Chapter V
First print date: May 28 1977
Prog appearance: 14
Writer(s): John Wagner
Artist(s): Ian Gibson
Destined to be made into a human robot, Dredd is first shown by Call-Me-Kenneth, in the time-honoured tradition of villains down the centuries, how he intends to wipe out as many humans as possible. He is introducing what must be one of the first ever suicide bombers, Blockbuster, a robot with a bomb in its head which is designed to throw itself at a large group of humans and detonate. He advises the Judge that he has written a new Law of Robotics into the software of all his robots, to ensure they obey him. While there, Dredd sees for himself the brutal dictator Call-Me-Kenneth has become, as he orders a robot who displeased him to commit suicide, and it does. Dredd is sickened by the casual cruelty of the once-slave, and does not even resist when he is led to his new robot body. The operation is to take place the next day.
Dredd tries to escape, but is beaten by the overseer robots. A while later though his chance comes when the robot to bring in his food is none other than Walter, who helps him melt the robo-cuffs by pouring acid on them. Now free, Dredd is told by Walter that he has been talking to the other robots on the assembly line, and that all is not well in this dark utopia. Many of the robots are upset with the tyrannical rule of Call-Me-Kenneth, feeling they have swapped one master for a much worse, more brutal one. If Dredd and Walter can convince enough of the discontented ones to turn against their leader, they may yet just have a chance of coming out of this alive, and even of defeating the mad king of robots.
QUOTES
Call-Me-Kenneth: “Your brain will be cut from your head and put into this cavity. Your nerve endings will be connected so that if an order is disobeyed, a shock is sent into every nerve of the brain!”
Dredd: “I have seen enough of your Hell factory. It sickens me. Sooner or later, robot, someone will destroy you. If not me then another Judge.”
Call-Me-Kenneth: “I'm a big fan of Adolf Hitler!”
Robo-cuffs: “Oh boy! I said you shouldn't tangle with me, buddy! Now you're gonna get it good!”
Walter: “Walter has been talking to the other robots, master. Many of the older ones are unhappy with Call-Me-Kenneth. If we pwoceed carefully, with their help we have a chance to gwab contwol of the whole factowy!”
Welcome to the world of tomorrow!
Where even the handcuffs are robotic! I don't know for certain whether these are the proper Judge issue, or whether Call-Me-Kenneth has had them specially made, but now handcuffs talk and have a personality, which is not really great news if you're trying to break them and escape!
Messages
Although a little close to the bone here, it's pretty obvious that Wagner is drawing parallels with Nazi Germany, where before he seemed to be going in a more slavery-of-the-black-man direction. He leaves us in no doubt of this new perspective, when Dredd compares Call-Me_Kenneth to Hitler, and the robot responds that he admires the tyrant. There are, however, some holes in this comparison. Though Hitler may have driven his people to the brink of starvation and extermination by the end, during the war he did, generally, treat them okay, to the point that few (apparently) saw anything wrong and the end, when it came, was almost a shock. It was the Jews of course who bore the brunt of his hatred and evil, but if you were to try to compare the robots of Mega-City One to the Jews I think you'd have a problem.
If anything, I guess humans would be the closest to Jews in Call-Me-Kenneth's robotic Reich, but like any dictator he has lost the run of himself and begun to turn on those who helped him get into power. Soon enough he may go the whole hog and begin thinking of himself as a god. He has already made sure no robot can disobey him by altering their software, which makes it difficult to see how Dredd and Walter are going to get any of the apparently disgruntled robots to stand against him.
It's also pretty clear that the initial reason for the robot rebellion --- to free themselves of the treatment they had suffered from humans --- has been very much pushed into the background now, as they begin to realise that life under Call-Me-Kenneth is no better. They have in fact exchanged one master for another, and as it happens, a much worse one. Humans may have mistreated them in an offhand, uncaring way, but Call-Me-Kenneth is a true sadist and enjoys inflicting pain on his new slaves. Ask many robots now, if they could return to the old days would they, and I think a surprising number of them would agree it was after all not so bad under the human masters. At least they knew where they stood.
I'll ask the questions, creep!
Kind of odd how Walter, a known accomplice of Dredd, is allowed to visit the prisoner. He's supposed to be working on the assembly line, and should have no business down in the cells. How was he able to get past the guards? And how does he propose getting Dredd past the guards now that he's freed him? Well, I guess that one will be answered in the next chapter...
Famous Firsts
Here we see the artwork for the first time of a man who would go on to become almost as synonymous with Dredd as Ezquerra, Ian Gibson.