Judge Dredd on the cover of 2000 AD prog 889, 1994, art by Mick Austin
Judge Dredd, created by writer John Wagner and artist Carlos Ezquerra, with editorial input from Pat Mills, is the lead strip in 2000 AD and the Judge Dredd Megazine. Joe Dredd is the most feared of the Judges of the future city of Mega-City One, specially trained lawmen who are empowered to arrest, sentence, and if necessary execute criminals on the spot.
Dredd has appeared in 2000 AD since its second issue in 1977, and has rarely missed an issue since. He had his own strip, first weekly, then daily, in the Daily Star from 1981-98, gained his own title, the Judge Dredd Megazine, in 1990, and, in the wake of a poorly-received feature film, briefly appeared in a younger readers' title, Judge Dredd: Lawman of the Future, in 1995-96.
Most of his stories have been written by John Wagner, either alone or in collaboration with Alan Grant. He has also been written by Pat Mills, Garth Ennis, Grant Morrison and Gordon Rennie among others. Aside from Ezquerra, numerous artists have interpreted the character, among the most notable being Mike McMahon, Brian Bolland and Ron Smith.
