"The Statue of Judgement"
Mega City One Year: 2099
Published 9th April 1977, 2000ad Prog: 7 (Judge Dredd Annual 1986, The Complete Judge Dredd 1, Judge Dredd The Complete Case Files 01)
Parts: 1
Written by Malcolm Shaw
Illustrated by Mike McMahon
Letters by John Aldrich
Synopsis
The titular Statue of Judgement has been constructed to honour the judges of Mega-City One, eclipsing the Statue of Liberty with its figure of a Judge in uniform. As lookers on from the eye socket of the judge helmet of the statue spot a disturbance down below, Judge Dredd dispenses a quick-fire resolution to disrupt a robbery. The leader of the group escapes in an air-taxi, taking it to the top of the new statue to fire down on the citizens below. Dredd takes the lift to the top of the statue armed with a rifle, and easily shoots down the lawbreaker, who plummets to his death upon a spike of the neighbouring Statue of Liberty’s headband as Dredd declares: “No one can take liberties with the law!”
Without going into much of the history of Mega City One thus far, The Statue of Judgement confirms the city replaced New York City. The entry narrative in panel one states: “To honour the men who carry out the law in Mega-City One, the people have erected beside the Status of Liberty… The Statue of Judgement!” Being a younger age when I first read this my first thoughts were “Mega-City One must be a cool place to live if they're spending their money to honor the Judges” to reading this again now thinking “this is likely a questionable use of public taxes”. Both are presumptions, and yet both are equally satirically possible within the world of Dredd.
The Statue of Judgement is another lovely little four-page action packed strip. The statue will continue to appear in the coming years sporadically, and interestingly makes it mark before any real view of The Grand Hall of Justice, which hasn't even been named yet. It's also worth noting that the rifle Dredd uses has a dial with seven settings to choose from, which is as close to a Judge’s Lawgiver settings as we've had so far. Once again the art here is marvellous, and it's a perfectly paced tale across its four pages.
Line of the strip: “No one can take liberties with the law!"
Be back next time citizens for “Antique Car Heist”
