2000 AD #1453
☆ Be the first to review + Add to your collection — Join freeProg 1453 (24 August 2005) is the opening chapter of 'Mandroid,' a 12-part Judge Dredd story by John Wagner and Kev Walker that introduced Nate Slaughterhouse — a cybernetically reconstructed war veteran whose struggle to re-enter civilian life gave the strip an unusually grounded, human register. The story has since been repeatedly cited as one of the stronger modern Dredd narratives, praised for exploring themes of military trauma and vigilantism within the Mega-City One setting. As a weekly anthology prog it also carried simultaneous instalments of Bill Savage in 'Out of Order,' the Samantha Slade Robo-Hunter strip 'Stim!,' and the Leatherjack serial, making it a representative mid-2000s snapshot of Rebellion-era 2000 AD's tonal variety. Its contents were eventually preserved in both a standalone collected edition and the ongoing Complete Case Files reprint programme, cementing 'Mandroid' as part of the documented Wagner canon.
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We Buy Collections ▸History
By 2005, Rebellion Developments had been publishing 2000 AD for five years following its purchase from Egmont/Fleetway, and the weekly anthology format continued to rotate multiple serialised strips through each prog. John Wagner — co-creator of Judge Dredd and one of the character's most consistent long-term writers — scripted 'Mandroid' with artist Kev Walker, previously known for work on ABC Warriors. The story ran for twelve episodes across progs 1453 to 1464, with letterer Tom Frame completing the core creative team. Rebellion later collected the story in a digest paperback format, and it was also included in Judge Dredd: The Complete Case Files 41 alongside the surrounding 2005 stories.
Trivia · 8 facts
- Prog 1453 is cover-dated 24 August 2005 and was published by Rebellion Developments under their stewardship of 2000 AD.
- It opens 'Mandroid,' a 12-episode Judge Dredd story running from prog 1453 to prog 1464, written by John Wagner with art by Kev Walker and lettering by Tom Frame.
- Nate Slaughterhouse, the cyborg ex-soldier and vigilante protagonist of 'Mandroid,' makes his first appearance in this prog; his character arc — a mortally wounded veteran cybernetically reconstructed and discharged back into Mega-City One — drives the entire serial.
- The prog also carries an instalment of 'Out of Order,' a Bill Savage strip written by Pat Mills with art by Charlie Adlard, continuing the Invasion!-universe character's storyline.
- Samantha Slade, the female Robo-Hunter, appears in the concurrent strip 'Stim!' by writer Alan Grant and artist Ian Gibson, which also runs through surrounding progs.
- The hired-killer character Leatherjack appears in a self-titled strip scripted by John Smith with art by Paul Marshall, also serialised across this period.
- The Judge Dredd content in this prog includes Luna City One supporting Judges — Goddard, Julias, Judge-Marshal King, and Trent — featured in a detective-mystery genre story set on the moon.
- 'Mandroid' was subsequently reprinted by Rebellion in both the standalone digest Judge Dredd: Mandroid and in Judge Dredd: The Complete Case Files 41, which collects progs 1437–1464 alongside concurrent Judge Dredd Megazine stories.
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Reprints
Reprinted in Judge Dredd: Mandroid #[nn] (2007), Samantha Slade, Robo-Hunter: Casino Royal #[nn] (2011), Judge Dredd: The Mega Collection #25 (2015), Judge Dredd: The Mega Collection #80 (2016), Judge Dredd: The Complete Case Files #41 (2023)
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