This Is Absolute Judge Dredd For 2027

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This Is Absolute Judge Dredd For 2027

This Is Absolute Judge Dredd For 2027... he knew you were going to say that. So they're calling it something different...

Published Tue, 08 Sep 2026 10:57:08 -0500
by Rich Johnston
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Article Summary

• Absolute Dredd, likely titled Total Judge Dredd, is an unofficial Zarjaz serial set to launch across three 2027 issues.
• Jay Measures and David Haller reimagine Judge Dredd in an Absolute Dredd-style universe beyond standard 2000 AD canon.
• This Absolute Dredd makes Dredd fully human, strips back the uniform, and turns him against the Justice Department.
• Set in a harsh utopian Mega-City One, Absolute Dredd pits him against mechs, twisted foes, and uncertain allies.

I bumped into comic book creator Jay Measures in the pub last week. He showed me something he's been working on with writer David Haller that I wanted to share with you all. Absolute Judge Dredd. That's the concept, anyway. It'll probably be called Total Judge Dredd, and it won't be coming out from 2000 AD or Judge Dredd Megazine. I'm sure they think Judge Dredd is as Absolute as he's ever needed to be. This is something Measures planned for upcoming issues of the fanfic magazine Zarjaz, produced with permission from Rebellion Publishing as a non-profit venture with unofficial 2000AD-inspired comic book strips for twenty-five years, on and off. Expect this to appear over three issues at the beginning of next year as the magazine goes monthly. But it began with this fun cover…

Mega City Done. Nice. And a homage to Nick Dragotta's Absolute Batman #1 cover, common enough these days, but this one had Judge Dredd, which led to Jay and David having deeper discussions about what an alternative Absolute universe would look like for Judge Dredd.

"An alternative universe for Judge Dredd meant deconstructing everything from his traditional uniform to his attitude and even the state of Mega City One. Early ideas included a robot Dredd ala Megatropolis and setting the strip even farther in the future than 2000 AD, but eventually, by going back to the core character and visual traits of Dredd, we cracked it. Dredd would no longer be a clone. Instead, he would be human, bringing with it an emotional attachment to people that can be explored. His uniform is stripped back and tactical. No longer flamboyant, he has shed the shoulder pads and replaced them with tattoos that reinforce his personal sense of justice. His leather biker gear is replaced with armour, and his helmet is simplified. This Dredd's appearance is inspired just as much by modern masters like Jock as it is by Carlos Ezquerra's original Judge Dredd design. And most importantly, for the first time ever, Dredd's got no support from the Justice Department. In fact, he's fighting directly against it.

Jay Measures, whose work can also be seen in This Comic is Haunted #666 next month, tells me "Dredd finds himself in a city that is under a strict totalitarian, supposedly utopian regime… Mechs roam the streets dishing out a ruthless type of justice that crushes the will of the MC citizens. Something that Dredd clashes with time and again. However, that doesn't mean he's safe from old foes, with every villain undergoing a reinvention from the traditional portrayal of the Fatties as a subculture of bored cits using food to cope to a vicious gang of food thieves. And, beyond that, with everything so different, who knows if Dredd's traditional allies can still be trusted? And most importantly: He's no longer a Judge… but don't call him a vigilante. And make no mistake… he is the law."

• Jay Measures (Artist/Writer: Beyond the Black Void, The 77, This Comic is Haunted, Zarjaz, Danger Mouse, Thought Bubble 2000 AD Art Finalist).
• David Haller (Writer/Poet: Beyond the Black Void, This Comic is Haunted, Drawn Poorly Zine, Zarjaz, Judge Dredd Megazine).
• Special thanks to Andrew Lewis for editorial input.

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