I Am the Law: How Judge Dredd Predicted Our Future - by Michael Molcher (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

The Eisner award-winning examination of the ways in which the comic strip Judge Dredd, published in 2000 AD, has predicted the changing face of policing in Britain over the last 45 years.

The Eisner award-winning examination of the ways in which the comic strip Judge Dredd, published in 2000 AD, has predicted the changing face of policing in Britain over the last 45 years.

He is the law - and you better believe it!

Judge, jury and executioner, Judge Dredd is the brutal comic book cop policing the chaotic future urban jungle of Mega-City One, created by John Wagner and Carlos Ezquerra and launching in the pages of 2000 AD in 1977.

But what began as a sci-fi action comic quickly evolved into a searing satire on hardline, militarised policing and 'law and order' politics, its endless inventiveness and ironic humour acting as a prophetic warning about our world today - and with important lessons for our future.

Blending comic book history with contemporary radical theories on policing, I Am The Law takes key Dredd stories from the last 45 years and demonstrates how they provide a unique wake up call about our gradual, and not so gradual, slide towards authoritarian policing.

From the politicisation of policing to 'zero tolerance', from violent suppression of protest to the rise of the surveillance state, I Am The Law examines how a comic book warned us about the chilling endgame of today's 'law and order' politics.

Review Quotes

Longlist for the 2024 Hugo Award for 'Best Related Work'

Winner of the 2024 Eisner Award for 'Best Comics-Related Book'

"A book equally satisfying for a law geek and a comics geek" - David Allen Green, legal commentator

"An absolute ripper of a book, equally deft with Judge Dredd comics, Giorgio Agamben and Dardot & Laval" - Spencer Ackerman, author Reign of Terror

"Excellent work of pop culture scholarship & sociology as well" -- Matt Zoller Seitz, film and television critic

"May be one of the most important books about science fiction published this decade" -- Hugo Book Club Blog

"Outstanding" - Broken Frontier

"With I Am The Law, Molcher has achieved a rare thing, and written a book that deals with a complex and often controversial subject in a nuanced and highly readable way" -- Fortean Times

"I cannot recall a more timely book ... This is not just a celebration of the future fictional character: it is a thoughtful, and often alarming examination of the state of law enforcement in a liberal, or neo-liberal, society." - Nick Lezard, The Spectator

"Should leave you incandescent with rage at the injustices of our own world ... a thoroughly researched book that dives deep into the history of policing and totalitarian politics...to make its often damning case." - Wyrd Science

About the Author

Michael Molcher has worked for 2000 AD for over ten years as head of PR, and in the process has interviewed many writers and artists who have written and drawn for the comic over its forty-five year publishing history.