The Judge Child Quest

[JoFox2108]

I just read 'The Judge Child Quest' for the first time - it was amazing!  (Many thanks to Stu101 who gave me the Fleetway/Quality trade paperback of this story in colour.  :-)   )  I dont think I've ever read a story with such a range  of people, places and mad adventures.  I also thought the ending was stunning too [spoiler] where Dredd leaves the Judge Child because he believes he's evil and so can't help the city after all.[/spoiler]  It was so unexpected and very very Dredd.  Great writing there I thought.

I think this is easily one of my favourite stories. The only bit I didn't like was Dredd's obsession with Judge Faro's facial hair and the way Dredd was so harsh about Faro being the one to take the oracle spice.  It was still very much how I see Dredd I think, he puts his view of being a Judge and his comittment to protect the city first and expects everyone else to do the same, but it really shows the harsher side of him as a character.  Although I didn't like it, it certainly made for a more complex story, as John Wagner says 'Dredd as villian'. 

My favourite parts of the story were:

• Texas City Mutieworld Danger Park   
• The EB4 Mining platform 
• The Tale of Buggo on Ombra
• The man with Jigsaw disease
• and of course the show down with the Angel Gang on Xanadu

So anyone else like this story?  What are your views on the facial hair thing?  Why was Dredd going on about it so much?  Is Dredd and hero or a villian (I kind of think both)?Any favourite parts of this story?

Jo

[IndigoPrime]

The facial hair thing was rather over the top, I thought, but fairly typical of Dredd of the day. He's 'relaxed' a bit more over the years, and has since shown regret over Judge Lopez, to the point [spoiler]it was revealed he'd kept Lopez's badge, as a reminder about taking responsibility, or possibly just penance[/spoiler].

[AlexF]

I've just recently re-read the story myself, in the Case Files collection (Volume 4), and it's still a corker! Agree 100% about the ending. For me it works to make Dredd fell more like a hero, in that he's not prepared to countenance evil. But yes, the anti-moustache tirade certinaly puts him in the 'bastard' camp.

My favourite bits, apart from the ending, are mostly to so with the art - which survives the Case Files paper, but I doubt it's the best way to read it. Ron Smith's astonishing crowd scenes at Filmore Faro's parade; Mike McMahon's amazing rendering of the TC Amusement Park, especially the big leap. Of course Brian Bolland's jigsaw man. I do love the father/son relationship between Pa and Junior Angel, makes me chuckle every time he begs to do just one more bit of torture/murder.

If you liked this story, you've gotta get hold of the Cursed Earth. The art is just as good, and some of the stories are off the chain bonkers.

[Eamonn Clarke]

http://megacitybookclub.blogspot.co.uk/2016/10/mega-city-book-club-16-judge-child-quest.html

[norton canes]

Three words: Rinus Limpopop Quince

[JoFox2108]

The facial hair thing was rather over the top, I thought, but fairly typical of Dredd of the day. He's 'relaxed' a bit more over the years, and has since shown regret over Judge Lopez, to the point [spoiler]it was revealed he'd kept Lopez's badge, as a reminder about taking responsibility, or possibly just penance[/spoiler].

That's really interesting.  It shows the maturity which the character has developed over the years.  (It makes me feel better about Dredd too - kind of humanises him.)  He is such a paradoxical character sometimes - so fierce and strict so he seems like someone you wouldn't want to meet and yet he's got a good heart and he's no less strict with himself.  It's this depth that really hooks me into the Dredd universe. 

I've just recently re-read the story myself, in the Case Files collection (Volume 4), and it's still a corker! Agree 100% about the ending. For me it works to make Dredd fell more like a hero, in that he's not prepared to countenance evil. But yes, the anti-moustache tirade certinaly puts him in the 'bastard' camp.

My favourite bits, apart from the ending, are mostly to so with the art - which survives the Case Files paper, but I doubt it's the best way to read it. Ron Smith's astonishing crowd scenes at Filmore Faro's parade; Mike McMahon's amazing rendering of the TC Amusement Park, especially the big leap. Of course Brian Bolland's jigsaw man. I do love the father/son relationship between Pa and Junior Angel, makes me chuckle every time he begs to do just one more bit of torture/murder.

If you liked this story, you've gotta get hold of the Cursed Earth. The art is just as good, and some of the stories are off the chain bonkers.

Absolutely - the art was great - all the way through.  I really liked the big leap too. 

The father-son thing between Pa and Junior was excellent, I totally agree.  I find it amazing that the characters are so strong given that we're looking at comic art.  How do they do so very much with so few words?  It's a real skill.  There again I think this a strength of 2000AD generally which is lacking quite often in other comics.   

As for the cursed earth I think I'm going to have to get it.  I've been repeatedly hovering over the 'buy' button on that one for months now.  Is it worth getting the uncensored one?  (Also is this published in colour anywhere does anyone know?)

Three words: Rinus Limpopop Quince

Oh that story was nuts!  I really liked the idea of the bag he had. Those space-warp globes Rinus had reminded my quite a bit of Johnny Alpha's time-bombs.  I kept wondering what Johnny would do if he had space-warp globes as well - could make for a great SD story.

[SuperSurfer]

As for the cursed earth I think I'm going to have to get it.  I've been repeatedly hovering over the 'buy' button on that one for months now.  Is it worth getting the uncensored one?  (Also is this published in colour anywhere does anyone know?)

Stop hovering and buy. The uncensored version is the one to get as it includes previously banned episodes and the fantastic colour splash pages.

Ranks as one of my favourite Dredd epics.

[WhizzBang]

The facial hair thing is one of my favourite things about it. At first it just seems like running gag that gradually loses its humour, but it leads to a terrible fate for Lopez and in a brillaintly realised scene (by Bolland) that includes a giant toad with a moustache. I like the way kind of turns dark unexpectedly.

[Colin YNWA]

I also re-read Judge Child recently and since I've commented on it a bit laterly I'll do that most egotistical of things and do the self quote from my self-absorbed  thread... please believe me this is driven my laziness rather than a sense of self worth...

...well I'm up to Prog 169 and while 'The Judge Child' started really well, once it blasted off and lurches off into space I've found it a little ... unrestrained. It still looks magnificent and while the strip is not as good as Dredd has been for a good long time its still pretty bloomin' good comics. Its just not great. Its lacks some of the grounding that has made previous run of shorts work... which okay sounds nonsense when you think of some of the stuff that has gone before, but for me the out and out space type sci-fi (please Butchy Frank lets not turn this into some what is sci-fi and what isn't discussion) just doesn't feel quite right.

Hard to justify and qualify why I feel like this and while Judge Child follows essentially the same formula as Cursed Earth for some reason its lost the rugged challenge, the desperate journey of the first epic so viseral and real as Dredd and crew get slowly more and more ragged. The quest for the spacey soothsayer spice feels a little forced and tacked on. The craziness lacks the harsh landscape that provides a counterpoint in the earlier epic... or maybe its the fact that it is just following the same structure as Cursed Earth, a story I regard so very highly... I don't know its just not working for me... well not as well as Dredd has of late. Its probably still absolutely brilliant and probably still the best comics out there in 1980, just not as good as the standard Dredd has set itself.

[Magnetica]

The Judge Child is possibly my favourite Dredd story of all time. There are just so many stand out scenes. At the risk of missing out some, those that come to mind most readily are:

- garbage
- the chap in the TC theme park trying in vain to avoid his predicted death
- Dredd telling Winslow to sling his hook
- the ongoing dynamic between Pa and Junior and Junior's down right meanness (a way better character than Mean IMO)
- the Jigsaw man
- the war game and the commentators commentary on it
- Dredd trying to bribe the populous of the planet for info on the Angel Gang's whereabouts and the attempt by one of them to mug him
- Link and Mean's treatment of the prospector and Dredd's subsequent show down with them
- the show down with Pa and Junior, especially Junior's reaction to be thrown to his death
- Bolland's art
- Rob Smith's art
- Mike McMahon's art especially in the TC theme park

And that's without even mentioning Dredd's "death", moustache-gate and that most shocking of endings.

Do get the Cursed Earth, but I much prefer the Judge Child.

[The Enigmatic Dr X]

You should follow up with

City of the Damned

It follows on from the threads of the Judge Child.

[Dark Jimbo]

You should follow up with

City of the Damned

It follows on from the threads of the Judge Child.

As long as he reads The Fink and Destiny's Angels first, o'course...

That's maybe my favourite aspect of The Judge Child, it keeps having all these reprucussions for years afterward. Later still you've got Darkside too, before In the Year 2120 puts the whole thing to bed for good.

[sheridan]

You should follow up with

City of the Damned

It follows on from the threads of the Judge Child.

As long as he reads The Fink and Destiny's Angels first, o'course...

Skip the one where the other Angels got reincarnated though...

[Dark Jimbo]

I'm sorry, I don't know what you mean. There never was such a story.

[JoFox2108]

The Judge Child is possibly my favourite Dredd story of all time. There are just so many stand out scenes. At the risk of missing out some, those that come to mind most readily are:

- garbage
- the chap in the TC theme park trying in vain to avoid his predicted death
- Dredd telling Winslow to sling his hook
- the ongoing dynamic between Pa and Junior and Junior's down right meanness (a way better character than Mean IMO)
- the Jigsaw man
- the war game and the commentators commentary on it
- Dredd trying to bribe the populous of the planet for info on the Angel Gang's whereabouts and the attempt by one of them to mug him
- Link and Mean's treatment of the prospector and Dredd's subsequent show down with them
- the show down with Pa and Junior, especially Junior's reaction to be thrown to his death
- Bolland's art
- Rob Smith's art
- Mike McMahon's art especially in the TC theme park

And that's without even mentioning Dredd's "death", moustache-gate and that most shocking of endings.

Do get the Cursed Earth, but I much prefer the Judge Child.

I think I will have to get the Cursed Earth - no question!  Too many people have said too many good things about it.   :-)  (BTW I really enjoyed all of those bits which you listed as stand out scenes.)

You should follow up with

City of the Damned

It follows on from the threads of the Judge Child.

As long as he reads The Fink and Destiny's Angels first, o'course...

Skip the one where the other Angels got reincarnated though...

I'm sorry, I don't know what you mean. There never was such a story.

'City of the Damned' sounds good.  I've actually read 'Destiny's Angels' too.  This is an 8 part 2000AD Dredd story where Mean Machine get's reincarnated and joins up with the Fink to help the Judge Child wreak revenge on Dredd.  It's progs 281-288 if the page I looked up online is right.  I read it in two Eagle Comics.  It was the first time I'd ever seen the Fink.  Oh my goodness - he's fabulous!  I think he's my number one villian in Dredd.  I just love it that he's such a weirdo!