With the movie Dredd, Judge Dredd finally got a worthy movie, and fans have been hoping for a sequel, even though it wasn’t a big hit at the box office. If we don’t get a movie sequel, there’s a new Dredd comic called Underbelly that is a direct follow up to the movie.
Giant Freakin Robot and Movies.com tell us that Underbelly is being directly aimed at the American market (Dredd came from Britain). This is indeed a comic sequel to the Dredd movie, and it’s being released by Rebellion, who publish the 2000AD comics.
As an exec for the company, Matt Smith, said, “We’ve noted a real swell of US interest in Dredd off the back of the film. This first foray for 2000AD in producing a US format book, geared specifically to the direct market, and aimed at satisfying those demanding a sequel, is a gas grenade-style lob across the Atlantic to show that you don’t have to camp outside your local multiplex to get your next fix – the Judge will carry on enforcing the Law through the pages of the comic.”
Smith also promised that “Dredd fans won’t be disappointed.” (BTW, to the best of our knowledge, Smith is not related to the Matt Smith who plays Doctor Who, although that would be cool if he was.)
So while it’s too bad that the Dredd movie didn’t take off, we’re glad there’s still a great effort to keep the character alive and strong. With so many properties being rebooted, maybe the wheel will come around to Dredd, and justice will finally be done.
