The Batman/Judge Dredd Collection

The 1990s was the cross-publication crossover era. After a brief blip in the late 70s, the DC and Marvel universes went through most of the 1980s without the two sides ever meeting. Then in the 90s with Marvel facing bankruptcy, the worlds of the two big publishers collided. Not to be outdone, the major indy publishers followed suit. Shi meet Daredevil. The Ninja Turtles meet Savage Dragon. And Batman meet everyone!

That's how the DC Universe came to meet the citizens of Mega City One!

In Judgment on Gotham, a futuristic piece of tech transports the feared Judge Death to Gotham City. In a melee with Death, the Batman gets his hand on the dimensional warping gadget and finds himself in Mega City One facing down the one and only Judge Dredd! Meanwhile, back in Gotham, Judge Death forms an unholy alliance with the Scarecrow! 

Vendetta in Gotham sees Judge Dredd in Batman's backyard and he's come with a sentence on the Dark Knight- a death sentence! 

The story Die Laughing is supposed to be the next story. According to the ending of Vendetta in Gotham, that's where things wrap up. Yet, for some reason, The Ultimate Riddle came next. It has Batman, The Riddler and Judge Dredd enslaved by a powerful being who has joined the mightiest fighters in the galaxy in a no holds barred battle royale.

Vendetta in Gotham wraps things up with the Joker joining forces with the Dark Judges in Mega City One! 

Finally, the last Czarnian, Lobo is hired to protect an intergalactic children's host who happens to get kidnapped by the mutants of Mega City One. The story was a wild ride. What would you expect from a 1990s era Lobo story? Not sure why this one was added to a collection of Batman/Judge Dredd crossovers. But I am glad it was. Now if we could get a Lobo/Deadpool crossover!

5 amazing adventures. The level of violence, gore and naked flesh would make this a Vertigo property. But I guess DC saw a cash cow and thought they'd lose sales and they might of! I'm sure 2000AD didn't care one bit. But this is definitely not something for all ages. Maybe not mature audiences only type stuff. But please don't buy this for your under 11 years old Batman fans!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

1977: A Madman Turns 40: 2017- Day 64

     A couple of weeks ago, I examined the first issue of the British Comic Magazine 2000 AD. Well, today it's time to check out the first appearance of 2000 AD's most popular character, Judge Dredd.

     The creation of writer John Wagner, Judge Dredd and the series that bears his name is set in a dystopian future. After a massive nuclear war, the remaining populations of earth are crammed into giant metropolises called Mega-Cities. Dredd is stationed in Mega City-1 which is centralized in the Detroit area.

    Because of the massive over-crowding, the justice systems of each Mega-City is overworked. So, the police are deputized as street judges who act as judge, jury, and executioner at the time of arrest. The toughest of them all is Judge Joe Dredd.

Dredd as he first appeared in 2000 AD Prog #2.

     For 40 years, Dredd has fought criminals, aliens, zombies, cannibal hillbillies, even the man himself, Batman. 

One of several team-ups of
Judge Dredd and the Caped Crusader.

     There's even been 2 live-action films based on the popular character. Sadly, neither Sylvester Stallone or Karl Urban could accurately bring the futuristic Dirty Harry to life on the silver screen. As a result the 1995 Judge Dredd and 2015 Dredd were colossal duds. 

Theatrical poster to the 1995 live-action film
starring Sylvester Stallone.

     Neither film was enough to kill Judge Dredd. He's still alive and kicking in both the pages of 2000 AD and his own American series currently published by IDW Publishing. 

2000 AD, Prog #2, the 1st appearance of
Judge Dredd.

    Well, that's my look at my favorite year. If you want to learn more about Judge Dredd, I recommend you check out your local comic book shop, where not only can you find the comics but an assortment of action figures, statues, apparel and more.

    Until tomorrow...
     

1977: A Madman Turns 40: 2017- Day 49

 

First edition of 2000 AD

   Though the cover was dated for February 26th, today marks the 40th anniversary of the British sci-fi comic magazine 2000 AD. Growing up I was allowed to read any comic book I wanted except for this one, Heavy Metal, and anything listed in the adults only box at the local comics shop Tales Resold. But over the past decade, I've gotten my hands on some issues and I must say I enjoyed them. 

    2000 AD was where many great British comic book writers and artists got their start. Talents like Alan Moore, Neil Gaiman, Brian Bolland, and Grant Morrison gained international fame working on the publication. But if 2000 AD is known for anything, it's this- Judge Dredd.

Alan Moore- Acclaimed Writer
of Rasputin cosplayer... you decide.

    Judge Dredd appeared in the title's second issue or Prog (which is short for Program.) The authoritarian look at life in an overcrowded metropolis won over fans, appalled critics, and soon became English slang for a police state. 

2000 AD's most famous character, Judge Joseph Dredd.

     2000 AD was edgy, violent, and just want the punk movement needed. Published weekly, it quickly became a sort of manifesto for the anti-establishment crowd which is ironic because Judge Dredd is the ESTABLISHMENT! But the die was cast as the alienated tone of punk rock was embraced by many of the writers of this series well into the late 80s, especially the work of Morrison and Moore. 
  

My favorite 2000 AD alum, Neil Gaiman.

     When 2000 AD was first published it was owned by IPC Magazines. Over the next two decades, the title was purchased by Robert Maxwell and Edmont UK. When the book first came out, it was in black and white and published like an over-sized tabloid magazine. Nowadays, the book is a mere shell of itself. Published in stark color and reduced to the size of a general comic book to save cost and appeal to readers. Fans liken these changes to when National Lampoon stopped publishing nude women and foul language in their pages after being bought out by a subsidiary in the late 80s. It was like a neutered dog- still feisty but missing a real passion to it's bite. 

A 2016 issue of 2000 AD.
It doesn't seem quite so grim and gritty anymore...

    Time (and sales) will only tell if 2000 AD will make it another 40 years or become another classic sci-fi comic title relegated to bargain bins worldwide and otherwise forgotten. 

    Until tomorrow...

     

The Best of Judge Dredd

The cool thing about this book is that it can still be found in the bargain section of your local Barnes and Noble right now! For only $12 you get almost 2 dozen stories and nearly 300 pages of “I Am the Law.” You’ll notice on the cover that this book is titled ‘The Best of Judge Dredd’ and yet the cover doesn’t have the face of Stallone on it.

In this collection you get the very first appearance of Judge Dredd, you’ll learn his first name along with meet his brother ‘Rico.’ You’ll see Dredd take on the Angel gang, make his way through the Badlands of the American mid-west, and learn about how Dredd is an allegory for the evils of too much safety for the public means an actual loss of personal freedom.

What you will not get in this book are complete stories. On no less than 3 occasions, the action end with a ‘to be continued’ and a tiny blurb that the rest of the story can be found in the Complete Case files of Judge Dredd (various volumes.) Ugh- I hate that! Thankfully, there are still some very good tales that do come to a close in this book.

One tale that I thought I would hate was ‘America’ and in the end I was a fan of it! In that story, Judge Dredd is a minor character and you learn about how the lives of two kids ends up very different when one becomes an anti-Judge activist and the other a successful member of society’s elite. The tale is powerful, very well written, has a dynamic art palette and tone that is very reminiscent of Bladerunner and should be required reading for any graphic novel fan.

One last thing about this book that I did not like. Though there was a 2 page history of Dredd and the stories were titled, there was very little information about these stories. Yes, I know that just about every story in this collection came from the British import 2000AD. However, I don’t know which issue or what year the yarns came from. Also, there’s only a handful of stories that boast any sort of credits to the writing and art staff. I would’ve liked to have seen more of that.

So what are you waiting for? Get out there and snatch up this book before it sells out. Just make sure you don’t break any laws trying to get it! You catch my drift, Citizen?

Worth Consuming

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.