Psi Division
Encyclopedia
Psi-Division is a fictional organisation in the Judge Dredd
and Anderson: Psi-Division
comic strips in 2000 AD
and Judge Dredd: The Megazine
. It is the branch of Mega-City One's
Justice Department that deals in supernatural
phenomena, using Judges
with psychic
abilities. Psi-Judges are often highly-strung and eccentric as a result of the strain of their abilities. While Judge Anderson
is its most famous operative, Psi-Judges Janus
, Karyn
and Corey have also proved notable. The current head of Psi-Division is Judge Shenker
.
Psi-Judges fulfill many roles on behalf of the Justice Department, including reading the minds of prisoners unwilling to disclose information, providing for warning of great events to affect Mega-City One
and others, and providing a skilled force of specialist Judges to counter supernatural threats to the city, such as the Dark Judges
. During the time when the Dark Judges were imprisoned in a vault beneath the Hall of Justice, a team of Psi-Judges were on hand to provide a constant watch over the malignant spirits, suppressing any psychic activity should they become restless.
While Psi-Division was once a well-respected and influential division, it has since lost much of its prestige due to its failure to predict several major disasters, the most recent being a nuclear attack on the city in the Total War story. As a result, the division is no longer represented on the Council of Five
(its place being taken by the Wally Squad
division) and in the story After The Bombs it was seen going to extreme lengths to salvage its reputation.
Like the rest of the Justice Department, Psi-Division contains several smaller sub-divisions. These include Exorcist Judges, who deal with exorcising
demon
ic activity; the Department of Magic who were tasked with examining magic
and how best to judge it; and the Dream Police.
Like most other specialist Judges (i.e. Tek and Med), Psi-Judges do not wear badges with their surnames imprinted on them. Instead their badges simply read 'PSI'. This has been apparent in several comic strips featuring the Psi-Judges (although not in all of them, with some artists simply depicting the Judge's surname instead). However, their badges do have their surname imprinted in very small letters on the reverse.
Psi-Division also uses civilian auxiliaries and even prisoners to supplement its contingent of Judges, as anyone with psychic powers is potentially useful to Justice Department.
According to the Judge Anderson
story "Lock In", Psi-Judges cannot use the same anti-aging treatments as street Judges do, due to its effects on psionic abilities. This is inconsistent with the artwork, however, which still depicts Anderson as if she is in her mid-twenties, when in reality she would be at least 48 years old.
, due to a smaller population, often has to resort to using psis that suffer from severe psychiatric disorders. In Sino-Cit and Hong Tong, it's overseen by the Ministry of Paranormal Activities.
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...
and Anderson: Psi-Division
Judge Anderson
Judge Cassandra Anderson is a fictional character that started as a supporting player in the comic story Judge Dredd of 2000 AD and eventually rose in prominence and became the star of her own series, which is entitled Anderson: Psi-Division. It was created by writer John Wagner and artist Brian...
comic strips 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...
and Judge Dredd: The 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:...
. It is the branch of Mega-City One's
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...
Justice Department that deals in supernatural
Supernatural
The supernatural or is that which is not subject to the laws of nature, or more figuratively, that which is said to exist above and beyond nature...
phenomena, using 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...
with psychic
Psychic
A psychic is a person who professes an ability to perceive information hidden from the normal senses through extrasensory perception , or is said by others to have such abilities. It is also used to describe theatrical performers who use techniques such as prestidigitation, cold reading, and hot...
abilities. Psi-Judges are often highly-strung and eccentric as a result of the strain of their abilities. While Judge Anderson
Judge Anderson
Judge Cassandra Anderson is a fictional character that started as a supporting player in the comic story Judge Dredd of 2000 AD and eventually rose in prominence and became the star of her own series, which is entitled Anderson: Psi-Division. It was created by writer John Wagner and artist Brian...
is its most famous operative, Psi-Judges Janus
Judge Janus
Judge Judy Janus is a fictional character, a Judge within Mega-City One's Justice Department's Psi Division. She is portrayed as a young and dizzy psychic , who still manages to help solve the case in the end....
, Karyn
Judge Karyn
Judge Karyn is a fictional character from the Judge Dredd comic strip in British comic 2000 AD.-Fictional character biography:Karyn, a psi judge, first worked with Dredd in the initial Raptaur invasion and would work alongside him several times afterwards. She primarily handled supernatural threats...
and Corey have also proved notable. The current head of Psi-Division is Judge Shenker
Judge Shenker
Judge Shenker is a fictional supporting character in the Judge Dredd and Anderson, Psi Division comic strips in British comics 2000 AD and Judge Dredd Megazine. He is the head of Psi Division...
.
Psi-Judges fulfill many roles on behalf of the Justice Department, including reading the minds of prisoners unwilling to disclose information, providing for warning of great events to affect 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...
and others, and providing a skilled force of specialist Judges to counter supernatural threats to the city, such as the Dark Judges
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...
. During the time when the Dark Judges were imprisoned in a vault beneath the Hall of Justice, a team of Psi-Judges were on hand to provide a constant watch over the malignant spirits, suppressing any psychic activity should they become restless.
While Psi-Division was once a well-respected and influential division, it has since lost much of its prestige due to its failure to predict several major disasters, the most recent being a nuclear attack on the city in the Total War story. As a result, the division is no longer represented 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 ....
(its place being taken by the Wally Squad
Wally Squad
The Wally Squad is a fictional undercover police force in the Judge Dredd stories of 2000 AD. Wally Squad agents were undercover judges noted for their eccentricity and borderline lunacy; these characteristic behaviours were an inevitable consequence of working undercover in a world of complete...
division) and in the story After The Bombs it was seen going to extreme lengths to salvage its reputation.
Like the rest of the Justice Department, Psi-Division contains several smaller sub-divisions. These include Exorcist Judges, who deal with exorcising
Exorcism
Exorcism is the religious practice of evicting demons or other spiritual entities from a person or place which they are believed to have possessed...
demon
Demon
call - 1347 531 7769 for more infoIn Ancient Near Eastern religions as well as in the Abrahamic traditions, including ancient and medieval Christian demonology, a demon is considered an "unclean spirit" which may cause demonic possession, to be addressed with an act of exorcism...
ic activity; the Department of Magic who were tasked with examining magic
Magic (paranormal)
Magic is the claimed art of manipulating aspects of reality either by supernatural means or through knowledge of occult laws unknown to science. It is in contrast to science, in that science does not accept anything not subject to either direct or indirect observation, and subject to logical...
and how best to judge it; and the Dream Police.
Psi-Judges
Because of the Psi-Judges' special status within the Justice Department, they are entitled to more specialised equipment and procedures, such as the ability to carry silver boot knives (though Dredd was seen equipped with one and was considering recommending them as standard issue) and special silver tipped rounds for their firearms.Like most other specialist Judges (i.e. Tek and Med), Psi-Judges do not wear badges with their surnames imprinted on them. Instead their badges simply read 'PSI'. This has been apparent in several comic strips featuring the Psi-Judges (although not in all of them, with some artists simply depicting the Judge's surname instead). However, their badges do have their surname imprinted in very small letters on the reverse.
Psi-Division also uses civilian auxiliaries and even prisoners to supplement its contingent of Judges, as anyone with psychic powers is potentially useful to Justice Department.
According to the Judge Anderson
Judge Anderson
Judge Cassandra Anderson is a fictional character that started as a supporting player in the comic story Judge Dredd of 2000 AD and eventually rose in prominence and became the star of her own series, which is entitled Anderson: Psi-Division. It was created by writer John Wagner and artist Brian...
story "Lock In", Psi-Judges cannot use the same anti-aging treatments as street Judges do, due to its effects on psionic abilities. This is inconsistent with the artwork, however, which still depicts Anderson as if she is in her mid-twenties, when in reality she would be at least 48 years old.
List of Psi Division personnel
| Name | Abilities | Position | Current Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Judge Agee | Telepath | Standard operative | Killed during 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... , 2112 |
| Judge Anderson Judge Anderson Judge Cassandra Anderson is a fictional character that started as a supporting player in the comic story Judge Dredd of 2000 AD and eventually rose in prominence and became the star of her own series, which is entitled Anderson: Psi-Division. It was created by writer John Wagner and artist Brian... |
Multiple | Department legend; veteran operative | Active |
| Judge Corey | Empath | Standard operative | Committed suicide due to her disagreeing with Justice Department methods |
| Judge Ecks | Unknown | Former head of division | Killed in 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... , 2104 |
| Judge Fauster | Witchcraft | Dept. of Magic head; traitor | Imprisoned |
| Judge Feyy | Pre-Cog | Veteran operative | Deceased |
| Judge Gistane | Extispicist | Dept. of Magic operative | Deceased |
| Gaia Innocenti | Pre-Cog | Prisoner, forced into service | Active, heavily drugged |
| Judge Janus Judge Janus Judge Judy Janus is a fictional character, a Judge within Mega-City One's Justice Department's Psi Division. She is portrayed as a young and dizzy psychic , who still manages to help solve the case in the end.... |
Pre-Cog/Telepath | Standard operative | Active |
| Judge Karyn Judge Karyn Judge Karyn is a fictional character from the Judge Dredd comic strip in British comic 2000 AD.-Fictional character biography:Karyn, a psi judge, first worked with Dredd in the initial Raptaur invasion and would work alongside him several times afterwards. She primarily handled supernatural threats... |
Pre-Cog/Telepath | Veteran operative | Possessed by superspook |
| Judge Lamia | Exorcist | Standard operative | Active |
| Juliet November | Pyrokinetic | Prisoner, used when needed | Imprisoned |
| Judge Omar | Unknown | Former Head of Division | Killed due to use of Psi-Amplifier in an attempt to stop the Seven Samuarai, 2108 |
| Dr Rickard | Unknown | Head of Research | Killed in action, 2112 |
| Judge Shakta | Telepath | Standard operative | Active, blinded during Half Life mission |
| Judge Shenker Judge Shenker Judge Shenker is a fictional supporting character in the Judge Dredd and Anderson, Psi Division comic strips in British comics 2000 AD and Judge Dredd Megazine. He is the head of Psi Division... |
Unknown | Current Head of Division | Active |
Foreign equivalents
Many other Judge forces possess a Psi-Division, including Casablanca, Delhi-Cit, and many others. In East-Meg Two, they are referred to as PsiKops. Brit-CitBrit-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...
, due to a smaller population, often has to resort to using psis that suffer from severe psychiatric disorders. In Sino-Cit and Hong Tong, it's overseen by the Ministry of Paranormal Activities.