2000 AD #1518
☆ Be the first to review + Add to your collection — Join freeProg 1518 carries Part 14 of 'Origins,' one of the longest and most narratively ambitious Judge Dredd stories ever serialised in 2000 AD, written and drawn by the character's co-creators John Wagner and Carlos Ezquerra to mark thirty years of Judge Dredd. The arc — running across progs 1505–1519 and 1529–1535 — finally put on the page the secret founding history of Mega-City One's Judge System, including the personal failures of Chief Judge Fargo, the political machinations of Deputy Chief Judges Solomon and Goodman, and the childhood of Cadets Joe and Rico Dredd during the nuclear Third World War. By settling long-standing continuity questions through authoritative, creator-driven flashbacks, 'Origins' reshaped how readers understood every Dredd story that preceded it. As an anthology prog, the issue also continued the serialised runs of Nikolai Dante, the ABC Warriors (Hammerstein), and Gene the Hackman, showcasing 2000 AD's characteristic multi-strip format at full strength.
ComicBooks.com Value
This exact issue on ebay
Read it digitally
Sell my copy
Have this issue — or a whole collection? Get a fair offer from us, skip the marketplace fees and the hassle.
We Buy Collections ▸History
Writer John Wagner had long been waiting for the right narrative occasion to dramatise the founding of the Judge System, and the comic's approaching thirtieth anniversary in 2007 provided that moment. He reunited with Carlos Ezquerra — together the character's original creators — for a 23-episode story that the editorial team had hoped to conclude in the celebratory anniversary issue (prog 1526), but a mid-production house move by Ezquerra interrupted the schedule; rather than replace him, the editor paused the arc and allowed Ezquerra to finish his pages himself, resulting in the story's split publication across progs 1505–1519 and then 1529–1535. The arc was preceded by a five-episode prologue, 'The Connection' (progs 1500–1504), drawn by Kev Walker, which set up the kidnapping mystery that propels the main story.
Trivia · 8 facts
- Prog 1518 contains Part 14 of 'Origins,' a 23-episode Judge Dredd story running across 2000 AD progs 1505–1519 and 1529–1535 (2006–2007).
- The story was written by John Wagner and illustrated by Carlos Ezquerra — the co-creators of Judge Dredd — as a thirtieth-anniversary milestone for the character.
- Using extensive flashbacks, 'Origins' dramatises how Chief Judge Fargo founded the Judge System in 2031, his later resignation and faked death concealed by Deputy Chief Judges Solomon and Goodman, and his secret preservation in cryogenic suspension.
- The arc depicts young Cadets Joe Dredd and Rico Dredd as temporary full judges during President Robert L. Booth's Third World War, showing their first kills and their covert meeting with the still-living Fargo.
- President Robert L. Booth — shown here ordering the nuclear Atomic Wars and later captured, tried, and sentenced to suspended animation by the Judges — is a key figure across these flashback chapters.
- Publication of the arc was split (pausing after prog 1519 and resuming at prog 1529) because artist Carlos Ezquerra relocated during production; the editor chose to await his completion rather than substitute another artist.
- As an anthology prog, issue 1518 also serialised Nikolai Dante, Hammerstein (ABC Warriors), and Gene the Hackman alongside the Dredd strip, reflecting 2000 AD's weekly multi-strip structure.
- The complete 'Origins' story was subsequently collected and reprinted by Rebellion as a standalone graphic novel, scripted by Wagner with art by Ezquerra and lettered by Annie Parkhouse.
Cast · 15 characters
Full credits
Reprints
Reprinted in ABC Warriors #1 (2010), Judge Dredd - De geschiedenis van de gerechtigheid #[nn] (2018), Judge Dredd: The Complete Case Files #43 (2024)
Key issues in 2000 AD
Reviews
Reader reviews
No reader reviews yet.