New monthly Dredd title announced for North America

[SmallBlueThing]

Clicked on the link to the preview pages with gritted teeth and a sense I was spiraling down into a pit of Hell... and immediately found myself soaring up again. This ain't bad at all. I have no idea why when yanks do Dredd they insist on calling him "Joseph", because it always, always, sticks out like a sore cock. But if that's my only complaint, I'm a happy man. Lovely art, great- and original- robot design, funny Robocop cameo,  a Dredd who looks like Dredd and only the teensiest whiff of the Stallone movie in the slight overplaying of the "judge" part of his job description in the dialogue. If the remainder of the issue is as good as these pages, I expect to be very happily and openly chewing up and swallowing my previously-spoken expectation of shitness. Very excited for next week now- it should arrive the same day as Wonder Woman #14, which means I'll be judging it against my current favourite American comic. Should prove interesting.

SBT

[TordelBack]

7 page Preview over at CBR.

So that was surprisingly good.  Some problems with clarity in the storytelling, but it certainly felt like Judge Dredd.  I think I may try my luck in Big Bang Comics this week.

[Frank]

I have no idea why when yanks do Dredd they insist on calling him "Joseph", because it always, always, sticks out like a sore cock. But if that's my only complaint, I'm a happy man.

Both Al Ewing (Bullet To King Four) and Wagner (Origins) have Dredd referred to indirectly by his Sunday name; Ewing has a scanner identify him as such, Wagner (or editorial) has it written on the test tube in which baby Dredd's gestating. He was always plain Joe Dredd until Max Von Sydow got all fancy, but it looks like editorial have decided to adopt the 1995 film's slightly poncey sounding name (check the presumably official wikipedia entry). McGruder, Morphy and Rico all referred to Dredd as 'Joe', in fact I'm fairly certain Return of Rico (30) is the first time anyone calls Dredd by his forename, which I suppose means Pat Mills gave Dredd all of his name.

The fact Mills appears to have given Marshal Law and Dredd the same arbitrary first name works well for both characters. Joe's the name by which characters in US films from the first half of the twentieth century call strangers (whadda ya know, Joe?), the equivalent of the cockney use of 'John'; which is also why that's the name used to address Clint's Man With No Name in A Fistful of Dollars. Like all those characters, anonymity is central to the nature of Dredd; he's not the hero, and he's not the colourful, attention grabbing character at the centre of the story. Dredd's literally undistinguished from the massed ranks of ordinary judges who are all dressed identically, and such a generic name works well with the fact he's a clone who can be reproduced infinitely too.

I'd agree that it doesn't really matter, though.

[Spikes]

I'd agree that it doesn't really matter, though.

Oh, the forum thrives on such things Sauch, 

Id always preferred Joe over Joseph, for the reasons given above.
But Dredd, being such a stickler, probably see's having any  first name as being an unnecessary extravagance.

[Molch-R]

is this being made available through the futureshop, even better can we subscribe to it?

Nope. It's available through any retailer that uses Diamond.

[MercZ]

I think with them calling him "Joesph" I think it's probably more their obligatory full name drop when a character first appears. They might not refer to him as such in the future.

I took a look at the preview, I was thinking it was going to be bad but this is more acceptable. Hopefully with it being an American release it'll mean I'll see some Dredd in the comic stores here more often. Given that the line is successful, I'll buy the first issue to help them along.

[Pete Wells]

Oh wow, I really enjoyed the preview! It served as a good introduction to the city and the art was great. Dredd's dialogue seemed a tiny bit flabby but I'm sure that'll come good soon.

I'm a happy Pete!

[auxlen]

very impressed.

Plus, as I've observed before, [spoiler]malevolent fruit[/spoiler] is about as 2000AD a concept as is possible.

I also liked [spoiler]the droid having a strop[/spoiler]
glad i ordered the first three. might even keep it on.

[Dash Decent]

I posted this in the Forthcoming Thrills thread, but I might as well add it here -

The first collection of IDW stories is up for pre-order at Amazon UK:

Judge Dredd Volume 1

"All new stories plus an introduction by John Wagner!"

IDW, 120 pages, 23rd April 2013

[Spikes]

Blimey they aint wasting no time, are they.
So, this'll be the first 5, or 6 issues collected together?

[IndigoPrime]

Well, it is IDW. It's not like they're known for slowly gathering their output several years after the comics are out!

[dweezil2]

Having read that preview from CBR, my first impression is that it lacks the finesse of John Wagner's writing and the other 2000ad scribes who work on the character.
But it's early days and I'm sure the book will find its feet-It's certainly worth supporting and I hope it takes off and spreads awareness of Judge Dredd and 2000ad to those thrill starved in the US.

[Andy Smart]

Doesn't look bad at all though I notice from the solicitations that the first storyline goes on a few months. I hope it's packed enough to justify that length.

Anyway, I reckon I'll pop into Forbidden Planet tomorrow and pick it up.

Also, looking at their recent solicits, I notice IDW are doing a big Ezquerra collection in February.

[vark]

Don't know if it has been already posted but Nick Percival has posted that on his FB page:

[Andy Smart]

Don't know if it has been already posted but Nick Percival has posted that on his FB page:

Oooh. Nice though a little disconcerting. Dredd's victims have a touch of the uncanny valley about them but I think it works in this case.