Episode VII: “Antique car heist”
First print date: April 16 1977
Prog appearance: 8
Writer(s): Charles Herring
Artist(s): Massimo Bellardinelli
Total episodes: 1
Who would be bothered stealing a clunky old Morris Minor? Well, in this age probably nobody, but in the twenty-second (almost) century such cars have become so rare that they are not only classics but are considered art. And art theft will always be popular, with the potential it has of a huge return for the criminal who has the proper connections. Thus it is that a perp steals one of these old bangers and is in turn tailed by Dredd, who notes that several “classic” cars have gone missing in the last month. Like in the “Frankenstein 2” story, he wants the criminal to lead him to the nerve centre of the operation. The guy didn't steal the car for a joyride: he obviously knows where to sell it and who will buy it. This is the guy Dredd wants, the mastermind behind the classic car theft ring,
And so he does. The top guy is not happy to see that his flunky has led Dredd right to his door, and tries to shut it in his face, but Dredd blasts the garage door with his Lawgiver. Thinking fast, the criminals blast Dredd with the plastic coating they have been putting on the classic cars so as to disguise them for resale. Dredd reels, and the gang closes in. But as the boss, Krilz, leaves them to deal with the stricken Judge, the criminals decide this is their big chance to see what lies underneath that mirror-visored helmet, to see the face of Judge Dredd. They are horrified by what they see though, and the shock allows Dredd to get the drop on them. Krilz however is making his escape via the Walk-eeze, a fast-moving pedestrian pathway, and waves to Dredd as the platform carries him away at five hundred feet a second. Dredd is unconcerned though, and puts in a call to control, who obligingly reverse the direction of the Walk-eeze, so that it carries the disbelieving perp right back to Dredd.
QUOTES
Dredd: “There's been a lot of art thefts in this sector. Last week a Ford Cortina --- one of only ten left in the world --- and a Cadillac went missing.”
(Gotta like the idea of having an eye on the American market, even so early on. “Cortina?” says the puzzled yank. “Huh? Oh, now
Cadillac ---
that I understand!”)
Dredd: “Close your door if you like, Krilz, but a high explosive bullet will open it again!”
Gang: “Aargh! What's happened to Dredd's face? It's horrible! With a face like that Dredd shouldn't be allowed to live! Kill him!”
Krilz: “Huh? What's happening? The Walk-eeze, it's ... slowing down ... going backwards! Towards Dredd!”
Welcome to the world of tomorrow!
We're all familiar with moving walkways in shopping malls and airports, but they move at a very sedate pace and are of course interior. Mega-City One has just installed its first Walk-Eeze, which is a high-speed pedestrian walkway, presumably for those who wish to move faster than walking but who can't or don't drive or have access to transport. It's an interesting idea, although you would wonder would people eventually do what they do with moving walkways in this century: find them too slow and just walk along them anyway, kind of defeating the purpose for which they were built? Let's see: 500 feet per second is 3000 feet per minute or 18,000 feet per hour. 1,760 feet in a mile so that's approximately ... 17 to 18 miles per hour? That's pretty damn fast! Don't see anyone outpacing that!
Personal note: This appears to be the first, and so far as I can see, only Dredd story written by Charles Herring, and I do not like his style. The dialogue he gives Dredd is totally out of character. Dredd has, up to now, given us the impression of having a hard, clipped tone, sharp, business-like, no nonsense. Here though he speaks in what seems to me a very nineteenth-century English idiom, using “shall” instead of “will” or even contracting the word --- “I shall” instead of “I'll”. He also says “You are under arrest” where he would normally say “You're under arrest”, possibly adding a “creep!” for good measure. No, I don't like his style and I can see why he was not asked to write again. Even the subject matter of the story is old and dusty --- Morris friggin' Minor heist? Do me a lemon! I can see this Herring guy, all tweed jacket and pipe, with a copy of Roget's Thesaurus on his desk, plotting out this story. Stick to the murder mysteries, mate! Your title is crap too: couldn't you come up with something snappier? Here, let me try: um, "The Morris Minor caper"? "Wheels and Rust"? Fuck it, "The Wheels of Justice"! See, it's not so hard. 
Ch-ch-ch-changes
Once again we see that the writing staff have not decided what Dredd's HQ will be. We've had “Police Control”, “HQ” and now “Law Control.” Still fleshing the idea out. We also see though the first indication that Dredd's Lawgiver (still just referred to as his gun for now) can fire different types of ammunition, as here he uses high-explosive to blow the garage door. Later we will learn the mode is selectable, by voice command.
I'll ask the questions, creep!
What is so horrible underneath Dredd's helmet? The picture in the comic just shows his face with a censored sticker plastered over it, as above. But in the comics there never was, up until the point I stopped reading anyway, any indication that Dredd had suffered, Darth Vader-like, any disfigurement. To my recollection, he just kept his helmet on all the time because he was a tightarse, and to retain the mystique about him. But the perps seem to have seen something awful there. I don't think this was followed up: perhaps they were thinking of going down that road and then changed their minds?