Hello,
I'm an avid fan of comics, scifi/fantasy/gothic horror, roleplaying games and many other things. I'm vaguely familiar with Judge Dredd from the movies and some bits and pieces, but having been a mostly Marvel and some DC comics fan since childhood I figured would finally come check out this site. I enjoyed the Dredd movies (both versions) and with the new RPG being done I figured I'd try to learn more about Dredd and the setting since one of my friends backed the Kickstarter and wants me to GM a campaign.
My main question is, what is the best order to read the various Judge Dredd comics/novels etc to get a good perspective for the upcoming Judge Dredd RPG once it's released next year?
thanks,
LandoTheArchmagi
There are far more knowledgeable Squaxx on the board than I, so I won't try and answer your question in detail. Dredd has decades of continuity, so your best bet is to take a dip here and there to get a feel for the universe.
The Judge Dredd Mega Collection (http://'https://hachettepartworks.com/judge-dredd-the-mega-collection'), if you can find any of them, are an unbeatable way to catch up on Dredd history, from early classics like the Apocalypse War to modern masterpieces like America and Origins.
If you want to be a completionist, then the Judge Dredd Case Files (http://'https://shop.2000ad.com/catalogue/graphic-novels/dredd-case-files') will bring you all the way from Prog 1. The series has currently got as far as the turn of the millennium!
Welcome aboard and hope to see you around.
Depends how much cash you've got to spend, really. You may find people starting to offload the entire Hachette partwork, and as wedgeski says would provide a great insight into most of the best bits of Dredd and his wider world.
The Case Files are a good option if you're into being a completist, but you need to be mindful there are now 31(!) of the things in print, and four additional 'Restricted Files' that compile strips from the annuals and specials. Furthermore, Dredd has evolved in a major way through the years. Early on, it's a not entirely fully formed action strip for a boy's comic. After a few years, it properly clicks, and becomes an absurdist satire on society. More recently, Wagner took Dredd in a less bizarre and more 'future procedural' direction.
If you fancy cherry picking a few bits, I'm sure everyone will provide insight into their favourite Dredd, but I'll go for the following:
- Case Files 5, which reprints The Apocalypse War and a number of other classic strips
- Case Files 6 and 7, which are more or less cover-to-cover classic B+W Dredd
- Restricted Files 2: the best of the annuals/specials compilations, with one-off short strips and great art
- America: often regarded as a high point of Dredd, and very much the story that signalled the strip had grown up. Also works very well as a standalone
Other strong standalone tales to my mind include Titan, The Pit, Mechanismo, and Mandroid (although try to find the original trade, not the more recent digest).
One of my favourite issues of the Mega Collection was volume 70, Mad City. This is a great introduction to Mega City One, the judges and the citizens, and includes what is regularly held up to be one of the best one-off stories of the entire Dredd canon, Bury My Knee At Wounded Heart. It's out of stock on the Hachette site but you might be able to track it down on ebay. Happy reading!
I appreciate the information and suggestions and yeah, my current financial situation will prevent getting it all at once anytime soon. I'll look into some of the suggestions for sure.
Their is a cheaper option available by buying the Judge Dredd Case Files digitally rather. The app works on Android/Apple and Windows. The nice thing s that you can create one account and use them on any of the mentioned platforms. I read all my stuff via iPad and download the pdf files as backups via the Windows app