Detective-Judge Armitage
Encyclopedia
Detective-Judge Armitage is a fictional Judge
in the Judge Dredd
setting. He was created by Dave Stone
and Sean Phillips
for the Judge Dredd Megazine
, and is from Brit-Cit
, rather than Dredd's Mega-City One
. He is one of the main English characters in the comic.
, usually wearing a trenchcoat, suit and tie. His real name is unknown: "Armitage" was a fake ID he used in 2080.
He despises the system of privilege that got his superiors where they are and, by extension, his superiors themselves. Because he refuses to "play the game", he is very unpopular with the upper ranks, despite being very good at his job. Another character trait is that he never carries a gun. Despite this, Armitage's knowledge of weapons is extensive, mainly due to his activities during the Brit-Cit Civil War, when he fought in the London Liberation Army against the Emergency Military Government: however, the LLA were on the losing side and in 2080, he decided to join the Judges instead. The corruption of the new government saw him become cynical and morose, and this only got worse when his lover Liora was killed by the crime lord Efil Drago San, in revenge for the Detective Judge crippling him.
Although this means he has gained a reputation for being impossible to work with, Armitage has done outstanding work in the Brit-Cit Justice Department's plainclothes Homicide
Division. He has managed to not only irritate his higher-ups though but also most of the other Judges, to the extent that when Shok-Tak (Brit-Cit's SWAT division) entered a building to rescue a Judge in danger, they remarked with disgust "aw, drokk it, it's only Armitage". (Megazine #301)
He has a long-time partner in Detective-Judge Treasure Steel, and recently picked up a new partner, upper-class Detective-Judge Timothy "Timbo" Parkerston-Trant.
, Armitage owes something to the cynical but unbending police detectives seen in dramas such as Inspector Morse
and Taggart
. As with most such characters, he has a junior partner: Rookie Judge Treasure Steel. Although both harbour a grudging respect for each other, Steel has become Armitage's closest friend and ally.
ous comic
series as well as two Judge Dredd
novels and audio play. In the audio, he was played by Trevor Littledale.
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...
in the 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...
setting. He was created by Dave Stone
Dave Stone
-Biography:Stone has written many spin off novels based on the BBC science fiction television series Doctor Who and Judge Dredd.Stone also contributed a number of comic series to 2000AD and the Judge Dredd Megazine, focusing on the Dreddverse...
and Sean Phillips
Sean Phillips
Sean Phillips is a British comic book artist.He is best known in the American comic book industry for his work on DC Comics' Sleeper, WildC.A.T.s, Batman and Hellblazer.-Career:...
for 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:...
, and is from Brit-Cit
Brit-Cit
Brit-Cit is a huge fictional city in the fictional universe of British comics 2000 AD and Judge Dredd. It is also the home of Sam Slade in some of 2000AD's Robo-Hunter stories. The city covers the south of England and bordering on the Black Atlantic...
, rather than Dredd's Mega-City One
Mega-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...
. He is one of the main English characters in the comic.
Biography
Armitage is a tall, white haired man with a goateeGoatee
Goatee refers to a style of facial hair incorporating hair on a man’s chin. The exact nature of the style has varied according to time and culture.Traditionally, goatee refers solely to a beard formed by a tuft of hair on the chin...
, usually wearing a trenchcoat, suit and tie. His real name is unknown: "Armitage" was a fake ID he used in 2080.
He despises the system of privilege that got his superiors where they are and, by extension, his superiors themselves. Because he refuses to "play the game", he is very unpopular with the upper ranks, despite being very good at his job. Another character trait is that he never carries a gun. Despite this, Armitage's knowledge of weapons is extensive, mainly due to his activities during the Brit-Cit Civil War, when he fought in the London Liberation Army against the Emergency Military Government: however, the LLA were on the losing side and in 2080, he decided to join the Judges instead. The corruption of the new government saw him become cynical and morose, and this only got worse when his lover Liora was killed by the crime lord Efil Drago San, in revenge for the Detective Judge crippling him.
Although this means he has gained a reputation for being impossible to work with, Armitage has done outstanding work in the Brit-Cit Justice Department's plainclothes Homicide
Homicide
Homicide refers to the act of a human killing another human. Murder, for example, is a type of homicide. It can also describe a person who has committed such an act, though this use is rare in modern English...
Division. He has managed to not only irritate his higher-ups though but also most of the other Judges, to the extent that when Shok-Tak (Brit-Cit's SWAT division) entered a building to rescue a Judge in danger, they remarked with disgust "aw, drokk it, it's only Armitage". (Megazine #301)
He has a long-time partner in Detective-Judge Treasure Steel, and recently picked up a new partner, upper-class Detective-Judge Timothy "Timbo" Parkerston-Trant.
Influences
In the same way that Dredd was based partly on Dirty HarryDirty Harry
Dirty Harry is a 1971 American crime thriller produced and directed by Don Siegel, the first in the Dirty Harry series. Clint Eastwood plays the title role, in his first outing as San Francisco Police Department Inspector "Dirty" Harry Callahan....
, Armitage owes something to the cynical but unbending police detectives seen in dramas such as Inspector Morse
Inspector Morse (TV series)
Inspector Morse is a detective drama based on Colin Dexter's series of Chief Inspector Morse novels. The series starred John Thaw as Chief Inspector Morse and Kevin Whately as Sergeant Lewis. Dexter makes a cameo appearance in all but three of the episodes....
and Taggart
Taggart
Taggart is a Scottish detective television programme, created by Glenn Chandler, who has written many of the episodes, and made by STV Productions for the ITV network...
. As with most such characters, he has a junior partner: Rookie Judge Treasure Steel. Although both harbour a grudging respect for each other, Steel has become Armitage's closest friend and ally.
Publications
He has appeared in his own eponymEponym
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 comic
Comics
Comics denotes a hybrid medium having verbal side of its vocabulary tightly tied to its visual side in order to convey narrative or information only, the latter in case of non-fiction comics, seeking synergy by using both visual and verbal side in...
series as well as two 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...
novels and audio play. In the audio, he was played by Trevor Littledale.
Comics
- Armitage (all written by Dave StoneDave Stone-Biography:Stone has written many spin off novels based on the BBC science fiction television series Doctor Who and Judge Dredd.Stone also contributed a number of comic series to 2000AD and the Judge Dredd Megazine, focusing on the Dreddverse...
):- "Armitage" (with Sean PhillipsSean PhillipsSean Phillips is a British comic book artist.He is best known in the American comic book industry for his work on DC Comics' Sleeper, WildC.A.T.s, Batman and Hellblazer.-Career:...
, in Judge Dredd Megazine (vol. 1) #9-14, 1991) - "The Case of the Detonating Dowager" (with Sean PhillipsSean PhillipsSean Phillips is a British comic book artist.He is best known in the American comic book industry for his work on DC Comics' Sleeper, WildC.A.T.s, Batman and Hellblazer.-Career:...
, in Judge Dredd Yearbook 1993, 1992) - "Influential Circles" (with Charlie AdlardCharlie AdlardCharles "Charlie" Adlard is a British comic book artist and penciller.He is best known for providing art on The Walking Dead and Savage.-Biography:...
, in Judge Dredd Megazine (vol. 2) #10-18, 1992) - "Flashback" (with Charlie AdlardCharlie AdlardCharles "Charlie" Adlard is a British comic book artist and penciller.He is best known for providing art on The Walking Dead and Savage.-Biography:...
, in Judge Dredd Megazine (vol. 2) #19-21, 1993) - "Flashback II" (with Charlie AdlardCharlie AdlardCharles "Charlie" Adlard is a British comic book artist and penciller.He is best known for providing art on The Walking Dead and Savage.-Biography:...
, in Judge Dredd Megazine (vol. 2) #31-33, 1993) - "City of the Dead Prologue" (with Peter DohertyPeter Doherty (comics)Peter Doherty is a British comic book artist and colourist.-Biography:Doherty's work over a 15 year career has mainly been concentrated on the classic 2000 AD character Judge Dredd. He has illustrated several significant episodes of the strip...
, in Judge Dredd Megazine (vol. 2) #63, 1994) - "City of the Dead" (with Charles Gillespie, in Judge Dredd Megazine (vol. 2) #64-71, 1994–1995)
- "Little Assassins" (with Adrian SalmonAdrian Salmon-Biography:Salmon's early work included The Cybermen for Doctor Who Magazine and Judge Karyn for the Judge Dredd Megazine. He then spent time working on various Panini Comics titles including The Rugrats and Action Man...
, in Judge Dredd Mega Special 1996) - "Bodies of Evidence" (with Steve YeowellSteve YeowellSteve Yeowell is a British comics artist, well-known for his work on the long-running science fiction and fantasy weekly comic 2000 AD.-Biography:...
, in Judge Dredd Megazine (vol. 3) #64-67, 2000) - "Apostasy in the UK" (with John RidgwayJohn Ridgway (comic artist)John Ridgway is a British comics artist.-Career:Ridgway began his career initially as a hobby, drawing D.C.Thompson's Commando War Stories alongside professional work as a design engineer...
, in Judge Dredd Megazine #212-213, 2003) - "Dumb Blond" (with John Cooper, in Judge Dredd Megazine #266-ongoing, 2008-ongoing)
- "Armitage" (with Sean Phillips
Novels
- Judge DreddJudge DreddJudge 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...
:- DeathmasquesDeathmasquesDeathmasques is an original novel written by Dave Stone and based on the long-running British science fiction comic strip Judge Dredd. It also features the character Detective-Judge Armitage, who appears in his own series in the Judge Dredd Megazine.-Synopsis:A deadly creature of self-aware energy...
(by Dave StoneDave Stone-Biography:Stone has written many spin off novels based on the BBC science fiction television series Doctor Who and Judge Dredd.Stone also contributed a number of comic series to 2000AD and the Judge Dredd Megazine, focusing on the Dreddverse...
, Virgin BooksVirgin BooksVirgin Books is a United Kingdom book publisher 90% owned by the publishing group Random House, and 10% owned by Virgin Enterprises, the company originally set up by Richard Branson as a record company.-History:...
, August 1993, ISBN 0-352-32873-8) - The Medusa SeedThe Medusa SeedThe Medusa Seed is an original novel written by Dave Stone and based on the long-running British science fiction comic strip Judge Dredd...
(by Dave Stone, Virgin Books, January 1994, ISBN 0-352-32895-9)
- Deathmasques