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History is written in this landmark Dredd story. The severed hand of Chief Judge Fargo, the very first chief judge, is delivered to the Grand Hall of Justice with a ransom note. Considering Fargo’s body lies in state at the Grand Hall of Justice other Judges are understandably curious as to how any criminals got hold of it. But, it transpires, the body on display was never that of the ‘father of justice’, which was lost a long time ago – until this ransom demand. Tech-Judges match the DNA to Dredd himself, Fargo’s clone-son, and find out something more – the tissue appears to have come from a living body…

Dredd and his team must travel into the Cursed Earth to try and recover the body of the Judge Father. But this is more than just a journey across a devastated America, this is a journey into the past and into the history of the Judges and Mega-City One itself. How did the Judge system come about and how did it take power after the Great Atom War? We’ve had hints as far back as the Cursed Earth epic when Dredd found Robert L Booth, the last president of the United States, sentenced to 100 years in suspended animation by Judge Solomon for initiating the nuclear wars which devastated the world and placed – for his safety – in the vaults of Fort Knox. But we’ve never really had more than glimpses of this past – now that is going to change.

As we venture into 2000AD and Judge Dredd’s 30^th anniversary year this epic tale explores the very beginnings of the Dredd myth, re-uniting his original collaborators from way back in punk era 1977, John Wagner and Carlos Ezquerra. I know we use the phrase ‘unmissable’ perhaps too much, but this really is the book every single Dredd fan old and new will want – will need – to have, me included.

John Wagner is, to many fans, the very heart of 2000 AD. Involved from the earliest days of the “Galaxy's Greatest Comic”, he co-created Judge Dredd, as well as Strontium Dog, Robo-Hunter and a host of other 2000 AD mainstays, including the critically-acclaimed Button Man; It is impossible to overstate the importance of Carlos Ezquerra’s contribution to 2000 AD. As co-creator of Judge Dredd, for example, Ezquerra designed the classic original costume as well as visually conceptualising Mega-City One… and then he co-created the only character arguably more popular, Strontium Dog. Ezquerra also co-created Al’s Baby, Armageddon, Fiends of the Eastern Front and Janus: Psi Division, as well as the characters Galen DeMarco and Durham Red and a great career in other comics, notably often collaborating with Garth Ennis.

Rebellion, paperback, 160 pages, published June 2007

What The Author Says:

You can read an interview with John Wagner, writer of this epic and also the co-creator of Judge Dreddd, over on the FPI blog.