Judge Dredd Case Files Overview!

Today the Uncanny Omar takes a look at a series that viewers have been wanting him to read for years. So join him as he gives us a detailed overview of the Judge Dredd: Complete Case Files from 2000 AD. He goes through first six Case Files and the Judge Dredd Essentials America.
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/ nearmintcondition
#judgedreddcasefiles
#judgedreddcompletecasefiles
#judgedreddessentials
#judgedredd2000ad

[@Ivan-A-G]

Once you get to volume 9, that's where the series evolves and you get more character development on Dredd and the Judge system.

[@NearMintCondition]

I can't wait for that!

[@cassidyuk]

Steve Dillon was 16yrs old when he started drawing Dredd as well. Crazy to think of that.

[@NearMintCondition]

That is crazy. But so respectable.

[@BrettAAicher]

I thought I was the only person on Earth who likes the Stallone Judge Dredd movie! It feels good to know I’m not alone on that.

[@f.u.n.8169]

I ABSOLUTTELY LOVED IT! not only because of the nostalgia. I think the story is perfect, acting is perfect, even the fact that they reveled his face was pretty great! a classic without any doubt. I never understood all the hate. I could watch it any day... any time!! #IAMTHELAW!!!

[@athan336]

i love stallone dredd aswell (i like karl urban better tho), stallone dredd had a better depiction of mega city 1 and abc warrior

[@NearMintCondition]

Guilty pleasure. But it's so different than the comic.

[@FrankCastlesConscience]

I also loved the movie but they should have cast Eastwood, he was around 60 then but could’ve pulled it off. I like Stallone but he’s too short for Dredd. Eastwood has the chin/mouth to pull pff that trademark Dredd grimace under the helmet.

[@xheralt]

@@f.u.n.8169 TBH I think Stallone's performance as John Spartan was a better and more valid take on Dredd than his actual Dredd. All they did in Demolition Man was flip the nature of the dystopia from East Coast grit and grime to West Coast new-agey hippy-dippy shit (Mega City Two, maybe?). I'm still annoyed that his ego dictated Dredd's helmet come off, and other inappropriate bog standard hero tropes (Hershey kissing him at the end? NO WAY, out of character for both!)

[@sergioplacido3264]

Yes. Pure black and white. It goes colour in number 12

[@NearMintCondition]

Thank you.

[@rebel-by-design]

One thing I would like to mention is that all of Judge Dredd is basically one continuity. Time passes similar to real time and Dredd ages along the way. If you think he is a bit of a flat character to start out with, rest assured there is actual character development over time. I also just think it's a cool counterpoint to the continuity shenanigans of other long-running characters. I'm still nowhere near having read everything myself but glad to see people giving it a go! I'm glad Omar enjoyed it and has a contact at 2000AD. Buckle in though, there's 35 case files and they currently only go to 2002-ish?

[@essaywhu]

So awesome that they reprinted that much!

[@NearMintCondition]

35!!!? I'm all in!! :) That is so cool about the real time aging. Reminds me of John Constantine.

[@CraigGrannell]

@@NearMintCondition So the Case Files print everything from 2000 AD and the Judge Dredd Magazine, but they leave some stuff out. America, bafflingly, is omitted from the run, but you have that in Essentials. All the annual/summer special/winter stories aren’t there, but you can get those in the four Restricted Files volumes. And CF35 takes us through to 2002. So there’s still another 18 years of Dredd to be compiled, assuming those books carry on selling!

[@wintermute0079]

@@CraigGrannell thank you for that information.

[@CraigGrannell]

For newcomers, one thing to be mindful of with Dredd is the context of those original 2000 ADs, written for kids in a weekly anthology comic. The strip isn’t fully baked at the start, and is a lot simpler in approach. In Marvel terms, it’s a little like very early Spidey with that sense of naivety. But it evolves very quickly. By CF3, the world is fleshed out. By 5 and on, it encompasses some of the best comics around. There are dips. When John Wagner took an extended leave of absence and Garth Ennis took over control, that wasn’t great. But Wagner’s Dredd run alone should have (but hasn’t) placed him among the very best comics writers around. (Ezquerra also was a genius, although his Strontium Dog is arguably even better than his Dredd).

[@thunder_kaiser7707]

Can you tell me if the UK versions are diffrent from the US versions?

[@CraigGrannell]

​@@thunder_kaiser7707 The contents are the same. The covers and spines are not. The US ones stopped at #14. This shows the US editions with a single UK one in the middle. www.reddit.com/r/graphicnovels/comments/exgr5g/does_anyone_know_where_to_find_judge_dredd/

[@thunder_kaiser7707]

Thank you!

[@gxvault4166]

I need to know where to start or what to buy for Strontium Dog. Nemesis It’s easy since there’s only 3 books and Slaine I already am eyeing Horned god. Right?

[@CraigGrannell]

​@@gxvault4166 Nemesis is easy: the entire run is collected in the three chunky paperback editions. IMO, the first one is by far the best, but the entire run is pretty good. ABC Warriors: The Solo Missions contains Deadlock, which is kind of an epilogue to Nemesis. The ABC Warriors also crossover with Nemesis in the early days. Mek Files 01 will cover you for that (and is, to my mind, the best ABC Warriors). Strontium Dog comes in two parts. The classic run is in the Search/Destroy Agency Files 1-4 and The Final Solution. Some of the Agency Files are hard to find now. Rebellion also just released a HC of the Starlord strips (Starlord being the comic where Strontium Dog started), which has colour pages. Note that the strips in that book are in Agency Files 1, albeit in greyscale. The Strontium Dog strip got a sort-of reboot in 2000. The Kreeler Conspiracy is based on a screenplay for an aborted TV show and messes around with some of the strip’s lore. Pretty soon, though, the new bits are forgotten and the strip becomes untold stories. Then it dovetails into a direct continuation with The Life and Death of Johnny Alpha. It’s likely there won’t be any further series, given the death of co-creator Carlos Ezquerra, and only final strip The Son remains uncollected. The books are all shown in continuity order here: shop.2000ad.com/catalogue/graphic-novels/strontium-dog (Ignore the B-Format books with the mono covers-those are pocket books with strips taken from the Agency Files volumes. Durham Red ‘Bitch’ is also superfluous if you can get the Agency Files. Durham Red has also had other spin-offs, but those exist outside of the main Strontium Dog continuity to varying degrees.) Sláine has a ton of collected volumes, which are listed in release order here, with the exception of the new Horned God edition, which has been placed at the start: shop.2000ad.com/catalogue/graphic-novels/slaine (Warrior’s Dawn is the first volume in continuity.) Personally, I think Sláine is variable. Warrior’s Dawn through Horned God is mostly great. But Demon Killer through Lord of the Beasts is a mixed bag, to say the least. I thought the strip returned to its former glories with Book of Invasions, which are collected in HC volumes. I was less impressed by Brutania Chronicles, but YMMV. If you want a taste of what these strips are about, I’d recommend you get Horned God (it can be read as a standalone), the first Nemesis collection and Agency Files 2 and 3. Those are among the best classic-era 2000 AD strips. But as I replied to you elsewhere, there are plenty of more modern strips to look at as well. Brink and Kingdom are particular favourites of mine (and fully collected in TPB format). Scarlet Traces starts with and then continues War of the Worlds in a really interesting way. Shakara reimagines the energy of Nemesis for the modern age. Nikolai Dante is a properly epic (and finite) collection about a future Russian rogue who eventually finds himself in the middle of a deadly conflict between warring clans (and if it was Image would be collected in a bunch of lovely OS HCs). And because most of this stuff originated in 2000 AD, which has six-page episodes (vs. the 20+ in US comics), storytelling tends to be ‘compressed’ and more plot-dense. The best of it is really good.

[@ptSalped]

No way was just looking at this today and ordered the first volume.

[@NearMintCondition]

YES!!

[@FrankCastlesConscience]

I remember playing Judge Dredd RPG games in the mid 80s, and reading the stories with Bolland’s art: pure gold.

[@NearMintCondition]

His art is always amazing.

[@just23bulls]

One of the best things you’ve read this year?! That’s awesome! Appreciate the Omarview, as always. Now I need to read some of this! Take care & algorithm gang!

[@NearMintCondition]

YES Sir. Thank you for chiming in.

[@saito0969]

So happy to see you check out some 2000AD, Omar. And even better that you liked it! Theyre called ‘Progs’ as in ‘Programme’ to mimic TV or Radio shows. America was the opening story to launch the Judge Dredd Megazine in 1990, which like 2000AD runs to this day. Unlike 2000AD its all Dredd-verse stories and is monthly. 2000AD being weekly. The trade collects the original story and the thematic sequels which followed a few years later. Incidentally, Rebellion recently re-released America in a limited OHC, which includes original scripts on their store if youre interested. Hope you keep reading! Dredd is a really rewarding read due to it progressing in realtime. Wagner in particular sets up stuff in earlier volumes that he pays off decades later (Apocalypse War...) And theres a whole bunch of good stuff if you like Judge Death. Be sure to check out some of the other Dredd-verse books not in the Case Files - Anderson, Mega City Undercover, Lawless, Shimura, etc Think you might check out more 2000AD titles? So much to read!

[@CraigGrannell]

The broad coherence of the strip is deeply rewarding. MC-1 is often a punching bag, and there was a dip when Wagner left for a bit, but the way he can tease an idea and pick up a thread years later, Dredd glacially but meaningfully changing during that period, makes it something very special in comics.

[@m1lst3r89]

Lol and I just rid of my collection couple of days ago.

[@bobbehers1625]

WOW! THANK GOODNESS I WAS THERE AT THE START. GLAD TO SEE YOU FIND THESE. THEY ARE CLASSIC DREDD TALES. HE IS THE GREATEST OF LAW MEN! THANKS FOR PROMOTING HIM MY FRIEND!

[@NearMintCondition]

They are amazing and rightly need to be promoted.

[@DennisBozic]

I have been waiting for this.

[@NearMintCondition]

It's here. :)

[@bt3779]

Just started collecting these myself as well. Nice review.

[@NearMintCondition]

Awesome! Thank you!

[@Chandasouk]

"We're gonna talk about the inside and that's what counts" Omar casually dropping hidden gems!

[@michaelemond7315]

Then why did I get this nose job? Now I have to work on my personality too?

[@NearMintCondition]

I swear you two! :)

[@CraigGrannell]

“This is one of the best things I’ve read in 2020.” \o/ Very glad to hear it! What’s more, you have six case files and so that takes you up to about 1983. Lots more Dredd to read if you want it. (And 2000 AD weekly still has Dredd every week too!)

[@NearMintCondition]

100% serious. So damn good.

[@ahmedelhaddad2116]

Omar you hyped me up to start reading Dredd, I was always a fan due to the movies, especially Karl Urban one :D but I am really looking forward to reading the complete case files now :D thanks

[@NearMintCondition]

Hope you enjoy it as much as I did, brother.

[@user-mp9hk6to8o]

Great Overview, i started reading the comics all the way back in the 80's absolutely love 2000AD

[@garysandberg6132]

I’m so happy that you did a review thank you

[@NearMintCondition]

Hope you liked it.

[@garysandberg6132]

Thanks to you and omnidog I have a lot to keep me busy

[@Ivan-A-G]

Big Dredd fan. Have read all 34 case files. Can't wait for more! Beautiful world building!

[@jstonerganjasaurus4238]

I got case file 5 and read judge dredd america and it was so good the story was amazing. So amazing I ordered case file 2 and 14 also bought judge dredd origin. The reason I bought these not in chronological order is because I went on reddit and youtube on suggesting how to start reading the series for new comers also containing the best stories.

[@NearMintCondition]

The fifth one is my favorite.

[@benlambe3168]

I love dredd so much. So influential on its affects on many British writers and artists. With some incredible satire and sci fi concepts that are still shockingly relevant and fresh to this day. Also feels like jurassic Park mad max robocop and a bunch of others owe concepts that were in these wacky comics years before

[@NearMintCondition]

It was so good.

[@gavinbennet7950]

Most of these pages were originally printed in black and white with just some pages in colour, i.e what would have been in the centre of the magazine. For these volumes everything has been reprinted in just B&W. The first ten years or so of the stories were primarily in B&W and the last thirty or so in full colour. I have followed Dredd since the seventies but even I would hesitate in going back and rereading from the first volume! As far as I'm concerned the series doesn't hit it's stride until volume 4. By the way the later volumes are in full colour and are printed on better paper.

[@NearMintCondition]

Thank you so much for explaining that to me.

[@jono3290]

Just to add, Case files volume 12 half-way through is the start of the full colour (which they linked to the story when it happens). The earlier progs were also published in a different size and aspect ratio to the modern size, so the early reprints are a smaller than the original size.

[@coyley72]

OMG yes!!! Omar takes a look at Judge Dredd. My defining comic character growing up as I collected from 1980 to the mid-90s Bless you Omar.

[@NearMintCondition]

Yes sir, I'm in. this stuff was amazing.

[@dougjarvis3824]

Nice review, lots of excellent 2000ad strips to discover.

[@oxmeatpete]

Thank you so much for reviewing these. I already have case files 1 through 5 and then random hard cover and soft cover graphic novels that were recommended in Amazon Reviews. Haven’t started reading them all yet. 35 volumes are quite a lot to buy and thats just the case files. I loved and just bought the Stallone movie two weeks ago to fill in gaps in my Movie collection. Love it and really love the Dredd movie as well. It’s weird that Dredd seems to be making a comeback right now. I don’t know why?

[@NearMintCondition]

Thank you so much for watching, brother.

[@JWEntertainment77]

I've read them all!! I'm a Dreddhead! 😂

[@sharebear421]

What are your favorite case files? I have 2 and 5 already

[@JWEntertainment77]

@@sharebear421 there's so many 14 has necropolis story must read 17 has Judgement Day 18 is great with mechanismo story. The Pit is my favorite 24 and 25. Those are ones off top of my head and if you really want to know what Dredd stands for read 9,11, and 16 democracy Now storyline But my all favorite is the complete America not a part of case files but one of best stories ever

[@NearMintCondition]

I can't wait to read those!!!

[@mrpepperami01]

Ive got all 34 volumes and absolutely love them. The early volumes are black and white as they were printed in black and white back in the 70s and early 80s. The later volumes start to introduce colour and end up full colour. The series is incredible and I massively recommend them. Check out strontium dog the search and destroy files as well. Top stuff

[@sharebear421]

What case files would you recommend? I have 2 and 5

[@mrpepperami01]

@@sharebear421 honestly I’d recommend all of them if you can. On here is a list of the major stories that shape the lore. You can pair that up with case file volumes via prog numbers en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judge_Dredd

[@NearMintCondition]

Thank you for explaining the lack of color. :)

[@daxhalo]

So happy to see Judge Dredd on your channel ^_^ 'America' is my favourite graphic novel of all time. (Yes. Of. All. Time.) So I'd say drop everything and read that :')

[@NearMintCondition]

I'm happy to see it on my channel too.

[@GLEN2K12]

Hi Omar, thank you for reading Dredd. I’ve been collecting 2000ad since 1990. I love Dredd, Judge Anderson, Judge Death, Strontium Dog is amazing too. Plus many other characters. I’m glad you liked it 😊

[@NearMintCondition]

So do they all get their own spin offs?

[@GLEN2K12]

@@NearMintCondition yes Omar, there’s a lot of graphic novels out there 😊

[@turtleanton6539]

Seems pretty awesome omar

[@cassidyuk]

So glad Omar loved the Bolland Artwork. IMO he’s one of the best artists comics ever got. And really pleased you stuck around to read the rest. And to answer your question 2000AD was mainly B&W until the mid 80’s. You’d get a few pages in colour until then. Think it went full colour late 80’s, maybe even as late as 91 or 92. Replied without checking Wikipedia btw so dates may be out a smidge

[@NearMintCondition]

Thank you so f answering those questions.

[@brianmeenan1971]

There is an uncensored cursed earth book available as that case file has missing issues

[@thepuppetmaster9284]

Tbh i never read Judge Dredd comics either. All my experiences with Judge Dredd was through Stallone and Karl Urban movies as well as SEGA Genesis video games (gosh, that was a longggg time ago). This video makes me curious to check the comics :)

[@NearMintCondition]

Same. But they are worth reading.

[@thecomicreadern4344]

Finally you did judge dredd,so great

[@NearMintCondition]

Yes !!!

[@sharebear421]

These are so dope! I love the dredd story and lore I’m glad you’re getting into them. It’s a shame they’re going OOP in the west and I don’t think we have anything past like cf14. Also they are all in color after volume 12 I believe

[@NearMintCondition]

I hope they continue here, but I'm continuing even if they don't

[@hans7849]

So glad you finally got around to read some dredd. Next up should be strontium dog and nemesis the warlock :)

[@NearMintCondition]

Adding those to the list.

[@philjames5611]

There’s a documentary called Future Shock (I’m sure someone else will have mentioned it but I haven’t read every comment). It tells the story of the birth and journey of 2000AD. Of interest to non readers is the impact it had on pop culture. Also story of DC coming over to get the writers and artists to work on their books is interesting to anyone who loves comics. Well worth a watch. Although I’m happy when any documentary about comic books comes out.

[@NearMintCondition]

Someone else recommended it and I'm going to watch it.

[@benelliott4772]

Hey Omar, Great Overview. 2000ad is what got me into comics. I was 10yrs old in mid-eighties, my local newsagency (in small country town in Australia), had a stack of about 30 weekly progs (from a customer's abandoned weekly order). these contained; Zenith by Grant Morrison & Steve Yeowell, Rogue Trooper with art by Steve Dillon, Slaine and ABC Warriors by Pat Mills & Simon Bisley, bit of DR & Quinch by Alan Moore as well as his beatiful Ballad of Halo Jones, Strontium Dog by Alan Grant & Carlos Ezquerra, of course Dredd, and so much more. The training ground for so many top quality comic writers and artists.

[@NearMintCondition]

Thank you so much, its going so fun to dive deep into this 2000AD world.

[@VengaboysRbackINtown]

This is an absolutely amazing series. I’ve read 2000AD since the early/mid 90s. Other great 2000AD series to check out are Nemesis the Warlock and my favourite Strontium Dog (which was written and drawn by John Wagner and Carlos Esquerra the creators of Dredd, with Alan Grant) There’s so much good 2000AD stuff though. Oh and I think you pronounce it ‘McMahn’..he’s one of my favourite early Dredd artists.

[@NearMintCondition]

He's a damn good artist and thank you for helping me pronounce it.

[@adistantimage3928]

I've been reading these as well and just got to volume 7 last night. Been into Dredd since I was a kid but only just bought all the Case Files recently. Can't believe you didn't mention the Apocalypse War, Omar! Nah I know you were pressed for time lol

[@NearMintCondition]

I loved Apocalyse War and I didn't even get to talk about it!!! I was crunching for time! Maybe I can do another go around at these later. :)

[@soysaucefool]

I have had the first five for years. Out of no where, I had the fire to collect Dredd again. Hoping I can slowly catch up. UK are up to the high 30s now I think 😊

[@rwentfordable]

43 just came out.

[@Jakejesus]

Fantastic video! So glad to see 2000d getting some love! You can buy the Cursed Earth in it's entirely -- fully coloured, too -- online :) EDIT - they were originally printed in B&W -- Volume 12 onwards are all fully coloured! EDIT 2: Ennis run in volume 17 is great. Grant Morrisons is too! Edit 3: Omar. Mate. Trust me. READ THAT ESSENTIAL. America is arguably the best Dredd story ever. Edit 4: Suggestion: Read Alan Moore's Halo Jones from 2000AD.

[@CraigGrannell]

Probably worth noting that Morrison’s Dredd is best described as divisive. (I thought it was dire.) He had no interest in the character and didn’t understand/care out the nuance Wagner had created. So it’s just big and dumb on his watch (as is Mark Millar’s Dredd; Ennis fares a little better). Halo Jones (Moore) is a must. Strontium Dog is a favourite of mine. Also: Nikolai Dante, Brink, early Slaine, the fantastic Kindom by Dan Abnett, and and and. So much good stuff. Probably best not to bankrupt Omar though!

[@Jakejesus]

@@CraigGrannell Omar bankrupts me every time he posts a video. It's only fair I get to do it to him :P

[@NearMintCondition]

The tables have turned :) These books are gold.

[@TheDanken07]

While I was watching this video the only thing I thought about was that I would like to see a similar video on Usagi Yojimbo (or Bone). You also convinced me to buy Judge Dredd

[@sunbrodaveftw6131]

Yes, Judge Dredd was originally in black and white. Every issue had atleast 1 or 2 pages w/ color in the "2000 A.D." series (not always the same short story). Ant-Wars, Flesh, and Ro-Busters were some of my personal favorites. Ro-Buster has Hammerstein, I think he was a "ABC Warrior" or one of the models kind of like in the movie (I know the one in the movie wasn't the same.) But yeah. Awesome review

[@turtleanton6539]

Yup

[@JeppeSeverin]

10 years old in 1985, collecting Danish Marvel Comics (still do - now US originals) I noticed ads for the Danish "Dommeren" comic which was basically a 13 issues run/reprints off Eagle's Judge Dredd series (starting with #3 - so finishing off with #15). I never got to read them, though I was fascinated by the character. I purchased this whole Danish run about 10 years ago, just for collecting them (along with a lot of the Eagle run). Still never read them... Finally, last year (2022), I started reading them! From issues 2-6 it's The Cursed Earth. It truly has an amazing depth to it. Besides being a satirical comment both to the USA as a country, politically, and to the way of writing comics in the US, it really catches you - even though it's kinda over-the-top crazy, violent, juvenile... Mills and Wagner as writers - along with magnificent story-telling artists such as Mike Mcmahon end especially genious Brian Bolland - just bring it to you right there. It's hard to explain excactly what they do, but it's like they utilize and transform some playful kids' crazy imagination and fantasies into intelligent cyber-punk action for youth and adults. It's simply brilliant. Can't wait to get a hold of these Case Files.

[@georgegolston5417]

I read Dredd all the way back in the 80’s. Titan Books had large magazine sized trade paperbacks. I still have a few of them, as well as a few of the British Annuals.

[@NearMintCondition]

It is so good.

[@system-error]

Not sure what you meant about Minority Report's ideas coming from these stories. Minority Report was written in 1956 by Philip K Dick. Spielberg filmed it nice and everything, but all the ideas are from the visionary mind of PKD writing in the 50s.

[@shariqc8123]

Unfortunate that the “American” trade dress was discontinued snd only the “UK” dress continues on. Makes my collection look kind of weird. If I had known , I would have bought the UK versions from the start!

[@NearMintCondition]

I know that 200AD ships overseas.

[@shariqc8123]

@@NearMintCondition thats correct, also you can find all the UK case files on amazon via their subsidiary Book Depository.

[@JonDelArroz]

Great, another thing to collect.

[@NearMintCondition]

Start with Case File 5.

[@JonDelArroz]

@@NearMintCondition Thanks will do.

[@delboy3k1]

Nice to see some uk content and 2000ad was something I read on occasion. Most if not all uk weekly titles were black and white and on cheap paper as were talking cheap price for school kids and that meant paperboy money. Its weekly so not monthly so cheap meant accessible and so characters were generally 4 to 6 pages as 2000ad would also have other characters for you to get into. Marvel uk was similar but reprint books with a month book that you read split into 3 or 4 weekly books. This means new art for covers and sometimes new splash pages or recap pages. Yep we went colour but wayyyyy later. 1977 a great year and ohhhhhh so close to captain britain launch which is 1976 / 77 so the uk was a buzz with comics. Great video omar. Excelsior.

[@NearMintCondition]

Brother, its so damn good. I had a blast reading Dredd.

[@DreamCocoa]

oh hell yes. I own 25 of these babies plus Restricted Files and Judge Anderson. I think they are like on 30+ now though so I need to finally cash out for the rest of them lol. In the same vein, I highly recommend the three Nemesis the Warlock collections. They are absolutely amazing.

[@NearMintCondition]

I'm going to be getting more and more into these books.

[@TorturedSoul76]

So many great judge dredd stories. So keep reading. Judge dredd vs batman are great read

[@NearMintCondition]

I'm going to keep reading.

[@mightyal100]

I started reading 2000AD from prog 4 (the first 3 sold out so quickly I missed them!) Judge Dredd is just one of many great characters and stories to emerge from this comic. It was groundbreaking in its day for its story lines and artwork. I would highly recommend checking out some of the other characters for fans of comics and graphic novels. The ballad of Halo Jones, Strontium Dog, Slaine and Rogue Trooper to name but a few.

[@GLEN2K12]

The “America” story was in Judge Dredd the megazine, which was released alongside 2000ad in the early 90s, and is still running.

[@NearMintCondition]

Ahh so the Megazine is just Dredd stories?

[@cassidyuk]

@@NearMintCondition Not just Dredd Omar loads of other characters but all set in the Dredd-verse. Well worth your time digging into it all tbh. As a fan of European comics you'll find so much goodness in the archives of the Prog and the Megazine.

[@CraigGrannell]

@@NearMintCondition The Magazine started out in 1990. There had been other attempts to get a Dredd comic off the ground, but they all stalled. But by 1990, ‘adult’ comics were becoming a thing, and so the Megazine launched as a more mature sister publication to 2000 AD. Unlike 2000 AD, The Magazine has mostly been monthly (occasionally fortnightly), and it’s had a lot of format changes over its time. At the start, it was primarily Dreddworld-based, but it during a poor sales period went very heavily reprint, running a load of Preacher and Sin City alongside original Dredd. It managed to survive and recover, and the vol 4 period is one of my favourites. Alongside home-grown stuff, we got reprints of Hellboy, Lazarus Churchyard, and Scarlet Traces. These days, it’s a primarily Dreddworld-oriented comic again, with the odd dip into creator-owned properties, and it comes with a bagged 64-page supplement that usually reprints old 2000 AD or other British strip (Rebellion basically own 90% of British comics back to the 1800s). Barney is a good resource for this stuff: www.2000ad.org/?zone=prog&page=megprofiles&choice=419

[@GLEN2K12]

@@NearMintCondition there’s over 500 issues of the Megazine, I’d love them to do collected epics of that comic. But I don’t see that happening.

[@DrCory48]

Cool video

[@NearMintCondition]

Thank you

[@buggatewood1560]

Dredd!!!!!!!! Yes!!!!

[@NearMintCondition]

YESSS!!!

[@russellkelly2079]

Enough of the past tense - 2000AD still is a weekly comic, about to celebrate 45 years of continuous publication in 2022!

[@NearMintCondition]

But this took place in the past. :)

[@marcosxaviergil]

Hi. Nice video .Dredd is only big success from british comics here until I know. I am brazilian and here we read north americans comics, but also read japonese mangas ( we havê the largest japonese community outside of Japan) , and italians fumetti ( italians are the 2º biggest group in Brasil just below portuguese who are the original colonizers). If you like dredd will love the italians comics like Tex, Julia, Dylan Dog, etc. All this from Bonelli Editore (publisher) . realy good for adults comic readers.

[@viciouscharm1099]

The 2000AD mag was great, had Judge Dredd, Slaine the Beserker, The A B C Warriors and a few others. The art in the mid- late 80s in these comics was Fantastic!

[@CraigGrannell]

It’s still great. The new Dan Abnett series, The Out, just finished its first series, and is right up there with the best strips 2000 AD has ever run.

[@NearMintCondition]

Okay, I need to check out these other series.

[@stephentheshywarrior2759]

Have you read any of the crossovers with dredd and batman. I would like to see a review of that or maybe a video on the best inter company crossovers ever in a future video. Glad you have enjoyed the dredd books👍

[@NearMintCondition]

I haven't , but now I need to find it.

[@raulzavala9061]

I heard of Judge Dredd before from a comic ad but the Stallone movie even if unfaithful to the source material actually got me into collecting a few trades. Just wanted to point out the US version of those big phone book Dredd trades are printed on cheaper Essential and Showcase kind of paper.

[@NearMintCondition]

oh okay. Thank you for pointing that out.

[@nasirbajwa6055]

Nice video, Omar. You definitely increased my interest in Judge Dredd but I just browsed a bit and the difficulty in getting all the various case files volumes is too great. I’m not gonna bother unless 2000 AD reprints a lot of the stuff or makes it easier to affordably amass a full collection.

[@adistantimage3928]

You can buy them in sets of 5 through Snazal

[@nasirbajwa6055]

@@adistantimage3928 thanks for the tip. I’ll think about it. They have volumes 6-34 and it comes out to $462 which is a lot. At least someone has these though which is good.

[@efrainnavarro]

Rebellion reprints the Case Files constantly. You can buy them directly from their site. Almost all are in stock right now. shop.2000ad.com/catalogue/graphic-novels/dredd-case-files

[@SnakeNel]

Holy mackerel! There was a lot of information to digest in the video, and it looks like there is a lot of information in the comments. I read the comic reprints in the 80s, and I picked up some of the artist centric collections from about 10 years ago, so there is a lot I am unfamiliar with. Not sure if it is in the comments, but I highly recommend the documentary "Future Shock: The Story of 2000 A.D." It is streaming on amazon, and the Severin blu-ray (with extras) is $15. Very smart documentary that discusses what shaped 2000 A.D. and its creators. Bolland, Gaiman, Gibbons and a lot of key creators are featured. However, the star is writer Pat Mills who is full of piss and vinegar and just highly entertaining to watch. I have no shortage of things to read, but I'm now keeping an eye out for Dredd volumes to add to the pile.

[@NearMintCondition]

Ohhh Future Shock sounds like something up my alley.

[@mr.sand7899]

Omar: I haven't read any Judge Dredd stories ever. Me: Just like most Americans.

[@brianmeenan1971]

I so regret selling my 34 volumes along with strontium dog and the other 2000ad books ,looks like I'll be buying them all again lol

[@NearMintCondition]

LOL Maybe wait for an omnibus? :)

[@brianmeenan1971]

@@NearMintCondition I dont think they will will do a dredd omnibus as theres enough material to fill 50 probably lol

[@stephentheshywarrior2759]

I only own volume 7 but it is a nice book. Would like to get more dredd books eventually. There is loads of them though.

[@NearMintCondition]

Apparently 35.

[@cagegrant213]

judge dredd icon classic remember reading dredd 90s day british book was expense back then but worth it judge dredd rocks

[@NearMintCondition]

It's so good.

[@TheArtOfB]

Those UK versions look so much better then the American release. Also BBC radio did some audio-drama adaptations of some story archs that are really fun.

[@peterx1957]

Hey Omar. Interesting video. I bought the 90 Volume HC series "Judge Dredd: The Mega Collection" from Hachette Partworks. I really don't know why I bought aside from it being a blind buy. Trouble with me is that once I started it, I was committed. Hachette also sold the series out of volume order, so while Part 1 was volume 1, Part 2 was 21 etc. and messed up that way. This way they hook you in. I have read the "America" story and a couple of others but not got aroumd to much else, however the spine art is really cool. I'm glad it stopped at volume 90. There is another 2000AD series that I backed off from after 2 volumes. I just don't have an affinity for it. If you'd like I send those 2 books to you. Hope you're all safe and well there. Cheers mate. 😊😎

[@NearMintCondition]

PETER!!! More importantly, did you get married yet?!!!

[@peterx1957]

@@NearMintCondition wedding is in early February. Preparing for an imminent house move 😏😏😊😊

[@athan336]

apocalypse war is the best thing ive ever read

[@NearMintCondition]

I didn't even get to talk about it, because I was crunching for time! So damn good.

[@whitetiger_ccc]

Cowabunga minties 🤙

[@davidc1664]

That’s interesting I’ve never read Judge Dredd either except for Batman crossover but I just ordered that America book the other day! Kieron Gillen just identified as his favorite Judge Dredd story. And incidentally that digital magazine Panel x Panel just devoted whole issue to this story! I had to get it. Hope you dig!

[@NearMintCondition]

I need to find that Batman Dredd book!

[@CraigGrannell]

@@NearMintCondition If you can find a copy in good condition for a reasonable price, your best bet is to buy the HC “Batman Judge Dredd Collection”, which gets you the original Judgment on Gotham (Wagner/Grant/Bisley) and the three follow-ups, along with a Dredd/Lobo crossover. The Batman crossovers are at the more ‘popcorn’ end of the Dredd spectrum. They’re slight but fun. Dredd/Aliens is quite amusing as well; assuming Rebellion has enough rights over it, I imagine that’d rock up in CF36 or 37.

[@GLEN2K12]

Keep reading the case files Omar. You won’t miss any of the earlier stories that way. They’re awesome.

[@NearMintCondition]

I sure will!

[@cassidyuk]

100% get No 7. You should definitely read Halo Jones and Skizz as well as the others I recommended earlier. Alan Moore doing what he does best.

[@essaywhu]

Love Halo Jones!

[@NearMintCondition]

I''m loving all these recommendations.

[@cassidyuk]

@@NearMintCondition no problem at all. You do the same regularly

[@reecewilliams4322]

Stick with it!!!

[@NearMintCondition]

Oh I am!

[@ChewieD2]

Don’t worry Omar I love the 2000ad comics & the Stallone movie! It’s so bad it’s good and the ABC warrior in the film is awesome!

[@GLEN2K12]

Omar, wait until you get to “the dead man, Tales of the dead man, necropolis, judgement day” all linked to the dark judges storyline

[@CraigGrannell]

Necropolis would blow Omar’s mind, given his love for the Dark Judges. That’s, what, CF14?

[@NearMintCondition]

I cannot wait! I love the Dark Judges!!

[@themetalpig7613]

Nice to see you're getting into Judge Dredd Omar. Some beautiful artwork in some of his many books out there. There's a nice Cursed Earth uncensored version with all the Macca's etc references added back in. There's also a sequel to the Karl Urban movie, excellently titled Urban Warfare. And a book Inferno written by Grant Morrison & Mark Millar. And The Dark Judges: Fall of Deadworld book 1 & 2 HC's both have amazing artwork. Memo to 2000AD: Might want to up your print runs after this video. Lol! On that topic, hopefully Marvel does this too. As an Australian fan I've almost accepted in not getting all the X-Men omni reprints I've waited years for, after having my Absolute Carnage Omnibus order cancelled and missing out other recent releases of seemingly lesser titles. It feels like Marvel are not reacting quick enough to a combination of Covid and fairweather fans from a particular channel that glorifies collecting omni's like it's an investment, rather than only buying omni's if your a fan of the content. Sorry for the rant, it's starting to get very frustrating.

[@CraigGrannell]

Omar so needs to track down the Deadworld HCs and also Dark Justice. He’d bloody love those. Omar: if you’re reading, The Pit is also worth checking out (CF24). It marked another turning point in Wagner’s approach, with a more procedural take on Dredd and a large supporting cast. (Inferno, though, is almost anti-Dredd. The Morrison/Millar run isn’t quite the character’s nadir, but it’s not far off. Ezquerra at least makes Inferno look nice, I suppose.)

[@themetalpig7613]

@@CraigGrannell lol yeah just thought the Morrison/Millar one was noteworthy for the writers. Omar should definitely check out Dark Justice too. It and the 2 Deadworld HCs are still easy to find.

[@CraigGrannell]

@@themetalpig7613 I’d just hate for people in the US to go OOOH at names they recognise (Ennis, but mostly Morrison/Millar) read their Dredds and go: oh. That’s a bit rubbish. Wagner is the man (with Grant in the old days). Ewing and Niemand more recently. I recall when DC released 2000 AD books, they went with Judgment Day first, because of Ennis. Oh dear. I mean, it’s not the worst Dredd epic (hello, Inferno!), but it was certainly the worst up until that date. As for Deadworld: Walking Dead meets alt-universe Dredd meets body horror terror. What’s not to like, if you’ve Omar’s tastes? :D

[@themetalpig7613]

@@CraigGrannell I forgot about Ewing & Spurrier on Trifecta. Another HC worth getting, especially with the cool changing image on the cover.

[@NearMintCondition]

Oh man, you all are trying to get me to go down this rabbit hole...I mean I am. Because I'm loving this stuff.

[@christopherlawster]

I have all 35 volumes - a new one came out last week as well as the Judge Anderson volumes. The censored episodes of the Cursed Earth featuring the Jolly Green Giant were included in a special Uncensored Cursed Earth TPB and hardcover a couple of years back. Look out for the Arthur Ransome volumes of Judge Anderson.

[@NearMintCondition]

I will keep going with this readathon of Dredd is too fun not to. Ohh so she does get her own series? She's great.

[@CraigGrannell]

@@NearMintCondition Anderson has five CF-style volumes, dubbed Psi Files. The first couple are quite rare these days, but you might get lucky. shop.2000ad.com/catalogue/graphic-novels/judge-anderson I’d say the first two are the best. Anderson is a fun but conflicted character - more human than Dredd, but with more depth than you initially imagine from the Death tale. After the first couple of PSI Files, I found her strips far more variable. There are still some highs (Satan; Half Life), though; if nothing else, grab them digitally and read that way. You’ll definitely want to read Four Dark Judges if nothing else.

[@robindowling2172]

The next 2000ad comic you should read is SLAINE. It's a story about Galic and Norse mythology. It's like a darker version of Conan the Barbarian

[@mohammedhanif6780]

Mick McMahon > Simon Bisley. correct?

[@NearMintCondition]

Ohhhh I just looked up pictures. Man, that looks awesome.

[@brianmeenan1971]

The annuals stories are in the 4 volumes called the restricted files , all early stories were originally black and white the later volumes get more expensive when they go full colour

[@NearMintCondition]

Thank you for clearing that up.

[@jesseathey257]

I need to check these out. I have the 3 megacity masters books. I'm not sure how much overlap there is, if any. I also highly recommend Duane Swierczynski run at IDW. Its fantastic.

[@NearMintCondition]

Is that exclusive to IDW?

[@jesseathey257]

@@NearMintCondition i believe so. They have a whole line of Dredd stuff. Ulises Farinas has done most of it after Swierczynski finished.

[@shrelpshrelp]

Strontium Dog is coming back into print next week in hardcover with the original color pages. Would you be willing to make a video on that? Also, got scammed pretty hard. Months of saving all gone into vain. Amazon stalled me for 63 days but alas they never had an Akira box set to begin with. Got my money back after 63 days of talking with Amazon. Real pissed.

[@terskatti4994]

Glad to see Dredd getting some attention. I think origins essential is also out by now which i recommend. It tells the origin story of dredd and world of dredd of how the war started etc. It's a lot never story, Ezquerra's computer artwork is polarizing though, personally i like it. Some great stories to look forward to are oz, necropolis saga with deadman, judgement day, mechanismo trilogy, inferno, wilderlands, the pitt (my favourite), doomsday and a lot never ones like tour of duty and day of chaos. Omnidog is reading one of those two, can't remember which one. There are a lot of geat smaller stories also, some funny, some brutal and some sad. One hidden gem is grant morrison's book of the dead. Good story with stunning artwork.

[@terskatti4994]

Sorry my bad, Origins essential isn't out yet, but you may be able to find regular origins trade if you want

[@NearMintCondition]

Where are those stories originally released? 2000AD then ones in color I mean.

[@CraigGrannell]

@@NearMintCondition Most of the ones the OP mentions are in the CFs. The Dead Man isn’t (it ties into Necropolis and was a separate TPB). Tour of Duty and Day of Chaos are newer epics, and exist as trade mini-series.

[@terskatti4994]

@@CraigGrannell Yep, i didn't remember dead man isn't collected in case files. I had it in tpb originally.

[@terskatti4994]

@@NearMintCondition If you want to check out some of those stories you can find old titan/hamlyn/fleetway trades cheaply from ebay. Here's a database which lists those old dredd trades and other 2000ad stuff. www.woolfegame.com/?zone=collector&page=graphicnovels

[@projektvyking7521]

The Dredd crossovers with Batman, Alien and Predator are pretty good

[@NearMintCondition]

Now I need to find that book!

[@projektvyking7521]

@@NearMintCondition If you liked the Dark Judges you'll dig Batman/Dredd, Dredd Aliens: Incubus and Predator vs Dredd vs Aliens: Slice and Dice; all TPB's. Not quite on the level your Berserk and Eternaut recommendations but I'm happy to shine light on some fun literature for you; enjoy

[@k.d2430]

Case files 5 and no mention of the epic and one of the most famous Dredd stories ever The Apocalypse War.

[@CatatonicGreaser]

It'd be great if 2000 AD did omnibus style collections, I'd buy all of them up

[@NearMintCondition]

I would be all over that.

[@system-error]

You didn't cite Pat Mills as his creator. He was created by Pat Mills really, Wagner and Esquerra were the first writer and artist but Mills came up with the name and general idea of him, which was based on a psycho teacher who freaked out at him when he was a schoolkid and beat him for a minor infraction, which scarred Mills for life. He's written some interesting blogs about it, it was a strict religious school and he says there was a blatant pedo teacher as well. Violent child abuse by authority figures was a part of everyday life. It's grim stuff, the reality of where Judge Dredd came from, if you read those Pat Mills blogs. But the name is fun, it comes from a funny reggae song called Judge Dread by Prince Buster. About a judge who sentences rudeboys to hundreds of years in prison, making them cry in the courtroom.

[@ianfleetwood8804]

Judge Dredd moved around in 2000AD. Sometimes he was at the back, in the front and then in the center. When dredd was in the cente, two pages would be in color and then in b&w. You will have to get case files 1 in h/b to see thus are they were restored to there original. Also cursed earth uncensored has the missing chapters and like the case file 1 h/c has been restored.

[@NearMintCondition]

Ah thank you so much for the explanation.

[@agent_meister477]

Dredd stories at their worst is still better than the Big Two at their, certainly nowadays. I hope you continued reading these books. Granted, the writing from the early days have not aged well, but it does pick up from the first Judge Death appearance. Judge Anderson also has her own set of Case Files published which I can't recommend highly enough. Fun fact: in the 45 years he's being published, Judge Dredd has exactly zero reboots, relaunches or retcons (unlike other publishers I could mention), and he's as popular as ever. PS: Check out Al Ewing's collection. It's amazing

[@NearMintCondition]

Dood is that Jazz as your Icon? That’s awesome. I’m on volume 18 and will do another video in June

[@flyingdutchman8093]

I wish these were more available.

[@NearMintCondition]

In the UK there is.

[@flyingdutchman8093]

@@NearMintCondition 👌

[@JeppeSeverin]

Of course you'd like to see PROG'ress in 2000 ADventures 🤖

[@bastiendenis]

Hello ! if there wasn't just one volume to buy. Which one would you recommend?

[@Justegarde]

Not all softcovers are glued binding! Boom sometimes does standard size TPBs with sewn binding.

[@NearMintCondition]

ohhhh they have an inner spine?

[@Justegarde]

@@NearMintCondition No, but they sew the signatures together and then glue them to the single cover spine, like a normal glued binding. My copy of Cluster, for example, is a glued spine with sewn signatures. It was like a weird hybrid of glued and traditional sewn.

[@brainsquid]

Great to see judge dread get some attention. I think one important thing to understand with dread is that it can be very satirical. 2000ad started around the time of Margaret Thatcher and the sex pistols. I would also recommend checking out other stories from 2000ad such as Slain, nemesis the warlock and Strontium Dog and Rouge Trooper.

[@NearMintCondition]

It deserves it, it was so damn good. I can't wait for more.

[@JosephMelia]

Dredd wasn't in colour until The Wizard of Oz story by Wagner and Ridgeway,which was a skewed retelling of the wizard of Oz, mega city style..Awesome way to introduce colour to Dredd's world,similar to how the movie does it...Wagner is a genius....can't remember exact issue..want to say around prog 500...probably case files 10 or 11..

[@MrDLYouTube]

I've always wanted to read Judge Dredd, and these Case File collections are perfect, however I wish they were on Comixology. I don't want 40+ of these books filling up my shelves. On Comixology they only sell single issues and it ends up being massively expensive.

[@CraigGrannell]

They’re all available digitally in 2000 AD’s app and via its web shop as CBZ/PDF. If you have a Rebellion ID, purchases work across both. (So if you buy in-app, you can download DRM-free from the shop.)

[@pauloveiga3391]

Volumes 1-11 are black/white as originally published, volume 12-13 are b/w and colour and from 14 full colour.

[@NearMintCondition]

Thank you for clearing that up.

[@judgedeath7193]

its nice to know i have some fans!

[@NearMintCondition]

Oh yes!!! Big Fan!

[@kunider9714]

I have the north american edition. But vol.6 is the UK edition. Bought it twice, and twice was the UK edition. My OCD is going crazy Content on both editions is the same. Only the cover changes

[@NearMintCondition]

Thank you. :)