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Post by Batflunkie on May 20, 2016 13:58:35 GMT -5
 "There's no holding me back. I'm not driven by fear, I'm just driven by anger. And you're under attack, I'm just climbing up slowly, I'm the one and only. The tease, the way, the lie, stumble in your mind. The fear, the hope inside, they hit here!" ~ Our Lady Peace, "Whatever"The year is the 2099, nuclear arms have decimated planet Earth and left only chaos in it's wake. The people who were fortunate enough not to be grossly mutated by the radioactive fallout have fled to huge domed utopias where pleasure is instant, but not free. In this bold new age, a new order is needed to cull back the more primal appetites of man, and so from on high comes the Judges. They are men and women with a fascist sense of justice who "judge" those found guilty on sight by the authority of one; Judge, Jury, & Executioner. The most lauded, as well as the most feared, is Joseph Dredd; the cloned off-spring of Chief Judge Fargo, the one who created the Judicial system. It's his duty to be the cure for the mentally deranged, often the unmerciful specter of death that lords over Mega-City 1 with an iron fist
In this thread, I hope to chronicle the tale of Mega-City one through the various reprints that first introduced America to this satirically morbid vision of the future that would have even made George Orwell cringe in terror. There is also the two fold curiosity of DC comics' "Judge Dredd", made what I'm assuming was sometime prior to the Stallone film and after the first few Batman/Judge Dredd books, and Fleetway's "Judge Dredd: Lawman Of The Future", a veritable mess of copyrights that involved Fleetway having to purchase the rights to the Stallone film of the character they themselves owned.
The former took place in a separate timeline (that as far as I know is not considered cannon), fourty years before the first Judge Dredd story in 2000 AD Prog 2, and shows a world where the Judicial system is still somewhat new and where cops and Judges are forced to share the same streets. The latter, a bastard hybrid of the Stallone film and the original 2000 AD creation, was "child friendly" fare (because kids really need to be reading a dumbed down comic adaptation of an R rated movie) that, believe it or not, was helmed by the numerous authors that made Dredd so great during his glory days in 2000 AD, including John Wagner himself |
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Post by tingramretro on May 20, 2016 14:33:44 GMT -5
Oh, yes! Excellent topic for a thread, I look forward to this!
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Post by Batflunkie on May 20, 2016 14:53:08 GMT -5
The conversation you and me had Ting in the "What Classic Comics Have You Read Lately?" thread got me itching to read Dredd again, and I think I've found that spark that made me fall in love with the character in my teens, going through my mom's comic book bins. Dredd was, like Gerber's Howard The Duck, incredibly important in shaping my outlook on many things during my formative years.
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Post by Batflunkie on May 20, 2016 17:54:26 GMT -5
Okay, before I start, I'd like to explain how the review process is going to work here. With reprints being what they are, it's rather pointless to review the serials themselves. With the original material being far more easier to come by in America than they were in the 1980's when these reprints were published, I'd just as soon as not comment on them on an individual basis but more the issue itself as a whole and how it was able to sell America on the "idea" of Dredd. That being said, I will include the original progs in which the individual serials themselves ran in for reference
Judge Dredd #1, Published by Eagle in 1983 for $1
Serials included
-Judge Death (progs 149 thru 151)
-The Forever Crimes (prog 120)
-Punks Rule (prog 110)
Overall thoughts: The first issue, and the "curated" selection of serials, feels incredibly scattered brained, especially by including "Judge Death" of all things as the first introduction to the world of Judge Dredd itself. "The Forever Crimes" would have been far better considering that it balances all the classic elements of what makes Dredd such a good read, and it's a pretty damn good serial in it's own right. I'm honestly kind of on the fence in regards to "Punks Rule", as it was the first short serial after "The Day The Law Died" and it kind of seems out of place in light of the fact that Eagle would not publish "The Day The Law Died" until around issue around issue 9 or so, with "The Cursed Earth" preceding it. In short, it kind of feels like watching a "clip show" episode of a sitcom, with no real context given to the show itself or it's characters
Rating: 2.5/5
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Post by tingramretro on May 21, 2016 5:26:01 GMT -5
I think their resoning in choosing the Judge Death story was simply that introducing both Dredd and what is effectively his arch enemy at the same time would be more of a hook for new readers, but I agree that it was probably not the best choice. Logically, it would have made more sense to start with something much earlier, but unfortunately it took a while for the strip to really find its feet and become the Judge Dredd we know and love today.
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Confessor
CCF Mod Squad
Not Bucky O'Hare!
Posts: 10,209 
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Post by Confessor on May 21, 2016 10:27:36 GMT -5
Great idea for a thread, batflunkie. I used to pick up these Eagle Comics reprints as they came out in the early-to-mid '80s and I still have a full run of them in my collection, along with the attendant "The Early Cases", "Judge Dredd's Crime File" and "The Judge-Child Quest" mini-series that Eagle also released.
Although I used to regularly read 2000 AD, it was my best friend who used to buy it and I just read his copies (while I bought Star Wars Monthly, Return of the Jedi Weekly or Scream! and let him read those). As a result, I probably owned no more than about 10 issues of 2000 AD myself, despite being a regular reader of the magazine and a fan of most of the series contained within it. So, these American Eagle reprints were a way for me to own some Judge Dredd stories myself and also the paper quality and coloring seemed superior to me than the originals in 2000 AD. Plus, although they were clearly U.S. comics, they seemed to be readily available in UK newsagents at the time.
Anyway, I agree that featuring Judge Death in this first issue was a weird choice, although as a firm fan favourite here in the UK, you could see why Eagle would do that. I agree with tingramretro that starting with some slightly earlier stories would've been a good idea, but maybe not starting right at the beginning, since, as ting mentions, they didn't work out what made Dredd tick straight away.
That said -- and totally agreeing with your point about it being a bit of a messed up introduction to Dredd for the uninitaited -- I'm surprised at the 2.5/5 rating you've given this issue. I don't honestly remember "The Forever Crimes" or "Punks Rule", but the original "Judge Death" story is an absolute classic!
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Post by tingramretro on May 21, 2016 10:53:51 GMT -5
Great idea for a thread, batflunkie. I used to pick up these Eagle Comics reprints as they came out in the early-to-mid '80s and I still have a full run of them in my collection, along with the attendant "The Early Cases", "Judge Dredd's Crime File" and "The Judge-Child Quest" mini-series that Eagle also released. Although I used to regularly read 2000 AD, it was my best friend who used to buy it and I just read his copies (while I bought Star Wars Monthly, Return of the Jedi Weekly or Scream! and let him read those). As a result, I probably owned no more than about 10 issues of 2000 AD myself, despite being a regular reader of the magazine and a fan of most of the series contained within it. So, these American Eagle reprints were a way for me to own some Judge Dredd stories myself and also the paper quality and coloring seemed superior to me than the originals in 2000 AD. Plus, although they were clearly U.S. comics, they seemed to be readily available in UK newsagents at the time. In fact, while they were published primarily for the US market, the Eagle Comics were British publications; if you check the indicia, you'll find the editorial address of Eagle Comics was Kings Reach Tower, London, the same as 2000 AD. Eagle Comics was an imprint of IPC Magazines. The later Quality Comics were also British. The magazines were physically printed in New York, though. Not that it woud have made much difference anyway, since an awful lot of US comics were regularly available in British newsagents in the eighties. Where did it all go wrong...?  |
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Post by Batflunkie on May 21, 2016 11:00:25 GMT -5
Eagle was also apparently founded by the same guy that would later go on to found Titan books, which is a bit of an interesting history And like Confessor said, the serials in Dredd's Crime Files are excellent and would have been a far better introduction to the character as they're what kept me interested in Dredd for years. I almost have the entire run Crime Files with the exception of #3 That said -- and totally agreeing with your point about it being a bit of a messed up introduction to Dredd for the uninitaited -- I'm surprised at the 2.5/5 rating you've given this issue. I don't honestly remember "The Forever Crimes" or "Punks Rule", but the original "Judge Death" story is an absolute classic! Maybe I should have clarified that better as the rating was based more on presentation alone than the actual stories themselves. I really never cared the original Judge Death story myself and far more partial to the one that followed afterwards, but that's kind of beside the point and not really relevant to rating |
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Confessor
CCF Mod Squad
Not Bucky O'Hare!
Posts: 10,209
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Post by Confessor on May 21, 2016 11:37:29 GMT -5
Great idea for a thread, batflunkie. I used to pick up these Eagle Comics reprints as they came out in the early-to-mid '80s and I still have a full run of them in my collection, along with the attendant "The Early Cases", "Judge Dredd's Crime File" and "The Judge-Child Quest" mini-series that Eagle also released. Although I used to regularly read 2000 AD, it was my best friend who used to buy it and I just read his copies (while I bought Star Wars Monthly, Return of the Jedi Weekly or Scream! and let him read those). As a result, I probably owned no more than about 10 issues of 2000 AD myself, despite being a regular reader of the magazine and a fan of most of the series contained within it. So, these American Eagle reprints were a way for me to own some Judge Dredd stories myself and also the paper quality and coloring seemed superior to me than the originals in 2000 AD. Plus, although they were clearly U.S. comics, they seemed to be readily available in UK newsagents at the time. In fact, while they were published primarily for the US market, the Eagle Comics were British publications; if you check the indicia, you'll find the editorial address of Eagle Comics was Kings Reach Tower, London, the same as 2000 AD. Eagle Comics was an imprint of IPC Magazines. The later Quality Comics were also British. The magazines were physically printed in New York, though. Ah, OK...that makes sense then. Although, the comics themselves would've still had to have been shipped back to the UK. Not that it woud have made much difference anyway, since an awful lot of US comics were regularly available in British newsagents in the eighties. Where did it all go wrong...? Hmmm...I wouldn't say "regularly available". Their were certain independent newsagents where you could find U.S. comics, yes, but in my experience they tended to be the more, how shall we say, dingy, off-the-beaten path newsagent shops, rather than high street independants or big chains like your Martins or WHSmiths. For instance, in the medium-sized town in Buckinghamshire where I grew up there was something like 10 newsagents shops, but only two of those actually stocked proper American comics. And even then, distribution was spotty as all hell: you'd get regular comics for a month or two and then nothing for three months and then suddenly they'd be in back in stock. My understanding is that they were imported as ballast in container ships and then sold at a very cheap price by certain distributors, hence the fact that only certain shops carried them. Anyway, regardless of their origin, picking up every issue of a series was basically impossible, unlike homegrown comics such as 2000 AD, Commando or Star wars Weekly which were on sale each week, regular as clockwork. However, I remember those Eagle Comics reprints of Judge Dredd being much more widely available, even being stocked in places like Martins or WHSmiths. Maybe I should have clarified that better as the rating was based more on presentation alone than the actual stories themselves. I really never cared the original Judge Death story myself and far more partial to the one that followed afterwards, but that's kind of beside the point and not really relevant to rating Ah, I see. Yeah, the follow-up Judge Death story was better, no doubt about it. But I remember reading that first appearance in 2000 AD back in the day and my friend and I thought he was a really cool and memorable character right off of the bat. |
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Post by tingramretro on May 21, 2016 12:10:28 GMT -5
In fact, while they were published primarily for the US market, the Eagle Comics were British publications; if you check the indicia, you'll find the editorial address of Eagle Comics was Kings Reach Tower, London, the same as 2000 AD. Eagle Comics was an imprint of IPC Magazines. The later Quality Comics were also British. The magazines were physically printed in New York, though. Ah, OK...that makes sense then. Although, the comics themselves would've still had to have been shipped back to the UK. Not that it woud have made much difference anyway, since an awful lot of US comics were regularly available in British newsagents in the eighties. Where did it all go wrong...? Hmmm...I wouldn't say "regularly available". Their were certain independent newsagents where you could find U.S. comics, yes, but in my experience they tended to be the more, how shall we say, dingy, off-the-beaten path newsagent shops, rather than high street independants or big chains like your Martins or WHSmiths. For instance, in the medium-sized town in Buckinghamshire where I grew up there was something like 10 newsagents shops, but only two of those actually stocked proper American comics. And even then, distribution was spotty as all hell: you'd get regular comics for a month or two and then nothing for three months and then suddenly they'd be in back in stock. My understanding is that they were imported as ballast in container ships and then sold at a very cheap price by certain distributors, hence the fact that only certain shops carried them. Anyway, regardless of their origin, picking up every issue of a series was basically impossible, unlike homegrown comics such as 2000 AD, Commando or Star wars Weekly which were on sale each week, regular as clockwork. However, I remember those Eagle Comics reprints of Judge Dredd being much more widely available, even being stocked in places like Martins or WHSmiths. Maybe I should have clarified that better as the rating was based more on presentation alone than the actual stories themselves. I really never cared the original Judge Death story myself and far more partial to the one that followed afterwards, but that's kind of beside the point and not really relevant to rating Ah, I see. Yeah, the follow-up Judge Death story was better, no doubt about it. But I remember reading that first appearance in 2000 AD back in the day and my friend and I thought he was a really cool and memorable character right off of the bat. I grew up in South London, just down the road from Crystal Palace. I think every newsagent I ever visited in the eighties (and late seventies, for that matter) carried American comics, including pretty much the entire Marvel, DC and Epic lines. There were at least five or six, maybe more, within twenty minutes walking distance of my house that did (though my usual outlet was Fosdicks in Penge High Street, which later became Finlays, a fairly sizeable newsagents and stationers). When I moved to Portsmouth in 1988, it was pretty much the same story; at least three small newsagents in Southsea carried about forty US titles per month, as did the larger ones in the town centre. I rarely missed an issue of an ongoing title without ever needing to go near a comics shop, for about ten years (though I still had to visit the speciality shops for Marvel limited series', which rarely turned up in the newsagents with any regularity). I assumed it was the same throughout the country. Tbe ballast in ships situation is true enough, but that was back in the fifties and sixties. By about 1976, Marvel, DC, Harvey and Archie at least all had proper UK distribution in place. |
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Post by tingramretro on May 21, 2016 12:36:35 GMT -5
Thinking about it...within half an hour's walk of my home, between about 1979 and 1989, you could buy pretty much the entire Marvel and DC lines and some US independants, as well as God knows how many British comics, from: a small family run newsagents on Anerley Hill leading towards Penge; another roughly five minutes further up the hill opposite Anerley Library; the 7-11 at Crystal Palace; Finlays in Penge; the Co-Op in Elmer's End road; a small family newsagent less than two minutes walk from the Co-Op; and another two in South Norwood. Then there were at least three in Beckenham, about 45 minutes away. The only newsagents near me that didn't regularly stock them was a run down little corner shop in Samos Road, in the next street from me, and that place regularly seemed to have new looking copies of old comics from about five or ten years before, including Treasury Editions. Good times.
The newsagent in Elmer's End road was a favourite, as the proprieter-a perpetually miserable individual named Graham-regularly sold unsold comics from several months back, some of them cover stripped, for ten pence. Those that weren't cover stripped were marked down by a cross on the cover in felt tip pen.
Sorry; derailing the thread, here...
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Post by Batflunkie on May 21, 2016 12:43:30 GMT -5
Oh Ting, by all means, continue. I've always been incredibly interested in learning about foreign comic books in equally foreign markets. I mean there is a very real personal history with me and the third Eagle reprint of Judge Dredd that I do intend to share
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Post by tingramretro on May 21, 2016 13:26:34 GMT -5
Oh Ting, by all means, continue. I've always been incredibly interested in learning about foreign comic books in equally foreign markets. I mean there is a very real personal history with me and the third Eagle reprint of Judge Dredd that I do intend to share Hey, Britain isn't a foreign market! America is a foreign market! It is one of the firm beliefs that was the cornerstone of the British Empire, that everyone else was a foreigner, and therefore by definition inferior (though of course, being British, we'd never say it out loud; we could afford to be magnanimous).  Speaking of personal histories with specific comics, there are about a dozen specific copies I keep in a pile by my bed, as reading copies, which I have replaced with other copies in my actual collection, simply because these were among the first US comics to really impact on me as a kid and have strong associations for me. They include JLA# 171-172, All-Star Comics #71-72, Avengers #177, Freedom Fighters #11, Kamandi #58, Defenders #14, Human Torch #8 and Super Villain Team-Up #3. And also, for some reason, Crisis on Infinite Earths #6, the first issue of that series I ever found, in the aforementioned Co-Op in Elmer's End Road (I then had to travel up to Forbidden Planet in London to get #1-5; that was the original Forbidden Planet, in Denmark street). |
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Post by Batflunkie on May 21, 2016 14:09:00 GMT -5
Hey, Britain isn't a foreign market! America is a foreign market! It is one of the firm beliefs that was the cornerstone of the British Empire, that everyone else was a foreigner, and therefore by definition inferior (though of course, being British, we'd never say it out loud; we could afford to be magnanimous) Well, you're half right, practically everything America has these days is either made in China or Japan. Hardly anything is made in America these days except for car floor liners, retractable garden hoses, cold pillows, metal wash tubs and other "As seen on tv" tat. I guess that's why there was so much fear in the 80's regarding Japan buying us out |
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Post by tingramretro on May 21, 2016 14:13:16 GMT -5
Hey, Britain isn't a foreign market! America is a foreign market! It is one of the firm beliefs that was the cornerstone of the British Empire, that everyone else was a foreigner, and therefore by definition inferior (though of course, being British, we'd never say it out loud; we could afford to be magnanimous) Well, you're half right, practically everything America has these days is either made in China or Japan. Hardly anything is made in America these days except for car floor liners, retractable garden hoses, cold pillows, and metal wash tubs. I guess that's why there was so much fear in the 80's regarding Japan buying us out Join the club. Britain no longer produces much of anything. Shipbuilding, coal mining, all gone in my lifetime. And worse, so is much of the British comics industry. |
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