Tour of Duty (Judge Dredd story)
Encyclopedia
Tour of Duty is a Judge Dredd
story published in British comic 2000 AD (2009–2010). It lasted for 46 episodes, 39 of which were written by John Wagner
. It has the greatest number of episodes and pages (285) of any Judge Dredd story. It is part of a longer storyline about mutants
.
, who in an earlier story has won an election for chief judge
after campaigning on an anti-mutant platform. He exiles his predecessor as chief judge, Judge Hershey
, and Judge Dredd from the city, due to their strong support for mutant rights. Francisco stops mutant immigration into Mega-City One
and begins a policy of encouraging mutants to leave the city and live in four townships being built in the Cursed Earth
, the inhospitable, radioactive desert outside the city. Dredd is put in charge of overseeing the construction and development of the townships, ostensibly because he is the best man for the job, but really in order to keep him out of the way. As a further punishment, Dredd's protégé Judge Beeny
is sent with him as his deputy.
objects, regarding the expense as an unnecessary burden on the city's budget, but Francisco overrules him, reasoning that the mutant expulsions should at least be done with some humanity. Francisco's relative leniency towards the mutants—in spite of the fact that he supports forcing them to choose between mandatory sterilisation or exile—begins to cost him the support of the hardliners, such as Sinfield, who put him in office in the first place.
Meanwhile in the Cursed Earth, Dredd is assigned four judges
, one for each township. Not only is four judges not enough, but each of them is inadequate to the task before them, due to some deficiency – Cunningham never completed his Cursed Earth survival training, Munn is insubordinate, Heck is incompetent and Ramone is addicted to medication. Dredd takes this as a sign of the low priority accorded to his mission. Dredd insists that one judge per township is not sufficient to maintain order, and urges Sinfield to send greater numbers, but Sinfield refuses. Instead, Dredd is forced to create an amateur police force by deputising some of the mutants.
The new townships are soon threatened by a vicious gang of violent mutants, led by a psychic called Pink Eyes, who has telekinetic
powers. Dredd pre-emptively kills many of them, but fails to prevent an attack on one of the townships by the survivors. The gang slaughters scores of mutants, kidnaps Judge Munn, and vanishes. When Sinfield calls off the search for Munn after only a few days, Dredd is disgusted by Sinfield's dereliction of duty, saying "He's not fit to wear the badge ... something will have to be done."
Dredd eventually manages to find the gang, ruthlessly exterminate them all, and rescue Munn. However Pink Eyes has tortured Munn so brutally that he is left with permanent brain damage and is unable to return to duty, or even to a normal life. Dredd holds Sinfield responsible and decides to lodge a formal complaint against him, but when he goes to see the chief judge, he discovers that in his absence, Francisco has resigned due to his poor health, and Sinfield has become acting chief judge. Unknown to Dredd, Sinfield has secretly drugged Francisco with an illegal hypnotic drug in order to persuade him to resign and take his place, in order to impose harsher policies against mutants. Sinfield orders Dredd to return to the Cursed Earth until his complaint can be heard by the Council of Five
.
The story described so far was all written by John Wagner. There then follow seven episodes comprising three stories, written by Al Ewing
, Gordon Rennie
and Robbie Morrison
, describing Dredd's further adventures in the Cursed Earth, in which Dredd deals with other dangerous situations. Wagner returned to "Tour of Duty" in 2000 AD #1674 with a 13-episode segment subtitled "The Talented Mayor Ambrose."
. He is also, unknown to everyone, the infamous serial killer PJ Maybe
in disguise, having murdered the real Ambrose and stolen his identity some years earlier.
On his first day in office as acting chief judge, Sinfield summons the mayor to his office and orders him to raise taxes and cut back on his popular social programmes, to make up for the shortfall in the city's budget caused by the expensive mutant township project. When the mayor protests, Sinfield threatens to undermine his re-election campaign if he does not do as he is told. Furious, Maybe decides to assassinate Sinfield, and infects him with deadly fungal spores. When Sinfield unexpectedly survives, Maybe covertly injects him with deadly bacteria, but again Sinfield pulls through. Realising that somebody is trying to kill him, Sinfield decides he wants the city's best judge to investigate, and puts Dredd in charge of the case, knowing that even though Dredd wants Sinfield to resign, his sense of duty will ensure that he is diligent in finding the assassin. Dredd brings Beeny with him to assist him.
Frustrated by his double failure to kill Sinfield, Maybe becomes impatient and sends a robot, disguised as Judge Hershey, to infiltrate the Grand Hall of Justice and assassinate him. By chance Dredd happens to be there, and destroys the robot. DNA found on the robot is traced back to Ambrose, since Maybe had swapped his own DNA for Ambrose's in Justice Department's records when he stole Ambrose's identity. Maybe is arrested and interrogated by Beeny. However his true identity is exposed when Dredd obtains an old sample of Maybe's DNA from an archived evidence file and sends it for forensic analysis. When it matches Ambrose's DNA record, Maybe confesses.
In the opening episodes PJ Maybe is sentenced to death. The public are told that Mayor Ambrose died of natural causes. The story then returns to the feud between Dredd and Chief Judge Sinfield.
The Council of Five dismisses Dredd's complaint against Sinfield, after Sinfield ensures a favourable outcome by appointing three of his hardline supporters as new Council members. Dredd responds by running for election to the office of chief judge. However in order to gain enough support, Dredd has to agree to compromise on the issue of mutant rights.
During the election campaign, which polls suggest Dredd is winning, Maybe – hoping for a reprieve – tells Dredd that he suspects that Sinfield drugged Francisco, as Maybe recognises the symptoms, having used the same drug extensively on his own victims. After an investigation, Sinfield is arrested by Judge Buell
, and the drug is discovered in Sinfield's safe. Sinfield is removed from office and sentenced to 20 years. Francisco is reinstalled as chief judge, and appoints a new Council of Five, which includes Dredd, his exile finally over. Maybe's sentence is commuted to life.
, with art by Carl Critchlow
, in 2000 AD #1649 (2009).
"Tour of Duty" began in 2000 AD #1650. After the first six episodes, the story was divided into sections, each with their own subtitle. Except where otherwise indicated, all episodes were written by John Wagner and coloured by Chris Blythe.
. All stories listed below were written by John Wagner
, unless otherwise indicated.
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...
story published in British comic 2000 AD (2009–2010). It lasted for 46 episodes, 39 of which were written 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...
. It has the greatest number of episodes and pages (285) of any Judge Dredd story. It is part of a longer storyline about mutants
Mutants (Judge Dredd)
Mutants are a recurring theme in the Judge Dredd science-fiction stories published in British comics 2000 AD and the Judge Dredd Megazine...
.
Prologue
The prologue "Under New Management," in 2000 AD #1649, sets the scene for "Tour of Duty," which began in the next issue. It is the first day in the term of office of new Chief Judge Dan FranciscoJudge Francisco
Chief Judge Dan Francisco is a fictional supporting character in the Judge Dredd comic strip in 2000 AD. He is chief judge of Mega-City One.-Fictional character biography:...
, who in an earlier story has won an election for 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...
after campaigning on an anti-mutant platform. He exiles his predecessor as chief judge, Judge Hershey
Judge Hershey
Judge Barbara Hershey is a fictional character in the Judge Dredd series that appears in British comic 2000 AD. For nearly two decades she regularly appeared as Dredd's sidekick, before being promoted to become his superior: she was chief judge for nine years...
, and Judge Dredd from the city, due to their strong support for mutant rights. Francisco stops mutant immigration into 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 begins a policy of encouraging mutants to leave the city and live in four townships being built in 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:...
, the inhospitable, radioactive desert outside the city. Dredd is put in charge of overseeing the construction and development of the townships, ostensibly because he is the best man for the job, but really in order to keep him out of the way. As a further punishment, Dredd's protégé Judge Beeny
Judge Beeny
Judge America Beeny is a fictional character in the Judge Dredd comic strip in 2000 AD and the Judge Dredd Megazine. She appeared as a cadet in most of her stories, graduating to full street judge in a story published in early 2008....
is sent with him as his deputy.
"Tour of Duty"
In Mega-City One, Chief Judge Francisco decides that the mutant townships are not good enough, and insists on spending more money on them to ensure that the mutants enjoy adequate standards of living. Deputy Chief Judge SinfieldJudge Sinfield
Judge Martin Sinfield is a fictional supporting character and antagonist in the Judge Dredd comic strip in 2000 AD, most notably in the story "Tour of Duty"...
objects, regarding the expense as an unnecessary burden on the city's budget, but Francisco overrules him, reasoning that the mutant expulsions should at least be done with some humanity. Francisco's relative leniency towards the mutants—in spite of the fact that he supports forcing them to choose between mandatory sterilisation or exile—begins to cost him the support of the hardliners, such as Sinfield, who put him in office in the first place.
Meanwhile in the Cursed Earth, Dredd is assigned four 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...
, one for each township. Not only is four judges not enough, but each of them is inadequate to the task before them, due to some deficiency – Cunningham never completed his Cursed Earth survival training, Munn is insubordinate, Heck is incompetent and Ramone is addicted to medication. Dredd takes this as a sign of the low priority accorded to his mission. Dredd insists that one judge per township is not sufficient to maintain order, and urges Sinfield to send greater numbers, but Sinfield refuses. Instead, Dredd is forced to create an amateur police force by deputising some of the mutants.
The new townships are soon threatened by a vicious gang of violent mutants, led by a psychic called Pink Eyes, who has telekinetic
Psychokinesis
The term psychokinesis , also referred to as telekinesis with respect to strictly describing movement of matter, sometimes abbreviated PK and TK respectively, is a term...
powers. Dredd pre-emptively kills many of them, but fails to prevent an attack on one of the townships by the survivors. The gang slaughters scores of mutants, kidnaps Judge Munn, and vanishes. When Sinfield calls off the search for Munn after only a few days, Dredd is disgusted by Sinfield's dereliction of duty, saying "He's not fit to wear the badge ... something will have to be done."
Dredd eventually manages to find the gang, ruthlessly exterminate them all, and rescue Munn. However Pink Eyes has tortured Munn so brutally that he is left with permanent brain damage and is unable to return to duty, or even to a normal life. Dredd holds Sinfield responsible and decides to lodge a formal complaint against him, but when he goes to see the chief judge, he discovers that in his absence, Francisco has resigned due to his poor health, and Sinfield has become acting chief judge. Unknown to Dredd, Sinfield has secretly drugged Francisco with an illegal hypnotic drug in order to persuade him to resign and take his place, in order to impose harsher policies against mutants. Sinfield orders Dredd to return to the Cursed Earth until his complaint can be heard by 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 ....
.
The story described so far was all written by John Wagner. There then follow seven episodes comprising three stories, written by Al Ewing
Al Ewing
Al Ewing is a British comics writer who has mainly worked in the small press and for 2000 AD.-Biography:Al Ewing began his career writing stories in the five-page Future Shocks format for 2000AD...
, Gordon Rennie
Gordon Rennie
Gordon Rennie is a comics writer, responsible for White Trash: Moronic Inferno, as well as several comic strips for 2000 AD and novels for Warhammer Fantasy....
and Robbie Morrison
Robbie Morrison
Robbie Morrison is a British comics writer most known for his work in 2000 AD and as the co-creator of popular character Nikolai Dante .-Biography:...
, describing Dredd's further adventures in the Cursed Earth, in which Dredd deals with other dangerous situations. Wagner returned to "Tour of Duty" in 2000 AD #1674 with a 13-episode segment subtitled "The Talented Mayor Ambrose."
"The Talented Mayor Ambrose"
Dr Byron Ambrose is the mayor of Mega-City OneMayor of Mega-City One
Mayor of Mega-City One is a fictional office in the Judge Dredd comic strip in 2000 AD. The most significant mayor to appear in the comic was serial killer PJ Maybe, in disguise as Byron Ambrose....
. He is also, unknown to everyone, the infamous serial killer PJ Maybe
PJ Maybe
Philip Janet Maybe is a fictional character in the 2000 AD comic strip Judge Dredd. He is a notorious serial killer, and most notably assumed the identity of Mayor Byron Ambrose, who he murdered.-Fictional character biography:...
in disguise, having murdered the real Ambrose and stolen his identity some years earlier.
On his first day in office as acting chief judge, Sinfield summons the mayor to his office and orders him to raise taxes and cut back on his popular social programmes, to make up for the shortfall in the city's budget caused by the expensive mutant township project. When the mayor protests, Sinfield threatens to undermine his re-election campaign if he does not do as he is told. Furious, Maybe decides to assassinate Sinfield, and infects him with deadly fungal spores. When Sinfield unexpectedly survives, Maybe covertly injects him with deadly bacteria, but again Sinfield pulls through. Realising that somebody is trying to kill him, Sinfield decides he wants the city's best judge to investigate, and puts Dredd in charge of the case, knowing that even though Dredd wants Sinfield to resign, his sense of duty will ensure that he is diligent in finding the assassin. Dredd brings Beeny with him to assist him.
Frustrated by his double failure to kill Sinfield, Maybe becomes impatient and sends a robot, disguised as Judge Hershey, to infiltrate the Grand Hall of Justice and assassinate him. By chance Dredd happens to be there, and destroys the robot. DNA found on the robot is traced back to Ambrose, since Maybe had swapped his own DNA for Ambrose's in Justice Department's records when he stole Ambrose's identity. Maybe is arrested and interrogated by Beeny. However his true identity is exposed when Dredd obtains an old sample of Maybe's DNA from an archived evidence file and sends it for forensic analysis. When it matches Ambrose's DNA record, Maybe confesses.
"Mega-City Justice"
"The Talented Mayor Ambrose" was followed by "Mega-City Justice," the concluding chapter of "Tour of Duty."In the opening episodes PJ Maybe is sentenced to death. The public are told that Mayor Ambrose died of natural causes. The story then returns to the feud between Dredd and Chief Judge Sinfield.
The Council of Five dismisses Dredd's complaint against Sinfield, after Sinfield ensures a favourable outcome by appointing three of his hardline supporters as new Council members. Dredd responds by running for election to the office of chief judge. However in order to gain enough support, Dredd has to agree to compromise on the issue of mutant rights.
During the election campaign, which polls suggest Dredd is winning, Maybe – hoping for a reprieve – tells Dredd that he suspects that Sinfield drugged Francisco, as Maybe recognises the symptoms, having used the same drug extensively on his own victims. After an investigation, Sinfield is arrested by Judge Buell
Judge Buell
Judge Arthur Buell is a fictional character in the Judge Dredd comic strip in British comic 2000 AD. He is the current head of the Special Judicial Squad, the Internal Affairs division of the Judges of Mega-City One....
, and the drug is discovered in Sinfield's safe. Sinfield is removed from office and sentenced to 20 years. Francisco is reinstalled as chief judge, and appoints a new Council of Five, which includes Dredd, his exile finally over. Maybe's sentence is commuted to life.
Publication history
The prologue, "Under New Management," was written by John WagnerJohn 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...
, with art by Carl Critchlow
Carl Critchlow
Carl Critchlow is a British fantasy and science fiction comic illustrator. He is perhaps best known for his character Thrud the Barbarian, which originally appeared in White Dwarf magazine, and for his work for the Lobster Random comics....
, in 2000 AD #1649 (2009).
"Tour of Duty" began in 2000 AD #1650. After the first six episodes, the story was divided into sections, each with their own subtitle. Except where otherwise indicated, all episodes were written by John Wagner and coloured by Chris Blythe.
- "Tour of Duty," art by 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....
(first 6 episodes), in 2000 AD #1650–1655 (2009)- "Interlude: Mega-City One," art by P. J. HoldenP. J. HoldenPaul Jason Holden is a Northern Irish comic artist based in Belfast.He has worked for 2000 AD, Warhammer Monthly, and Judge Dredd Megazine...
, in #1656 - "The New Deal," art by Mike Collins, in #1657
- "Snake," art by Mike Collins, in #1658
- "Pink Eyes," art by Mike Collins, in #1659–1663
- "Gore City," art by Colin MacNeil, in #1664–1667 and #2010 (special New Year issue) (2009–2010)
- "O Little Town of Bethlehem," written by Al EwingAl EwingAl Ewing is a British comics writer who has mainly worked in the small press and for 2000 AD.-Biography:Al Ewing began his career writing stories in the five-page Future Shocks format for 2000AD...
, art by Paul Marshall (colours by Gary Caldwell), in #2010 (between #1665 and #1666) - "Dragon's Den," written by Gordon RennieGordon RennieGordon Rennie is a comics writer, responsible for White Trash: Moronic Inferno, as well as several comic strips for 2000 AD and novels for Warhammer Fantasy....
, art by Cliff Robinson (parts 1 and 2) and P. J. Holden (parts 3 and 4), in #1668–1671 - "Lust in the Dust," written by Robbie MorrisonRobbie MorrisonRobbie Morrison is a British comics writer most known for his work in 2000 AD and as the co-creator of popular character Nikolai Dante .-Biography:...
, art by Jon HawardJon HawardJon Haward is a comics artist. He has illustrated Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Judge Dredd, Sinister Dexter and Biker Mice From Mars, among other strips.-Reference:...
, in #1672–1673 - "The Talented Mayor Ambrose," art by 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:...
(colours by Higgins and Sally J. Hurst) (parts 1–5 and 11–12), Colin MacNeil (parts 6–10), and Mike Collins (part 13), in #1674–1686 - "Mega-City Justice," art by Carlos EzquerraCarlos EzquerraCarlos Sanchez Ezquerra , who has also worked under the alias L. John Silver, is a Spanish comics artist who works mainly in British comics and currently lives in Andorra...
(colours by Hector Ezquerra), in #1687–1693
- "Interlude: Mega-City One," art by P. J. Holden
Collected editions
The series and its prequels were collected into trade paperbacksTrade 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...
. All stories listed below were written 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...
, unless otherwise indicated.
- Tour of Duty: The Backlash (272 pages, September 2010, ISBN 9781907519239) collects:
- "The Streets of Dan Francisco" (art by Rufus DaygloRufus DaygloRufus Dayglo is a London-based comics artist working for 2000 AD and Titan Books in the United Kingdom, and IDW Publishing and Image Comics in the United States...
, in 2000 AD #1520, 2007) - "Fifty-Year Man" (art by Patrick Goddard, in 2000 AD #1536, 2007)
- "Mutants in Mega-City One" (art by 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 2000 AD #1542–1545, 2007) - "The Facility" (art by Colin MacNeil, in 2000 AD #1546, 2007)
- "The Secret of Mutant Camp 5" (art by Colin MacNeil, in 2000 AD #1547–1548, 2007)
- "The Spirit of Christmas" (art by Colin MacNeil, in 2000 AD #2008, 2007)
- "Emphatically Evil: The Life and Crimes of PJ Maybe" (art by Colin MacNeil, in 2000 AD #1569–1575, 2008)
- "...Regrets" (art by Nick Dyer, in 2000 AD #1577–1581, 2008)
- "The Edgar Case" (art by Patrick Goddard and Lee Townsend, in 2000 AD # 1589–1595, 2008)
- "Mutie Block" (art by Kev WalkerKev WalkerKevin "Kev" Walker is a British comics artist and illustrator, based in Leeds, who worked mainly on 2000 AD and Warhammer comics and the collectible card game Magic: The Gathering...
, in 2000 AD #1600–1603, 2008) - "Mutopia" (written by Al EwingAl EwingAl Ewing is a British comics writer who has mainly worked in the small press and for 2000 AD.-Biography:Al Ewing began his career writing stories in the five-page Future Shocks format for 2000AD...
, with art by Simon FraserSimon Fraser (comics)Simon Fraser is a British comics artist and writer best known for his work on Nikolai Dante, a series he created with writer Robbie Morrison in 2000 AD.-Career:...
, in 2000 AD #1611-1612, 2008) - "Backlash" (art by Carl CritchlowCarl CritchlowCarl Critchlow is a British fantasy and science fiction comic illustrator. He is perhaps best known for his character Thrud the Barbarian, which originally appeared in White Dwarf magazine, and for his work for the Lobster Random comics....
, in 2000 AD #1628–1633, 2009)
- "The Streets of Dan Francisco" (art by Rufus Dayglo
- Tour of Duty: Mega-City Justice (June 2011, ISBN 9781907992391) collects:
- "Under New Management" (art by Carl Critchlow, in 2000 AD #1649, 2009)
- "Tour of Duty" (all John Wagner episodes listed above)