BARNEY

JUDGE DREDD

Judge Dredd

The Day the Law Died 20 episodes (Progs 89 to 108) 111 pages
Script: John Wagner, Artist: Mike McMahon (1-3, 8-9, 12), Brett Ewins (4, pencils 5, 17), Brendan McCarthy (inks 5, 17), Brian Bolland (pencils 6-7), Garry Leach (inks 6-7), Brian Bolland (10, 13-14), Garry Leach (15), Ron Smith (16, 18-20), Letters: Tom Frame (1-2, 6-20), Tom Knight (3), Jack Potter (4)
Featuring: Judge Cal, The Kleggs, Judge Goodman (murdered in ep. 1), Judge Griffin
First appearances of Judge-Tutor Pepper (later Deputy Chief Judge) ep. 4, Fergee ep. 12.
Timeline data: 2101
Reprinted
Titan: Judge Dredd Epics The Complete Judge Caligula
Titan: Judge Dredd Epics Judge Caligula 1 (1-7)
Titan: Judge Dredd Epics Judge Caligula 2 (8-20)
Rebellion: Judge Dredd The Complete Case Files 02
The Complete Judge Dredd 10 (14-20)
The Complete Judge Dredd 8 (1-2)
The Complete Judge Dredd 9 (3-13)
Titan: Judge Dredd Epics The Day the Law Died
Eagle: Judge Dredd 10 (3-7?), Colour: John Burns
Eagle: Judge Dredd 11 (8-12?), Colour: John Burns
Eagle: Judge Dredd 12 (13-17?), Colour: John Burns
Eagle: Judge Dredd 13 (18-20?), Colour: John Burns
Eagle: Judge Dredd 9 (1-2?), Colour: John Burns
Titan: Judge Dredd Epics The Day the Law Died

Shortly after Judge Dredd foiled the plot to discredit him, Chief Judge Goodman was murdered and the head of SJS, Judge Cal, took over as Chief Judge. Before he died Goodman gave Dredd a button torn from his assailants clothing. It was an SJS button and the implication to Dredd was clear, Judge Cal had gone stark staring mad! Knowing Dredd to be dangerous, Cal arranged for Dredd to be killed, though he was only gravely injured. Cal then began a series of bizarre proclamations including making his goldfish Deputy Chief Judge and erecting a mile high wall around the city.

The injured Dredd teamed up with the few judges who remained loyal, including Judge Giant and Judge tutors from the Academy of Law. The resistance against Cal began, made harder by the presence of the brutal alien mercenary Kleggs who were paid in meat. When Cal finally achieved his perfect city, he was tormented by the spectres of past chief Judges and to ensure that the city would never be less than perfect he sentenced the whole city to death. Discovering that the judges had been victims of Cal's mind suggestion, the resistance created their own program to free them and raced to prevent Cal from releasing a nerve gas that would kill every citizen in Mega City One.

In the struggle, Dredd was captured and his strange ally, Fergee was mortally wounded, but managed to make one final attack and Cal, his judges and Fergee all plummeted to the ground below. Despite Cal's commanding that they should stop, they all died at the foot of the Grand Hall of Justice. Calls were made for Judge Dredd to become Chief Judge but instead he recommended Judge Griffin (formerly principal of the Academy of Law) who fought bravely with him in the resistance. Judge Pepper is appointed his deputy and statues of Fergie, the King of the Big Smelly (the old Ohio river that runs beneath the city, where Fergie had lived), are erected in remembrance of his bravery and the millions who died during the reign of the tyrant Judge Cal.

Paul Scott