First print date: January 16 1982
Prog appearance: 247
Writer(s): John Grant
Artist(s): Carlos Ezquerra
Total episodes: 25
The Apocalypse War,Episode III
Judge Snekov proudly explains stage three of the Sov-Blok plan to destroy Mega-City One. Massive ten-megaton nukes are even now detonating all along the eastern seaboard, which will cause a huge deadly tsunami which will take down the huge Atlantic Wall surrounding the city, and leaving it easy prey to the Sov attacks. As Dredd and Grifffin fly over the city they are caught in the backwash of the detonation of one of the missiles, crashlanding into one of the towers, Betty Boop Block. Checking on the Chief Judge, Dredd sees that Griffin is hurt but alive; he needs medical attention soon though, so he and the H-Wagon's pilot, who is uninjured, leave the vehicle and head out into the block, in search of help. Unfortunately, with Block Mania still raging, some locals are watching them with less than friendly eyes...
Quotes
Dredd: “Tidal wave! Atlantic Wall breached!”
Griffin: “Estimate damage?”
Tech: “Total!”
Dave Attenborough blocker: “Holy moley! Do you see what I see?”
Other blocker (as water pours in through the wall): “Only Jacques Cousteau Block could have thought this one up!”
The Sov plan, stage three, as explained by Judge Snekov: “Our pre-emptive strike has crippled the enemy. We must now press home our advantage. As the display shows, ten magaton devices are detonating all along the Mega-City One eastern seaboard at this moment. The resulting blast will throw up a tidal wave over a kilometre high and over 1,500 kilometres in length. By the time the wave hits the Atlantic Wall it will have doubled in height. Its destructive power will be, quite simply, unimaginable. For Mega-City One it will be the beginning of the end!”
Betty Boop blocker: “Stinkin' Judges payin' a social call!”
Other Betty Booper: “What are we waitin' for? Let's socialise 'em!”
Houston, we have a problem!
Maybe. Snekov tells the Supreme Judge about nuclear devices being detonated all along the eastern seaboard. How did they get there? Are we supposed to believe that Sov agents were able to plant them without being seen (“Nothink to see here, Komrade!”), or are there Sov agents working within Mega-City One? Hopefully this will be explained, as otherwise it's a huge plot hole, as the attack on Mega-City One pretty much hinges on this.
Laughing in the face of death
One of the first tower blocks to go over is called Giant Haystacks Block! I'm sure the huge wrestler never went down so quickly!
The usage of both Dave Attenborough for one of the names of the blocks (as this is, essentially, a natural disaster, although deliberately created) and that of Jacques Cousteau, famous for his television shows of the seventies when he would explore underwater, is particularly well done.