What do you think?
Rate this book
I Am the Law: How Judge Dredd Predicted Our Future
An in-depth examination of the ways in which the comic strip Judge Dredd, published in 2000 AD, has predicted the changing face of policing in Britain over the last 45 years.
He is the law—and you better believe it! Judge, jury and executioner, Judge Dredd is the brutal comic book cop policing the chaotic future urban jungle of Mega-City One, created by John Wagner and Carlos Ezquerra and launching in the pages of 2000 AD in 1977. But what began as a sci-fi action comic quickly evolved into a searing satire on hardline, militarised policing and ‘law and order’ politics, its endless inventiveness and ironic humour acting as a prophetic warning about our world today—and with important lessons for our future.
Blending comic book history with contemporary radical theories on policing, I Am The Law takes key Dredd stories from the last 45 years and demonstrates how they provide a unique wake-up call about our gradual, and not so gradual, slide towards authoritarian policing.
From the politicisation of policing to ‘zero tolerance’, from violent suppression of protest to the rise of the surveillance state, I Am the Law examines how a comic book warned us about the chilling endgame of today's 'law and order' politics.
He is the law—and you better believe it! Judge, jury and executioner, Judge Dredd is the brutal comic book cop policing the chaotic future urban jungle of Mega-City One, created by John Wagner and Carlos Ezquerra and launching in the pages of 2000 AD in 1977. But what began as a sci-fi action comic quickly evolved into a searing satire on hardline, militarised policing and ‘law and order’ politics, its endless inventiveness and ironic humour acting as a prophetic warning about our world today—and with important lessons for our future.
Blending comic book history with contemporary radical theories on policing, I Am The Law takes key Dredd stories from the last 45 years and demonstrates how they provide a unique wake-up call about our gradual, and not so gradual, slide towards authoritarian policing.
From the politicisation of policing to ‘zero tolerance’, from violent suppression of protest to the rise of the surveillance state, I Am the Law examines how a comic book warned us about the chilling endgame of today's 'law and order' politics.
368 pages, Paperback
First published February 21, 2023
41 people are currently reading
292 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 48 reviews
January 10, 2023
This review is for an ARC copy received from the publisher through NetGalley.
I will never look at Judge Dredd the same way again. This book was not so much a novel as it was like taking a grad school course on how one comic critiqued, satirized and predicted the scary state of politics and policing int today's world. I have been a huge Judge Dredd fan since his early appearances in America, long after existing in Britain in 2000 AD. However, the version to appear in the US was rather sanitized from Dredd's original true form and purpose. While Dredd has always been an obvious satire of the "Dirty Harry" approach to policing, he still came off as being the hero, or at least anti-hero, fighting the criminals even if that meant strict adherence to "The Law" making even the minorest of offenses. What an eye opener it was to discover through this book that even his creators always viewed Dredd as a villain. What he stands for is satire and political commentary on how his sense of absolute justice is everything that's wrong with the world today. Though Dredd has always taken place in a futuristic America, the fascist rule of the Judges has really been a criticism of how fascist Great Britain was and has continued to be. I am the Law was a lesson not just of the origins of Judge Dredd but of how it didn't just satirize the UK and the world, but frighteningly predicted where policing and government policy would evolve to today.
I will never look at Judge Dredd the same way again. This book was not so much a novel as it was like taking a grad school course on how one comic critiqued, satirized and predicted the scary state of politics and policing int today's world. I have been a huge Judge Dredd fan since his early appearances in America, long after existing in Britain in 2000 AD. However, the version to appear in the US was rather sanitized from Dredd's original true form and purpose. While Dredd has always been an obvious satire of the "Dirty Harry" approach to policing, he still came off as being the hero, or at least anti-hero, fighting the criminals even if that meant strict adherence to "The Law" making even the minorest of offenses. What an eye opener it was to discover through this book that even his creators always viewed Dredd as a villain. What he stands for is satire and political commentary on how his sense of absolute justice is everything that's wrong with the world today. Though Dredd has always taken place in a futuristic America, the fascist rule of the Judges has really been a criticism of how fascist Great Britain was and has continued to be. I am the Law was a lesson not just of the origins of Judge Dredd but of how it didn't just satirize the UK and the world, but frighteningly predicted where policing and government policy would evolve to today.
June 30, 2023
This was an interesting read. Author manages to provide a lot of information and provides lots of arguments for his statements but eventually ends up with a mess of the book(unfortunately, believe me, no-one is sadder than me because of this).
So, first thing first, annoyances.....
First thing, book is very emotional, very politically imbued and as such comes with some very weird conclusions and statements. I will not go into details because there was overload of similar statements last few years and I truly cannot understand this need of people to portray everything in past using values of today. All people with this argument discuss past as generals-after-battle, it is as if they expect that everyone should be aware of these "universal" truths as soon as they are conscious. Poppycock. There is no intrinsic knowledge that people come to this world with. Everything is learned, in family, in school, through interaction and discovery. This is why we don't become adults until 18 years old (maybe 16 in some places).
If things were this simple there would be no need to question anything, it would be just matter of thinking long and hard enough (this disqualifies huge number of people from the outset) and come to conclusion out of thin air, without any information form the past, without any need to learn or change. Imagine that - just waking up and saying "I know it all, lets create Star Trek Federation"! Talking about utopia..... This constant dragging of past through mud, as something to eternally condemn and forget (and not use it as basis to learn from it and move away from it in constructive way) is trend that I hope at some point world, especially West, will come out. But I am not holding breath that this will happen any time soon.
I know entire book is about parallels between real world events and events in Judge Dredd's fictional universe, but this constant insistence (that gets repeated over and over and over again, in a manner of "Carthage needs to be burned") just makes the mess of the entire book.
Book is not about policing as such (some statements on origins of police are weird) but about the power and control (police being the most prevalent expression of power and control, especially from the standpoint of the ordinary citizen). What people forget is that police and security apparatus in general (military included) do not exist in vacuum, they exist within given framework of state/community. Their actions are defined by various policies, laws and regulations from the government of the given state/community. Therefore police unfortunately cannot be better than the population and government it is serving. I understand that this might be a bitter pill to swallow but it is true.
Problem is that latest generation of politicians are all populists, all of them, especially those that came to power from 1990 onward. In last 33 years nobody did anything to solve their burning national problems because nobody came to make any changes, they are all managers on 4 to 8 years of engagement and then as King of France said, "After me flood", let somebody else solve the burning issues.
If what author constantly repeats from chapter to chapter is absolutely true, then in every nation (again, especially in the West) school and educational system has failed miserably, and in general population failed themselves miserably, because nobody decided to take active role and actually change things. Instead they decided to sit in the audience, full of great wisdom and knowledge, and observe the situation constantly criticizing it (or even worse doing exactly the same things that they criticize others for).
That means that in last 60 years (lets give people 20-25 years to become adults and finish their schools) no child (of all nations and races) of socially active (even maybe revolutionary oriented) parents from the flowery 1960s was ever motivated to do and implement anything flowery/revolutionary 1960s stood for. And even if they got to the positions of control and influence, they just continued following the same old guidelines (although they knew better, or at least they should have).
Now isn't this interesting. Again, this says more about the general state of apathy (generally not caring, totally dissolved, society, something that author does mention) in society, than anything about the past. It is just standard me-first approach, old as world. In general, problem is in civil responsibility, or lack of the same in the population - it is easier to criticize others than make a step and very certainly encounter the resistance while making a change. Everybody choses the path of least resistancr
In other words if nobody in society wants to change things to the better how are these changes to take place?
Author sometimes gets to this subject but then retreats back into the safe area of activism. This is unfortunate because more information on this front would shed more light on the political decision makers, and in general health of the population to even get involved in issues of this type.
And one more thing - if situation was as horrid as author says, why are people still running to these countries?
Second, authors statements on organizations from which modern police evolved...... Maybe author is unaware that police and army were basically single outfit for a long time and only recently they split (due to differnet nature of the job). Saying that police evolved from colonial forces is weird to say the least (note I say evolved from colonial forces, I do not say anything about utilizing practices from colonial forces, which is something else). I am sure if we could bring anyone from say middle ages they would be pointing out at something called Gendarmerie, that acted as internal security military force and had zero links with any colonies. Not to mention local security provided by locals that would walk around towns and villages to ensure all is OK especially during the night. I mean, Romans had the same organization for the same purpose, vigiles.
I understand author's goal to support his arguments related to my comments at the beginning but this is ridiculous.
Third, due to politically imbued tone, author starts to contradict himself - when he says that security forces are constantly discerning between good and bad protests and thus show bias (which is correct) after a few paragraphs author himself says that there are good and bad protests and they need to be handled appropriately (?); while showing how politics of tension (constant fear and crisis) is something politicians and security forces use to keep people disoriented and under control, author himself pushes his own views of what are true crisis in the world, which to me sounds self-defeating (again that silly they bad, we good, we know best approach).
Good parts.....
Good parts of the book are those were author draws parallels between real world events (most interesting being period of Thatcher's rule) and events in Judge Dredd stories (which is more than 2/3 of the book).
Author provides lots of information on actual police issues in UK and USA and how authors of Judge Dredd comics incorporated their views of the situation (and in some cases even developed it further after which comic became less and less a satire and more daily news report).
It is very interesting to read about the viewpoints of the authors and their goals when it comes to portrayal of Judge Dredd and Mega City One (hero, antihero....). As time went by comic started to reflect real world more and more - from militarization of police to surveillance and even thought control (hopefully this is far future for now for us in the real world).
It is basically situation where fiction started to mimic the real world, and then real world in return (unfortunately) started to mimic back the fiction.
So for the good parts this book is excellent, there is excellent bibliography at the end for further reads on the topic covered in book's chapters.
But what puts down two stars IMHO is too much politically imbued text and very angry, too emotional, tone of the book. There were better ways to handle this.
Definitely recommended, but keep in mind that author has very strong political beliefs and from time to time gets stuck in contradictions.
So, first thing first, annoyances.....
First thing, book is very emotional, very politically imbued and as such comes with some very weird conclusions and statements. I will not go into details because there was overload of similar statements last few years and I truly cannot understand this need of people to portray everything in past using values of today. All people with this argument discuss past as generals-after-battle, it is as if they expect that everyone should be aware of these "universal" truths as soon as they are conscious. Poppycock. There is no intrinsic knowledge that people come to this world with. Everything is learned, in family, in school, through interaction and discovery. This is why we don't become adults until 18 years old (maybe 16 in some places).
If things were this simple there would be no need to question anything, it would be just matter of thinking long and hard enough (this disqualifies huge number of people from the outset) and come to conclusion out of thin air, without any information form the past, without any need to learn or change. Imagine that - just waking up and saying "I know it all, lets create Star Trek Federation"! Talking about utopia..... This constant dragging of past through mud, as something to eternally condemn and forget (and not use it as basis to learn from it and move away from it in constructive way) is trend that I hope at some point world, especially West, will come out. But I am not holding breath that this will happen any time soon.
I know entire book is about parallels between real world events and events in Judge Dredd's fictional universe, but this constant insistence (that gets repeated over and over and over again, in a manner of "Carthage needs to be burned") just makes the mess of the entire book.
Book is not about policing as such (some statements on origins of police are weird) but about the power and control (police being the most prevalent expression of power and control, especially from the standpoint of the ordinary citizen). What people forget is that police and security apparatus in general (military included) do not exist in vacuum, they exist within given framework of state/community. Their actions are defined by various policies, laws and regulations from the government of the given state/community. Therefore police unfortunately cannot be better than the population and government it is serving. I understand that this might be a bitter pill to swallow but it is true.
Problem is that latest generation of politicians are all populists, all of them, especially those that came to power from 1990 onward. In last 33 years nobody did anything to solve their burning national problems because nobody came to make any changes, they are all managers on 4 to 8 years of engagement and then as King of France said, "After me flood", let somebody else solve the burning issues.
If what author constantly repeats from chapter to chapter is absolutely true, then in every nation (again, especially in the West) school and educational system has failed miserably, and in general population failed themselves miserably, because nobody decided to take active role and actually change things. Instead they decided to sit in the audience, full of great wisdom and knowledge, and observe the situation constantly criticizing it (or even worse doing exactly the same things that they criticize others for).
That means that in last 60 years (lets give people 20-25 years to become adults and finish their schools) no child (of all nations and races) of socially active (even maybe revolutionary oriented) parents from the flowery 1960s was ever motivated to do and implement anything flowery/revolutionary 1960s stood for. And even if they got to the positions of control and influence, they just continued following the same old guidelines (although they knew better, or at least they should have).
Now isn't this interesting. Again, this says more about the general state of apathy (generally not caring, totally dissolved, society, something that author does mention) in society, than anything about the past. It is just standard me-first approach, old as world. In general, problem is in civil responsibility, or lack of the same in the population - it is easier to criticize others than make a step and very certainly encounter the resistance while making a change. Everybody choses the path of least resistancr
In other words if nobody in society wants to change things to the better how are these changes to take place?
Author sometimes gets to this subject but then retreats back into the safe area of activism. This is unfortunate because more information on this front would shed more light on the political decision makers, and in general health of the population to even get involved in issues of this type.
And one more thing - if situation was as horrid as author says, why are people still running to these countries?
Second, authors statements on organizations from which modern police evolved...... Maybe author is unaware that police and army were basically single outfit for a long time and only recently they split (due to differnet nature of the job). Saying that police evolved from colonial forces is weird to say the least (note I say evolved from colonial forces, I do not say anything about utilizing practices from colonial forces, which is something else). I am sure if we could bring anyone from say middle ages they would be pointing out at something called Gendarmerie, that acted as internal security military force and had zero links with any colonies. Not to mention local security provided by locals that would walk around towns and villages to ensure all is OK especially during the night. I mean, Romans had the same organization for the same purpose, vigiles.
I understand author's goal to support his arguments related to my comments at the beginning but this is ridiculous.
Third, due to politically imbued tone, author starts to contradict himself - when he says that security forces are constantly discerning between good and bad protests and thus show bias (which is correct) after a few paragraphs author himself says that there are good and bad protests and they need to be handled appropriately (?); while showing how politics of tension (constant fear and crisis) is something politicians and security forces use to keep people disoriented and under control, author himself pushes his own views of what are true crisis in the world, which to me sounds self-defeating (again that silly they bad, we good, we know best approach).
Good parts.....
Good parts of the book are those were author draws parallels between real world events (most interesting being period of Thatcher's rule) and events in Judge Dredd stories (which is more than 2/3 of the book).
Author provides lots of information on actual police issues in UK and USA and how authors of Judge Dredd comics incorporated their views of the situation (and in some cases even developed it further after which comic became less and less a satire and more daily news report).
It is very interesting to read about the viewpoints of the authors and their goals when it comes to portrayal of Judge Dredd and Mega City One (hero, antihero....). As time went by comic started to reflect real world more and more - from militarization of police to surveillance and even thought control (hopefully this is far future for now for us in the real world).
It is basically situation where fiction started to mimic the real world, and then real world in return (unfortunately) started to mimic back the fiction.
So for the good parts this book is excellent, there is excellent bibliography at the end for further reads on the topic covered in book's chapters.
But what puts down two stars IMHO is too much politically imbued text and very angry, too emotional, tone of the book. There were better ways to handle this.
Definitely recommended, but keep in mind that author has very strong political beliefs and from time to time gets stuck in contradictions.
March 1, 2023
This was a really interesting read. I love 200AD and this book did not disappoint. The table of contents give you a brief summary of what was in each chapter. That was super helpful. I also love this quote, "He's (Dredd) no mere policeman, he is the embodiment of a police state."
4 stars
4 stars
February 24, 2023
There is an elephant in the room in Michael Molcher's brilliantly argued and researched book comparing the current state of policing politics with Mega-City One's most famous son (and its not just shouldn't Judge Rico also just be called Judge Dredd). There are two elephants though one is small and is easily hidden behind the first elephant. Molcher admits that the ultra-violent kids comic is fundamentally a satire, and expertly parallels real-world developments in law enforcement, often extrapolating them for comic or gory effect. Why then should we be surprised that in a hypermediated and securitised state that something that was a joke in 1980, wouldn't become actual policy in 2020? The direction of travel, despite Black Lives Matter and Defund The Police has only been one way,
The other, smaller elephant, is that as his subject is broadly British law and police policy, and that the comic he is talking about is 45 years old, to what extent did or do the people involved in said policy engage with Dredd and 2000AD. It's more than likely that some of them, particularly on the police side, may well have been fans. There is talk about the tricky balance of a satire having a hero in Dredd, and Wagner and Grant in particular trying to alert their readers that Dredd may not be a hero. Do the law and order, anti-protest politicians see Dredd as a positive role model in policing? Do they not get the satire? This is sadly not addressed though Molcher is very good at reinforcing the negatives of emulating Dredd, not least the population drop in Mega-City One on Dredd's watch now being one-twentieth as when it started,
This is a minor issue, and one probably outside of the scope of the books remit (and as much as I would like to know if Jack Straw or Priti Patel were Dredd fans I doubt they'd answer). I Am The Law is a fascinating read as it uses Dredd to illustrate various conundrums in modern police policy. There isn't much new here, either as a history of Dredd, or that of the carceral state if you know about these things, but I can certainly see it as a gateway into the politics for a comics reader. It's also just a really good read, for something which is politically dense and researched it was hard to put down (in a similar way to Douglas Wolk's 'All The Marvels' I kept treating myself to one more chapter). I am no Dredd expert but know enough particularly of the early funny stuff to get by, but I think he does a great job even if you know nothing. An edifying if slightly depressing read as we slowly watch this place turn into Brit-Cit.
The other, smaller elephant, is that as his subject is broadly British law and police policy, and that the comic he is talking about is 45 years old, to what extent did or do the people involved in said policy engage with Dredd and 2000AD. It's more than likely that some of them, particularly on the police side, may well have been fans. There is talk about the tricky balance of a satire having a hero in Dredd, and Wagner and Grant in particular trying to alert their readers that Dredd may not be a hero. Do the law and order, anti-protest politicians see Dredd as a positive role model in policing? Do they not get the satire? This is sadly not addressed though Molcher is very good at reinforcing the negatives of emulating Dredd, not least the population drop in Mega-City One on Dredd's watch now being one-twentieth as when it started,
This is a minor issue, and one probably outside of the scope of the books remit (and as much as I would like to know if Jack Straw or Priti Patel were Dredd fans I doubt they'd answer). I Am The Law is a fascinating read as it uses Dredd to illustrate various conundrums in modern police policy. There isn't much new here, either as a history of Dredd, or that of the carceral state if you know about these things, but I can certainly see it as a gateway into the politics for a comics reader. It's also just a really good read, for something which is politically dense and researched it was hard to put down (in a similar way to Douglas Wolk's 'All The Marvels' I kept treating myself to one more chapter). I am no Dredd expert but know enough particularly of the early funny stuff to get by, but I think he does a great job even if you know nothing. An edifying if slightly depressing read as we slowly watch this place turn into Brit-Cit.
September 21, 2024
Excellent and well-researched read that ties so many threads together in ways that are surprising and challenging. You’ll likely get the most out of it if you’re familiar with Dredd and some of the bigger stories, but it covers a few I’d missed and those chapters were still interesting and compelling.
March 30, 2023
I did not know anything this book taught me. That British politics and events would lead up to creation of Dredd, while taking cues from what was going on in America as well as building the story with the apocalyptic America in mind, this was very much a British creation. Well executed.
March 8, 2023
Excellent, blistering attack on modern policing and authoritarianism
June 28, 2023
What a fabulous and well referenced work this is. I went in expecting a bit of comparing some of the Judge Dredd stories with things in the news/reality. What I got was a very readable and very well versed tale of how societal changes and moral panics affected how we tell stories and also how those stories loop back in predicting how the politics drive us inexorably towards order and away from justice.
This isn't a book for fandom, it's a really serious look at what's wrong with our direction as a society. How instead of fixing social problems instead we apply state violence through the police at the most vulnerable. Judge Dredd was always supposed to be a warning, not a how-to guide...
This isn't a book for fandom, it's a really serious look at what's wrong with our direction as a society. How instead of fixing social problems instead we apply state violence through the police at the most vulnerable. Judge Dredd was always supposed to be a warning, not a how-to guide...
September 8, 2024
Not what I anticipated, but if you accept this for being a liberal review of British political history then it can be interesting.
Read
October 31, 2025i don’t careeeee about judge dredd
April 9, 2023
I really enjoyed this book. On one hand, it referred to a lot of Judge Dredd stories which I personally enjoyed and added to the lore surrounding Dredd and the world those stories were built from. On the other hand it also referred to a lot of political thinkers such as Agamben, Foucault, Hardt and many others who occupied the postmodern university halls back when I was there.
It was nice to revisit them. However, I get why this narrative which hums along like an Owen Jones book, quite frankly, will trigger certain people. It is a very simple albeit thoughtful left-wing critique of crime and order. That is not to say it is not a good one, but it does miss some of the nuances and counterarguments of some of the events and issues it chooses to discuss.
Overall though. Very much enjoyed!
It was nice to revisit them. However, I get why this narrative which hums along like an Owen Jones book, quite frankly, will trigger certain people. It is a very simple albeit thoughtful left-wing critique of crime and order. That is not to say it is not a good one, but it does miss some of the nuances and counterarguments of some of the events and issues it chooses to discuss.
Overall though. Very much enjoyed!
February 22, 2023
My introduction to Judge Dredd was via the 1995 Stallone movie. I quite liked it, to be honest. As someone who wasn’t familiar with Ol’ Stoney Face and living in the pre-Internet age, I had no idea of the ‘sacrilege’ committed when Dredd removed his helmet. I loved the dystopian setting and the action sequences. It was only much later, while reading the novelizations by Dave Stone and David Bishop that I started getting a hang of the world of Dredd. In parallel, I was also working my way through Mack Bolan, Able Team, and Phoenix Force – the Holy Trinity of American action-adventure paperbacks where brave White American men stabbed, mowed down, and blew up thousands of people because the “Godless commies” wouldn’t want Mom’s apple pie.
And I cheered them on.
Fast forward a few years later. I’d read the Dredd novelizations, and also started going through the Warhammer 40,000 books. I’d also had developed a more critical view of the world and beginning to understand that the over-the-top nature of the Imperium in WH40K and the super-authoritarian yet super-chaotic Mega-City One were not meant to be taken at face-value and that the writers were cautioning us about what could happen if we went down a slippery slope.
A few more years later, I am a little bit wiser (though my wife would not agree) and realize that the Dredd stories, Garth Ennis’ MarvelMAX Punisher run, and WH40K were meant to satirize the state of the world. I also realized that Mack Bolan was not meant as satire but played sttaight.
All of the above is a really long-winded and self-centered way to segue into the topic of this review – Michael Molcher’s I AM THE LAW. A book that brings together the Dredd storylines and the socio-political milieux in which that storyline was written. The book’s written by Mike Molcher, 2000AD Brand Manager, who has an encyclopaedic knowledge of the Dredd-verse as well as deep, first-hand knowledge of UK politics.
The book’s organization is very interesting. Each chapter is named after something or someone in the Dredd-verse. The name signifies the theme of the chapter. For example, the chapter titled UnAmerican Graffiti is about graffiti lampooning authoritarianism. The chapters alternate between the relevant Dredd storyline and the real-world events that almost mirror it. For example, the chapter titled “The Return of Rico” starts with vignettes of Dredd’s ‘evil twin’ brother Rico and from there proceeds to connect that storyline to the idea of dirty cops.
Over the course of the 16 chapters, we are given a front-row view of the collapse of democracy [as in the concept that people’s choices matter, not the political system], and how the Dredd storylines have been influenced by this collapse and have, on occasion, even predicted the collapse. Molcher helpfully points us to some of the utterances of Ol’ Stoney Face that can serve as slogans for the powers that be – e.g., “You can’t trust the people” from the America storyline.
The thesis of the book is that power only begets more power. In Dredd’s world, the awesome weapons and limitless resources that the Judges have concentrated in their own hands in the name of keeping the Mega-City One residents safe has done the opposite – as evidenced by the Block Wards, Chaos Day, and the Apocalypse War. Similarly, in the real world, making police forces similar to military units and increasing their budgets while school-teachers have to pay for supplies out of their own pocket have resulted in mass shootings, increased levels of lethal crimes, and movements likes “All Cops are Bastards”. Yet, both in Dredd-verse and in the real world, the powers that be refuse to understand the data and insist on prolonging the vicious cycle.
When this book gets the inevitable second edition, I’d like Molcher to delve into the more recent storylines, especially the Judge Smiley and Maitland storylines. I’d love to read his analysis of Judge Smiley flat-out telling Dredd “We’re fascists” and how Maitland’s plan to wipe-out crime could fare in the real world.
And I cheered them on.
Fast forward a few years later. I’d read the Dredd novelizations, and also started going through the Warhammer 40,000 books. I’d also had developed a more critical view of the world and beginning to understand that the over-the-top nature of the Imperium in WH40K and the super-authoritarian yet super-chaotic Mega-City One were not meant to be taken at face-value and that the writers were cautioning us about what could happen if we went down a slippery slope.
A few more years later, I am a little bit wiser (though my wife would not agree) and realize that the Dredd stories, Garth Ennis’ MarvelMAX Punisher run, and WH40K were meant to satirize the state of the world. I also realized that Mack Bolan was not meant as satire but played sttaight.
All of the above is a really long-winded and self-centered way to segue into the topic of this review – Michael Molcher’s I AM THE LAW. A book that brings together the Dredd storylines and the socio-political milieux in which that storyline was written. The book’s written by Mike Molcher, 2000AD Brand Manager, who has an encyclopaedic knowledge of the Dredd-verse as well as deep, first-hand knowledge of UK politics.
The book’s organization is very interesting. Each chapter is named after something or someone in the Dredd-verse. The name signifies the theme of the chapter. For example, the chapter titled UnAmerican Graffiti is about graffiti lampooning authoritarianism. The chapters alternate between the relevant Dredd storyline and the real-world events that almost mirror it. For example, the chapter titled “The Return of Rico” starts with vignettes of Dredd’s ‘evil twin’ brother Rico and from there proceeds to connect that storyline to the idea of dirty cops.
Over the course of the 16 chapters, we are given a front-row view of the collapse of democracy [as in the concept that people’s choices matter, not the political system], and how the Dredd storylines have been influenced by this collapse and have, on occasion, even predicted the collapse. Molcher helpfully points us to some of the utterances of Ol’ Stoney Face that can serve as slogans for the powers that be – e.g., “You can’t trust the people” from the America storyline.
The thesis of the book is that power only begets more power. In Dredd’s world, the awesome weapons and limitless resources that the Judges have concentrated in their own hands in the name of keeping the Mega-City One residents safe has done the opposite – as evidenced by the Block Wards, Chaos Day, and the Apocalypse War. Similarly, in the real world, making police forces similar to military units and increasing their budgets while school-teachers have to pay for supplies out of their own pocket have resulted in mass shootings, increased levels of lethal crimes, and movements likes “All Cops are Bastards”. Yet, both in Dredd-verse and in the real world, the powers that be refuse to understand the data and insist on prolonging the vicious cycle.
When this book gets the inevitable second edition, I’d like Molcher to delve into the more recent storylines, especially the Judge Smiley and Maitland storylines. I’d love to read his analysis of Judge Smiley flat-out telling Dredd “We’re fascists” and how Maitland’s plan to wipe-out crime could fare in the real world.
January 14, 2023
My thanks to both NetGalley and the publisher Rebellion for an advanced copy of a book that looks at the history or a famous comic book character and shows how the book visionary in its outlook, and how depressingly right it was in many ways.
When I was growing up my family lived in the Bronx, a part of New York City that was considered, at least by most media a hell zone. Gangs ruled the streets, trash was piled up to the third floor, the President of the United States had told the city to go to hell, and the police were all corrupt and or unable to do their jobs cause criminals had more rights. Soon movies like The Warriors would start to show these images, it was only safe to get to Coney Island if you were in a gang, or baseball wielding clowns would chase you. Or New York was only good to be a prison, that people wanted to escape from. The idea of society breaking down, the government being unable to handle the most basic of needs, and strikes stopping the country was also affecting our neighbors across the pond. And into this chaos of punks and hooligans stepped a hero, a Judge, who fought for the law. I am the Law: How Judge Dredd Predicted Our Future, by comic historian and writer Michael Molcher is a look at this popular character, and how the writers and artists seemed to see where this love of law and order would take us, from neighborhood beats to a fully militarized army without any accountability.
Judge Joseph Dredd was created in our world by writer John Wagner and artist Carlos Ezquerra, in about 1976 and brought to live in the second issue of 2000 AD comic magazine. Dredd is a clone, created as an law enforcement and judicial officer with the ability to stop, arrest, sentence and execute lawbreakers in Mega-City One, over 100 years from now. Dredd is rare in comics in that his character ages, a year worth of comics is a year in his time, and after almost 50 years of stories Dredd has seen a lot. And been responsible for quite a lot. Judges pretty much rule all, making all decisions of value and merit, and Judges have the right to police for crimes, protests, any actions that can be considered disruptive, or counter to the status quo. This includes policing of the human body, from mutants, to body transformation, even being obese. The comic has being a satire, always been ahead of the current trends, showing the changes in policing from the seventies, to the feeling that police are an occupying army in their own hometowns.
The book is not at all what I expected, and I really found it quite fascinating, and different from what I expected it to be. Not a biography about Dredd more a memoir and a comparison of what the comic started as, what it became and how society almost mirrors not just the storylines, but the tactics, emotions and Orwellian thought that have become such a part of law enforcement. Molcher used plenty of examples from both our history and from the Dredd comics to show the slow changes, and how sometimes fiction is not as scary as the real world has made it. The writing is very good, with plenty of research and lots of thoughts to mull over and contemplate, while looking at Dredd stories through different eyes. The feeling from most of the creators that Dredd was not the hero of the piece, but the villain, really stopped me. I know that the Dredd I am familiar with is not the same as in the British comics. American Dredd is more a 80's action hero, the only man who can get justice, and not a cog in an oppressive machine, that creates more situations that lead to death, than it tries to solve.
A book on comics that I didn't expect to bother me, or make me think so much. The book is not an easy read, nor one that should be taken lightly. Expecting a DK Illustrated Batman book, one will be confused. This is very scholarly on ideas about law enforcement, history criminal justice the media, and well comics. I found this book very intriguing, and wish for a lot more books like this.
When I was growing up my family lived in the Bronx, a part of New York City that was considered, at least by most media a hell zone. Gangs ruled the streets, trash was piled up to the third floor, the President of the United States had told the city to go to hell, and the police were all corrupt and or unable to do their jobs cause criminals had more rights. Soon movies like The Warriors would start to show these images, it was only safe to get to Coney Island if you were in a gang, or baseball wielding clowns would chase you. Or New York was only good to be a prison, that people wanted to escape from. The idea of society breaking down, the government being unable to handle the most basic of needs, and strikes stopping the country was also affecting our neighbors across the pond. And into this chaos of punks and hooligans stepped a hero, a Judge, who fought for the law. I am the Law: How Judge Dredd Predicted Our Future, by comic historian and writer Michael Molcher is a look at this popular character, and how the writers and artists seemed to see where this love of law and order would take us, from neighborhood beats to a fully militarized army without any accountability.
Judge Joseph Dredd was created in our world by writer John Wagner and artist Carlos Ezquerra, in about 1976 and brought to live in the second issue of 2000 AD comic magazine. Dredd is a clone, created as an law enforcement and judicial officer with the ability to stop, arrest, sentence and execute lawbreakers in Mega-City One, over 100 years from now. Dredd is rare in comics in that his character ages, a year worth of comics is a year in his time, and after almost 50 years of stories Dredd has seen a lot. And been responsible for quite a lot. Judges pretty much rule all, making all decisions of value and merit, and Judges have the right to police for crimes, protests, any actions that can be considered disruptive, or counter to the status quo. This includes policing of the human body, from mutants, to body transformation, even being obese. The comic has being a satire, always been ahead of the current trends, showing the changes in policing from the seventies, to the feeling that police are an occupying army in their own hometowns.
The book is not at all what I expected, and I really found it quite fascinating, and different from what I expected it to be. Not a biography about Dredd more a memoir and a comparison of what the comic started as, what it became and how society almost mirrors not just the storylines, but the tactics, emotions and Orwellian thought that have become such a part of law enforcement. Molcher used plenty of examples from both our history and from the Dredd comics to show the slow changes, and how sometimes fiction is not as scary as the real world has made it. The writing is very good, with plenty of research and lots of thoughts to mull over and contemplate, while looking at Dredd stories through different eyes. The feeling from most of the creators that Dredd was not the hero of the piece, but the villain, really stopped me. I know that the Dredd I am familiar with is not the same as in the British comics. American Dredd is more a 80's action hero, the only man who can get justice, and not a cog in an oppressive machine, that creates more situations that lead to death, than it tries to solve.
A book on comics that I didn't expect to bother me, or make me think so much. The book is not an easy read, nor one that should be taken lightly. Expecting a DK Illustrated Batman book, one will be confused. This is very scholarly on ideas about law enforcement, history criminal justice the media, and well comics. I found this book very intriguing, and wish for a lot more books like this.
August 17, 2023
A fantastic overview of largely Anglo-American policing trends since the early 1970s seen through an expansive and granular catalogue of British anthology comic 2000AD's "Judge Dredd". It stands as a monument to the power of John Wagner & Carlos Ezquerra's satirical creation, and the minds who also added to that character's adventures down the years, allowing so many accurate predictions of future developments in US/UK domestic policing - many to an absolutely chilling degree.
Connecting the power of this satire to the emerging academic deconstruction of policing, particularly the British quasi-myth of "policing by consent" (at least in the UK itself - the book provides an apt reminder the British colonial policing never operated under this supposed core mantra), gives the book a very 'up to the moment' feel that will likely rapidly slough away as domestic politics continues in both the US and UK (and potentially in different ideological directions) - though this may be a good argument for a revisit & update in 10 or so years ... will Judge Dredd still be serving then? If so, how, and if not, what has happened to Justice Dept and Mega-City One ... and what will have happened to the United States and United Kingdom? (In 2033, Dredd will be 86 - Dredd's age goes up by a year every year.)
If the book has one weakness, it is merely a weakness of omission - the core thesis remains strongly argued and persuasive. The omission lies in treating policing as entirely a top-down process by a faceless state power, and not engaging with the desire for effective policing - ever present in the book's narrative but never examined - a desire that is ironically often strongest in over-policed communities suffering deprivation and attendant criminality, with a brief (and flimsy) suggestion of a wholesale but under-defined re-evaluation of the need for Police, along with economic redistribution as a catch-all solution. This ignores the significant failure of "Defund the Police" policies in some American municipalities, and the attendant rise in serious crime in other areas attributed to public distrust in Policing leading to more 'walking by' and 'looking away'.
The ultimate justifying reason for Law in society - The Law - has existed in a pure form for nearly 4000 years, when the Code of Hammurabi grandly stated "so that the strong should not harm the weak;... [and] to further the well-being of mankind." Can the Police do that? Judge Dredd might yet, which that may prove the ultimate satire.
Connecting the power of this satire to the emerging academic deconstruction of policing, particularly the British quasi-myth of "policing by consent" (at least in the UK itself - the book provides an apt reminder the British colonial policing never operated under this supposed core mantra), gives the book a very 'up to the moment' feel that will likely rapidly slough away as domestic politics continues in both the US and UK (and potentially in different ideological directions) - though this may be a good argument for a revisit & update in 10 or so years ... will Judge Dredd still be serving then? If so, how, and if not, what has happened to Justice Dept and Mega-City One ... and what will have happened to the United States and United Kingdom? (In 2033, Dredd will be 86 - Dredd's age goes up by a year every year.)
If the book has one weakness, it is merely a weakness of omission - the core thesis remains strongly argued and persuasive. The omission lies in treating policing as entirely a top-down process by a faceless state power, and not engaging with the desire for effective policing - ever present in the book's narrative but never examined - a desire that is ironically often strongest in over-policed communities suffering deprivation and attendant criminality, with a brief (and flimsy) suggestion of a wholesale but under-defined re-evaluation of the need for Police, along with economic redistribution as a catch-all solution. This ignores the significant failure of "Defund the Police" policies in some American municipalities, and the attendant rise in serious crime in other areas attributed to public distrust in Policing leading to more 'walking by' and 'looking away'.
The ultimate justifying reason for Law in society - The Law - has existed in a pure form for nearly 4000 years, when the Code of Hammurabi grandly stated "so that the strong should not harm the weak;... [and] to further the well-being of mankind." Can the Police do that? Judge Dredd might yet, which that may prove the ultimate satire.
May 8, 2023
I came to this book expecting a look at how policing technologies had mirrored the evolution of sci-fi inventions, and I left with a sense of dread and despondency over the state of British (and American) policing.
A genuinely insightful look at how we’ve managed to sleepwalk into a surveillance state that is armed with its own violent force of defenders, there for the upkeep of the status quo and not for your protection. This is not so much for those wanting to learn more about the comic book character Judge Dredd and more so uses him as a touchstone of predictive satire that has already sent up the way policing has evolved. Utilising genuine research and articles into police violence, the success of controversially employed tactics, and the numbers around how minority communities are policed, this is a shocking revelation (or not, depending on your pre-existing notions of policing) into how truly powerful the police are and how we have historically reached this point. From racist policy decisions through to over simplified political rhetoric, this shines a light on the abuses of the systems we have in place through the guise of a well established comic book character.
By using well-known storyline threads from the comic strip’s illustrious past, it ties notable incidents in its run, into real world events and explicitly links to what inspired the amplified satire that it was trying to produce that later, seemingly, became a manual for these horrors. Breaking these incidents or moments down to dedicate a chapter to them each, it allows for a view of the slow decline of policing storyline by storyline, elevating the gallows humour from more than just an absurdist laugh along to a bleak and horrifying look at the reality of the situation. Although, this means that the subtleties of the comic books have to be pointed out rather bluntly, it draws the line between how satire can fail and end up predicting the very thing it is trying to prevent.
Picking apart the notion of policing by consent with careful and considered evidence, and then using a supposedly over the top comic-book satire to point to how real this situation is, it really skewers the view of liberal policing and illuminates how far down a dark path we’ve come. Enlightening, entertaining and deeply disturbing.
A genuinely insightful look at how we’ve managed to sleepwalk into a surveillance state that is armed with its own violent force of defenders, there for the upkeep of the status quo and not for your protection. This is not so much for those wanting to learn more about the comic book character Judge Dredd and more so uses him as a touchstone of predictive satire that has already sent up the way policing has evolved. Utilising genuine research and articles into police violence, the success of controversially employed tactics, and the numbers around how minority communities are policed, this is a shocking revelation (or not, depending on your pre-existing notions of policing) into how truly powerful the police are and how we have historically reached this point. From racist policy decisions through to over simplified political rhetoric, this shines a light on the abuses of the systems we have in place through the guise of a well established comic book character.
By using well-known storyline threads from the comic strip’s illustrious past, it ties notable incidents in its run, into real world events and explicitly links to what inspired the amplified satire that it was trying to produce that later, seemingly, became a manual for these horrors. Breaking these incidents or moments down to dedicate a chapter to them each, it allows for a view of the slow decline of policing storyline by storyline, elevating the gallows humour from more than just an absurdist laugh along to a bleak and horrifying look at the reality of the situation. Although, this means that the subtleties of the comic books have to be pointed out rather bluntly, it draws the line between how satire can fail and end up predicting the very thing it is trying to prevent.
Picking apart the notion of policing by consent with careful and considered evidence, and then using a supposedly over the top comic-book satire to point to how real this situation is, it really skewers the view of liberal policing and illuminates how far down a dark path we’ve come. Enlightening, entertaining and deeply disturbing.
February 12, 2023
On record as a huge fan of Judge Dredd from a very early age
As much an institution for people my age as Coronation Street was for my parents, Judge Dredd has been the constant that was with us all our reading lives, from the very early days, to the bombastic 80’s, to the thinking 90’s, and onwards from there, but the nature of who Judge Dredd is and what he represents wasn’t really a thing I considered in my younger days, and like many, I just read vicariously and thought nothing more of it.
“It couldn’t happen in real life” was the thought that went with it.
Except it could…
And it did…
All the time…
This book is a gathering of the various points of Dredd through the years and a compare and contrast between what was in the comics pages and what was happening in the real world.
Spoiler: there wasn’t much constrast between the comics and the real world.
What this book does is encourage the thought between the things that we considered too far fetched to be true, and the very real danger of how things were being done in the world, and more importantly, how they continue to be done even now. What makes this different is the hundreds of citations given to the references that are brought in comparison to what happened on the page versus what happened in real life.
Hundreds of citations.
This is the law writ large, where every thing that we saw as satire was in fact someone referencing something that had already happened, or worse, someone making something up that couldn’t have been true, only to find out that not only was it true, but it was more extreme than their comic-book version of it.
This isn’t easy reading, it’s not a collection of panels from the comic with references to what happened in real life, and the prose is dense, pages upon pages of closely packed text littered with references, but what it is, is fascinating.
I would recommend this to anyone who has ever enjoyed Dredd, but moreso, I’d recommend this to anyone who ever thought they understood Dredd, because the insights in here are both intriguing and disturbing, and that was everything that Dredd was ever supposed to be.
Thanks again to Netgalley and Rebellion for the free advance copy in return for an honest review.
As much an institution for people my age as Coronation Street was for my parents, Judge Dredd has been the constant that was with us all our reading lives, from the very early days, to the bombastic 80’s, to the thinking 90’s, and onwards from there, but the nature of who Judge Dredd is and what he represents wasn’t really a thing I considered in my younger days, and like many, I just read vicariously and thought nothing more of it.
“It couldn’t happen in real life” was the thought that went with it.
Except it could…
And it did…
All the time…
This book is a gathering of the various points of Dredd through the years and a compare and contrast between what was in the comics pages and what was happening in the real world.
Spoiler: there wasn’t much constrast between the comics and the real world.
What this book does is encourage the thought between the things that we considered too far fetched to be true, and the very real danger of how things were being done in the world, and more importantly, how they continue to be done even now. What makes this different is the hundreds of citations given to the references that are brought in comparison to what happened on the page versus what happened in real life.
Hundreds of citations.
This is the law writ large, where every thing that we saw as satire was in fact someone referencing something that had already happened, or worse, someone making something up that couldn’t have been true, only to find out that not only was it true, but it was more extreme than their comic-book version of it.
This isn’t easy reading, it’s not a collection of panels from the comic with references to what happened in real life, and the prose is dense, pages upon pages of closely packed text littered with references, but what it is, is fascinating.
I would recommend this to anyone who has ever enjoyed Dredd, but moreso, I’d recommend this to anyone who ever thought they understood Dredd, because the insights in here are both intriguing and disturbing, and that was everything that Dredd was ever supposed to be.
Thanks again to Netgalley and Rebellion for the free advance copy in return for an honest review.
April 2, 2023
Long time on this one. TBF there were a lot of self care re-reads in this period because I wanted to take this in chunks and ruminate on each chunk.
If you have an interest in the intersection between art and the arc of history then this is an important book. At first glance, yes, an ostensible children's comic written by guys whose brief was to pump out pages for late 1970's kids seems like an unlikely candidate to not only be prescient but so long lasting. This book covers all of that, and more.
For those who read the comics as kids, the history of the Dredd character and it's development is worth a buy of this book. How Dredd the strip held up a mirror to the modern carceral state is the real depth here.
This is meant as a scholarly work (I think) but it is written in an engaging style nonetheless. Whilst this is written by a fan it isn't shy of pointing out where there might have been things that were not done well (race, in particular).
Dredd was never my favourite 2000AD jam mostly because it made me feel a little uncomfortable and it didn't have a resolution arc like so many of my preferred characters from the comic (Mills work on Nemesis being a good example of this). Reading this book and seeing how on the nose it was explains that unease to adult me that maybe went over the head of 7 year old me.
5 stars up there. If this kind of thing tickles your pickle then just buy it already.
If you have an interest in the intersection between art and the arc of history then this is an important book. At first glance, yes, an ostensible children's comic written by guys whose brief was to pump out pages for late 1970's kids seems like an unlikely candidate to not only be prescient but so long lasting. This book covers all of that, and more.
For those who read the comics as kids, the history of the Dredd character and it's development is worth a buy of this book. How Dredd the strip held up a mirror to the modern carceral state is the real depth here.
This is meant as a scholarly work (I think) but it is written in an engaging style nonetheless. Whilst this is written by a fan it isn't shy of pointing out where there might have been things that were not done well (race, in particular).
Dredd was never my favourite 2000AD jam mostly because it made me feel a little uncomfortable and it didn't have a resolution arc like so many of my preferred characters from the comic (Mills work on Nemesis being a good example of this). Reading this book and seeing how on the nose it was explains that unease to adult me that maybe went over the head of 7 year old me.
5 stars up there. If this kind of thing tickles your pickle then just buy it already.
February 2, 2023
I Am the Law: How Judge Dredd Predicted Our Future, by Michael Molcher, is an excellent example of using popular culture to analyze societal issues, in this case authoritarian government and its enforcement arm.
For those who come for the comic history, there is plenty here of interest. While specific strips are used to illustrate a real-life issue, we are still presented with a nice perspective on the comic itself. Some works are primarily about an aspect of popular culture and only mentions its relationship to the world within which it is created, this one is truly a blending of the two.
The strength of the volume is in how we see the changes in policing and, by extension, the so-called justice systems in the UK and in many parts of the world. From turning police departments into the paramilitary arm of white supremacist governmental policies to labeling anyone who disagrees with the powers-that-be as essentially disposable, we see how as things got progressively worse, the comic took it even further, until reality caught up.
Highly recommended for anyone with an interest in either comics or policing issues, as well as those involved in any multidisciplinary area that even remotely touches on popular culture. There is a lot to learn here about how to blend the disciplines.
Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley.
For those who come for the comic history, there is plenty here of interest. While specific strips are used to illustrate a real-life issue, we are still presented with a nice perspective on the comic itself. Some works are primarily about an aspect of popular culture and only mentions its relationship to the world within which it is created, this one is truly a blending of the two.
The strength of the volume is in how we see the changes in policing and, by extension, the so-called justice systems in the UK and in many parts of the world. From turning police departments into the paramilitary arm of white supremacist governmental policies to labeling anyone who disagrees with the powers-that-be as essentially disposable, we see how as things got progressively worse, the comic took it even further, until reality caught up.
Highly recommended for anyone with an interest in either comics or policing issues, as well as those involved in any multidisciplinary area that even remotely touches on popular culture. There is a lot to learn here about how to blend the disciplines.
Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley.
August 5, 2023
Firstly, thank you NetGalley for my free ARC copy of this book.
I was one of the original readers of 2000AD, from issue 1 and I was intrigued to find out how Judge Dredd had evolved and how modern policing has become so militarised. I enjoyed reading this book but must admit that it be came dry after a while. I wasn't quite prepared for the heavy political analysis and whilst this was interesting to a point, I did become a little jaded.
That said, it provided me with significant insight into the militarisation of the UK and US police, the policing methods and tactics, the political manipulation of us (the public) by government and the erosion of our rights and liberties. When you step back from the everyday news cycle, it's incredible what the government has been able to do, over time.
I was originally going to give 3 stars, because it became a bit of a slog for me personally towards the latter chapters but as I've written this I've been reminded of how much I learnt and that needs to be reflected.
If you enjoy Dread and detailed analysis of politics, then this will suit you very well.
I was one of the original readers of 2000AD, from issue 1 and I was intrigued to find out how Judge Dredd had evolved and how modern policing has become so militarised. I enjoyed reading this book but must admit that it be came dry after a while. I wasn't quite prepared for the heavy political analysis and whilst this was interesting to a point, I did become a little jaded.
That said, it provided me with significant insight into the militarisation of the UK and US police, the policing methods and tactics, the political manipulation of us (the public) by government and the erosion of our rights and liberties. When you step back from the everyday news cycle, it's incredible what the government has been able to do, over time.
I was originally going to give 3 stars, because it became a bit of a slog for me personally towards the latter chapters but as I've written this I've been reminded of how much I learnt and that needs to be reflected.
If you enjoy Dread and detailed analysis of politics, then this will suit you very well.
March 19, 2024
Starts well, and I love the framing device, comparing Dredd with modern day policing and social policy. But as he goes on he gets worked up into a lather about how bleak everything is. He doesn't just buy into every chic american opinion about the role of police in society, but he insists the UK is basically exactly the same as the US. The police are seen as an institution rooted in colonialism (Er... no) whose job is controlling otherness (also, no), they cause crime, they should be abolished, crime isn't real and is just an illusion created by the government to justify Er (checks notes) increased public spending on police forces, courts and prisons, and on and on.
OK, mate, calm down. The stats have never really borne out this sort of maximalist critique of the police, and anybody who has really thought through what would happen if you abolished them can see he's just overplaying his hand here. Could have been a fun way of discussing policing by comparing it to sci-fi but the last few chapters are just embarrassing.
OK, mate, calm down. The stats have never really borne out this sort of maximalist critique of the police, and anybody who has really thought through what would happen if you abolished them can see he's just overplaying his hand here. Could have been a fun way of discussing policing by comparing it to sci-fi but the last few chapters are just embarrassing.
November 15, 2024
So for the past little while, I’ve been getting really into the Judge Dredd comics. Gotta say, they’re not much at all like the Stallone movie, and not necessarily a ton like the other movie, either (though that one gets it a lot better).
Anyways, while I’ve been getting into the comics, I also heard about this book. In here, Molcher, a journalist and sometime editor for 2000 AD (the parent magazine for Judge Dredd), shows how the Dredd strips frequently reflected and, in many cases, forecasted policing and the political climate not just in the strip’s native UK, but also here in the US and throughout much of the Western world. It’s a fascinating book!
Unfortunately, though, it’s also sometimes a bit plodding. There are a few chapters where I felt like I got the point, but we still had another 7 or 8 pages to go, and towards the end, I felt like I had the overall thesis, even with a couple chapters left. That said, the overall thinking about the strip and about modern policing is interesting, and this book is at least worth a skim if you’re into both of those things.
Anyways, while I’ve been getting into the comics, I also heard about this book. In here, Molcher, a journalist and sometime editor for 2000 AD (the parent magazine for Judge Dredd), shows how the Dredd strips frequently reflected and, in many cases, forecasted policing and the political climate not just in the strip’s native UK, but also here in the US and throughout much of the Western world. It’s a fascinating book!
Unfortunately, though, it’s also sometimes a bit plodding. There are a few chapters where I felt like I got the point, but we still had another 7 or 8 pages to go, and towards the end, I felt like I had the overall thesis, even with a couple chapters left. That said, the overall thinking about the strip and about modern policing is interesting, and this book is at least worth a skim if you’re into both of those things.
March 22, 2023
[Thanks to NetGalley for ARC copy in return for fair review]
I am the Law is a comprehensive reflection on the satirical futuristic 2000 AD comic strip Judge Dredd. It picks themes and characters from the strip and demonstrates their relevance and portentous nature in relation to western society. Individual freedoms, surveillance, right to protest, and democracy itself are all examined through the prism of Judge Dredd.
The writing is thoughtful and the referencing ferocious, but sometimes the tone can become preachy and lack a little self-awareness or sense of humour. I enjoyed the critique of the Dredd stories and their dark mirror reflection in U.K. / US politics and society more than direct social commentary on successive governments. If you are a fan of 2000 AD then it is an enjoyable read, as long as you are willing to chew through some sermonising and ‘law and order’ rhetoric on the way. Topical given recent Casey review of Metropolitan Police.
#IAmTheLaw #NetGalley
I am the Law is a comprehensive reflection on the satirical futuristic 2000 AD comic strip Judge Dredd. It picks themes and characters from the strip and demonstrates their relevance and portentous nature in relation to western society. Individual freedoms, surveillance, right to protest, and democracy itself are all examined through the prism of Judge Dredd.
The writing is thoughtful and the referencing ferocious, but sometimes the tone can become preachy and lack a little self-awareness or sense of humour. I enjoyed the critique of the Dredd stories and their dark mirror reflection in U.K. / US politics and society more than direct social commentary on successive governments. If you are a fan of 2000 AD then it is an enjoyable read, as long as you are willing to chew through some sermonising and ‘law and order’ rhetoric on the way. Topical given recent Casey review of Metropolitan Police.
#IAmTheLaw #NetGalley
March 8, 2023
I purposely do not shelve this under fiction though it is partly about a fictional character, Judge Dredd of comic book fame. The author weaves together the plot lines of the comic with actual events in the real world. At first the comic seemed to be predictive as it portrayed some events before they happened and then it began thinly disguised covering of nearly contemporaneous occurrences. Policies and incidents in the US and UK are entwined with descriptions of sections of Judge Dredd storylines. The comic book series shows the demise of democracy as we know it by increased militarization of police forces and surveillance of the citizenry (mainly non-white). Today's (8 March 2023) Washington Post front page headline, "FBI, DOD Immersed in Facial Recognition Research" makes reading this book a necessity for those interested in preserving democracy.
April 5, 2023
An interesting and harrowing look into both the history of the 2000AD series Judge Dredd and policing, finding many parallels with modern militarized police forces and the tactics used by the eponymous Judge. While the premise seems far-reaching at first glance, the book presents its research well with a complete record of sources for its real-life data on police actions in the UK and the USA as well as the rich lore from the comics.
I do feel the sources from which the author has taken his data would also be required reading for a greater understanding of the many cases of police brutality and its excessive force used against the very people it claims to be protecting. But drawing the parallels with Dredd make the information clearer by presenting the satirical comic book as exactly that, but highlighting we live in a world where the satire quickly became our reality.
I do feel the sources from which the author has taken his data would also be required reading for a greater understanding of the many cases of police brutality and its excessive force used against the very people it claims to be protecting. But drawing the parallels with Dredd make the information clearer by presenting the satirical comic book as exactly that, but highlighting we live in a world where the satire quickly became our reality.
November 27, 2024
A meticulously researched and passionately argued book detailing the results of the "law and order" panic, begun in the '70s, still playing out today.
An academic text with few answers and no action items, it is nonetheless a worthwhile read particularly in conjunction with "Comic Book Punks: How a Generation of Brits Reinvented Pop Culture" and any number of books spelling out the inherent bias cooked into the policing system.
Dredd has always been a difficult character, both hero and anti-hero, a satire that is too often taken at face value. Molcher makes a strong objective case for why so many of us instinctively feel this way.
An academic text with few answers and no action items, it is nonetheless a worthwhile read particularly in conjunction with "Comic Book Punks: How a Generation of Brits Reinvented Pop Culture" and any number of books spelling out the inherent bias cooked into the policing system.
Dredd has always been a difficult character, both hero and anti-hero, a satire that is too often taken at face value. Molcher makes a strong objective case for why so many of us instinctively feel this way.
February 28, 2023
I Am Law is an instructing read, unlike anything I have ever read before. It combines fact and fiction in an uncanny comparison that makes you question every crime you read or see, whether it be real or not. The fact that the book can easily go from the fictional world of Judge Dread to a real-life report remarkably easy shows that there is much we can do within society, yet the author remains unbiased through it all. Overall, despite it being a heavy read, it was fascinating, and I would recommend it to anyone interested within both real and fictional crime.
October 4, 2023
Not only is this a great primer on the fictional world of Judge Dredd, but most importantly it's a great history of policing both home and abroad. A difficult read at times, often quite disheartening. But in a way that it needs to be. The truth exposed in this book is uncomfortable and inconvenient. Lastly, this book is a fantastic launchpad into more reading. Molcher's footnotes and further reading sections have given me another dozen books to add to the to-read pile. Highly recommended for people interested in critiques of police, neoliberalism and conservative politics. Absolutely not u
April 29, 2023
A captivating and, at times, terrifying analysis of the both the history of policing and Judge Dredd by 2000AD PR man, Michael Molcher. Meticulously researched, deeply engaging and thoroughly enjoyable, this is an absolute blast of non-fiction analysis and comic book history rolled into one expertly rendered book. Molcher’s writing style is gripping and the comparisons he draws between the evolution of policing and the science fiction dystopia of Dredd are horrifying.
May 25, 2024
The subject of the book is not so much Dredd as it is the punitive politics that only seem to be growing in power as global capitalism protects its interests. The long-lived and iconic strip, with its brilliance, its insight, and its flaws turns out to be an excellent framework for Molcher to hang his arguments on. Unlike the comic though, this book is rarely fun, and cumulatively its warnings feel less like a call to action than bleak prophecy.
June 19, 2023
"I am the Law: How Judge Dredd predicted our future by Michael Molcher" 4/5 🌟
An in-depth look at how western policing has changed over the last 45 years. A blend of comic book history and radical law enforcement theory. Is Judge Dredd a reaction, a mirror or prophecy in relation to law enforcement's future?
Food for thought.
An in-depth look at how western policing has changed over the last 45 years. A blend of comic book history and radical law enforcement theory. Is Judge Dredd a reaction, a mirror or prophecy in relation to law enforcement's future?
Food for thought.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 48 reviews