In the wake of the events of Tour of Duty, the backlash continues as Mega-City One acclimatises to the new mutant laws. Integration isn’t easy and one man stands as the thin blue line between the norms and the muties – that man is Judge Dredd.
The best-selling series collecting The Law in order continues as the ultimate lawman of the future brings his unique brand of policing to the streets and creeps of the dystopian nightmare he calls home.
Written by John Wagner (A History of Violence), Al Ewing (The Immortal Hulk), Pat Mills (Marshal Law), Gordon Rennie (Missionary Man) and Ian Edginton (X-Force) with art by Simon Fraser (Kingsman: The Red Diamond), Vince Locke (The Sandman), Henry Flint (Zombo), Paul Marshall (Firekind), Ben Oliver (Ultimate X-Men), Carl Critchlow (Batman/Judge Dredd), Nick Dyer (Judge Dredd), PJ Holden (Terminator/RoboCop), Dave Taylor (Zorro), Colin Wilson (Point Blank) and Mike Collins (Captain Britain).
Judge Dredd: The Complete Case Files is the ultimate series for fans of the lawman of the future, collecting every case, in order, from more than four decades of adventures in the pages of 2000 AD and the Judge Dredd Megazine. From the groundbreaking classics to the modern masters, this on-going and best-selling series collects the stories that have made Judge Dredd one of the world’s biggest comic book characters!
The best-selling series collecting The Law in order continues with a 45th action-packed volume!
Cybernetic ex-soldier Nate Slaughterhouse – AKA Mandroid – was last seen rampaging through Mega-City One on a vigilante killing spree. Hellbent on avenging the murder of his son and finding his missing wife, Slaughterhouse took the law into his own hands. But Mega-City One only knows one law, and his name is Dredd. The infamous Judge stopped Mandroid in his tracks and sent him to the Iso-cubes. Now, it’s two years later and Nate Slaughterhouse wants revenge…
The best-selling series collecting the law in order continues in this explosive volume written by John Wagner (A History of Violence), Gordon Rennie (Warhammer), Robbie Morrison (The Authority), Pat Mills (Marshal Law) and Alan Grant (Batman), with art by Simon Coleby (The Punisher 2099), Ian Gibson (The Ballad of Halo Jones), Colin MacNeil (Devlin Waugh), Henry Flint (Rogue Trooper), David Roach (Demon), Mike Collins (Superman), Cliff Robinson (Vector 13), John Hicklenton (Heavy Metal Dredd), Boo Cook (Doctor Who), Tan Eng Huat (Doom Patrol), Simon Fraser (Nikolai Dante), Paul Marshall (Sinister Dexter) and Smudge (Chiaroscuro).
Judge Dredd: The Complete Case Files is the ultimate series for fans of the lawman of the future, collecting every case, in order, from more than four decades of adventures in the pages of 2000 AD and the Judge Dredd Megazine. From the groundbreaking classics to the modern masters, this on-going and best-selling series collects the stories that have made Judge Dredd one of the world’s biggest comic book characters!
In the Third Millenium, the world changed. Climate. Nations. All were in upheaval. Humanity itself turned as violent as the planet. Civilisation threatened to collapse. And then… a solution was found. The crumbling legal system was merged with the overburdened police, creating a powerful and efficient hybrid. These new guardians of society had the power to dispense both justice and punishment. They were police, jury, and executioner all in one. They were the Judges!
When Mega-City One erupts in violent block wars, there’s only one man Justice Department can rely on to suffocate the flames of rebellion. His name is Judge Dredd.
But when the city’s brightest beacon of justice is convicted of breaking the very law he’s been entrusted to uphold, he’s sentenced to spend the rest of his life rotting in the Aspen Penal Colony.
In order to clear his name, Dredd must escape captivity, make his way across the toxic Cursed Earth, break back into the city, and find the familiar foe that framed him. All in a day’s work for Judge Dredd.
Featuring art by legendary Judge Dredd co-creator Carlos Ezquerra (Preacher) and a script by Andrew Helfer (The Shadow), this is the official adaptation of Judge Dredd, the 1995 movie written by William Wisher, Jr. (Terminator 2: Judgement Day) and Steven E. de Souza (Die Hard).
The essential Judge Dredd graphic novel series – this is the ultimate introduction to the Lawman of the Future! And this is the grand finale to the epic Tour of Duty storyline!
During Origins, Dredd discovered a mutant branch of his own bloodline. For the lawman, it brought home the injustice inherent in Justice Department’s Mutant policies. He believes that those unfortunates warped by the legacy of the Atomic Wars deserve to be treated with more humanity, as they are currently forbidden entry into Mega-City One, and exiled to facilities and townships in the irradiated wasteland. But Dredd’s support of Mutants may see him join them to live out the rest of his life in The Cursed Earth.
The stories collected in this volume affect the Dredd’s world for years to come, and features work by writers John Wagner (A History of Violence), Robbie Morrison (The Authority), Al Ewing (The Immortal Hulk) and artists Carlos Ezquerra (Preacher), Kev Walker (Star Wars), Patrick Goddard (Rogue Trooper), John Higgins (Watchmen), John Haward (Tales of Telguuth) and Mike Collins (Doctor Who).
Michael Molcher’s book on the politics of Judge Dredd has been named as ‘Best Comics-Related Book’ at the Eisner Awards in San Diego, California.
Described as “thoughtful, and often alarming” by The Spectator and “an essential read” by SFX magazine, I Am The Law: How Judge Dredd Predicted Our Future was announced as winner at the ceremony during San Diego Comic Con on 26 July.
Blending comic book history with contemporary radical theories on policing, I Am The Law is a critically-acclaimed, searing, and in-depth analysis of how John Wagner and Carlos Ezquerra’s ‘Judge Dredd’ has reflected, parodied, and predicted the rise of hardline, militarised policing and ‘law and order’ politics, its endless inventiveness and ironic humour acting as a prophetic warning about our world today – and with important lessons for our future.
It is the first ever title from 2000 AD to win one of the prestigious Eisner Awards, which are named after pioneering cartoonist Will Eisner and are awarded at a ceremony as part of the San Diego Comic Con every July.
Jason Kingsley CBE, CEO of 2000 AD publisher Rebellion, said: “I’m super pleased for Mike. I know the passion and work that went into the book, and we’re all very happy that it’s also been recognised by others. Sometimes 2000 AD predicts the future rather too well. Let’s hope the alien invasions, robot revolutions and future dystopia remain firmly in fiction, but sometimes I think they might not.”
In his acceptance speech, Michael Molcher – who is also 2000 AD’s Brand Manager – thanked Rebellion editor Oliver Pickles for his work on the book, as well as Dredd co-creators John Wagner and Carlos Ezquerra. He added: “I am still in a state of shock at winning, but wanted to thank everyone who aided me in writing I Am The Law, as well as everyone who bought a copy, the panel of judges, and all those who voted for it. 2000 AD and Judge Dredd have been a running thread through my life since I was ten years old and to receive such recognition for my first book is out of this world.”
The award was presented by actors Maurice LaMarche (The Real Ghostbusters) and Sarah Natochenny (Pokémon) during a star-studded ceremony at the Hilton Bayfront Hotel in San Diego.
The Eisner Award-winning I Am The Law is available to buy from all good book stores and online retailers, as well as through the 2000 AD webshop.
I Am The Law was nominated alongside books by several 2000 AD alumni – Dave Gibbons’ Confabulation: An Anecdotal Autobiography by Dan Dare and Harlem Heroes artist Dave Gibbons, Bryan Talbot: Father of the British Graphic Novel by J. D. Harlock and Nemesis the Warlock artist Bryan Talbot, and Thalamus: The Art of Dave McKean by the renowned artist and 2000 AD Titan reprints cover artist – as well as Flamed Out: The Underground Adventures and Comix Genius of Willy Murphy by Nicki Michaels, Ted Richards, and Mark Burstein, and The Pacific Comics Companion by Stephan Friedt and Jon B. Cooke. Bryan Talbot was also inducted into the Eisner Hall of Fame at this year’s ceremony.
Rebellion has previously received Eisner nominations for 2000 AD for ‘Best Anthology’ in 2013 and ‘Best Comics-Related Book’ for David Roach’s Masters of British Comic Art in 2021. The Ballad of Halo Jones Colour Omnibus Edition by Alan Moore and Ian Gibson, edited by Ollie Hicks, was nominated for ‘Best Archival Collection/Project – Comic Books’ alongside I Am The Law at this year’s awards.
Praise for I Am The Law:
“thorough and intelligent” — John Wagner, co-creator of Judge Dredd
“The product of intricate research and clear vision … a serious work for serious times …an essential read for art historians and actual historians alike.” ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ — SFX
“I cannot recall a more timely book … not just a celebration of a future fictional character: it is a thoughtful, and often alarming examination of the state of law enforcement in a liberal, or neo-liberal, society” — Nick Lezard, The Spectator
“With I Am The Law, [Molcher] has achieved a rare thing, and written a book that deals with a complex and often controversial subject in a nuanced and highly readable way” ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ — Fortean Times
“the in-depth analysis the strip has long deserved” — Garth Ennis, writer of The Boys, Preacher and Judge Dredd
“Stunning … An absolutely phenomenal piece of comics scholarship” — El Sandifer, author and critic
“Radical, daring, hyper-intelligent and utterly vital” — Ian Dunt, author of How To Be A Liberal
“an absolute ripper of a book, equally deft with Judge Dredd comics, Giorgio Agamben and Dardot & Laval” — Spencer Ackerman, author Reign of Terror
“A terrifying vision of the future as present. Molcher shows us in graphic detail how the politics of “law and order,” rooted in never ending fear and ever increasing police power, is leading us towards the dystopian hellscape that is Mega-City One.” — Alex S. Vitale, author of The End of Policing
“May be one of the most important books about science fiction published this decade” — Hugo Book Club Blog
“Excellent work of pop culture scholarship & sociology as well” — Matt Zoller Seitz, film and television critic
“A book equally satisfying for a law geek and a comics geek” – David Allen Green, legal commentator
Mega-City One, a dystopian nightmare of the future teetering on the brink of chaos. The only thing stopping the sprawling megalopolis from succumbing to the mayhem, maniacs and murderers are the Judges… and toughest of them all is Judge Dredd.
The best-selling series collecting The Law in order continues as Dredd uncovers a decades-old cover-up that will see justice come for the Judges themselves and, one hotel, one night, multiple psychopaths, but who will live to see daybreak?
Written by John Wagner (A History of Violence), Gordon Rennie (Missionary Man), Rob Williams (Kingsman: The Red Diamond), Robbie Morrison (Doctor Who), Pat Mills (Marshal Law), Al Ewing (The Immortal Hulk) and Si Spurrier (Hellblazer), with art by Simon Coleby (Low Life), Dave Taylor (Zorro), Richard Elson (Sonic the Comic), Patrick Goddard (Hulk), Kev Walker (Guardians of the Galaxy), Sam Hart (Starship Troopers), Paul Marshall (Firekind), Cliff Robinson (Mother Earth), Smudge (Chiaroscuro), David Roach (Doctor Who), Inaki Miranda (Ragman), Neil Googe (Welcome to Tranquility) and Peter Doherty (The Dreaming).
Judge Dredd: The Complete Case Files is the ultimate series for fans of the lawman of the future, collecting every case, in order, from more than four decades of adventures in the pages of 2000 AD and the Judge Dredd Megazine. From the groundbreaking classics to the modern masters, this on-going and best-selling series collects the stories that have made Judge Dredd one of the world’s biggest comic book characters!
Time for a chat with the artist hell-bent on bringing some of the deep, dark horrors back to the world of Dredd – Nick Percival.
Nick’s latest dark dive on Dredd, Iron Teeth, written by Ken Niemand, is running in 2000 AD right now and we’re already up to episode 3 in Prog 2384, out right now! It’s classic lone Dredd, venturing into the Undercity after a group of juves who’ve got some dumb idea about confronting one of MC-1’s urban legends, the mysterious and mythical Iron Teeth. Their problem, and now Dredd’s problem, is that there’s nothing mythical about this particular urban legend. Iron Teeth is very, very real and very, very dangerous.
Nick, lovely to talk to you. How the devil are you?
NICK PERCIVAL: Bloody tired to be honest – but of course, living the dream creating those comic books!
Your new Judge Dredd series with Ken Niemand, Iron Teeth, began in Prog 2382 and it’s turning into a great Dredd horror, the classic Dredd against the monster, having to do it all on his own. Can you give us your idea of just what Iron Teeth is all about?
NP: It’s a full-on horror strip which was something I was keen to do. It focuses on Dredd searching for some missing juves that have gone on a quest to find the sinister creature known as ‘Iron Teeth‘ – an urban legend if you will – he’s a supernatural being, living deep underground beneath Mega City who preys on children foolish enough to wander into his lair.
It’s classic visual horror – all dark shadows, things hiding in the dark, limited light sources and so on with a great, creepy slow build written by Ken.
This runs for just six parts but we have an extended final episode and it intentionally doesn’t end cleanly -we’re setting up some cool spooky stuff that’ll pay off in the future.
From Iron Teeth part 1 (Prog 2382 – introducing the legend of Iron Teeth
When did you come on board for Iron Teeth?
NP: I was finishing up on the Dark Judges and after nearly 400 pages of those guys, I was looking for something new and was already thinking about some possible horror-related things I could do next for the House of Tharg. This was around the end of 2023, I think.
So that led into you and Ken working together on The House On Bleaker Street (Progs 2247-2249) Was it always the plan to work together again and was it a case of you and Ken working this one up together after Bleaker Street had finished?
NP: Oh yeah, we wanted to work together again after Bleaker Street – we’d been meaning to work together before that and at one point I was going to be involved doing some of the Zombie Dredd stuff in the first 2000AD/Megazine crossover event a while back – I did get to paint the cover art for the Megazine issue at least, which was good fun. I also illustrated his Dredd script for the most recent 2000AD/Battle Action crossover last year, so we’re getting to know each other better from a work point of view.
We’d been messaging back and forth about what to do next and wanted to expand the horror/supernatural side of Dredd’s world, which we’d started to dip our toes into with the Bleaker Street story and Iron Teeth kind of grew out of that.
From The House On Bleaker Street – Prog 2248 – the place Niemand and Percival first took us down deep into the Undercity’s horrors
In Iron Teeth you really up the ante by making it all about Dredd alone with just a group of MC-1 juves for company in the underworld beneath the city – no other Judges, it’s just Dredd versus the monster under the city.
NP: I do love stories that take Dredd a bit out of his comfort zone and see him isolated, not being able to rely on tech or other judges, which is perfect for supernatural-themed stories.
It’s a good change of pace for me with the limited cast of characters, since working on the Dark Judges stories felt like doing a team book like the X-Men or something -it had a very large cast which can be very draining to do on a regular basis.
In your Covers Uncovered for Prog 2382, you mentioned that you and Ken had talked about the film ‘Stand By Me’ as a starting point. It’s one of the great films of its time and one of the few really great Stephen King adaptations. Are you a fan or was it just that you and Ken figured there was a way to transpose the themes and tone into Dredd?
NP: I’m a big fan of that film (and the original story) but the main influence we took from it was the dynamic of the four kids and maybe a couple of visual ticks here and there. I wanted each kid to be distinctive both in physicality and personality which was all there in Ken’s scripts from the start.
I know that for Ken, the biggest influence came from Scottish folklore, particularly the story of the Gorbals Vampire, “In September 1954 in Gorbals, Glasgow, rumours had spread among the school children of a terrible, 7-foot tall vampire with iron teeth. Rumour had it that this vampire had kidnapped and murdered two young boys and feasted on their corpses. Despite the adults and the police trying to calm the hysteria, the children decided that action had to be taken to bring this terrible ‘Gorbals Vampire’ to justice.” – I found that fascinating and it really set the tone for what we were going to do with the series.
First look at a monster in part 1 of Iron Teeth (Prog 2382)
As far as the titular monster of Iron Teeth is concerned, where did the idea for the imagery of him come from and what was your thinking when creating the new character?
NP: We talked a little bit about Nosferatu (one of my favourite films and movie monsters), so I wanted to lean heavily on that but also adding a few modern horror elements – things like the Slender Man, the creature from Sinister and so on but with a twist and putting my own visual spin on everything.
I also imagined him somewhat spider-like, crawling around his lair, all gangly limbs and wild hair. I worked up a teaser painting first, just to demonstrate the kind of style and tone I was going for which was ultimately used as a pin-up to promote the story.
Nick’s teaser painting for Iron Teeth to give an idea of the style and tone
You’re certainly well-known for bringing a horror element to the Dreddverse, most notably with your Dark Judges saga (written by John Wagner and then David Hine) that recently finished in the Megazine. But here and in The House on Bleaker Street you’ve brought the horror to Dredd right in his back yard.
NP: Yeah, it’s something I really wanted to do and would want to continue. It’s nice sometimes to move away from some of the sci-fi slickness of the Mega City and delve a bit deeper into the darker and hidden, grisly places that maybe the Judges don’t know too much about. I’m more than happy to be typecast as the horror guy for sure.
Oh yes, Nick Percival – Horror Guy. You should have that on your business cards!
A perfect example of Nick Percival – Horror Guy – the big Iron Teeth moment from episode 2 (Prog 2383) – all done with a page-turning break to really make it the equivalent of a jump scare.
It’s something that’s hard-coded in the DNA of Dredd right from the start – whether it’s the horrors of the world Dredd exists in or, as here, the horrors that exist in Dredd’s world, all those insanely dark things that come up from the depths, that sort of thing.
Indeed, going back to that Covers Uncovered for Prog 2382, you talk about how you and Ken are not only linking this one back to Bleaker Street and how it is all part of a plan to ‘expand the horror side of Dredd’s world and are sowing some dark and crusty seeds that will hopefully pay off down the line.’
So first of all, do you fancy sharing just how you’re going to link it into Bleaker Street – we doubt you will, but hey, always good to ask!!
NP: Ha. Well, since the series is still running I can’t give too much away but obviously we’re back underground again in areas of the Undercity (and we go even deeper this time) but things do link up and there’s a nice reveal on the very final page that might get fans talking. You’ll see from that, we’ve been playing the long game and there’ll be many more horrors to come…
Bleaker Street was about the horror of the dispossessed in MC-1 after Necropolis and how the city lets its Cits down way too often. Oh, and it was about something damn nasty in there as well. Could it be that the nastiness that infected Bleaker Street is bubbling up in the underworld of Iron Teeth?
NP: It’s linked in some ways but a lot of this is deep-rooted in horror much older than Necropolis. I can say no more.
Tight-lipped art droids living in fear of Tharg… no fun!
More of Nick Percival – Horror Guy – Iron Teeth part 3 (Prog 2384)
As far as expanding the horror side of Dredd – do tell! How far have the plans got so far? Anything concrete, anything big and juicy you can tell us about?
NP: Ken and I were talking throughout Iron Teeth about what would come next. It’s crazy but in Part 3 of this story, you’ll see some new horror/supernatural elements that we just throw out there and any one of them could easily link into their own series, so we’re doing some new horror world-building with this.
But yeah, we know what comes next and if The Mighty One is game, we’re ready to start scaring folks once again. I have some seriously dark stuff ready that will make Iron Teeth look like Aunt May, so I’m good to go. The response I’ve had back just from the first two episodes has been fantastic, so it does seem that most people are liking it and hopefully we can do more.
Yep, across a couple of pages of part 3, I reckon you’ve got the makings of any number of new horror Dredds exploring the folklore of the Undercity!
One of the pages from Iron Teeth Part 3 in Prog 2384 where Niemand and Percival show us Undercity folklore
Now, I’ve long described your art as beautifully grotesque. Would you be happy with that as a shorthand for your art or can you think of something you like more?
NP: Grotesque is fine, I guess – I do like classical horror rather than out-and-out gore, though. It’s the things hiding in the dark, the strange creatures and disturbing narratives that I think make the perfect package. So… Classically Grotesque, maybe…?
Classically grotesque it is!That’s perfect!
And presumably, given the classically grotesque horror of your art, horror’s been something you’ve been interested in for a long time?
NP: I’ve always been a horror fan since I was a kid, I have a huge horror collection (many life-size busts of the Frankenstein Monster, Nosferatu, etc) – my house and studio are like mini horror museums with the amount of collectables on display – I’m trying to compete with Guillermo del Toro but I have a very understanding wife who puts up with all this! I love the Universal Monsters, old pre-code horror films through to the modern stuff, when it’s done well. The 50s EC horror comics, 70s Marvel (Tomb Of Dracula, Werewolf By Night, Man-Thing, etc.) the old Warren horror mags – the list goes on and on. I just absorbed it all and still go back to it regularly for inspiration
As long as it’s a good story with good characters, then I’m always interested. As an artist you spend so many hours at the drawing board that it has to be stuff that you’re into to produce good work and not go mad!
More from part 3 of Iron Teeth, more of that Undercity folklore, and more of the incredible detail Percival gets into every page
As for your art in general, how would you describe what you do and how has your art developed over the years?
NP: I got my first professional work when I was pretty young (19 years old), so even though I’d been drawing comics since I was a kid, I basically developed through my published work, so was learning the craft in public, so to speak. It was a trial-by-fire learning curve with all your novice mistakes there forever for everyone to see, unfortunately. Can’t do anything about that but it’s all a process and shaped me into the artist I am today.
I think I’ve finally got the hang of it, maybe. I suppose the biggest artistic evolution was going from using traditional paints to painting digitally but ultimately, the technique and thoughts behind it are all the same.
Again, in that Covers Uncovered you did for Prog 2382, you said this about your art – ‘I wanted to experiment a little more with my style, getting a bit more scratchy and raw in places, rather than keeping everything super slick’. So what was the impetus for making that change in your art and are you satisfied with the results here?
NP: Yeah, I wanted to get a bit looser and not as tight and slick in the imagery. I’m getting there but it’s a slow process since I don’t want to shock people with an instant, radially different style from what I’m known for. It has to be gradual and has to work for the story I’m working on at the time, not just for the sake of it.
Some of the changes are slight and may only really be noticeable to me. I’m working a few things into the Iron Teeth work and the teaser image had more elements of that. When I finally move over to just drawing stick men, then I’ll be sorted but I’m not sure how pleased Tharg would be!
I would say, however, that if you really want to see how the art was intended to look, you need to pick up the digital versions of the comics as well. So much of the detail and subtle colour work is lost on the printed page (I’d say a good 40%), which is always a huge pain when you’ve put so much effort and time into the pages (especially with painted art). It can be quite disheartening seeing it in print sometimes but I’m used to it and at least we do have digital copies now that are nearly perfect. Buy both – keep those sales up!
Oh absolutely – it’s one thing that is such a highlight when looking at your work in digital, the ability to zoom in to see absolutely everything you put on every page. Like this, a blow-up from that last page we showed from page 3 of Iron Teeth…
For something new like Iron Teeth, does it all start off with talking to the writer and seeing what sort of visual vibe you’re picking up for the piece?
NP: When Ken sends me his ideas and influences we always tend to be in agreement. I may come back with some other film or art references and so on, just to to indicate some the visual mood and tone we could go for. I do tend think cinematically with my art in regards to lighting, textures, framing, etc but the storytelling and pacing is all good comics.
Dredd’s always Dredd no matter what environment he’s in or what genre of story you’re working on which is useful, since you know where you are at all times. We may beat him up, maim him and fuck up his uniform now and again but he’s always so rock solid and consistent.
For me, as an artist it’s more working on things like the metallic effects, visor reflections and so on -just little stuff that keeps him interesting to illustrate. I never get bored of painting a big close-up of his grumpy old face.
Is there plenty of sketching and drafting of characters and the like to get into the right place prior to actually sitting down for the very first page of script?
NP: I don’t do a lot of prep work, since I don’t have the time and deadlines can be tight. I also like to keep things fresh, so I don’t bore myself by doing a ton of sketch work before hand – you’ve seen how loose my cover roughs are.
To give you an idea of Nick’s loose roughs are compared with his finished digital paints, he sent over some pages from Iron Teeth (small versions here, but we’ll show you them in all their glory below).
First, Nick’s very rough roughs and very polished finished pages – Iron Teeth Part 2, page 1 above and page 5 below (Prog 2383)…
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NP: If it’s something super important, I may try out a few things but with something like Iron Teeth, the creature felt fully formed right from the start, so I knew what I wanted to do. For each page, I will create thumbnail layouts before getting to tighter pencils just so I know where I’m going and to check that the storytelling all flows but that’s about it.
And once you do sit down to start, what media do you work in – what’s the breakdown of physical – pen on paper – stuff to working digitally now?
NP: Each page is still pencilled traditionally – pencils on paper – and then scanned in to be painted digitally.
Again, you talked about the colour palette you used in Iron Teeth starting as very cool and slowly becoming hotter as the story goes on. What was the thinking behind this choice?
NP: I wanted to experiment more with the colours and use them creatively to help with the storytelling and to draw focus to certain things. It helps that my work is fully painted, so there’s a lot you can do with shades, colour values, textures, FX and so on.
The palette is much cooler at the beginning – lots of blues, sombre shades to reflect the mood of the story. When the kids are exploring, we’ve also got very limited light sources from their torches, so I wanted to reflect that -the same with Dredd and the droid using his light beam – a little bit like the movie, ‘The Decent’, where when they’re underground, the helmet lights were the only source of illumination.
Obviously, I cheat in few places for dramatic effect (artistic licence) but I wanted to keep it pretty consistent. As the story progresses and the danger increases where we slowly introduce Iron Teeth, we move into hotter colours – reds and hot yellows, especially in his lair.
Yep, we saw the cooler palette in the pages you sent over from part 2, and here we have pages 4 and 5 from part 3 (Prog 2384), where the palette’s changing and things are really hotting up…
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NP: When we’ve got these colours in play, Dredd stands out because of his blue/black uniform, signifying he’s an intruder and shouldn’t be there. It’s all a bit ‘A’ level art wanky colour theory but there you go. I never did finish my art ‘A’ level anyway, so what do I know?
Now, nearly at the end, but a fun one for you – if there’s one 2000 AD strip or character you’ve always fancied doing, how about pitching something to our lord and master, the Mighty one himself?
NP: I was asked this recently and I mentioned a horror Rogue Trooper series could be good fun and I always loved the old Harry Twenty series. I did have ideas for a Dark Knight Returns style Leopard From Lime Street series and even got close to doing a teaser painting, but then the character made his comeback elsewhere. There are some other series ideas knocking about that are in the early stages and Dredd of course, so hopefully much more to come.
Oh yes, horror Rogue would be a blast and the DKR-style Leopard From Lime Street – well we just had to ask Nick if we could see that one and here it is…
That’s definitely not the Billy Farmer we all know and love! Who knows, maybe there could be some Treasury Of British Comics alt-universe title some time and you could dust off the idea!
Nick, you’ve presumably finished with Iron Teeth now – or hopefully you have, Tharg can be a harsh master on those who turn in the art late – so can you let us know what to expect next and further down the line from you – both here at 2000 AD and elsewhere?
NP: Yep, Iron Teeth is all done and dusted. I’m just finishing off a strip for a new 2000AD later this year (combining two famous 2000 AD strips which has been fun) and I’m also busy pencilling out a cool Dredd one-off written by Mike Carroll – as well other stuff which we can’t talk about yet.
Elsewhere it’s some film concept and production art, commissions and the usual cover artwork amongst other stuff.
Hang on… which two famous 2000 AD strips?
Nick? Nick?
Oh dear. The spoiler alarms went off with just the barest mentions of a crossover and all I heard after that was something that sounded very much like multiple Rigelian hotshots and then screams of the Percival droid being taken away to face the wrath of TMO. Oops.
Dredd being Deredd – A sneak peek from next week’s Prog 2385 and Iron Teeth part 4
Thank you so much to Nick for taking the time to answer all that – hopefully Tharg will be merciful and not have you spending too much time in the special rooms reserved just for droids who give that little bit too much away!
You can find Judge Dredd: Iron Teeth running right now in the Prog – it began with Prog 2382 and will end in Prog 2387. It’s really a great horror Dredd and it sounds like Niemand and Percival are planning a lot more trips into the nightmares of MC-1 for the future.
As for interviews – Molch-R talked to David Hine and Nick all about the Dark Judges in the 2000 AD Thrill-Cast Lockdown Tapes here and we’ve interviewed Nick a few times, with David Hine discussing Dark Judges: Deliverancehere and Dark Judges: Death Metal Planethere. And there’s a great chat with Nick about wrapping up the six years worth of work on the Dark Judges work here.
Finally, here are the full-sized versions of Nick’s roughs and final versions of the pages we showed you in galleries through the interview…
The essential Judge Dredd graphic novel series – this is the ultimate introduction to the Lawman of the Future!
In Tour of Duty, Judge Dredd faces a crisis of faith and decides to alter the fate of the mutants who are exiled from Mega-City One!
After Dredd and Hershey’s decision to restore mutant access to Mega-City One is confronted with widespread criticism, Dan Francisco – a reality TV star who holds the people’s favour – challenges Hershey’s leadership as Chief Judge. Under his rule, the conditions of mutants across the Big Meg would be worse than ever.
But when Judge Francisco is gunned down on camera in an alleged mutant attack, Dredd begins to suspect someone else might be masterminding the rushed election…
The best-selling series collecting The Law in order continues. This action-packed volume contains the finale of the epic Origins saga, which sets Dredd on a new quest for justice as he begins to question Mega-City One’s treatment of the mutant population and the laws that keep them down. But what happens when the man upholding the law no longer believes in it?
Written by John Wagner (A History of Violence), Gordon Rennie (Warhammer), Rob Williams (Suicide Squad), Ian Edginton (Batman), and Robbie Morrison (The Authority), with art by Carlos Ezquerra (Strontium Dog), Ian Gibson (The Ballad of Halo Jones), Colin MacNeil (Devlin Waugh), Mike McMahon (Slaine), Jock (The Losers), Henry Flint (Rogue Trooper), Rufus Dayglo (Tank Girl), Vince Locke (A History of Violence), PJ Holden (Rogue Trooper), Patrick Goddard (Battle Action), Boo Cook (Doctor Who), Richard Elson (Sonic The Comic), Paul Marshall (Sinister Dexter), Cliff Robinson (Vector 13), Len O’Grady (X-Men Unlimited), D’Israeli (Nikolai Dante), Lee Garbett (Skyward), Anthony Williams (The Real Ghostbusters) and Peter Doherty (The Dreaming).
Judge Dredd: The Complete Case Files is the ultimate series for fans of the lawman of the future, collecting every case, in order, from more than four decades of adventures in the pages of 2000 AD and the Judge Dredd Megazine. From the groundbreaking classics to the modern masters, this on-going and best-selling series collects the stories that have made Judge Dredd one of the world’s biggest comic book characters!
The best-selling series collecting The Law in order continues with a 45th action-packed volume!
Cybernetic ex-soldier Nate Slaughterhouse – AKA Mandroid – was last seen rampaging through Mega-City One on a vigilante killing spree. Hellbent on avenging the murder of his son and finding his missing wife, Slaughterhouse took the law into his own hands. But Mega-City One only knows one law, and his name is Dredd. The infamous Judge stopped Mandroid in his tracks and sent him to the Iso-cubes. Now, it’s two years later and Nate Slaughterhouse wants revenge…
The best-selling series collecting the law in order continues in this explosive volume written by John Wagner (A History of Violence), Gordon Rennie (Warhammer), Robbie Morrison (The Authority), Pat Mills (Marshal Law) and Alan Grant (Batman), with art by Simon Coleby (The Punisher 2099), Ian Gibson (The Ballad of Halo Jones), Colin MacNeil (Devlin Waugh), Henry Flint (Rogue Trooper), David Roach (Demon), Mike Collins (Superman), Cliff Robinson (Vector 13), John Hicklenton (Heavy Metal Dredd), Boo Cook (Doctor Who), Tan Eng Huat (Doom Patrol), Simon Fraser (Nikolai Dante), Paul Marshall (Sinister Dexter) and Smudge (Chiaroscuro).
Judge Dredd: The Complete Case Files is the ultimate series for fans of the lawman of the future, collecting every case, in order, from more than four decades of adventures in the pages of 2000 AD and the Judge Dredd Megazine. From the groundbreaking classics to the modern masters, this on-going and best-selling series collects the stories that have made Judge Dredd one of the world’s biggest comic book characters!