A-Z of Judge Dredd - 26 Important Things You Must Know
We present a look into Dredd lore and tell you the most important things you need to know about the comics, the films and the big chinned man himself.
From the strips beginnings in the second issue of 2000 AD (1977) to its present day status as an all time sci-fi comic classic, Judge Dredd has been a staple of the comics world for what seems like an eternity. Now as the sun sets on the grand unveiling of the new Dredd movie at the San Diego Comic Con, we present a look into Dredd lore and bring you 26 of the most important things you need to know about the comics, the films and the big chinned man himself.
A is for Angel Gang
The Angel Gang were the roughest, toughest, meanest band of bastards Texas had ever seen. Led by their demented Pa, the Angel Gang consisted of Link, Junior, Fink, Ratfink and the Cyborg Mean Machine. Preferring hideous atrocities over simple murder the Angel Gang gained notoriety through several appearances in the Dredd story. The gang met their maker at the end of the 'Judge Child' story at the hands of Dredd, leaving only Fink alive to seek retribution. As you can imagine Dredd didn't let him live a second time, wiping the Angel's from the pages of 2000 AD for good.
B is for Bert Dubinski
Bert Dubinski was Dredd's first perp. Cast your minds back to Prog 775 and you'll probably remember the eye patch wearing, Robert Smith-alike. Shortly after arresting Dubinski, Dredd graduated to full Judge status. Upon his release from prison in 2114, Dubinski tracked down his old nemesis and offered him the hand of friendship. When Dredd refused the peace offering Burt foolishly tries to kill him only to have the tables turned by the unstoppable law man, sending himself to an early grave for his troubles.
C is for Cursed Earth
The Cursed Earth is a desolate wasteland inhabited by mutants, freaks and criminals. It is the space that exists outside of the Mega Cities and was created after the nuclear barrage the US underwent during the Atomic Wars of 2070. It has appeared many times in the 2000AD strips as well as in the 1995 Danny Cannon movie. It has primarily been seen as desert like but in the 2006/7 story 'Origins' it was shown to be turning green again in places. Still, to be banished to the Cursed Earth is certainly a death sentence for any criminal in Dredd's world.
D is for Dark Judges
The Dark Judges were once feared law enforcers from a parallel universe. After cleaning up the streets in their world they decided to make the jump into the world of Judge Dredd. Lead by the sadistic and evil Judge Death, the Dark Judges deemed all crime to be committed by the living and began a killing spree like no one had ever seen, starting in Mega-City One. Helping Death were Judges Fear, Fire and Mortis as well as the Sisters of Death - serial killers and dabblers in the occult who only served to make the Judge's commit even more atrocities than they would have by themselves. Judge Death is currently involved in 2000AD's big Dredd storyline and is still ongoing at the time of writing.