Comic Review // Judge Dredd Origins

It’s been a while since we read Judge Dredd, so let’s jump into a piece titled Origins. I was drawn to this piece because the artist was Carlos Ezquerra, so we are in for a real treat.

Publisher: Rebellion Publishing

Title: Judge Dredd: Origins

Writer: John Wagner

Artists: Carlos Ezquerra // Kev Walker

Pages: 194

Cover: Brian Bolland

Review

Story: The Connection

Script: John Wagner

Art: Kev Walker

This tale begins with a rain-soaked gang of muties infiltrating Mega-City One to deliver a package to the Grand Hall of Justice. Along the way, they kill multiple victims, gaining the attention of Judge Dredd. As Judge Dredd pursues the gang of muties through Mega-City One, he is hounded by recurring dreams of Chief Judge Fargo, the founder of the Judge System, and his clone brother Rico Dredd, both of whom are long since dead (Rico was killed by Dredd). This story is pretty interesting, as you are dying to know what is in the damn box being carried by the muties. Judge Dredd seems old and tired (maybe due to the dreams), and the fact that it is constantly raining can't be a good sign. Nice opening story to wet the palette.

Story: Origins

Script: John Wagner

Art: Carlos Ezquerra

On to the Origins story. We join Judge Dredd as he organizes a team of Judges to assist him on a mission into the Cursed Earth. It is revealed that the mutant's package contained a DNA sample of none other than Chief Judge Eustace Fargo, the founding father of the Justice system, along with a ransom demand for a billion credits in return for Fargo. To make matters even more mysterious, the sample was taken from a living person, even though Fargo is believed to have died in 2051. As the team of Judges comes to terms with the mission, it is also revealed that Fargo's Tomb has always been empty and that the Judges have been lying to rookies for years...

Soon, Judge Dredd, the team and a truck full of credits head out into the Cursed Earth. Having barely travelled a day, the team comes across a scene of carnage. A Helltrekker team has been ambushed, and a young child is taken; after some convincing, Judge Dredd splits the team and personally seeks out the missing child. This was to become the first of many mistakes. From here on in I won't spoil the story, but we get to discover the origins of the justice system, how exactly Fargo rose to power and the legacy left behind. We also learned that even Fargo wasn't perfect and that the Justice System was built on misinformation and lies, but I will leave that for you to discover on your own.

Final thoughts

Overall, this is a great story. Again, John Wagner confirms that he is the only true Judge Dredd storyteller. The art by Carlos Ezquerra is also up to the usual high quality. Though I am more of a fan of Henry Flint, something about Ezquerra makes me warm and happy inside. What could be improved? To be honest, I'm not sure. It lacked the epicness needed to push it through to an epic piece (I hope that makes sense?).

What are your thoughts on this telling of the Father of Justice? Drop me a comment.