By Wagner, MacNeil, Walker, Critchlow, Higgins, Ezquerra et al

Published Rebellion

Approaching a Judge Dredd graphic novel is not as easy as it seems; Dredd is for me personally an iconic character going back to my childhood, so when you read the story that is somehow connected to a nostalgic time, you expect one of two things seems to happen. Either the flavours and smells spring to mind the comfort and warmth that many associate with a more blissful carefree time, of reading comics and annuals washes over one like a blanket.

Or you remove the rose tinted glasses, realise that you suddenly have found a level of objectivity where you can compare the calibre of it with contemporaries, and consider if expectations were unfortunately based on the time when your age, experiences and lack of reading of other comics stories were different, part of what you were then, and now it’s not quite enjoyable

I soon found myself drawn into it, and it was clear I had been away from the character for some time, but that the character had changed, much like I have myself, over the years, and although the language, setting, history and place are all familiar, it was a new story that I found myself reading, not tied inexplicably to my youth, but not at all disappointing.

This is an epic Judge Dredd Story and I enjoyed it.

Dredd is the ultimate right wing hero: Judge, Jury and Executioner, Policeman and Soldier, in his case born for just one thing, to ensure people obey the law of Mega-City One, or get punished for breaking it, embodying a level of nationalistic fervour that is quite scary.

The character was in many ways a metaphor in the seventies of how extreme things could become, a time when ‘Special Patrol Groups’ seemed ominous, although we as a society have gone much further down the law and order road. For me I thought it was obvious from my reading of this comic, that perhaps people follow the character of Dredd and instead of satirising extremism, the character is turning towards a liberal and fair approach to things, presenting a less opaque message.

The continuity of decades runs through it, and although I was pleased to see Judge Beeny, now a full Judge, a legacy of the America stories from many years ago, yet the story has been set up to enable the new reader to gently grasp what’s going on.

A lot of thought has been put into these two collections. The first one collects some forty episodes, which make up twelve stories that appeared over a two year period in the run-up to the main event. That some serious editorial control and decision has been applied here is pleasing. It allowed me as a reader to get into a clear understanding of some of the complexities of the world that is today’s Judge Dredd, and understand the problem that is facing the law man.

The story is mostly about power, its corruption, and the subjugation of a type of person.

We get to learn that the ‘Mutant Problem’ is one that is at Dredd’s conscience. Essentially in the world of Mega City One, mutants are seen as a sub-optimal form of life and are not allowed in the city, banished to the Cursed Earth, the radiation desert leftover from the Great Atom War decades before that destroyed most of what used to be America beyond the protected walls of the Mega Cities. This apartheid, which has been going on since 2000 AD’s beginning in 1977, now troubles Dredd. He has tried to get the laws changed.

Dredd succeeds in getting chief Judge Hersey to vote on the laws, which are changed, which in turn leads to senior Judges voting her out of office, and voting a TV Judge, Dan Francisco, into the most senior office in the city. He turns out to be quite a good chief, although he acquiesces to Dredd being in charge of a number of new Mutant Camps. The mutants, who were allowed into the City under Hershey, will now be voluntarily re-located to these mutant townships.

Senior Judge Sinfield, who put Dan Francisco up to the job and was then placed onto the Council of Five, is unhappy with Dredd and subsequently Dan Francisco. He has a very severe and draconian attitude towards mutants, and grabs the opportunity to drug Dan Francisco when he is injured, and he replaces him, leaving a democratic deficit, and also proving to be dishonourable and really not a Judge of good character or decision.

Dredd is of course stoic about his posting, and story follows him and his adventures in the Cursed Earth, how he manages the Judges under his command and the Townships, his own devotion to duty and his tenacity in dealing with Sinfield.

The character of PJ Maybe, a serial killer (although one with that perverse, dark sense of humour through his misdeeds that is often characterstic of Dredd tales) of some notoriety in the City has assumed the identity of the mayor, Byron Ambrose. Maybe’s previous persona is being aped, following the publication of a book on his history. Following an issue over revenue with the new chief Judge, Sinfield, Maybe sets out to murder him. Sinfield brings Dredd back in from the Cursed Earth to investigate what he feels is a targeted attack upon him. PJ Maybe. Such a brilliant character, in many ways, possessing a mind that is so amoral and blasé about murder, while drawing pictures in a childish way.

(one of PJ’s Swedish love bots meets an explosive end)

Dredd does his duty and so the story starts to come around, as Maybe gets caught and gives Dredd a lead on Sinfield. Yet it’s far from over at that stage.

I think that overall this is a very well written and thought out story, I think that it could have been a little better if there was some more intrigue and less clarity about what was going on, I often felt I was just watching on, and not left guessing or wondering what was to occur, and that would have enhanced my reading experience. There was a nice twist near the end, but it could have been replicated throughout a bit more.

Yet, minor gripes aside, it is indeed an epic story. The treatment of mutants is reminiscent of Jews in Nazi Germany, while the Townships, Camps and treatment of mutants could be drawn as reflecting South African apartheid, Guantanamo Bay prisoner of war camps, or any number of death camps from around the world. It’s portrayed as a wrong doing and it is, although in fairness under Dredd the townships seem to do well, which is interesting pointing out perhaps that the mutants are in no way weak, and can and will survive and make life better.

The artwork is stunning. It’s such a selection of old school style, which appeals no end. I really thought that Colin MacNeil stole the show. I adore his artwork, always have going back to the times he drew Dredd in Nip-Cit and The Mechanismo and America Stories (reviewed back here) are favourites. Interestingly, Dredd has developed a much larger chin when drawn by Colin MacNeil, which I found a little bit noticeable. Not really a very valid criticism, given the difference between say MacNeil, Higgins, Holden and Ezquerra are very marked and each artist is very distinctive in their style and rendition of Dredd, but perhaps I just found this change a little more conspicuous.

Overall I found myself enjoying this story, it’s pretty brilliant to be able to enjoy a story that spans over three years

Jon Haward has been sketching Judge Dredd and the Batman, and rather nicely he’s posted up not only the finished drawing but also the steps in-between to show how he works, from the rough pencil sketch above, to the finished version before, with the various stages visible on Jon’s blog. I always enjoy seeing a piece of comics art actually being formed like this, makes me appreciate the finished vesion more. (art by and (c) Jon Haward, Dredd (c) Rebellion, Batman (c) DC Comics)

(new Dredd cover art by the great Brian Bolland, Dredd (c) Rebellion)

Tom at Comic Reporter brings us news that will make a huge slew of comics readers, most especially those of us who have grown up with The Galaxy’s Greatest Comic, very, very happy – the brilliant Brian Bolland has begun blogging. It seems the equally brilliant Mick McMahon, who has his own blog that you should have bookmarked by now, persuaded Brian to try it and Brian is teaching himself to blog and ‘learning in public’.

I’m delighted Mick persuaded Brian to start posting on a blog – Brian, and indeed Mick too, was one of the first artists to really make an impact on me as a very young comics reader. Back in the day most British comics rarely mentioned the writer or artist and as a kid I think, like a lot of kids, I vaguely knew people made these comics but it hadn’t really occured to me that it was an actual job, much less that there were different styles and artistic flourishes to take in. Thankfully 2000 AD did name the creators and so around 9 or 10 years of age I really started to take note of their names and notice the differences in styles (and 2000 AD being an anthology you had other creators to contrast against, which helped). It was the beginning of my young self seeing comics as not just a fun form of storytelling but as a form of art I could appreciate and, looking back, I suppose it helped to set me on the path to editing the FP blog today and appreciating the medium in the way I do (what a time to be a young comics reader – Bolland, McMahon, Bellardinelli, Gibson, O’Neill and more on a regular basis, all soaking into an impressionable young mind every week – wonderful).

Brian’s work, for me (and many others), stood out so strongly, with those bold, clear lines and details, even among some of the huge talents that 2000 AD threw at us every week in those late 70s and early 80s days. And it still does. Even when working on our webstore I can find myself sorting out the new DC pre-orders, spot a Bolland cover on one of the books and I still have to stop and admire it. I still hugely admire and enjoy Brian’s art and, as I said, he also holds a special place in my reading heart not just for the consistent high quality of his work but for being one of those first, distinctive artists who made me think about and appreciate comics differently, and that’s something that influences my reading of every comic even all these years later as an adult. And I’m betting right now there are piles of you out there who could say the same. Bookmark now. (thanks to Matt B who spotted it first)

The creation of that image which is now the banner pic for the blog is detailed here. There’s some other lovely stuff in there too – I’m especially fond of the Judge Anderson with Robot Archie (thankfully unmolested by hi-ex bullets this time) by Dave Taylor and a nice Major Eazy with Rogue Trooper by the very fine Staz Johnson (no stranger to the blue skinned Genetic Infantryman, of course).

It’s a nice idea for a comics theme and I hope there’s more to come – I’d love to see maybe Sam Slade’s Robo-Hunter with some of the House of Dollman creations. Or maybe Captain Hurricane with Zombo? That’d be fun! One to bookmark, methinks. Thanks to Matt for the link, which he got via the fine Leigh Gallagher who also contributed some artwork.

(Via 2000AD Online)

“The Law is a Joke!”; Cliff Robinson commission – a “What If…The Joker became Chief Judge of Mega City One?”

Hmmm…. the law is a joke…. bankers vs dodgy MPs vs stupid kids looting – bonuses, excuses and jail sentences for nicking a bottle of water. Seems rather apt.

(Via 2000AD Online, but somewhere along the line someone got it from Comic Art Fans)

Edited by Dave Evans and Richmond Clements

Contributors: Alex Ronald (cover), Paul Glasswell, Dave Thomson, Chris Denton, David Frankum, Liam Sharp, Alexi Conman, Luis Chichon, Richard McAuliffe, Mark Chilcott, David Withers, Phillip Vaughan.

FutureQuake Press

I’d been aware of Zarjaz, as Joe had featured it on the FPI blog a fair few times. But in all honesty I wasn’t that much of a 2000AD fan in my youth, I picked it up occasionally, and read some of the collections when I thought they looked interesting, but was never a regular reader – so the thought of a 2000AD fanzine – hmmm, maybe not.

The thing is, looking back, I actually read more, and know more 2000AD than I realised. Morrison and Yeowell’s Zenith, Mills and Bisley on Slaine, Nemesis, ABC Warriors, Alan Moore’s Future Shocks, Halo Jones, Skizz, I even dipped in and out of Dredd – so I’ve read quite a bit of the canon to be honest, just never really thought of myself as a fan of the comic.

The trigger came with the recent announcement of issue 12, and specifically the new Zenith meets Invasion series (covered here on the FPI Blog). I was intrigued enough to get in touch and ask them if they fancied sending a copy along.

(Zenith – Invasion, written by Chris Denton, art by David Frankum, featuring characters created by Morrison, Yeowell, Mills and is most definitely © Rebellion.)

Let’s start off with the strip that encouraged me to seek this out: Zenith – Invasion, written by Chris Denton (of Massacre For Boys) with art by David Frankum. I loved Morrison and Yeowell’s superhero popstar Zenith but Invasion I know nothing of, bar what I’ve just read online (Wikipedia – marvellous thing). But Zenith-Invasion is a really nicely put together mashup of the two titles, although it’s not really Zenith, more the second world war Allied hero Maximan who represents the Zenith part, with Zenith reported as missing earlier in the year.

It’s now 1999, and the Volgon republic controls all of continental Europe and are mounting an invasion fleet to take over a Britain – that’s the Invasion part – which featured an East End truck driver Bill Savage leading a resistance movement against the invading Volgans, a man you see tucking into breakfast in the page above.

In Zenith – Invasion, the worlds of Zenith and Invasion come together pretty seamlessly, with neat little touches all the way through – very nicely done. Just 6 pages long, just as you’d expect from a 2000AD strip, quick, tightly plotted, with really nice looking artwork from Frankum. I want to read more of this one. (But sadly, I wont be able to – according to this Chris Denton post, Zarjaz has a policy of no continuing stories – shame)

The only other none Dredd strip in Zarjaz is the Liam Sharp written Slaine 2 page text story. Slaine; Tattered Wings is a nice enough short story, with Slaine coming face to face with a potential enemy, a tale of the Morrigan and of lost loves. It has an interesting feel of an ancient folk tale, which is what I imagine Sharp was after.

(Constable Dredd by McAuliffe and Chilcott, featuring Judge Dredd, created by Mills, Wagner and Ezquerra – again, absolutely © Rebellion.)

The rest of the strips in Zarjaz are Judge Dredd strips – four in total, and I’ll start with the best of them – Constable Dredd – The Cursed Beat. It takes a completely new look at Dredd, speculating rather well what it may have been like if Dredd walked the streets of Whitechapel circa 1888 (and can you guess who’s playing Jack The Ripper?). Lovely concept, really nice twist, playful, fun, and Chilcott’s art is very polished and easy on the eye.

The Judge Fish strip rather relies on a knowledge of Dredd a little too much, as far as I recall Judge Fish was one of insane Chief Judge Cal’s appointments (Wikipedia to the rescue – yes, spot on – like I said, I obviously read more 2000AD than I remember). In this strip we get to hear events from the point of view of Judge Fish – silly certainly, but very neatly done, a two page distraction but an enjoyable one.

Fat Chancers by Alexi Conman and Luis Chicon is two pages of distraction again, but far too run of the mill to be anything but filler – especially when compared to the rest of the strips here.

(Judge Dredd – Moon In The Undercity, by Glasswell and Thomson. Judge Dredd created by Mills, Wagner and Ezquerra – and did we mention before about the whole thing, all the characters being © Rebellion? We did, good. Glad that’s sorted)

The longest strip is Judge Dredd – Moon In The Undercity. A complete story presented in 3 parts through Zarjaz 12, 25 pages in total. It started off so very strongly, evoking everything cool and fun about Dredd as he finds himself venturing into the Undercity to find the werewolf Judge Prager and control the werewolves in the Undercity. Glasswell’s obviously having a blast throwing a load of references in, even managing to get in the Matchbox adventure 2000 toys I remember having as a boy – although I had no idea until now they were actually included in Dredd’s Cursed Earth adventure until now.

Like I say, it starts so well, quick, snappy, sharp plot, good, delicate line work on the art, but it somewhat loses it’s way towards the end, the idea rather getting away from the skill of the execution. Nevertheless, still a rather nice read.

I have no idea how Zarjaz squares this with Rebellion, since for all intents and purposes this is an issue of 2000AD, using all the familiar names and faces, just not necessarily paying much attention to established 2000AD continuity. But on the basis of this issue, I’m glad Rebellion are okay with Zarjaz, since it’s a really entertaining comic – very professionally done, great printing, and, as I’ve hopefully conveyed, there’s at least a couple of strips that would actually feel right in the pages of 2000AD itself.

Perhaps the greatest compliment I can give Zarjaz is that, after finishing this issue, not only do I fancy reading some more, I’m rather tempted to start picking up 2000AD weekly.

You can buy Zarjaz 12 at the FutureQuake Shop.

The uniform is obviously different from that great comics design Ezquerra crafted back in the punk days of ’77, but that is to be expected, we already know that what looks brilliant in a comics panel can look downright ridiculous in reality (hence the first X-Men movie’s “you think we should wear yellow spandex” quip), so of course the costume designers would have to re-interpret the Judge’s uniform. I do miss the shield and eagle shoulder pads and the chain on the badge, but again, great though they look in a comic panel when Ezquerra, McMahon or Bolland had Dredd in a dynamic pose, in a real-world, live-action scenario they probably don’t make much sense and would limit movement (and probably be forever breaking off bits causing pauses while wardrobe fixed it, not a friend to a tight filming schedule). But overall it does have a Mega City One Judge vibe to it (not least with the helmet). Although we may have to buy Karl a razor, by the looks of it! ECBT also had a scan featuring fan-fave Judge Cassandra Anderson:

At the Oxfam comics gig in Edinburgh at the weekend Andy Diggle mentioned that he had seen some footage and it looked fairly good although both he and the panel were of the opinion that the helmet looked a bit too big compared to the head, but that might just be perspective in some shots – certainly looks okay in the top picture here and anyway, it is a niggling point. As I said, thinking positive thoughts because we so want this to be good and to be proper Dredd, drokk it.

More incredible Alex Toth artwork…. just a masterclass of intelligent, visual design and perfection in storytelling. From Red Circle Sorcery #9 (1974). The full strip is over at Alison Sampson’s Space In Text.

Jill Thompson does Archie. Now wouldn’t you love to see her do an Archie book for real? (Via Heidi)

Simon Fraser’s Judge Tintin – who’s reported as saying:

“In 1977 the 70 year old George Remi ( Hergé ), entranced by the new dark, vicious and  satirical upstart 2000AD that had just started up in London, submitted some story ideas and art samples to then Editor Pat Mills. Mills reportedly rejected them as ‘Not edgy enough.’ and said to the venerated titan of world comics ” Go look at Carlos Ezquerra’s work, maybe you can learn something “. Remi’s reaction was not recorded, but he died 6 years later, a broken man.”

(Via 2000AD Online)

Mondo (part of the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema) continues the reinterpretation of various movie posters with this Hellboy by Florian Bertmer. (Via Robot 6)

The Sesame Street Six by A J Paglia (via Buzz Feed).