Chopper (Judge Dredd character)
Encyclopedia
Chopper is a fictional character in British comics 2000 AD
and the Judge Dredd Megazine
. He was created by John Wagner
and Ron Smith
(with a redesign for his Midnight Surfer persona by Cam Kennedy
) and has appeared in numerous Judge Dredd
stories, including "Oz
", and has his own eponym
ous series.
teenager, bored, restless, with no future. His father, Bert Shakespeare, believed that his (Bert's) hobby of head-butting eggs into a basket would make him stand out from his peers whilst Marlons mother, Ruby, filled her hours by obsessively washing dishes again and again. Marlon wanted more from life than the mundane existence that his parents revelled in so he broke out and found infamy by becoming Chopper - a wall scrawler (graffiti artist), challenging authority by making his mark (a smiley face) in increasingly more ambitious and public locations. Soon Chopper became known as King Scrawler of Mega-City One. That was until a Scrawl War broke out between Chopper and a mysterious rival scrawler known as The Phantom, who challenged Chopper's position as King Scrawler by beating Marlon to some of his more ambitious scrawls and openly mocking Chopper in his scrawl ("Chopper is a Ninco. Signed The Phantom"). The Scrawl War escalated with more and more inventive scrawls turning up and confusing the Judges
, culminating with Chopper defacing the relocated white cliffs of Dover
in 100 ft letters. This angered The Phantom who then publicly challenged Chopper to scrawl the Statue of Judgement
on the following Saturday. When Chopper and The Phantom finally came face to face Chopper was shocked to find that The Phantom was in fact a painting droid. Chopper found himself asking the droid what its motivations for becoming a scrawler were and was just as shocked to learn that they were identical to his own - To escape the monotony of life and to be somebody. The Phantom refused to be taken by the Judges and plunged to its death, leaving Chopper in awe of the similarity of their lives and wondering, as he was being arrested by Judge Dredd
, if that was what we all were - robot
s.
who had evaded the judges with his highly illegal and very dangerous low-flying surfing. While on rehabilitation, Chopper had been given his first opportunity to use a Powerboard and soon realised he had a natural talent for the sport and had become a Powerboard instructor for young kids living in Tommy McArdle Block. Dredd soon discovered that Chopper was actually the Midnight Surfer and had been merely training for the forthcoming Supersurf 7, an illegal Powerboard contest which was to be held on the streets of Mega-City One. Dredd set up 'Spy In The Sky' cameras to track Chopper's movements in the hope that he could find the secret starting location of the contest and thus preventing the race from happening, but Chopper spotted them and outwitted the remote cameras with his skilful and dangerously daring surfing style. When he arrived Chopper found himself surrounded by such surfing legends as Dak Goodvibes, Johnny Cuba and the world champion Yogi Yakamoto, and within an hour was competing against them in a race of suicidal proportions. Tackling set obstacles and avoiding gunfire from the Judges, the surfers sped through the future city, many falling along the way until there were only two men still with a real chance of winning the race - Yogi Yakamoto and Chopper. The final obstacle - surfing in the notorious Manfred Fox tunnel against the flow of high-speed traffic - served as the backdrop of what was later called by many as the single greatest example of surfing ever seen when Yogi Yakamoto fell after being clipped by a large vehicle and was left struggling to his feet as another large vehicle hurtled towards him. Seeing his Idol's imminent demise, Chopper swung his board around and scooped up the injured surfer before once again turning his board against the flow of the traffic and weaved amongst the vehicles, finishing the race with Yakamoto in his arms. The rescue had been in vain though. As Yakamoto lay on the pavement dying he addressed Chopper - "You the best boy...Nobody can do what you do. You...King Surfer..." Again, Chopper was promptly arrested by Dredd, but this time to the entire city chanting his name.
With no confirmed sightings of Chopper since the news that he was heading into a hurricane, Mega-City One mourns the loss of a legend, and an old friend of Chopper's - WipeOut Jones - is sent to represent the city. The news of Chopper's demise is somewhat premature. As his board spirals down towards the stormy sea Chopper spies a lone ship and guides his board towards it. On board Chopper discovers that the only crew member is a paranoid and murderous robot chef called Cookie, who has a penchant for using his crew members as ingredients. Chopper disposes of Cookie after the insane robot tries to put Chopper on the menu. Chopper's board is badly damaged in the scuffle so takes control of the ship and heads to Oz by sea. Having repaired his board, Chopper ditches the ship 40 kilometres from the coast of Oz and completes the journey on his board. He arrives to a hero's welcome, but Dredd attempts to arrest him. The crowds protest but Dredd argues that Chopper cannot race as he missed the qualifying heats. The qualifying Surfers refuse to race unless Chopper is allowed to compete and Dredd is arrested by local Judges as not to cause a riot. The local authorities set Chopper up with a hotel room and donate to him a Bondi Special powerboard to replace his badly damaged Stratos 4 and he sets out to practice for the race with WipeOut Jones. It soon becomes apparent to Chopper that the Bondi Special powerboard doesn't suit his surfing style. On the day of the race WipeOut Jones offers Chopper his Stratos 4 powerboard stating that he (Jones) is merely there to make up the numbers and had no real chance of winning the race. Jug McKenzie taunts Chopper as the pair swap boards, claiming that chopper is clutching at straws.
Immediately before the race Chopper is called to the Surf Marshal's office where he finds Judge Dredd waiting for him. Dredd explains that his arrest was merely a ruse to settle 'other business'. He then informs Chopper "You can race - No promises. But when you cross that line I'll be waiting. You've made fools of us too often, Shakespeare. This time, you try to escape... I'll have to kill you."
What follows is a race of epic proportions. Halfway through disaster strikes when Jug Mckenzie clips Choppers board sending the two favourites crashing out of the race. Seemingly with their chances of winning totally ruined, both Mckenzie and Chopper surf like they never have before and by the time they hit the home stretch they are neck to neck, but McKenzie wins by less than an inch. Chopper is left stunned, in total disbelief that he lost. As Dredd moves in for the arrest, Chopper turns to Jug and congratulates the defending champion, telling him "You're the tops, Jug - Number one." Dredd raises his gun and calls for Chopper's surrender, but Chopper refuses, and slowly surfs away making no attempt at a quick getaway and giving Dredd plenty of opportunity to fire. But Dredd hesitates and is then struck from behind by Jug McKenzie, allowing Chopper to make a getaway into the Radback (Radioactive Outback - the Oz equivalent of the Cursed Earth
).
meat and still bitter about losing Supersurf 10. On a supply run to the city Chopper attempts to re-run the race course, but realises its pointless. As he sits on his board eating a 'snagger' that was donated to him by the owner of a market, Chopper is approached by a lone surfer who turns out to be Jug McKenzie. McKenzie cleans Chopper up and gives him new clothes and a friendship is struck up between the former rivals, but all Chopper is interested in is a rematch. This time Chopper wins and he returns to the Radback leaving behind him a new friendship and a new love interest - Charlene.
, where the contest was now to be held. Controversy first struck Supersurf 11 when during a parade of the surfers fireworks were set off killing several of the surfers. It was claimed that this was a publicity event by the new sponsors, StigCorp, though the company denied it. The credibility of these denials were weakened when Stig - the head of StigCorp - publicly announced intentions for Supersurf 11; The route was to be littered with snipers and missile launchers and napalm. It was to be more of a bloodbath than a race. Up in arms over this outrage, the surfers refused to race on principle until 16 year-old Sonny Williams from Brit-Cit signed up to the race. Not one to shy away from a challenge, and also because the Jug Mckenzie he'd beaten in a rematch was a Mckenzie past his prime, Chopper signed up too. In the days leading up to race day 39 other surfers entered the contest. On the morning of the race a drunk Jug Mckenzie claimed he was going to race in response to his critics calling him a coward and over the hill. Chopper stopped him by locking him in a cupboard. Before the race Chopper was involved in an altercation with Sonny Williams. Chopper could see the kid was scared so infuriated him as to get the young surfers adrenaline pumping and thus giving him a better chance of getting through the first few yards. Within moments of the race starting a shell burst amongst the pack blowing the head of Dallas Hall (who came third in Supersurf 10) clean off her shoulders and embedding a part of her skull in Chopper's left arm, rendering it dead. As the race went on, the bodies dropped frequently until there were only a handful of surfers left, with Chopper in the lead. As Chopper left one of the final obstacles, he was brutally gunned down from hidden machine gun emplacements. Charlene, who had been watching the race on television, left her hotel to be with her fallen lover's body. Chopper regained consciousness and struggled to his feet making his way to one of the gun emplacements where he attacked one of the gunners and using his machine gun killed the other machine gunner. But his efforts were too late as the gunners had already claimed their third victim - Sonny Williams. The surviving surfers pulled out of the race, but Chopper, knowing that it was too late for him, got back on his board and headed towards the final obstacle - Stig. Chopper approached Stig, who, although blind, was to act as a sniper near the finish line. Curious as to why Chopper wasn't making an effort to avoid his gun, Stig doesn't fire and Chopper throws a grenade which he took off one of the machine gunners, killing Stig and his assistant. Chopper turns his board towards the finish line but he soon succumbs to his wounds and collapses on his board, laying lifeless inches from the finish as Charlene runs to where his board hovers.
. Many felt that the fact that Chopper had survived Supersurf 11 undermined the emotional impact of the finale of the Song Of The Surfer storyline. To top it off it seemed more insulting to the audience that the character had been brought back from the grave for such a lacklustre story. Even Garth Ennis
, writer of Earth, Wind and Fire, agrees that bringing Chopper back was probably a bad idea:
Several writers have since had a stab at the character since his rebirth, but not even Chopper's creator, John Wagner, has been able to fully recapture the vitality and essence that made him popular in the first place.
2000 AD (comic)
2000 AD is a weekly British science fiction-oriented comic. As a comics anthology it serialises a number of separate stories each issue and was first published by IPC Magazines in 1977, the first issue dated 26 February. IPC then shifted the title to its Fleetway comics subsidiary which was sold...
and the Judge Dredd Megazine
Judge Dredd Megazine
Judge Dredd: The Megazine is a monthly British comic magazine, launched in October 1990. It is a sister publication to 2000 AD. Its name is a play on words, formed from "magazine" and Dredd's locale Mega-City One.-Content:...
. He was created by John Wagner
John Wagner
John Wagner is a comics writer who was born in Pennsylvania in 1949 and moved to Scotland as a boy. Alongside Pat Mills, Wagner was responsible for revitalising British boys' comics in the 1970s, and has continued to be a leading light in British comics ever since.He is best known for his work on...
and Ron Smith
Ron Smith
Ron or Ronald Smith may refer to:*Ron Smith , American poet born in Georgia*Ron Smith , British comic artist*Ron Smith , Canadian author, poet and publishing house founder...
(with a redesign for his Midnight Surfer persona by Cam Kennedy
Cam Kennedy
Campbell Kennedy is a Scottish comics artist. He is best known for his work on 2000 AD, especially the flagship titles Judge Dredd and Rogue Trooper.-Biography:...
) and has appeared in numerous Judge Dredd
Judge Dredd
Judge Joseph Dredd is a comics character whose strip in the British science fiction anthology 2000 AD is the magazine's longest running . Dredd is an American law enforcement officer in a violent city of the future where uniformed Judges combine the powers of police, judge, jury and executioner...
stories, including "Oz
Oz (Judge Dredd story)
Oz is a mini-series featured in the comic 2000 AD, running for 26 episodes from 24 October, 1987 to 16 April, 1988....
", and has his own eponym
Eponym
An eponym is the name of a person or thing, whether real or fictitious, after which a particular place, tribe, era, discovery, or other item is named or thought to be named...
ous series.
Unamerican Graffiti
Marlon Shakespeare was a typical Mega-City OneMega-City One
Mega-City One is a huge fictional city-state covering much of what is now the Eastern United States in the Judge Dredd comic book series. The exact boundaries of the city depend on which artist has drawn the story...
teenager, bored, restless, with no future. His father, Bert Shakespeare, believed that his (Bert's) hobby of head-butting eggs into a basket would make him stand out from his peers whilst Marlons mother, Ruby, filled her hours by obsessively washing dishes again and again. Marlon wanted more from life than the mundane existence that his parents revelled in so he broke out and found infamy by becoming Chopper - a wall scrawler (graffiti artist), challenging authority by making his mark (a smiley face) in increasingly more ambitious and public locations. Soon Chopper became known as King Scrawler of Mega-City One. That was until a Scrawl War broke out between Chopper and a mysterious rival scrawler known as The Phantom, who challenged Chopper's position as King Scrawler by beating Marlon to some of his more ambitious scrawls and openly mocking Chopper in his scrawl ("Chopper is a Ninco. Signed The Phantom"). The Scrawl War escalated with more and more inventive scrawls turning up and confusing the Judges
Judge (2000 AD)
Judge is a title held by several significant characters in the Judge Dredd series, which appears in the British comics 2000 AD and Judge Dredd Megazine...
, culminating with Chopper defacing the relocated white cliffs of Dover
White cliffs of Dover
The White Cliffs of Dover are cliffs which form part of the British coastline facing the Strait of Dover and France. The cliffs are part of the North Downs formation. The cliff face, which reaches up to , owes its striking façade to its composition of chalk accentuated by streaks of black flint...
in 100 ft letters. This angered The Phantom who then publicly challenged Chopper to scrawl the Statue of Judgement
Statue of Judgement
The Statue of Judgement is a fictional structure in the Judge Dredd comic strip in 2000 AD. It is a mammoth statue of a Mega-City Judge, built in Mega-City One where New York City once was, next to the Statue of Liberty. In some stories it has been called the Statue of Justice...
on the following Saturday. When Chopper and The Phantom finally came face to face Chopper was shocked to find that The Phantom was in fact a painting droid. Chopper found himself asking the droid what its motivations for becoming a scrawler were and was just as shocked to learn that they were identical to his own - To escape the monotony of life and to be somebody. The Phantom refused to be taken by the Judges and plunged to its death, leaving Chopper in awe of the similarity of their lives and wondering, as he was being arrested by Judge Dredd
Judge Dredd
Judge Joseph Dredd is a comics character whose strip in the British science fiction anthology 2000 AD is the magazine's longest running . Dredd is an American law enforcement officer in a violent city of the future where uniformed Judges combine the powers of police, judge, jury and executioner...
, if that was what we all were - robot
Robot
A robot is a mechanical or virtual intelligent agent that can perform tasks automatically or with guidance, typically by remote control. In practice a robot is usually an electro-mechanical machine that is guided by computer and electronic programming. Robots can be autonomous, semi-autonomous or...
s.
The Midnight Surfer
Several years later Judge Dredd crossed paths with Chopper again while searching for the masked felon known as The Midnight Surfer - A sky-surferSky-surfer
Sky-surfing is a fictional sport practiced in the world of the British Judge Dredd comic books, often featuring the champion sky-surfer Chopper. It is like ordinary surfing, but is done on a surfboard rigged with anti-gravity that floats in the air. The surfer stands on the board and controls its...
who had evaded the judges with his highly illegal and very dangerous low-flying surfing. While on rehabilitation, Chopper had been given his first opportunity to use a Powerboard and soon realised he had a natural talent for the sport and had become a Powerboard instructor for young kids living in Tommy McArdle Block. Dredd soon discovered that Chopper was actually the Midnight Surfer and had been merely training for the forthcoming Supersurf 7, an illegal Powerboard contest which was to be held on the streets of Mega-City One. Dredd set up 'Spy In The Sky' cameras to track Chopper's movements in the hope that he could find the secret starting location of the contest and thus preventing the race from happening, but Chopper spotted them and outwitted the remote cameras with his skilful and dangerously daring surfing style. When he arrived Chopper found himself surrounded by such surfing legends as Dak Goodvibes, Johnny Cuba and the world champion Yogi Yakamoto, and within an hour was competing against them in a race of suicidal proportions. Tackling set obstacles and avoiding gunfire from the Judges, the surfers sped through the future city, many falling along the way until there were only two men still with a real chance of winning the race - Yogi Yakamoto and Chopper. The final obstacle - surfing in the notorious Manfred Fox tunnel against the flow of high-speed traffic - served as the backdrop of what was later called by many as the single greatest example of surfing ever seen when Yogi Yakamoto fell after being clipped by a large vehicle and was left struggling to his feet as another large vehicle hurtled towards him. Seeing his Idol's imminent demise, Chopper swung his board around and scooped up the injured surfer before once again turning his board against the flow of the traffic and weaved amongst the vehicles, finishing the race with Yakamoto in his arms. The rescue had been in vain though. As Yakamoto lay on the pavement dying he addressed Chopper - "You the best boy...Nobody can do what you do. You...King Surfer..." Again, Chopper was promptly arrested by Dredd, but this time to the entire city chanting his name.
Oz
Three years later, the now legalised Supersurf 10 approaches. The previous two Supersurf contests had somewhat ironically been held legally in the Sydney-Melbourne Conurb (The future Australia) with the full backing of the Oz Judges. Hometown boy Jug McKenzie had been champion ever since and, much to the chagrin of Chopper's fans, was fast earning the reputation of the greatest surfer who ever lived. Despite calls from the citizens of Mega-City One for Chopper to be released in time for him to challenge McKenzie on his home turf, Judge Dredd refused to bow to public opinion. The decision was made by Dredd to move Chopper to a maximum-security isolation cube due to concerns that there would be attempts to free the imprisoned champion. During the transfer a mob rushes the Judges and Chopper manages to escape in the commotion. Unsure of where to run to, Chopper called upon his childhood friend Flip Tillis, who, while supplying Chopper with fresh food and clothes, informs the fugitive of the public's desire for Chopper to regain his crown as King Surfer. Figuring Oz is the one place where everybody wants him to be Chopper sets out on his board and begins his historic journey over the 'west wall' into the Cursed Earth. His journey is followed by the Mega-City One media as he evades Cursed Earth mutants and travels to the Mex-Zone, almost losing his life several times on the way. Finally arriving at the Pacific Ocean, Chopper faces the decision to return to imprisonment or to strike out 11,000 kilometres across the Pacific to Oz with the knowledge that he has nowhere near enough power to complete his journey. During a vicious storm in the Pacific his board runs out of power, and as he guides his board to his death Chopper recalls the chanting of Mega-City One following his winning Supersurf 7.With no confirmed sightings of Chopper since the news that he was heading into a hurricane, Mega-City One mourns the loss of a legend, and an old friend of Chopper's - WipeOut Jones - is sent to represent the city. The news of Chopper's demise is somewhat premature. As his board spirals down towards the stormy sea Chopper spies a lone ship and guides his board towards it. On board Chopper discovers that the only crew member is a paranoid and murderous robot chef called Cookie, who has a penchant for using his crew members as ingredients. Chopper disposes of Cookie after the insane robot tries to put Chopper on the menu. Chopper's board is badly damaged in the scuffle so takes control of the ship and heads to Oz by sea. Having repaired his board, Chopper ditches the ship 40 kilometres from the coast of Oz and completes the journey on his board. He arrives to a hero's welcome, but Dredd attempts to arrest him. The crowds protest but Dredd argues that Chopper cannot race as he missed the qualifying heats. The qualifying Surfers refuse to race unless Chopper is allowed to compete and Dredd is arrested by local Judges as not to cause a riot. The local authorities set Chopper up with a hotel room and donate to him a Bondi Special powerboard to replace his badly damaged Stratos 4 and he sets out to practice for the race with WipeOut Jones. It soon becomes apparent to Chopper that the Bondi Special powerboard doesn't suit his surfing style. On the day of the race WipeOut Jones offers Chopper his Stratos 4 powerboard stating that he (Jones) is merely there to make up the numbers and had no real chance of winning the race. Jug McKenzie taunts Chopper as the pair swap boards, claiming that chopper is clutching at straws.
Immediately before the race Chopper is called to the Surf Marshal's office where he finds Judge Dredd waiting for him. Dredd explains that his arrest was merely a ruse to settle 'other business'. He then informs Chopper "You can race - No promises. But when you cross that line I'll be waiting. You've made fools of us too often, Shakespeare. This time, you try to escape... I'll have to kill you."
What follows is a race of epic proportions. Halfway through disaster strikes when Jug Mckenzie clips Choppers board sending the two favourites crashing out of the race. Seemingly with their chances of winning totally ruined, both Mckenzie and Chopper surf like they never have before and by the time they hit the home stretch they are neck to neck, but McKenzie wins by less than an inch. Chopper is left stunned, in total disbelief that he lost. As Dredd moves in for the arrest, Chopper turns to Jug and congratulates the defending champion, telling him "You're the tops, Jug - Number one." Dredd raises his gun and calls for Chopper's surrender, but Chopper refuses, and slowly surfs away making no attempt at a quick getaway and giving Dredd plenty of opportunity to fire. But Dredd hesitates and is then struck from behind by Jug McKenzie, allowing Chopper to make a getaway into the Radback (Radioactive Outback - the Oz equivalent of the Cursed Earth
Cursed Earth
The Cursed Earth is a part of the fictional universe from the Judge Dredd series that appears in the UK comic book 2000 AD.-Background:...
).
Soul On Fire
A month later and Chopper is living rough in the desert living off kangarooKangaroo
A kangaroo is a marsupial from the family Macropodidae . In common use the term is used to describe the largest species from this family, especially those of the genus Macropus, Red Kangaroo, Antilopine Kangaroo, Eastern Grey Kangaroo and Western Grey Kangaroo. Kangaroos are endemic to the country...
meat and still bitter about losing Supersurf 10. On a supply run to the city Chopper attempts to re-run the race course, but realises its pointless. As he sits on his board eating a 'snagger' that was donated to him by the owner of a market, Chopper is approached by a lone surfer who turns out to be Jug McKenzie. McKenzie cleans Chopper up and gives him new clothes and a friendship is struck up between the former rivals, but all Chopper is interested in is a rematch. This time Chopper wins and he returns to the Radback leaving behind him a new friendship and a new love interest - Charlene.
Song of the Surfer
News of Supersurf 11 reached Chopper just before the death of Smokie, a grumpy old aborigine who had taken Chopper under his wing. Before he died Smokie had told Chopper that he should follow his 'songline' and take part in the race. Following Smokie's death Chopper headed towards the City and met up with Jug McKenzie and Charlene and on a flight chartered specifically for the Oz surfers, headed towards Mega-City TwoMega-City Two
Mega-City Two is a huge fictional city covering five thousand square miles of the Californian West Coast in the Judge Dredd comic book series....
, where the contest was now to be held. Controversy first struck Supersurf 11 when during a parade of the surfers fireworks were set off killing several of the surfers. It was claimed that this was a publicity event by the new sponsors, StigCorp, though the company denied it. The credibility of these denials were weakened when Stig - the head of StigCorp - publicly announced intentions for Supersurf 11; The route was to be littered with snipers and missile launchers and napalm. It was to be more of a bloodbath than a race. Up in arms over this outrage, the surfers refused to race on principle until 16 year-old Sonny Williams from Brit-Cit signed up to the race. Not one to shy away from a challenge, and also because the Jug Mckenzie he'd beaten in a rematch was a Mckenzie past his prime, Chopper signed up too. In the days leading up to race day 39 other surfers entered the contest. On the morning of the race a drunk Jug Mckenzie claimed he was going to race in response to his critics calling him a coward and over the hill. Chopper stopped him by locking him in a cupboard. Before the race Chopper was involved in an altercation with Sonny Williams. Chopper could see the kid was scared so infuriated him as to get the young surfers adrenaline pumping and thus giving him a better chance of getting through the first few yards. Within moments of the race starting a shell burst amongst the pack blowing the head of Dallas Hall (who came third in Supersurf 10) clean off her shoulders and embedding a part of her skull in Chopper's left arm, rendering it dead. As the race went on, the bodies dropped frequently until there were only a handful of surfers left, with Chopper in the lead. As Chopper left one of the final obstacles, he was brutally gunned down from hidden machine gun emplacements. Charlene, who had been watching the race on television, left her hotel to be with her fallen lover's body. Chopper regained consciousness and struggled to his feet making his way to one of the gun emplacements where he attacked one of the gunners and using his machine gun killed the other machine gunner. But his efforts were too late as the gunners had already claimed their third victim - Sonny Williams. The surviving surfers pulled out of the race, but Chopper, knowing that it was too late for him, got back on his board and headed towards the final obstacle - Stig. Chopper approached Stig, who, although blind, was to act as a sniper near the finish line. Curious as to why Chopper wasn't making an effort to avoid his gun, Stig doesn't fire and Chopper throws a grenade which he took off one of the machine gunners, killing Stig and his assistant. Chopper turns his board towards the finish line but he soon succumbs to his wounds and collapses on his board, laying lifeless inches from the finish as Charlene runs to where his board hovers.
Earth Wind and Fire
Chopper survived and retired to the Radback, joining Charlene and Jug in a dropout commune. But StigCorp caught up with him and destroyed the commune, killing WipeOut Jones who was visiting Chopper following his victory in Supersurf 12. Chopper and Jug make an almost suicidal assault on the Oz headquarters of StigCorp which leaves Moke Anderson (a survivor of Supersurf 11) dead.The Big Meg
When Jug Mckenzie died, Chopper was brought into touch with Jug's estranged daughter Mercy and her mother, Calista. After Mercy told Chopper about her mother being in trouble Chopper decided to return to Mega-City One for only the second time since he journeyed to Oz. Chopper soon found himself in the centre of a con conducted by Calista and Mercy which brought him face to face once again with his old nemesis, Judge Dredd. As always Chopper ended on top of the situation leaving Calista stewing in her defeat and returned to Oz and his job as a lifeguard.Controversy
Many fans were up in arms when the story Earth Wind and Fire appeared in the first issue of the Judge Dredd MegazineJudge Dredd Megazine
Judge Dredd: The Megazine is a monthly British comic magazine, launched in October 1990. It is a sister publication to 2000 AD. Its name is a play on words, formed from "magazine" and Dredd's locale Mega-City One.-Content:...
. Many felt that the fact that Chopper had survived Supersurf 11 undermined the emotional impact of the finale of the Song Of The Surfer storyline. To top it off it seemed more insulting to the audience that the character had been brought back from the grave for such a lacklustre story. Even Garth Ennis
Garth Ennis
Garth Ennis is a Northern Irish comics writer, best known for the Vertigo series Preacher with artist Steve Dillon and his successful nine-year run on Marvel Comics' Punisher franchise...
, writer of Earth, Wind and Fire, agrees that bringing Chopper back was probably a bad idea:
"Chopper was kicking about at the time. He had been pretty much shot to death in John’s (Wagner) story, Song of the Surfer. There’s no doubt about it, he should have been left there."
Several writers have since had a stab at the character since his rebirth, but not even Chopper's creator, John Wagner, has been able to fully recapture the vitality and essence that made him popular in the first place.
Publications
He has appeared in numerous strips:- Judge Dredd
- "Unamerican Graffiti" (by John WagnerJohn WagnerJohn Wagner is a comics writer who was born in Pennsylvania in 1949 and moved to Scotland as a boy. Alongside Pat Mills, Wagner was responsible for revitalising British boys' comics in the 1970s, and has continued to be a leading light in British comics ever since.He is best known for his work on...
, Alan Grant and Ron SmithRon Smith (artist)Ron Smith, born 1924, is a retired British comic artist whose career spanned almost almost fifty years, during which time he built a solid reputation as one of the most popular and well respected illustrators working in his field....
, in 2000 AD #206-207, 1981) - "Midnight Surfer" (by John Wagner, Alan Grant and Cam KennedyCam KennedyCampbell Kennedy is a Scottish comics artist. He is best known for his work on 2000 AD, especially the flagship titles Judge Dredd and Rogue Trooper.-Biography:...
, in 2000 AD #424-429, 1986) - "OzOz (Judge Dredd story)Oz is a mini-series featured in the comic 2000 AD, running for 26 episodes from 24 October, 1987 to 16 April, 1988....
" (by John Wagner, Alan Grant and various artists, in 2000 AD #545-570, 1987) - "Funeral in Mega-City One" (by John Wagner and Colin MacNeilColin MacNeilColin MacNeil is a British comics artist, best known for his work on 2000 AD and in particular on Judge Dredd and other stories within his world like Shimura and Devlin Waugh....
, in Judge Dredd Poster Prog #4, 1994)
- "Unamerican Graffiti" (by John Wagner
- Chopper (collected in Chopper: Surf's Up, tpbTrade paperback (comics)In comics, a trade paperback is a collection of stories originally published in comic books, reprinted in book format, usually capturing one story arc from a single title or a series of stories with a connected story arc or common theme from one or more titles...
, 304 pages, February 2011, ISBN 9781907519277):- "Soul on Fire" (by John Wagner and Colin MacNeil, in 2000 AD #594-597, 1988)
- "Song of the Surfer" (by John Wagner and Colin MacNeil, in 2000 AD #654-665, 1989)
- "Earth, Wind and Fire" (by Garth EnnisGarth EnnisGarth Ennis is a Northern Irish comics writer, best known for the Vertigo series Preacher with artist Steve Dillon and his successful nine-year run on Marvel Comics' Punisher franchise...
and John McCreaJohn McCreaJohn McCrea is a comic book artist best known for his collaborations with writer Garth Ennis.-Career:...
, in Judge Dredd MegazineJudge Dredd MegazineJudge Dredd: The Megazine is a monthly British comic magazine, launched in October 1990. It is a sister publication to 2000 AD. Its name is a play on words, formed from "magazine" and Dredd's locale Mega-City One.-Content:...
#1.01-1.06, 19901990 in comics-Year overall:Days of Future Present, the sequel to Days of Future Past, appeared in the annuals of Fantastic Four, New Mutants, X-Factor and X-Men.-January:* Dinosaurs for Hire is cancelled by Eternity Comics with issue #9....
) - "Dead Man's Twist" (by Garth Ennis and Martin EmondMartin EmondMartin Emond , also known under the pseudonyms "Martin Fuckin Emond", "Martyfuck", "Martywood", "Mickey Martin" and "MFE", was a New Zealand cartoon illustrator and painter....
, in Judge Dredd MegazineJudge Dredd MegazineJudge Dredd: The Megazine is a monthly British comic magazine, launched in October 1990. It is a sister publication to 2000 AD. Its name is a play on words, formed from "magazine" and Dredd's locale Mega-City One.-Content:...
#2.36, 19931993 in comics-January:* Doom Patrol #63: " The Empire of Chairs," Grant Morrison's final issue as Doom Patrol writer.-February:* Action Comics, with issue #686, suspends publication following "The Death of Superman."...
) - "Supersurf 13" (by Alan McKenzieAlan McKenzieAlan McKenzie is a British comics writer known for his work at 2000 AD.-Biography:McKenzie worked for Marvel UK during the early 1980s, editing Starburst, Cinema and Doctor Who Monthly magazines. After leaving the Marvel staff in 1985, he wrote several Doctor Who comic stories for the Monthly under...
and John HigginsJohn Higgins (comics)John Higgins is an English comic book artist and writer. He did significant work for 2000 AD, and he has frequently worked with writer Alan Moore, most notably as colourist for Watchmen.-Biography:...
, 2000 AD #964-971, 1995) - "The Big Meg" (by John Wagner and Dylan Teague, in 2000 AD #1387-1394, 2004)