Judge Dredd: 'Alien Seeds'

NAME
Judge Dredd: 'Alien Seeds'

FIRST PUBLISHED
2000 A.D. and Tornado Prog 148

DATELINE
19 Jan 80

This prog also featured Blackhawk, Ro-Jaws' Robo-Tales, The Stainless Steel Rat, Timequake and The V.C.'s strips, another postergraph featuring The V.C.'s by Bill Le Fevre and a Judge Dredd cover by Mike McMahon.

PAGE COUNT
5

REPRINTS
The Best Of 2000AD 6, The Complete Judge Dredd 14, Judge Dredd's Crime Files 1, Judge Dredd Chronicles Book 24, Judge Dredd (Volume 2) 22 and Judge Dredd The Complete Case Files 03.

SYNOPSIS
The fruit of alien seeds attack Mega-City One, while Dredd goes in search of the cause.

FIRSTS & LASTS
First time we see Dredd leave Earth orbit.

INFORMATION
Mega City One's government has a number of space-rigs in operation, including an experimental low gravity space farm operated by the Mega-City One Department of Agriculture, or Deptag. Space rigs are not subject to the same customs requirements as ports and their artificial gravity is controlled by a gravity field regulator. The city also has a vermin control department.

Alien seeds arrived on Earth a few years ago and have been declared illegal. They are available on the black market at a high price. The plants do not produce seeds in Earth conditions and grow larger in low gravity. A few days after planting multi-coloured aliens sprout. When they are fully grown they begin to growl and are about to enter the animal stage. The stalk separates into legs and the aliens turn pink.

JUDGE DREDD
He leaves Earth to go to Mega-City One's space farm ands discovers several adult aliens grown from seed. He destroys the space rig's gravity field regulator sending the aliens into disarray. He arrests the last surviving Department of Agriculture worker on the rig that grew them.

OTHER CHARACTERS
None.

ARRESTS
One. The surviving member of the space rigs crew.

DEATHS
At least Four. At least two humans are killed by the aliens in Mega-City One and then two more on the space farm.

BEST LINES
Deptag employee: "H-Holy tomato! It's Judge Dredd!"

Seriously.

WORST LINES
Dredd: "These life-lines will hold us. But your home-grown aliens can't handle Zero-G!"
Deptag employee: "Thank heavens for that! Get outa, Judge Dredd! I long for the safety of a cosy isolation cube!"

CATCHPHRASES
Dredd says "Dok!"

CONTINUITY & CROSSOVERS
None.

INFLUENCES & REFERENCES
The design of the space rig is similar to the equally agricultural Valley Forge in Silent Running (1972).

MISTAKES
None.

RETROSPECT
None.

NOTES
None.

CREDITS
Script: John Howard
Artist: Ron Smith
Letters: Tom Frame

REVIEW
This isn't much to write home about. Already the latest fad leads to chaos idea is wearing a bit thin, but here it isn't helped by the dialogue, artwork or story structure either and to top it all off the ending is anti-climactic as well.

The End