Judge Dredd Reboot

[barrys]

Hello

First an admission: CaptainRhodes has badgered me for months to post these. They're from a small personal project I'm doing. There are several things about the Dredd universe that have bothered me over the years. In an attempt to reconcile these issues I've inadvertently written what amounts to a Judge Dredd Reboot. I guess it's a kind of Judge Dredd Elseworld in which he looks a little bit different and operates in a city that doesn't resemble the Mega City One in the comics. The Dredd from this Elseworld is still a grim-faced thug but he's more complicated and has a deeper and more interesting relationship with his clone-brother Rico (Who's still free, incidently). Actually, in my Reboot Dredd is still in the cloning tanks. It takes place in the transition period from cops to judges.

Anyway, I set about trying to redesign the early Judges' uniforms. Here they are:

[zombemybabynow]

An Ultimate Judge Dredd?

[Spaceghost]

Some nice art skills there. Particularly like the heavily shaded images on the last pic. It's a nice, if a little generic, uniform. For an 'alternate universe' Dredd, this would be cool. Not to replace the current look though.

I was preparing myself for something like this for the new film but the design we've ended up with is much closer to the comic, which I'm pleased about.

I'm intrigued about "your" Rico still being free. Is he set up as a recurring villain in your Dredd-world?

[CrazyFoxMachine]

I too enjoy the thick lines and the weight of them. Also your idea intrigues me - but this ain't no Marvel boi - our universe isn't as convoluted and hackneyed - there's no need for a reboot

[Emperor]

Hello

First an admission: CaptainRhodes has badgered me for months to post these.

And Alex is right

[Bhuna]

Love the concept Barry, Locust of Death and myself are working on a sort of Judge Dredd Elseworld twist, but it's only at concept stage at the moment.

[radiator]

Looks interesting - I especially like the heavily shaded images. Are you actually turning this into a strip or is it just a conceptual thing?

I'd be interested to see more, but I can't help but suspect that the things you dislike and want to change about Dredd are the very things that make it appeal to me!   Dredd without Mega-City One? I can imagine the character of Dredd might seem a little generic and unsympathetic without this crazy city (and citizenry!) to play him off against...

[Zarjazzer]

I like it and you got a nice style barrys Cpt Rhodes was right! 

[barrys]

Thanks for all the feedback. I can understand how an Elseworld would seem a little 'wrong' but let me tell you how I started thinking about it.

It's actually quite easy to look around at today's society and see the features that, when fast forwarded, could lead to the sort of totalitarian state presented in Judge Dredd's world. We have invasive surveillance, an unseen Orwellian terrorist threat, legislation like the US PATRIOT act and its successor. As a thought exercise I started with these and hit the fictional fast-forward button. Along the way I researched various Presidential Executive Orders that exist and could be corruptable, mysterious FEMA detention camps and pondered exactly what type of cataclysm or economic meltdown could lead to the creation of some Mega Cities.

Of that entire timeline the most interesting phase was the transition period between the old and the new ways. Dying out were the police and courts; rising up were the judges. Mega City One isn't as homogenous as portrayed in the comics. You can still recognise various districts and buildings but their size and sprawl is increasing thanks to sudden over-population. Buildings get customised, bolted-on, bastardised. You can still see the old and the new side-by-side, just like any city.

As for the judges, they resemble riot police in this elseworld. They are hardened, special police officers with the power to administer instant sentences. These powers are initially only extended to petty street crime but as lawlessness grows their powers grow.

All in all I wanted to write a more realistic, less humourous Dredd story. I wanted him to have recurring villains, the mafia, corrupt politicians...I wanted him, and his world, to be grittier, dirtier and less fantastic. I guess the same sort of change that Nolan did to Burton's Batman.

All I've got is an outline on Google docs for the backstory and the first episode - and even with that, it's a struggle. But I'll keep posting ideas as I get them.

Cheers

B