Block Mania
Encyclopedia
Block Mania is a Judge Dredd
story, which ran in British comic 2000 AD
#236-244, in 1981. The story itself is a prologue for the longer storyline "The Apocalypse War
", which immediately follows the conclusion of "Block Mania".
. Eventually the conflict spreads city-wide, where millions of citizens are involved in violent riots, with the intent of murdering one another. During the last episode of the series it becomes apparent that the outbreak has been engineered by East Meg One
agent, Sov Judge Orlok
, infecting the city's water supply with a drug. The story thus acts as a prologue
to the next major storyline, "The Apocalypse War
".
The story is also notable for the death of the original Judge Giant
at the hands of Orlok.
Games Workshop
produced a board game
based on the above story, and other stories that had featured Block Wars. The game simulated a Block War between two City Blocks, with each player trying to do unto the other player's Block before it was done unto them.
A supplement, Mega Mania was released, which increased the number of Blocks (and thus players) to four.
There was also a two-page expansion published in White Dwarf that added equipment, including plascrete virus, nerve gas, and sucker guns.
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...
story, which ran in British comic 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...
#236-244, in 1981. The story itself is a prologue for the longer storyline "The Apocalypse War
Apocalypse War
The Apocalypse War is a storyline from the comic strip Judge Dredd, first published in British comic 2000 AD in 1982. A sequel to the story "Block Mania", it was written by John Wagner and Alan Grant and illustrated by Carlos Ezquerra...
", which immediately follows the conclusion of "Block Mania".
Story
The story opens with what seems to be a typical block war, as seen in the previous Dredd stories. However it soon becomes apparent that it is not an isolated incident, but that conflagrations are breaking out amongst hundreds of city blocks in Mega-City OneMega-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...
. Eventually the conflict spreads city-wide, where millions of citizens are involved in violent riots, with the intent of murdering one another. During the last episode of the series it becomes apparent that the outbreak has been engineered by East Meg One
East Meg One
East-Meg One is a fictional city in the world of Judge Dredd, the figurehead character of British weekly comic 2000 AD . It was introduced in prog 50 of 2000 AD , and destroyed in prog 267 ....
agent, Sov Judge Orlok
Sov Judge Orlok
Sov Judge Orlok, also known as Orlok the Assassin, is a fictional character in the British comic strip Judge Dredd. He is an operative of the Soviet megacity of East Meg One.-Fictional character biography:...
, infecting the city's water supply with a drug. The story thus acts as a prologue
Prologue
A prologue is an opening to a story that establishes the setting and gives background details, often some earlier story that ties into the main one, and other miscellaneous information. The Greek prologos included the modern meaning of prologue, but was of wider significance...
to the next major storyline, "The Apocalypse War
Apocalypse War
The Apocalypse War is a storyline from the comic strip Judge Dredd, first published in British comic 2000 AD in 1982. A sequel to the story "Block Mania", it was written by John Wagner and Alan Grant and illustrated by Carlos Ezquerra...
".
The story is also notable for the death of the original Judge Giant
Judge Giant
Judge Giant can refer to either of two fictional characters appearing in the Judge Dredd comic strip in 2000 AD. They are father and son...
at the hands of Orlok.
Board Game
In 19871987 in games
This page lists board and card games, wargames, miniatures games, and table-top role-playing games published in 1987. For video and console games, see 1987 in video gaming.-Game awards given in 1987:...
Games Workshop
Games Workshop
Games Workshop Group plc is a British game production and retailing company. Games Workshop has published the tabletop wargames Warhammer Fantasy Battle and Warhammer 40,000...
produced a board game
Board game
A board game is a game which involves counters or pieces being moved on a pre-marked surface or "board", according to a set of rules. Games may be based on pure strategy, chance or a mixture of the two, and usually have a goal which a player aims to achieve...
based on the above story, and other stories that had featured Block Wars. The game simulated a Block War between two City Blocks, with each player trying to do unto the other player's Block before it was done unto them.
A supplement, Mega Mania was released, which increased the number of Blocks (and thus players) to four.
There was also a two-page expansion published in White Dwarf that added equipment, including plascrete virus, nerve gas, and sucker guns.
External links
- Timeline precis of the story, by Paul ScottPaul Scott (comics)Paul Scott, sometimes known as Paul von Scott, is a British comics writer who is very active in the British small press comics scene.-Biography:Paul attended the University of Birmingham, where he studied geology....