8: Letter from a Democrat

Dredd is a limited presence in this one-shot, and comes across as indistinguishable from the other uniformed Judges putting down insurrection. Chillingly, he tells Gort that "democracy is not for the people".

Short, sharp and dark. Not a glimmer of lightness here as Dredd and his Judges are entirely placed in the role of complete villains. The story - citizens storm a studio, broadcast a message and are then killed - is so straightforward that it is the moments themselves that stand out. The four activists voting to die, otherwise nothing will change. Dredd cooly ordering their deaths. Gort hugging his children after reading Hester's letter.

But the most shocking part is two simple panels, outlining in flashback the time their child's ball hit a Judge, and encapsulating the Law from the citizen's perspective with perfect clarity. Looking back on America, it's clear how much Wagner saw that moment - and this story overall as a foundational block in Dredd's overall story.

Even having some knowledge of how this fits into the larger story of Dredd, it's still effective. I imagine that there would have been now way of knowing back when this was first published how long-lasting its effects on the Judge Dredd saga would be.