To skip the intro and get to the pictures click here. Otherwise, read on. In the early 21st century overpopulation finally peaked with hundreds of millions of people crammed into the massive megacities. With over 80% of the population unemployed and frustrated crimerates skyrocketed worldwide. To police these urban jungles a new breed of police were needed. Empowered to sentence criminals on the spot the Judges were the police, judge, jury and (if need be) executioner rolled into one. Originally just an elite police force after President Robert L. "Bad Boy" Booth began the atomic wars the surviving populace turned to them and the Judges took power. By this time all nations had adopted variations on the Judge System and this signaled the start of all of them taking political control of what remained of their homelands. With most of America a wasteland thanks to the nuclear exchanges and decades of environmental abuse the country ceased to exist as the three American megacities became autonomous citystates. Citystates where conditions were worse than ever as their populations swelled yet again from the influx of refugees. With the nightmares spawned by the radlands outside and an urban jungle within the walls the Judges have to maintain an iron grip to keep their cities from spiraling into chaos and self destruction. Mega-City 1 covers most of the East Coast of North America. The most crimeridden of the megacities it is also the home of Judge Dredd. "Mega-City 1 ... 800 million people and every one of them a potential criminal. The most violent, evil city on Earth ... But, God help me, I love it!" - Judge Dredd, Prog 59 "Return to Mega-City" The most prominent judge in the city and perhaps the world he has saved Mega-City 1 (and during "Judgement Day" the entire planet) from total destruction on several occasions. He has also defeated a variety of threats from both larger than life adversaries and the regular but still lethal crime that permeates Mega-City 1. But good as he is Dredd can't do it alone and he's worked with a lot of other Judges. Here's one of them. Like the contemporary police Justice Department is divided into various divisions that specialize in a particular field. While many of these areas would be familiar to contemporary law enforcement one new wrinkle is Psi-Division. Once future science proved psychic powers existed the Judges set about harnessing those powers to the fight against crime by seeking out those recruits with psychic abilities and training them to enhance their powers for use in the war against crime. One such Judge is Psi-Judge Cassandra Anderson Anderson's first appearance in "Judge Dredd" looked like it would also be her last. A powerful telepath and one of Psi-Divisions best operatives despite her youth she was called in to assist Dredd in a very unusual case. An undead creature calling itself Judge Death had entered Mega-City 1 from another dimension and begun killing everyone it met. While Dredd destroyed its body a gaseous form had arisen from the incinerated corpse and declared they had merely delayed its mission and all would be judged. With it obvious they weren't facing some run of the mill serial killer Dredd called in Psi Division and they assigned Anderson. While a bit put off by Anderson's offhanded manner Dredd couldn't deny she got results. Using Judge Death's corpse as a link she channeled him and learned in his world the Judges and decided all crime was committed by the living and declared life a crime. Having purified his own world Death was looking to spread the blessing. Death broke contact leaving Dredd with the problem of how to find and contain him. Unfortunately for her Anderson solved that problem. The mind link worked both ways so Death was able to locate Anderson and possess her body. While she did her best to resist her psychic powers were no match for Death's and his mind overwhelmed hers. Using her to retrieve his body from the morgue Judge Death intended to resurrect himself but Anderson had learned that while he couldn't be destroyed he could be contained. She managed to send a telepathic message to Psi Divison. A single word, "Boing", a message which Dredd understood. Psi Judge Anderson
That seemed to be the end of the line for Judge Anderson but about 18 months later things changed.
During those months (for those who are wondering Dredd ages in real time and his stories always take place 122 years from the date of publication) Anderson had become something of a tourist attraction. I suspect it wasn't quite what Dredd had in mind when he said her bravery would be remembered.
It turned out Death didn't work alone and his comrades Fire, Fear and Mortis had arrived and arranged for a dupe to serve as Death's new host body. Fortunately Anderson had learned some things while sealed in with Death and became the key to destroying them. Unfortunately while their bodies were destroyed the Dark Judges spirit forms survived and clashed with Anderson and Dredd on several occasions. During which it was demonstrated that one on one the dead boys don't have a chance. But that was in the future. Anderson recovered from her ordeal and quickly reclaimed her place as Psi-Division's top gun. Soon she was back at work as a Psi-Judge. Entering perps minds for information Justice Department wanted and helping citizens with the more unusual mental conditions such as demonic possession. Evicting demons meant fighing them inside their victim's mind in an artificial environment they controlled which wasn't easy. But Anderson was up to the challenge. However as the next page demonstrates while she could handle other peoples demons her own were another matter!
Back to the 2000AD Page
Back to the D.C. Main Page
