Main Menu

Some questions about the Judge Dredd universe

Started by Sandman1, 16 November, 2016, 05:49:40 PM

Previous topic - Next topic

JayzusB.Christ

Quote from: JayzusB.Christ on 04 December, 2016, 04:18:54 PM
an anarchistic psychopathic.)



... Or whatever.  I've had a few and I can't remember whether this was the fault of dodgy autocorrect or my own frazzled brain. Or both
"Men will never be free until the last king is strangled with the entrails of the last priest"

Sandman1

#196
Which is the best comic with Judge Anderson in a leading role? I'm interested in acquiring more information about individuals in Dredd's closest acquaintances.

A summary of the narrative in Inferno states that mister Grice tried to stop democratic reform in the big city. What does the summary mean when it says democratic reform? I thought that Mega-City One already was a totalitarian police state.   
Error...

radiator

After Necropolis, when the judges, under control of the Dark Judges, enacted genocide against the population of Mega City One, Dredd - who had been wrestling with his faith in the legitimacy of the judges' rule - called for a referendum; the continuation of the status quo or a return to democracy.

Though it was fiercely opposed - and a cadre of hardline judges, Grice among them, attempted to assassinate Dredd - the vote, as Dredd predicted, ultimately went the judges way (in part thanks to incredibly low voter turnout), and Dredd was able to lay to rest his doubts.

Smith

Thats another great thing about JD,how well it plays with readers symphaties.Judges run a totalitarian state,but Democrats nuke whole blocks.So whos in the right there?

Dandontdare

the referendum also gives us some of my favourite Dredd quotes:
"When some creep's holding a las-knife to your throat, who do you want to see riding up ... your elected representative or ME?"
"Democracy's not for the people"
and
"We tried democracy once - it didn't work"

Greg M.

Quote from: Sandman1 on 07 December, 2016, 04:52:22 PM
Which is the best comic with Judge Anderson in a leading role? I'm interested in acquiring more information about individuals in Dredd's closest acquaintances.

Depends if you want her as sassy law-vixen or moping psychic hippy. For the former, it's her earliest solo stories - "Four Dark Judges" and "The Possessed". For the latter, probably 'The Jesus Syndrome', 'Shamballa' (seems something of a favourite for many) or 'Childhood's End'.

Smith


Timothy

Justice has a price ..... the price is the wrong colour pads.

Smith

Quote from: Timothy on 07 December, 2016, 08:55:02 PM
Justice has a price ..... the price is the wrong colour pads.
I could live with that.

Frank

Quote from: Greg M. on 07 December, 2016, 07:14:23 PM
Quote from: Sandman1 on 07 December, 2016, 04:52:22 PM
Which is the best comic with Judge Anderson in a leading role? I'm interested in acquiring more information about individuals in Dredd's closest acquaintances.

Depends if you want her as sassy law-vixen or moping psychic hippy. For the former, it's her earliest solo stories - "Four Dark Judges" and "The Possessed". For the latter, probably 'The Jesus Syndrome', 'Shamballa' (seems something of a favourite for many) or 'Childhood's End'.

Greg speaks the truth.

Dredd and Anderson aren't close; they've been living separate lives for most of the last thirty years. It's a common complaint that they seem to inhabit different versions of MC1 [1], interacting only when Judge Death turns up.

The judge Dredd's known longest is Hershey (now Chief Judge). Highlights of their relationship include The Judge Child, Tour Of Duty, and Trifecta. His clone, Rico, and his niece/daughter/sister, Vienna, are probably next in line - see Brothers Of The Blood.

Most interesting is Judge Beeny, who is sort of Dredd's daughter, except he murdered her mum. See America, Tour Of Duty, and Day Of Chaos.


[1] When Wagner and Grant ended their writing partnership, Alan Grant got Anderson in the divorce. Dredd's most significant interaction with Anderson without Death playing third wheel was the Doomsday epic.

Greg M.

Quote from: Frank on 07 December, 2016, 09:58:59 PM
When Wagner and Grant ended their writing partnership, Alan Grant got Anderson in the divorce. Dredd's most significant interaction with Anderson without Death playing third wheel was the Doomsday epic

Mind you, the Anderson story 'Satan' ends in probably the most significant Anderson / Dredd interaction of all, in terms of defining their relationship.

JayzusB.Christ

Quote from: Greg M. on 08 December, 2016, 07:11:05 AM
Quote from: Frank on 07 December, 2016, 09:58:59 PM
When Wagner and Grant ended their writing partnership, Alan Grant got Anderson in the divorce. Dredd's most significant interaction with Anderson without Death playing third wheel was the Doomsday epic

Mind you, the Anderson story 'Satan' ends in probably the most significant Anderson / Dredd interaction of all, in terms of defining their relationship.

It's kind of the only thing that, well, happened in that story. 
"Men will never be free until the last king is strangled with the entrails of the last priest"

Sandman1

#207
Quote from: radiator on 07 December, 2016, 05:09:46 PM
After Necropolis, when the judges, under control of the Dark Judges, enacted genocide against the population of Mega City One, Dredd - who had been wrestling with his faith in the legitimacy of the judges' rule - called for a referendum; the continuation of the status quo or a return to democracy.

What caused Dredd's doubts about the system? Was it the Dark Judges or some kind of characteristic traits of ambivalence? I thought Dredd was an sort of manifestation of the judges total control.

Quote from: Greg M. on 07 December, 2016, 07:14:23 PMDepends if you want her as sassy law-vixen or moping psychic hippy. For the former, it's her earliest solo stories - "Four Dark Judges" and "The Possessed". For the latter, probably 'The Jesus Syndrome', 'Shamballa' (seems something of a favourite for many) or 'Childhood's End'.

I just want a complete picture of the character.

Quote from: Frank on 07 December, 2016, 09:58:59 PMThe judge Dredd's known longest is Hershey (now Chief Judge). Highlights of their relationship include The Judge Child, Tour Of Duty, and Trifecta. His clone, Rico, and his niece/daughter/sister, Vienna, are probably next in line - see Brothers Of The Blood.

Most interesting is Judge Beeny, who is sort of Dredd's daughter, except he murdered her mum. See America, Tour Of Duty, and Day Of Chaos.


[1] When Wagner and Grant ended their writing partnership, Alan Grant got Anderson in the divorce. Dredd's most significant interaction with Anderson without Death playing third wheel was the Doomsday epic.

Thanks for the tips!
Error...

IndigoPrime

Quote from: Sandman1 on 08 December, 2016, 04:19:31 PMWhat caused Dredd's doubts about the system? Was it the Dark Judges or some kind of characteristic traits of ambivalence? I thought Dredd was an sort of manifestation of the judges total control.
My take on this is that while Dredd is very much "we're doing this for your own good," he's fundamentally about justice, and justice only properly exists if there's rule by consent – otherwise, you have dictatorship. Dredd himself crosses this line a number of times, most notably during Silver's reign as Chief Judge. It's during this time that he ends up regretting if not the result of things like quashing a democratic march at least the actions of the judges that led to it.

There's also that notion that we arrive in Judge Dredd's world more or less when he's at his pinnacle of belief in the system, and also when MC-1 is, to some extent, a more typical future city, with a population that's somewhat mad, but not oppressed to the degree the strip would suggest later. But as Dredd ages, his belief becomes shaken, which later results in issues with democrats, mutant rights, and so on. Again, this appears to stem for a desire for justice and fairness.

Of course, this isn't always the case with the character, given that he's been written by a range of people. But it's certainly my impression of the Wagner-penned stories.

radiator

QuoteWhat caused Dredd's doubts about the system?

It was a number of different things; the growing pro-democratic movement slowly got under Dredd's skin (residual guilt for his role in Justice Department's underhand tactics in destroying the democratic march), as did, in a way, his dealings with Chopper.

A brush with death following an assassination attempt (in the post-Oz story 'The Hitman') probably portrayed Dredd in a more vulnerable light than ever before. Add to this feelings of existential angst/midlife crisis brought about by his literal replacement - in the form of his younger, more capable clone brother Kraken. All of this bubbling doubt came to a head with a letter sent to Dredd from a young boy asking questions about the justice system that Dredd could not answer ('A Letter To Judge Dredd'), and the murder of his mentor figure, Judge Morph (Morphy? can never remember), which led to his resignation and taking the long walk ('Tale of the Dead Man').