Judge Dredd: 'Bank Raid'

NAME
Judge Dredd: 'Bank Raid'
(When included in Judge Dredd The Complete Case Files 01 it was called The First Dredd)

FIRST PUBLISHED
2000 A.D. Annual 1981

DATELINE
1 Sept 80

PAGE COUNT
5

REPRINTS
Judge Dredd Chronicles Book 4 and Judge Dredd The Complete Case Files 01.

SYNOPSIS
Dredd foils a bank raid.

FIRSTS & LASTS
Technically, this is full of firsts.

INFORMATION
New Manhattan has a Street Level 95.

Jay-walking is a crime and the sentence is four hundred days in a special prison, Jug 1. Bribing a Judge is an offence.

Mega-City Law Control informs Judges of crimes-in-progress. Judges ride Lawmaster 5000 Bi-Mobiles. Number three on a Judge's gun fires rubber titanium ricochet shells, nicknamed 'dodgems', while number six fires heat-seeking shells.

JUDGE DREDD
He is called to a bank robbery in progress. Dredd terminates three surrendering robbers and an overenthusiastic onlooker turned jay-walker.

OTHER CHARACTERS
None.

ARRESTS
None.

DEATHS
Ten. The bank robbers kill six people during their robbery, Dredd terminates the three of them and then a fourth jay-walker/briber.

BEST LINES
Future Jay-walker: "Yeah! You give it to 'em Judge!"
Dredd: "I would remind you, citizen - I take no pleasure in terminating law breakers."

WORST LINES
Bank rober: "Look out - It's Judge Dredd! Smoke him!"

CATCHPHRASES
None.

CONTINUITY & CROSSOVERS
None.

INFLUENCES & REFERENCES
Dirty Harry (1971), Death Race 2000 (1975) and 'Judge Dread' by Prince Buster (1967).

MISTAKES
Dredd "termintates" the bank robbers.

RETROSPECT
None.

NOTES
None.

CREDITS
There are no credits printed in the strip itself and so the following are taken from Judge Dredd The Complete Case Files 01.

Script: Pat Mills and John Wagner
Artist: Carlos Ezquerra

REVIEW
The artwork is great and one citizen's brief trip from innocent bystander to jay-walker to attempted briber to corpse is well realised. The judge, jury and executioner aspect of the character is quite shocking and it's easy to understand why it was initially played down.

Judge Dredd: Pinboing Wizard

NAME
Judge Dredd: Pinboing Wizard

FIRST PUBLISHED
Judge Dredd Annual 1981

DATELINE
1 Sept 80

PAGE COUNT
6

REPRINTS
The Best Of 2000AD Special Edition 1993, Judge Dredd Colour Series: The Streets Of Mega-City and Judge Dredd: The Restricted Files 01.

SYNOPSIS
Dredd inadvertently finds himself playing Pinboing.

FIRSTS & LASTS
First Judge Dredd strip in a Judge Dredd Annual.

INFORMATION
Mega-City One has a Pinboing Stadium. Since Boing© was invented in 2101, a new sport appeared in Mega-City One: Pinboing. It is essentially a huge Pinball machine, but with a human ball. If a player achieves a million points they are dubbed 'Pinboing Wizard'.

JUDGE DREDD
He is chasing an armed gang. When he destroys their vehicle, they take cover in the Pinboing Stadium. Dredd pursues them onto the Pinboing table itself. As he knocks the lawbreakers into the table's bumpers and autoflip, he chalks up a score of 1,007,000 and becomes a Pinboing Wizard. He is knocked off his bike by a lawbreaker surrounded in Boing©, but he shoots its fuel tank causing an explosion which the Pinboing table registers as a tilt and ends the game. Dredd rounds up the remaining lawbreakers still trapped in their Boing©.

OTHER CHARACTERS
HARVEY 'HOTSHOT' KRANTZ
Pinboing player. His score is 605,000.

BOUNCING BOB BINGLEY
Pinboing player. His score is 729,000.

ARRESTS
Two. The two Pinboingers were easy to catch.

DEATHS
Three. Dredd kills Mac and Pete with the workings of the Pinboing table, while Roscoe is crush by his friend covered in Boing©.

BEST LINES
Dredd: "All I can say is there must be easier ways of keeping the peace...Thank Drokk they don't have replays!"

WORST LINES
None.

CATCHPHRASES
Dredd says "Stop in the name of law!" once and "Drokk!" twice.

CONTINUITY & CROSSOVERS
Boing© previously appeared Palais de Boing and Judge Death, Part 3 .

INFLUENCES & REFERENCES
'Pinball Wizard' was a 1969 single for The Who that reached No. 4 in the UK charts and featured in their rock opera album Tommy.

MISTAKES
None.

RETROSPECT
None.

NOTES
None.

CREDITS
Script: John Howard
Artist: Mike McMahon
Letters: Tom Frame

REVIEW
Boing© seems to be the gift that keeps on giving as we see another inventive use of it here that takes something commonplace, augments it with a surprising piece of 22nd Century technology and then drops Dredd in the middle of it. It's fun.

The End.

Star Pin-Up: Mega-City One By Night

NAME
Star Pin-Up: Mega-City One By Night

FIRST PUBLISHED
Judge Dredd Annual 1981

DATELINE
1 Sept 80

Judge Dredd gets his own annual and this features alongside four Judge Dredd strips, a Judge Dredd text story, the Tran-strips for Walter The Wobot, Max Normal and a one-off called Shok!, all behind a Judge Dredd cover by Brian Bolland.

PAGE COUNT
1

REPRINTS
None.

SYNOPSIS
Mega-City One By Night

FIRSTS & LASTS
None.

INFORMATION

JUDGE DREDD
None.

OTHER CHARACTERS
None.

ARRESTS
None.

DEATHS
None.

BEST LINES
None.

WORST LINES
None.

CATCHPHRASES
"Mega-City One By Night" I suppose, see INFLUENCES & REFERENCES below.

CONTINUITY & CROSSOVERS
None.

INFLUENCES & REFERENCES
This obviously turns the joke behind '[Insert Town Name] By Night' postcards, which show the local nightlife as a solid black rectangle on its head.

MISTAKES
It's not the fault of this image, but the contents list which accompanies it are pretty useless. They list simply Judge Dredd as appearing pages 3, 41, 48 and 89, which indeed it does, but this is where a story title would have come in very handy.

RETROSPECT
None.

NOTES
None.

CREDITS
Artist: Ron Smith

REVIEW
It's a lovely image to open the Annual with and at a time when we are getting used to seeing Mega-City One depicted one cityblock at a time, it good to see something with a sense of scale to it.

Judge Dredd: The Case Of The Urban Gorillas

NAME
Judge Dredd: The Case Of The Urban Gorillas

FIRST PUBLISHED
2000 AD Annual 1981

DATELINE
1 Sept 80

This Annual also featured Ro-Busters, Guinea Pig, The Phantom Patrol, Smokeman and three of Tharg's Future Shocks, text stories featuring Ro-Jaws' Robo-Tales, A.B.C. Warriors, Blackhawk, Strontium Dog and a one-off with the fantastic title: Bang! Bang! Said The Green Cheese Man!

PAGE COUNT
8

REPRINTS
Judge Dredd: The Restricted Files 01.

SYNOPSIS
A group of apes take over a cityblock.

FIRSTS & LASTS
This is the first ever full-colour Judge Dredd story to appear in a 2000 AD Annual. First appearance of a Citi-Def group.

INFORMATION
Mega-City One's Mickey Dolenz Block's Citizens' Defence Group (or Citi-Def) meet once a month for military training. They have access to an arsenal. Apelino's Bar is an establishment in the Ape's ghetto.

Genetically accelerated apes refer to humans as Skinfaces. Heavy Light Guns fire radiation-treated photon beams.

Judges use Zippers for airborne pursuit. Named Judges: Judge Bocking.

JUDGE DREDD
He can fly a Zipper. He doesn't approve of the conditions in which the apes are forced to live. Dredd attends the scene at Mickey Dolenz Block and jumps from a neighbouring building through a window on the fortieth floor on his Lawmaster. He arrests Zak and sentences him to death.

OTHER CHARACTERS
BIG ZAK
Genetically accelerated ape who leads the takeover of Mickey Dolenz Block. They demand that the Mayor provides them with new homes. The apes take hostages and begin throwing them off the roof. Dredd jumps over from a neighbouring building, arrests him and sentences him to death.

ARRESTS
Presumably several. Zak is arrested and sentenced to death.

DEATHS
At least fifty-. The apes kill at least fifty-four citizens at Mickey Dolenz Block.

BEST LINES
Zak: "Hear this, Mega-City One! Us apes had had enough! The revolution has begun!...Stop pickin' yerselves, you guys - you want the humans to think we ain't civilised?"

Genetically accelerated ape: "How now...brown monkey?"

WORST LINES
Genetically accelerated ape: "I'll put 'em with the others we took hostage!"

CATCHPHRASES
Dredd mentions "Grud!", a dying ape screams "Aieee!", while another asks "What the drok is he tryin' ta do?"

CONTINUITY & CROSSOVERS
Apelino's Bar is a references to Don Uggie Apelino from 'The Ape Gang' and The Billion Credit Caper.

INFLUENCES & REFERENCES
Micky Dolenz, Jr. is the drummer and lead vocalist from the 1960s rock band The Monkees. The ape uprising recalls Conquest Of The Planet Of The Apes (1972)

MISTAKES
Mickey Dolenz spells it Micky and Heavy Light Gun is an unfortunate oxymoron.

RETROSPECT
None.

NOTES
None.

CREDITS
Script: AA Grant
Artist: Brett Ewins
Letters: Tom Frame

REVIEW
There isn't a lot of substance here, but it's a fun runaround with comical terrorists and deals with the apes far better than the previous Mafioso stories.

The End

Strontium Dog: 'Kane's Kolossal Kasino'

NAME
Strontium Dog: 'Kane's Kolossal Kasino'
(I have called this strip 'Kane's Kolossal Kasino' here, to distinguish it from other Untitled Strontium Dog strips)

FIRST PUBLISHED
Starlord Summer Special

DATELINE
Probably 1 June 78

PAGE COUNT
10

REPRINTS
Strontium Dog Search/Destroy Agency Files 01.

SYNOPSIS
Johnny and Wulf solve a series of murders.

FIRSTS & LASTS
The first ten page Strontium Dog strip, first Strontium Dog appearance in a publication other than Starlord itself and the first Strontium Dog artwork by Brendan McCarthy.

INFORMATION
(This strip takes place over ten days)

Orbiting the planet Megista is Kane's Kolossal Kasino. It has multi-complex stores, cafes, amusement arcades, a dream-scope drome, a synthi-safari park and several casinos. It is equipped with weapon detectors.

The Galactic Groat is a unit of currency accepted at Kane's Kolossal Kasino.

Sabre-Catz are a fearsome big game species and highly prized by hunters.

"Anti-Grav" globes are a device which remove the gravity of a given area. They can be countered by gravity belts.

It is possible for a mutant to have normal offspring.

JOHNNY ALPHA
After a spate of killings on Kane's Kolossal Kasino, his services are requested when a mutant is suspected.

WULF STERNHAMMER
He accompanies Johnny to Kane's Kolossal Kasino.

OTHER CHARACTERS
KANE
A mutant with one-eye in the front and another in the back of his head. He hid his mutant status and became part-owner of Kane's Kolossal Kasino and Harry Gross' partner. He has a daughter called Yora. Kane uses his mutant abilities to kill seven businessmen and then he and Gross acquire their companies. Gross threatened to kill Yora if her father didn't comply. Johnny confronts him with the ringleader of Gross' men, Gross shoots Kane causing him a fatal wound. Before he dies he kills Gross.

HARRY GROSS
Part-owner of Kane's Kolossal Kasino and Kane's partner. He attempts to prevent Johnny from finding out the truth.

TZIXGRRL
Part-owner of a casino chain. He was killed in the synthi-safari park on Kane's Kolossal Kasino. After his death, his partners sold out to Kane and Gross.

DEATHS
Ten. Mr Amato, Mr Tzixgrhhl and Mr Nussbaum's heads all explode during their visits to Kane's Kolossal Kasino, four other businessmen are all beheaded in same way between panels. Harry Gross shoots Kane and the ringleader dead, but Kane kills Harry with his mutant power.

BEST LINES
Police: "So...on the principle, set a Mutie to catch a Mutie...it's all yours!"

WORST LINES
Wulf: "Und not forget your eyes, Johnny!"

Is he likely too?

CATCHPHRASES
None.

CONTINUITY & CROSSOVERS
None.

INFLUENCES & REFERENCES
Unknown.

MISTAKES
None.

RETROSPECT
None.

NOTES
None.

CREDITS
Script: Bill Henry
Artist: B. McArthy
Letters: Tony Jacob

REVIEW
This is great. The story maybe be quite simple, but the artwork is brilliantly complex and it's nice to see Johnny and Wulf "solve a case" in one sitting. Wulf versus the Sabre-Cat, the anti-grav globe and the reveal of Kane's eyes are the highlights.

The End

Star Pin-Up: Judge Dredd III

NAME
Star Pin-Up: Judge Dredd III

FIRST PUBLISHED
2000 AD and Tornado Prog 172

DATELINE
9 Aug 80

PAGE COUNT
1

REPRINTS
None.

SYNOPSIS
Mega-City One awaits the return of Judge Dredd.

FIRSTS & LASTS
None.

INFORMATION
None.

JUDGE DREDD

OTHER CHARACTERS
None.

ARRESTS
None.

DEATHS
None.

BEST LINES
None.

WORST LINES
None.

CATCHPHRASES
None.

CONTINUITY & CROSSOVERS
None.

INFLUENCES & REFERENCES
Unknown.

MISTAKES
The cars look oddly twentieth century.

RETROSPECT
None.

NOTES
None.

CREDITS
Artist: Mike McMahon

REVIEW
"Mega City Waits..." is a great slogan, but it's not strictly true is it? Most of Mega-City One has no idea what Dredd is up to or why. The image itself is nice, but again Dredd isn't really watching over the city at the moment so it seems an odd time to print it.

Strontium Dog: 'Papa Por-Ka', Part 3

NAME
Strontium Dog: 'Papa Por-Ka', Part 3

FIRST PUBLISHED
Starlord No. 5

DATELINE
10 June 78

PAGE COUNT
5

REPRINTS
Strontium Dog Book 1, 2000AD Sci-Fi Special 1986 and Strontium Dog: Search/Destroy Agency Files 01

SYNOPSIS
Johnny and Wulf defeat the pirates.

FIRSTS & LASTS
First time that a Strontium Dog story has reached three parts (and therefore the first three part story).

INFORMATION
Gronks believe that a bit of them lives after death if someone dear to them wears their skin.

A beam polariser draws the fire of projected energy weapons. Electronux are knuckledusters that carry 20,000 volts. Nuclear devices can be small enough to fit in your pocket.

JOHNNY ALPHA
He uses a beam polariser to draw the fire of the pirates. After Wulf has destroyed it, Johnny uses his blaster and calculates the distance and shoots harmlessly through the hostage and into Papa Por-Ka's shoulder. After the release of the captain, he plants a mini-nuke in Papa's pocket.

WULF STERNHAMMER
When Papa Por-Ka takes the ship's captain hostage, Wulf destroys the beam polariser so that Johnny can use his blaster.

OTHER CHARACTERS
THE GRONK
Wulf and Johnny discover the Gronk dying in his box. He asks Wulf to skin him and wear the skin as a jerkin. Wulf dos as he ask and the Gronk's body is ejected into space in its box.

PAPA POR-KA
He takes the ship's captain hostage. Johnny shoots him in the shoulder, plants a mini-nuke in his pocket and releases him to his shuttle. When Papa threatens to return to take revenge on the Strontium Dogs, Johnny activates the small nuke and destroys Papa's ship

DEATHS
Two. Johnny kills Papa Por-Ka with a small nuke. The Gronk dies of too much excitement.

BEST LINES
Papa Por-Ka (with a knife to the Captain's throat): "You finish wid de rough stuff, or de captain be gettin' some air-conditionin', savvy?"

WORST LINES
Papa Por-Ka: "What am...dis?"

CATCHPHRASES
The Gronk says "Heartsies" instead of "Heartses".

CONTINUITY & CROSSOVERS
None.

INFLUENCES & REFERENCES
Unknown.

MISTAKES
None.

RETROSPECT
None.

NOTES
None.

CREDITS
Script: T.B. Grover
Artist: Ezquerra
Letters: Jack Potter

REVIEW
A nice neat ending which allows Johnny another very dark moment as he pre-empts Por-Ka's treachery. The Gronk's death is surprising and his request brilliantly bizarre.

Next Week: 'Go For Your Blasters!'

Strontium Dog: 'Papa Por-Ka', Part 2

NAME
Strontium Dog: 'Papa Por-Ka', Part 2

FIRST PUBLISHED
Starlord No. 4

DATELINE
3 June 78

PAGE COUNT
5

REPRINTS
Strontium Dog Book 1, 2000AD Sci-Fi Special 1986 and Strontium Dog: Search/Destroy Agency Files 01

SYNOPSIS
Johnny and Wulf are given an ultimatum.

FIRSTS & LASTS
First 'close-up' of a Search-Destroy agent's badge.

INFORMATION
Few Search-Destroy agents live long enough to die of old age.

A Gronk's salivary acids are strong enough to eat through any metal.

A Time Trap is a device that can be used to repeat a chosen period of time as infinitum. Any individuals subject to this repetition will continue undergoing the same actions until they starve to death. A beam polariser can be used to nullify projected energy weapons.

JOHNNY ALPHA
Papa Por-Ka offers to let him join his band of pirates or die. The Gronk frees them from their detention cell. They break into the locker to free their weapons, but are discovered and take refuge inside. Johnny uses a time trap to escape. He has a new set of Electronux.

WULF STERNHAMMER
Papa Por-Ka offers to let him join his band of pirates or die. The Gronk frees them from their detention cell. They break into the locker to free their weapons, but are discovered and take refuge inside.

OTHER CHARACTERS
PAPA POR-KA
He offers to let Johnny and Wulf join his band of pirates or die.

THE GRONK
He eats the bars off the detention cell to free Johnny and Wulf.

DEATHS
At least seven. Por-Ka's pirates throw seven passengers out of the Sondheim's airlocks. Johnny leaves three pirates in a repeating time loop.

BEST LINES
Johnny: "They'll go on repeating the same sequence until they starve to death!"

That's dark.

WORST LINES
Wulf: "A hundrd times Wulf die...before he serve you!"

I'll assume that's a "No" then.

CATCHPHRASES
Wulf as "alvays"

CONTINUITY & CROSSOVERS
None.

INFLUENCES & REFERENCES
Unknown.

NOTES
None.

CREDITS
Script: T.B. Grover
Artist: Ezquerra
Letters:

REVIEW
Another great instalment. The airlock death toll and time trap's impending deaths are impressive, while it's good to see the Gronk involved. The cliffhanger is a little odd though.

Next Week: 'You Let That Pirate Trash Go, Alpha - And Now He's Gonna Kill Us All!'

Strontium Dog: 'Papa Por-Ka', Part 1

NAME
Strontium Dog: 'Papa Por-Ka', Part 1

FIRST PUBLISHED
Starlord No. 3

DATELINE
27 May 78

PAGE COUNT
5

REPRINTS
2000AD Sci-Fi Special 1986, Strontium Dog Book 1 and Strontium Dog: Search/Destroy Agency Files 01

SYNOPSIS
Johnny, Wulf and a Gronk travel as cargo, while a group of space pirates seek to steal a ship's cargo.

FIRSTS & LASTS
First appearance of a Gronk.

INFORMATION
(This strip is set in 2180)

Kaol-7, Cedus Major, Cassiopeia, Cygnus-9 and Pol are destinations for astro-liners leaving Earth. Ursa Minor is another destination.

Mutants are only permitted to travel cargo.

The planet Blas is in the Gallego system. The native species are called Gronks. They have more than one heart, speak through their noses, have their mouths directly attached to their stomachs and eat metal. They are very shy and travel in boxes to avoid shocks.

A tractor-beam can be used to decelerate an astro-liner quicker than the the ship itself can slow down. Smaller spacecraft attached to a larger ship are called limpet craft.

JOHNNY ALPHA
He can see through the hull of a space ship. He and Wulf travel aboard the Astroliner Sondheim in the cargo hold bound for Pol. They meet and befriend a Gronk. When pirates board the Astroliner, he and Wulf attempt to fight them off.

WULF STERNHAMMER
He and Johnny travel aboard the Astroliner Sondheim in the cargo hold bound for Pol. They meet and befriend a Gronk. When pirates board the Astroliner, he and Wulf attempt to fight them off.

OTHER CHARACTERS
PAPA POR-KA
He leads a group of space pirates.

THE GRONK
Travelling a box in the cargo of the Astroliner Sondheim. The Gronk meets Wulf Sternhammer when he sits on its box.

DEATHS
None.

BEST LINES
Wulf: "Wulf is not offended! Stomach smart place to haf mouth-close to business end, ja? I like you, Gronk! You und Wulf friends vill be!"

WORST LINES
Wulf: "Vot in Gott's name are......You?"

Bit rude.

CATCHPHRASES
More vots and Gotts from Wulf, but joined here by the Gronks over pluralisation in words like heartses and stomachses.

CONTINUITY & CROSSOVERS
None.

INFLUENCES & REFERENCES
The Sondheim is presumably named after American composer Stephen Sondheim.

MISTAKES
None.

RETROSPECT
None.

NOTES
None.

CREDITS
Script: T.B. Grover
Artist: Ezquerra
Letters: Peter Knight

REVIEW
The set up here is nice as the Strontium Dogs are forced to travel in the cargo hold, but are welcome out with the captain's compliments once the ship is under attack. There is some great worldbuilding here and the Gronk is a wonderful creation.

Next Week: 'Death Is No Stranger To A Strontium Dog!'

Judge Dredd: Data File

NAME
Judge Dredd Data-File

FIRST PUBLISHED
2000 AD Sci-Fi Special 1980

DATELINE
1 June 80

PAGE COUNT
2

REPRINTS
None.

SYNOPSIS
A data-file on Judge Dredd.

FIRSTS & LASTS
First data-file.

INFORMATION
None.

JUDGE DREDD
He is age 33.

OTHER CHARACTERS
None.

ARRESTS
Mention is made of Whitey the Judge Killer's despatch to 21st Century's Devil's Island.

DEATHS
None.

BEST LINES
I am the law.

WORST LINES
Thanks, your honour.

CATCHPHRASES
I am the law.

CONTINUITY & CROSSOVERS
None.

INFLUENCES & REFERENCES
Unknown.

MISTAKES
It's odd that the quotes are presented without quotation marks. Also, Dredd was 33 in 2099 and it's odd something published in 1980 isn't more up to date.

RETROSPECT
The Cursed Earth is given as Dredd's longest adventure which was true at the time, but it's worth remembering that this was published during the run of The Judge Child, which would beat the previous story's record by one week.

NOTES
None.

CREDITS
Script: Unknown
Artist: Unknown

REVIEW
Well, this is odd. Of all the facts about Dredd that this could have revealed, instead it focuses on the events of Judge Whitey to the exclusion of everything else. Disappointing.

Judge Dredd: The Greatest Story Ever Told.

NAME
Judge Dredd: The Greatest Story Ever Told.

FIRST PUBLISHED
2000 AD Sci-Fi Special 1980

DATELINE
1 June 80

This Sci-Fi special also featured Ro-Jaws' Robo-Tales twice, Tharg The Mighty, the House Of The Future, a Judge Dredd Data-File and a Judge Dredd cover by Mike McMahon.

PAGE COUNT
10

REPRINTS
Judge Dredd Classics 63, Judge Dredd (Volume 2) 7, Judge Dredd Megazine 208 and Judge Dredd: The Restricted Files 01.

SYNOPSIS
Fergie is raised to Godhood, represented by a group of giant robots and the subject of a movie. It's a busy day.

FIRSTS & LASTS
First credited work on Judge Dredd by Alan Grant and Steve Dillon.

INFORMATION
(This strip is set "almost a year" since the Fergie's death in The Day The Law Died)

In Mega-City One's Aftermath Square stands a monument to Fergie, there is a strada that overlooks it. There are similar statues in Sectors 6, 17, 21 and 42. Cecil B. DeMille Block is home to the city's film community.

The Control act of '89 allows freedom to worship of registered religions. The Fergites are a registered religion that worships Fergie. Named Judges: Judge Kray

JUDGE DREDD
He watches the Fergites and intervenes when they break the law. Dredd evades attack by a giant robot in the form of Fergie and destroys it. He tracks down the robot that replaced Oscar Weiner and discovers that he is making a film from the chaos caused by his giant robots. Dredd destroys his film.

OTHER CHARACTERS
JUDGE KRAY
She accompanies Dredd as he tracks down the robot that replaced Oscar Weiner and she arrests it.

FERGIE
After his death, he became to object of worship by a group calling themselves, the Fergites. The statue of Fergie in Aftermath Square is replaced by a giant robot, which is used to attack Dredd, who destroys it. A robot that replaced Oscar Weiner mobilises nineteen more giant Fergie robots.

OSCAR WEINER
Film director. He directed The Beasts That Ate The Beasts That Ate Mars. He was declared insane and committed, but replaced himself with a robot.

ARRESTS
Dozens. The surviving Fergites are ll held for questioning, while Oscar Weiner's robot replacement is arrested for the damage he caused.

DEATHS
At least five. The Fergite Priest that Dredd knocks out is flattened by Fergie Robo Statue 1. Two Fergites are dropped by one of the Fergie robots. An H-Wagon crew are killed by Fergie Robo-Statue 19's flying club.

BEST LINES
Dredd: "They may be fools, Kray, but they break no law."

WORST LINES
Kray: "Jumpin' Judge-Boots! It's a -"

CATCHPHRASES
Fergie's catchphrases "Easy the Ferg" and "Get heavy with him!" are appropriated by the Fergie. Kray say "Oh my Dok!" as the statue of Fergie came to life.

CONTINUITY & CROSSOVERS
Fergie's deification is as a result of the events of The Day The Law Died.

INFLUENCES & REFERENCES
The Greatest Story Ever Told shares its title with a 1965 American epic film retelling of the story of Jesus Christ. Cecil Blount DeMille (1881–1959) was the American film director responsible for Cleopatra (1934), The Greatest Show On Earth (1952) and The Ten Commandments (1956).

MISTAKES
Fergee is spelled Fergie here throughout.

RETROSPECT
None.

NOTES
None.

CREDITS
Script: A.A. Grant
Artist: Steve Dillon
Letters: Tom Frame

A.A. Grant is Alan Grant. This is his first credited Judge Dredd, but he would go on to write for the character in 2000 A.D., the Judge Dredd Megazine, the Daily Star and a host of specials and annuals as well as in Heavy Metal Dredd, Batman/Judge Dredd, Lobo/Judge Dredd and Judge Dredd: The Lost Cases. He also wrote for Ace Trucking Co, Cadet Anderson, Judge Anderson, Apocalypse Soon, Armageddon, Bad City Blue, Bad Company, Blackhawk, B.L.A.I.R.1, Bob The Galactic Bum, Bogie Man, Doomlord, House Of Daemon, Durham Red, The Helltrekkers, Judge Hershey, Makabre, Mazeworld, Middenface McNulty, Mean Team, Mean Machine, Mega-City One, Max Normal, Juliet November, Robo-Hunter, Strontium Dog, Tales Of Mega-City One, Tales Of The Doghouse, Tharg The Mighty, Tharg's Future Shocks, Time Twisters, Whatever Happened To?, What If...? and a couple of one-offs.

Steve Dillon provided art for A.B.C. Warriors, Bad Company, Diceman, Judge Dredd, Tharg's Future Shocks, Hap Hazzard, Harlem Heroes, Judge Joyce, The Mean Arena, Ro-Busters, Rogue Trooper, Ro-Jaws' Robo-Tales, Tyranny Rex and a one-off called Danger: Genius At Work. He also wrote for Tharg's Future Shocks, Hap Hazzard and Rogue Trooper. Away from the Galaxy's Greatest Comic he worked on Doctor Who, Hellblazer, Preacher, and The Punisher.

REVIEW
The story is bizarre with too many elements vying for space, but Steve Dillon's stunning art more than makes up for it.

The End.

Strontium Dog: 'Max Quirxx', Part 2

NAME
Strontium Dog: 'Max Quirxx', Part 2

FIRST PUBLISHED
Starlord No. 2

DATELINE
20 May 78

PAGE COUNT
5

REPRINTS
Strontium Dog Book 1, The Best Of 2000AD and Strontium Dog: Search/Destroy Agency Files 01

SYNOPSIS
Johnny and Wulf catch up with Max Quirxx.

FIRSTS & LASTS
First use of flashback in Strontium Dog, first time Johnny and Wulf get paid, first Strontium Dog story to reach two parts and the first two-part story.

INFORMATION
The Strontium 90 present in nuclear fallout from the Great War of 2150 on Earth caused mutations in newborn children. Anti-mutant sentiment grows and new laws are passed preventing them from owning a business or being employed. As a result many starve and are reduced to begging. The only other option open to them is to become Search-Destroy agents.

Caytor is millions of light years from Earth.

An individual subject to a termination warrant has the right to return to the scene of their alleged crime to appeal their sentence. The vapour chamber is a method of execution.

A P-Bomb is capable of destroying an entire city. A city on Bario-3 was destroyed with a P-Bomb. A time bomb can transport an area and any individuals within a given period into the future. If used in a planetary atmosphere, then the planet will have moved along its orbit and the area in question could well now be in the vacuum of space. Blasters have a stun setting.

JOHNNY ALPHA
He kills Max Quirxx with a time bomb. He and Wulf give their payment to mutant beggar.

WULF STERNHAMMER
He provides covering fire while Johnny throws the time bomb into Quirxx's location. He and Johnny give their payment to mutant beggar.

OTHER CHARACTERS
MAX QUIRXX
He destroyed a city on Bario-3 with a P-Bomb. He is staying Suite 1A of the Nova Conapt on Caytor. He takes a woman and her daughter as hostages. Johnny Alpha uses a time bomb to send him two and a half days later and he dies in a spatial vacuum.

SHARON
Max Quirxx's hostage. Despite her mother's instructions, she thanks Alpha calling him Mr Strontium.

DEATHS
One. Max Quirxx is killed in the vacuum of space.

BEST LINES
Alpha: "Surrender, Quirxx! Don't want to kill you unless we have to. We'll send you back to Bario-3 to appeal sentence!"
Quirxx: "Get lost, Doggy! I wiped out one of their cities with a P-Bomb when a little blackmail deal went wrong! They'd laugh me all the way to the vapour chamber!"

WORST LINES
Caytor Police: "Strontium Dog!"

CATCHPHRASES
Several more references to Wulf's accent.

CONTINUITY & CROSSOVERS
None.

INFLUENCES & REFERENCES
Laws preventing mutants from owning businesses or being employed

MISTAKES
In Part 1, Max Quirxx was said to be staying in Suite 3A, here he's moved rooms to Suite 1A. Also, his crime appears to have moved up from multiple murder to mass murder.

RETROSPECT
None.

NOTES
None.

CREDITS
Script: T.B. Grover
Artist: Ezquerra
Letters: Jack Potter

REVIEW
The flashback opening is great, the time bomb is a brilliant concept used to fantastic effect and the strip ends on a lovely note. The only thing that doesn't quite work here is the anti-mutant discrimination.

Next Week: 'Excitements Is Bad For Our Poor Heartses!'

Strontium Dog: 'Max Quirxx', Part 1

Following Alpha & Sternhammer's attendance at Dredd's Christmas Party, we take a look at Strontium Dog...

NAME
Strontium Dog: 'Max Quirxx', Part 1

FIRST PUBLISHED
Starlord No. 1

DATELINE
13 May 78

PAGE COUNT
5

REPRINTS
Strontium Dog Book 1, The Best Of 2000AD and Strontium Dog: Search/Destroy Agency Files 01

SYNOPSIS
Johnny and Wulf go in search of Max Quirxx and destroy his gunmen.

FIRSTS & LASTS
First appearances of Johnny Alpha and Wulf Sternhammer. First use of the time drogue.

INFORMATION
(The year is 2180 A.D.)

The Galactic Crime Commission on Earth has jurisdiction over many over inhabited planets including Caytor and Bario-3. Caytor is the administration planet of the Dorian Nebula and the locals call themselves Caytans.

Strontium 90 is a radioactive isotope present in fallout from nuclear explosions. It can be biologically absorbed and can cause mutation in humans and animals. Such mutated humans are often subject to prejudice and discrimination.

Search and Destroy Agents, or S.D. Agents, are bounty hunters licensed by the Galactic Crime Commission. They have been nicknamed 'Strontium Dogs'. A Termination Warrant entitles an S.D. Agent to kill an individual. Named Search and Destroy Agents: John Alpha and Wulf Sternhammer.

Blasters and Scatterbeams are projected energy weapons. Chameleon Cloaks refract the light and allow their wearer to blend in with any background. A Time Drogue is a device which can reverse time in localised area.

JOHN ALPHA
S.D. Agent. Born with a mutation related to a strontium shower, he can emit powerful Alpha-rays from his eyes which allows him to see through clothing and flesh. He can also perceive electro-patterns in the brain that tell him the veracity of a statement. Wulf calls him Johnny. He is equipped with a blaster and a time drogue.

WULF STERNHAMMER
S.D. Agent and Alpha's assistant. He speaks English with an accent. He is not a mutant. Wulf carries a large hammer he calls a happy-stick and is also armed with a blaster.

OTHER CHARACTERS
MAX QUIRXX
He has been convicted of multiple murder on Bario-3. Quirxx is hiding in Suite 3A in the Nova Conapt building on Caytan under the alias Marv Quincy.

DEATHS
Three. Johnny and Wulf kill one of Quirxx's gunman each. Johnny brings one back from the dead with a time drogue and then allows him to die a second time.

BEST LINES
Johnny (to the gunman resurrected by the time drogue): "The electro-patterns in your brain tell me you are lying! Talk! Or I'll make you die a thousand times!"

WORST LINES
Caytan citizen: "There's one of them S.D. killers - one of them Strontium Dogs!"

CATCHPHRASES
None, although Wulf's accent makes it's presence felt in an array of der, gott, gut, ja, mit, und, ve, vere, voorms, vun

CONTINUITY & CROSSOVERS
None.

INFLUENCES & REFERENCES
Strontium 90 is a genuine radioactive isotope of strontium produced by nuclear fission with a half-life of 28.8 years.

MISTAKES
None.

RETROSPECT
None.

NOTES
None.

CREDITS
Script: T.B. Grover
Artist: Ezquerra
Letters: Jack Potter

T.B. Grover is a pseudonym for John Wagner.

Ezquerra is Carlos Ezquerra.

REVIEW
This is an excellent vignette to introduce Johnny and Wulf. It's astonishing just how much of Strontium Dog is all present and correct in this first episode. Our two lead characters are already believable. The society they live in and their place within it are expertly defined without the need for clumsy exposition. Ezquerra's art is magnificent.

Next Week: 'Get Lost, Or That Woman And Kid Get Smoked!'

Judge Dredd: The Judge Child, Part 26 – Judgement On Fire Mountain!

NAME
Judge Dredd: The Judge Child, Part 26 – Judgement On Fire Mountain!

FIRST PUBLISHED
2000 A.D. Featuring Judge Dredd Prog 181

DATELINE
11 Oct 80

This prog also featured Dash Decent, Meltdown Man, Ro-Jaws' Robo-Tale, Strontium Dog and Tharg The Mighty and a Strontium Dog cover by Carlos Ezquerra.

PAGE COUNT
7

REPRINTS
Judge Dredd In The Judge Child Quest 5, The Complete Judge Dredd 17, Judge Dredd Epics: The Judge Child 3, Judge Dredd Epics: The Complete Judge Child Quest, Judge Dredd Epics: The Judge Child Quest, Judge Dredd The Complete Case Files 02 and The Judge Child.

SYNOPSIS
Dredd catches up with the Judge Child and decides he doesn't want anything to do with him.

FIRSTS & LASTS
First time that a story has lasted to twenty-six parts.

INFORMATION
None.

JUDGE DREDD
He sentences Pa Angel to death, but Owen Krysler kills him first. Dredd decides that Krysler is not fit to be Chief Judge and elects to abandon him to the Grunwalder rather than take him back to Mega-City One.

OTHER CHARACTERS
ELMER ANGEL
He tries to kill Dredd to avenge his son's death. Dredd sentences him to death, but Krysler kills him first.

JUNIOR ANGEL
He once wore slippers to kick a man to death, so it wouldn't hurt to much.

OWEN KRYSLER
He can generate a force field that can withstand bullets. He cracks the rocks supporting Pa Angel with his mind and lets him fall to his death in the lava. Dredd abandons Krysler to the Grunwalder deeming him unfit to be Chief Judge and guilty of murder.

THE GRUNWALDER
Dredd lets him keep Krysler.

ARRESTS
None.

DEATHS
One. Krysler kills Pa Angel. We see Dredd kill Junior again and he shoots two robots as well.

BEST LINES
Hershey (upon hearing that Dredd has left Krysler behind): "You what?"

WORST LINES
Dredd: "I want that boy!"

CATCHPHRASES
None.

CONTINUITY & CROSSOVERS
None.

INFLUENCES & REFERENCES
Unknown.

MISTAKES
Oddly, Pa Angel says "Pore" instead of "Poor" for no discernible reason.

RETROSPECT
Pa and Junior Angel return to Judge Dredd in Awakening Of Angels and their own strip, The Angel Gang, while Owen Krysler comes back in Destiny's Angels and City Of The Damned.

NOTES
None.

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

REVIEW
Well, that was anti-climactic. The opening is impressive, but simply a repeat of last week's cliffhanger. Krysler turning on Pa Angel is great, but a long time coming. Dredd's decision that Krysler isn't fit to be the Chief Judge is fantastic, but his abandonment isn't. Dredd judges and sentences Junior and Pa Angel, but has no recourse for Krysler. Also the set up with the Grunwalder all goes for nothing here.

The End.

Next Prog: On The Streets Again!

Judge Dredd: The Judge Child, Part 25 – Hell’s Angel!

NAME
Judge Dredd: The Judge Child, Part 25 – Hell's Angel!

FIRST PUBLISHED
2000 A.D. Featuring Judge Dredd Prog 180

DATELINE
4 Oct 80

This prog also featured The Mean Arena, Meltdown Man, Strontium Dog and Tharg The Mighty, a Judge Dredd cover by Mike McMahon, the other side of the Judge Dredd, Angel Gang and Justice 1 mobile.

PAGE COUNT
7

REPRINTS
Judge Dredd In The Judge Child Quest 5, The Complete Judge Dredd 17, Judge Dredd Epics: The Judge Child 3, Judge Dredd Epics: The Complete Judge Child Quest, Judge Dredd Epics: The Judge Child Quest, Judge Dredd The Complete Case Files 04 and The Judge Child.

SYNOPSIS
Junior gets Old Joe Blind, Dredd gets Junior.

FIRSTS & LASTS
Last appearance of Junior Angel, this side of a resurrection.

INFORMATION
Mount Fire is a volcano in Grunwald next to the Grunwalder's castle.

Oxygen pills can keep someone alive in an airless environment.

JUDGE DREDD
He shoots Junior Angel and throws him into Mount Fire.

OTHER CHARACTERS
PA ANGEL
He is still suffering from gunshot wounds. He gets Krysler to the Grunwald's castle.

JUNIOR ANGEL
The day he was born his mother died. Pa Angel didn't let him kill anyone until he was three years old, except for a tramp who was nearly dead already. He buries himself with an oxygen pill as a trap. He springs his trap and kills Old Joe Blind.

OWEN KRYSLER
Pa Angel gets him to the Grunwald's castle. Krysler claims to have watched Junior Angel's death a thousand times.

OLD JOE BLIND
Junior Angel kills him.

ARRESTS
None.

DEATHS
Two. Junior kills Old Joe Blind. Dredd kills Junior.

BEST LINES
Junior: "Y'all got this comin', Loudmouth! An' even iffen you didn't. You'd still git it! 'Cos I'm jes' plumb fond o' killin'!"

WORST LINES
Robot: "Mount Fire is erupting again, Grunwalder!"
Grunwalder: "Excellent! A perfect backdrop to the Human drama being played out here today!"

CATCHPHRASES
Junior Angel says "Whee-doggie" again.

CONTINUITY & CROSSOVERS
None.

INFLUENCES & REFERENCES
Unknown.

MISTAKES
None.

RETROSPECT
None.

NOTES
None.

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

REVIEW
After a bizarre start, this turns out to be a great face off between Junior and Dredd. This part provides a great insight into Angel family life, Old Joe Blind's death is all the more gruesome for happening between panels and the tragedy that Junior gets his Pa's recognition just in time to burn to death in a pit of lava is brilliant.

Next Prog: Let Justice Be Done!

Judge Dredd: The Judge Child, Part 24 – Grunwald’s Kingdom.

NAME
Judge Dredd: The Judge Child, Part 24 – Grunwald’s Kingdom.

FIRST PUBLISHED
2000 A.D. Featuring Judge Dredd Prog 179

DATELINE
27 Sep 80

This prog also featured Dash Decent, The Mean Arena, Meltdown Man, Comic Rock featuring Nemesis the Warlock and Strontium Dog, Part 1 of a free Judge Dredd Justice 1 & the Angel Gang mobile to cut out and a Strontium Dog cover by Carlos Ezquerra.

PAGE COUNT
6

REPRINTS
Judge Dredd In The Judge Child Quest 5, The Complete Judge Dredd 17, Judge Dredd Epics: The Judge Child 3, Judge Dredd Epics: The Judge Child Quest, Judge Dredd Epics: The Complete Judge Child Quest, Judge Dredd The Complete Case Files 04 and The Judge Child.

SYNOPSIS
Dredd pursues the Angel Gang into Grunwald.

FIRSTS & LASTS
None.

INFORMATION
Grunwald is a robot free-state on Xanadu. The Grunwalder lives in a castle surrounded by volcanic foothills. Humans enter at their own risk.

Among the robots that reside there are mosquitoes equipped with radiophones, robots that take human scalps and implant the hair into their metal casings.

Under Mega-City One law, Section 34b of the Security Of The City Act permits a Judge to execute any person or robot interfering in the Judge's mission.

A Judge's Long Gun can accurately hit a target twelve kilometres away and be dismantled into at least four sections.

JUDGE DREDD
He heads into the Grunwald after the remainder of the Angel Gang. He shoots Pa Angel from twelve kilometres away with his Long Gun.

OTHER CHARACTERS
PA ANGEL
He takes Junior and Krysler into the Grunwald. Dredd tracks him down and shoots him from twelve kilometres away with his Long Gun.

JUNIOR ANGEL
He threatens to kill Krysler when the boy says his brothers are dead.

OWEN KRYSLER
He knows that Link and Mean Machine are dead and predicts that Junior will join them today.

THE GRUNWALDER
It lives in a castle in Grunwald and has an army of robots.

OLD JOE BLIND
His horse dies and he buries him. He leads Dredd to Pa and Junior in the Grunwald.

ARRESTS
None.

DEATHS
None, although Pa and Junior destroy several robots.

BEST LINES
Grunwalder: "Yes! There is steel beneath that flesh. Give the order - he is not to be attacked. I am most interested to see what happens when he meets the other humans..."

WORST LINES
Junior: "Whee-doggie! This here Grunwald sure 'pears to be a real fun place!"

CATCHPHRASES
None.

CONTINUITY & CROSSOVERS
None.

INFLUENCES & REFERENCES
Unknown.

MISTAKES
None.

RETROSPECT
None.

NOTES
None.

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

REVIEW
It's good to see Dredd and Old Joe Blind getting close and having some success for a change and initially the Grunwald appears to be just another distraction, but it reinforces the idea that the Angel Gang are on the back foot and making it up as they go along. The artwork is here nice and the intricate design Grunwalder is intriguing.

Next Prog: ...And Then There Was One!

Judge Dredd: The Judge Child, Part 23 – Fallen Angels!

NAME
Judge Dredd: The Judge Child, Part 23 – Fallen Angels!

FIRST PUBLISHED
2000 AD Featuring Judge Dredd Prog 178

DATELINE
20 Sep 80

The first 2000 AD Featuring Judge Dredd also featured Dash Decent, The Mean Arena, Meltdown Man, Comic Rock featuring Nemesis The Warlock and Strontium Dog, came with a free gift of a badge featuring Judge Dredd and a cover featuring Judge Dredd by Mike McMahon.

PAGE COUNT
7

REPRINTS
Judge Dredd In The Judge Child Quest 5, The Complete Judge Dredd 17, Judge Dredd Epics: The Judge Child 3, Judge Dredd Epics: The Complete Judge Child Quest, Judge Dredd Epics: The Judge Child Quest, Judge Dredd The Complete Case Files 04 and The Judge Child.

SYNOPSIS
Dredd finds Link and Mean Machine.

FIRSTS & LASTS
The first Judge Dredd to feature in 2000 AD Featuring Judge Dredd, which cements him as the central character of 2000 AD. First use of BOKK! as a sound effect. Last appearance of Link.

INFORMATION
Cadets spend fifteen years in the Academy of Law.

JUDGE DREDD
He regards the Academy of Law as the toughest school on Earth.

OTHER CHARACTERS
OLD JOE BLIND
He leads Dredd to Link and Mean Machine. He is injured by Link Angel and Dredd bandages him up.

LINK ANGEL
He dresses in drag to evade Dredd, he fails. Mean Machine goes into a frenzy and headbutts him. He is killed in the resulting explosion when Mean Machine headbutts a gas pump.

MEAN MACHINE ANGEL
He dresses in drag to evade Dredd, he fails and the Judge shoots his arm off. Mean Machine headbutts Dredd. He and Dredd fight, Mean Machine gets his dial stuck on 4 and a 1/2 and can't stop heatbutting. He headbutts a horse, Link Angel and finally a gas pump which causes the explosion that kills him.

ARRESTS
None.

DEATHS
Two. Link and Mean Machine Angel are both killed in a headbutt-related gas pump explosion.

BEST LINES
Link: "Shoot! Dredd's jammed his dial! The Mean Machine is stuck on 4 1/2!"

WORST LINES
Link: "Dadblast! That Judge is fast!"

CATCHPHRASES
Dredd says "Drokk!" and "Grud!"

CONTINUITY & CROSSOVERS
None.

INFLUENCES & REFERENCES
Unknown.

MISTAKES
None.

RETROSPECT
Mean Machine will return to Judge Dredd in Destiny's Angel among others and also in his own eponymous strip.

NOTES
None.

CREDITS
Script: John Howard
Artist: Mike McMahon
Letters: Tom Frame

REVIEW
Link hanging up of the shopkeeper, threatening to torture Old Joe harder than Junior, Mean Machine stuck on 4 1/2 and the two them going out in a blaze of glory are all fantastic moments. This is a lot of fun, but it's obvious that it's here to delay the final showdown.

Next Prog: Grunwald's Kingdom!

Judge Dredd: The Judge Child, Part 22 – Blind Hate!

NAME
Judge Dredd: The Judge Child, Part 22 – Blind Hate!

FIRST PUBLISHED
2000 A.D. and Tornado Prog 177

DATELINE
13 Sep 80

The final 2000 A.D. and Tornado also featured The Stainless Steel Rat, Tharg The Mighty and The Mind Of Wolfie Smith, the last part of the Galactic Olympics micro-guide and a Tharg The Mighty cover by Carlos Ezquerra.

PAGE COUNT
6

REPRINTS
Judge Dredd In The Judge Child Quest 5, The Complete Judge Dredd 16, Judge Dredd Epics: The Judge Child 3, Judge Dredd Epics: The Complete Judge Child Quest, Judge Dredd Epics: The Judge Child Quest, Judge Dredd The Complete Case Files 02 and The Judge Child.

SYNOPSIS
Dredd follows a blind ally.

FIRSTS & LASTS
Last Judge Dredd to appear in 2000 A.D. and Tornado.

INFORMATION
Drybone is a town on Xanadu. Xanadu Gulch is a geographical feature.

Synthi-Biscuits are synthetic biscuits.

JUDGE DREDD
He becomes a target for several Lawbreakers causing an upswing in business for a local undertaker. He meets Old Joe Blind who offers to lead him to the Angel Gang.

OTHER CHARACTERS
PA ANGEL
He decides that Link and Mean Machine will lay a trap for Dredd, while he, Junior and Krysler flee.

JUNIOR ANGEL
He tortured and blinded Old Joe. Junior judges the people of Drybone and sentences several of them to death by hanging.

OWEN KRYSLER
He predicts that Dredd will judge Junior Angel.

OLD JOE BLIND
A prospector that encountered the Angel Gang in Xanadu Gulch. Junior Angel tortured and blinded him and his horse. Since that day he has been able to track them. He offers to lead Dredd to them.

ARRESTS
None.

DEATHS
At least eight. Dredd kills three taps. Junior Angel sentences at least five people to hang.

BEST LINES
Hershey: "A blind guide? You've got to be joking!"
Dredd: "It's the best offer we've had so far, Hershey!"

WORST LINES
Dredd: "You creeps must think I sailed through space on a Synthi-Biscuit!"

CATCHPHRASES
None.

CONTINUITY & CROSSOVERS
None.

INFLUENCES & REFERENCES
The blind man with second sight recalls Tiresias the blind prophet of Thebes from Greek mythology and the Roman Goddess Justice who is used as an allegorical personification and has been largely blindfolded in representations since the 15th Century.

MISTAKES
None.

RETROSPECT
None.

NOTES
None.

CREDITS
Script: John Howard
Artist: Mike McMahon
Letters: Tom Frame

REVIEW
The artwork is great, particularly the opening page, Junior's hangings and Old Joe Blind's appearance. While Old Joe Blind's newly acquired skill is very convenient, I think the graphic flashback to his torture earns it.

Next Prog: Fallen Angels!

Judge Dredd: The Judge Child, Part 21

NAME
Judge Dredd: The Judge Child, Part 21

FIRST PUBLISHED
2000 A.D. and Tornado Prog 176

DATELINE
6 Sept 80

This prog also featured two Ro-Jaws' Robo-Tales, The Stainless Steel Rat and Tharg The Mighty, the third part of the Galactic Olympics Micro-guide and a Tharg The Mighty cover by Carlos Ezquerra.

PAGE COUNT
6

REPRINTS
Judge Dredd In The Judge Child Quest 5, The Complete Judge Dredd 16, Judge Dredd Epics: The Judge Child 3, Judge Dredd Epics: The Complete Judge Child Quest, Judge Dredd Epics: The Judge Child Quest, Judge Dredd The Complete Case Files 04 and The Judge Child.

SYNOPSIS
On Xanadu did Pa Angel a presidential suite decree, while Dredd searches for the Judge Child once again.

FIRSTS & LASTS
First use of Link Angel's name. Apparently this is the first section co-wrote by Alan Grant.

INFORMATION
(This part is set 83 days after Part 7)

Xanadu is a volcanic planet on the far edge of the Johannsen Cluster. It was declared an open planet in 2078 and is now home to fugitives from all over the galaxy. Xanada has its own currency.

JUDGE DREDD
Owen Krysler appears to him in a vision.

OTHER CHARACTERS
PA ANGEL
The Angel Gang crash land on Xanadu. Pa moves into the Presidential Suite in a hotel on Xanadu and evicts the previous occupant.

JUNIOR ANGEL
He kills the sheriff of a town on Xanadu.

MEAN MACHINE ANGEL
The dial on his forehead has been labelled 1 Surly, 2 Mean, 3 Vicious, 4 Brutal. On Xanadu, he headbutts the stage coach on 3.

LINK ANGEL
He throws the Presidential Suite's hotel guest out through the window.

OWEN KRYSLER
He attempts to warn the Angel Gang of their impending deaths, but is threatened with violence. He appears to Dredd in a vision. He claims he can see several potential futures, but not his own.

ARRESTS
None.

DEATHS
One. Junior Angel kills the sheriff.

BEST LINES
Krysler: "The final act has begun. Let it be played out...To the end..."

WORST LINES
None.

CATCHPHRASES
None.

CONTINUITY & CROSSOVERS
None.

INFLUENCES & REFERENCES
Xanadu shares its name with a location in Samuel Taylor Coleridge's poem Kubla Khan or A Vision In A Dream. A Fragment (1797), the home of Orson Welles' Citizen Kane (1941), a 1980 film starring Olivia Newton-John and 'The Legend Of Xanadu', a 1968 UK number one single by Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich.

MISTAKES
None.

RETROSPECT
None.

NOTES
None.

CREDITS
Script: John Howard
Artist: Mike McMahon
Letters: Tom Frame

REVIEW
The art is great, the comedy and the action go hand in hand and, at last, The Judge Child feels as though the story is getting back underway.

Next Prog; Through The Eyes Of The Blind!

Judge Dredd: The Judge Child, Part 20

NAME
Judge Dredd: The Judge Child, Part 20

FIRST PUBLISHED
2000 A.D. and Tornado Prog 175

DATELINE
30 Aug 80

This prog also contained The Stainless Steel Rat, The V.C.'s and The Mind Of Wolfie Smith, part 2 of the Galactic Olympics micro-guide and a cover by Dave Gibbons.

PAGE COUNT
6 and a 1/2

REPRINTS
Judge Dredd In The Judge Child Quest 4, The Complete Judge Dredd 16, Judge Dredd Epics: The Complete Judge Child Quest, Judge Dredd Epics: The Judge Child 3, Judge Dredd Epics: The Judge Child Quest, Judge Dredd: The Complete Case Files 04 and The Judge Child.

SYNOPSIS
A miniaturised Dredd fights back.

FIRSTS & LASTS
First time Dredd is returned to normal size.

INFORMATION
Bryo is an inhabited rock in space.

Orbal Carnivores are a species that could possibly be house trained.

Justice 1's robots cannot land the ship without the authority of a Judge. A Judge's Lawmaster can still function when miniaturised.

JUDGE DREDD
He escapes from Quintz's suitcase using a fishing reel to lower himself and a miniaturised Lawmaster to the ground. He attacks and miniaturises Quintz, returning himself to normal size.

OTHER CHARACTERS
RINUS LIMPOPOP QUINTZ
His destination is Bryo, but the robots refuse to land the ship without a Judge's authorisation. A miniaturised Dredd attacks Quintz and destroys a warp bubble in his hand which miniaturises Quintz and leaves him unconscious.

JUDGE HERSHEY
Dredd returns her to her normal size.

JUDGE LARTER
Dredd returns him to his normal size.

ARRESTS
None, but Quintz is incarcerated and Dredd implies he will deal with him when they get back to Earth.

DEATHS
None.

BEST LINES
Judge: "Almost out of line!"
Dredd: "Save your breath! I'm there!"

WORST LINES
From Dredd's Log: "Black globes had spilled onto the floor among the silver. They had to be the reverse space warps"

Did they?

CATCHPHRASES
Quintz exclaims "Zorks!" and "Coddlestocks!", Hershey calls Dredd "Old Stony Face" again, while a tiny Dredd says "Drok!"

CONTINUITY & CROSSOVERS
None.

INFLUENCES & REFERENCES
Character too small for their environment are seen in Gulliver's Travels (1726), the Doctor Who story Planet Of Giants (1964), the Land Of The Giants TV series (1968-1970) and the animated Star Trek episode The Terratin Incident (1973).

MISTAKES
Nanja is spelt Ninja on the Dragon's box.

RETROSPECT
None.

NOTES
None.

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

REVIEW
With the search for the Judge Child once again long forgotten, this strips descends to the silliest depths the strip has plumbed for a very long time. Krump! is possibly the oddest sound effect in Judge Dredd yet, but then what noise should returning to normal size make?

Next Prog: The Angel Gang Found!

Judge Dredd: The Judge Child, Part 19 – Salesman!

NAME
Judge Dredd: The Judge Child, Part 19 – Salesman!

FIRST PUBLISHED
2000 A.D. and Tornado Prog 174

DATELINE
23 Aug 80

This prog also featured Robo-Hunter, The Stainless Steel Rat, The V.C.'s and The Mind Of Wolfie Smith, Part 1 of the Galactic Olympics Micro-guide to cut-out-and-keep and a Galactic Olympics cover by Kevin O'Neill.

PAGE COUNT
6

REPRINTS
Judge Dredd In The Judge Child Quest 4, The Complete Judge Dredd 16, Judge Dredd Epics: The Judge Child 3, Judge Dredd Epics: The Judge Child Quest, Judge Dredd Epics: The Complete Judge Child Quest, Judge Dredd: The Complete Case Files 04 and The Judge Child.

SYNOPSIS
A travelling salesman shrinks the Judges.

FIRSTS & LASTS
First time Dredd shrinks.

INFORMATION
(This part begins 79 days after Part 7)

The Groat is the common unit of galactic currency, nicknamed the Shug. Under galactic convention, distress calls from Refuge Stations must be answered and hitchhikers must be picked up. There are many Refuge Stations between Ab and Xanadu.

The Terlian Warpers can build objects that are bigger on the inside. Nanja Dragons weigh a hundred tonnes and spit fire.

Justice 1 is equipped with deep sleep facilities and at least four cabins.

JUDGE DREDD
He declines to do business with Rinus Limpopop Quintz. Quintz shrinks Dredd, but the Judge manages to get his respirator on and so remains conscious.

OTHER CHARACTERS
RINUS LIMPOPOP QUINTZ
A travelling salesman who sells merchandise from seventeen systems from a suitcase that is bigger on the inside. He sends a distress call from a Refuge Station and asks for passage aboard Justice 1. He shrinks the Judges for later sale at 400 Groats for a set of three.

JUDGE HERSHEY
Rinus Limpopop Quintz shrinks her and puts her in his suitcase. Dredd brings her round with his respirator.

JUDGE LARTER
Rinus Limpopop Quintz shrinks him and puts him in his suitcase. Dredd brings him round with his respirator.

ARRESTS
None.

DEATHS
None.

BEST LINES
Quintz: "Perfumes and spices from the seventeen systems! Cloth from the galaxy's finest weavers! Precious stones and rottlebones! Synthetic Hair and tableware! Large things and small things, things that don't make sense at all things!...Rinus can supply!"

WORST LINES
Dredd: "My guess is, we're in the salesman's suitcase!"

Well, yeah.

CATCHPHRASES
A tiny Dredd says "Stomm!"

CONTINUITY & CROSSOVERS
None.

INFLUENCES & REFERENCES
A suitcase that's bigger on the inside recalls Mary Poppins' carpet bag (1934) and Doctor Who's TARDIS (1963). While shrinking characters may be references to Alice's Adventures In Wonderland (1865).

MISTAKES
None.

RETROSPECT
The Refuge Stations are similar to space stations later seen in Ace Trucking Co.

NOTES
None.

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

REVIEW
We were just getting back on track and now this. At least Rinus Limpopop Quintz looks great.

Next Prog: Mayhem Of The Micro-Judges!

Judge Dredd: The Judge Child, Part 18

NAME
Judge Dredd: The Judge Child, Part 18

FIRST PUBLISHED
2000 A.D. Prog 173

DATELINE
16 Aug 80

This prog saw the price rise to 14 pence Earth money and features Robo-Hunter, The Stainless Steel Rat, The V.C.'s and The Mind Of Wolfie Smith, a Star Pin-Up of The Stainless Steel Rat and a Judge Dredd cover by Brian Bolland.

PAGE COUNT
6

REPRINTS
Judge Dredd In The Judge Child Quest 4, The Complete Judge Dredd 16, Judge Dredd Epics: The Judge Child 2, Judge Dredd Epics: The Judge Child Quest, Judge Dredd Epics: The Complete Judge Child Quest, Judge Dredd The Complete Case Files 02 and The Judge Child.

SYNOPSIS
Dredd gets a lead on the Angel Gang as Prosser finally disappears.

FIRSTS & LASTS
Lopez's death is apparently Hershey's first experience of the death of a comrade.

INFORMATION
(This part ends 73 days after Part 7)

Xanadu is a planet. Texas Astro operate spacecraft out of Texas City. 4000 A.D. is a comic.

JUDGE DREDD
He gets to Prosser just in time to identify him as not one of Krysler's kidnappers. He interviews Prosser and learns that Krysler's predictions caused his death.

OTHER CHARACTERS
PROSSER
He was the captain of the Texas Astro Spacecraft Southern Belle. The Angel Gang hijacked his ship and forced him to take them to Xanadu. They set him adrift in an escape pod and he found his way to Ab. Dredd reaches him as he is in the final stages of Jigsaw Disease.

JUDGE LOPEZ
He dies and the Judges commit his body to space.

ARRESTS
None.

DEATHS
At least ten. Junior Angel puts the Southern Belle's passengers out the airlock. Lopez died.

BEST LINES
Prosser (whilst hanging over a precipice): "Please! Not my fingertips! Not now!"

WORST LINES
None.

CATCHPHRASES
Dredd says "Drokk!" twice.

CONTINUITY & CROSSOVERS
None.

INFLUENCES & REFERENCES
Unknown.

MISTAKES
None.

RETROSPECT
None.

NOTES
None.

CREDITS
Script: John Howard
Artist: Brian Bolland
Letters: Tom Frame

REVIEW
The last stages of Jigsaw disease and Ab's architecture make for fantastic visuals. The twist that the Judge Child can predict a future that will only come to pass as a result of his predictions is brilliant. It's also a relief that the appearance of the Angel Gang and Krysler albeit in flashback gets the story back on track.

Judge Dredd: The Judge Child, Part 17

NAME
Judge Dredd: The Judge Child, Part 17

FIRST PUBLISHED
2000 A.D. Prog 172

DATELINE
9 Aug 80

This prog also contained Robo-Hunter, The Stainless Steel Rat, The V.C.'s and The Mind Of Wolfie Smith, a Judge Dredd Star Pin-Up and a Judge Dredd cover by Brian Bolland.

PAGE COUNT
6

REPRINTS
Judge Dredd In The Judge Child Quest 4, The Complete Judge Dredd 16, Judge Dredd Epics: The Judge Child 2, Judge Dredd Epics: The Complete Judge Child Quest, Judge Dredd Epics: The Judge Child Quest, Judge Dredd: The Complete Case Files 04 and The Judge Child.

SYNOPSIS
Lopez takes Oracle Spice and Prosser goes to pieces.

FIRSTS & LASTS
None.

INFORMATION
(The Dredd sequence of this strip begins 50 days after Part 7 and ends 72 days after)

Ab is a planet in the Warp system, also known as Bedlam. The natives speak Allspeak. The Police Headquarters are shaped like a cup, while illegal aliens are housed in the Foot Building, named for its shape. 3000 A.D. is a comic.

Jigsaw Disease is a fatal affliction which sees parts of the patient's body disappear in strangely regular patterns until they waste away altogether. Sufferers are not infectious. There is no cure, but there is a mercy drug which speeds up the symptoms.

Allspeak is a unique alien form of speech which is understood in any language.

Judges take personality profiles to indicates the susceptibility to hallucinogenic drugs.

JUDGE DREDD
He orders Lopez to take Oracle Spice and on his instructions assumes a course for Ab. He explores Ab and visits Police Headquarters where he learns about Prosser.

OTHER CHARACTERS
PROSSER
Human visitor to Ab. He entered the planet illegally some weeks before Dredd's visit. He is diagnosed with Jigsaw disease. Frustrated he steals what he believes to be medication for his condition, but is actually a form of euthanasia.

JUDGE LOPEZ
His personality profile indicates he would be most receptive to hallucinogenic drugs. Dredd orders him to take Oracle Spice to locate Owen Krysler. He hallucinates visions of Murd the Oppressor, Sagbelly and his own death. He falls into a coma and remains in that condition for at least 22 days.

ARRESTS
None.

DEATHS
None.

BEST LINES
Hershey: "We'll start with one drop. No telling what the proper dose is. Even this much could kill you!"
Lopez: "You know how to say all the right things, Hershey!"

WORST LINES
None.

CATCHPHRASES
A hallucinating Lopez screams an "Aieeee!"

CONTINUITY & CROSSOVERS
None.

INFLUENCES & REFERENCES
Lopez mentions Humpty Dumpty, a nursery rhyme the first recorded version of which date from late 18th century England.

MISTAKES
How does Allspeak work?

RETROSPECT
None.

NOTES
None.

CREDITS
Script: John Howard
Artist: Brian Bolland
Letters: Tom Frame

REVIEW
The search for the Judge Child becoming the search for Oracle Spice is worth it for Dredd forcing Lopez to take the stuff and his subsequent hilarious vision of Sagbelly with a moustache. Bolland's art is as excellent as ever and the symptoms of Jigsaw Disease provide an wonderful visual, but here it almost seems like one idea too many. It seems ungrateful to say so with so much on offer here, but after such a long search for Oracle Spice, I would have expected a week devoted to Lopez's hallucinations. Allspeak is another odd development, after making the effort to explain how the Judges were understood on Agros we have to lose a panel to clarify why they don't need to worry about that this time.

Next Prog: Prosser, The Puzzle....And Pa Angel!

Judge Dredd: The Judge Child, Part 16 – Sagbelly

NAME
Judge Dredd: The Judge Child, Part 16 – Sagbelly

FIRST PUBLISHED
2000 A.D. and Tornado Prog 171

DATELINE
2 Aug 80

This prog also featured Robo-Hunter, The Stainless Steel Rat, The V.C.'s and The Mind Of Wolfie Smith and a wraparound cover featuring The Stainless Steel Rat by Carlos Ezquerra.

PAGE COUNT
7

REPRINTS
Judge Dredd In The Judge Child Quest 4, The Complete Judge Dredd 16, Judge Dredd Epics: The Judge Child 2, Judge Dredd Epics: The Complete Judge Child Quest, Judge Dredd Epics: The Judge Child Quest, Judge Dredd: The Complete Case Files 04 and The Judge Child.

SYNOPSIS
Murd brings Dredd back from the dead to feed him to his toad.

FIRSTS & LASTS
First appearance of Sagbelly and first resurrection of Dredd.

INFORMATION
Lawmasters can fire flares.

Oracle Spice is a secretion from a wart on the hindquarters of Sagbelly, a giant Toad on Necros.

JUDGE DREDD
Dead. Killed by one of Murd's Watchers. Murd brings him back to life and in order to give Sagbelly live food. Dredd stabs Sagbelly with his knife and escapes. He kills Murd who falls into Sagbelly's pity and is eaten instead. Dredd takes some Oracle Spice with him and destroys the rest.

OTHER CHARACTERS
MURD THE OPPRESSOR
He has stockpiled ten thousand years worth of Oracle Spice. He feeds ten fat men to Sagbelly and resurrects Dredd. Murd was once like the rest of the inhabitants of Necros, but his use of the Oracle Spice has altered him. His mother died ten thousand years ago. Dredd kills him with a metal stake, he falls into Sagbelly's pit and is eaten. With him dead his Watchers crumble to dust and the mist clears. He haunts Dredd briefly as the Judge takes the Oracle Spice.

SAGBELLY
Toad of Toads. The Oracle. Oracle Spice comes from a wart on his hindquarters. He is at least ten thousand years old. Murd has been harvesting the Oracle Spice and sacrifices ten fat men to Sagbelly who swallows them alive to maintain production, one life for one drop of Oracle Spice. When Dredd kills Murd and he falls into the pit, Sagbelly eats him.

ARRESTS
None.

DEATHS
Twelve. Sagbelly eats ten fat men, Dredd impales Murd on a stake and Sagbelly eats him too, but it disagrees with him and kills him.

BEST LINES
Dredd: "Sagbelly is dead! Must've been something he ate!"

WORST LINES
Fat Man: "Not the toad!"

Where did you think you were going?

CATCHPHRASES
Dredd says "Drokk!" as he is flung off the face of an enormous toad, but then wouldn't you? A blinded Murd screams "Aaaiiiii!"

CONTINUITY & CROSSOVERS
None.

INFLUENCES & REFERENCES
Unknown.

MISTAKES
None.

RETROSPECT
Murd returns solo in Behold The Beast, with Sagbelly in Judge Dredd: Judgement Day and with one of his Watchers in Lowlife: Saudade.

NOTES
None.

CREDITS
Script: John Howard
Artist: Mike McMahon
Letters: Tom Frame

REVIEW
A giant toad that secretes a prophetic substance from a wart on its arse? It's bizarre and really doesn't feel like Judge Dredd anymore, but it's still brilliant. The oracle spice had better be worth it though.

Next Prog: The Jigsaw Man