Thoughts on the fall of deadworld?

[SIP]

This week's installment certainly clears up [spoiler]the nature of Fear's involvement in Fall of Deadworld,[/spoiler] and amazingly makes the most useless of the Foetid Four bowel-looseningly scary for the first time since that panel called his bluff.  Never figured him for [spoiler]the gang's tech-head (I had Mortis down for that, but maybe he's the medic-equivalent instead), but it makes a lot of sense![/spoiler]

We're playing with the idea that he's the Gestapo aspect of the Dark Judges. Secret police, the torturer. I like the way Kek's seeing him as an idea or emotion rather than a physical effect like the other three. That could make him weaker or it could make him the bedrock of much that they do. After all Fear is the foundation for so many evil acts on our planet. Maybe he's the most easily defeated if you're steadfast or strong but even in those, maybe, he plants seeds of doubt. I don't know. Kek and I just like to muse on these things.

We hinted at his shrunken heads in episode one of cursed. A sister was prepping one.

For me Dave, it's the best thing that's been in the prog in quite some time - fantastic work! Thanks.

[JayzusB.Christ]

Face it, you pair are just a twisted mockery of all that is good. 

That's another brilliant re-interpretation of a pretty stale and (in-story) ineffective character.  I've said it before, but you're breathing fresh unlife into these great Wagner/Grant/Bolland designs, and all squaxxdom should thank you for it.

What he said.  With the exception of that Death story by Frazer Irving, I haven't really enjoyed much Dark Judge stuff since Necropolis.  This is amazing though.

Being able to improve on a Wagner creation is no mean feat!

[The Corinthian]

One thing I really like about 'Deadworld' is that it's gone into the mechanics of how Death and Chums wiped out their world's population, something that's either been elided or fumbled* in the past.

The bit with the Trump-a-like president in the latest prog (and the fact that "Amerika" is still a thing) makes me wonder if Sydney's coup isn't supposed to be the Deadworld equivalent to what Goodman does to President Booth in "our" MC-1.

* Fumbled in the case of 'Dead Reckoning', where the Deadworld Judges seem to be going door to door shooting people, which seems to be a very inefficient and laborious approach to planetary genocide (cf the spoof strip where Death is getting really tired of having to kill pot plants and flies one at a time and by hand).

[positronic]

It's programme.

yup:

I hadn't realized that was on the very first cover... was it also the last, before shortening it to "prog"?

Thanks, gentlebeings.

Very much looking forward to reading Deadworld, BTW.

[JayzusB.Christ]

The bit with the Trump-a-like president in the latest prog (and the fact that "Amerika" is still a thing) makes me wonder if Sydney's coup isn't supposed to be the Deadworld equivalent to what Goodman does to President Booth in "our" MC-1.

I love the fact that this parallel world is so similar to ours (and Dredd's) - odd that the Spanish language exists there too (and what that drug dealer says would not make it into the prog if it were in English).

[Andy Lambert]

Most useless of the Foetid Four? Poor Judge Fear, he always gets a raw deal... he's always first to be defeated in the comics, but I still see him as equal to the others...

[Steve Green]

Love the Deadworld strips, I like the parallels between Dredd's world and Syd's place.

With the addition of the spanish speaking guy, it could mean that there are Deadworld sovs, brit-cit etc equivalents, rather than just a single medieval location.

[JayzusB.Christ]

Has this planet been named yet? Or have I missed it? Obviously it only becomes Deadworld when everyone dies.

[Dave Kendall]

Has this planet been named yet? Or have I missed it? Obviously it only becomes Deadworld when everyone dies.

I wonder about that. We've avoided it so far.
That would require some thought. It would be up to John Wagner to name it I think.

As far as the Mediaeval architecture goes,  I wanted to avoid that from a design point of view. I had a hankering to use Russian brutalist concrete architecture to depict the buildings etc. It was Arthur Ranson's work on Half Life that allowed me to use that idea without breaking canon. He'd updated the feel of Deadworld to Earths present era.

I think there could be scope to depict other regions of pre-dead Deadworld.

[JayzusB.Christ]

I think there could be scope to depict other regions of pre-dead Deadworld.

Bring it on!

[ZenArcade]

You cant whack neo-brutalised poured concrete....red brick pah! Z

[TordelBack]

Mmmm, I think Grant and Ranson's Half Life stuff definitely revitalised the whole look and feel of Deadworld and its origins, and is my favourite of their Andersons, but it didn't really do anything for the DJs themselves. I don't know what it is, but there is something so completely convincing about the Kek'n'Kendall incarnation - even though it kicked off with full-on Moorcockian fantasy, it feels terribly real to me: like the best post-apoc horror, I keep visualising my own family caught up in the accelerating catastrophe. After nearly 40 years I can finally see how we get from our real world to the plaza of bones in Judge Death Lives, and it's as disturbing as anything I've read.

Incidentally, overwhelmingly appallng imagery aside, the cleverest thing so far is the Judge Child echo. That's just inspired.

[Mardroid]

Has this planet been named yet? Or have I missed it? Obviously it only becomes Deadworld when everyone dies.

I wonder about that. We've avoided it so far.

I figured it was Earth, just in a parallel universe. Interesting to see the similar names of the president too, Boothe (Dreddworld) Boone (Deathworld).

And yeah, I'm really enjoying this! The fabric face-gear that this earlier incarnation of Judge Fear wears, akin more to two flaps on a tent rather than the gates of a medieval castle is particularly creepy. Like his face is less... hidden somehow with just a thin layer of fabric and a bit of string separating it from us. Brrr.

Don't get me wrong, I love the later iconic design, but this really works too on a fundamental bone-chilling level.

[positronic]

Has this planet been named yet? Or have I missed it? Obviously it only becomes Deadworld when everyone dies.

I wonder about that. We've avoided it so far.

I figured it was Earth, just in a parallel universe. Interesting to see the similar names of the president too, Boothe (Dreddworld) Boone (Deathworld).

Perhaps what we need is an Official Handbook of the 2000 AD Multiverse.

[JOE SOAP]

Has this planet been named yet? Or have I missed it? Obviously it only becomes Deadworld when everyone dies.

I wonder about that. We've avoided it so far.

I name it D'earth.