"Robot Wars Part 1"
Mega City One Year: 2099
Published 30th April 1977, 2000ad Prog: 10 (Judge Dredd Annual 1986, Judge Dredd: The Early Cases 1, The Complete Judge Dredd 1 and Judge Dredd The Complete Case Files 01)
Parts: 8
Written by John Wagner
Illustrated by Carlos Ezquerra
Letters by John Aldrich
Synopsis
The robot Call-Me-Kenneth is rebelling against his programming and the humans that once controlled him. After Call-Me-Kenneth takes out an airborne police patrol vehicle, it’s up to Justice Department to deal with this latest robot menace. Dredd notes that Call-Me-Kenneth is a carpenter robot, with plenty of deadly tools at their disposal. After halting the robot’s attempt to shove a policeman down a garbage chute, Dredd confronts it head on, selecting the high explosive option on his gun and blowing Call-Me-Kenneth’s head off.
But this doesn’t deter the demented droid, who continues its rampage with the only disadvantage being lack of sight, and attempts to murder Dredd with its nail-gun fingers and chainsaw hand. With the robot believing Dredd has been taken out due to its blindness, Dredd manages to finally take down Call-Me-Kenneth by shooting down the live cable from the overhead skyrail, causing the rebellious robot to malfunction and saw itself in half. Dredd contemplates what other robots could turn to crime, or even worse, wage war against humans.
Review
This is just fantastic Dredd. The fight sequences between Dredd and Call-Me-Kenneth are always engaging from both the script and moreover the excellent Ezquerra art, merely a taste of what the ultimate Dredd partnership will bring.
Although the above panel was omitted in the synopsis, it is of vital importance. Dredd’s issue with robots being given free will go way beyond the events of this story in the years to come, but it will also remain a constant source of concern for Dredd as a Judge upholding the law in the city that allows it to happen in the first place. The panel also depicts the first appearance of Walter, a service robot who will become a bigger part of Dredd’s life and work in years to come.
Wagner explores the special functions of a Judge’s weapon in greater detail than before, depicting a dial that allows for six different ammunition choices, although only high explosive has really featured so far. There also appears to be regular police patrolling the streets, not just Judges.
We also have the first Dredd cover for 2000ad, and a first depiction of him in colour as he battles Call-Me-Kenneth, who declares “The robots’ revolt has begun - ALL HUMANS MUST DIE!”
All the previous Dredd strips before this one are perfectly acceptable and entertaining, but this is the first one to give the vibe that this is the start of something special. And although this strip is part of a story that will continue for several issues, it is clearly written as a single strip with a beginning and end, yet the latter is immediately developed upon and continues for subsequent issues. Wagner’s longer stories - that would later be known as “Mega-Epics” - would be developed in a variety of ways, some with build up strips occurring months before, and others just perfectly-enveloped sagas; both of which are worth the wait each and every week.
Line of the strip - Call-Me-Kenneth: "Now the slave will become the master!"
Be back next time citizens for “Robot Wars - Part 2!”
