2000 AD #27
☆ Be the first to review + Add to your collection — Join free2000 AD Prog 27, published on 27 August 1977, is one of the most structurally significant issues in the comic's early run because a single two-part Judge Dredd story — 'The Academy of Law' — simultaneously introduced three lasting elements of the Mega-City One mythology: Rookie Judge Giant, Judge Griffin (Principal of the Academy of Law), and the Academy of Law itself as a physical institution. The issue also served as the first deliberate inter-strip crossover in 2000 AD's history, connecting the just-concluded Harlem Heroes series to the Judge Dredd strip by making Giant the son of aeroball star John 'Giant' Clay, whose own storyline ended in this very same prog. That act of world-building gave the Dredd universe a sense of shared history that would prove formative for the anthology's identity.
In "The Academy of Law, Part 1," Judge Dredd oversees Cadet Giant’s final trial on the gritty streets of Mega-City, where a single misstep could end a career. When a kidnapping unfolds during the test, Giant must act fast—proving his instincts and resolve in a high-stakes moment that could define his future as a full Judge.
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We Buy Collections ▸History
The 'Academy of Law' strip was written by John Wagner and drawn by Ian Gibson, placing it squarely in the period when Wagner was re-establishing his grip on the Dredd character after an earlier departure from the title. The story was edited under Kelvin Gosnell, who is credited as editor on Prog 27 per the 2000ad.org Barney database. The cover for Prog 27 was produced by Brian Bolland — at that point still ascending toward his position as the defining visual artist of the early Dredd era — and the issue also carried a free gift Futurefocus Postergraph. The crossover between Harlem Heroes and Judge Dredd was an unusually ambitious piece of long-range editorial planning for a weekly anthology comic in 1977, threading the end of one strip directly into the mythology of another.
Trivia · 8 facts
- First appearance of Rookie Judge Giant (later simply Judge Giant), created by writer John Wagner and artist Ian Gibson, in the Judge Dredd story 'The Academy of Law Part One' (a two-parter spanning Progs 27–28).
- First appearance of Judge Jürgen Griffin, Principal of the Academy of Law and one of Dredd's former tutors; Griffin would later become Chief Judge of Mega-City One following the downfall of the insane Judge Cal.
- First in-universe depiction of the Academy of Law as a setting, establishing the institutional training ground for all of Mega-City One's Judges.
- The story functions as the first inter-strip crossover in 2000 AD history: Giant is the son of John 'Giant' Clay, the aeroball star of Harlem Heroes, whose own strip concluded its original 27-issue run in this same prog.
- Prog 27 was published by IPC Magazines on 27 August 1977, with a cover by Brian Bolland and edited by Kelvin Gosnell.
- The issue also contained the final chapter of the original Harlem Heroes run and the opening chapter of a new five-part Invasion story ('Dirty Jocks'), making it one of the few progs to launch three simultaneous multi-part stories at once — something that had not occurred since Prog 1.
- Judge Giant went on to serve as Dredd's principal recurring partner for approximately four years of publication, playing a pivotal role in the major 'Judge Cal' storyline, before being killed in the 'Block Mania' story in 1981 — a death that remained controversial among readers for years.
- The 'Academy of Law' story and its characters are collected in Judge Dredd: The Complete Case Files Vol. 01 (Rebellion), keeping them in continuous print.
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Reprints
Reprinted in Super Force #5 (1981), Judge Dredd Annual #1985 (1984), Judge Dredd: The Early Cases #4 (1986), Janus Stark Special #2 (1986), Sam Slade, RoboHunter #18 [US] (1988), Scavengers #6 [US] (1988), Scavengers #7 [US] (1988), Judge Dredd #2/1991 (1991), The Complete Judge Dredd #2 (1992), 2000 AD Extreme Edition #6 (2004), Judge Dredd: The Complete Case Files #1 (2005), 2000 AD Extreme Edition #13 (2006), 2000 AD Extreme Edition #18 (2006), Invasion! #[nn] (2007), Shako #[nn] (2012), The Complete Future Shocks #1 (2018)
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