Judge Solomon
Encyclopedia
Chief Judge Hollins Solomon is a fictional character
from the Judge Dredd
stories in the comic 2000 AD
. His first appearance in the comic was in a flashback
in #68, in the 1978 story The Cursed Earth. However his main appearance is in the story Origins
(2006–2007), as a recurring character in a series of flashbacks.
fleshed out Solomon's history. It revealed that Solomon was deputy chief judge serving under Chief Judge Fargo
, and a far more politically minded man than his boss. When in 2051 Fargo made a failed suicide attempt
which left him severely injured, it was Solomon's idea to fake a heroic death for him as a public relations
move. Solomon succeeded Fargo as chief judge until 2057, when he became tired of the politics and handed the role over to Judge Goodman
. Originally Chief Judge of the United States, he became Chief Judge of Mega-City One
in 2052 when the other mega-cities became autonomous and acquired their own chief judges. Solomon was still serving as a senior street judge
on the Council of Five
during the Atomic Wars
of 2070.
Solomon does not appear in any of the "present day" Dredd stories (2099 onwards), and is presumably dead or has taken the Long Walk
by this point.
Solomon is noted for his verdict in the war crimes trial of President Robert L. Booth
, which became known as the "Judgement of Solomon." The story The Cursed Earth told of how President Robert L. Booth
, the last president of the United States
, initiated a global nuclear war in 2070 which left much of the world in ruins. In the aftermath, the constitutional government was overthrown and power was seized by the Street Judges (formerly an elite police force within the Justice Department). Booth was found guilty, but the judges were unable to decide what to do with him. Ordinary life imprisonment seemed too good for him, but they could not bring themselves to execute America's last president. It was Solomon who hit on the solution: a sentence of "living death" – suspended animation
in a cryogenic chamber. Booth was sentenced to 100 years in suspended animation, buried deep within the vaults of Fort Knox
. This ingenious compromise sealed Judge Solomon's reputation for wisdom. (Writer Pat Mills
named the character after the King Solomon
of the Old Testament
.) Origins later confirmed that the intent of this was that future generations would sentence Booth properly with the benefit of hindsight.
It was later revealed in Origins that Booth – released early – found the Judgement laughable, rhetorically asking "was that supposed to be some kind of terrible punishment?" (When Booth was unexpectedly revived after thirty years, Judge Dredd sentenced him to hard labour for life, cleaning up the mess he had made of America.)
inconsistencies have appeared between the first couple of years of episodes and the later ones. John Wagner
would eventually write the story Origins to tidy up the continuity, stating "I knew that sometime it had to be done, if for no other reason than my own satisfaction."
Before Origins, there was debate among fans as to whether Solomon had ever been chief judge
. Solomon's rank was not given in his first appearance and he did not wear the chief judge's uniform, although as he was drawn sitting on an eagle throne and presiding over Booth's trial, some fans assumed he was the chief judge. This view was substantially reinforced by a feature published in the 2000 AD Annual 1984, giving an unofficial timeline for future America. It stated the first three chief judges were Chief Judge Fargo
(holding office from 2031 to 2051), then Solomon (2051 to 2058), and then Judge Goodman
(2058 to 2101). The date given for Fargo's death in 2051 was taken from a picture of his tomb in prog 107, while the date of Solomon's resignation was deduced from a statement in prog 89 that Goodman had ruled for 43 years, ending in 2101. This timeline was later adopted for the Judge Dredd Roleplaying Game
.
Other fans pointed out that these dates contradicted the date of 2070 given in the Cursed Earth story, that the timeline was not written by any of the Dredd strip writers and was indeed entitled an "Unofficial Version" (and invited readers to submit their own versions), and that the feature had been superseded by later stories written by Dredd creator John Wagner
. One such story was Oz
, showing a flashback to 2070 with Fargo (in his first strip appearance) as the absolute ruler of America, implying that Solomon was not chief judge when he sentenced Booth.
However a flashback to 2079 in the story Blood Cadets implied that Goodman was not yet chief judge at the time, while the earlier story Tale of the Dead Man suggested that Fargo was already dead by that time. It could therefore be inferred that another chief judge (although not named) had served between Fargo and Goodman.
Origins would reconcile most of these facts by showing Fargo's death being faked in 2051, while he still secretly survived into 2070. Solomon succeeded him as chief judge, and was in turn succeeded by Goodman in 2057 (contradicting the Blood Cadets reference.)
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
from 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...
stories in the comic 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...
. His first appearance in the comic was in a flashback
Flashback (narrative)
Flashback is an interjected scene that takes the narrative back in time from the current point the story has reached. Flashbacks are often used to recount events that happened before the story’s primary sequence of events or to fill in crucial backstory...
in #68, in the 1978 story The Cursed Earth. However his main appearance is in the story Origins
Origins (Judge Dredd story)
Origins is one of the longest Judge Dredd storylines to run in the pages of British comic 2000 AD. Making extensive use of flashbacks, it tells the story of how the Judges of Mega-City One rose to power. It was written by John Wagner and illustrated by Carlos Ezquerra, who between them created...
(2006–2007), as a recurring character in a series of flashbacks.
Origins
The story OriginsOrigins (Judge Dredd story)
Origins is one of the longest Judge Dredd storylines to run in the pages of British comic 2000 AD. Making extensive use of flashbacks, it tells the story of how the Judges of Mega-City One rose to power. It was written by John Wagner and illustrated by Carlos Ezquerra, who between them created...
fleshed out Solomon's history. It revealed that Solomon was deputy chief judge serving under Chief Judge Fargo
Chief Judge Fargo
Chief Judge Eustace Fargo is an important fictional character from the Judge Dredd comic strip in 2000 AD. He is Judge Dredd's clone father....
, and a far more politically minded man than his boss. When in 2051 Fargo made a failed suicide attempt
Failed suicide attempt
Failed suicide attempts comprise a large portion of suicide attempts. Some are regarded as not true attempts at all, but rather parasuicide. The usual attempt may be a wish to affect another person by the behaviour. Consequently, it occurs in a social context and may represent a request for help....
which left him severely injured, it was Solomon's idea to fake a heroic death for him as a public relations
Public relations
Public relations is the actions of a corporation, store, government, individual, etc., in promoting goodwill between itself and the public, the community, employees, customers, etc....
move. Solomon succeeded Fargo as chief judge until 2057, when he became tired of the politics and handed the role over to Judge Goodman
Judge Goodman
Chief Judge Clarence Goodman is a fictional character in the Judge Dredd stories published in the British comic 2000 AD. He appeared in the first episode of Judge Dredd in March 1977 , and was the first regularly recurring supporting character.-Biography:Goodman was joint deputy chief judge at the...
. Originally Chief Judge of the United States, he became Chief Judge of 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...
in 2052 when the other mega-cities became autonomous and acquired their own chief judges. Solomon was still serving as a senior street 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...
on the Council of Five
Council of Five
The Council of Five is a fictional legislature and court in the Judge Dredd comic strip appearing in 2000 AD. It first appeared in 2000 AD prog 86 ....
during the Atomic Wars
Atomic Wars
The Atomic Wars or Great Atom War is a fictional event in the Judge Dredd universe.In 2070, the possibly psychotic President Robert L. Booth started World War III by starting a nuclear war which dragged in all the major superpowers....
of 2070.
Solomon does not appear in any of the "present day" Dredd stories (2099 onwards), and is presumably dead or has taken the Long Walk
The Long Walk (Judge Dredd)
The Long Walk is an event occasionally depicted in the long-running British comic strip Judge Dredd, which appears in 2000 AD and the Judge Dredd Megazine. It also featured in the 1995 film starring Sylvester Stallone....
by this point.
Judgement of Solomon
President Robert L. Booth
Robert Linus Booth is a fictional character from the British comic strip Judge Dredd in 2000 AD. He was the last President of the United States and the man who initiated the Atomic Wars.-Fictional character biography:...
, which became known as the "Judgement of Solomon." The story The Cursed Earth told of how President Robert L. Booth
President Robert L. Booth
Robert Linus Booth is a fictional character from the British comic strip Judge Dredd in 2000 AD. He was the last President of the United States and the man who initiated the Atomic Wars.-Fictional character biography:...
, the last president of the United States
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
, initiated a global nuclear war in 2070 which left much of the world in ruins. In the aftermath, the constitutional government was overthrown and power was seized by the Street Judges (formerly an elite police force within the Justice Department). Booth was found guilty, but the judges were unable to decide what to do with him. Ordinary life imprisonment seemed too good for him, but they could not bring themselves to execute America's last president. It was Solomon who hit on the solution: a sentence of "living death" – suspended animation
Cryonics
Cryonics is the low-temperature preservation of humans and animals who can no longer be sustained by contemporary medicine, with the hope that healing and resuscitation may be possible in the future. Cryopreservation of people or large animals is not reversible with current technology...
in a cryogenic chamber. Booth was sentenced to 100 years in suspended animation, buried deep within the vaults of Fort Knox
Fort Knox
Fort Knox is a United States Army post in Kentucky south of Louisville and north of Elizabethtown. The base covers parts of Bullitt, Hardin, and Meade counties. It currently holds the Army Human Resources Center of Excellence to include the Army Human Resources Command, United States Army Cadet...
. This ingenious compromise sealed Judge Solomon's reputation for wisdom. (Writer Pat Mills
Pat Mills
Pat Mills, nicknamed 'the godfather of British comics', is a comics writer and editor who, along with John Wagner, revitalised British boys comics in the 1970s, and has remained a leading light in British comics ever since....
named the character after the King Solomon
Solomon
Solomon , according to the Book of Kings and the Book of Chronicles, a King of Israel and according to the Talmud one of the 48 prophets, is identified as the son of David, also called Jedidiah in 2 Samuel 12:25, and is described as the third king of the United Monarchy, and the final king before...
of the Old Testament
Old Testament
The Old Testament, of which Christians hold different views, is a Christian term for the religious writings of ancient Israel held sacred and inspired by Christians which overlaps with the 24-book canon of the Masoretic Text of Judaism...
.) Origins later confirmed that the intent of this was that future generations would sentence Booth properly with the benefit of hindsight.
It was later revealed in Origins that Booth – released early – found the Judgement laughable, rhetorically asking "was that supposed to be some kind of terrible punishment?" (When Booth was unexpectedly revived after thirty years, Judge Dredd sentenced him to hard labour for life, cleaning up the mess he had made of America.)
Continuity controversies
In 1977 nobody expected the Judge Dredd strip to last for more than a couple of years, so no concerted effort was made to establish a proper character history or backstory until later on. Consequently a lot of continuityContinuity (fiction)
In fiction, continuity is consistency of the characteristics of persons, plot, objects, places and events seen by the reader or viewer over some period of time...
inconsistencies have appeared between the first couple of years of episodes and the later ones. 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...
would eventually write the story Origins to tidy up the continuity, stating "I knew that sometime it had to be done, if for no other reason than my own satisfaction."
Before Origins, there was debate among fans as to whether Solomon had ever been chief judge
Chief Judge of Mega-City One
Chief Judge of Mega-City One is the title of several supporting characters in the Judge Dredd comic strip published in 2000 AD. The chief judge is dictator and head of state of Mega-City One, a fictional future city of around 400 million people in 22nd-century America...
. Solomon's rank was not given in his first appearance and he did not wear the chief judge's uniform, although as he was drawn sitting on an eagle throne and presiding over Booth's trial, some fans assumed he was the chief judge. This view was substantially reinforced by a feature published in the 2000 AD Annual 1984, giving an unofficial timeline for future America. It stated the first three chief judges were Chief Judge Fargo
Chief Judge Fargo
Chief Judge Eustace Fargo is an important fictional character from the Judge Dredd comic strip in 2000 AD. He is Judge Dredd's clone father....
(holding office from 2031 to 2051), then Solomon (2051 to 2058), and then Judge Goodman
Judge Goodman
Chief Judge Clarence Goodman is a fictional character in the Judge Dredd stories published in the British comic 2000 AD. He appeared in the first episode of Judge Dredd in March 1977 , and was the first regularly recurring supporting character.-Biography:Goodman was joint deputy chief judge at the...
(2058 to 2101). The date given for Fargo's death in 2051 was taken from a picture of his tomb in prog 107, while the date of Solomon's resignation was deduced from a statement in prog 89 that Goodman had ruled for 43 years, ending in 2101. This timeline was later adopted for the Judge Dredd Roleplaying Game
Judge Dredd (role-playing game)
Judge Dredd has been the inspiration for two role-playing game systems. These games are based on the fictional world of the Judge Dredd series from the British comic 2000AD. The first was published under license by Games Workshop in the 1980s and used a rules system created specifically for the...
.
Other fans pointed out that these dates contradicted the date of 2070 given in the Cursed Earth story, that the timeline was not written by any of the Dredd strip writers and was indeed entitled an "Unofficial Version" (and invited readers to submit their own versions), and that the feature had been superseded by later stories written by Dredd creator 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...
. One such story was 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....
, showing a flashback to 2070 with Fargo (in his first strip appearance) as the absolute ruler of America, implying that Solomon was not chief judge when he sentenced Booth.
However a flashback to 2079 in the story Blood Cadets implied that Goodman was not yet chief judge at the time, while the earlier story Tale of the Dead Man suggested that Fargo was already dead by that time. It could therefore be inferred that another chief judge (although not named) had served between Fargo and Goodman.
Origins would reconcile most of these facts by showing Fargo's death being faked in 2051, while he still secretly survived into 2070. Solomon succeeded him as chief judge, and was in turn succeeded by Goodman in 2057 (contradicting the Blood Cadets reference.)