City of the Damned
| "City of the Damned" | |
|---|---|
Interior artwork from 2000 AD prog. 397 (Dec 22 1984). Art by Steve Dillon.
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| Publisher | IPC Magazines Ltd |
| Publication date | 24 November, 1984 – 23 February, 1985 |
| Genre | |
| Title(s) | 2000 AD progs 393-406 |
| Creative team | |
| Writer(s) | John Wagner; Alan Grant |
| Artist(s) | Steve Dillon; Ian Gibson; Ron Smith; and Kim Raymond |
| Editor(s) | Tharg (Steve MacManus) |
| Judge Dredd: The Complete Case Files 08 | ISBN |
City of the Damned is a Judge Dredd story which was published in British comic 2000 AD in issues 393–406 (1984–1985). It was written by John Wagner and Alan Grant and illustrated by Steve Dillon, Ian Gibson, Ron Smith and Kim Raymond. It was the first Judge Dredd story to feature time travel. Originally planned to last for at least twenty episodes, like earlier stories "The Judge Child" and "The Apocalypse War", the writers got bored of writing it and wrapped it up early at only 14 episodes because they did not like time travel stories.
During publication, four pages of artwork by Steve Dillon were lost, and Dillon had to replace them at short notice. He completed them in time and the relevant episode was published without the story being interrupted. The original pages were found years later and were published in issue 610, alongside the new versions so that readers could compare them.
The story begins with a prologue set in 2107, which was the present day in the Judge Dredd strip at that time. Scientists have just built the first ever time machine, called Proteus, which has been successful in short-range tests (journeys of hours or days). Chief Judge McGruder orders Judges Dredd and Anderson to use it to go thirteen years into the future to investigate a prophecy that Mega-City One will be destroyed in the year 2120. This prophecy, made by a dying Psi Judge in 2102, was first mentioned in the earlier story "The Judge Child". It foretells that the city will be destroyed unless Owen Krysler, also known as the 'Judge Child,' rules the city, since only he can save the city from disaster. In that earlier story, however, Dredd decided that Krysler was too evil to be allowed to rule the city, and left him behind on the planet Xanadu. In 2104 Krysler tried to kill Dredd in revenge, and McGruder ordered his execution. Without the city's prophesied saviour, McGruder now wants to find an alternative solution, and sends Dredd and Anderson to gather intelligence.
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