2000 AD #30
☆ Be the first to review + Add to your collection — Join free2000 AD Prog 30 (17 September 1977) contains 'The Return of Rico,' a six-page self-contained story that fundamentally reframed Judge Dredd's identity by revealing, for the very first time, that he is a clone artificially grown and accelerated to adulthood — a piece of lore that would become the bedrock of the entire franchise. The issue simultaneously introduced Rico Dredd, Dredd's corrupt clone 'brother' who is older by a mere twelve minutes, making him the strip's first true personal antagonist and establishing the tragic mirror-image dynamic that would echo through decades of sequels, flashbacks, and adaptations. By forcing Joe Dredd to gun down his own genetic twin, the story elevated the strip from future-cop action into something with genuine moral weight — a quality that Pat Mills's successor writers, particularly John Wagner, would continue to build upon. Rico's debut remained so central to the mythology that the concept was adapted as a key plot engine for the 1995 Judge Dredd theatrical film and later the subject of a full novella trilogy.
"Dirty Jocks [Part 4]" delivers a tense, high-stakes showdown in the gritty world of Mega-City One, as Judge Dredd faces off against his long-lost clone, Rico, returned from Titan’s penal colony after two decades. Written by Pat Mills and illustrated with sharp precision by Mike McMahon, the story builds on the simmering rivalry between the two men, culminating in a brutal confrontation that leaves one of them dead. The cover, a striking piece by Brian Bolland, captures the moment’s intensity with a classic 1977 edge.
In "The Return of Rico," Judge Dredd’s long-lost clone, Rico, returns from a two-decade exile on Titan, seeking vengeance for the betrayal that sent him to prison. The story unfolds as the two men, mirror images of each other, face off in a tense confrontation that ends in tragedy.
In "UFO, Part 1," a mysterious spacecraft crashes near Pine City, drawing the attention of Agent Probe, sent to investigate. As local tensions rise, Dutch Abe and his men attempt to destroy the craft, only to unleash a deadly energy beam that kills all but Probe and his companion Simon. With the saucer silent and lifeless, Probe soon discovers the explosion may have triggered an SOS signal—summoning more UFOs to the town. As the alien ships descend and begin their assault, the invaders take control of Sheriff McGruder and reanimate Dutch Abe, now bent on stopping Probe from escaping the unfolding chaos.
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The story was written by Pat Mills — 2000 AD's founding editor and the commissioning editor of the Judge Dredd strip — and drawn by Mike McMahon, who had become Dredd's default artist after original designer Carlos Ezquerra departed the title following creative and financial disputes early in 1977. By Prog 30, McMahon was still in his earliest phase on the strip, at a stage where his brief was largely to work in a style close to Ezquerra's, though even at this point his figure work carried considerable dynamism; Dredd's uniform was also still in transition, with the 'rounded visor' helmet of the earliest issues still in evidence. The story came after John Wagner — who had quit over the publisher IPC retaining all character rights — returned to the strip around Prog 9, and EBSCO's research notes situate 'The Return of Rico' as the narrative culmination of a run of world-building stories in progs 27–30 that explored the Academy of Law and the origins of the Judges.
Trivia · 9 facts
- Published by IPC Magazines as 2000 AD Prog 30, cover-dated 17 September 1977.
- Contains the story 'The Return of Rico,' scripted by Pat Mills and drawn by Mike McMahon, with lettering by Tony Jacob.
- First appearance of Rico Dredd, Dredd's clone 'brother,' who is established as twelve minutes older than Joe and a superior marksman who graduated top of their Academy of Law class.
- First in-strip revelation that Judge Dredd himself is a clone — a core piece of franchise mythology that had not been stated in any prior episode.
- The story also establishes the first name 'Joe' for Judge Dredd, previously unnamed in the strip.
- Rico is killed in his own debut issue — shot dead by Dredd after twenty years on the penal colony on Titan left him fractionally slower on the draw — making him one of the rare first-appearance characters to die in the same issue.
- The issue also introduced the concept of Titan as the mandatory penal colony for corrupt Judges, a location that went on to anchor multiple later storylines including Grant Morrison and Mark Millar's 'Inferno' and Rob Williams's 'Titan.'
- The story has been reprinted in Judge Dredd: The Complete Case Files Vol. 01 (Rebellion) and was retold in expanded form across Progs 950–952 in 1995 to coincide with Rico's role as the main antagonist in the Judge Dredd theatrical film, in which he was portrayed by Armand Assante.
- The prog also featured a Brian Bolland Supercover Saga (the fourth in the series), ongoing installments of Invasion, Shako, and Dan Dare, plus a Tharg's Future Shocks entry and Part 1 of a new M.A.C.H.1 arc.
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Reprints
Reprinted in Super Force #5 (1981), Super Force #6 (1981), Judge Dredd #2 (1982), Judge Dredd #14 (1984), Judge Dredd #10/1985 (1985), 2000 AD Presents #7 (1986), Janus Stark Special #2 (1986), Scavengers #6 [US] (1988), Scavengers #7 [US] (1988), Judge Dredd: Hall of Justice #[nn] (1991), M.A.C.H. 1 #6 (1991), 2000 AD Extreme Edition #9 (2005), Judge Dredd: The Complete Case Files #1 (2005), Invasion! #[nn] (2007), Shako #[nn] (2012), Dan Dare The 2000 AD Years #1 (2015), The Complete Future Shocks #1 (2018)
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