Judge Dredd: Who Killed Pug Ugly?

NAME
Judge Dredd: Who Killed Pug Ugly?

FIRST PUBLISHED
2000 AD Featuring Judge Dredd Prog 203

DATELINE
14 Mar 81

This prog also featured Tharg's Future Shocks, Meltdown Man, Return To Armageddon and Strontium Dog, Tharg's Future Worlds Poster and a Return To Armageddon cover by Jesus Redondo.

PAGE COUNT
6

REPRINTS
Judge Dredd Classics 69, The Complete Judge Dredd 19, Judge Dredd Chronicles Book 5, Judge Dredd 27, Judge Dredd Paperbacks vs Otto Sump and Judge Dredd The Complete Case Files 04.

SYNOPSIS
Dredd investigates the murder and the murderer of Pug Ugly.

FIRSTS & LASTS
First mention of Sound Slugs.

INFORMATION
Mega-City One's Vibe Hall and Vide Bowl are music venues. Every Mega-City insurance policy features Clause 29: "This policy is invalidated in event of violent death caused by the lawful action of a Mega-City Judge." Named Judges: Judge Brown

Pug Ugly And The Bugglys are Pug Ugly, Pretty Boy, Retch and Ringo. Their latest sound slug is 'Hey Pig'. Following the death of their lead voker, they launch a competition to find a replacement who will have Pug Ugly's vocal chords transplanted into their body. They release 'Tribute To Pug'. When the replacement Pug Ugly begins singing about the death of his predecessor, the Buggleys kill him on stage.

A transplant clinic can preserve vocal chords after death. Cellulo-psychic regenesis (or C.P.R.) is a very rare side-effect of transplant surgery. It allows the transplanted organ or tissue to retain the intelligence of the donor after death.

JUDGE DREDD
He investigates the death of Pug Ugly and looks into the background of his killed, Vito O'Reilly.

OTHER CHARACTERS
PUG UGLY
Lead Voker of Pug Ugly And The Bugglys. He is killed by Vito O'Reilly during a gig at the Vibe Hall. It's in his contract that his vocal chords belong to the band.

VITO O'REILLY
His mother is Sophie O'Reilly. He was paid by the Bugglys to kill Pug Ugly. He took out a hundred or so of life insurance policies and then shot Pug Ugly dead. He was killed himself by a Judge and none of the insurance policies will pay out.

OTTO SUMP
Now known in some circles as Otto Le Sump. He treats the winner of the Search For A Pug competition to look just like the original.

ARRESTS
Three. The Bugglys are presumably arrested for their parts in two murders.

DEATHS
Three. Pug Ugly is shot dead by Vito O'Reilly who is then killed by a Judge. The new Pug Ugly is killed by his fellow band members, bludgeoned to death with their instruments.

BEST LINES
Pug Ugly (sung): "You set my lips on fire, babe, you make my spots feel good, but you leave my stomach cryin', babe, cos you pig all my food!"

WORST LINES
None.

CATCHPHRASES
None.

CONTINUITY & CROSSOVERS
Otto Sump puts in a cameo appearance. He first appeared in Sob Story and later in Otto Sumps Ugly Clinic.

INFLUENCES & REFERENCES
The Buggleys are obviously very Sex Pistol-esque and the title echoes 'Who Killed Bambi?' from The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle (1979). The vocal chords recall The Hands of Orlac the 1920 novel by the French writer Maurice Renard (1875-1939), which concerns a pianist who receives a pair of murderous hands in a transplant.

MISTAKES
None.

RETROSPECT
None.

NOTES
None.

CREDITS
Script: T.B. Grover
Artist: Ron Smith
Letters: Tom Frame

REVIEW
The artwork is great, the lyrics are brilliantly bizarre. The vocal chord confession is hugely contrived, but then let's be honest, so is everything else.

Next Prog: The Alien Way!