Undermanned and with a quickly spiraling crime rate, the Justice Department develops robot Judges to rule over Mega-City One following the catastrophic events of ' Necropolis' and 'Judgement Day.' Judge Dredd is immediately hostile to the idea, which is soon proven correct when the robots predictably go rogue.Īn exploration of Judge Dredd's humanity, 'Mechanismo' sees Dredd horrified by illegal violence that is near-indistinguishable from his own daily habits. MechanismoĪutomation will come for us all eventually, and even Judge Dredd is not immune from obsolescence in ' Mechanismo.' A clear influence on both Judge Dredd movies, 'Block Mania' is an important piece of Dredd history. Now in full color, yellows and purples dominate this distorted vision of civilization. Mike McMahon and Brian Bolland offer up vivid visuals of vast apartment blocks and braying crowds. John Wagner and Alan Grant shed a little light on the everyday experience of the average citizen, sadly relatable to anybody who has ever called a big city their home. While 'Apocalypse War' was much bigger in scope, this arc's themes of tension and paranoia among neighbors have stood the test of time. When even his fellow Judges defect to join the fray, Dredd suspects there might be more than social issues at play here…Īfter the mass psychosis is revealed to be the work of spies from East Meg-One, 'Block Mania' led directly to the much bigger 'Apocalypse War'. When a block war escalates, the entirety of Mega-City One threatens to tear itself apart. Ordinary citizens regularly form tribalistic armies, marching under the allegiance of their house. We've all had a neighbor from hell, but never like this in ' Block Mania'! Permanently overcrowded, with its population forced into tiny apartments in monolithic blocks, Mega-City One is a powder keg constantly on the verge of explosion.
Coming in hot for Dredd's second year on the rack, 'The Day The Law Died!' still stands strong even to this day. It's a masterclass in contrast and shading, combined with John Wagner's inimitably sarcastic tongue. Given the talent on display, 'The Day The Law Died!' is gorgeously illustrated in powerful black and white. John Wagner hones Dredd's trademark black comedy here, backed up by living legends Mike McMahon, Brian Bolland, and Brendan McCarthy. Chief Judge Cal even grants his pet goldfish the power of Deputy Chief, his maniacal ultra-competence rivaling even the Joker's abilities for this brief moment.
Laughter? Illegal? Happiness? You guessed it. As a pastiche of the ancient Roman emperor Caligula, Chief Judge Cal is a flamboyant and ruthless despot.Įven by Mega-City One standards, Chief Cal is strict – going so far as trying to sentence the entire population of Mega-City One to death for rioting. A madman takes over Mega-City One in the 1978-9 Judge Dredd epic ' The Day The Law Died!'.
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