Judge Dredd American edition
The entry point for me, and probably the bulk of Judge Dredd‘s American following, was this series from Eagle Comics. Named after Eagle (the premiere British comic for boys in the 50s and 60s), it was an imprint of 2000AD‘s publisher IPC. The American format was more vertical than 2000AD, so the art was slightly re-shaped to fill the different page parameters. This was accomplished by pulling panels apart to create more blank space, which must have been extraordinarily tedious, and then adding color for the first time.
All the covers were new, with the vast majority by Brian Bolland, considered the top Dredd artist. Ironically, he was no longer producing material for 2000AD by this time, since DC Comics had lured him across the Atlantic with (presumably) more lucrative offers. His first major work for them was the revolutionary Camelot 3000, which debuted in December 1982.
Stories were presented out of order to make a maximum first impression; Bolland’s strips dominated the first three issues, then made way for others drawn by Ron Smith, Mike McMahon, Carlos Ezquerra, and more. The big multi-part epics from the first 300 progs were reprinted in full, alternating with favorite one-offs to give American readers the strongest material. It definitely worked on me, earning them a 2000AD reader for life.
These 35 issues were published monthly from November 1983 to September 1986, at which time the license shifted over to another British publisher, Quality Communications, where the numbering restarted and went all the way up to issue 77. (See a complete cover gallery of that series here.)
After Judge Dredd kicked the door open, Eagle Comics brought a LOT of additional 2000AD content to America in the same format. Look for those in the next round.
