Judge Death
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Image:Judgedeath.jpg Judge Death is a fictional character of the Judge Dredd universe recounted in the UK comic 2000 AD. He is the leader of the Dark Judges, a sinister group of undead law enforcers from the alternative dimension of Deadworld, where all life has been declared a crime.
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Origins and appearance
The full story of his journey from being Sidney D'eath, the son of a sadistic travelling dentist, to his incarnation as a creature of pure evil is recounted in the Judge Dredd Megazine series Young Death - Boyhood of a Superfiend.
The representation of Judge Death in the Judge Dredd and related comic strips has changed somewhat in character over the years. In his first appearances his image was extremely dark and sinister, with a real air of menace. However later stories have tended to present him in a much more humourous light. For instance in the Judge Dredd/Batman crossover graphic novel Judgement on Gotham Death was used as a practically comical figure.
Changes in attributes
Following the release of the Judge Dredd movie, a comic set in its continuity, entitled Judge Dredd: Lawman of the Future, was published, and soon featured a story introducing this continuity's version of Judge Death. He remains a death-dispensing monster from another dimension, but in this storyline, he is actually an alternate-dimension incarnation of Dredd himself, who died in the line of duty, but was supernaturally resurrected through his undying desire to dispense law. As all crime was committed by the living, Death reasoned, then living itself was a crime. Hence the monster's catchphrase: "The crime is life, the sentence is death!"
Cultural references
- Depeche Mode member Martin Gore has been photographed wearing a Judge Death t-shirt.
- Thrash Metal band Anthrax used an image of Judge Death on their 2006 bandshirt for their "cursed earth" tour.