118-522: Judge Joseph Dredd is a fictional character created by writer John Wagner and artist Carlos Ezquerra . He first appeared in the second issue of the British weekly anthology comic 2000 AD (1977). He is the magazine's longest-running character, and in 1990 he got his own title, the Judge Dredd Megazine . He also appears in a number of film and video game adaptations. Judge Dredd is
236-552: A trade paperback by Hamlyn in 1993. The complete series was collected by Rebellion Developments in 2009. In the week that the 2012 film Dredd was released in the UK, a 10-page prologue was published in issue #328 of Judge Dredd Megazine , written by its editor, Matt Smith , and illustrated by Henry Flint . "Top of the World, Ma-Ma" told the backstory of the film's main antagonist, Ma-Ma. Five more stories featuring this version of
354-602: A 5-year-old child, with appropriate knowledge and training already implanted in their brains. The last name "Dredd" is chosen by the genetic scientist who created them, Morton Judd , to "instill fear in the population." In 2070, the corrupt President Robert Linus Booth starts World War III, also known as the Atomic Wars , and the Judges move to restore order to the panic-stricken public. Cadets Joe Dredd and Rico Dredd are temporarily made full judges to help restore order under
472-574: A Scots language translation by Matthew Fitt called Kidnappit was published by Itchy Coo . If things go well more adaptations may be in the works, although a sequel project based on The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde was commissioned due to the relatively high profile and warm reception of the Kidnapped adaptation. It was being promoted as part of the One Book – One Edinburgh 2008 campaign. In November 2008, Grant's Bad Press released
590-471: A battle causes him to fall into a lake of acidic chemicals, burning his entire body. Later on, he undergoes rejuvenation treatment, healing him and adding more vitality than a man his age would normally have. In 2130, Dredd is diagnosed with cancer of the duodenum , though it was benign. In 2138, at 72 years old, Dredd undergoes another "rejuve" treatment after being ordered to. It is specified that his entire epidermis, vascular, and muscular tissue are rebuilt on
708-462: A cellular level, once again restoring some lost youth and vitality. He turns down an offer for a full treatment that would rebuild his internal organs and skeleton. Although Dredd holds his duty above every other priority, this devotion is not blind. On two occasions (in "The Robot Wars" and "Tale of the Dead Man"), Dredd resigns from the force on principle, but both times he later returns, believing
826-425: A character who took that concept to its logical extreme. In a 1995 interview, Wagner said: "When Pat was putting together 2000 AD , we realised from the success of "One-Eyed Jack" this was the kind of story the paper should have – a really hard, tough cop." Mills had developed a horror strip called Judge Dread (named after the stage name of British ska and reggae artist Alexander Minto Hughes ), before abandoning
944-450: A couple of days in total." Dredd's entire face is never shown in the strip. This began as an unofficial guideline, but soon became a rule. As John Wagner explained: "It sums up the facelessness of justice − justice has no soul. So it isn't necessary for readers to see Dredd's face, and I don't want you to". On rare occasions, Dredd's face has been seen in flashbacks to his childhood; but these pictures lack detail. In an early story, Dredd
1062-464: A daughter, Vienna Dredd, who now sees Joe as an uncle. Dredd's adversaries generally do not return in sequels, since they are usually killed or sentenced to long terms of incarceration. However, a few notable villains have returned in multiple stories, and some later got their own spin-off series. There have been a number of Judge Dredd stories that have significantly developed the Dredd character and/or
1180-509: A different version of Dredd to that in the DC comic books described above. In Japan, manga comic Shōnen Jump Autumn Special (1995) included a one-off story featuring a unique version of Judge Dredd which was entirely different to both the comic character and the film character. Set in Tokyo in 2099, Dredd Takeru is a part-time street judge whose day job is working as a primary school teacher. From
1298-608: A fellow sub-editor, left to go freelance in 1971, and began submitting scripts to London's IPC , working from Mills' garden shed in Wormit , Fife. Starting with humour titles like Cor!! and Whizzer and Chips , they also went on to write for girls' and boys' adventure comics, including strips like "Yellowknife of the Yard", about a Native American detective in London, drawn by Doug Maxted , for Valiant ; "Partridge's Patch", about
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#17327650373251416-694: A four issue series for Epic Comics called The Last American . This series, as well as the Chopper storyline in Judge Dredd , was blamed for the breakup of the Wagner/Grant partnership. The pair split strips, with Wagner keeping Judge Dredd and Grant keeping Strontium Dog and Judge Anderson . Grant and Wagner continued to work together on special projects such as the Batman/Judge Dredd crossover Judgement on Gotham . During
1534-541: A four-issue mini-series with art by Shane Oakley . In 2013 Grant teamed with Robin Smith to create Scott vs Zombies , commissioned by Edinburgh's Artlink with support from Creative Scotland . In 2012, he completed the award-winning Canadian children's graphic novel The Loxleys and the War of 1812 , now in its second edition. In 2016 Grant and John Wagner created a new comic for BHP Comics . Drawn by Dan Cornwell "Rok of
1652-457: A freelance writer, writing the occasional issue of Future Shock and Blackhawk . Grant then formed his partnership with Wagner after the pair lived and worked together; the pair eventually co-wrote Judge Dredd . They worked on other popular strips for the magazine, including Robo-Hunter and Strontium Dog using the pseudonym T.B. Grover. Grant worked on other people's stories, changing and adding dialogue, most notably Harry Twenty on
1770-529: A friendly rural policeman and his dog, drawn by Mike Western , for Jet ; "The Can-Do Kids" for Lion , and boarding school serial "School for Snobs" for Tammy . IPC managers John Purdie and John Sanders began to take notice. After nine months their writing partnership broke up, and Wagner moved to London to join IPC's staff, editing girls' titles Sandie and Princess Tina until 1973, when both were merged into other titles. After that he quit comics for
1888-466: A large "Lawmaster" motorcycle equipped with machine-guns, a powerful laser cannon, and full artificial intelligence capable of responding to orders from the Judge and operating itself. In an interview, Ezquerra commented on how he designed the character, stating he received the basic description of "a menacing policeman dressed in black and driving a motorbike." He later described his process on creating
2006-534: A law enforcement and judicial officer in the dystopian future city of Mega-City One , which covers most of the east coast of North America. He is a " street judge ", empowered to summarily arrest, convict, sentence, and execute criminals. Judge Dredd stories often satirize American and British culture, with a focus on authoritarianism and police brutality . Judge Dredd made his live-action debut in 1995 in Judge Dredd , portrayed by Sylvester Stallone . Later, he
2124-578: A lot from the added discipline of life in Scotland." When he left school he joined a printing company, going to college on day release, until his aunt showed him an advert for editorial assistants at D. C. Thomson & Co. in Dundee. He got the job, starting in the Fiction department, and went on to become chief sub-editor of the romance comic Romeo , and also wrote horoscopes. He and Pat Mills ,
2242-416: A more overt comedy side to his writing. He is well known for writing terse scripts, described by artist Dave Gibbons as being like "exciting telegrams". He says he does not think visually, but rather "in terms of plot developments [and] dialogue", preferring to leave the visual decisions to the artist. Described by Warren Ellis as "probably the single most influential writer in British comics", Wagner
2360-487: A mute Native American soldier in the Pacific Campaign, drawn by Eric Bradbury , and the naval series "HMS Nightshade" (1978–79), drawn by Western. For Mills' short-lived, controversial title Action he scripted the boxing strip "Blackjack". During this time he shared a flat on Camberwell New Road in London with future 2000 AD editor Steve MacManus . In 1976 Mills brought Wagner in as script adviser for
2478-695: A new comic for BHP Comics . Drawn by Dan Cornwell "Rok of the Reds" tells the story of a dangerous intergalactic outlaw, Rok of Arkadi, who, while on the run, hides on the planet earth by taking over the body and life of troubled football star Kyle Dixon. A father of two, Wagner lives with his wife near Shrewsbury , Shropshire. Pat Mills describes Wagner's writing as "romantic but not emotional". His depictions of violent action, from "Darkie's Mob" to "Judge Dredd" to A History of Violence , are unsentimental and laced with mordant humour. Other strips, like "Robo-Hunter", "Ace Trucking Co." and "The Balls Brothers", reveal
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#17327650373252596-481: A second philosophical transformation, declaring himself a follower of Neo-Tech , a philosophy created by Frank R. Wallace . When he was given the opportunity to create an Anarky mini-series, he redesigned the character accordingly. Following the success of the series, he was hired to create an ongoing monthly series for the character. Initially hesitant, he was persuaded to do so by series illustrator, Anarky co-creator, and personal friend, Norm Breyfogle . Named after
2714-437: A stun shot has also been depicted in the comic, and a variety of other rounds have been shown in the films. Dredd's first stories take place in the year 2099, 122 years after their publication date in 1977. His regular stories are generally set 122 years after their real-world publication date (unless otherwise stated as a flashback or prequel story), so that stories published in 2024 are set in 2146. The setting of Judge Dredd
2832-583: A time, taking a variety of jobs, including as caretaker of an estate in the Scottish Highlands and dredging on a barge. In the autumn of 1974 Pat Mills had been tasked with developing Battle Picture Weekly , a new war-themed title for IPC to compete with D. C. Thomson's Warlord . He asked Wagner to join him and help develop characters. Mills and Wagner were dissatisfied with the sanitised nature of boys' comics and wanted to make them harder-hitting, with more working-class heroes. They devised
2950-523: A variety of Judge Dredd titles featuring original stories. Since 1990, Dredd has also had his own title in Britain, the Judge Dredd Megazine . With Wagner concentrating his energies on that, the Dredd strip in 2000 AD was left to younger writers, including Garth Ennis , Mark Millar , Grant Morrison and John Smith . Their stories were less popular with fans, and sales fell. Wagner returned to writing
3068-700: A variety of artists as Mills tried to find a strip which would provide a good introduction to the character. This Judge Dredd would not be ready for the first issue of 2000 AD , launched in February 1977. The story chosen to introduce the character was submitted by freelance writer Peter Harris, and was extensively re-written by Mills, who added a new ending suggested by Kelvin Gosnell. It was drawn by newcomer Mike McMahon . The strip debuted in prog 2. Around this time Ezquerra quit and returned to work for Battle . There are conflicting sources about why. Ezquerra says it
3186-718: A variety of spin-off stories set in the same universe. Almost all of the stories from both comics are currently being reprinted in their original order of publication in a series of trade paperbacks . Stories from the regular issues of 2000 AD and the Megazine are collected in a series entitled Judge Dredd: The Complete Case Files. This series began in 2005 and is still ongoing as of 2024. Stories from special holiday issues and annuals appeared in Judge Dredd: The Restricted Files . This four-volume series began in 2010 and concluded in 2012. Joseph Dredd
3304-565: A violent series about a renegade British captain leading a group of lost soldiers in a personal war against the Japanese in Burma during World War II, drawn by Mike Western , which became one of the comic's most popular strips, although Wagner has since said he regrets "some of the jingoistic, racist language" used. A collected edition was published by Titan Books in 2011. Other strips he wrote for Battle included "Joe Two Beans" (1977), about
3422-464: Is a dystopian future Earth damaged by a series of international conflicts; much of the planet has become radioactive wasteland, and so populations have aggregated in enormous conurbations known as 'mega-cities'. The story is centred on the megalopolis of Mega-City One , on the east coast of North America. Within Mega-City One, extensive automation (including intelligent robots) has rendered
3540-734: Is appointed to the Council of Five, Mega-City One's highest governing body below the Chief Judge, on which he serves for two years (2132 to 2134). On several occasions, he saves his city from conquest or destruction by powerful enemies, and in 2114, he saves the entire world during the Fourth World War . In 2107, Dredd loses his eyes in combat during the story City of the Damned . He has them replaced with bionic eyes that grant him night-vision. In 2112, he suffers near-fatal wounds when
3658-477: Is forced to remove his helmet and the other characters react as if he is disfigured, but his face was covered by a faux censorship sticker. In prog 52, during Dredd's tenure on the Lunar Colonies, he uses a 'face-change' machine to impersonate the crooked lawyer of a gang of bank robbers. In Carlos Ezquerra's original design, Dredd had large lips, "to put a mystery as to his racial background". Not all of
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3776-483: Is named after some historical person or TV character, usually for comic effect. A minority live in "mopads" - an evolution of the mobile home, and constantly travel Mega-City One's extensive road network. Mega-City One extends from Boston to Charlotte ; but extended into Florida before the Apocalypse War laid waste to the southern sectors. At its height, the city contained a population of about 800 million; after
3894-578: Is named as an influence by writers such as Alan Grant , who says he "taught me almost all I know about comic writing", Garth Ennis , Andy Diggle and Rob Williams . Alan Moore was inspired by the work of Wagner and Pat Mills in 2000 AD to try and express his ideas in mainstream comics. Wagner's own influences include the comics of D. C. Thomson & Co. of the '60s and '70s. Outside of comics, authors he admires include John Steinbeck , Patrick O'Brian and Michael Connelly . See also Category:Comics by John Wagner A TV film of The Bogie Man
4012-657: Is responsible not only for law enforcement, but is also the government, since the United States was overthrown in 2070 following the Third World War , which devastated much of America. The Judges are a ruling class, the ordinary citizens having no participation in government except at the municipal level. Dredd was once offered the job of Chief Judge, but he refused it. The Judge System has spread world-wide, with various super-cities possessing similar methods of law enforcement. As such, this political model has become
4130-471: Is the most famous of the Street Judges that patrol Mega-City One , empowered to instantly convict, sentence, and sometimes execute offenders. Dredd is armed with a " Lawgiver ", a pistol programmed to recognise only his palm-print and capable of firing six types of ammunition , a daystick , a boot knife and stun or gas grenades . His helmet obscures his face, except for his mouth and jaw. He rides
4248-549: The 2005 film of the same name . Wagner continues to write for 2000 AD and Judge Dredd Megazine . Wagner was born in Pennsylvania , U.S., in 1949, the product of a war marriage. When Wagner was twelve his parents separated and his mother returned to Greenock in Scotland with the children. Wagner describes himself as "a pretty badly adjusted youth" in America, fighting and getting into trouble, and says he "benefited
4366-709: The BBC for the TV series Doctor Who in the 1970s, but Wagner eventually dropped out, tired of the endless rewrites requested, an experience which turned him off TV writing. Mills' involvement came to an end when the show's script editor changed. Artist Dave Gibbons was aware of this, and when he was offered the chance to draw the lead strip in Doctor Who Weekly in 1979, he suggested them as writers. The pair wrote four eight-part serials, based on their unmade TV scripts. They adapted them separately, Wagner scripting "City of
4484-612: The Daily Star strips were subsequently coloured and published in Metal Hammer magazine in the 1990s. In 2012, Dredd was one of 10 British comic characters commemorated in a series of stamps issued by the Royal Mail . Between 2015 and 2018, Hachette Partworks published a fortnightly partwork collection of hardback books entitled Judge Dredd: The Mega Collection . This included not only Judge Dredd stories but also
4602-607: The Judge Dredd Megazine from 2022 to 2024. John Wagner John Wagner (born 1949) is an American-born British comics writer . Alongside Pat Mills , he helped revitalise British comics in the 1970s, and continues to be active in the British comics industry, occasionally also working in American comics. He is the co-creator, with artist Carlos Ezquerra , of the character Judge Dredd . Wagner started his career in editorial with D. C. Thomson & Co. in
4720-494: The Megazine , Wagner took a break from writing the character in 2000 AD , replaced by Garth Ennis , Grant Morrison , Mark Millar and others. He did not resume writing for 2000 AD for more than three years. Wagner was initially involved in Toxic! , an independent weekly anthology launched in 1991, but, aside from two Bogie Man serials co-written with Grant, most of his proposed stories were rejected and he withdrew from
4838-565: The Paradox Press imprint of DC Comics . It was nominated for the Angoulême International Comics Festival Prize for Scenario in 2006. In 2000 Wagner and Carlos Ezquerra revived " Strontium Dog " (main character Johnny Alpha had been killed off in 1990 in a story written by Alan Grant), based on a treatment Wagner had written for an abortive TV pilot. Initially, stories were set before
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4956-517: The Ratcatcher in their third. After a dozen issues, Wagner left Grant as sole writer. Grant was one of the main Batman writers until the late 1990s. He stated that Wagner left after five issues because the title did not sell well enough to give them royalties, and that Wagner's name was kept in the credits for the remaining seven issues because Grant was afraid DC would fire him. The pair created
5074-528: The comics anthology , Wasted . A mixture of drug-themed humour and anarchic cartoon action stories, mostly, but not all, written by Grant. Wasted featured art by many comic artists from the UK underground and mainstream art scene. These included well-known industry figures like Frank Quitely , Jamie Grant , Jon Haward , and Mark Stafford . The comic showcased many underground artists like Zander, Colin Barr, Tiberius Macgregor, Alan Kerr, and Curt Sibling. Wasted
5192-430: The 'dark, gritty' comics of the time and proved hugely popular. After several other miniseries (all written by Grant, sometimes with Giffen as co-writer), Lobo received his own ongoing series. In addition, Grant was writing L.E.G.I.O.N. (a Legion of Super-Heroes spin-off) and The Demon (a revival of Jack Kirby 's character) for DC Comics. Grant wrote the first issues of the new Batman title, Batman: Shadow of
5310-500: The 1980s, he and co-writer Alan Grant wrote prolifically for IPC's 2000 AD , Battle , Eagle , Scream! and Roy of the Rovers . They also wrote for DC Comics ' Batman in the U.S., created a series of Batman and Judge Dredd team-up comics, and started the British independent comic The Bogie Man . Judge Dredd has twice been adapted for film, and David Cronenberg adapted Wagner's graphic novel A History of Violence into
5428-558: The American comic market. Their first title was the 12-issue Outcasts limited series (Oct. 1987–Sept. 1988) for DC Comics . Although it was not a success, it paved the way for the pair to write Batman stories in Detective Comics from issue 583 (Feb. 1988), largely with Norm Breyfogle on art duties across the various Batman titles. Grant and Wagner introduced the Ventriloquist in their first Batman story and
5546-520: The Apocalypse War, it was halved to 400 million. Street Judges act as police, judge, jury, and executioner. Capital punishment in Mega-City One is rarely used, though deaths while resisting arrest are commonplace. Numerous writers have used the Judge System to satirize contemporary politics. Judges, once appointed, can be broadly characterised as "Street Judges" (who patrol the city), and administrative (office-based) Judges. The Justice Department
5664-662: The Bat , which saw him create three new characters, Jeremiah Arkham , Mr. Zsasz , and Amygdala . This story arc, " Batman: The Last Arkham ", was later accompanied by his role as one of the main writers during the Knightfall crossover. In 1994, Grant co-wrote the Batman-Spawn: War Devil intercompany crossover with Doug Moench and Chuck Dixon . Other Batman storylines which Grant contributed to include " Contagion ", " Legacy ", and " Cataclysm ". Grant
5782-498: The Damned" and "Dogs of Doom", and Mills scripting "The Iron Legion" and "The Star Beast", although all were credited to "Mills & Wagner". From 1980 to 1988 he wrote in partnership with Alan Grant , an old friend and former D. C. Thomson and 2000 AD sub-editor with whom he was sharing an old farmhouse in Essex, although most stories were credited to Wagner alone (under one of his pseudonyms) or Grant alone – whichever of them typed
5900-456: The High Rock , written by Gerry Finley-Day . Judge Dredd was Grant's main concern for much of the 1980s. Grant and Wagner had developed the strip into the most popular in 2000 AD as well as creating lengthy epic storylines such as The Apocalypse War . Grant wrote for other IPC comic magazines such as the revamped Eagle . By the late 1980s, Grant and Wagner were about to move into
6018-472: The Judge System with something else (he was unaware Rico Dredd had gone renegade and later died by Joe's hand). After Eustace Fargo dies, Dredd decides not to share the man's final words. In more recent years, Dredd has met other Fargo clones such as Kraken and Nimrod. He has also developed a family of sorts with the introduction of two younger clones of his own named Dolman and Judge Rico (no first name). Dredd also discovered his older brother Rico Dredd fathered
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#17327650373256136-475: The Judge System, while imperfect and vulnerable to corruption, is the best protection that currently exists for people. In 2113, Dredd insists the Justice Department gamble its existence on a referendum to prove its legitimacy. In 2116 , he risks 20 years imprisonment with hard labour when he challenges the policy of a Chief Judge. In 2129, Dredd threatens to resign if the Chief Judge doesn't change
6254-512: The Justice Department, wondering if the system has taken away "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness" while trying to instill strict order and control. Three weeks later, Fargo is placed in suspended animation and the Dredd brothers return to the Academy. After the Battle of Armageddon in 2071, President "Bad Bob" Booth is captured, tried for war crimes, and sentenced to suspended animation. In
6372-485: The Reds" tells the story of a dangerous intergalactic outlaw, Rok of Arkadi, who, while on the run, hides on Earth by taking over the body and life of troubled football star Kyle Dixon. In 2020, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic , Grant led a local community project in the village of Moniaive to produce a comic about the virus and the residents' community spirit. Grant received an Inkpot Award in 1992. Grant
6490-425: The artists who worked on the strip were told of this. Mike McMahon drew Dredd as a black man, while Brian Bolland and Ron Smith drew him as white. The strip was not yet printed in colour, and this went unnoticed. The idea was dropped. Time passes in the Judge Dredd strip in real time, so as a year passes in life, a year passes in the comic. The first Dredd story, published in 1977, was set in 2099, 122 years in
6608-481: The character from issue 9, and has written the majority of Judge Dredd stories since. Ezquerra returned in 1982 to draw the " Apocalypse War " storyline, and continued to draw the character semi-regularly until his death in 2018. Wagner created two long-running series in 1978. One, " Robo-Hunter ", a private detective-style character who specialised in robot-related cases, was initially drawn by José Ferrer, but his pages were partly redrawn by Ian Gibson , who became
6726-528: The character full-time for 2000 AD in 1994. Judge Dredd has also been published in a long-running comic strip (1981–1998) in the Daily Star , and briefly in Metro from January to April 2004. These were usually created by the same teams writing and drawing the main strip, and some of the Daily Star strips have been collected into two hardback volumes . Originally published in black and white, some of
6844-412: The character looked like a "Spanish pirate." Wagner's initial script was rewritten by Mills and drawn up by Ezquerra. The hardware and cityscapes Ezquerra had drawn were far more futuristic than the near-future setting originally intended; in response, Mills set the story further into the future, on the advice of his art assistant Doug Church. The original launch story written by Wagner and drawn by Ezquerra
6962-438: The character was given to Carlos Ezquerra , a Spanish artist who had worked for Mills before on Battle Picture Weekly . Wagner gave Ezquerra an advertisement for the film Death Race 2000 , showing the character Frankenstein (played by David Carradine ) clad in black leather on a motorbike, as a suggestion of Dredd's appearance. Ezquerra added body-armour, zips, and chains, which Wagner initially objected to, commenting that
7080-426: The character were published in Judge Dredd Megazine : "Underbelly" in #340–342 (2013), "Uprise" in #350–354 (2014), "Dust" in #367–371 (2015–'16), "Furies" in #386–387 (2017), and "The Dead World" in #392–396 (2018) (there were also two Judge Anderson stories featuring the film version of that character in #377–379). Year One, Mega-City Two, Deviations, Under Siege, Toxic and False Witness were later reprinted in
7198-484: The character with other writers, including Gordon Rennie , Robbie Morrison , Si Spurrier , Al Ewing and Michael Carroll . Major storylines he has contributed include " Origins " (2006–2007), exploring how the Judge system was established, and " Day of Chaos " (2011–2012), in which many of the institutions of Dredd's world are destroyed, leaving a more dangerous city. In 2016 Wagner teamed up with Grant to create
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#17327650373257316-483: The character's death in a revised continuity, but 2010's "The Life and Death of Johnny Alpha" brought Johnny back from the dead. Wagner has continued to be the main writer of "Judge Dredd" in 2000 AD and the Judge Dredd Megazine . In 2003 he co-wrote the Judge Dredd/ Aliens crossover, " Incubus ", with Andy Diggle , which was co-published by Dark Horse Comics and 2000 AD . Since 2005 he has shared
7434-462: The character: "When I create a character, I'll do it fairly quickly, the longer you stay working on an idea, the more chances you have to spoil it and Dredd was not an exception. I draw the essentials: grim face, black suit, menacing helmet (based on the Greeks ), protections, and gun readily available when sitting on the bike, after that I started to embellish the protections and bike with symbols, maybe
7552-579: The city's harsh anti-mutant apartheid laws . In 2129 ( 2000 AD #1535), Dredd is present when his clone-father Eustace Fargo is revived from cryogenic suspension, only to die later the same day. Before Fargo dies, he calls for Dredd to be at his side and admits his conclusion that the Judge system was a mistake that killed the American Dream, that it was meant to fix things but not last forever. Since Joe and Rico Dredd are his blood, Eustace hopes they will fix his mistakes, implying they should replace
7670-501: The co-creator of the characters Anarky , Victor Zsasz , and the Ventriloquist . Alan Grant was born in Bristol , but moved with his family to Newtongrange , Midlothian , at the age of one. According to Grant, his grandmother taught him how to read and write by introducing him to material from DC Thomson , which also served as his introduction to comics. He attended Newtongrange Primary School and Dalkeith High School , where he
7788-525: The development work, and wrote three of the five strips in the opening line-up, including " America ", illustrated by Colin MacNeil , which examined the totalitarian nature of the Judge system through the story of a young woman who becomes a pro-democracy terrorist, and "Young Death: Boyhood of a Superfiend", with art by Peter Doherty , which told the origin of Dredd's arch-enemy Judge Death in humorous style. While his efforts were concentrated on Dredd in
7906-540: The documentary strip "Fight for the Falklands" for Battle , without Grant who had no interest in war stories, and " Dan Dare " with Pat Mills for Eagle . Wagner and Grant became part of the so-called " British Invasion " of American comics during the 1980s. In 1987 their first title, a mini-series called Outcasts , was published by DC Comics with Cam Kennedy as artist. Outcasts was well received, though it never sold in great quantities, and this success led to
8024-471: The ending of the Judge Dredd story " Oz " led to the end of their writing partnership and they split their work between them: Wagner kept "Judge Dredd", while Grant continued "Strontium Dog" and "Anderson, Psi Division" and became the sole writer of Detective Comics . Although the two continued to collaborate from time to time, they never resumed a full-time partnership. In 1987, IPC's comics division
8142-440: The fictional world, or which create and add to a larger storyline. These are listed below (for a complete list of all stories see here ). Shortly before the release of the 1995 film , three new comic book titles were released, followed by a one-off comic version of the film story. DC Comics published an alternative version of Judge Dredd between 1994 and 1996, lasting 18 issues. Continuity and history were different from both
8260-590: The first film, a true representation of Judge Dredd". In 2005 his graphic novel A History of Violence was adapted into a film , directed by David Cronenberg and starring Viggo Mortensen and Ed Harris . Wagner had backed the film once he saw the group of actors Cronenberg had gathered. The film was nominated for the Palme D'Or at the Cannes Film Festival in May 2005, and the script, by Josh Olson ,
8378-521: The future, and so stories published in 2024 are set 122 years in the future, in 2146. Consequently, as former editor Alan McKenzie explains, "every year that goes by Dredd gets a year older – unlike Spider-Man , who has been a university student for the past twenty-five years!". Therefore, Dredd was 38 when he first appeared, but is now 84–85 years old, with 66–67 years of active service (2079–2146), and for almost 30 years Dredd's age and fitness for duty were recurring plot points (in prog 1595 (2008), Dredd
8496-406: The idea as unsuitable for the new comic; but the name, with the spelling modified to "Dredd" at the suggestion of sub-editor Kelvin Gosnell , was adopted by Wagner. According to Mills, the name Joseph – given to Dredd in a story written by Mills which appeared in "prog" (short for programme or issue) no. 30 – refers to where he went to school, St Joseph's College, Ipswich . The task of visualising
8614-513: The insistence of publisher John Sanders, to disguise how prolific the two writers were. For the revived Eagle they wrote " Doomlord ", "Joe Soap", "Rebel the Police Dog", " Computer Warrior ", "The Fists of Danny Pyke", " Manix " and " The House of Daemon "; for Scream! they wrote " The Thirteenth Floor ", for Roy of the Rovers they wrote "Dan Harker's War", and for Battle they wrote "Invasion 1984". During this time Wagner wrote
8732-434: The late 1960s before becoming a freelance writer and a staff editor at IPC in the 1970s. He has worked in children's humour and girls' adventure comics, but is most notable for his boys' adventure comics; he helped launch Battle Picture Weekly (1975), for which he wrote "Darkie's Mob", and 2000 AD (1977), for which he created numerous characters, including Judge Dredd, Strontium Dog , Robo-Hunter and Button Man . In
8850-452: The late 1980s, Grant experienced a philosophical transformation and declared himself an anarchist . The creation of the supervillain Anarky was initially intended as a vehicle for exploring his political opinions through the comic medium. In the following years, he continued to utilize the character in a similar fashion as his philosophy evolved into social anarchism . Grant's projects at
8968-466: The main writer for Judge Anderson and Robo-hunter and teamed up with Wagner for a new Bogie Man story for the Judge Dredd Megazine . He formed his own publishing company, Bad Press Ltd, which released the humour title Shit the Dog , written by Grant and drawn by Simon Bisley. Grant was one of the few professional comics writers to contribute to fanzines such as FutureQuake . He provided scripts for
9086-505: The majority of the population unemployed. As a consequence, the general population is prone to embracing any fashion or craze they encounter. Mega-City One is surrounded by the inhospitable "Cursed Earth", a radioactive desert populated by outlaws and mutants. Much of the remaining world's geography is somewhat vague, although other mega-cities are visited in the strip. The majority of Mega-City One's population lives in gigantic towers known as City Blocks , each holding some 50,000 people. Each
9204-622: The mid-1990s Wagner worked on a number of licensed properties for Dark Horse Comics in the US, including Aliens , Star Wars – notably solo stories starring Boba Fett and the comics strand of the multimedia project Shadows of the Empire – and Xena: Warrior Princess . In 1997 he wrote his first original graphic novel , A History of Violence , a contemporary thriller about an unassuming small-town man whose background in gang crime comes back to haunt him, drawn by Vince Locke for
9322-491: The most common form of government on Earth, with only a few small areas practicing civilian rule. In 2066, Joseph Dredd and his older (by twelve minutes) "brother" Rico Dredd are cloned from the DNA of Chief Judge Fargo , the founder of the Judge System, who was said to have died in the line of duty years before. Their growth is artificially accelerated in gestation so they are "born" with the physiological and mental development of
9440-455: The most popular character in the comic, a position he has rarely relinquished. Judge Dredd has appeared in almost every issue since, most of the stories written by Wagner (in collaboration with Alan Grant between 1980 and 1988). In 1983, Judge Dredd made his American debut with his own series from publisher Eagle Comics , titled Judge Dredd . It consisted of stories reprinted from the British comic, but since 2012 IDW Publishing has published
9558-492: The new science fiction comic he was developing, 2000 AD . Wagner suggested the new title needed a cop story, and his proposal, " Judge Dredd ", took the Dirty Harry archetype further, imagining a violent lawman, empowered to dispense justice on the spot in a future New York. Artist Carlos Ezquerra was asked to visualise the character, but Wagner initially hated the elaborate look Ezquerra came up with, thinking it "way over
9676-411: The novel of the same name by Robert Louis Stevenson , with art by Cam Kennedy , published by Waverley Books. It was part of a project revolving around Edinburgh being the first UNESCO City of Literature in 2007 and various editions will be produced some of which will be handed out for free. A version with text adapted for reluctant readers will be published simultaneously by Barrington Stoke , and
9794-531: The now defunct Scottish underground comic Northern Lightz . Along with his wife Sue, he organised the annual Moniaive Comics Festival. He wrote two comic-based novels, The Stone King, (2001) featuring Batman and the Justice League of America , and Last Sons, (2006) featuring Superman , Martian Manhunter and Lobo . From 1998, he wrote scripts for Renga Media and later wrote the screenplay for Dominator X . He wrote Kidnapped , an adaptation of
9912-399: The one to carry his brother's body away. Over the decades, Joe Dredd becomes a major force protecting Mega-City One and is sometimes the biggest catalyst in preventing its destruction. Offered the opportunity to become Chief Judge in 2101, Dredd declines, preferring to serve on the streets enforcing the law, though he does temporarily serve in other senior positions. In "Tour of Duty", Dredd
10030-480: The opening line-up themselves, with the assistance of Gerry Finley-Day , before farming the stories out to other writers. The title was launched with a cover date of 8 March 1975, and was a hit. Wagner continued to write for girls' comics, including scripting gymnastics strip "Bella at the Bar" for Tammy , and was appointed editor of the ailing boys' weekly Valiant . Characters he created for this title included
10148-418: The original 2000 AD version and the 1995 film. A major difference was that Chief Judge Fargo , portrayed as incorruptible in the original version, was depicted as evil in the DC version. Most issues were written by Andrew Helfer , but the last issue was written by Gordon Rennie , who has since written Judge Dredd for 2000 AD (Note: the DC crossover story Batman/Judge Dredd: Judgment on Gotham featured
10266-400: The original Dredd, not the version depicted in this title). Another DC Comics title, lasting 13 issues between 1994 and 1995. Although these were intended to feature the same version of Judge Dredd as in the other DC title, the first four issues were written by John Wagner and Alan Grant and were consistent with their original 2000 AD version. From the same publishers as 2000 AD , this
10384-419: The pair writing Batman in the pages of Detective Comics from issue 583, largely with Norm Breyfogle on art duties. Grant and Wagner introduced the Ventriloquist in their first Batman story and the Ratcatcher in their third. The pair also created the bleak nuclear dystopia The Last American for Epic Comics with longtime Dredd artist Mike McMahon . Arguments over the direction of that title and
10502-487: The penal colony on Saturn's moon Titan (a typical punishment for corrupt Judges). Joe Dredd continues operating as a judge, quickly gaining a reputation throughout the city as a formidable and incorruptible law enforcement agent. In 2099, Rico Dredd returns to Earth after serving his 20-year sentence. He comes after Joe for revenge, challenging him to a fast draw. No longer used to Earth's gravity, Rico loses and Joe shoots him dead in self-defence. Visibly upset, Joe insists he be
10620-477: The probability is that I won't still be around when it happens! I would love to write it, but I can't see it happening. I'll leave the script in my will". The Lawgiver is a fictional weapon used by the Judges including Judge Dredd . The Lawgiver is a self-loading handgun featuring manual and automatic focusing and targeting, plus a built-in computer capable of controlling its operation. An in-line gunsight shows
10738-402: The producer of the initial adaptation are not aware of this remake. The movie is a smash hit and crossed 50 million dollars worldwide in 7 days. Alan Grant (writer) Alan Grant (9 February 1949 – 20 July 2022) was a Scottish comic book writer known for writing Judge Dredd in 2000 AD as well as various Batman titles from the late 1980s to the early 2000s. He was
10856-621: The project. One such proposal, "Al's Baby", a comedy about a male mob hitman who becomes pregnant, drawn by Carlos Ezquerra , ran in the Judge Dredd Megazine in 1991. Another, " Button Man ", a contemporary urban gladiator thriller drawn by Arthur Ranson , was published in 2000 AD in 1992. Both spawned sequels. Wagner and Grant reunited in 1992 for Judgement on Gotham , a hit graphic novel teaming up Judge Dredd and Batman , co-published by Fleetway and DC and featuring painted art by Simon Bisley . Further team-ups between Dredd and Batman followed, but were beset by production delays. In
10974-610: The protagonist, Anarky was mired by what Grant felt was constant editorial interference, became a critical and financial failure, and was canceled after eight issues. Although he disliked the 1999 series, he considered the original Anarky mini-series to be among his "career highlights." By the end of the decade Grant had written for virtually every American publisher of comic books, including DC , Marvel and Dark Horse . Grant became involved with writing scripts for animation as well as his comic work, notably working on Action Man cartoons as well as original anime . He remained
11092-511: The same publishers as 2000 AD , this was a series of ultra-violent one-off stories from "a separate and aggressive Dredd world". The first eight episodes were originally published in Rock Power magazine, and were all co-written by John Wagner and Alan Grant and illustrated by Simon Bisley . These were reprinted, together with 11 new stories (some by other creators), in Judge Dredd Megazine . The original eight stories were collected in
11210-491: The script up got the cheque. Wagner (as John Howard or T. B. Grover) was credited with "Judge Dredd", and Grant with the less frequent "Robo-Hunter", "Strontium Dog", and the Judge Dredd spin-off " Anderson, Psi Division ", while some strips, like the CB -inspired space haulage comedy " Ace Trucking Co. ", were credited to "Grant/Grover". "Judge Dredd" was credited to "Wagner/Grant" starting in 1986. Other pseudonyms were created, at
11328-482: The series, unsuccessfully, to DC before writing Outcasts . It was first published as a four-part miniseries by the Scottish independent Fat Man Press in 1989, intending to tie in with Glasgow 's position as European City of Culture in 1990, and further stories followed from other publishers. Wagner and Grant were named as consulting editors on a new title, the Judge Dredd Megazine , in 1990. Wagner did most of
11446-454: The start of this decade included writing Detective Comics , Strontium Dog , The Bogie Man , a series co-written by Wagner which was the pair's first venture into independent publishing, and Lobo , a character created by Keith Giffen as a supporting character in Omega Men . Lobo gained his own four-issue miniseries in 1990 which was drawn by Simon Bisley . This was a parody of
11564-473: The strip's regular artist. The other, " Strontium Dog ", a sci-fi western about a bounty hunter in a future where mutants are an oppressed minority forced into doing such dirty work, was created by Wagner and Ezquerra for Starlord , a short-lived sister title to 2000 AD with higher production values. Starlord was later merged into 2000 AD , bringing "Strontium Dog" with it. During their writing partnership, Wagner and Mills had submitted story ideas to
11682-430: The supervision of Judge Kinnison, despite being physically and mentally only nine years old. They make their first kills stopping a rape gang but are unable to prevent Kinnison's death in action. During the war, they discover their clone-father Eustace Fargo is still alive, hidden by higher ranking judges. Seeing them as kin, Fargo recruits Joe and Rico to be his temporary bodyguards. He openly tells them his doubts regarding
11800-423: The top". When a proposed buy-out of 2000 AD that would have improved creators' terms and conditions fell through, Wagner walked away from the comic, leaving Mills to develop the character by commissioning stories from freelancers. The first published episode appeared in issue 2, based on a script by Peter Harris, rewritten by Mills and drawn by Mike McMahon , which alienated Ezquerra. Wagner returned to write
11918-569: The tough New York City cop " One-Eyed Jack ", drawn by John Cooper , which was inspired by the film Dirty Harry and became the comic's most popular character, and "Soldier Sharp", drawn by Joe Colquhoun , about a cunning coward in World War II . Both strips transferred to Battle when Valiant was merged into it in 1976, with One-Eyed Jack leaving the police and becoming a spy. Wagner then quit editorial and returned to freelance writing. In 1976–77 he wrote " Darkie's Mob " for Battle ,
12036-430: The view directly down the barrel. A Lawgiver can only be operated by its designated Judge owner, whose palm print is programmed into the gun's memory. Any attempt by a non-designated user to fire a Lawgiver causes the weapon to self-destruct (a feature introduced by writer Malcolm Shaw ). The gun fires six different kinds of rounds, which a Judge can switch via voice command: As well as the usual six rounds listed above,
12154-824: The wake of World War III, the office of the President is retired and the Judges now have full control over what's left of America. Distinguishing themselves, the Dredds are fast-tracked through the Academy of Law. Rico graduates at the top of their class in 2079, with Joseph graduating second. Joe's final assessment is done under the supervision of Judge Morphy, who is impressed with the young man and passes him. Joe later discovers Rico has embraced corruption, engaging in multiple crimes including murder, justifying his actions by saying Judges are thugs and killers by nature. Rico asks Joe to help him cover his crimes, but Joe arrests his brother instead, sentencing him to 20 years of hard labour on
12272-415: Was because he was angry that another artist had drawn the first published Judge Dredd strip. Mills says he chose McMahon because Ezquerra had already left, having been offered a better deal by the editor of Battle . Wagner soon returned to the character, starting in prog 9. His storyline, "The Robot Wars", was drawn by a rotating team of artists (including Ezquerra), and marked the point where Dredd became
12390-468: Was diagnosed with benign cancer of the duodenum ). How Dredd's aging would be addressed was a source of reader speculation until 2016, when writer Michael Carroll and artist Ben Willsher published the story "Carousel", in which Dredd is ordered to undertake rejuvenation treatment that restores him to his physical prime. Regarding the possible death of the character, in an interview with Empire in 2012 Wagner said: "There could be many ways to end it, but
12508-474: Was frequently expelled and reinstated. After leaving school, he worked briefly in a bank. Grant first entered the comics industry in 1967 when he became an editor for D.C. Thomson before moving to London from Dundee in 1970 to work for IPC on various romance magazines. After going back to college and having a series of jobs, Grant found himself back in Dundee and living on Social Security . He then met John Wagner , another former D.C. Thomson editor, who
12626-463: Was helping put together a new science fiction comic magazine for IPC, 2000 AD , and was unable to complete his other work. Wagner asked Grant if he could help him write the Tarzan comic he was working on; so began the Wagner/Grant writing partnership. Wagner asked Grant to write a strip for Starlord , a 2000 AD spin off, which eventually got Grant noticed within IPC. On a trip to London, Grant
12744-410: Was introduced to Kelvin Gosnell , then editor of 2000 AD , who offered Grant an editorial position on the comic. One of Grant's first jobs was to oversee the merger of 2000 AD and Tornado , an unsuccessful boys adventure comic magazine. Grant featured as a character in the magazine in the form of ALN-1, Tharg's Scottish Robot assistant. Grant found himself in conflict with IPC and resigned to become
12862-424: Was made in 1992 by BBC Scotland starring Robbie Coltrane , but was not well received and a series was never made. Wagner and Grant made very little money out of it. Wagner felt that the screenwriter did a poor job adapting it, and Coltrane did not understand the character. 1995 saw the release of Judge Dredd , a big budget version of the comic directed by Danny Cannon and starring Sylvester Stallone . Wagner
12980-559: Was nevertheless a completely different version of Dredd aimed at younger readers. Editor David Bishop prohibited writers from showing Dredd killing anyone, a reluctance which would be completely unfamiliar to readers acquainted with the original version. As one reviewer put it years later: "this was Judge Dredd with two vital ingredients missing: his balls." It ran fortnightly for 23 issues from 1995 to 1996, plus one Action Special . Written by Andrew Helfer and illustrated by Carlos Ezquerra and Michael Danza. Published by DC Comics in 1995, but
13098-407: Was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay in 2005. It was reported in May 2012 that Danish director Nicolas Winding Refn was in talks with DreamWorks about a possible Button Man film. The 2023 Tamil movie, LEO, an official remake of the novel “A History of Violence” has put a thank you card at the beginning of the movie. There are rumours that the author Mr. Wagner nor
13216-410: Was part of the creative team for the short-lived weekly title Toxic! and was a consultant on the Judge Dredd Megazine . Due to the sheer volume of work he was doing, Grant let a new generation of writers try their hand on strips like Judge Dredd and Robo-Hunter . This often proved to be unsuccessful, however, and Grant found himself again writing for 2000 AD . In the mid 1990s, Grant underwent
13334-404: Was portrayed by Karl Urban in the 2012 adaptation Dredd . In audio dramas by Big Finish Productions , Dredd is voiced by Toby Longworth . When comics editor Pat Mills was developing 2000 AD in 1976, he brought in his former writing partner, John Wagner , to develop characters. Wagner had written a Dirty Harry -style "tough cop" story, " One-Eyed Jack ", for Valiant , and suggested
13452-427: Was seen as the heir to the previous Northern Lightz comics, but gained mixed reviews upon release. Grant set up his own comics publishing company Berserker Comics, the first title was The Dead : Kingdom of Flies with another, Church of Hell , published in 2009. Both have Simon Bisley on art duties. Grant was a part of Renegade Arts Entertainment which, with Berserker Comics, was co-publishing Channel Evil ,
13570-463: Was shocked, and introduced written contracts and royalty payments for comic creators . One series Wagner and Grant did continue writing together was The Bogie Man , about an escaped mental patient who thinks he's Humphrey Bogart , or rather a composite of the characters he played, and constructs imaginary cases by associating random events with events in Bogart films. They had previously pitched
13688-405: Was sold to Robert Maxwell as Fleetway Publications . John Davidge was appointed as publishing director in 1989, and within a matter of weeks was confronted by Wagner, who emptied a large bag of Judge Dredd merchandise onto his desk, pointed out he had received no royalties for any of it, and threatened a creator walk-out over the issue. Davidge, whose background was in magazine and book publishing,
13806-488: Was unhappy with the result, feeling they had filmed "the wrong script" and that "Stallone was badly advised". A second attempt at adapting the character to the screen, entitled Dredd , was released in September 2012, directed by Pete Travis from a script by Alex Garland , and starring Karl Urban . This time Wagner was consulted over the script, was involved in the promotion of the film, and has described it as "unlike
13924-472: Was vetoed by the board of directors for being too violent. A new script was needed for the first episode. By this stage, Wagner had quit, disillusioned that a proposed buy-out of the new comic by another company, which would have given him and Mills a greater financial stake in the comic, had fallen through. 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
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