Social Items

TPQ
Christopher Owens delves into Sci-Fi.

Science Fiction is often lambasted by audiences.

And for good reason.

But the best science fiction feels like it's set five minutes into the future. A future so absurd, and yet so possible at the same time.

Look at Crash  then consider this.

First published in 2000AD, Judge Dredd is one of the most iconic characters of British comics. His no-nonsense attitude, spliced with plenty of action and satire, quickly won over both children and adults alike.

Set in the 22nd century, the eastern seaboard of America has been turned into Mega City One, a sprawling metropolis that covers the ruins of New York, Washington DC and Boston. With a population of 500 million, and unemployment being estimated at 98%, crime is at an all time high. 'Luckily', Mega City One has the Justice Department, manned by street judges who have the power of judge, jury and executioner to dispense instant justice.

Be it possessing white sugar (banned as an addictive substance), having two jobs, smacking your children, smoking as well as rape, murder and arson, the judges will take no shit. And Dredd, the most notorious of all the street judges, epitomises this.

With writers John Wagner and Alan Grant at the helm throughout most of the 80's, Dredd's steadfast belief in the law became even more terrifying, something Grant acknowledged in an early 90's interview:

... it sometimes frightens me that comic readers, and particularly kids, think that it's great. When we run surveys and ask them 'what do you like about Judge Dredd'...75% of them always respond that Judge Dredd is not tough enough. They want to see him being even...more violent. Which makes it kind of difficult to know exactly where to go with a character next. We have created a hero who is basically a fascist, and people seem to like him...

This anthology, which compiles the 'America' story arc, not only demonstrates Grant's view of Dredd but is also considered to be one of the finest stories in the history of 2000AD.

It tells the tale of two kids, America Jara and Bennett Beeny, who grow up in one of the roughest tower blocks in Mega City One. Beeny is a meek kid, while America is much more forceful and outspoken, protecting him from bullies and the omnipresent judges looking to arrest anyone.

As time goes on, America becomes involved in Total War, a paramilitary group formed from the ashes of the Democracy movement (suppressed, imprisoned and outvoted, thanks to Dredd) while Beeny becomes a famous singer. Unbeknown to both, Dredd and the judges have been monitoring Total War.

What is immediately striking about the writing from John Wagner is that the boundaries between 'good' and 'evil' are blurred to such a degree that they are virtually non-existent.

Dredd, the titular 'hero' of the comic, displays his fascistic credentials to the hilt here (check out the opening page of him with his boot on the American flag, narrating how he stands "...for discipline, good order and the rigid application of the law...Grud help any limp-wrist liberals who say different...Rights? Sure I'm all for rights. But not at the expense of order"), while Total War (despite being correct in their belief of democracy) are bitter, vengeful and unlikeable and Beeny (an empathetic character) is manipulated by both sides for their own ends, as opposed to the greater good (personifying the term 'useful idiot').

Colin McNeil's exemplary artwork captures the grime, claustrophobia and paranoia of living in Mega City One, while also exhibiting a surreal, dreamlike vibe throughout. Even the daytime scenes have dirt under their fingernails (so to speak), and Dredd himself has never looked as foreboding as he does here, particularly in the opening pages. Making it all the more poignant is the sight of the Statue of Liberty being dwarfed by the Statue of Justice.

The old tagline for 2000AD was "The Future is Here." America demonstrates that all too painfully.

John Wagner (script), Colin McNeil (art) 2003 Judge Dredd: The Complete America Titan Books Ltd ISBN-13: 978-1840236156

⏩ Christopher Owens was a reviewer for Metal Ireland and finds time to study the history and inherent contradictions of Ireland. He is currently the TPQ Friday columnist. 

Judge Dredd ➤ The Complete America

Christopher Owens delves into Sci-Fi.

Science Fiction is often lambasted by audiences.

And for good reason.

But the best science fiction feels like it's set five minutes into the future. A future so absurd, and yet so possible at the same time.

Look at Crash  then consider this.

First published in 2000AD, Judge Dredd is one of the most iconic characters of British comics. His no-nonsense attitude, spliced with plenty of action and satire, quickly won over both children and adults alike.

Set in the 22nd century, the eastern seaboard of America has been turned into Mega City One, a sprawling metropolis that covers the ruins of New York, Washington DC and Boston. With a population of 500 million, and unemployment being estimated at 98%, crime is at an all time high. 'Luckily', Mega City One has the Justice Department, manned by street judges who have the power of judge, jury and executioner to dispense instant justice.

Be it possessing white sugar (banned as an addictive substance), having two jobs, smacking your children, smoking as well as rape, murder and arson, the judges will take no shit. And Dredd, the most notorious of all the street judges, epitomises this.

With writers John Wagner and Alan Grant at the helm throughout most of the 80's, Dredd's steadfast belief in the law became even more terrifying, something Grant acknowledged in an early 90's interview:

... it sometimes frightens me that comic readers, and particularly kids, think that it's great. When we run surveys and ask them 'what do you like about Judge Dredd'...75% of them always respond that Judge Dredd is not tough enough. They want to see him being even...more violent. Which makes it kind of difficult to know exactly where to go with a character next. We have created a hero who is basically a fascist, and people seem to like him...

This anthology, which compiles the 'America' story arc, not only demonstrates Grant's view of Dredd but is also considered to be one of the finest stories in the history of 2000AD.

It tells the tale of two kids, America Jara and Bennett Beeny, who grow up in one of the roughest tower blocks in Mega City One. Beeny is a meek kid, while America is much more forceful and outspoken, protecting him from bullies and the omnipresent judges looking to arrest anyone.

As time goes on, America becomes involved in Total War, a paramilitary group formed from the ashes of the Democracy movement (suppressed, imprisoned and outvoted, thanks to Dredd) while Beeny becomes a famous singer. Unbeknown to both, Dredd and the judges have been monitoring Total War.

What is immediately striking about the writing from John Wagner is that the boundaries between 'good' and 'evil' are blurred to such a degree that they are virtually non-existent.

Dredd, the titular 'hero' of the comic, displays his fascistic credentials to the hilt here (check out the opening page of him with his boot on the American flag, narrating how he stands "...for discipline, good order and the rigid application of the law...Grud help any limp-wrist liberals who say different...Rights? Sure I'm all for rights. But not at the expense of order"), while Total War (despite being correct in their belief of democracy) are bitter, vengeful and unlikeable and Beeny (an empathetic character) is manipulated by both sides for their own ends, as opposed to the greater good (personifying the term 'useful idiot').

Colin McNeil's exemplary artwork captures the grime, claustrophobia and paranoia of living in Mega City One, while also exhibiting a surreal, dreamlike vibe throughout. Even the daytime scenes have dirt under their fingernails (so to speak), and Dredd himself has never looked as foreboding as he does here, particularly in the opening pages. Making it all the more poignant is the sight of the Statue of Liberty being dwarfed by the Statue of Justice.

The old tagline for 2000AD was "The Future is Here." America demonstrates that all too painfully.

John Wagner (script), Colin McNeil (art) 2003 Judge Dredd: The Complete America Titan Books Ltd ISBN-13: 978-1840236156

⏩ Christopher Owens was a reviewer for Metal Ireland and finds time to study the history and inherent contradictions of Ireland. He is currently the TPQ Friday columnist. 
Book Reviews Christopher Owens

No comments

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)