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