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comply with his demands. The Judges – now led by Chief Judge
Goodman – attempted to dissuade him, but to no avail, and the Third World War laid waste to most of the world. Booth had believed that his new "nuclear screens" would protect America from retaliation, but only Mega-City One on the east coast, Mega-City Two on the west coast, and Texas City survived. The rest of America was virtually annihilated, creating the Cursed Earth which became populated by mutants and outlaws.
399:. It appeared in progs (issues) 1500-1504 and was immediately followed by "Origins" in progs 1505-1519 and 1529–1535. It had been intended that the final episode would appear in the comic's celebratory thirtieth anniversary issue, but publication was interrupted because artist Carlos Ezquerra moved house during his work on the story. The editor decided to permit him time to finish the strip himself rather than replace him with another artist.
634:", written by John Wagner. In the first episode Dredd admitted to Hershey that he had lied about Fargo's last words. Hershey in turn admitted that Fargo had said the same thing to her, and that she had told the same lie to Dredd. However whereas Dredd took Fargo's warning seriously, Hershey dismissed it as the ravings of a brain-damaged invalid, adding that she hoped Dredd would not consider resigning over their differences.
507:. (Forensic tests establish that toxins in the tissue show that the source lived through the last century, and so the sample must be Fargo's rather than Dredd's.) The note requires payment of a billion credits in exchange for Fargo's body. As required by the terms of the exchange, Dredd leads a small, lightly armed party on a mission across the hostile Cursed Earth to retrieve their esteemed "Father of Justice."
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suspended
Congress, and usurped the government of the United States. For his crimes Booth was sentenced to 100 years in suspended animation, to let posterity decide his ultimate fate. Goodman became dictator of the United States (which soon split into three sovereign city-states), with Fargo – his existence still a secret – advising him from behind the scenes.
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attempted to exchange the ransom for Fargo, Booth double-crossed him and put him on trial for treason, intending to execute him. However Dredd had anticipated this and planned a timely rescue by his comrades. Taken hostage for use as a human shield, Booth was killed by his own side during the ensuing battle.
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This deception had been conceived while Fargo's doctors had predicted that he would not survive long. However Fargo defied their expectations and began to slowly recover. He was therefore kept in a secret medical facility, isolated from the world so that the cover-up would not be discovered. When his
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Joe and Rico Dredd, cadets at the time, managed to rescue Fargo from capture. However
Goodman realised that urgent action was needed to defeat Booth, and the constitutional mechanism for trying him and removing him from office could not be completed in time. On Fargo's advice, Goodman deposed Booth,
531:
The middle chapters of "Origins" cover Fargo's life history, and how he founded his Judge System in 2031. After serving twenty years as chief judge, however, Fargo succumbed to a moment of weakness and had an illicit affair with a female colleague, something strictly forbidden by the Judges' code of
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Back in Mega-City One, Fargo was revived again, but this time he did not survive. His final words were spoken to Dredd alone: "We created a monster ... we're the monster!" He told Dredd that the Judges had gone too far and had destroyed
America, and urged Dredd to do everything he could to undo it.
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was in the White House, having illegally rigged the voting computers to win the 2068 presidential election, and murdered one of his aides who threatened to expose the fraud. Booth pursued an aggressive foreign policy, openly stating that he would begin a nuclear war if the rest of the world did not
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Dredd's reaction to this plea was not shown, but when Chief Judge
Hershey asked him what Fargo's last words had been, Dredd lied and pretended that Fargo had said something else less controversial. Fans speculated at the time that this indicated that this theme may be followed up in later stories.
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Consequently, another of Booth's aides turned against him and provided
Goodman with evidence of Booth's earlier crimes. Goodman made the evidence public, and public opinion turned against Booth. A demonstration outside the White House became a massacre when troops opened fire on the crowd. But the
543:
Fearing that their political enemies would use the scandalous circumstances of Fargo's resignation and injuries to destroy Fargo's legacy, Solomon and
Goodman covered them up. Using sophisticated video technology, they faked footage of Fargo bravely sacrificing his life in the line of duty, gunned
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Instead however Booth raised an army of mutants, the "New Mutant Army," who he intended to use to overthrow the Judges and become president again. By 2129 he had discovered Fargo's stolen cryogenic unit, which had been lost in the Cursed Earth when Judd's agents' hovership crashed. When Dredd
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proceedings against Booth were too slow for
Goodman to protect his position, for Booth had discovered that Fargo was alive and had been revived from suspended animation. Booth sent troops to arrest Fargo, intending to expose the myth of his death and thereby destroy the Judges' reputation for
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system and some apparent contradictions that required sorting out... It's a task I'd always shied away from because of the difficulty of making sense of it all while still telling a story that was worth reading – but I knew that sometime it had to be done, if for no other reason than my own
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However Fargo soon deteriorated again. He also became demoralised, having intended that the overthrow of democratic government should be temporary, and regretting his own part in establishing a lasting dictatorship. Shortly after surviving an assassination attempt by renegade judge
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Since Fargo was believed to have died in the year 2051, and the mission takes place in 2129, much of the story consists of Dredd explaining to the members of his team how it is that Fargo might still be alive – a secret history which was concealed from the public for decades.
605:
Thirty years later Booth's cryogenic machinery failed, and he was inadvertently revived. Judge Dredd resentenced him to life working on a farm in the Cursed Earth, to make amends for the destruction he unleashed on
America. (This was first portrayed in the 1978 story
365:
John has always been waiting for the right story to come along to tell Dredd's origins... And in this case he's come up with a riveting plot that will keep readers intrigued and excited, as well as filling in some of the backstory that we've never seen before –
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from the radioactive Cursed Earth desert outside Mega-City One, who infiltrate the city. Working for an unseen character called Linus, their task is to deliver a small box to the Grand Hall of
Justice in the centre of the city. They are all killed by
597:, Fargo was returned to suspended animation once more. However, only one month later Fargo's body was stolen by Judd's agents. When Judd was eventually brought to justice and Fargo's body was still not recovered, it was thought lost forever.
540:, and of President Pierce, to reconsider his decision and resume his office, Fargo instead chose to commit suicide. However his attempt to take his own life failed, leaving him with significant brain-damage and without the use of his legs.
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celibacy. Unable to cope with his own lapse in the exacting moral standards he had inflexibly demanded of his subordinates, Fargo tendered his resignation to the President of the United States. Spurning the entreaties of his two deputies,
641:(who were first seen, briefly, in "Origins") – mutant descendants of Fargo, and therefore Dredd's relatives. In this story, Dredd put forward a motion to repeal the anti-mutant laws, beginning a new story arc about mutants.
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In addition to the judges who appeared in the flashback episodes described above, the following characters appeared in the story in the "present day" of 2129, as members of Dredd's team:
503:, who informs Dredd that it contains a ransom note and a sample of living tissue which matches the DNA of Judge Fargo, the first chief judge and the revered founder of the
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while accomplishing this task, but Dredd fails to retrieve the box. The contents of the box are not revealed until the first episode of "Origins."
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of the topic and provide significant coverage of it beyond a mere trivial mention. If notability cannot be shown, the article is likely to be
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down in a brutal drive-by shooting. This enabled them to present Fargo as a martyr, increasing public support for the Judges.
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and his family, a clan of mutants living in the Cursed Earth, who returned to the strip in the sequel "
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in 1977. The story ran to 23 episodes and was published from 2006 to 2007 to mark thirty years of the
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condition began to deteriorate again, Chief Judge Solomon had him cryogenically frozen in
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391:"Origins" was preceded by a five-episode story called "The Connection", written by
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is approaching its 30th year anniversary gives it a nice sense of history too.
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strip. It is set in 2129, Dredd's debut story having been set in 2099.
630:"Origins" was soon followed up in a series of stories, starting with "
486:(both long deceased). The dreams hint about the epic story to follow.
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taking control of Mega-City, etc. The fact the story comes just as
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Please help to demonstrate the notability of the topic by citing
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There were many unresolved questions about the origins of the
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by removing unnecessary details and making it more concise.
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This story also featured the return of some of the mutant
649:"Origins" introduced some new characters, Dredd's cousin
816:"Judge Dredd: Origins – a comic that should be a movie"
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161:. Issue containing the first episode of "Origins."
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304:storylines to run in the pages of British comic
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361:has expanded on this to touch on the contents:
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786:Dredd: Origins - A Mega Epic In The Making...
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16:For other uses of "origins" in comics, see
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622:This speculation was soon proved correct.
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449:Learn how and when to remove this message
125:Learn how and when to remove this message
792:Interview with John Wagner about Origins
466:The prologue story introduces a team of
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157:prog. 1505 (Sept 13 2006), art by
963:Batman/Judge Dredd: Judgment on Gotham
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705:), and in a volume in the series "
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709:" by Hachette Partworks in 2015.
322:rose to power. It was written by
1045:2000 AD: The Ultimate Collection
1038:Judge Dredd: The Mega Collection
801:Script for the first episode of
707:Judge Dredd: The Mega Collection
685:Both stories were released as a
424:too long or excessively detailed
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314:, it tells the story of how the
74:"Origins" Judge Dredd story
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38:may not meet Knowledge (XXG)'s
523:Chief Judge Fargo (painted by
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1423:Strontium Dog: Down to Earth
565:President Robert Linus Booth
420:This section's plot summary
40:general notability guideline
731:#148, October 2006. Page 48
330:, who between them created
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310:. Making extensive use of
218:progs 1505-1519, 1529-1535
47:reliable secondary sources
36:The topic of this article
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984:Predator vs. Judge Dredd
977:Mars Attacks Judge Dredd
867:Mutants in Mega-City One
655:Mutants in Mega-City One
632:Mutants in Mega-City One
499:The box is delivered to
298:" is one of the longest
186: – 2 May,
1333:The Hundredfold Problem
1459:Science fiction comics
1449:Judge Dredd storylines
1409:Wanted: Dredd or Alive
1063:Anderson: Psi Division
970:Judge Dredd vs. Aliens
922:Setting and characters
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368:President Robert Booth
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173:Rebellion Developments
1105:The Simping Detective
846:The Doomsday Scenario
645:Supporting characters
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370:'s initiation of the
1361:The Savage Amusement
1340:Kingdom of the Blind
1016:Judge Dredd Megazine
754:Judge Dredd: Origins
1291:Cursed Earth Asylum
1249:Mongoose Publishing
824:, 12 September 2014
558:suspended animation
501:Chief Judge Hershey
482:, and his brother,
387:Publication history
326:and illustrated by
182:13 September,
1239:Role-playing games
929:List of characters
830:, 18 November 2014
693:, with a cover by
681:Collected editions
608:"The Cursed Earth"
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341:Wagner explained:
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1359:
1352:
1345:
1338:
1331:
1324:
1317:
1310:
1303:
1298:Deathmasques
1296:
1289:
1282:
1275:
1229:
1222:
1199:
1192:
1184:
1176:
1168:
1142:
1135:
1128:
1103:
1096:
1089:
1084:Insurrection
1082:
1077:The Dead Man
1075:
1068:
1061:
1043:
1036:
1029:
1021:
1014:
1007:
1000:
994:Publications
982:
975:
968:
961:
912:
874:Tour of Duty
869:
854:
851:
821:The Guardian
819:
802:
778:
752:
748:
740:
736:
729:SFX magazine
684:
659:
648:
636:
629:
620:
616:
612:
604:
591:
587:
578:
562:
554:
542:
530:
509:
505:Judge System
498:
477:
465:
445:
436:
421:
403:Plot summary
390:
379:
364:
354:
353:
344:
340:
335:
331:
305:
299:
295:
293:
277:
213:
152:
121:
112:
102:
95:
88:
81:
69:
1400:Radio plays
1375:Swine Fever
1354:Psykogeddon
1312:Dreddlocked
1224:Block Mania
1193:Judge Dredd
1185:Judge Dredd
1177:Judge Dredd
1169:Judge Dredd
1137:Judge Dredd
1115:Other media
1030:Judge Dredd
914:Judge Dredd
855:Judge Dredd
828:Den of Geek
670:Judge Renga
665:Judge Logan
651:Randy Fargo
595:Morton Judd
585:integrity.
582:impeachment
473:Judge Dredd
393:John Wagner
372:Atomic Wars
336:Judge Dredd
332:Judge Dredd
324:John Wagner
301:Judge Dredd
246:John Wagner
231:Judge Fargo
227:Judge Dredd
51:independent
1443:Categories
1416:Death Trap
1231:Mega-Mania
1098:Red Razors
954:Crossovers
713:References
639:Fargo Clan
601:Conclusion
515:Flashbacks
484:Rico Dredd
397:Kev Walker
359:Matt Smith
312:flashbacks
270:Matt Smith
85:newspapers
59:redirected
1055:Spin-offs
490:"Origins"
439:June 2010
262:Editor(s)
252:Artist(s)
242:Writer(s)
168:Publisher
151:Cover of
140:"Origins"
49:that are
1389:Whiteout
1382:Wetworks
1368:Silencer
1130:Hardware
1091:Low Life
1070:Armitage
861:2006–07
626:Epilogue
563:By 2070
210:Title(s)
1319:Eclipse
1256:Pinball
1009:Diceman
1002:2000 AD
857:stories
810:Reviews
803:Origins
781:trailer
779:Origins
741:2000 AD
495:Premise
468:mutants
429:Please
422:may be
357:editor
355:2000 AD
307:2000 AD
296:Origins
278:Origins
154:2000 AD
99:scholar
63:deleted
1269:Novels
1195:(1997)
1187:(1995)
1179:(1991)
1171:(1986)
1023:Zarjaz
853:Major
761:
701:
380:2000AD
316:Judges
285:
215:2000AD
101:
94:
87:
80:
72:
55:merged
1211:Other
1161:Video
1154:Games
1144:Dredd
1122:Films
939:Judge
794:, by
347:Judge
266:Tharg
194:Genre
106:JSTOR
92:books
61:, or
759:ISBN
699:ISBN
691:2007
536:and
283:ISBN
188:2007
184:2006
78:news
870:and
689:in
657:."
610:.)
318:of
1445::
721:^
374:,
229:;
57:,
905:e
898:t
891:v
697:(
527:)
452:)
446:(
441:)
437:(
426:.
294:"
272:)
268:(
128:)
122:(
117:)
113:(
103:·
96:·
89:·
82:·
65:.
43:.
20:.
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