2000 AD and Tornado #162
2000 AD and Tornado #162 (April 26, 1980) marks the debut of Judge Barbara Hershey, one of the most consequential recurring characters in the forty-plus-year history of the Judge Dredd strip — a figure who would eventually rise from rookie colleague to Chief Judge of Mega-City One, making her the most prominent female character the series ever produced. The issue falls squarely within episode 7 of 'The Judge Child' saga, the sprawling 26-part space opera that represents a turning point for the strip: it is the first story co-scripted by John Wagner and Alan Grant, a partnership that would define Dredd's creative voice through the entire 1980s. Hershey's introduction also widened the moral and emotional register of the Dredd universe, giving readers a younger, more open-minded judge whose character arc across decades — culminating in the Chief Judgeship and a much-debated death — grew directly from seeds planted in this issue. The 'Judge Child' quest itself is regarded as one of the foundational 'Mega-Epic' storylines, cementing the strip's capacity for long-form, galaxy-spanning narrative alongside The Cursed Earth and The Day the Law Died.
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By the time prog 162 was published, 2000 AD had recently absorbed the short-lived IPC sister title Tornado — which had run for only 22 issues before merging with 2000 AD at prog 127 in August 1979 — giving the combined anthology its unwieldy cover branding '2000 AD and Tornado' that persisted until September 1980. The Judge Child storyline (progs 156–181) was crafted by John Wagner with Alan Grant stepping in as co-scripter — his first credited collaboration with Wagner on Dredd — and artwork distributed across three artists: Brian Bolland handled episodes 1, 7 (this prog's instalment), 17, and 18; Mike McMahon drew episodes 5–6, 8, 11, 15–16, and 21–23; Ron Smith delivered fully half the total pages. Letters were by Tom Frame. The 'Judge Child' arc is documented as the third of the early 'Mega-Epics,' following directly from The Cursed Earth and The Day the Law Died.
Trivia · 8 facts
- First appearance of Judge Barbara Hershey (later Chief Judge Hershey), created by writer John Wagner and artist Brian Bolland; she debuts in episode 7 of 'The Judge Child,' the instalment contained in this prog.
- Also introduces Judge Larter and Judge Lopez as crew members aboard the spaceship Justice 1 accompanying Dredd on the deep-space mission to retrieve the Judge Child, Owen Krysler; Judge Winslow is a further crew member catalogued within the same saga.
- 'The Judge Child' (progs 156–181, 1980) is the first Judge Dredd story co-scripted by both John Wagner and Alan Grant — the partnership that would anchor the strip throughout the 1980s.
- Prog 162 was published on April 26, 1980, under the combined masthead '2000 AD and Tornado' (IPC Magazines), a branding that resulted from Tornado's merger into 2000 AD at prog 127 in August 1979 after Tornado sold poorly and folded after 22 issues.
- The entire 'Judge Child' 26-episode story was subsequently collected and reprinted in full colour by Eagle Comics as the five-volume 'Judge Dredd in The Judge Child Quest,' and later by Rebellion in Judge Dredd: The Complete Case Files volume 4.
- Hershey went on to become the tenth Chief Judge of Mega-City One and served the longest reign of any chief judge since Clarence Goodman, and also received her own solo series in the Judge Dredd Megazine beginning in 1992.
- In the 1995 film Judge Dredd, Hershey is played by Diane Lane, making this prog an origination point for a character who crossed into mainstream cinema.
- Episode 7 of 'The Judge Child' was drawn by Brian Bolland, the artist co-credited with creating Hershey; Bolland also pencilled episodes 1, 17, and 18 of the saga, with Ron Smith and Mike McMahon sharing the remaining episodes.