Judge Dredd the Megazine #9
Judge Dredd Megazine Vol. 1 #9 (June 1991) marks the debut of Detective Judge Armitage and his rookie partner Treasure Steel, two characters who would anchor one of the Megazine's longest-running spin-off strips across more than three decades of publication. By transplanting the gritty Dredd aesthetic into a distinctly British detective-fiction mould — drawing on the tradition of morally complicated investigators like those found in Inspector Morse and Taggart — writer Dave Stone and artist Sean Phillips opened up Brit-Cit as a richly textured corner of the Judge Dredd universe wholly separate from Mega-City One. The issue also carries an instalment of the twelve-part 'Young Death: Boyhood of a Superfiend' serial and an early episode of Mark Millar's 'Red Razors', making it a snapshot of the fertile creative moment when the young Megazine was actively building out its own stable of characters alongside its flagship Dredd stories.
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Issue #9 falls squarely within the first volume of the Megazine, whose twelve inaugural issues were edited by Steve MacManus, the veteran Fleetway editor who had previously overseen 2000 AD's celebrated early run and the socially conscious anthology Crisis. MacManus masterminded the development of the Megazine and served as its in-house launch editor, with John Wagner and Alan Grant acting as consultant editors — a structure that gave the title both its creative authority and its commercial muscle. The Armitage strip was commissioned into this framework, with Dave Stone and Sean Phillips delivering the first instalment just as the Megazine was reaching its ninth monthly issue under that original editorial team. The debut Armitage serial (Parts 1–6) ran from issue #9 through #14 and was subsequently collected in Judge Dredd Megazine Supplement 13 in 2009.
Trivia · 8 facts
- First appearance of Detective Judge Armitage (Part 1 of the debut serial), created by writer Dave Stone and artist Sean Phillips — a character still appearing in the Megazine as of 2025–2026.
- First appearance of Detective Judge Treasure Steel, Armitage's longtime junior partner, who also debuts alongside him in this issue.
- The Armitage strip is set in Brit-Cit, a British mega-city in the Judge Dredd universe, distinct from Mega-City One, and draws on the tradition of cynical British TV detective dramas such as Inspector Morse and Taggart.
- The issue also contains 'Young Death: Boyhood of a Superfiend' Part 9 of 12 (script: Brian Skuter, art: Peter Doherty), continuing the origin story of Judge Death.
- Also included: 'Red Razors' Part 2 (script: Mark Millar, art: Steve Yeowell); 'Al's Baby' Part 6 (script: John Wagner, art: Carlos Ezquerra); and 'The Straitjacket Fits' Part 1 (script: David Bishop, art: Roger Langridge) — the latter also making its debut this issue.
- Cover art is by Sean Phillips, the same artist who drew the debut Armitage strip inside.
- The issue was published in June 1991 under editor Steve MacManus, who edited all twelve issues of Volume 1 (issues 1.01–1.12) before handing over to David Bishop.
- The debut Armitage serial (Parts 1–6, issues #9–14, 1991) was reprinted in Judge Dredd Megazine Supplement 13 in 2009.