Dredd : The Academy Years

[bluemeanie]

So I was reading prog 2010 and enjoying the "heres an old story you never saw before" that was the opening of the Dredd story at the end of the book.

Liked how it was set before Prog 1 and it got me thinking it would be cool to see how Dredd became Dredd. Flint told me there was a story a while back called "Dredd's first Arrest" or something which I'd love to try and pick up but I was wondering what the rest of you thought about seeing an ongoing "early days" type strip? Dredd and Rico as boys. Some of the older Judges in their prime. Stuff like that.

Or has there been one and I'm just being dumb?

And apologies if this is a topic that comes up every few months and I just havent seen it before.

[Mikey]

Was that not sort of covered in Origins? But I suppose you're referring to what happened just after the judicial system was set up.

I'd take a slice of retro now and again though - the Prog 2010 was great fun!

M.

[Colin_YNWA]

Oh absolutely I'd really like to see a story of this nature. Particularly after having read 'Blood Cadets' recently where its revealed that there was so much change in Mega City one and the Judge's system from Rico's and Dredd's early days up to 2099 when Dredd 'started'. Likewise a story detailing the development of the city after the events of 'Origins' has a lot of potential in my mind.

Given that there's a series of 'missing' stories being run in the Megazine (apologise I don't read the Mega so not sure quite how these story work) I'd have thought there was gold in Pre 2099 stories as well?

Maybe there's a worry of nailing too much down and hence reducing options for future Dredd world stuff? Who knows.
 

[Dandontdare]

Origins covered the whole academy period and saw Dredd and Rico graduating as full judges. However there's then a gap of at least 20 years till the prog stories began. We have had occasional stories from this period (such as 'monkey on my back' which was a rip-off of 'starborn thing' but set in the time of Chief Judge Goodman) but there's loads of potential for "Dredd: Year One" type stories. That's what I actually thought the Lost Cases were going to be, but it turns out they're extra stories based around existing events.

[radiator]

The story you're after is this:

First of the Many 1 episode (Prog 775) 6 pages
Script: Garth Ennis, Artist: Cliff Robinson



One of Ennis' better Dredds - from what I remember it's never been reprinted, so you'll have to try and find the original prog on ebay.

As for other 'flashback' tales, there's

Origins 23 episodes (Progs 1505 to 1535) 139 pages
Script: John Wagner, Artist: Carlos Ezquerra, Letters: Annie Parkhouse
Which features many flashback scenes of a young Dredd and Rico - you can get Origins as a graphic novel.

Monkey on my Back 3 episodes (Megs 204 to 206) 45 pages
Script: Garth Ennis, Artist: John Higgins, Letters: Tom Frame
Flashback tale set in (I think) 2099. Never reprinted, so once again you'll have to get hold of the original issues.

Blood Cadets 3 episodes (Progs 1186 to 1188) 18 pages
Script: John Wagner, Artist: Simon Fraser
Shows some retro Dredd and Rico action - reprinted in the Brothers of the Blood trade, which you really should get anyway if you haven't already!

There's probably a couple of others, but I must stress that I don't think there's any that share that same knowing, post modern feel that O Little Town of Bethlehem has. The old-school 'yellowed paper' feel is a first for Dredd to, I think - it's an effect that is pretty common in comics, though - I think the first time I saw it used was in Warren Ellis' Stormwatch.

[Mike Gloady]

Interesting ideas there.

As I recall (without spoiling it) in "First of the Many" Dredd meets again the first perp he ever arrested, now considerably older.  I remember liking it quite a bit, but don't remember much else.  That's the way of so many one-offs though.  Liked it.

[radiator]

Without giving too much away - After a long stretch, Dredd's first arrest gets out of the cubes. Believing the two share some sort of special friendship, the perp tracks Dredd down, wanting to bond. It doesn't end happily.

[Tweak72]

Origins covered the whole academy period and saw Dredd and Rico graduating as full judges. However there's then a gap of at least 20 years till the prog stories began. We have had occasional stories from this period (such as 'monkey on my back' which was a rip-off of 'starborn thing' but set in the time of Chief Judge Goodman) but there's loads of potential for "Dredd: Year One" type stories. That's what I actually thought the Lost Cases were going to be, but it turns out they're extra stories based around existing events.

Sorry but I dont think that is right. IRC Origins only covered the events leading up to the war in 2070 a bit where 4 year old Rico and Joe meet Fargo during the war and transfer of power to the Judges and then a brief bit after the war when the Judd sympathisers run off with Fargo a bit after the war.

we need things like the lead up to the battle with Booths forces in 2071 and events like the civil war between 'The Union' (MC1 and MC2) and MC3 (Texas City) which would have a relatively young Dredd fighting. Am I right?

[Dandontdare]

well it didn't tell the whole story - but (without a copy to hand) did it not feature Dredd & Rico as cadets being allowed to graduate early due to the war against Booth?

[radiator]

I was wondering what the rest of you thought about seeing an ongoing "early days" type strip? Dredd and Rico as boys. Some of the older Judges in their prime. Stuff like that.

Mmm. Not overly keen on an ongoing flashback series - I find the current Strontium Dog tales a bit inconsequential since we know what will happen to all the characters (something that will hopefully be dealt with in the next series).

As for Dredd, there seems no reason why you couldn't have episodes of The Lost Tales set between 2070 and 2099. Quite enjoying The Lost Cases as it goes - nothing spectacular so far (except for the art, which has been wonderful) but it seems appropriate to have two Dredds a month in the Meg - I'd certainly take a Lost Case over a Black Museum any day - which despite some good episodes did seem a little like filler from time to time.

[TordelBack]

[IRC Origins only covered the events leading up to the war in 2070 a bit where 4 year old Rico and Joe meet Fargo during the war and transfer of power to the Judges and then a brief bit after the war when the Judd sympathisers run off with Fargo a bit after the war.

Not that I wouldn't like to see more, but Origins did cover the boys' expereinces of the war, with Joe and Rico on the streets trying to keep order as the bombs fell, and Booth's troops assaulting the Academy/Justice HQ, and the Judges and the army assaulting the White House.  Yes, the run up to the Battle of Armageddon would be nice, but I'm not sure it'd add much to Dredd's story.  The Texas City civil war stuff, wasn't that just a lovely McMahon cover and a fan-made timeline?

But yes, i would like to see Dredd Year One at some point.

[radiator]

Origins gets given quite a lot of stick by people who seemingly wanted it to be a dry, dull chronological list of every single event ever in the Dredd timeline and loads of big, detailed battle scenes, rather than an actual, you know, story.

It was nothing like what I was expecting, but in retrospect I'm glad Wagner framed it the way he did and gave us only little glimpses of the big events - sometimes this sort of stuff is better left in your own imagination - see also The Clone Wars, The Skynet/Tech-Com war etc etc.

[Colin_YNWA]

Mmm. Not overly keen on an ongoing flashback series - I find the current Strontium Dog tales a bit inconsequential since we know what will happen to all the characters (something that will hopefully be dealt with in the next series).

But then an ongoing 'Flashback' series doesn't have to revolve around established characters. There will be a multitude of folk in the developing Mega City One who's stories might be of interest. Sure I think it'd be cool for the fans for them to meet and interact with established characters but a fresh character could be just as good, if not better for the reasons you mention, as the focal point.

On the other hand delving into Dredd's past, even though there isn't terrible end in sight could still give us a lot of valuable insight into the character. I love the idea that in his and Rico's early days there was a lot of either slack in the Juctice Department, or even out right corruption. There's a story to be told about how Dredd coped with that and maybe the resistance he met in trying to weed out rot. This could for example add something to the reason he is so reluctant to get involved in politics unless he feels he has too?

[radiator]

On the other hand delving into Dredd's past, even though there isn't terrible end in sight could still give us a lot of valuable insight into the character. I love the idea that in his and Rico's early days there was a lot of either slack in the Juctice Department, or even out right corruption. There's a story to be told about how Dredd coped with that and maybe the resistance he met in trying to weed out rot.

That does sound pretty cool, actually - the Dredd/Rico relationship and the Bloodline issue would make a good basis for Origins 2, should one ever be written. Wagner has hinted recently that we will soon learn about the 5 other Dredd clones (mentioned in Sector House), so maybe that could all be tied into it...?

[W. R. Logan]

Interesting ideas there.

As I recall (without spoiling it) in "First of the Many" Dredd meets again the first perp he ever arrested, now considerably older.  I remember liking it quite a bit, but don't remember much else.  That's the way of so many one-offs though.  Liked it.

Bert Dubinski