1995: The Year of Living [Judge] Dredd-fully

1995 saw the release of Judge Dredd, starring Sylvester Stallone as the future lawman from the pages of iconic British anthology 2000AD. By that stage the comic had been around for 18 years, but this felt like a huge moment. If the movie was a hit, it would introduce Dredd to audiences - and potential readers - around the world.

I edited 2000AD's fortnightly sister title the Judge Dredd Megazine at the time, and was launch editor for Judge Dredd: Lawman of the Future, a fortnightly comic aimed at younger readers, using the film's visual style.

In the summer of 1995, Dredd seemed to be everywhere - in the UK, at least. Radio 1 did a big tie-in to the movie, there were masses of Dredd merchandise, and even a big Leicester Square premiere for the film.

Think the first time I actually saw the movie was at a preview screening in London's Marble Arch. I remember someone laughing at the James Earl Jones introductory voiceover, which wasn't a good start. The opening visual were still impressive. And then Stallone arrived on screen as Dredd.

I've had a life-long affection for the actor, dating back to seeing Rocky as a boy with my grandad. Stallone doesn't get much credit for his writing [he was Oscar-nominated for the Rocky screenplay] or his other skills. But the Judge Dredd movie was not a smooth ride for anyone, including Stallone.

Today's blip shows my ticket for a second preview screening, held a few days later, with loads of 2000AD creators in attendance. I remember artist Colin MacNeil scoffing about the film's chance in a pub afterward, and writer Alan Grant being particularly scathing about it too. Both were right.

Even though we knew the movie was likely doomed, the red carpet premiere in Leicester Square was a special night. I went in a Dredd-themed black cab with the character's co-creator Carlos Ezquerra and his wife Conchita. For a fleeting moment, it felt like being a movie star.

That moment didn't last.

The film died fast and hard in the US, with The Goofy Movie taking more at the box office. Judge Dredd washed its face internationally, thanks to 2000AD's following in Commonwealth territories and Stallone's global appeal. But the film was deemed an expensive flop, and the stink of that hung around for years after, whether or not that was justified.

By the end of 1995, sales on all Dredd-related titles were lower than they'd been before the movie was released. Hollywood spent nearly $100 million making the film and somehow managed to harm the source material.

I became editor of 2000AD a week before Christmas in 1995 and set the goal of slowing the precipitous decline that had seen the title lose 8000 sales a year over the preceding eight years. Without drastic action, the title was expected to fall below break even by the end of 1996, and its then publishers had no hesitation in cancelling a loss-making comic.

Thanks to some amazing creators, some bold choices and some careful resource management, I ensured 2000AD made £100,000 profit for the next five years. The sales decline continued, but slowed dramatically. Best of all, the comic survived to see the year 2000, my personal goal.

I left 2000AD to go freelance in the summer of 2000. Happily, the Galaxy's greatest comic is still going strong nearly 20 years later. I'm proud to have been a small part in that continuing success. But I doubt I'll be watching the 1995 Judge Dredd movie again anytime soon...