Post by Deleted on Oct 25, 2022 12:43:00 GMT -5
Judge Dredd’s exploits take place in real time. The first Dredd story (published in 1977) took place in 2099. If I have my maths right, the adventures currently being published are taking place in 2144. I am not sure what Dredd’s exact age is, but I think he was in his twenties when he qualified as a full judge (years prior to his debut strip), meaning he has to be nearing 80, around 80 or over 80.
I believe his age has been mentioned at times. I don’t have any issues of 2000 AD to hand, but I am pretty sure I’ve read a tale where a rejuvenation machine has been mentioned, keeping Dredd relatively young. But as the strip progresses in real time, it does beg the question, can it continue indefinitely?
Us comicbook fans can, if we desire, relax when it comes to the likes of DC and Marvel superheroes. Putting aside the multiverse, we can just relax and enjoy Spider-Man despite the fact Parker would be a pensioner if the strip had progressed in real time. We just accept every tale as taking place “now” and editors/writers don’t have to concern themselves with ageing; if they want to tackle it, the multiverse is very convenient, or they can just publish a non-canonical tale such as SPIDER-MAN: LIFE STORY.
With Dredd, they are surely going to have to tackle that issue one day, even if it may be far in the future. I mean, Dredd has no life, the law and his job is his life (I doubt he has any hobbies). So he may well be content to carry on doing what he does, but there are other things to consider. Even with rejuvenation technology, he surely cannot continue forever. Plus, Mega-City One’s Justice Department would probably have a view on him retiring. And then what happens? Does he become Chief Judge? Take the long walk into the Cursed Earth or teach at the academy, the two compulsory options available to retired judges? Would even Dredd want to continue indefinitely? Surely even the most workaholic - and he is a workaholic - would want to leave that behind at some point?
I did read something once about how the likes of Stan Lee and others probably never envisioned their characters lasting for decades. While comparing US and UK comics, and comic culture, are apples and oranges, could the same have applied to Dredd’s creators? Did they ever envision that 2000 AD would still be going after 45 years?
In ten years’ time, or twenty years’ time, when Dredd will be in his nineties/hundreds, how realistic is it that he will still be a street judge? Could new tales be told about him as Chief Judge, an academy instructor or bringing law to the Cursed Earth? (Personally, I’d send him to Saturn’s moon, Titan; any judge convicted of a crime is forced to undergo facial reconstruction and sent to Saturn to 20 do years of hard labour, and Dredd framed for a crime is a story I’d like to see)
Very briefly, I do enjoy each comicbook tale (from the likes of DC and Marvel) on the basis it’s taking place “now”, and I try not to think too hard about the time discrepancies. I try to enjoy the tales on their own merits, whether it be a 1970s Spidey tale or a Spidey tale published last year. But deep in the recesses of my mind, where over-thinking is a thing, an occasional thought occurs: just how many adventures can a character realistically have in their lifetime? Even though, say, Spider-Man’s exploits are condensed into a shorter amount of time, to have had the amount of adventures he has had must mean he must be battling supervillains every day of the week, but even with that premise, he’s enjoying a long career.
(I’m not sure where Marvel stands on that, a friend years ago told me that in the late 80s, it was decided that 10-12 years of Marvel time had elapsed from the perspective of 20+ years of our time, but I am not sure if that was/is policy)
So, what do you think of the Dredd age thing? In fact, please feel free to also comment on the paragraph I posted about Marvel and DC time.
I believe his age has been mentioned at times. I don’t have any issues of 2000 AD to hand, but I am pretty sure I’ve read a tale where a rejuvenation machine has been mentioned, keeping Dredd relatively young. But as the strip progresses in real time, it does beg the question, can it continue indefinitely?
Us comicbook fans can, if we desire, relax when it comes to the likes of DC and Marvel superheroes. Putting aside the multiverse, we can just relax and enjoy Spider-Man despite the fact Parker would be a pensioner if the strip had progressed in real time. We just accept every tale as taking place “now” and editors/writers don’t have to concern themselves with ageing; if they want to tackle it, the multiverse is very convenient, or they can just publish a non-canonical tale such as SPIDER-MAN: LIFE STORY.
With Dredd, they are surely going to have to tackle that issue one day, even if it may be far in the future. I mean, Dredd has no life, the law and his job is his life (I doubt he has any hobbies). So he may well be content to carry on doing what he does, but there are other things to consider. Even with rejuvenation technology, he surely cannot continue forever. Plus, Mega-City One’s Justice Department would probably have a view on him retiring. And then what happens? Does he become Chief Judge? Take the long walk into the Cursed Earth or teach at the academy, the two compulsory options available to retired judges? Would even Dredd want to continue indefinitely? Surely even the most workaholic - and he is a workaholic - would want to leave that behind at some point?
I did read something once about how the likes of Stan Lee and others probably never envisioned their characters lasting for decades. While comparing US and UK comics, and comic culture, are apples and oranges, could the same have applied to Dredd’s creators? Did they ever envision that 2000 AD would still be going after 45 years?
In ten years’ time, or twenty years’ time, when Dredd will be in his nineties/hundreds, how realistic is it that he will still be a street judge? Could new tales be told about him as Chief Judge, an academy instructor or bringing law to the Cursed Earth? (Personally, I’d send him to Saturn’s moon, Titan; any judge convicted of a crime is forced to undergo facial reconstruction and sent to Saturn to 20 do years of hard labour, and Dredd framed for a crime is a story I’d like to see)
Very briefly, I do enjoy each comicbook tale (from the likes of DC and Marvel) on the basis it’s taking place “now”, and I try not to think too hard about the time discrepancies. I try to enjoy the tales on their own merits, whether it be a 1970s Spidey tale or a Spidey tale published last year. But deep in the recesses of my mind, where over-thinking is a thing, an occasional thought occurs: just how many adventures can a character realistically have in their lifetime? Even though, say, Spider-Man’s exploits are condensed into a shorter amount of time, to have had the amount of adventures he has had must mean he must be battling supervillains every day of the week, but even with that premise, he’s enjoying a long career.
(I’m not sure where Marvel stands on that, a friend years ago told me that in the late 80s, it was decided that 10-12 years of Marvel time had elapsed from the perspective of 20+ years of our time, but I am not sure if that was/is policy)
So, what do you think of the Dredd age thing? In fact, please feel free to also comment on the paragraph I posted about Marvel and DC time.
