Judge Dredd
I am the Law.
Abilities
- •The greatest Judge in the history of Mega-City One — judge, jury, and executioner in one
- •Lawgiver pistol — voice-activated sidearm with six ammunition types: Standard, Armor Piercing, Incendiary, Ricochet, Grenade, and Hi-Ex
- •Lawmaster motorcycle — heavily armed AI-equipped bike capable of 500mph
- •Peak human physical condition maintained through decades of combat and training
- •Expert hand-to-hand combatant — trained from birth in the Academy of Law
- •Genetically engineered clone of Chief Judge Fargo, the founder of the Judge system
- •Has served as a Judge for over 50 years — ages in real time across the strip's run
- •Incorruptible — has never broken the Law he enforces, even when it costs him everything
- •Patrols Mega-City One — a sprawling metropolis of 800 million citizens in a post-nuclear America
Powers & Abilities
Biography
In the 22nd century, America is a nuclear wasteland. The survivors live in Mega-City One — a sprawling metropolis stretching from Boston to Washington, home to 800 million citizens crammed into massive city blocks. Crime is everywhere. Unemployment is 97%. Boredom is a weapon of mass destruction. The only thing standing between order and total chaos is the Judges — a paramilitary police force with the authority to arrest, sentence, and execute criminals on the spot. The greatest of them all is Judge Joseph Dredd.
Created by John Wagner and Carlos Ezquerra in 2000 AD Prog 2 (1977), Judge Dredd is the most iconic character in British comics and one of the most influential in the medium's history. He never removes his helmet — his face is the Law, not the man beneath it. He is a clone of Chief Judge Fargo, the founder of the Judge system, trained from birth in the Academy of Law to be the perfect enforcer. His Lawgiver pistol fires six types of ammunition. His Lawmaster bike can reach 500mph. His badge is the only authority he needs.
Wagner has written Dredd for nearly five decades, and the character ages in real time. The young Judge of 1977 is now an old man, still patrolling, still uncompromising. The Apocalypse War (1982) killed 400 million citizens and ended with Dredd destroying an entire city. America (1992) proved that Dredd's system is a dystopia, not a utopia — the strip's greatest achievement is making readers root for a fascist lawman and then forcing them to confront what that means.
Sylvester Stallone and Karl Urban have portrayed Dredd on screen — Urban's 2012 film is widely considered one of the best comic book adaptations ever made. But in the pages of 2000 AD, Judge Dredd remains what he has always been: a satire of authoritarianism written with such skill that the satire feels like celebration, and a character so perfectly constructed that nearly 50 years later, he is still the Law.
First Appearances
2000 AD Prog 2
1977First appearance of Judge Dredd — Joseph Dredd patrols Mega-City One for the first time. John Wagner and Carlos Ezquerra create the most iconic British comic book character. The future lawman debuts in the UK's greatest science fiction anthology. A legendary key.
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2000 AD Prog 1
1977First 2000 AD — the magazine that launched Judge Dredd debuts. Dredd doesn't appear until Prog 2, but this is the foundation of everything. A landmark British comics key.
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2000 AD Prog 3
1977Early Dredd — the strip establishes Mega-City One, the Cursed Earth, and the brutal justice system. Wagner writes a dystopia where the law is absolute.
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The Cursed Earth
2000 AD Prog 61
1978The Cursed Earth begins — Dredd crosses the irradiated wasteland between Mega-City One and Mega-City Two to deliver a vaccine. Pat Mills and John Wagner write the first great Dredd epic. A road trip through nuclear America.
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2000 AD Prog 85
1978The Cursed Earth concludes — Dredd survives mutants, dinosaurs, and rogue robots across the irradiated American wasteland. The epic that established Dredd as a long-form storytelling vehicle.
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The Judge Child Quest
2000 AD Prog 156
1980The Judge Child Quest begins — Dredd searches for a child prophesied to save Mega-City One. The longest early Dredd epic. Wagner, Ezquerra, Mike McMahon, Ron Smith, and Brian Bolland contribute art across the saga.
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2000 AD Prog 181
1980The Judge Child Quest concludes — Dredd finds the child but refuses to use him, deeming him evil. The Law comes before prophecy. Wagner writes Dredd choosing principle over pragmatism.
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The Apocalypse War
2000 AD Prog 245
1982Block Mania begins — a prelude to the Apocalypse War. Mega-City One's citizens are driven insane by contaminated water, turning city blocks against each other. Wagner and Ezquerra build toward war.
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2000 AD Prog 252
1982The Apocalypse War begins — East-Meg One launches a nuclear attack on Mega-City One. Half the city is destroyed. 400 million people die in the first strike. Wagner writes the most devastating Dredd story.
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2000 AD Prog 267
1982Dredd fights back — he leads the resistance against the Sov-Bloc occupation. Street-by-street urban warfare. Ezquerra draws the most brutal combat in 2000 AD history.
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2000 AD Prog 270
1982The Apocalypse War concludes — Dredd destroys East-Meg One entirely, killing 500 million people to end the war. The most morally devastating decision in Dredd's history. The greatest Dredd story ever told.
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Judge Death
2000 AD Prog 149
1980First Judge Death — the Dark Judge from a dimension where all life is a crime. If the crime is life, the punishment is death. Brian Bolland draws the most iconic Dredd villain. Wagner creates Dredd's greatest enemy.
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2000 AD Prog 224
1981Judge Death Lives — the Dark Judges return: Death, Fear, Fire, and Mortis. Bolland draws the four horsemen of Judge Death's apocalypse. The most iconic Dredd art.
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Batman/Judge Dredd: Judgment on Gotham
1991Batman meets Judge Dredd — the two greatest fictional lawmen meet. Judge Death escapes to Gotham. Alan Grant writes, Simon Bisley draws. The most famous Dredd crossover.
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Democracy & America
2000 AD Prog 460-461
1986Letters from a Democrat — Wagner writes citizens demanding democracy in Mega-City One. Dredd arrests them. The strip asks whether Dredd's system is fascism. The most politically provocative Dredd story.
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2000 AD Prog 807-811
1992America — Wagner and Colin MacNeil write the greatest Dredd story. A love story about two citizens fighting for democracy against the Judge system. Dredd is the antagonist. The story that proves Dredd's world is a dystopia, not a utopia.
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Judge Dredd Megazine #1
1990Judge Dredd Megazine launches — a companion magazine for longer Dredd stories. The Megazine becomes essential for major Dredd epics.
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American Comics
Judge Dredd #1 (Eagle)
1983First American Dredd — Eagle Comics reprints 2000 AD Dredd stories for the US market. Brian Bolland covers. The first time American readers can easily access Dredd.
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Judge Dredd #1 (DC)
1994DC Comics Dredd — Andrew Helfer and Mike Avon Oeming bring Dredd to the DC Universe. American-produced Dredd stories for the first time.
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Judge Dredd #1 (IDW)
2012IDW's Judge Dredd — Duane Swierczynski writes new American Dredd stories. Nelson Daniel draws. The most accessible American Dredd for modern readers.
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Predator vs. Judge Dredd vs. Aliens #1
2016Dredd crossover — the ultimate sci-fi crossover. Dredd fights Predators and Xenomorphs. John Layman writes.
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Day of Chaos
2000 AD Prog 1743
2011Day of Chaos begins — Wagner writes the most devastating Dredd story since the Apocalypse War. A Sov-Bloc biological weapon is released in Mega-City One. 350 million citizens die. The city is reduced to rubble.
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2000 AD Prog 1789
2012Day of Chaos concludes — the population of Mega-City One drops from 800 million to 350 million. Wagner permanently reduces the city. Nothing goes back to how it was. Consequences are permanent.
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Judge Dredd's Defining Moments
2000 AD Prog 2
1977The debut — Judge Dredd patrols Mega-City One. "I am the Law." The most iconic character in British comics is born.
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2000 AD Prog 270
1982Destroying East-Meg One — Dredd kills 500 million to save his city. The most morally devastating decision any comic book character has ever made.
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2000 AD Prog 149
1980Judge Death — "The crime is life. The sentence is death." The Dark Judges arrive. Bolland draws the most iconic Dredd villain.
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2000 AD Prog 807
1992America — Wagner proves the Judge system is a dystopia. The greatest Dredd story. The most politically complex superhero comic ever written.
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2000 AD Prog 1789
2012Day of Chaos — 350 million die. Wagner permanently scars Mega-City One. Consequences that can never be undone.
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Collector Highlights
2000 AD Prog 2
1977The holy grail — first Judge Dredd. The most valuable British comic. Wagner and Ezquerra. The foundation of 2000 AD.
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2000 AD Prog 1
1977First 2000 AD — the magazine that launched British sci-fi comics. Free space spinner. A landmark key.
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2000 AD Prog 149
1980First Judge Death — Bolland art. The most iconic Dredd villain. A major 2000 AD key.
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Judge Dredd #1 (Eagle)
1983First American Dredd — Bolland covers. The most accessible Dredd for US collectors.
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Batman/Judge Dredd: Judgment on Gotham
1991Batman meets Dredd — Bisley art. The most famous crossover. A prestige format key.
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Judge Dredd #1 (IDW)
2012IDW Dredd — modern American Dredd. Timed to the Karl Urban film. A collectible modern key.
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