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“The Essential Judge Dredd: Tour of Duty Book 1” out in January 2024

By John Freeman on September 9, 2023

2000AD has a long history of sharp and pointed social commentary, and the next volume of The Essential Judge Dredd highlights writer John Wagner‘s gift for hard-hitting political storytelling which resonates deep beyond the printed page.

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’s discovery of a mutant branch of his bloodline during Origins, the lawman has started to take a closer look at Justice Department’s treatment of those unfortunates warped by the legacy of the Atomic Wars. Mutants are currently forbidden entry into Mega-City One, and exiled to facilities and townships in the irradiated wasteland, but Dredd believes it’s time the law was changed – but is even he prepared for the turmoil he’s about to unleash?

The stories collected in this volume have affected the Dredd strip for years, and feature work by writer John Wagner (Button Man) and artists Colin MacNeil (Essential Judge Dredd: America), Kev Walker (Star Wars), Patrick Goddard (Battle Action), and Rufus Dayglo (Tank Girl).

The essential Judge Dredd graphic novel series is the ideal introduction to the Lawman of the Future for new readers.

Out on 2nd January 2024, Essential Judge Dredd: Tour of Duty, Book One is a hard-hitting epic that shows Judge Dredd has lost none of its satirical bite.

Script: John Wagner / Art: Colin MacNeil / Colours: Chris Blythe / Letters: Annie Parkhouse

John Freeman

The founder of downthetubes, which he established in 1998. John works as a comics and magazine editor, writer, and on promotional work for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He is currently editor of Star Trek Explorer, published by Titan – his third tour of duty on the title originally titled Star Trek Magazine.

Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine, Babylon 5 Magazine, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics. He has also edited several comic collections, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”.

He’s the writer of “Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies” for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs” with Dave Hailwood.