and had destroyed America, and urged Dredd to do everything he could to undo it. Dredd's reaction to this plea was not shown, but when Chief-Judge Hershey asked him what Fargo's last words had been, Dredd lied and pretended that Fargo had said something else less controversial. It was speculated at the time that this theme may be followed up in later stories. This speculation was soon proved correct. Origins was indeed expounded upon in a series of stories, starting with "Mutants in Mega-City One", written by John Wagner. In the first episode Dredd admitted to Hershey that he had lied about Fargo's last words. Hershey in turn admitted that Fargo had said the same thing to her, and that she had told the same lie to Dredd! However, whereas Dredd took Fargo's warning seriously, Hershey dismissed it as the ravings of a brain-damaged invalid, adding that she hoped Dredd would not consider resigning over their differences.This story also featured the return of some of the mutant Fargo Clan (who were first seen, briefly, in Origins) – mutant descendants of Fargo, and therefore Dredd's relatives. In this story, Dredd put forward a motion to repeal the anti-mutant laws, beginning a new story arc about mutants.

Tour of Duty - This far-reaching mega-epic will possibly be Dredd’s toughest test to date. Full of intrigue, betrayal and ultimately murder, primarily within the hallowed corridors of power inside Justice Department itself, who can the city’s greatest lawman truly trust? Dredd’s softening on the ‘mutant issue’, largely in part because of his own mutated genetic heritage, causes him to review the harsh laws on mutant’s rights. Dredd’s new stance to repeal the anti-mutant laws, has not gone down well with the citizens, and this is reflected with many of his colleagues in the department, earning him powerful enemies. With only the backing of Chief-Judge Hershey (and precious few others) Dredd knows that other factions within the Grand Hall are vehemently opposed to his proposed legislature, and feel the time is right for a regime change. Enter Judge Dan Francisco, star of his own hit reality TV show, The Streets of Dan Francisco. Having Mega-City One’s top-rated vid show means that he is a familiar face to the citizens, with a massive fan base. Behind the scenes lurks the ambitious desk jockey, Judge Martin Sinfield. Recently promoted from Head of Traffic Division, to re-organise Administration, the shrewd Sinfield notices Hershey’s dramatic fall in popularity. Together with fellow senior Judges, Cardew and Millan, Sinfield just needs a credible figurehead to lead a campaign to remove Hershey from office in a recall election. Heroic street Judge and TV star, Dan Francisco, is the perfect patsy - a good Judge with a high profile, and massive public approval rating. After an on-screen assassination attempt, with Francisco barely surviving, the popular candidate wins the election hands down. With new Chief-Judge Francisco still in critical condition, Sinfield is made Deputy-Chief. However, he easily establishes himself as the real power behind the throne. His first act, realising the necessity to remove any opposition in his rise to power, was to send Judges Dredd and Hershey to oversee the construction of the newly-built work farms out in the Cursed Earth. Having sidelined Judge Dredd into managing the Cursed Earth mutant camps, the manipulative Judge Sinfield’s plan to take over Mega-City One starts to unfold. With the newly appointed Chief-Judge Dan Francisco being too ill to carry out his duties, Sinfield’s inexorable rise seems to go without a hitch; that is until he unknowingly clashes with the wrong man - notorious serial killer PJ Maybe. Maybe, bored with life of luxury in the corrupt Central American mega-city of Ciudad Barranquilla, concocts an elaborate scheme to install himself as Mayor of Mega-City One, and it turns out he was pretty damn good at it! With his life in danger, Sinfield can only turn to one man for help - Judge Dredd! Mega-City One’s toughest lawman returns to his streets determined to bring Sinfield down and a killer to justice! This hugely significant story arc, is a riveting read, with plot twists galore and a fantastic pay-off. It also reprises Dredd and Alpha’s monumental Cursed Earth crossing, with Joe’s younger clone, Rico Dredd replacing the mutant bounty hunter - worth the cover price for that iconic final page alone!

There are a few multi-part storylines we’ve missed out, including, City of the Damned, The Pit & the more recent seismic shock of Day of Chaos, but the featured classic mega-epics cover most of the disaster-prone history of Mega-City One. If you haven’t already, do yourself a favour and read them. And even if you have, heck- read ‘em again!

#Judge Dredd #Mega Epics #2000AD #40 Years of Thrillpower #classic comics

38 notes · View notes