|
BOBC |
 |
 |
 |
|
Shapira, Tom. "Blood of the State: Cloning in the World of Judge Dredd." Uncanny Doubles. Doppelgängers, Twins, Clones and the Gothic. Ed. Simon Bacon. New York [etc.]: Palgrave Macmillan, 2026. 319–34. Added by: joachim (10/01/2026, 20:21) Last edited by: joachim (10/01/2026, 20:23) |
 |
| Resource type: Book Chapter Language: en: English DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-83231-4_19 BibTeX citation key: Shapira2026 Email resource to friend View all bibliographic details  |
Categories: General Keywords: "2000 AD", "Judge Dredd", United Kingdom Creators: Bacon, Shapira Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan (New York [etc.]) Collection: Uncanny Doubles. Doppelgängers, Twins, Clones and the Gothic |
Views: 14/14
|
| Attachments |
| Abstract |
|
Cloning has always been a part of the futuristic world of British comics strip Judge Dredd, which follows the titular lawman as he enforces the harsh laws of the city-state Mega City One. In the story “The Return of Rico!” (2000AD issue #30, 17 September 1977) we discover Dredd has a twin brother, a clone named Rico. Years earlier Rico was also a Judge before he went bad and was arrested by Dredd himself—and now he is out for revenge. The notion of an evil clone is an old hat in science fiction, but Judge Dredd throws a wrench in the proceedings, by making us question who the “bad” clone is. Dredd might be trying to stop a criminal, but himself is the representative of a fascistic government. Rico’s main crimes include betraying the impossible monastic ideals of the Judges’ system, failing to be exactly like his brother and choosing his own path. Following from that story (which also became the basis of 1995 film) clones became a recurring theme in Judge Dredd—with Dredd’s superiors attempting again and again to replicate him with varying degrees of failure. Within the strip there exists the mindset that there’s something special about that particular bloodline, with the clones forced down a particular path with little choice allowed. By exploring the subject of clones in the strip, from “The Return of Rico!” through “Necropolis” and “Brothers of the Blood,” this paper will research notions of predestination and social tracking in fiction. Even the closed Judges’ system of Mega City One some make a choice, while other pretend the choice has been already made for them.
Added by: joachim |