Messages

This actually brings up an interesting point I've wondered about Dredd's world. Why would you spend 15 years training kids to be these lethal and dedicated judging machines for them just to sit in accounts or PSU or Control or any one of the other admin roles that Justice Department has.

I've always kind of thought that those cadets who don't quite make it are given the option of serving as one of these judges, rather than being a full street judge. It seems somewhat of a waste to throw 14 years of training out of the window.

I know my memory sucks, but in the Dante stories we've seen in the last two years have we ever seen the bio-blades or the healing or the love of Jean Gr.... sorry, for a second I thought they were ripping off someone else  -cough-

Can only assume they have properly done a "These are his twighlight years" thing and he's been more about strategy than running in with super powers lately. Honestly cant think of the crest doing anything more than once offering him a bit of advice.

I think that's, again, an element of the longevity of the strip. I've reread the first five trades recently, and his bioblades and healing (plus other abilities) are referenced much more in the earlier stories. But you're also right with the strategic thing. He's been much more of a general than a captain recently, and generals don't get down and dirty so much. Unless your last name is Solo, that is.

Woulda been nice if it had at least given him a fighting chance against the big bad. You know... done SOMETHING

I feel its a combination of the shock of seeing his biological father return in the body of his half-brother, coupled with the fact that Dmitri is so much more powerful than he is. You could say I've got a fighting chance against Godzilla, when all I really am is mush.

As I've said before, Dante does suffer from really needing to be read from the start to appreciate the relationships and the history that these characters have been through. Its a fine line that the strip treads between informing newer readers and not continiously retreading old ground for longterm readers, and its a line that the strip doesn't always walk successfully.

The offer to lend you the first few trades still stands though, if you're interested and that goes the same for Stacey.

Oi Welshboy. You discovered Budda beer in Birmingham, so its not all bad I'll give you the cricket crack though.

The one thing I didn't say about Crests destruction (which I thought that you and Stace had possibily realised) is that the Crest gives Dante his bio-blades (aka those flipping sword things that come out of his hands) and gives him heighted healing (ala Wolverine), so all that's gone down the crapper now as well.

F*ck knows why

Do you really want an answer to that? 

It's actually pretty straightforward. Dredd fast-tracked through the Academy and graduated in 13 years rather than the usual 15, meaning that he was physically 18 in 2079, which has him at a physical age of 71.

Obviously, there's the matter of some fairly extensive rejuve work post-Necropolis, plus sundry bits being rebuilt or replaced over the years. Add to that the fact that some people remain pretty damn active up until their late 60s now so it's not hard to imagine that 70 in 2132 isn't much different to 50 today ...

Cheers!

Jim

This is something I've been wanting to see for years (and mentioned in another thread recently) is that we've seen scant little of Dredd's exploits between 2079 and 2099. Twenty whole years. I'd love to see some of how Dredd went from the newly promoted judge, albeit a high flying one, to becoming the most feared man on the force.
He was such a tight ass in the first few progs and that was with 20 years under his belt. How tight must he have been in those first few years?

Personally I object to St George being our patron saint.
The reason being that "he " probably didn't exist... and even if he did .., he has absolutly no connection to England. I say that if your still going to have a patron stain then they should at least meet the qualifications of
1/ existing.
2/ a strong connection to the country who has adpoted him/her.

That isn't too much to ask, is it?

You could throw in the fact that the St Georges Cross is originally Spanish too if you want.

I personally prefer Simon Fraser doing Dante as he draws hot women too...



...but I'm with most other people on this Blue, John Burns draws smoking hot women, as his work on Modesty Blaise and Jane, amongst others, shows

The problem with the Dark Judges is how you present them as a credible threat without it becoming a retread of Necropolis.

Don't get me wrong, I adore Death and the Dark Judges and I'd love to see them become the meanace that they once were, but storywise, Dredd and MC1 judges are wise to them now, and their threat has been much reduced.

"The Crime isss li..."
"Ho, hum. Incendiary. Right, bring in the suction trap."

Ever since their second appearance a big part of their plan has been stopping the Judges getting to them, be it through a shield, teleporters or warping the Justice Dept to their will.

I'd like to see them really take the offensive, and rather then the four (or six or even nine if you include the sisters and their cousins) how about an entire force of Dark Judges vs Justice Department, although coming up with another fifty thousand odd names may be a chore. Or how about Death recruiting some similar minded individuals from other dimensions, or ....

I think you get the point.

Doctor Who has lasted almost fifty years with the Daleks, Batman and Superman seventy years with their respective arch enemies, which goes to show the longlevity in the characters. I'm sure Deaths got a few more years of stories left in him.

I'm all for introducing new characters and new threats, but its nice to revisit the past every now and then, and its high time we stopped by for another visit with Death and his gang.

I'll go with a further question. If there are 59,000 judges, how many are called Smith?

I'm sure all 59,000 don't have different names, so what do they do when they get two judges with the same name.

"Smith, take out that sniper!"
"Erm... which one?"
"The one shooting at us you moron."
"No, which Smith. There are six of us here."

http://www.htmlcomics.com/Book/html.asp?Series_Name=2000 AD (0701 - 0800)&Book_No=030&Page_Number=1&Alpha=0&Lookup=

OOPS, can't see this lasting long, someone uploading every issue of TWOTH on to webpages including the banned issues.

Its been there for a year already, but yes, I'm a little suprised this hasn't had someone come down on it like its been raining hammers.

I'd hate to see Dredd The Academy years, stories of how Clone doesnt fit in with his other class mates and doesnt give a stuff.
Tales of how other Cadets have late night fun in the dorms, parties, piloow fights and other stuff they miss and how a clone reports them to the instructors.
Other Cadets rally round to give the Clones a good kicking for being so stuck up and rigid in their interpretation of the law and then get their heads beaten by Day Sticks as the Clones take no crap.

Yawn.

Well, yes. I think we'd all hate to see that.

Doesn't necessarily have to be that though, does it.

I'm certainly interested in how Dredd goes from being a big of a hot prospect rookie into being the "toughest of all judges" 20 years later.


And you can read the story of Dredd's first coller online here, Blue. (scroll down to issue #75 on the drop down menu)

http://www.htmlcomics.com/Book/html.asp?Series_Name=2000 AD (0701 - 0800)&Book_No=030&Page_Number=1&Alpha=0&Lookup=

Chris can speak for himself, but in case he's not around: Chris would probably love to be finishing the Twelve but only if he had a script. In fact, he's so desperate to draw the Twelve that he wrote and drew (with inks by Gary Erskine) his own limited edition series.

-pj

I thought that'd be the case. Mr Straczynski's not a great one for finishing what he starts, but the only detail I was able to find was that both parties were caught up with other work. As I've been seeing a bit of Chris's work in the progs recentley I wondered if the delay was more on MJS's part rather than Chris's.

Its a damn shame, as The Twelve was shaping up to be one of the best titles of the last five years.

Get you on if you like Mr Hodster - as long as you arent sober or try to induce us into coma's by talking about the cricket.

Ahhh, just because you come from a nation where the national sport is sticking your head between another man's legs.

I'm not going through 50 pages of posts to see if this has already been brough up, but I don't understand the current fascination with wearing bloody afghan scarfs all the time, especially indoors or in warm weather.



Why anyone wants to intentionally look like a member of the Hezbollah is utterly beyond me.

They look really good. That may need to be a sneaky "dont-tell-the-wife" purchase.

Although I'd also like it if Chris Weston got back to finishing off The Twelve.