Image via 2000 AD
It’s a great time to be a dystopian futurist. I can’t think of any point in my lifetime when end-of-the-world scenarios were played out with such intensity – I’m giving
Armageddon and Deep Impact a pass because they were dumb as rocks and had a sense of humour. And dreamy Ben Affleck.
Judge Dredd dates back to 1977 and only the second-ever edition of 2000 AD, imagined as the logical conclusion of crusaders/law-abusers like Dirty Harry, a morally-driven-yet-morally-vacant judge, jury and executioner in a totalitarian future. Cheery!
This year being both the 35th anniversary of the good Judge’s first appearance and the year of the film release of what is being charitably called a Dredd reboot starring Karl Urban’s jaw, 2000 AD are re-releasing one of the best-loved storylines from the comic, “The Cursed Earth Saga,” due for release on February 2 2012. The book will be printed in ‘B format’ style, 198mm x 129mm, similar to many manga titles.
The original “Cursed Earth” story saw Dredd and his buddies fighting dinosaurs, flying rats and mutated versions of Ronald McDonald and the Jolly Green Giant, a small stroke of brilliance that drew a lawsuit from both companies and cemented its place as a required-reading series in Dredd history.
The Dredd movie suffered an unusual setback yesterday after director Pete Travis was asked to resign over creative disagreements. Filming was completed in March and editing will be picked up by the film’s screenwriter Alex Garland. While this kind of dispute rarely indicates shiny happy times (think X-Men: The Last Stand), we’re hoping that Urban’s promise of a “gritty, hardcore, faithful adaptation” is more than the usual spin.
Got any fond Dredd memories? Post them in the comments, creep.
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