Judge Dredd Megazine 448

Judge Dredd » The Darkest Judge (part 1)

Mega-City One, 2114 AD. This vast urban hell on the east coast of post-apocalyptic North America was once home to over 400 million citizens. To the west is the irradiated Cursed Earth, to the east the toxic Black Atlantic. Crime was rampant, and stemming the tide of chaos were the Judges, future law-enforcers empowered to dispense instant justice. Toughest of them all was Judge Dredd – he was the Law! But Sabbat the Necromagus brought a zombie plague upon the world, and in an effort to stop him, all hell has broken loose...

Shimura » Hope Lies Buried (part 1)

Hondo-City, 2114 AD. This glittering metropolis in the far east saw the technological marvels of the twenty-second century wedded to the traditions of the past. Judge-Inspector Shimura was one of its Judge force’s most experienced officers, a veteran who’d seen enough on Hondo’s streets not to be surprised by anything its criminal gangs could throw at him. But he was also disillusioned with the system, and had a cynical attitude to authority. Then Sabbat came, and the world was never the same again...

Anderson, Psi-Division » Allied Forces (part 1)

Mega-City One, 2114 AD. There are many divisions within Justice Department to deal with law enforcement – for undercover operations there is Wally Squad, for example, while the Special Judicial Squad handle internal affairs. The personnel of Psi-Division are psychically talented to combat supernatural threats, be it telepathy, pyrokinesis, precognition, astral projection and more, and Cassandra Anderson is one of the division’s most experienced and powerful officers. Flippant and irreverent she may be, but she gets the job done...

Missionary Man » The Lonesome Undeath..... (part 1)

The Cursed Earth, 2114 AD. This blasted wilderness is all that remains of much of North America following the Atomic Wars, an irradiated hellscape populated by mutants and raiders. Maintaining order in the Texas radlands is Marshal Cain, otherwise known as the Missionary Man, a Bible-spouting lawman, who delivers justice to those that deserve it with little mercy. Rumour has it that he used to be a Texas-City Judge, who left the metropolis behind and chose to bring his brand of law-enforcement to the wilds...

Cadet Giant » I Am... (part 1)

Mega-City One, 2114 AD. The young Cadet Giant is a promising talent in the Academy of Law, whose potential was spotted by Dredd. The illegitimate son of Judge Giant – killed by Sov assassin Orlok during Block Mania – the boy grew up on the tough streets, having seen his mother murdered, and had an anger and impulsiveness that had to be tempered. He played an integral role in defeating the Dark Judges during Necropolis, when the city faced its darkest day. But now, in the wake of Sabbat, MC-1 is in even worse peril...

Devlin Waugh » How I Lost the Waugh (part 1)

Brit-Cit, 2114 AD. A Vatican-sanctioned exorcist and supernatural troubleshooter, there’s little that Devlin Waugh’s seen that can phase him. Incredibly strong and with an unflappable demeanour, he’s the first choice when it comes to dealing with problems of a paranormal nature. But following an outbreak of vamprism at the underwater prison of Aquatraz, into which he was sent to rescue survivors, Devlin was bitten and infected with the curse, and he must now gorge himself on blood too...

Armitage » An Underlying Fear (part 1)

Brit-Cit, 2114 AD. While the UK equivalent of Mega-City One has its own Judge force, it’s retained its CID plainclothes department, of which Detective Inspector Armitage is one of its veteran officers. Surly, and with a healthy disregard for his superiors, whom he believes are virtually all incompetent and corrupt, Armitage has had almost as many run-ins with his bosses as he has had with the criminal fraternity. But his cynical exterior belies a crafty mind, and one capable of tackling any investigation...

Supplement episodes include:

Cover Layouts » Robin Smith Cover Layouts (part 1)

Robin Smith joined the Nerve Centre in 1978, initially as the art assistant. In the days before desktop publishing, a title like 2000 AD was assembled by hand before being delivered to the printers – editorial pages were physically laid out and pasted, strip pages were brought in for lettering. Having an in-house art department meant the comic could maintain a level of design consistency from week to week while also building a rapport with the freelancers, giving them briefs to work from that fitted with the stylistic choices of the title. Smith would graduate to art editor over the following six years, during a period considered by most to be the Galaxy’s Greatest’s golden era. The early eighties saw 2000 AD capture the zeitgeist, and with Judge Dredd, Strontium Dog, Rogue Trooper, Sláine and more firing on all cylinders it became the country’s most exciting and innovative comic. Its covers played no small part in its appeal, and one of Smith’s duties was to lay out a cover design to pass to an artist, who would work it up into the finished product. This collection of some of his cover layouts show just how integral his ideas were to some of 2000 AD’s most famous and revered covers, and it’s a fascinating glimpse into the creative process