Lawless Comic Con 2024: Creating Judge Death And Friends

Host: Stacey Whittle

Panelists: Brian Bolland, John Wagner, Mick McMahon

It’s a warm summer’s morning in Bristol as 2000 AD fans from across the country and from further afield come together once again for Lawless as it celebrates its 10 anniversary with a very impressive guest list. Proof? The first panel of the day featuring some of the biggest legends to come out of 2000 AD. Here’s the highlights from that first panel. A panel suggested by Brian Bolland two years ago at this very same event. And we get straight into with Wagner and Bolland reminiscing over the creation of Death, and in particular, Mortis, and an example of John Wagner’s dry humour to kick us off:

Wagner: I think for Mortis I sent you a sheets skull. I packaged it up and sent it to…. Oh, no, it was a picture.

Bolland remembers he may have found a sheep skull close to his home. After all, as he says, he still has it. 

As for the Angel Gang – Wagner “just wanted to create a bunch of psychopaths.”

Talking about the Angel Gang’s appearance in the Stallone Judge Dredd film, Mike McMahon didn’t have any real feelings about it as the characters – all but the Mean Machine – were reimagined for the film and therefore, for McMahon, were too far removed from the originals. Creators all want to have their characters “done properly” as McMahon jests. Although, more seriously, he did enjoy what subsequent artists did on the A.B.C. Warriors. Bolland famously modelled Judge Anderson on Blondie’s Deborah Harry, but it’s arguable that she still has any Blondie DNA in her any longer.

Why are these characters so well loved over 40 years later?

The characters were exciting and well drawn. Those that weren’t.. aren’t a presence in 2000 AD any longer, as  Wagner observed.

Dredd is the most enduring UK character, “he’s up there with Rupert the Bear,” said Bolland, the juxtaposition raising the laugh from the audience. 

“Mega-City One can tell any story,” (Wagner)  – giving Dredd a lot of scope. They even did a few strips without Dredd, to illustrate how successful Mega-City One is as a rich, diverse setting for storytelling.

“A lot for Judge Dredd is taking a modern concept to extremes.” Wagner and Grant would scour the papers for story ideas, particularly the tabloids, which are always good fodder for sensational stories rip for turning into black comedy in Dredd.

When asked – as he always is – about the death of Dredd, Wagner suggest, like Judge Giant, not everyone dies an epic death, “He could just fall down a manhole and die,” jokes Wagner. 

When asked about his time writing for American comics, Wagner claimed he wasn’t too impressed, although he did admit to enjoying writing Bobba Fett for America, “but he’s just Dredd in drag,” quipped Wagner.

Another funny little story Wagner scared was about writer and author Gordon Rennie, who was she desperate to write Dredd he once passed Wagner in a comic con in Glagsow, Scotland and playfully said to Wagner, “Are you not dead yet?”

Judge Caligula was supposed to be designed on John Hurt’s character in Caligula, but he never saw the TV show, so when he did his version, with long flowing hair, and it was vetoed.

Mick, being a big Arsenal football fan once sneaked in the Arsenal squad into Dredd strip and editor, Tharg, never noticed. 

Bolland once snuck in a dedication to letterer Tom Frame, who had recently died. 

Wagner talked about a slum bloc being named after Dead Gaffney, a start of UK soap opera Eastenders at the time. But, unless you’ve seen this very British show, you’re not going to get the joke. But the gathered audience did. 

If Dredd could interact with other characters, who would they like to see? Bolland, mentioning Rupert the Bear, did say the they both interacted on the cover of David Roach’s Masters of British Comics.

And then… the most bizarre thing happened. With a few minutes to go the panel was interrupted by a group of Judges, all in kilts. When they were raised – first to the panel – it read Lawless 10. A great, crowd pleasing surprise that brought the panel to an end. But started off the day so well.