Ciudad Barranquilla
Encyclopedia
Ciudad Barranquilla, also known as Banana City, is a huge fictional city
covering much of Central America in the Judge Dredd
comic book
series. Its name comes from the real city of Barranquilla
in Colombia
, although it is generally placed around the Buenos Aires
city in Argentina
. Its nickname is a play on the term banana republic
.
, Barranquilla suffers from very high population density
. Unlike Mega-City One and most of its contemparies, most of its City Blocks are rather old-fashioned and do not show the same futuristic design, due to Ciudad's high level of financial inequality - most of its population live in poverty, while the elite few live in extravagance. Much of Baranquilla's economy comes from trade with other Megacities. Much of the organised crime comes from the drug-dealing narco-gang cartels, who operate under Judicial license. Barranquilla is described as close to radioactive desert, and surviving jungles - themselves home to Zancudo and the Mayan city Mictlan (a refuge for criminals & fugitives).
The depiction of the city seemingly reflects the North America and European view of current-day South America, and the indigenous characters sport a very high proportion of cheesy, stereotyped accents. The resident Judges view (correctly) that Mega-City One looks down on them as corrupt and incompetent.
system, with harsh law
s enforced by figures who are a combination of judge & jury and police officer. Judicial corruption
in Barranquilla is amongst the worst on Earth, with the Judges openly using brutality, taking bribes and generally being more like gangsters in uniform than law enforcers. The Justice Department is openly seen as a way of getting your hands on "the benefits" of status, and in 2110 only those with money or born into judicial families could become judges. Traditionally, all those executed by the Judges were dumped in the mass graveyard Huerto dos Huesos - the Bone Orchard - with its open nature serving as a form of intimidation. The Supreme Judge, equivalent of the Chief Judge
, extorts many companies and tourist attractions in order to finance himself, as well as half of the housing; Judges will assault or arrest anyone who can't pay the rent.
Due to this system, there have been a substantial number of coups among the Supreme Judge. The current ruler is Cholo, having helped Mega-City One depose his father, former Supreme Judge Santiago Sangrenegra. On the surface, the new regime is far less corrupt and has assistance from international peacekeepers in restoring stability.
A Baranquilla Judge, Corvo, was part of the international team chosen to stop Judgement Day
, but he defected to Sabbat to save himself.
Multiple fugitives from MC-1 have fled to Barranquilla. The insane rogue Judge Kurten was able to buy his way into working as a Judge there. PJ Maybe
, the notorious serial killer, was able to live free in Ciudad for some years. During this time the Judges turned a blind eye to his murders and even assisted in covering his tracks when Dredd finally learned he was still alive.
While the Judges wore colourful uniforms in their first appearance (2110 AD), they would later wear black-and-bronze versions. The first shown Supreme Judge, Batista, wore a gaudy golden bird-headed costume, but this was dropped by later Supremes.
With the Zancudo gone, the Old Ones now have supremacy over the jungle. What they will do now is unknown.
and Euro-Cit provided most of the medical & technical personnel.
The ulterior motive for Mega-City One, however, was to ensure there would be a regime change that would fall in their favour. Tek and Psi Divisions deliberately excavated the remains of fourteen Mega-City citizens murdered by Barranquilla Judicial forces at the Bone Orchard, giving Dredd an excuse to launch a punitive attack on Sangrenegra and execute him for murder without violating the peacekeeping remit. Having convinced Cholo to assist in this, Mega-City One rewarded him the role of Supreme Judge, with the intention of him serving as their puppet ruler. It has been made quite clear that they will remove him if he does not follow Mega-City 'advice'.
City
A city is a relatively large and permanent settlement. Although there is no agreement on how a city is distinguished from a town within general English language meanings, many cities have a particular administrative, legal, or historical status based on local law.For example, in the U.S...
covering much of Central America in the Judge Dredd
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 book
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
series. Its name comes from the real city of Barranquilla
Barranquilla
Barranquilla is an industrial port city and municipality located in northern Colombia, near the Caribbean Sea. The capital of the Atlántico Department, it is the largest industrial city and port in the Colombian Caribbean region with a population of 1,148,506 as of 2005, which makes it Colombia's...
in Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
, although it is generally placed around the Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
city in Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
. Its nickname is a play on the term banana republic
Banana republic
In political science, the pejorative term Banana Republic denotes a politically unstable country dependent upon limited primary productions , which is ruled by a plutocracy, a small, self-elected, wealthy group who exploit the country by means of a politico-economic oligarchy...
.
Description
Like 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...
, Barranquilla suffers from very high population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
. Unlike Mega-City One and most of its contemparies, most of its City Blocks are rather old-fashioned and do not show the same futuristic design, due to Ciudad's high level of financial inequality - most of its population live in poverty, while the elite few live in extravagance. Much of Baranquilla's economy comes from trade with other Megacities. Much of the organised crime comes from the drug-dealing narco-gang cartels, who operate under Judicial license. Barranquilla is described as close to radioactive desert, and surviving jungles - themselves home to Zancudo and the Mayan city Mictlan (a refuge for criminals & fugitives).
The depiction of the city seemingly reflects the North America and European view of current-day South America, and the indigenous characters sport a very high proportion of cheesy, stereotyped accents. The resident Judges view (correctly) that Mega-City One looks down on them as corrupt and incompetent.
Law
Ciudad Barranquilla is run by a JudgeJudge (2000 AD)
Judge is a title held by several significant characters in the Judge Dredd series, which appears in the British comics 2000 AD and Judge Dredd Megazine...
system, with harsh law
Law
Law is a system of rules and guidelines which are enforced through social institutions to govern behavior, wherever possible. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a social mediator of relations between people. Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus...
s enforced by figures who are a combination of judge & jury and police officer. Judicial corruption
Political corruption
Political corruption is the use of legislated powers by government officials for illegitimate private gain. Misuse of government power for other purposes, such as repression of political opponents and general police brutality, is not considered political corruption. Neither are illegal acts by...
in Barranquilla is amongst the worst on Earth, with the Judges openly using brutality, taking bribes and generally being more like gangsters in uniform than law enforcers. The Justice Department is openly seen as a way of getting your hands on "the benefits" of status, and in 2110 only those with money or born into judicial families could become judges. Traditionally, all those executed by the Judges were dumped in the mass graveyard Huerto dos Huesos - the Bone Orchard - with its open nature serving as a form of intimidation. The Supreme Judge, equivalent of the Chief Judge
Chief Judge of Mega-City One
Chief Judge of Mega-City One is the title of several supporting characters in the Judge Dredd comic strip published in 2000 AD. The chief judge is dictator and head of state of Mega-City One, a fictional future city of around 400 million people in 22nd-century America...
, extorts many companies and tourist attractions in order to finance himself, as well as half of the housing; Judges will assault or arrest anyone who can't pay the rent.
Due to this system, there have been a substantial number of coups among the Supreme Judge. The current ruler is Cholo, having helped Mega-City One depose his father, former Supreme Judge Santiago Sangrenegra. On the surface, the new regime is far less corrupt and has assistance from international peacekeepers in restoring stability.
A Baranquilla Judge, Corvo, was part of the international team chosen to stop Judgement Day
Judgement Day (Judge Dredd story)
Judgement Day was a Judge Dredd story published with alternating episodes in both 2000 AD and the Judge Dredd Megazine in 1992. It was the first crossover between the two publications; three more have since followed...
, but he defected to Sabbat to save himself.
Multiple fugitives from MC-1 have fled to Barranquilla. The insane rogue Judge Kurten was able to buy his way into working as a Judge there. PJ Maybe
PJ Maybe
Philip Janet Maybe is a fictional character in the 2000 AD comic strip Judge Dredd. He is a notorious serial killer, and most notably assumed the identity of Mayor Byron Ambrose, who he murdered.-Fictional character biography:...
, the notorious serial killer, was able to live free in Ciudad for some years. During this time the Judges turned a blind eye to his murders and even assisted in covering his tracks when Dredd finally learned he was still alive.
While the Judges wore colourful uniforms in their first appearance (2110 AD), they would later wear black-and-bronze versions. The first shown Supreme Judge, Batista, wore a gaudy golden bird-headed costume, but this was dropped by later Supremes.
Zancudo/Ant Wars
In the remaining Amazonian jungle near Baranquilla, a race of giant ants - the Old Ones - have existed since 1978. As chronicled in the 2000AD 1978 strip Ant Wars, they were mutated into giant form and increased intelligence (which borders of sentience) by a new form of gas weaponry. They conquered their way across Central America, devastating an entire city early in their campaign, before finally being destroyed. Some survived and remained in hiding in the jungles, eventually gaining worshippers in the form of one of the local tribes. Meanwhile, a race of sentient giant mosquitos - the Zancudo - were also created. By 2127, they had a city in old Mayan ruins and enslaved the nearby human tribes as a food source & labour. The Old Ones and the Zancudo were at war until the arrival of two Judges, Sofia and Xavi, who found themselves a pawn in the war as they possessed the ability to cure the Blight, a disease the mosquitos and their slaves were suffering form. The Judges both died but took the Zancudo with them in a nuclear detonation. In true B-movie tradition, a few of the larvae survived...With the Zancudo gone, the Old Ones now have supremacy over the jungle. What they will do now is unknown.
Regime Change
Sangrenegra was never able to fully consolidate his grip on power after his coup, leading to a massive civil unrest and open warfare between different Judge factions that threatened to destroy the whole city. Sino-Cit was supporting the current regime with intent of gaining a foothold in South America; East-Meg Two was covertly funding part of the coup to secure regime change that would give them a foothold, with Sangrenegra's chief lieutenant and illegitimate son Cholo secretly working with them. Mega-City One, secretly informed of these acts by a Sov defector, formed and led an international peacekeeping mission - Mega-City would provide the bulk of the military units, led by Judge Dredd, while Brit-CitBrit-Cit
Brit-Cit is a huge fictional city in the fictional universe of British comics 2000 AD and Judge Dredd. It is also the home of Sam Slade in some of 2000AD's Robo-Hunter stories. The city covers the south of England and bordering on the Black Atlantic...
and Euro-Cit provided most of the medical & technical personnel.
The ulterior motive for Mega-City One, however, was to ensure there would be a regime change that would fall in their favour. Tek and Psi Divisions deliberately excavated the remains of fourteen Mega-City citizens murdered by Barranquilla Judicial forces at the Bone Orchard, giving Dredd an excuse to launch a punitive attack on Sangrenegra and execute him for murder without violating the peacekeeping remit. Having convinced Cholo to assist in this, Mega-City One rewarded him the role of Supreme Judge, with the intention of him serving as their puppet ruler. It has been made quite clear that they will remove him if he does not follow Mega-City 'advice'.