Why do you love Judge Dredd?

[pictsy]

So I'm still engrossed in my big 2000AD read.  Starting at my very first prog (897) and working my way towards the most recent.  I have not long finished reading prog 1461 which features the excellent Mandroid story line in Judge Dredd.  My big read has a great deal of nostalgic value for me, but currently I'm in new territory as there was a five year gap in my collection that I have only recently filled.  It's a fantastic experience.

I find myself, therefore, thinking about what draws me towards Judge Dredd.  When I was a little 10 year old the initial draw was the action and violence.  Judge Dredd has certainly not been a role model to me.  I don't agree with his actions, motivations or values.  As time has gone by I find that I am most endeared towards the depictions of the dystopic world he resides in.  The satire and commentary.  OK, the action and violence still has its place as well, but that's not why I like reading the stories.  I am reminded of one of the first strips I read when I first started collecting 2000 AD with a guy on a pedway, fed up, demanding he is not a sheep and subsequently causing a riot.  That one shot story has stuck with me for twenty years - as much as reading the Apocalypse War or Judgement Day (thanks to the Titan books).

So that is briefly why I love Judge Dredd.

Why do you love Judge Dredd?

[Adrian Bamforth]

For me, Judge Dredd is particularly staisfactiory for the way that, regardless of the politics of a particular writer, it satirises both the left and right at the same time; The left for it's naivety in thinking people will just get along peacefully if left alone, and the right for acting as if harsh measures will eventually get everyone in line. Every society has to wrestle with this conumdrum, though the truth is more likely that people are basically unmanageable. This makes Dredd himself quite a sympathetic character; descriptions of him as a "fascist" seem at odds with our feelings about him.

At the same time, it's also the most perfect concept imaginable for an ongoing character strip, since the lead character is designed to have good reason to never really reach the end of an emotional journey when characters such as Batman and Superman eventually have to be rebooted (one reason it's quite hard to adapt the character a the movie screen). Stories can be both serious or ridiculous and retain the same sense of satireYou can have him getting almost as old as you like, and against an almost limitless number of scenarios and characters. Finally, Dredd simply looks iconic, transcending almost any artistic interpretation or style, yet always retains a sense of mystery.

[Proudhuff]

Dredd locks you up if you say that!!

[TordelBack]

Dredd is a magnificently versatile figure, for all that he seems the simplest character imaginable: relentless unforgiving lawman.  He has been protagonist, foil, background, obstacle, hero, villain, detective, superhuman, bastard, sentimental, conservative, subversive, father figure, naive (as when he's dealing with Vienna, where he seem so out of his depth), superficial and profound. 

For all his terrible crimes against humanity, he's never harder on anyone than he is on himself.  He's horrible, but compelling, and the glacial evolution of his character is never less than fascinating.

[sheldipez]

I'm not actually a big fan of Judge Dredd, I love the universe, the stories, the trappings and apocalyptic setting but not a big fan of the man himself. If that makes any sense whatsoever. Or do you mean purely the Judge Dredd strip?

[pictsy]

I'm not actually a big fan of Judge Dredd, I love the universe, the stories, the trappings and apocalyptic setting but not a big fan of the man himself. If that makes any sense whatsoever. Or do you mean purely the Judge Dredd strip?

I mean the strip.

[Greg M.]

In contrast with sheldipez, I love 'Judge Dredd' the series because of Judge Dredd the man. I am not part of the 'city is the star' camp. As Tordelback says, on the surface Dredd seems extremely straightforward, but he has a depth and complexity that is virtually unrivalled in comics. Appropriately enough, this is mirrored by John Wagner's approach to writing him - when it comes to dialogue, for instance, I can't think of any other comic writer who can do so much with so little. Wagner can take the simplest, most terse lines, put them into Dredd's mouth, and have them come out with a weight and nuance that is unsurpassed. When I think of my favourite Dredd moments of this kind, they're frequently the ones where the mask slips and we get a brief insight into the man.

[JamesC]

Although a long time 2000ad and Judge Dredd reader I wouldn't say that that I do love Judge Dredd. At least not the current incarnation. Don't get me wrong - I think it's a good strip but the 2000ad stuff that's always really done it for me is the slightly more fun stuff.
I think my favourite 2000ad thrills are the first Robohunter story, Ro Busters, early ABC Warriors and newer stuff like Kingdom and (some) Sinister Dexter.
As you can probably guess, my favourite Dredd stories are more along the lines of Otto Sump, Fatties etc. my favourite ever Dredd is probably the one where he fights Precious Leglock in Robo City.
I think that my Dredd is probably a thing of the past but I still enjoy the strip as a procedural thriller and can appreciate the talent of the creators.

[shaolin_monkey]

My colleagues at work assumed that because I liked dressing as a Judge and stomping around waving my daystick that I must therefore have the same totalitarian fascist views on life. It couldn't be further from the truth - I've been described in the past as a 'radical leftie' - but explaining this to them left them bewildered.  'Why do you like Judge Dredd so much then?' was the very puzzled question they asked.

I found it very difficult to sum up in a few words, but it boiled down to the fact that I see Dredd and the universe he lives in as a satire, a tragi-comedy, and a portent of things to come.  It's almost like a description of both the best and worst of humans, played out on a very entertaining, yet dystopic stage. At its best, the strip acts as a warning about those who would stick blindly to strict tenets of what they consider right and wrong, without acknowledging the grey areas and diversity of humanity. 

Plus there's, you know, explosions, robots and stuff.

[Eamonn Clarke]

I like Tordelback's expression "glacial evolution of his character". I admire the why Dredd has changed as the comic has grown up with its audience. Dredd thinks both slowly and quickly. On the streets he still moves fast with experience making up for the reflexes that time has slowed. But it's his slower deliberations as he stalks the corridors of the Hall of Justice that intrigue me.

The way he has changed his views about issues like democracy, mutant rights and even some of his more challenging decisions in the past is fascinating. There was a phrase he used in Trifecta "wool gathering" which seems to reflect this. I hope we get more of his wool gathering in the future.

And if some Zziz crazed street punk was holding a knife to my throat I'd still rather it was Dredd that came round the corner, and not my democratically elected representative.

[The Adventurer]

Their are two questions at play here. Why do I like Judge Dredd the Comic, and why do I like Judge Dredd the Character.

Why I like the comic is easy. Versatility + a Storied history. Judge Dredd can tackle any issue, play with any genre trope. It can be gritty police procedural one minute, a darkly humorous satire of our own world the next, and then just be down right WEIRD the next. The very best Judge Dredd mixes all possibilities into one. There are very few other comics with the potencial scope of Judge Dredd, I think that's why it stays so fresh after 35+ years.

Then there is Judge Dredd the character. Its easy to find appeal in his action hero role and his no-nonsense way of dealing with situations. But there's also a depth of character to him, particularly now that he's getting older. One of the best parts about Judge Dredd the comic is its real-time aspect. Where the march of time matters to the world and characters. Judge Dredd icon status means he's probably not going to die any time soon, but that doesn't mean the world around him isn't allowed to evolve and change. And it has. And watching Dredd himself react to a changing world is one of the most interesting parts about him.

Then there are the other things about Judge Dredd that make him a protagonist to cheer for, in particular his raw willpower and his unflappable sense of duty. Judge Dredd is not fascist. Because a fascist discriminates and blames some other race or creed at the perceived benefits of others. Dredd plays no favorites. Whether you are poor or rich. Regardless of your background, genetic history, or status; Dredd judges you equally. He is what all Judges are suppose to be. Completely and utterly impartial.

[shaolin_monkey]

Hmmm. I guess it depends on which definition of fascist you apply.

The points below seem to sum it up:

any right-wing nationalist ideology or movement with an authoritarian and hierarchical structure that is fundamentally opposed to democracy and liberalism

a police apparatus that prevents, controls, and represses dissidence and opposition, even by using organized terror;

a political system organized by hierarchy of functions named from the top and crowned by the figure of the 'leader,' invested with a sacred charisma, who commands, directs, and coordinates the activities of the party and the regime;

corporative organization of the economy that suppresses trade union liberty, broadens the sphere of state intervention, and seeks to achieve, by principles of technocracy and solidarity, the collaboration of the 'productive sectors' under control of the regime, to achieve its goals of power, yet preserving private property and class divisions;


Given that Dredd is a proponent and advocate of just such a system, perpetuated by the rigid control of the Justice Department, I'd say he was most definitely a fascist.

That he seems of late to be rethinking his position (wool gathering, changed viewpoint re mutants, misgivings over previous actions etc) makes his character very interesting, but is nonetheless still upholding the hierarchy and control Justice Dept wants to exert on the populace.

[pauljholden]

I love 'im.

I'm afraid I can't give any terribly well thought out or rational reasons why I love 'im. In fact, I rather worry that I'm one of the people that Grant and Wagner despaired over who cheered on Dredd the more excessive he got.

I love it when it's serious and melancholy and reflective.
I love it when it's silly and daft and pointless.
I love Dredd as the stoic face of the law.
I love Dredd as the heroic face of Justice.
I love the unbending nature of the man.
I love the goofy nature of his world.

I think, pretty much, the thing with Dredd is that, once you buy into the premise, it can be anything you want it to be. Dredd is both the guy who fought tooth and nail to defeat the Clone in the City of the Damned, and he's the man who fought wig monsters that came out of Bea Arthur block.

Him and his world are pretty damn great.

(All that said: more silly dredd stories please!)

[JOE SOAP]

I love 'im.

I think, pretty much, the thing with Dredd is that, once you buy into the premise, it can be anything you want it to be.

[TordelBack]

Dredd is both the guy who fought tooth and nail to defeat the Clone in the City of the Damned, and he's the man who fought wig monsters that came out of Bea Arthur block.

I love that a guy who spends countless hours drawing the bloody thing still loves it.  And yeah, more silly stories please, with a resulting reduction in the proportion of gangsters (which can also be handled in Low Life) and supernatural menaces (which can also be handled in Anderson).

It's interesting that PJ mentions City of the Damned.  For all its shortcomings this is the story that always comes to mind whenever I feel bad about rooting for Dredd-the-fascist: here we see Dredd reduced to nothing but pure willpower and sense of duty, even more so than at the ends of Cursed Earth or Day of Chaos, and it's very hard not think you'd like that guy on your side when the chips are down.  Even if he is a bad'un who has led his people to death and ruin.