It’s SDCC season, and Rebellion are pushing Duncan Jones and Rogue Trooper. Until now, there’s no whiff of Dredd’s most dangerous foe, Judge Death.
Rebellion has today blogged about SDCC exclusives, panels, signings, and freebies. On Thursday, the 24th, there’s 2000 AD: The Galaxy’s Greatest Panel featuring Chloe Mavael, Steve Morris, artist Jock, and Lisa & Brad Gullickson. The panel promises exclusive reveals but doesn’t mention Death or artist Brian Bolland.
Essential Judge Death, from John Wagner and Peter Doherty, is weeks, not months, old.
So why do I think Rebellion has Judge Death news brewing?
Rebellion emailed me a picture of Death, by Brian Bolland, with the note “Greetingssss, Andrew!” and “Ssseee you in October”.
I doubt it was picked out from the crowd. I bet we all got one. Let’s break it down.
1. The Character and the “Ssss”
Judge Death is arguably Judge Dredd’s most famous adversary. He is an undead, dimension-hopping super-fiend from “Deadworld”, where he and his fellow Dark Judges declared all life to be a crime. The elongated “Ssss” is his signature speech impediment. The email’s text (“Greetingssss”, “Ssssee”) is a direct imitation of this, confirming the subject is Death himself.
2. The Artist: Brian Bolland
Brian Bolland is one of the most revered artists in British comics. His work on Judge Dredd and, most notably, Judge Death in the pages of 2000 AD is considered by many to be the definitive take on the character. His detailed, clean-lined style gave Death a terrifying and iconic look that has endured for decades. Explicitly crediting him means his art is the central selling point of whatever this product is.
3. The Publisher: Rebellion
Rebellion owns 2000 AD and the entire Judge Dredd universe. They continually release new collections, reprints of classic material, and special editions.
4. The Timing: October
October is the month of Halloween. Releasing a product focused on a horror-themed character like Judge Death at this time is a classic and highly effective marketing move.
What It Most Likely Is
Putting all that together, here are the most probable announcements, in order of likelihood:
- A New Hardback Collection: This is the most likely scenario. It will almost certainly be a collection of the classic Judge Death stories drawn by Brian Bolland, such as his first appearance in “Judge Death” and the seminal epic “Judge Death Lives”. Given Rebellion’s recent output, this could be a premium hardback, possibly in their oversized “Apex Edition” format, which reproduces the art from original scans. An Apex Edition of Brian Bolland’s Dredd-world art would be a major event for fans.
- A Stand-alone Graphic Novel: It could be a new printing of a specific Bolland-drawn story, formatted as a stand-alone book for bookshops and comic shops, perhaps to attract new readers.
- High-End Merchandise: While a book is most probable, it could also be a high-end art print, a portfolio of Bolland’s Judge Death art, or perhaps even a statue based on his design, all scheduled to ship in October. This is often done in conjunction with the release of a book.
What do you think? Death comes on Halloween?
