Judge Dredd: Origins

Judge Dredd has been having nightmares. Pursuing a pair of killers who have snuck into Mega City One, Dredd finds that his own past, which is so connected with the establishment of the Department of Justice and the "instant justice" system itself is tied into his own past. This is the 'prelude' part, illustrated by Kev Walker in "Origins". The Master himself, Carlos Ezquerra, takes over the art duties as this episodic tale unwinds. The First Judge, Eustace Fargo, is not in his very public tomb; rather, he might still be alive! A demand of ransom has been sent for the body of First Judge Fargo, and Dredd must take a small team of Judges deep into the Cursed Earth to deliver the billion-credit demand. Nothing is as it seems, and as the team penetrates deeper into the radioactive wasteland, thick with hostile mutated people and creatures, it becomes more dangerous by the moment. This is no funny-book for children, this is an exploration of deception at the highest level of government punctuated by some scenes of war and extreme violence. Ezquerra does not indulge in grossness, but the result of violence is clear. I read this tale after the Case Files (1,2,5 and 6) and the Dredd/Batman crossover trade (which is also excellent). I think this made for a much more pleasant read, as the hints and clues about the past of Joe Dredd, his clone-brother Rico and Judge Fargo are all there, but in bits and pieces. "Origins" takes place late in Dredd's career, about Prog 1550. (A "prog" or "program" is a chapter, 6-8 pages, numbered from the beginning; which is why when they are collected it becomes 80 (yep, Eighty!) thick volumes!) This volume tells the complete tale of how the Judges came to power, how the Cursed Earth began, the rise of the Mega Cities, and does so both from the personal point of view of Dredd and the other Judges and people involved and from the third-person perspective. Dredd has always been about power and its use and abuse, and this would make a fine tale for a family with about 11-year-olds and such to all read together, and then talk about how power is used by people, from the kids' classmates and teachers all the way up through the actions of national leaders. When read by the angry teenager (which is still part of my personality, so greetings, fellow realists!) who want to BE Dredd, please consider "Do I agree with these actions? If so, why?" By the bye, every volume of Judge Dredd has been an outstanding value if considering entertainment value per dollar. Beware of one thing; tales of Dredd can be very, very addicting! Enjoy!

Judge Dredd is a character that works several ways. Sometimes he's a parody of American action heroes like Clint Eastwood and Sylvester Stallone. Other times he's just another thug hero like the ones he was created to parody. But sometimes he's written as a three-dimensional character with real doubts about what he does. This is one of those stories. It begins with a prologue by John Wagner and Kev Walker where a mysterious package is delivered to the Justice Department leaving a trail of murders in its wake. Then Wagner and Carlos Ezquerra continue the story as a group of Judges are sent to recover the body of Chief Justice Fargo, founder of the Mega City Judges and creator of their 'instant justice' system. In the process secrets are revealed and the readers learn the true history of the Judges and of Judge Dredd. I should stop here and say, don't panic. This is not one of those 'everything you know is a lie' stories. We do not find out that Fargo was really Hitler or that Dredd is really from Earth 33. The story of how the judges were formed was first told in the 70s and here it is essentially unchanged. They were created in response to rising crime and a powerless judicial system, in time they overthrew the last President of the United States and replaced it with their own iron-fisted rule. Origins puts more meat on the story and includes some wonderful scenes of early Judges in their riot cop uniforms. The scenes with a war-mongering president who stole an election might be a bit too obviously political but after the 2008 election they lose a lot of their bite. Throughout the story there are subtle hints that Dredd is starting to question the rules he's lived by. It seems to end with him reaffirming those rules but long-time readers know this story actually marked a change for Dredd that put him at odds with Mega City One's harsh laws. So Origins is a well-told story with excellent art that gives Dredd a richer personality. It's worth picking up.

I was first introduced to Judge Dredd as a teenager while listening to the Anthrax song "I Am The Law" off their incomparable thrash classic Among The Living. But as an American I couldn't find the comics and truly immerse myself in the world of Dredd until about 5 years ago when 2000 AD finally started putting out decent, comprehensive collections in the US. While I've enjoyed practically every JD story I've read so far, one thing has always been nagging at me: the history of the mega cities and the judge system. I mean, it's common knowledge that Joe Dredd and his brother Rico were cloned from Judge Fargo whom is referred to as the father of justice, and there are hints here and there about how the world got the way it is, but as far as I could tell there wasn't a comprehensive history...until now...well, technically 6 years ago, when the story collected here was originally published in the pages of 2000 AD, but I digress. It's a tale of political corruption and intrigue, and a man who would do anything to destroy the corrupt system of old, even if it meant curtailing freedoms and destroying the US constitution. I really I don't want to say too much more because there are a lot of twists and turns. Suffice it to say that not only do you find out the entire timeline starting from 1999 up to the present in the Judge Dredd universe, but Wagner also ties up some loose ends left over from The Cursed Earth Saga (which you should consider prerequisite reading if you plan on enjoying this book to its fullest). This is one of the most informative and enjoyable Dredd stories I've read, and I highly recommend it.

Great story, and was good to be able to be immersed into the history of the Judges and Justice Department. If you are a Judge Dredd fan, this graphic novel is a must read!!

John Wagner finally gets around to detailing the story I thought we'd never see, the rise of the Judge system and the gradual metamorphosis of the USA into three Mega Cities in the Cursed Earth. Of course, none of this was a secret. The basic back story was in place within the first couple of years, so is a thirty year wait really worth it? The answer is a resounding yes. Whilst many Dredd epics have built a sense of scale through huge geographical spans, this one manages to get a sense of grandure by tracing the course of a whole society across 130 years. Without contradicting anything that has gone before, Wagner manages to weave a story with unexpected twists and payoffs. And best of all, although there are plenty of loose ends tied off, and nods to many previous stories, this is no continuity porn: this would be the perfect book to give someone who wanted to know what Dredd was all about. And it's not all about the writing-- the art is top notch. In the prologue Kev Walker channels Mike Mignola to give the appropriate sense of mystery and shadowy foreboding, whilst the main story features the best Ezquerra art I think I have seen. In particular the attention to detail in the evolution of the judge uniform tells a story in itself. The story manages to reveal significant moments without destroying their mystique. In particular it manages to deepen Dredd's character without trying to humanise him or go for cheap emotional shortcuts. This is still a man who will execute a severely wounded opponent begging for mercy without a second thought. Not just one of the best Dredd stories, but one of the best comics I have read all year. Recommended unreservedly.

Très bonne introduction pour comprendre rapidement le monde de Judge Dredd, avec le pourquoi du comment des origines de cet univers

Great story the origirn of Dredd

Awesome