Some questions about the Judge Dredd universe

[Smith]

Not really,we still get stuff like the Billious Barrage story in Meg.
And ofc,not every story is funny,but the world itself has plenty of not-so-serious elements treated seriously.Sexual Olympics are a thing,for Gruds sake.

[Frank]

(Camp Demento was played as) straight as anything else in the JD universe ... But thats still satire, where DR and Quinch was a comedy

Camp Demento seems like a pretty good example of what I describe above - using something that was in the news a lot in 1997 (Militia movements) as the springboard for a story and some laughs ... without having anything profound to say about them or making a particular point.

If drowning Demento in raw sewage can be elevated to the level of satire, Al's Baby must be a satire on the Mafia*? I think you're getting hung up on categories, buddy - there's no contradiction between something being a comedy and being a satire.

If you think Camp Demento was satirising the militia movement, you'd also have to accept that DR & Quinch was making a similar satirical point about Summer camps. I don't think either are really satire, since neither is making a targeted point about their subject - just using them as springboards for stories.



* And the equivalent scene in Preacher, a satire on Vietnam?

[Smith]

I mostly agree there.And using something from the headlines as a springboard for some laughs is satire.Thou its not that funny when they start shooting.And Camp Demento was really just a first example I remembered,its hardly the best one.
Definitions aside,I just wanted to say that Judge Dredd has some satirical elements.Can we all agree on that?

[Frank]

Judge Dredd has some satirical elements.Can we all agree on that?

Aye!

[Smith]

Judge Dredd has some satirical elements.Can we all agree on that?

Aye!

I was wondering when somebody is going to dig up the Wikipedia definition. 

[Frank]

Judge Dredd has some satirical elements.Can we all agree on that?

Aye!

I was wondering when somebody is going to dig up the Wikipedia definition. 

It features a section on the fundamental importance of shite to satire, so what do I know.

[Smith]

Apparently,a good deal. 

[Frank]

Apparently,a good deal. 

That was satire! Know it when I see it.

[Dash Decent]

I thought the definition of satire was tiered seating.

[Sandman1]

What do you think about different depictions of established characters? I was looking up the arachnids by the name of Nosferatu and they gave me the impression of being primitive, but I want them to be way more functional in social settings when they are "undercover".

Have PJ Maybe collaborated with other antagonists to achieve something? Would it seem strange if he did?

 

[Smith]

To back up a bit,on the subject of clones-there is also Dolman,another Fargo/Dredd clone.And we do see his face pretty often.

There is probably an explanation for that.

[Greg M.]

There is probably an explanation for that.

There is. He got a face-change at the end of the first story he appeared in.

[Smith]

There is probably an explanation for that.

There is. He got a face-change at the end of the first story he appeared in.

I did remember that after posting. 

[PsychoGoatee]

I lean more towards the theory that Judge Dredd is a satire of American politics and culture as seen thru British eyes;and as such kinda lost on Americans.Which also summarizes why the IDW series doesnt cut it for me.

The problem with Dredd is that it needed to do well in the US, despite being a blunt-instrument satire, broadly anti-US in outlook, extremely violent, following a terrible prior movie, and with some iffy marketing. It's notable that Deadpool did well, despite being violent in a less moral manner (he's a vigilante, slicing up anyone who gets in his way and almost certainly causing considerable collateral damage; Dredd's a cop doing his job). Still, when you're a juggernaut, you can barge your way in. Dredd was a minnow at the cinema.

A well done low budget action thriller without much marketing budget didn't catch on money wise. I don't think there's much more to it than that. Plenty of anti-estabishment films have done well at the box office. I doubt the average citizen who saw Dredd advertising (if they ever saw any) was aware that Dredd had these particular views to share.

I lean more towards the theory that Judge Dredd is a satire of American politics and culture as seen thru British eyes;and as such kinda lost on Americans.Which also summarizes why the IDW series doesnt cut it for me.

Mr Smith, you absolutely nailed it. I'm Canadian, and am therefore have strong British influences - I think this is one of the reasons I enjoy the satire of American politics more than an American would. The satire (and violence!) is my favorite part about Dredd, but I feel it is often lost on American readers who wouldn't have the same "British" views.

This is silliness. Plus John Wagner had an American upbringing (for the first 12 years or so anyway), if you weren't aware. You think people in USA can't enjoy satire or partake in writing satire of their country? Strangely divisive and generalized views, everybody is an individual. And of course "American upbringing" is deliberately a vague comment, USA is so vast and diverse it's pretty much a series of smaller countries linked together, culturally. It's a big place, as is the world.

[PsychoGoatee]

As for IDW, do you like Mark Millar's run on Dredd in 2000AD? I do not. I don't think it makes much sense to choose one attribute (country), and run with that. I don't think the IDW stuff is good myself (only read some bits of it), but again it's pretty baseless to pin it on the country. Surely plenty of writers from many countries including the US could write Dredd well, especially if given editorial that gets the concept.

And all that said, I don't see a need for another concurrent run of Judge Dredd.

Short version of all this, saying a large country of people doesn't "get" Dredd as the reason for it not being known/popular is quite the pointless and meaningless pat on the back. Plenty of great things aren't overly well known or popular in plenty of places.