Judge Giant
Encyclopedia
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...
comic strip in 2000 AD
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...
. They are father and son. Their first names have never been given.
They are both descended from another 2000 AD character, 'Giant' (real name John Clay), who starred in his own series in 2000 AD, Harlem Heroes
Harlem Heroes
Harlem Heroes is a British comic strip that formed part of the original line-up of 2000 AD. Inspired by the popularity during the 1970s of kung fu films and the Harlem Globetrotters, Harlem Heroes was devised by Pat Mills, employing elements from his Hellball comic strip, and scripted by Tom Tully...
, which ran in progs (issues) 1–27 of the comic. John 'Giant' Clay made a cameo appearance
Cameo appearance
A cameo role or cameo appearance is a brief appearance of a known person in a work of the performing arts, such as plays, films, video games and television...
in the Judge Dredd strip in prog 28. Since Judge Dredd himself did not appear in 2000 AD until prog 2, the Giant family's appearance in the comic predates Dredd's debut in his own strip.
Judge Giant sr (deceased)
The original Judge Giant first appeared in prog 27 of the comic (19771977 in comics
- Year overall :* Wendy and Richard Pini establish WaRP Graphics.* Jan and Dean Mullaney establish Eclipse Comics.* The United Kingdom's Eagle Awards are established.* Bob Brown dies at age 62.* Ciao magazine is launched.-January:...
) as a rookie judge
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...
who had just graduated from the Academy of Law
Academy of Law
The Academy of Law is a fictional place of learning appearing in the Judge Dredd series that appears in the British comic 2000 AD.-Fictional history:The Academy of Law is where the Judges of Mega-City One are trained...
. Set in 2099, his first appearance in "The Academy of Law" (progs 27–28) was a crossover with Harlem Heroes
Harlem Heroes
Harlem Heroes is a British comic strip that formed part of the original line-up of 2000 AD. Inspired by the popularity during the 1970s of kung fu films and the Harlem Globetrotters, Harlem Heroes was devised by Pat Mills, employing elements from his Hellball comic strip, and scripted by Tom Tully...
, set decades after the events depicted in that series. It featured a cameo appearance by his father, John 'Giant' Clay, as a very old man at the end of the story. "The Academy of Law" is also notable for the debut of another important supporting character, Judge Griffin
Judge Griffin
Chief Judge Griffin is a fictional character in the Judge Dredd comic strip in 2000 AD. He was chief judge of Mega-City One between 2101 and 2104.-Fictional character biography :...
, as well as the Academy of Law itself. It tells of Rookie Giant's Final Assessment, a gruelling test of his judgement and abilities to determine his suitability for promotion to full judge. His supervisor is Judge Dredd, who passes him.
Judge Giant became Dredd's sidekick
Sidekick
A sidekick is a close companion who is generally regarded as subordinate to the one he accompanies. Some well-known fictional sidekicks are Don Quixote's Sancho Panza, Sherlock Holmes' Doctor Watson, The Lone Ranger's Tonto, The Green Hornet's Kato and Batman's Robin.-Origins:The origin of the...
for the next four years. His most important story was the 23-episode Judge Cal
Judge Cal
Chief Judge Cal is a fictional character in the Judge Dredd comic strip in 2000 AD. He was loosely based on the real life Roman emperor Caligula, who is widely considered to have been insane...
storyline, in which he first saved Dredd from being executed and then fought with him against Cal's renegade judges and alien mercenaries
Kleggs
Kleggs are alien mercenaries in the Judge Dredd comic books.A Klegg looks rather like a large man with green, scaly skin and the head and tail of an alligator or crocodile. They only take payment in meat, since they are pure carnivores...
until the end. Although he had an important role in that story, his appearances in later tales were generally little more than mere cameos, and his importance within the strip tailed off somewhat. He was finally killed off in the "Block Mania
Block Mania
Block Mania is a Judge Dredd story, which ran in British comic 2000 AD #236-244, in 1981. The story itself is a prologue for the longer storyline "The Apocalypse War", which immediately follows the conclusion of "Block Mania".-Story:...
" story (1981) while trying to arrest Orlok
Sov Judge Orlok
Sov Judge Orlok, also known as Orlok the Assassin, is a fictional character in the British comic strip Judge Dredd. He is an operative of the Soviet megacity of East Meg One.-Fictional character biography:...
just before the Apocalypse War
Apocalypse War
The Apocalypse War is a storyline from the comic strip Judge Dredd, first published in British comic 2000 AD in 1982. A sequel to the story "Block Mania", it was written by John Wagner and Alan Grant and illustrated by Carlos Ezquerra...
. The unheroic circumstances of his death (he was shot in the back in a brief scene) were controversial among fans, since although they were used to seeing popular characters killed off in 2000 AD, they were disappointed with the cursory way in which Giant's death was depicted. In an interview years later, writer Alan Grant said: "When we wrote the death of Giant, I thought it was a great idea to kill him off in such a casual, natural (for a judge) way. But when the reader outcry came, I was startled and forced to see things from their point of view."
- An evil version of Judge Giant from a parallel universe appeared in the story "Helter Skelter" (2001). Less capable than the original, Dredd killed him with ease.
Judge Giant jr
In 1989 the story "Young Giant" established that the original Judge Giant had fathered a child in 2101, something prohibited to judges. Orphaned shortly after the Apocalypse WarApocalypse War
The Apocalypse War is a storyline from the comic strip Judge Dredd, first published in British comic 2000 AD in 1982. A sequel to the story "Block Mania", it was written by John Wagner and Alan Grant and illustrated by Carlos Ezquerra...
in 2104, Giant's son had been inducted into the Academy of Law
Academy of Law
The Academy of Law is a fictional place of learning appearing in the Judge Dredd series that appears in the British comic 2000 AD.-Fictional history:The Academy of Law is where the Judges of Mega-City One are trained...
, where he performed extremely well but with a worrying streak of violence that threatened his ability as a Judge. With Dredd's help, Giant was able to get past his deep-rooted anger and brought his mother's killer to justice.
Unlike his father, who became a full judge in his first story, Cadet Giant remained a cadet for five years during his recurring appearances in the strip. He was a major protagonist in one of Judge Dredd's biggest and most significant epics, "Necropolis
Necropolis (Judge Dredd story)
Necropolis is a 26-part Judge Dredd epic by John Wagner and Carlos Ezquerra, published in 1990 in 2000 AD progs 674–699. The story was the subject of extensive foreshadowing in the comic, beginning with The Dead Man , followed by "Tale of the Dead Man" , and finally three stories collectively...
". He led a group of cadets who remained free of Dark Judge control and, at one point, were personally hunted down by Judge Mortis
Dark Judges
The Dark Judges are recurring villains in the fictional Judge Dredd universe recounted in the UK comic 2000 AD. They are Judge Death, Judge Fire, Judge Fear and Judge Mortis. Later storylines added the "Sisters of Death" , to their ranks...
. He would later be one of the first people to battle Sabbat's zombies during Judgement Day
Judgement Day (Judge Dredd story)
Judgement Day was a Judge Dredd story published with alternating episodes in both 2000 AD and the Judge Dredd Megazine in 1992. It was the first crossover between the two publications; three more have since followed...
. Eventually he became the youngest cadet ever to graduate from the Academy, at the age of fifteen, having been fast-tracked. In a story reminiscent of his father's debut, Giant's Final Assessment was conducted by Judge Dredd, who passed him as fit to become a judge in 2116.
The new Judge Giant has made several appearances since and actually saved the whole world from a deadly virus in 2117. He is apparently one of the best judges in 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...
, although he has not featured in any story to the extent that he did in "Necropolis". Dredd has often turned to him for back-up and assistance, being part of a covert team behind Sov lines, investigating a deadly assassin, and playing a key role in defending the Grand Hall of Justice
Grand Hall of Justice
The Grand Hall of Justice of Mega-City One is a fictional building in the Judge Dredd comic strip in 2000 AD. It actually refers to three different buildings which existed at different times...
against the alien Incubus
Judge Dredd vs. Aliens
Judge Dredd vs. Aliens is an intercompany crossover, featuring Judge Dredd and the Alien from the Alien franchise. It was published weekly in 2000 AD in 2003.-Plot:...
. He has been referred to as the best back-up man in the department.
In recent times, he has helped a severely wounded and despondent Judge Guthrie
Judge Guthrie
Judge Guthrie is a fictional character in the Judge Dredd comic strip in 2000 AD.-Fictional character biography:Guthrie first appeared in the comic strip as an undercover judge in 2000 AD prog 971...
recover the will to live, and was one of the Judges on the peacekeeping/regime change mission in Ciudad Barranquilla
Ciudad Barranquilla
Ciudad Barranquilla, also known as Banana City, is a huge fictional city covering much of Central America in the Judge Dredd comic book series. Its name comes from the real city of Barranquilla in Colombia, although it is generally placed around the Buenos Aires city in Argentina...
in 2128.
- In a six-page one-off story in the 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:...
called "Whatever Happened to John 'Giant' Clay?" (2004), Judge Giant met his grandfather for the first time. This was the first time the original Giant had appeared in any story since 1978, and ended with his death from old age. In the same issue, Judge Giant was the lead figure in the Dredd strip and first teamed up with Dredd's clone, Judge RicoJudge RicoJudge Rico is a fictional character in the Judge Dredd comic strip in 2000 AD magazine. He chose the name Rico to commemorate Rico Dredd.-Character biography:...
.