2000 AD Online Forum

Dredd needs an animated series, it would be amazing. If you could plot it out, how would you do it? Here's how I'd do the first season.  :)

Some of the 6-page stories that are mostly action could be adapted in 5 minutes easily. I'd sometimes start an episode with one, then ease into the main plot of the episode.

Episode 1: Starts with Judge Whitey, as a nod to the first Dredd story. The main plot of the episode would be Return of Rico. The characters and world would get introduced too.

Episode 2: I'd start with Spikes introduction, and his arrest by Dredd. Then the episode would be a loose adaptation of The Robot Wars, introducing Walter. Throughout, Dredd would be testing cadet Giant.

Episodes 3 to 6: The Cursed Earth. I'd cut out a couple subplots to make it more focused, naturally Burger Wars and such would be gone.

Episodes 7 to 10: The Day The Law Died.

Episode 11: Punks Rule. Of course, 6 pages is short for a full episode. I'd flesh it out, and show how the city is getting back on track after the epic.

Episode 12: Judge Death. 'Nuff said.

Episode 13: Starts with the Boing story, then covers the Vienna kidnapping.

Episode 14 to 17: Judge Child epic.

Episode 18: Judge Death Lives.

Episodes 19 and 20: Block Mania

Episodes 21 to 26: The Apocalypse War

That's how I would do the first season. Yes, I've got some free time on my hands. How would you guys do it?

Its an idea thats been floated around here many times....but I'd love it too! Something similar to the Dr Who series, but more dynamic would be excellent. Dont think I'd like it too computery if you know what I mean. ;-D

I think you're cramming too much into one series. I'd use series one to introduce the city , with more single episodes that combined elements from two or three stories. Like you, I'd also draw on stories featuring significant characters (Rico, Giant, perhaps Vienna). The big story of the first series would be The Robot Wars.

Series two would start with the Spikes Harvey Rotten story (Mega-City 5000). Follow this with a Luna-City sequence, partly to introduce the Sovs. We'd then move back to the city before going into the Cursed Earth.

Series three draws on Crime and Punishment, Judge Dredd Outlaw, and The Day the Law Died.

Series four is more episodic, and starts with Punks Rule, Battle of the Black Atlantic, Sob Story, Judge Minty and a few others single-prog stories combined, before we do Judge Death, probably as a two-parter. Some more one-offs like Block War and two parters like The Black Plague, before jumping ahead to finish the series with Judge Death Lives.

Series five goes back a bit and does The Judge Child Quest.

Series six does Block Mania and The Apocalypse War.

Series seven focuses on longer stories: Shanty Town, Destiny's Angels, The Executioner, Cry of the Werewolf, Graveyard Shift, Dredd Angel, the Judgement Trilogy, ending with City of the Damned.

And so on. Rather too ambitious, but nevermind.

Regards

Robin

I like your style, since you leave in more stories. To me though, Robot Wars is not very strong for a Dredd epic.

I feel that Dredd really got amazing with The Cursed Earth and Day The Law Died. There are several good stories before those, but that's where everything comes together for me. Thats why I'd want to get there as soon as possible.

Plus, if we ever want to see an animated Necropolis, we'd need to pick up the pace. ;)

"I like your style, since you leave in more stories. To me though, Robot Wars is not very strong for a Dredd epic."

Thanks. Robot Wars is a bit old-fashioned, but I think it could be tarted up a bit.

I know what you mean about Cursed Earth and Day the Law Died, but the first leaves the city behind, and before we see the craziness of the latter we need to see more of the city as it normally is (even if that is a bit odd, too).

"Plus, if we ever want to see an animated Necropolis, we'd need to pick up the pace. ;)"

True - taking my approach, the series would get cancelled well before then!

Regards

Robin

- single episode Wagner story arcs

- Phil hester type art

- Paul Dini on board to advice

- The series would show the depth of Mega-city 1 and it's inhabitants as well creating the neccessary character depth of Dredd

- series 2 would have cameo/guest spots from Anderson, jack point, low life characters etc.

I think I'd do it in an eighties style, with the characters standing around blinking a lot, and their mouths opening and closing seemingly at random when they speak.

Dredd should have a cute sidekick that talks in a funny voice and has frequent pangs of cowardliness. We could call it something like Nono, Snarf, Godzuki, The Gronk or Walter the Wobot.

Every episode should finish with Judge Death and his bumbling crew of evildoers (a rotating cast of villainous sidekicks) cutting their losses and running off vowing revenge while Dredd laughs haughtily throwing his head back with his hands on his hips. Then, back at the Judges' clubhouse the judges kick back and drink malts and listen to the jukebox and crack puns about the episode's adventures: "With that giant set of robot boots, Judge Death sure bit off more than he could shoe."

Then Judge Dredd turns to face front and delivers the moral: "As Incendiary Bob found out to his cost, fire can be dangerous. Don't play with matches, kids!"

Haha, well I agree with one aspect of your legendary ideas. That Walter the Wobot is a must.

And for the record, I'd love an ABC Warriors cartoon too. That would be epic.

I personally loved the look and animation of the recent 'The Batman' series, though Batman doesn't have a gun - you can't really take away Dredd's gun. I can't remember a kid's cartoon that had much gunplay, or an actual lethal gun at all, I suspect it's the one thing you just can't do. Otherwise it would be great. Without the kids' audience though there just wouldn't be the money to do it for TV and the best we could have would be a webcast produced by Rebellion, Big Finish or us fans (and I have muted the idea on the Artdroids group, using the Big Finish audio).

Well, there's always the adult SPAWN cartoon that was on HBO. Also, they show lot of anime and more mature cartoons on Adult Swim on Cartoon Network.

I think there's an older animation audience out there. Not that I think a Dredd cartoon will get made... it would be nice though.

++ Phil hester type art ++

Really?

with  Ande Parks

I personally loved the look and animation of the recent 'The Batman' series, though Batman doesn't have a gun - you can't really take away Dredd's gun. I can't remember a kid's cartoon that had much gunplay, or an actual lethal gun at all, I suspect it's the one thing you just can't do.

thats why an ABC Warriors cartoon is a better option. Killing robots is perfectly acceptable look at Samurai Jack.

"With that giant set of robot boots, Judge Death sure bit off more than he could shoe."

I laughed far too much at that.

I'd love to see it done like the Captain Scarlet series but that's probably too expensive.

It might be cheaper than traditional animation. There are more computer animators around now than traditional, which apart from the off Frosties ad is completely dying out. It's easier to teach the skills required to do motion capture and 3D rendering than it is to teach someone to draw well, and once you have everything designed and built you can just keep making more episodes. Plus technology gets cheaper all the time, unlike artists.

Yeah, the initial setup is more involved, but once it's done it's cheap to re-use sets and animation from different angles.

2D has an advantage in that outsourcing is established, where 3D outsourcing is a bit more of a technical challenge.

My mate worked on Captain Scarlet, and they worked their nuts off to get it out the door, but like Ade says tech gets cheaper all the time especially on the rendering side.

For something like Dredd, the modeling of the Judges is fairly straightforward as they're in uniform. The cits would be tougher but I guess you would build components/clothes/faces that you can mix and match.

The same goes for vehicles etc. if you can make them out of components that you can retool it helps ease the burden.

- Steve

That said, I wouldn't want to see it CGI. Captain Scarlet was done with a lot of care but left me cold. Motion capture makes it even colder - you have to keep some drawing in.

"For something like Dredd, the modeling of the Judges is fairly straightforward as they're in uniform."


I bet there would still be people complaining that they got it all wrong though.

"How many bars did they put on the respirators? Outrageous!!!" etc...

I reckon it should be done as finger-puppets.

Dredd can't use guns so every case he goes on requires that he "needs this one alive".

I know this is not animation but when it was mentioned Dredd being done in the new Scarlet mode did anyone think about having the Gerry Anderson treatment for El Stonio-face?

Council of five
The Angel Gang
Shebelob
Whitey
The Fatties,

All as Anderson puppets!

Health and Safety would put the mockers on anyone puppeteering the fatties...

Shebelob

Okay, I'll bite:   who/what/where?