Angel Gang
Encyclopedia
The Angel Gang is a group of villains in the Judge Dredd
comic strip
, published in 2000 AD
magazine in the UK.
Never ones to commit a murder when a vile atrocity would do, the Angels were led by the father of the Angel family, Elmer "Pa" Angel, and included three of his four sons:
In the "Judge Child
" storyline, the Angels (except for Fink) have escaped from detention in Texas City, and are anxious to get off-planet. Hearing of the Judge Child's precognitive abilities, they obtain him from a carnival worker who's using him in a fake fortune-telling racket and take him along. The value of a child who could see and perhaps even influence the future was obvious, but the Angel Gang had to travel a long way before they could find a way to turn a decent profit from his capture. They finally arrived on the Planet Xanadu, where a mysterious and dangerous robot called the Grunwalder ruled over his own independent Kingdom. Pa Angel was keen to do a deal with the robot, hoping to exchange Owen Krysler for considerable riches - as well as protection from the Mega-City One Judges. However, Dredd caught up with the Angel Gang on Xanadu and he was prepared to kill them all in his quest for the Judge Child. Link was the first to fall, followed by Mean Machine, then Junior and finally Pa.
Later, Fink comes to Mega-City One
to avenge his kinsfolk, only to be imprisoned, and "Mean Machine" is resurrected by the Judge Child to be sent back for revenge on Dredd. There have also been some stand-alone stories featuring the Angel Gang, notably one where they were travelling in time after Mean Machine hijacked a time machine from a university and, not knowing what to do, decided to go back in time and find his Pa, who was always able to come up with a clever plan.
In 2000 AD Prog 958's Dredd story "Awakening Of Angels", John Wagner 'resurrected' Pa and Junior Angel by revealing that when Dredd 'killed' them by throwing them into a volcano, they never actually died but were instead trapped in a crystal-like substance which held them in suspended animation. This proved an unpopular plotline. Many readers felt it was cheesy and out of keeping with the spirit of 2000AD, which was never afraid to kill off its characters. Wagner later regretted the move, stating in an online interview, "We got away with resurrecting Mean Machine, I think. He was just too good a character to throw away, and somehow he suited miracle rebirth, but I confess in hindsight Pa and Junior were a step too far. I don’t think I’ll be using them again." Their resurrection is generally ignored.
In 2007 they appeared in two consecutive stories in Judge Dredd Megazine
, focusing on the clan's earlier adventures: Before They Wuz Dead (an Angel Gang story) and Pizen Impossible (a Fink solo story), both by Simon Spurrier
and Steve Roberts. The first strip fleshed out Link, revealing he resented that Junior got all of Pa's attention and that he had to do all the duller work (like cleaning the guns) while his brothers got to kill & interrogate people.
Megazine #273 introduced the previously unknown son of Fink, Ratfink Angel.
; Mean Machine by Christopher Adamson; Link by Phil Smeeton; and Junior by Ewen Bremner
. Fink did not appear in the film. Dredd encounters them when his shuttle is downed by them and they capture him, but he quickly frees himself and kills them all in combat.
The novelization based on the film took Pa's fanaticism even further--to "keep out evil spirits," Pa had sewn shut his ears, eyes, and mouth. He thus communicated in a series of muffled words and grunts.
Judge Dredd
Judge Joseph Dredd is a comics character whose strip in the British science fiction anthology 2000 AD is the magazine's longest running . Dredd is an American law enforcement officer in a violent city of the future where uniformed Judges combine the powers of police, judge, jury and executioner...
comic strip
Comic strip
A comic strip is a sequence of drawings arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often serialized, with text in balloons and captions....
, published in 2000 AD
2000 AD (comic)
2000 AD is a weekly British science fiction-oriented comic. As a comics anthology it serialises a number of separate stories each issue and was first published by IPC Magazines in 1977, the first issue dated 26 February. IPC then shifted the title to its Fleetway comics subsidiary which was sold...
magazine in the UK.
History
The most infamous and feared band of thugs ever to come out of Texas City, the Angel Gang were responsible for a near endless string of crimes with one overriding common factor - they were all quite unnecessarily violent.Never ones to commit a murder when a vile atrocity would do, the Angels were led by the father of the Angel family, Elmer "Pa" Angel, and included three of his four sons:
- Link Angel, who wears a biker costume and ring through his nose.
- "Junior" Angel, youngest of the boys, who wears a derby hat. He is the closest of them all to their sociopathic father.
- "Mean Machine" AngelMean Machine AngelMean "Mean Machine" Angel is a villain in the Judge Dredd stories of the British comic book series 2000 AD. He is one of the sons of Elmer "Pa" Angel, and as such, is a member of the Angel Gang.-Fictional biography:...
, a cyborgCyborgA cyborg is a being with both biological and artificial parts. The term was coined in 1960 when Manfred Clynes and Nathan S. Kline used it in an article about the advantages of self-regulating human-machine systems in outer space. D. S...
. Originally, "Machine" was nothing like his deeply antisocial family, so "Pa" forced a Texas City surgeon to come out to their hideout in the Cursed EarthCursed EarthThe Cursed Earth is a part of the fictional universe from the Judge Dredd series that appears in the UK comic book 2000 AD.-Background:...
and surgically modify him. He now has a mechanical arm, and his skull is covered with a metal dome with a dial. The dial's settings range from 1, where he's surly and mean and nasty, on up to 4, where he's fully berserk. - "Fink" Angel is the eldest of Pa's boys, and does not normally live with the rest of the family, preferring to live in holes he digs or finds. He has a skeletal face, and is the family specialist in poisons; he has poisons which can temporarily paralyze a victim, as well as ones that can kill quickly.
- "Ratfink" Angel Recently introduced in meg 273. The son of Fink Angel and an unknown mother.
In the "Judge Child
Judge Child
The Judge Child was an extended storyline in the 2000 AD comic strip Judge Dredd that ran from issues 156 to 181 in 1980. It introduced a character with the same name...
" storyline, the Angels (except for Fink) have escaped from detention in Texas City, and are anxious to get off-planet. Hearing of the Judge Child's precognitive abilities, they obtain him from a carnival worker who's using him in a fake fortune-telling racket and take him along. The value of a child who could see and perhaps even influence the future was obvious, but the Angel Gang had to travel a long way before they could find a way to turn a decent profit from his capture. They finally arrived on the Planet Xanadu, where a mysterious and dangerous robot called the Grunwalder ruled over his own independent Kingdom. Pa Angel was keen to do a deal with the robot, hoping to exchange Owen Krysler for considerable riches - as well as protection from the Mega-City One Judges. However, Dredd caught up with the Angel Gang on Xanadu and he was prepared to kill them all in his quest for the Judge Child. Link was the first to fall, followed by Mean Machine, then Junior and finally Pa.
Later, Fink comes to Mega-City One
Mega-City One
Mega-City One is a huge fictional city-state covering much of what is now the Eastern United States in the Judge Dredd comic book series. The exact boundaries of the city depend on which artist has drawn the story...
to avenge his kinsfolk, only to be imprisoned, and "Mean Machine" is resurrected by the Judge Child to be sent back for revenge on Dredd. There have also been some stand-alone stories featuring the Angel Gang, notably one where they were travelling in time after Mean Machine hijacked a time machine from a university and, not knowing what to do, decided to go back in time and find his Pa, who was always able to come up with a clever plan.
In 2000 AD Prog 958's Dredd story "Awakening Of Angels", John Wagner 'resurrected' Pa and Junior Angel by revealing that when Dredd 'killed' them by throwing them into a volcano, they never actually died but were instead trapped in a crystal-like substance which held them in suspended animation. This proved an unpopular plotline. Many readers felt it was cheesy and out of keeping with the spirit of 2000AD, which was never afraid to kill off its characters. Wagner later regretted the move, stating in an online interview, "We got away with resurrecting Mean Machine, I think. He was just too good a character to throw away, and somehow he suited miracle rebirth, but I confess in hindsight Pa and Junior were a step too far. I don’t think I’ll be using them again." Their resurrection is generally ignored.
In 2007 they appeared in two consecutive stories in Judge Dredd Megazine
Judge Dredd Megazine
Judge Dredd: The Megazine is a monthly British comic magazine, launched in October 1990. It is a sister publication to 2000 AD. Its name is a play on words, formed from "magazine" and Dredd's locale Mega-City One.-Content:...
, focusing on the clan's earlier adventures: Before They Wuz Dead (an Angel Gang story) and Pizen Impossible (a Fink solo story), both by Simon Spurrier
Simon Spurrier
Simon Spurrier is a British comics writer, who has previously worked as a cook, a bookseller and an art director for the BBC.Getting his start in comics with the British small press, he went on to write his own series for 2000 AD, like Lobster Random, Bec & Kawl, The Simping Detective and Harry...
and Steve Roberts. The first strip fleshed out Link, revealing he resented that Junior got all of Pa's attention and that he had to do all the duller work (like cleaning the guns) while his brothers got to kill & interrogate people.
Megazine #273 introduced the previously unknown son of Fink, Ratfink Angel.
Judge Dredd movie
The Angel Gang appeared in the movie version of Judge Dredd. Like many of the characters who appeared in the movie, they looked much like their comic-book counterparts but acted very differently; the movie's Angel Gang were represented as religious fanatics and cannibals. Dredd refers to them as the "legendary Angel family" and explains that they are "Cursed Earth pirates, murderers, scavengers, and, of course, scumbags". Pa Angel was played by Scott WilsonScott Wilson (actor)
Scott Wilson is an American actor.-Movies:Wilson appeared in such films as In the Heat of the Night, In Cold Blood, The Gypsy Moths, The Great Gatsby, The Right Stuff, A Year of the Quiet Sun, Malone, Dead Man Walking, The Grass Harp, Junebug, The Host, Monster, Young Guns II, Pearl Harbor, and...
; Mean Machine by Christopher Adamson; Link by Phil Smeeton; and Junior by Ewen Bremner
Ewen Bremner
-Early life:Bremner was born in Edinburgh, the son of two art teachers. He attended Davidson's Mains Primary School and Portobello High School. He originally wanted to be a circus clown, but was offered a chance in show business by television director Richard D. Brooks. One of his first notable...
. Fink did not appear in the film. Dredd encounters them when his shuttle is downed by them and they capture him, but he quickly frees himself and kills them all in combat.
The novelization based on the film took Pa's fanaticism even further--to "keep out evil spirits," Pa had sewn shut his ears, eyes, and mouth. He thus communicated in a series of muffled words and grunts.