Since I was very young I have been a huge fan of Judge Dredd. Sitting on the loo reading my dad’s copies of 2000ad was my first exposure to comics and sequential art. I was in awe of the fantastical storylines and visceral art. Dredd is arguably only second to Batman in my personal list of favourite comic characters and I always pined for a movie that would live up to the character. While I enjoyed Stallone’s Judge Dredd, for me like many others it did not truly embody the character. How pleased was I when the Alex Garland penned Dredd came out and lived up to my true expectations of the character. Even more rewarding was that Jock, arguably my favourite comic and poster artist, contributed concept art to the project as well as a little later down the line pulling together a poster for Mondo. This was the poster that got me into alt poster collecting as an obsession.

2000ad will very shortly be releasing ‘Dredd: The Illustrated Script and Visuals’ in both a paperback and hardcopy special edition.

‘Dredd: The Illustrated Script And Visuals’ – Limited Edition Signed by Jock

Both editions includes an introduction and notes from Jock and as well as an exclusive introduction from screenwriter Alex Garland. Accompnaying the pre-production screenplay is a very special never-before-seen complete comics adaptation from the movie pre-production which is markedly unique from the finished film, plus the full screenplay and accompanying concept art. Here’s what Alex Garland had to say about said adaptation;

“Part of [Jock’s] huge contribution was a full-length comic book version of the script, that we distributed to everyone from financiers to crew. His paintings and sketches were one of the quickest and most effective way of conveying the look and tone of the project. When – a very long time later – the picture was locked, I could see his input had pervaded the film at all levels.”

‘Dredd: The Illustrated Script And Visuals’ – Paperback edition

I am really excited to get hold of this and not only see the detail of the pre-production script and how it differs from what we eventually saw on screen, but also how Jock and Alex Garland originally envisioned the movie to look with what ultimately served as storyboards for the movie. Alex Garland is an amazingly visual writer and it will be unique to see that tied into a graphic medium. Now all we need to do is get that Dredd sequel off of the ground! If you haven’t signed the petition, you really should!

Both editions rock in at a hefty 240 pages and are available as a beautifully designed paperback edition at £25 and a very limited, signed hardback edition at £50. Both editions were designed in close conjunction with Jock and are available to pre-order now through the 200ad store for release in July.