Fans looking for an entry point into the dark and dense world of Judge Dredd are in luck, thanks to a new series of 2000 AD reprints. The long-running British science fiction comic magazine has launched not only a plethora of careers but characters as well, Judge Dredd first and foremost among them. The books will not only reprint key Dredd stories but also other classics from 2000 AD as well.

Judge Dredd helped put 2000 AD on the map. The creation of editor Pat Mills, writer John Wagner and artist Carlos Ezquerra, Judge Dredd first appeared in the 1977’s 2000 AD #2. Inspired by the hyper-macho “tough cop” movies of the 1970s, such as Dirty Harry, Judge Dredd is judge, jury and executioner in Mega-City One, a large, sprawling city in a dystopian North America. The character became popular first in Britain, and then worldwide, appearing in two different live-action feature film adaptations: the first in 1995, starring Sylvester Stallone, and a second, more-authentic adaptation in 2011 starring Karl Urban. Both are cult classics, and helped the character achieve even greater visibility stateside. However, finding the best Judge Dredd stories from 2000 AD’s 40-plus years of publication can be daunting. Rebellion Development, 2000 AD’s parent company, is now making it easy for new fans to dive in with a series of high-quality reprints of the best of 2000 AD.

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Further details on the new series were revealed in an article on Comicsbeat. Titled Best of 2000 AD, the series will consist of six, 200-page books, designed by Tom Muller; the first volume ships September 2022. Each volume will contain one full-length Judge Dredd story, along with a second full-length story, along with other “hidden gems from the 2000 AD vaults.” Every volume will also contain essays from prominent comic and pop culture scholars, as well as new covers from some of today’s top artists, including Erica Henderson, Becky Cloonan, and Annie Wu.

While many of the creators first published in 2000 AD’s pages went onto great success in America, very few of the magazine’s characters made it big in the United States—with the exception of Judge Dredd. While there is a visceral thrill in Dredd’s adventures, watching him dispense harsh justice in a harsh future, there is also social commentary that has gave Judge Dredd a prescient edge. The two feature film adaptations gave American audiences a taste, of the character and now the new Best of 2000 AD reprints will allow them to finally read some of the definitive Judge Dredd stories.

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These new books will serve as the perfect entry point not only into the world of Judge Dredd and the world of Mega-City One, but also the world of 2000 AD as a whole.

Source: Comicsbeat

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Shaun Corley
(1384 Articles Published)

Shaun Corley is a pop culture enthusiast living in the Pacific Northwest. After stints in both customer service and academia, he’s turned his attention to writing about comic books–his lifelong passion. He is a graduate of Radford University, with a degree in English. When not reading comics, he enjoys spending time with his fiance and their dog.

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