Judge Dredd Megazine #300

[skjam]

Yep, three hundred monthly issues, twenty-five years of what can be called a niche product. Pretty amazing, actually.





One of the interesting things about Judge Dredd is that unlike 95% of comic book characters, time passes on roughly a one-to-one ratio with the real world. Thus it is that the infant daughter of one of the characters in "America", a very early Megazine storyline, is now a grown woman, Judge Beeny. For this anniversary story, we call back to the America story and how it affects Beeny in the present. Four scans from the most recent issue and neatly enough, four pages from a twelve-page story.


Dredd calls Beeny to Nevus Street, where her father was shot. There's a flashback (possibly biased) to the ambush her parents set up for some Judges, and the cold-blooded murder of a witness. Beeny asks why the trip down Memory Lane. Seems there's been some concern expressed that Beeny's too lenient on dissenters, possibly because of her mother.






This being a Judge Dredd story, it ends in a bloodbath.

But Beeny's critics are upset about what happened next. Not only did Judge Beeny give only an eighteen-month sentence to Carly Sagar for "aiding and abetting", but she made sure to have a nurse-rob and childminder on hand at the arrest to make sure the fetus and toddler would be okay. Wouldn't Dredd have done the same? He admits he wouldn't have thought of that touch...he lacks a certain sensitivity. But since this arrest was terrorism-related, the petty desk jockeys are concerned such coddling will send the wrong message.

Beeny thanks Dredd for the info, and asks him to pass along to her critics that she certainly will reconsider what sort of message she's sending about the law.

And indeed she does. The next scene is of the Desk Judges whining to Dredd that Beeny's suspended Sagar's sentence, and put him on strict probation, with custody of his children. Dredd points out that while it's not what he would have done, it's clear proof that Beeny did as requested and "reconsidered." And that she's twice the Judge these whiners will ever be. The critics slink off to send strongly worded protest letters.



By the by, if anyone has handy scans of the America storyline, that'd be interesting to see.

Also in this issue: "Lilly MacKenzie and the Mines of Charybdis", another of those hellworld stories the 2000 AD crew love so well--this one is an exposition chapter, with the action to start in #301.

"Armitage: The Unpleasantness at the Tontine Club": A murder mystery LARP goes horribly wrong when it turns out that someone has tricked people who aren't suicidal into signing up....

"Hondo City Justice": Like Judge Dredd, but in Japan. In addition to the killer schoolgirls in mini-skirts, there's a James Bond shoutout in the first couple of pages.

"Anderson: PSI Division: The House of Vyle": The popular Psi-Judge investigates weird goings-on in old Salem.

And a bunch of cool articles.

Oh, and it's a good thing I ordered this for my pull list--the FLCS was going to cancel it because nb one bought these things for the last few months.


Your thoughts and comments?

Suggested tags
char: Judge Dredd/Joe Dredd, creator: Colin MacNeil, creator: John Wagner, medium: British comics, publisher: Rebellion, theme: mpreg, title: Judge Dredd Megazine

Comments

[espanolbot]

Yay Dredd! ^^

I'd like to post some of the old Dredd stories, but they're only like four pages long, so the effect won't be that great. XP

[nervousystem.livejournal.com]

I totally love the art here.

I was looking up the artist because I've never read a Judge Dredd story but I SWEAR I've seen this style before...it's a very specific style. Like perhaps on something from DC or Dark Horse 10+ years ago?

Anyway, a new name for my database, thanks!

[skjam]

Would not be surprised. A lot of the 2000 AD artists do work for US comics companies when they can get it. Oh, and do look up the Judge Dredd tags for glimpses of earlier stories; he's an iconic character for a reason.

[http://www.google.com/profiles/mighty.emperor]

Colin has indeed worked for Dark Horse, which is probably where you've seen him before - a story for Conan (1994) and Predator (1997), as well as a number of Conan covers, some of which have been reprinted recently. His only DC work I'm aware of was a Legends of the Dark Knight issue back in 1992.

[nervousystem.livejournal.com]

I will have to investigate those works. Shouldn't be difficult, I think Dark Horse is good at keeping the franchise stuff in print.

Thanks for the info!

[psychopathicus_rex]

One of the things I like about Judge Dredd stories is that they're an interesting mixture of tones. On the one hand, they deal with subjects that are often dead serious - fascism, police brutality, madness, mass-murder - but at the same time, there's almost some sort of satire or parody or black comedy going on to lighten the blow. (There's a particular scene I'm thinking of where a man is poised to commit suicide by jumping off a building. "DON'T DO IT, CITIZEN!" Dredd - in a double-page spread - bellows. "LITTERING ON THE SIDEWALK IS A CRIME!") That's very much the case here - the story itself is fairly serious, and touches on some issues that wouldn't be out of place in a straightforward police procedural, but then you've got stuff like the random Penguin impersonator on the sidewalk, or the big, tough anarchist rebel cooing to his baby while the others look on impatiently. Good stuff.

[mola_ram]

THIS!
The huge range of Dreed fans always amaze me.
From the ones who just wants to see Dreed waste as many criminals in the shortest time possibly, and the ones who analyze every page to the point where it gets too much.
Judge Dredd is one of the few comics that really has something for every taste, while the character essentially stays the same, even after all these years.
Sure Dreed as a character seems to have loosened up a tiny bit, but I ascribe this to a Judge Minty reference, that dredd may eventually end up somewhere along those lines (when his real age is in the triple digits.

[psychopathicus_rex]

Uh... sorry, I don't get that last bit. Somewhere along WHAT lines?

[icon_uk]

This, I assume

[psychopathicus_rex]

Well, that tells me who Judge Minty IS, all right, but not much more than that.

[skjam]

The film will be based on Judge Minty, a character created by John Wagner and Mick McMahon. An aging Judge who is forced to 'retire' from the streets, mainly it seems because he has become too compassionate.

[psychopathicus_rex]

Ohhhhhhhhhhhhh-hh, NOW I get it. And people think Dredd will eventually end up like that, yes?

[skjam]

It's been hinted at over the years. And he's certainly shown an increasing tendency over time to show mercy where he thinks it's appropriate and the Law permits.

That said, "ends in a bloodbath" is still not a plot element that will narrow down which Judge Dredd story you're talking about.

[psychopathicus_rex]

Yes, I can imagine...

[mola_ram]

I meant that Judge dredd may eventually end up as Judge Minty.

Judge Minty starred in a short Judge Dredd story (four or five pages long) and was a very old judge who seemed to be far too lenient on the Megacity criminals. Judge dredd tags along with him on a crime investigation to evaluate if he still has what it takes to be a judge. Eventually Minty is wounded in a shoot out because he tries to reason with a wounded criminal and Dredd saves him.
Thus Dredd estimates that Minty doesn't have what it takes to be a street judge anymore, and he is offered a place at the Academy in a teaching position.
Instead Minty declines the position, saying that he doesn't have what it takes, and decides to take the long walk into the Cursed Earth...

The start of the Necropolis story has a lot in common with the Judge Minty story, where Dredd is asked to evaluate the rookie Kraken (who are his clone) before Kraken can become a full Judge. During the evaluation dredd snaps when one of the older judges are killed during a chase and almost kills the murder by holding him out in front of a hover train. After the evaluation (where he fails Kraken) he decides to take the long walk, and as a last gesture releases several members of the Democracy First organization.due to almost sentimental reasons and a small growing doubt in the Judges system before entering the cursed earth.
Eventually Dredd returns to Megacity when Jugde Death and his companions almost annihilates Megacity 1 completely.

(Some raving Dredd fans are actually working on a fanmade Judge Dredd movie with focus on the judge Minty story and what eventually became of him in the cursed earth. I'll throw the links after you if you want them)

[psychopathicus_rex]

Ah, OK, I get it now. Thanks!

[blackruzsa]

On a totally unrelated note, the girl in the first page looks like the lesbian girlfriend of Foxtrot from the Death/Sandman spinoff.

[icon_uk]

Actually I was imagining the Desk Judges going away to whine on their blogs! :)

It's not just the wacky warped humour I love in Dredd, though most good Dredd stories have that by the bucketload, it's little things like the pregnant man not being an issue, but a character, and Johnny being a murderous criminal, but a doting caring father.

[skjam]

Whiny blogs sound like their next step after the official complaints.

[http://www.google.com/profiles/mighty.emperor]

"By the by, if anyone has handy scans of the America storyline, that'd be interesting to see."

There is actually a scan online from America, which Colin also drew, and it is the one you can see referenced in the flashback on the first scan you've posted above:

http://lambiek.net/artists/m/macneil_colin.htm

You can see that he was using a more painted style then, as was the fashion at the time - he now usually uses a more traditional pencilled and inked technique.

America is a classic Dredd story and well worth hunting out - I just checked Amazon.co.uk and the book is still in print and reasonably priced.

[karthzon]

What I love about Judge Dredd is how the oppressive, fascistic Judge system actually seems to be working... but only if you're dealing with Joe Dredd. He somehow manages to actually come across as a reasonable authority figure and because he believes the system to be right, the readers are led to see it that way too. We are led to believe that the Mega-Cities are so crowded with people and full of unsavory elements that only such extreme measures can control the crime there. With anyone else but Dredd and his protégés, the Judge system comes across as the fascistic nightmare it is, but he actually makes it work somehow.