Simply the Best: Here Comes the Judge!

Some of the best comic book covers are the ones that can define a character in a single image. That's absolutely the case with Judge Dredd #1. 

Hugely popular in Great Britain since the late 70's, I'd actually never heard of the character until I spotted the first issue of Eagle Comics' U.S. reprint series back in 1983. However, this fantastic cover illustration told me all I needed to know about Mega-City One's top cop...or at least enough to hook me in.

Another big selling point for me was the fact that Brian Bolland was the illustrator. First catching my attention two years earlier, then blowing my mind with his Camelot 3000 artwork, I instantly recognized his clean, expressive style on this blazing red cover. Like nothing I'd ever seen before, that image of a baroquely-costumed Dredd and his unconscious monster-punk perp perfectly captured the vibe of the uber-macho action and sociopolitical satire that defined the British cult superstar. In fact, the cover almost seemed like a grim public service announcement you might see displayed in Mega-City One, the futuristic city where Dredd and his fellow officers are (quite literally) one-man judges, juries, and executioners.

As I recall, this was also the first time I'd ventured beyond the comfortable confines of DC and Marvel Comics and tried one of the so-called "Independent" publishers that were popping up all over the place in the early 80's. So that, combined with the book's quality (and quirkiness), made the Judge Dredd #1 experience a memorable milestone in my long comic-collecting journey. 

I stuck with the title for a year or two, always savoring the covers and interior art of Brian Bolland...who quickly became (and remains to this day) one of my favorite comic book illustrators.

However, despite being the guy to visually "introduce" America to Judge Dredd, Bolland hadn't worked on the title nearly as much as other artists, so once the Bolland reprints dried up, so did my interest in the title. The looser, grittier work of guys like Mike McMahon and Cam Kennedy...while popular in Britain, just didn't have the polish and style I saw in the "Definitive Dredd" of Brian Bolland.

Comments

[greyman24]

I remember Dredd being particularly popular when I was in high school. Wound up putting off picking it up. By the time I was seriously considering picking it up (this was late 80's/early 90's), I was beginning to get burned out on the big guns/big shoulder pad genre. Funny to think about how this trend--that so defined the early 90's in comic books--really started so much earlier.

Think Rob Liefeld was a fan of Judge Dredd?

[Comic Coverage]

I don't know, but the late 70's and 1980's British school of character design certainly had plenty of the superfluous costuming that Liefeld must have been fond of. However, you get a sense with the British stuff that it's more tongue-in-cheek or satirical....whereas Liefeld seemed to see that stuff as a genuinely "kewl" approach to costume design.

[WesC]

I became a big Dredd fan in the very late 80's. I liked the economical approach to story telling that the smaller page count per story dictated. I also really dug the art. I actually liked the other guys over Bolland (who I have nothing but respect for). I felt that their rawer, scratchy art fit the tone of the world better than Bollands slick (but very impressive) line did. While not a particuraly a fan of his art, Carlos Ezquerra drew in a style that still boggles my mind to this day.

I also feel that Dave Gibbons did the best work of his career on the Rouge Trooper stories, an excellent blend of Wally Wood like detail and dystopian post apocalyptic future.

As far as Liefeld and company are concerned;
In my mind they seem miles away from the punk mindset that the English had ie: cool visuals to go with short concise stories as opposed to the "Image" approach of "badass" visuals that have no grounding in story or concept, other than looking "badass".

Those guys would have taken an 8 page Dredd story and turned it into a meandering 8 issue bungle.

[Comic Coverage]

I don't think it was the storytelling style or length that could have influenced Liefeld, et al., but rather just the elaborate ornamentation seen in the visuals of British characters like Judge Dredd, the ABC Warriors, and Strontium Dog. That's what I think made a big impression on Lil' Robbie Liefeld.

[WesC]

If only he could have picked up on the qualities beneath the surface ornamentation.

But that always was the Image guys biggest problem.

Greyman has a good point, I'd never thought about the 2000 A.D. characters as the precursors to the grim 'n gritty shoulder pad guys.

BTW: Thanks for bringing up the ABC Warriors, I forgot to mention them. They were a heck of a lot of fun too!