Ro-Busters: 'Avalanche!'

NAME
Ro-Busters: 'Avalanche!'

FIRST PUBLISHED
2000 AD Annual 1980

DATELINE
1 Sept 79

PAGE COUNT
10

REPRINTS
The Complete Ro-Busters.

SYNOPSIS
Geneva is buried in an avalanche.

FIRSTS & LASTS
First Ro-Busters appearance in a 2000 AD Annual.

INFORMATION
Geneva is home to the world bank. The Robo-Hilton provides accommodation for robots.

Ro-Busters has medical and maintenance teams.

HAMMER-STEIN
He parachutes down to the avalanche site, but his landing sends his armaments circuits haywire and his weapons fire with one shell lodging in Mek-Quake. He rescues a little girl on her own and later a group of children.

RO-JAWS
He parachutes down to the avalanche site. He helps rescue a group of children

OTHER CHARACTERS
HOWARD QUARTZ
He keeps his money in the World Bank. When Mek-Quake's brain is damaged the Ro-Busters maintenance team suggest taking a scraping of Quartz' brain and grafting it into the robot. He does not get paid by the Mayor of Geneva.

MEK-QUAKE
One of Hammer-Stein's shells lodges in Mek-Quake. He pushes back the fallen rocks, but is ultimately buried. Hammer-Stein and Ro-Jaws attempt to use explosives to blow the rocks and expect Mek-Quake to be destroyed. Instead the shell detonates and Mek-Quake is freed and his positronic brain is damaged. The Ro-busters' maintenance team suggest using a scraping of Quartz' brain to fix Mek-Quake. It works and Mek-Quake rescues Quartz' money and eats it before aggressively attempting to cuddle him.

DOCTOR OPTICS
He hypnotises Mek-Quake to calm him down.

DEATHS
None, it seems.

BEST LINES
Ro-Jaws (about Howard Quartz): "Heh Heh! He doesn't know which is worse - bein' operated on or losin' his money!"

WORST LINES
Ro-Jaws (about Howard Quartz): "I reckon they should change his name to Howard Squashed! Heh! Heh! Heh!"

CATCHPHRASES
There are a few mentions of "Humes".

CONTINUITY & CROSSOVERS
None.

INFLUENCES & REFERENCES
Unknown.

MISTAKES
After the brain scraping graft to Mek-Quake, is Howard Quartz still Mr Ten-Per-Cent?

RETROSPECT
None.

NOTES
None.

CREDITS
Script: Unknown
Artist: Kev F Sutherland
Letters: Unknown

REVIEW
This strip features some good characters moments for Ro-Jaws, Mek-Quake and Howard Quartz and some heroism for Hammer-Stein, but the visuals fail to get the avalanche itself across and the story itself feels pretty throwaway.

The End.

Judge Dredd: The Sweet Taste Of Justice

NAME
Judge Dredd: The Sweet Taste Of Justice

FIRST PUBLISHED
2000AD Sci-Fi Special 1981

DATELINE
01 Jun 81

PAGE COUNT
10

REPRINTS
Judge Dredd (Volume 2) 6, Judge Dredd (Volume 2) 61 & Judge Dredd: The Restricted Files 01

SYNOPSIS
Dredd goes after smugglers of white powder.

FIRSTS & LASTS
First mention of sugar being illegal in Mega-City One.

INFORMATION
In Mega-City One, there is an Eezi-Walk over a speedway near to Muhammad Ali Alley. The Nose And Lip Shop stocks Kosmik Kiss lipstick. Mega-Prison West. All Pan-Can road traffic enters Mega-City One through the North Gate, everything is checked for signs of radioactivity.

In 1999, scientists declared sugar to be a major cause of heart disease, obesity and tooth decay. It was banned and only artificial sweeteners were permitted. In Mega-City One, the illegal importation of sugar is still a crime as are withholding information from a Judge and defacing a Judge's uniform are crimes. Named Judges: Judge Gale, Judge Medway, Judge Ridley. Judge Watson

Pan-Can exports clean soil from Mega-City One. The Canada Plantations also grow sugar.

Hover-Juggers are used for transportation of goods via road.

JUDGE DREDD
Whilst on patrol he sees Max Normal who gives him information about an illegal shipment of goods coming into Mega-City One tonight. They are shot at by a sniper. Normal is wounded. Dredd pursues the shooter, who takes a hostage. Dredd uses a ricochet shot to take him out and he falls onto the Mega-Way. Dredd investigates

OTHER CHARACTERS
MAX NORMAL
Whilst informing Dredd of an illegal shipment of goods coming into Mega-City One tonight, he is shot by a sniper and hospitalised. He recovers and the Justice Department authorises a payment of 40,000 creds.

ROXANNE GLEEG
She lives at Flat 17A, Ricardo Montalban Block, she is the girlfriend of Dave 'Boy' Tork and customer of The Nose And Lip Shop were she purchased Kosmik Kiss lipstick. Dredd arrests her for withholding information and defacing his uniform when she kisses his helmet.

DAVID SIDNEY TORK
Known mobster, nicknamed 'Boy'. Boyfriend of Roxanne Gleeg. He was released last week from Mega-Prison West. Dredd stops his Hover-Juggers at the North Gate and after a protracted chase and firefight. Dredd arrests him for the illegal importation of sugar.

JUDGE WATSON
He assists Dredd's blockade of the North Gate. He gets shot.

ARRESTS
Two. Dredd arrests Roxanne Gleeg for withholding information from a Judge and defacing a Judge's uniform. He later arrests Tork for the illegal importation of sugar and sentences him to twenty years.

DEATHS
Four. Dredd shoots the assassin who falls into traffic below and is "spread over 500 metres of mega-way". Tork's driver is shot dead by Judges and the driver and passenger of Hover-Jugger 1 die in a explosion.

BEST LINES
Adult with Susan: "Look, Susan - that what you'll get if you don't behave"

WORST LINES
Perp: "Judges! Whack 'em out!"

CATCHPHRASES
Dredd: "Halt in the name of the law!", a dying perp named Mico screams an "Aieeee!" and a Judge says "Drokk!"

CONTINUITY & CROSSOVERS
None.

INFLUENCES & REFERENCES
Muhammad Ali Alley

MISTAKES
None.

RETROSPECT
None.

NOTES
None.

CREDITS
Script: Staccato
Artist: Colin Wilson
Letters: Thomas

REVIEW
The action sequences are impressive and it's great to see Max Normal back again. The script is at great pains to avoid spoiling the reveal of the sugar, with its references to white powder, but the title has already given that away. Colin Wilson's art is magnificent and the layout of the panels really gives it a boost.

The End.

Strontium Dog: Assault on Trigol 3!

NAME
Strontium Dog: Assault on Trigol 3!

FIRST PUBLISHED
2000 AD Sci-Fi Special 1979

DATELINE
1 June 79

PAGE COUNT
4

REPRINTS
Strontium Dog Search/Destroy Agency Files 04.

SYNOPSIS
Johnny, Wulf and the Gronk attempt to arrest Harry the Horse on Trigol 3.

FIRSTS & LASTS
First Strontium Dog strip in a 2000 AD special.

INFORMATION
Trigol 3 is a mining planet in the Darma system. It is famous for its orbiting statue of a prospector.

Nickel City is a settlement on Trigol 3. Deke Wilson is the marshal. It has a bank, hotel and stores. There has been an ore strike nearby. A Galaxy Judge visits Nickel City from time to time. It has recently been renamed Lawless and then re-renamed Alphaville.

A reacto-flyer is a mode of transport.

Electronux carry twenty thousand volts.

JOHNNY ALPHA
He has been to Trigol 3 and Nickel City before, and he knows Deke Wilson. He vaporises Jem's hover horse. He agrees to help Deke. When Harry the Horse takes Billy Wilson prisoner and attempts to exchange him for his own son, Johnny agrees, sets his blaster to low power and fires harmlessly through Billy and into Harry killing him.

OTHER CHARACTERS
WULF STERNHAMMER
He helps Johnny and Deke. Wulf uses a time bomb to send three of Harry the Horse's men two days into the future, leaving them to die in the freezing cold of space.

THE GRONK
It heals Deke Wilson's wound.

DEKE WILSON
Marshall of Nickel City. His son Billy disappeared six weeks ago. He is injured in an altercation with Jem, the Gronk heals his wound.

BILLY WILSON
Deke Wilson's son. He joined Harry the Horse's gang, but soon realised his mistake. He was forced to stay and six weeks later was used in a prisoner exchange for Harry's son.

HARRY THE HORSE
He is wanted for planetcide. He currently lives on Trigol 3. He has a son that Deke Wilson arrested. Harry sends his men to free his son, but Johnny and Wulf force them to retreat. Harry has Deke's son Billy captive and attempts a prisoner exchange. Johnny kills Harry.

DEATHS
Four. Johnny kills Harry the Horse with his blaster. Wulf kills three of his men with a time bomb.

BEST LINES
None.

WORST LINES
Johnny Alpha: "Statues everybody! Unless you want the same!"

What?

CATCHPHRASES
Wulf says Der, Got, gut, ja, mitt, vanted, vild, vos, vot, vould, Vulf, vun and zey. The Gronk pluralises "my poor heartses" and "rightses".

CONTINUITY & CROSSOVERS
None.

INFLUENCES & REFERENCES
Unknown.

MISTAKES
None.

RETROSPECT
None.

NOTES
None.

CREDITS
Script: Ian Rogan
Artist: Rob Moran
Letters: Aldrich

REVIEW
This is disappointing throughout. The artwork doesn't always sell the ideas, the beginning is muddled, the ending is rushed.

The End

Walter’s Robo-Tale: Shok!, Epilogue

NAME
Walter's Robo-Tale: Shok!, Epilogue

FIRST PUBLISHED
Judge Dredd Annual 1981

DATELINE
1 Sept 80

PAGE COUNT
1/2

REPRINTS
2000AD Prog 612 , Judge Dredd (Volume 2) 35, Hardware DVD liner notes and online here

SYNOPSIS
Mike returns.

FIRSTS & LASTS
None.

INFORMATION
None.

MIKE
Michael returns home to discover Lyn has been replaced by the S.H.O.K. Trooper war robot in a wig.

OTHER CHARACTERS
'LYN'
The S.H.O.K. Trooper war robot is masquerading as Lyn.

DEATHS
None shown, but Lyn is obviously no longer with us and Mike probably doesn't have long.

BEST LINES
'Lyn': "Yes, Michael! I'll give you a kiss...the kiss of death!"

WORST LINES
Mike: "Lyny-Pooh! Your little wombat's home, darling!"

CATCHPHRASES
None.

CONTINUITY & CROSSOVERS
None.

INFLUENCES & REFERENCES
Unknown.

MISTAKES
None.

RETROSPECT
None.

NOTES
None.

CREDITS
Script: Rogan/O'Neill
Artist: O'Neill
Letters: T. Jacob

REVIEW
The dialogue is awful, but the twist at the end more than makes up for it.

The End

Walter's Robo-Tale: Shok!

NAME
Walter's Robo-Tale: Shok!

FIRST PUBLISHED
Judge Dredd Annual 1981

DATELINE
1 Sept 80

PAGE COUNT
6

REPRINTS
2000AD Prog 612, Judge Dredd (Volume 2) 35, the Hardware DVD liner notes and online at Barney.

SYNOPSIS
Lyn's present attacks her.

FIRSTS & LASTS
None.

INFORMATION
Andy Warhol Block is home to Mega-City One's artist colony.

S.H.O.K. Troopers When dismantled they are able to tap a power source and reassemble themselves.

Robot vacuum cleaners are available. Relaxatrion is a form of relaxation.

Laser carvers are a kitchen implement.

Night Crawler is a horror Holo-TV show.

LYN
Metalwork sculptor. She lives in Andy Warhol Block. Mike gives her a dismantled S.H.O.K. Trooper robot as a present. It uses the power source from her vacuum cleaner robot to reassemble itself, attacks Lyn and locks her in. She blinds it with her metal work acid, but it can still track her via her body heat. It attacks again, she impales it and confuses it with an open freezer door. She attacks it with a laser carver.

MIKE
He gives Lyn a dismantled S.H.O.K. Trooper robot as a present. He is called in to help search for Flight AZ Beta missing over the Cursed Earth.

OTHER CHARACTERS
BEX
Vacuum cleaner robot.

DEATHS
None.

BEST LINES
Lyn: "A S.H.O.K. Trooper! Oh, thank you, Mike - the heads make perfect soap holders!"

WORST LINES
S.H.O.K. Trooper: "Severe Sssurprise!"

CATCHPHRASES
None.

CONTINUITY & CROSSOVERS
None.

INFLUENCES & REFERENCES
Unknown.

MISTAKES
None.

RETROSPECT
None.

NOTES
None.

CREDITS
Script: Rogan/O'Neill
Artist: O'Neill
Letters: T. Jacob

REVIEW
The fight sequence is great, the spikiness of the war droid is brilliant and it's refreshing to see a female protagonist for once.

Walter’s Robo-Tale: Shok!, Prologue

NAME
Walter’s Robo-Tale: Shok!, Prologue

FIRST PUBLISHED
Judge Dredd Annual 1981

DATELINE
1 Sept 80

PAGE COUNT
1

REPRINTS
2000AD Prog 612 , Judge Dredd (Volume 2) 35, Hardware DVD liner notes and online here

SYNOPSIS
Mike buys Lyn a present.

FIRSTS & LASTS
First Dreddverse one-off.

INFORMATION
Mega-City Two's shuttle port has at least 81 pads.

MIKE
Strato-Bat pilot. He buys the remains of a war robot from Tombstone Toothbrush for Lyn to use in her metalwork.

OTHER CHARACTERS
TOMBSTONE TOOTHBRUSH
He sells souvenirs from Judge Dredd's crossing of the Cursed Earth. He sells Mike the remains of a war robot.

DEATHS
None.

BEST LINES
Tombstone: "Not so loud, Cobber. Vid screens have faces!"

WORST LINES
None.

CATCHPHRASES
None.

CONTINUITY & CROSSOVERS
Judge Dredd's crossing of the Cursed Earth was seen in The Cursed Earth.

INFLUENCES & REFERENCES
Unknown.

MISTAKES
None.

RETROSPECT
None.

NOTES
This strip served as inspiration for a 1990 film directed by Richard Stanley, called Hardware. The original theatrical release failed to mention Shok! despite having a very similar storyline. Following legal action, a notice was added to later versions and Steve MacManus and Kevin O'Neill received writer's credits.

CREDITS
Script: Rogan/O'Neill
Artist: O'Neill
Letters: T. Jacob

Rogan/O'Neill are Steve MacManus and Kevin O'Neill while T. Jacob is Tony Jacob.

REVIEW
It's a good set-up, the goods Tombstone Toothbrush has for sale are a nice call back to The Cursed Earth and the artwork really lends itself to the grotesque, most obvious in the panel of T.T. seen above.

Judge Dredd: Mad Tooth’s Run

NAME
Judge Dredd: Mad Tooth's Run

FIRST PUBLISHED
Judge Dredd Annual 1981

DATELINE
1 Sept 80

PAGE COUNT
6

REPRINTS
None.

SYNOPSIS
Mega-City One's prime public enemy swears he'll get revenge on Dredd if it's the last thing he does.

FIRSTS & LASTS
First Judge Dredd text story, and possibly the first story that turns out to have been "all a dream".

INFORMATION
Mega-City One's Redemption Square is near a Soy-Meat Take Out shop, a sky-rail train line and a Bierce & Porter undertaking parlour. Bierce & Porter has branches in all the major districts of Mega-City One, but is in reality a front for crime.

The Inter-Date Universal and Mega City Consolidation Pension Fund has had 68 Million Credits stolen from it, in an attack that destroyed half a bank block and killed 5000 people.

Sky-Rail trains can do speeds of 150 and have are equipped with glide-chutes. The 330C-NE train runs from the vicinity of Redemption Square to Justice Central.

Justice Central is 280 miles south of Redemption Square. The Judges have armoured trains.

JUDGE DREDD
McKill wants to get revenge on Dredd.

OTHER CHARACTERS
JOSEPH 'MAD TOOTH' McKILL
Mega-City One's prime public enemy. He has fearsome teeth, his lower incisors flip down at a 45 degree angle and a wafer-thin strip of titanium-treated steel covers his throat as the tooth shoots out like a missile. He and Velasquez blew up half a bank block, killing 5000 people, and stole 68 Million Credits from the Inter-Date Universal and Mega City Consolidation Pension Fund. Velasquez is killed in a shootout and McKill is hit by a heat-seeker. He is killed, but in his last few micro-seconds he believes that he kills a Judge, hijacks a hovercar, kills George Gooney during a pursuit and orders the hovercar's driver to let him out on the roof of a sky-rail train. He kills the hovercar driver and cuts his way into the train. Aboard the train he encounters Tony Pistachio's gang and he uses his tooth missile to shatter the train's glass windows and they are sucked out. He heads to Justice Central and kills Dredd.

VOOM-VOOM VELASQUEZ
McKill's partner. He was killed in a shootout with the Judges.

GEORGE GOONEY
Mega-City One Racketeer. He uses Bierce & Porter undertaking parlours as a front. During McKill's dying delusion he gives pursuit in a hover-hearse when he witnesses McKill kill a Judge and McKill kills him.

TONY 'LITTLE GRUNTER' PISTACHIO
Boss of the most prominent gang in Mega-City's South End. During McKill's dying delusion, he is killed when McKill breaks the glass on the train and he and the rest of his gang are sucked out.

ARRESTS
None.

DEATHS
One. McKill dies from a heat-seeker to the back of the neck which ricocheted off the cerebral vertebrae up the spinal cord and out through one of his cerebral hemispheres. Prior to the story 5000 people were killed in his bank raid and his partner Velasquez was shot dead. However during his hallucination easily dozens of people are killed. McKill kills a Judge and with his needle laser, George Gooney with his toothy missile. He shoots the driver of the hovercar as he exits and the vehicle crashes into an airbus full of late-evening shoppers. On board the train he kills a dozen passengers and a guard. He breaks the train's glass windows and Tony Pistachio's gang are sucked out. As he exits, the train collides with another causing an "appalling explosion". Finally he kill Dredd, cutting him in half with his laser.

BEST LINES
"in any case 68 million credits didn't get you very far these days."

WORST LINES
None.

CATCHPHRASES
McKill thinks "drokking" three times, "drokkers" twice, "drokker" once. Members of Tony Pistachio's gang call him a "drokker" and say "My Dok" although since that is all in McKill's head he thought them as well.

CONTINUITY & CROSSOVERS
Glide Chutes were introduced in Judge Dredd: Firebug.

INFLUENCES & REFERENCES
Unknown.

MISTAKES
None, but since most of the story takes place within the brain of a dying man any mistakes would probably need overlooking anyway.

RETROSPECT
None.

NOTES
None.

CREDITS
Story: Jack Adrian
Artist: Dave Gibbons

REVIEW
Mad Tooth's journey from Redemption Square to Justice Central and back again is wonderful. This is a piece of prose that successful escalates continually until it can't get any more epic and then it does, before revealing, and crucially earning, the fact that it was all a dream. Brilliant.

The End

Walter The Wobot: Eisner Block

NAME
Walter The Wobot: Eisner Block

FIRST PUBLISHED
Judge Dredd Annual 1981

DATELINE
1 Sept 80

PAGE COUNT
8

REPRINTS
2000AD Prog 611

SYNOPSIS

FIRSTS & LASTS

INFORMATION
(This strip takes place on a late Friday afternoon)

The Eisner Building is the oldest office building in the Old New York area of Mega-City One. Among the companies using it are Acme Imports and Finglebaum Diamonds.

Plastolene is not a strong substance.

WALTER THE WOBOT
He has bought Dredd a present from Acme Imports in Eisner Block. He climbs into a full lift, which exceeds its weight limit and falls. The emergency stop is engaged and the lift suggests that Walter has a similar circuit to that which needs replacing. He resists, agrees at gunpoint and struggles with Harry for the gun. The lift suggests Walter climb onto the roof and plug himself into the control mechanism. With a little help from the others, Walter climbs out but falls back in again knocking the book out of x's hand. It is revealed to be a bomb, which he throws out of the top of the lift and down the side. The explosion pushes the lift back up the shaft to a pair of doors. Walter makes a citizen's arrest of his fellow passengers using his present for Judge Dredd; a set of manacles. Walter's detainees realise that they are made of plastolene and as one they pull, break them and escape.

OTHER CHARACTERS
MR FINGLEBAUM
Diamond merchant. He gets stuck in the lift. Harry discovers he has been dealing in fake diamonds after a bagful that he stole get crushed in an altercation with Walter. The robot arrests him, but he escapes.

HARRY
He works for Mr Finglebaum. He steals a bag of diamonds and gets stuck in the lift. The diamonds get crushed in a struggle with Walter and Harry realises they are fake, just as Mr Finglebaum discovers he has been stealing from the company. The robot arrests him, but he escapes.

GEORGE
He was in a relationship with Wanda. When Wanda shoots his lover he shoots back, but misses hitting the lift control circuits for Eisner Block.

WANDA
She was in a relationship with George. She catches him with another woman and kills them both. The robot arrests him, but he escapes.

THE BOMBMAKER
He builds a bomb and hides it inside a book, a copy of The Elevator by W. Eisner.

DEATHS
Two. Wanda shoots George and his floozy dead.

BEST LINES
Terrorist (thinks): "What if someone wants to read my 'book' to pass the time?...They'll discover the bomb!"

WORST LINES
Wanda: "...Ancient manacles in his sack!"

CATCHPHRASES
Walter says (and/or thinks) appweciates, awwest, bwave, cwedits, cwikey, cwiminals, cwipes, cwooks, cwush, Dwedd, gwab, lawbweakers, murdewers, opewation, pwesent, pwoper, surpwised, tewowists, tewwific, twapped, tweat, ware, wat, wefuse, wequire, wight nd wotten.

CONTINUITY & CROSSOVERS
None.

INFLUENCES & REFERENCES
William Erwin "Will" Eisner (1917–2005) was a comics writer and artist, known for his series The Spirit (1940–1952).

MISTAKES
None.

RETROSPECT
None.

NOTES
None.

CREDITS
Script: G.P. Rice
Artist: B. McCarthy
Letters: P. Knight

REVIEW
This is easily the most impressive, most stylish and most anti-climactic of all the Walter The Wobot strips. The artwork is wonderful from the opening Eisner style title page to the cross-section of the building to reveal inside the lift, the pages are dripping with fifties noir. The ending however leaves a lot to be desired.

The End

Trans-Time's Guide To Mega-City One!

NAME
Trans-Time's Guide To Mega-City One!

FIRST PUBLISHED
Judge Dredd Annual 1981

DATELINE
1 Sept 80

PAGE COUNT
10

REPRINTS
Judge Dredd: The Restricted Files 04.

SYNOPSIS
A holiday brochure for Mega-City One.

FIRSTS & LASTS
First real insight into the present era in Flesh.

INFORMATION
(This Brochure is copyright Trans-Time Holidays, 2300)

Robots, aliens and animals with the ability to speak are less common in the 23rd Century than they are in the 22nd. Portable Time-Converters are a time travel device. Biz-Wiz Enterprises are a printing company. Trans-Time is a registered corporation. Trans-Time beams its customers' mail back to the time they left.

Among the tours offered by Trans-Time offer a 'Hell Trip' to an undisclosed point in the 20th Century, an opportunity to see Hitler's V1s over London, the A-Bomb explode above Hiroshima, the Lion's tea party in Ancient Rome, a point after the Atomic War, France during the Reign of Terror, the American Civil War, England during the Volgan Invasion of 1999, a 20th Century package tour to Spain's Costa Del Sol, Germany during Nazi rule, Russia during the KGB, China during Mao's Long March, Australia during its settlement by criminals, Sicily during a feud between the Capone family and their neighbours and Mega-City One in 2101.

The Surgeon General has issued a health warning that time travel can be hazardous to health. Trans-Time acknowledge the warning and state that they are not obliged to pay compensation.

Trans-Time's Mega-City One tour arrives at Kennedy Space-Port. Despite the city's accommodation crisis Trans-Time have secured rooms in Charlton Heston Block. Located in the southern sector of the city, 750 crimes are committed in the cityblock every day, but each tour group is supplied with a Securi-droid. The tour includes a free journey to the laundry that Walter visits every week and a trip to the Cursed Earth. Trans-Time publishes a handbook entitled The Streets Of Mega-City One.

Only 13% of Mega-City One's population are in employment. Robots are available in various size, from tiny shoe-polishing models to huge demolition droids. 2101's Robot Of The Year Show features Heavy Metal Kids Mk II. The city has an Alien Relations Board. There are 312 Holovision stations broadcasting in Mega-City One and the Morning News-Fax is a newspaper. The Weather Congress collates the weather preference votes of citizens. Usually the city is hot and sunny, but occasionally a rain storm is ordered to wash the streets. The Mega-City 5000 race was stopped in 2099.

The Judge system is headed by a triumvirate called The Grand Council Of Judges. The Justice Day Parade is an annual event. Tours of The Academy of Law are conducted regularly. Queues form long before the Statue of Judgement opens for business and last all day.
Although derelict the Empire State Building features a reconstruction of Judge Dredd's battle with the Whitey Gang.
As many as fifty thousand Judges could be working in the Grand Hall of Justice at any one time.

ARTHUR RAYMOND
Nicknamed Art 'Ain't-He-Awful' Raymond.

OTHER CHARACTERS
LINDA
Trans-Time's chief courier. She took a Hell Trip to the 20th Century and came back with a dart in her nose.

JUDGE DREDD
The most famous Judge in Mega-City One.

WALTER THE WOBOT
Trans-Time includes a free journey to the laundry that Walter visits every week.

ROCKY VOLLO
A great friend of Johnny Teardrop.

JOHNNY TEARDROP
A great friend of Rocky Vollo.

OTTO SUMP
His face is being used as the Before by The New You Face Parlour

DEATHS
None.

BEST LINES


WORST LINES
The Ed. jokes are not very funny.

CATCHPHRASES
None.

CONTINUITY & CROSSOVERS
Obviously this draws heavily on Flesh. Arthur Raymond opens this brochure with another letter and the Surgeon General's health warning includes an image from Flesh, Book One part 18.

There is a mention of a "recent scandal involving a researcher at the city's Department of Science passing the system's secrets to the Sov-Cities" in Battle Of The Black Atlantic, a reference to the laundry that Walter visits every week as seen in A Tale From Walter's Scwapbook.

There are references to Charlton Heston Block from Cityblock 1, the smokatorium from Smoker's Crime, John Nobody, the Dream Palace and the Annual Justice Day Parade from Dream Palace, The New You Face Parlour from The New You, Aeroball the focus of Harlem Heroes, The Robot Of The Year Show that featured in Robots, The Mega-City 5000 seen in a strip of the same name, You Bet Your Life and the Mines Of Mutieland from You Bet Your Life, Devil's Island, the Empire State Building and Judge Dredd's battle with the Whitey Gang from Judge Whitey, the Palais de Boing and Pinboing Wizard, Sob Story, Johnny Teardrop and Otto Sump from Sob Story, Medicine Today and Call-Me-Kenneth 'Robot Wars', part 2 and Crime Time seen in part 8, Sensor-Round from Krong, the Power Tower and Barney first seen in Father Earth, the Mega-City Standard and the Daily News mentioned in The Invisible Man, part 2, the Mega-Times, Rocky Vollo and Mawxus (sic) Slym from Crime And Punishment, the Weather Congress named in The Solar Sniper, The Academy of Law, Futsies and the Harlem Heroes stadium from The Academy Of Law, cadet's right(s) from Mutie The Pig, part 2, The Statue Of Judgement first seen in The Statue Of Judgement, Mac first seen in The Wreath Murders, Judge Anderson's body in the Hall of Heroes as seen in Judge Death, part 3, Aftermath Square named as such in The Greatest Story Ever Told, Troggies from The Troggies, Don Uggie Apelino and the talking apes first seen in 'The Ape Gang' and his later attempt to raise a billion credits to kill Dredd in The Billion Credit Caper, The Dredd Act from The Guinea Pig That Changed The Law, Conred Conn from The Day The Law Died, part 13, Dino Valdi mentioned in Dredd And the Mob Blitzers, Kleggs first seen in The Day The Law Died, part 6 and an advert for The Forever Towers Home For The Semi-Dead from The Forever Crimes.

A tour to England during the Volgan Invasion of 1999 is obviously a reference to Invasion!

INFLUENCES & REFERENCES
The Long March (October 1933-October 1935) was a military retreat undertaken by the Red Army of the Communist Party of China, which began the ascent to power of Mao Zedong (1893-1976).

MISTAKES
Cadet's Rights is incorrectly stated as Cadet's Right, while Nawxyus Slym is now Mawxus Slym.

RETROSPECT
None.

NOTES
None.

CREDITS
Script: Unknown

REVIEW
To effectively see one strip through the eyes of another, without the interaction of a traditional crossover is a real opportunity and it's certainly not one that is squandered here. This is excellent and surprisingly thorough.

Judge Dredd: The Fear That Made Milwaukee Famous, Part 2

NAME
Judge Dredd: The Fear That Made Milwaukee Famous, Part 2

FIRST PUBLISHED
Judge Dredd Annual 1981

DATELINE
1 Sept 80

PAGE COUNT
7

REPRINTS
Judge Dredd Colour Series: The Streets of Mega-City and Judge Dredd: The Restricted Files 01.

SYNOPSIS
Dredd scares off the Ghosts of Milwaukee

FIRSTS & LASTS
First time Dredd threatens to use a nuclear weapon.

INFORMATION
Milwaukee is haunted by thousands of ghosts who come out at night.

Dog Vultures can be tamed.

JUDGE DREDD
He flees from the Red Leg Raiders with Rhode Island Red in custody. His Lawmaster suffers an oil leak when Red's tamed dog vultures attack and he is forced to drive slower. He takes refuge in Milwaukee as the Red Leg Raiders catch up to them. The Ghosts of Milwaukee scare off Red's men, while Dredd threatens to have another nuclear bomb target Milwaukee. The ghosts depart and Dredd returns to Mega-City One with Red.

OTHER CHARACTERS
RHODE ISLAND RED
He has tamed a pack of dog vultures which pursue and attack Dredd's Lawmaster. When they reach Milwaukee it

ARRESTS
None.

DEATHS
At least four. Dredd destroys a vehicle in pursuit with a bullet to the fuel tank, the resulting explosion kills the driver. Dredd kills at least two of Red's tame dog vultures. When Skink declares that he won't go into Milwaukee, another mutant kills him.

BEST LINES
Skink: "He's riding into Milwaukee! This is as far as I go!"
Ape (as he shoots Skink): "Too right it is, Skink!"

WORST LINES
Ghosts of Milwaukee: "Y-O-U"

Who?

CATCHPHRASES
Dredd says "Drokk!" three times.

CONTINUITY & CROSSOVERS
None.

INFLUENCES & REFERENCES
Unknown.

MISTAKES
None.

RETROSPECT
None.

NOTES
None.

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

REVIEW
Despite delivering no further clarification of why any of this is happening, this part builds to a very nice dénouement as Red's raiders are scared of Milwaukee's ghosts who are in turn scared of Dredd's threat to kill them all over again.

The End.

Judge Dredd: The Fear That Made Milwaukee Famous, Part 1

NAME
Judge Dredd: The Fear That Made Milwaukee Famous, Part 1

FIRST PUBLISHED
Judge Dredd Annual 1981

DATELINE
1 Sept 80

PAGE COUNT
9

REPRINTS
Judge Dredd Colour Series: The Streets of Mega-City and Judge Dredd: The Restricted Files 01.

SYNOPSIS
Dredd goes in search of Rhode Island Red.

FIRSTS & LASTS
First nine page strip.

INFORMATION
A signal caused an American fifty megaton bomb to launch and hit Milwaukee, the blast cracked the bed of Great Lake Michigan open and the water drained away leaving an arid valley. The city lies next to some volcanic hills and it glows at night. The ghost of Milwaukee is rumoured to return each night to seek vengeance and kill individuals in the city at night. Dust Buggies are a commonly used transport vehicle in the Cursed Earth.

Mutant dog vultures are an example of Cursed Earth fauna. Their meat is apparently stringy and rancid

A Judge's Lawgiver can be equipped with a silencer. use Y-Rations

The Red Leg Raiders are a band of mutants lead by Rhode Island Red.

JUDGE DREDD
He has a warrant for Rhode Island Red's arrest and ventures into the Cursed Earth to find him.

OTHER CHARACTERS
RHODE ISLAND RED
Chicken-headed mutant that leads the Red Leg Raiders. Dredd arrests him.

ARRESTS
One. Dredd arrests Rhode Island Red.

DEATHS
Five. Dredd shoots two Red Leg Raiders and a mutant dog vulture dead. Another raiders is impaled on the front of a dust buggy. Rhode Island Red throws Three Eyes to the mutant dog vultures.

BEST LINES
Rhode Island Red: "Rot my wattle! Judge Dredd!"

WORST LINES
Dredd: "Three others running for it!"

Narration?

CATCHPHRASES
Dredd says "Drokk!"

CONTINUITY & CROSSOVERS
None.

INFLUENCES & REFERENCES
Unknown.

MISTAKES
None.

RETROSPECT
None.

NOTES
None.

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

REVIEW
This and Part Two essentially form the centrepiece of the Annual, but do so without much in the way of context. Why is Rhode Island Red worth all this trouble? The artwork is great and the colouring is brilliantly bonkers.

Continued On Page 89.

Judge Dredd: Compulsory Purchase!

NAME
Judge Dredd: Compulsory Purchase!

FIRST PUBLISHED
Judge Dredd Annual 1981

DATELINE
1 Sept 80

PAGE COUNT
7

REPRINTS
Judge Dredd Colour Series: The Streets Of Mega-City, Judge Dredd Megazine 247 and Judge Dredd: The Restricted Files 01.

SYNOPSIS
Dredd must get hold of Norman's heart for the good of Mega-City One.

FIRSTS & LASTS
None.

INFORMATION
Mega-City One has a transplant clinic, near Sector 47's Hiways Bridge. Victor Mature Building is in Mega-City One's City West.

Artificial hearts are made of plasteen, but individuals with a plasteen allergy still require a donor.

Synthi-Flakes is a breakfast cereal. The adverts on a Synthi-Flakes box change every sixty seconds.

Orders for Compulsory Purchase entitle the bearer to procure property on behalf of Mega-City One from an individual. Compensation is paid. The Security Of The City Act allows Judges to take extraordinary action in an emergency.

JUDGE DREDD
He serves Norman Williams with a Compulsory Purchase Order and then retrieves him when he goes AWOL.

OTHER CHARACTERS
GUY SCHULTZ
Mega-City One leading defence expert. He had an artificial heart implanted, but his body rejected it. He is allergic to plasteen. His blood and tissue groups are rare. His only option is a donor heart, but the only match is still alive. He receives Norman Williams' heart and is back on his feet in a matter of days.

NORMAN K. WILLIAMS
Unemployed, married. He lives in Apartment 197/32b of the Victor Mature Building in Mega-City One's City West. His heart is the only match for Guy Schultz. He awakes from sedation, breaks into the organ banks and steals a heart believing it to be his own. He climbs the Hiways Bridge and falls into oncoming traffic. He undergoes surgery to have his heart removed and a replacement implanted. He is revived and given a job as Dr. Coutts assistant. He is dubbed the Artificial Man and likes to stay close to the organ banks, still believing one of the hearts is his.

MRS WILLIAMS
Norman's wife. She agrees to the operation on her husband's behalf.

ARRESTS
None.

DEATHS
None. Technically no one dies, although Norman looks pretty close.

BEST LINES
Mrs Williams: "I'll handle this, Norman! This is outrageous, Judge Dredd! I absolutely refuse to let you cut out my husband's heart - for a credit under fifty thousand!"

WORST LINES
None.

CATCHPHRASES
Dredd says "Drokk!" and a citizen says "Stomm!"

CONTINUITY & CROSSOVERS
None.

INFLUENCES & REFERENCES
Unknown.

MISTAKES
None.

RETROSPECT
None.

NOTES
None.

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

REVIEW
This is excellent. McMahon's artwork is lovely and the colours are vibrant, if a little bizarre in places. The second page (above) encompasses almost everything there is to love about Judge Dredd: the approach to an highly emotive problem that is starkly pragmatic and very silly in equal measure.

The End.

Star Pin Up: Judge Dredd IV

NAME
Star Pin Up: Judge Dredd IV

FIRST PUBLISHED
Judge Dredd Annual 1981

DATELINE
1 Sept 80

PAGE COUNT
1

REPRINTS
None.

SYNOPSIS
Justice Central poster.

FIRSTS & LASTS
First Star Pin-Up which serves as an in-world propaganda poster.

INFORMATION
Justice Central produce posters to promote Law and Order and support for the Judges.

JUDGE DREDD
Justice Central uses his image on posters.

OTHER CHARACTERS
None.

ARRESTS
None.

DEATHS
None.

BEST LINES
Better Dredd Than Dead!

WORST LINES
None.

CATCHPHRASES
None.

CONTINUITY & CROSSOVERS
None.

INFLUENCES & REFERENCES
None.

MISTAKES
None.

RETROSPECT
None.

NOTES
None.

CREDITS
Artist: Mike McMahon

REVIEW
It's a nice image and "Better Dredd Than Dead!" is a great slogan, but the genius of this is Dredd's appropriation as a tool for propaganda. It successfully communicates the cryptofascist nature of the Judge system and Dredd's pseudocelebrity status within it.

Max Normal: 'Mugger's Mile'

NAME
Max Normal: 'Mugger's Mile'

FIRST PUBLISHED
Judge Dredd Annual 1981

DATELINE
1 Sept 80

PAGE COUNT
11

REPRINTS
None

SYNOPSIS
Max Normal doesn't get mugged, but he does get shugged, screwed and even.

FIRSTS & LASTS
First Max Normal strip, first appearance of Ricardo Montalban Block.

INFORMATION
In Mega-City One, Ricardo Montalban Block and Casanovas Block are neighbours. 1006 Street has been nicknamed Mugger's Mile, due to the high level of crime and Judges now only patrol it in squads. The Wee Shuggy Hall is nearby. Mega-City One has a cryo-crypt and Marlon Brando's frozen body is kept there.

Anti-Mugging Gear is worn to prevent mugging. Anti-Anti-Mugging Gear is worn to prevent mugging being prevented.

In shuggy, a sidewinder is a good opening shot, while the Booglariser is the hardest shot in the game. Six-Way Shuggy is a version of the game in which five players can team up against a sixth.

MAX NORMAL
He lives in Ricardo Montalban Block. His calls to Dredd are considered a priority by Justice HQ. Max plays shuggy in The Wee Shuggy Hall and is on a winning streak that has seen him win ten grand from another player. He accepts a challenge to play six-way shuggy against the Sharkey Brothers betting 100,000 credits. When he wins, the brothers cheat and one runs off with Max's money. Later Max's calls the Sharkey brothers purporting to be from the Criminal Employment Bureau offering them a million credits to steal Marlon Brando's frozen cadaver and directs Judge Dredd to their location to arrest them. Dredd pays Max his usual fee.

OTHER CHARACTERS
THE SHARKEY BROTHERS
They challenge Max to play six-way shuggy and cheat when he wins. The brothers threaten Max and he raises the alarm. Walo flees with the credits. Boris beats up the remaining brothers.

JUDGE DREDD
Max Normal tips him off about the attempted theft of Marlon Brando's body and he pays him his usual fee.

DEATHS
None, although I should point out that when this was first printed Marlon Brando was still very much alive.

BEST LINES
Max: "Short hours are the pay is top-notch. A million credits in cold green cash."
Sharkey: "When do we start?"
Max: "That's the spirit! Now listen - here's what I want you to do. You know the Mega-City Cryo-Crypt?"
Sharkey: "Know it? I gotta couple of friends buried in the foundations! We're on our way, pal!"

WORST LINES
Max: "Can ya dig it, boys?"

CATCHPHRASES
Max says "Wowie zowie!"

CONTINUITY & CROSSOVERS
Max and Dredd crossover from the main strip.

INFLUENCES & REFERENCES
Ricardo Montalban Block is named after the actor (1920-2009) who played Khan in the Star Trek episode Space Seed (1967), Armando in Escape From The Planet Of The Apes (1971) and Conquest Of The Planet Of The Apes (1972) and Mr Roarke in Fantasy Island (1978-1984). Marlon Brando (1924-0204) was an actor famous for appearing A Streetcar Named Desire (1951), On The Waterfront (1954), Superman (1978), Apocalypse Now (1979) and as Max mentions The Godfather (1972).

MISTAKES
None.

RETROSPECT
None.

NOTES
Casanovas manages to reference himself not once, but twice as both a cityblock and a frozen corpse.

CREDITS
Script: A.A. Grant
Artist: Casanovas
Letters: S. Potter

Casanovas is Jose Casanovas who also provided artwork for Judge Dredd, Tharg's Dragon Tales, Tharg's Future Shocks, Ro-Jaws' Robo-Tales, Robo-Hunter, Time Twisters and a few one-offs

S. Potter is Steve Potter who also lettered ABC Warriors, Judge Anderson, Ant Wars, Judge Dredd, Finn, Firekind, Tharg's Future Shocks, Halo Jones, Holocaust, Indigo Prime, The Mean Arena, Mean Machine, Mean Team, Mind Wars, Missionary Man, Nemesis The Warlock, D.R. & Quinch, Ro-Busters, Rogue Trooper, Sinister Dexter, Slaine, Strontium Dog, Tales Of Telguuth, Timequake, Time Twisters, Torquemada, Time Flies and Walter The Wobot.

REVIEW
The artwork is stunning and Max makes for a great protagonist here, but eleven pages stretches this a bit far and much of the shuggy game seems like padding as a result.

The End.

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.

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

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.

Invasion!: 'Diversion'

NAME
Invasion!: 'Diversion'
(I have called this story 'Diversion', to differentiate it from other equally Untitled Invasion! strips in other 2000 A.D. Annuals)

FIRST PUBLISHED
2000 AD Annual 1979

DATELINE
1st September, 1978

PAGE COUNT
6

REPRINTS
Invasion!

SYNOPSIS
Savage provides a diversion that help the Brigadier's commando raid to succeed.

FIRSTS & LASTS
None.

INFORMATION
Since the invasion, Bristol is considered impregnable to land attack. The Volgans have converted Bristol's aircraft factories to produce short-range nerve-gas rockets for anti-resistance operations. The river has been unused for shipping since the 1970's when Avonmouth replaced Bristol as a port.

The Volgan air force use Drobny Jump Jets. Scuntripp is a Volgan word, but not a compliment.

BILL SAVAGE
He goes along on the Brigadier's commando raid and steals a fuel container lorry. He destroys it on the Clifton Suspension Bridge providing a diversion that helped ensure the success of Brigadier Bentley-Pearson's commando raid.

OTHER CHARACTERS
PETER SILK
He goes along on the Brigadier's commando raid and helps Savage steal a fuel container lorry.

BRIGADIER BENTLEY-PEARSON
He plans to send a commando raid to destroy the nerve-gas rocket factories.

DEATHS
One. Savage kills a Volgan with his own bayonet. Presumably others die in the blaze.

BEST LINES
Volgan: "Staga! Kill the British Scuntripp!"

WORST LINES
Savage: "Silk? Thought I said get the heck back to the sub? Ever try listenin' to what I say?"
Silk: "I imagine th Brig feels like you, whenhe's trying to obey orders, Savage!"

What?

CATCHPHRASES
"Staga!" appears twice, while the words "Scuntripp" and "Neechar" are of interesting construction.

CONTINUITY & CROSSOVERS
None.

INFLUENCES & REFERENCES
Clifton Suspension Bridge was designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel (1806-1859) and opened in 1864. It spans the Avon Gorge and River Avon linking Clifton in Bristol to Leigh Woods in North Somerset.

MISTAKES
None.

RETROSPECT
None.

NOTES
None.

CREDITS
Script: Unknown
Artist: Unknown
Letters: Unknown

REVIEW
It's a shame that writer and artist are Unknown as the story and artwork are much better than many Invasion! strips that appeared in the prog. Aside from a bizarre panel of a truck driver waggling his finger at a Volgan guard, the artwork has an intriguing style that combines a sketchy quality with architectural precision. The writing has a humility and realism that is often lacking in the main strip. Savage doesn't save the day here vat all, instead he improves the odds so that fewer people will be killed. A more adult take on Invasion! years before Savage.