Anyone ever used to be into Judge Dredd? Started buying 2000AD around issue 600, and got repidly sucked into it. Then bought a friends' 200AD collection, containing issue 380-700, +/- about 10 issues. Didn;t touch it after about issue 715.
Storylines such as "Necropolis" were pretty superb - the whole notion of Judge Dredd realising that he was nothing more than a dictatorial oppressor was a real eye-opener. Not least, of course, the Dead Man series where he left Mega City 1 and forgot his identity.
This was all about the time that 2000AD was suddenly becoming very mature - Rogue Trooper became a brilliantly painted story about clones left to be slaughtered in a military experiement. Plus there was the quite gorgeously air-brushed Celtic "Slaine the God" story. And Johnny Alpha from Strontium Dog was killed off.
All quite superb stuff from something supposedly a kid's comic book. I guess that's why they returned to their old ways - Judge Dredd was rejuvenaetd and forgot democratic theory; Rogue Trooper became a black and white cartoon about a man with BIG GUNS; and Strontium Dog continued as a title with the "friends of Strontium Dog having merry jaunts". No idea what happened to "Slaine".
Best Judge Dredd story I ever read was "America", though. It actually came out in the Judge Dredd Megazine. I had the first twelve issues, then leant them out and never saw them again. Later found a reprint of it by itself in two parts and bought it.
"America" was about confronting democracy and oppression, through the eyes of a nerd and his unrequited love - for a woman who joined a guerilla movement against the oppression of the Judges. This wasn't kids stuff - this was adult themes and an adult story line, about freedom - and the lack of. Nicely painted, too. The one page spread of a Judge having his chest blown out in an ambush (no blood in that pic), was utterly memorable. So much so that I've lifted something of the concept and story them into "Emperor".
It dealt with important issues - so I thought I'd add my own spin to the whole theme. No, not plagiarising - couldn't do that. But it's good to be able to find a focus for political theory in my sf writing.
Anyway - any comments on either 2000AD or Judge Dredd from others here? Or am I the only one who ever read it?
Storylines such as "Necropolis" were pretty superb - the whole notion of Judge Dredd realising that he was nothing more than a dictatorial oppressor was a real eye-opener. Not least, of course, the Dead Man series where he left Mega City 1 and forgot his identity.
This was all about the time that 2000AD was suddenly becoming very mature - Rogue Trooper became a brilliantly painted story about clones left to be slaughtered in a military experiement. Plus there was the quite gorgeously air-brushed Celtic "Slaine the God" story. And Johnny Alpha from Strontium Dog was killed off.
All quite superb stuff from something supposedly a kid's comic book. I guess that's why they returned to their old ways - Judge Dredd was rejuvenaetd and forgot democratic theory; Rogue Trooper became a black and white cartoon about a man with BIG GUNS; and Strontium Dog continued as a title with the "friends of Strontium Dog having merry jaunts". No idea what happened to "Slaine".
Best Judge Dredd story I ever read was "America", though. It actually came out in the Judge Dredd Megazine. I had the first twelve issues, then leant them out and never saw them again. Later found a reprint of it by itself in two parts and bought it.
"America" was about confronting democracy and oppression, through the eyes of a nerd and his unrequited love - for a woman who joined a guerilla movement against the oppression of the Judges. This wasn't kids stuff - this was adult themes and an adult story line, about freedom - and the lack of. Nicely painted, too. The one page spread of a Judge having his chest blown out in an ambush (no blood in that pic), was utterly memorable. So much so that I've lifted something of the concept and story them into "Emperor".
It dealt with important issues - so I thought I'd add my own spin to the whole theme. No, not plagiarising - couldn't do that. But it's good to be able to find a focus for political theory in my sf writing.
Anyway - any comments on either 2000AD or Judge Dredd from others here? Or am I the only one who ever read it?
