Grand Hall of Justice
Encyclopedia
The Grand Hall of Justice of Mega-City One
is a fictional building in the Judge Dredd
comic strip in 2000 AD
. It actually refers to three different buildings which existed at different times. The Grand Hall has been an important setting in several Judge Dredd stories, and one story, The Prankster, was written specifically about it.
. It appears to be located over the site of Midtown Manhattan
, less than a kilometer from Grand Central Terminal
. Since Justice Department is responsible not only for law enforcement but for most arms of government, the Grand Hall is essentially the central government building of the whole city-state of around 400 million people. As well as containing government offices it also contains the living quarters of several senior judges (including Dredd since 2124), a well-stocked armoury, and two public museums. The Hall of Heroes commemorates the most distinguished heroes and judges of the city, and contains the sarcophagus
of the first chief judge, Chief Judge Fargo
. The Black Museum contains exhibits relating to the city's most notorious criminals. Judge Death
was held prisoner there as an exhibit, his spirit form trapped in Judge Anderson
's body, between his first capture and his first escape (2102–2103).
The Grand Hall is located in Sector 1, and has been rebuilt twice.
in 1983 (top right), and was first shown in prog 308 of 2000 AD. This version has been shown in the comic many times, both in stories by Ezquerra and in those by other artists. However alternative designs have occasionally been used in the comic. In the 1995 Judge Dredd film
the building was depicted as an eagle with outstretched wings, and this design was copied in the 2003 computer game
.
When the building was occupied by Soviet forces during the Apocalypse War
of 2104, Judge Dredd used the tunnel to enter and exit the building on a covert mission. During his escape he was detected by the enemy and was forced to use incendiary bullets to cover his retreat. The fire took hold and spread, consuming the whole building.
After the War ended, the Academy of Law
was used as a temporary headquarters building until a new Grand Hall could be built.
Nobody was hurt in the explosion, which was quickly identified as the work of an infamous criminal known as "The Prankster." The Prankster was an eccentric millionaire who enjoyed playing practical jokes on people, and had always avoided capture. Realising that the only way to catch him was to entice him with a bait he could not refuse, Dredd announced that the third Grand Hall would be opened in time for April Fool's Day. True to form, the Prankster attempted to destroy the new building, but this time he was arrested, and the third Grand Hall survives to this day.
. Therefore its design is not always 100 percent successful.
Since 2113 the Grand Hall has been haunted by the ghost of the late Judge Silver
. Actual sightings have not occurred; rather it takes a more subtle form such as locked doors inexplicably being found unlocked and things of that nature. Psi Division
reported a barely detectable presence of an unidentified entity seeking an acceptance it could never find.
. The stories are written in the style of Tharg's Future Shocks
and have twist endings, each based around the background to an exhibit in the collection. The Black Museum is inspired by a real Black Museum
, a display of criminal
memorabilia in Scotland Yard
.
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...
is a fictional building 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 strip 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...
. It actually refers to three different buildings which existed at different times. The Grand Hall has been an important setting in several Judge Dredd stories, and one story, The Prankster, was written specifically about it.
Overview
The Grand Hall is the headquarters building of the Justice Department of Mega-City OneJudge (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...
. It appears to be located over the site of Midtown Manhattan
Midtown Manhattan
Midtown Manhattan, or simply Midtown, is an area of Manhattan, New York City home to world-famous commercial zones such as Rockefeller Center, Broadway, and Times Square...
, less than a kilometer from Grand Central Terminal
Grand Central Terminal
Grand Central Terminal —often incorrectly called Grand Central Station, or shortened to simply Grand Central—is a terminal station at 42nd Street and Park Avenue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, United States...
. Since Justice Department is responsible not only for law enforcement but for most arms of government, the Grand Hall is essentially the central government building of the whole city-state of around 400 million people. As well as containing government offices it also contains the living quarters of several senior judges (including Dredd since 2124), a well-stocked armoury, and two public museums. The Hall of Heroes commemorates the most distinguished heroes and judges of the city, and contains the sarcophagus
Sarcophagus
A sarcophagus is a funeral receptacle for a corpse, most commonly carved or cut from stone. The word "sarcophagus" comes from the Greek σαρξ sarx meaning "flesh", and φαγειν phagein meaning "to eat", hence sarkophagus means "flesh-eating"; from the phrase lithos sarkophagos...
of the first chief judge, Chief Judge Fargo
Chief Judge Fargo
Chief Judge Eustace Fargo is an important fictional character from the Judge Dredd comic strip in 2000 AD. He is Judge Dredd's clone father....
. The Black Museum contains exhibits relating to the city's most notorious criminals. Judge Death
Judge Death
Judge Death is a fictional character of the Judge Dredd universe recounted in the UK comic 2000 AD. He is the leader of the Dark Judges, a sinister group of undead law enforcers from the alternate dimension of Deadworld, where all life has been declared a crime since only the living commit crimes...
was held prisoner there as an exhibit, his spirit form trapped in Judge Anderson
Judge Anderson
Judge Cassandra Anderson is a fictional character that started as a supporting player in the comic story Judge Dredd of 2000 AD and eventually rose in prominence and became the star of her own series, which is entitled Anderson: Psi-Division. It was created by writer John Wagner and artist Brian...
's body, between his first capture and his first escape (2102–2103).
The Grand Hall is located in Sector 1, and has been rebuilt twice.
Appearance
The official appearance of the third Grand Hall of Justice was designed by artist Carlos EzquerraCarlos Ezquerra
Carlos Sanchez Ezquerra , who has also worked under the alias L. John Silver, is a Spanish comics artist who works mainly in British comics and currently lives in Andorra...
in 1983 (top right), and was first shown in prog 308 of 2000 AD. This version has been shown in the comic many times, both in stories by Ezquerra and in those by other artists. However alternative designs have occasionally been used in the comic. In the 1995 Judge Dredd film
Judge Dredd (film)
Judge Dredd is a 1995 American science fiction action film directed by Danny Cannon, and starring Sylvester Stallone, Diane Lane, Rob Schneider, Armand Assante, and Max von Sydow. The film is based on the strip of the same name in the British comic 2000 AD...
the building was depicted as an eagle with outstretched wings, and this design was copied in the 2003 computer game
Judge Dredd: Dredd Vs. Death
Judge Dredd: Dredd Vs. Death is a first-person shooter video game based on the Judge Dredd character from the 2000 AD comic series, developed by Rebellion Developments. It was released on October 17, 2003 in Europe and February 8, 2005 in the United States...
.
First Grand Hall
The original Grand Hall was built in the mid twenty-first century. It had a secret tunnel to the outside, which could be used to escape in time of crisis, or to infiltrate the building if it fell into enemy hands. The interior access to the tunnel was concealed under Fargo's sarcophagus.When the building was occupied by Soviet forces during 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...
of 2104, Judge Dredd used the tunnel to enter and exit the building on a covert mission. During his escape he was detected by the enemy and was forced to use incendiary bullets to cover his retreat. The fire took hold and spread, consuming the whole building.
After the War ended, the Academy of Law
Academy of Law
The Academy of Law is a fictional place of learning appearing in the Judge Dredd series that appears in the British comic 2000 AD.-Fictional history:The Academy of Law is where the Judges of Mega-City One are trained...
was used as a temporary headquarters building until a new Grand Hall could be built.
Second Grand Hall
The new Grand Hall of Justice was completed in early 2105. It was a marked improvement on the old one: it was designed to withstand a direct hit from a nuclear warhead! It was opened by Chief Judge McGruder at a well-attended ceremony, but as soon as she cut the ribbon and pronounced the building open, the whole structure was completely destroyed by carefully placed bombs concealed inside.Nobody was hurt in the explosion, which was quickly identified as the work of an infamous criminal known as "The Prankster." The Prankster was an eccentric millionaire who enjoyed playing practical jokes on people, and had always avoided capture. Realising that the only way to catch him was to entice him with a bait he could not refuse, Dredd announced that the third Grand Hall would be opened in time for April Fool's Day. True to form, the Prankster attempted to destroy the new building, but this time he was arrested, and the third Grand Hall survives to this day.
Third Grand Hall
The third Grand Hall followed the same design as the second one, and is theoretically nuclear bomb-proof. In 2108 it survived a 9/11-style attack by a hijacked spaceship completely unscathed. However a similar attack in 2115 disabled the building's security and left it vulnerable to invasion, and in 2125 conventional explosives were used to breach the foundations and gain access from the UndercityUndercity (Judge Dredd)
The Undercity is a part of the fictional universe featured in the Judge Dredd series that appears in the UK comic book 2000 AD.-Background:...
. Therefore its design is not always 100 percent successful.
Since 2113 the Grand Hall has been haunted by the ghost of the late Judge Silver
Judge Silver
Chief Judge Thomas Silver was chief judge of the fictional city of Mega-City One in the Judge Dredd comic strip.-Fictional character biography:...
. Actual sightings have not occurred; rather it takes a more subtle form such as locked doors inexplicably being found unlocked and things of that nature. Psi Division
Psi Division
Psi-Division is a fictional organisation in the Judge Dredd and Anderson: Psi-Division comic strips in 2000 AD and Judge Dredd: The Megazine. It is the branch of Mega-City One's Justice Department that deals in supernatural phenomena, using Judges with psychic abilities. Psi-Judges are often...
reported a barely detectable presence of an unidentified entity seeking an acceptance it could never find.
Attacks on the Grand Hall
The Grand Hall (in all of its incarnations) has come under attack numerous times, and on more than one occasion has actually been occupied by an enemy. Although supposedly impregnable, the following list suggests that security still leaves room for improvement!- 2099: At the climax of the First Robot WarThe Robot WarsThe Robot Wars was the first extended storyline for Judge Dredd during which the character became the most popular in the comic 2000 AD...
an army of renegade demolition robots broke through the outer wall and entered the building. Their leader, Call-Me-Kenneth, took Chief Judge Goodman captive and almost killed him before they were defeated. - 2101: When the insane Judge CalJudge CalChief Judge Cal is a fictional character in the Judge Dredd comic strip in 2000 AD. He was loosely based on the real life Roman emperor Caligula, who is widely considered to have been insane...
assassinated Goodman and became chief judge, brainwashing most of the judges into unquestioning obedience, Judge Dredd led an army of citizens and loyal judges against him. After two days' fighting they surrounded the Grand Hall and demanded Cal's surrender. The original Grand Hall building could not have kept them out if they had stormed it. However they were routed by Cal's reinforcements in the form of Klegg mercenariesKleggsKleggs are alien mercenaries in the Judge Dredd comic books.A Klegg looks rather like a large man with green, scaly skin and the head and tail of an alligator or crocodile. They only take payment in meat, since they are pure carnivores...
. Dredd later infiltrated the Hall by stealth and sabotaged Cal's brainwashing machines. - 2103: When the Council of FiveCouncil of FiveThe Council of Five is a fictional legislature and court in the Judge Dredd comic strip appearing in 2000 AD. It first appeared in 2000 AD prog 86 ....
held a meeting on a terrace at the Grand Hall, two reality game show contestants flew by in a helicopter and attempted to shoot them all. Dredd shot them down, but not before they had killed Deputy Chief Judge Pepper. - 2103: A citizen rescued Judge Death from the Black Museum. He killed a judge with a laser when he was discovered in the act.
- 2104: The first Grand Hall was destroyed in the Apocalypse War (see above).
- 2105: The second Grand Hall was destroyed by the criminal known as the Prankster (see above). The Prankster also infiltrated the third Grand Hall, intending to destroy it, and almost succeeded.
- 2107: During Judge Death's third attack on the city, the Dark JudgesDark JudgesThe Dark Judges are recurring villains in the fictional Judge Dredd universe recounted in the UK comic 2000 AD. They are Judge Death, Judge Fire, Judge Fear and Judge Mortis. Later storylines added the "Sisters of Death" , to their ranks...
used teleporters to enter the Grand Hall and kill several judges. Three Dark Judges escaped, but Judge AndersonJudge AndersonJudge Cassandra Anderson is a fictional character that started as a supporting player in the comic story Judge Dredd of 2000 AD and eventually rose in prominence and became the star of her own series, which is entitled Anderson: Psi-Division. It was created by writer John Wagner and artist Brian...
was able to arrest Judge Fear by shooting his teleporter. - 2108: Shojun the WarlordShojun the WarlordShojun, Warlord of Ji was a fictional villain in the Judge Dredd comic strip in 2000 AD in 1986. He had powerful psionic abilities and attempted to take over the world....
, a criminal with immense psychic powers, teleported into the Grand Hall in order to warn the chief judge not to interfere with his plans. While not an attack per se, he maimed a judge who tried to arrest him. - 2108: A hijacked spaceship, the Flying Dutchman, was flown into the Grand Hall in a suicide attack. However no damage was caused. (The ship was destroyed on impact.)
- 2110: Rogue judge Morton JuddMorton JuddMorton Judd is a fictional character from the Judge Dredd comic strip and appears in progs 559-563 of the British comic 2000 AD, in the story "Oz"....
sent his army of dedicated "Judda" warriors into the Grand Hall using teleporters. Their objective was to conquer the city and install Judd as chief judge. However the Grand Hall was forewarned of the attack by Dredd, and so was prepared. Defeated, the invaders retreated to their hideout in Ayers Rock, and were destroyed when Dredd teleported a nuclear bomb after them using their own technology. - 2112: When former Judda Judge KrakenJudge KrakenJudge Kraken is a fictional character in the Judge Dredd comic strip featured in the long-running British comic 2000 AD. Although he only appeared in a few episodes, he was nonetheless a very important character in Tale of the Dead Man, in which he was given almost equal billing with Dredd, and in...
rescued the Dark Judges from captivity, they seized control of the city (see NecropolisNecropolis (Judge Dredd story)Necropolis is a 26-part Judge Dredd epic by John Wagner and Carlos Ezquerra, published in 1990 in 2000 AD progs 674–699. The story was the subject of extensive foreshadowing in the comic, beginning with The Dead Man , followed by "Tale of the Dead Man" , and finally three stories collectively...
). They teleported into the Grand Hall, killed Chief Judge Silver and took psychic control over the minds of the judges. They held the building (and indeed the whole city) for months before they were finally stopped, by which time they had slaughtered 60 million people. - 2114: A mutant from 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:...
infiltrated the Grand Hall on a mission to assassinate a judge who he blamed for the death of his tribe. He was apprehended by Dredd and Chief Judge McGruder, but while resisting arrest he almost killed the chief judge. He then escaped to the roof where he was killed by Dredd. - 2115: Renegade ex-judge GriceJudge GriceJudge Grice was a fictional character in the Judge Dredd comic strip in 2000 AD. Created in 1990 by John Wagner and Steve Dillon, Grice later had his own spin-off series, Purgatory by Mark Millar and Carlos Ezquerra...
and hundreds of dangerous escaped prisoners stole a fleet of spaceships and crashed one into the Grand Hall. The electromagnetic pulseElectromagnetic pulseAn electromagnetic pulse is a burst of electromagnetic radiation. The abrupt pulse of electromagnetic radiation usually results from certain types of high energy explosions, especially a nuclear explosion, or from a suddenly fluctuating magnetic field...
disabled the doors and security systems and enabled the attackers to seize the Grand Hall. Chief Judge McGruder ordered the building to be evacuated, and Dredd flooded the cells in the basement to prevent the prisoners from escaping. Grice and his men held the building for several days until Dredd led a counter-attack. In his last moments Grice destroyed much of the interior with a flamethrower before he was killed. - 2115: A mutant marine creature somehow entered the flooded basement of the Grand Hall before repairs could be completed after the previous attack, and had to be killed.
- 2118: Thieves somehow managed to steal an exhibit from the Black Museum: a zombie judge. Although this was not strictly an attack as no-one was hurt in the course of the theft, this security breach later led to tremendous loss of life when the zombie went on a murderous rampage.
- 2120: In a parallel universe the entire city was taken over by a creature with enormous psychic power, called The MutantCity of the Damned (Judge Dredd story)City of the Damned is a Judge Dredd story which was published in British comic 2000 AD in issues 393–406 . It was written by John Wagner and Alan Grant and illustrated by Steve Dillon, Ian Gibson, Ron Smith and Kim Raymond. It was the first Judge Dredd story to feature time travel...
. He took over the Grand Hall for his own after killing many judges, including the Chief Judge, Judge DreddJudge DreddJudge 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...
and Judge AndersonJudge AndersonJudge Cassandra Anderson is a fictional character that started as a supporting player in the comic story Judge Dredd of 2000 AD and eventually rose in prominence and became the star of her own series, which is entitled Anderson: Psi-Division. It was created by writer John Wagner and artist Brian...
. The rest of the judges he turned into vampires who feasted on the blood of the citizens. This was prevented from ever happening when in 2107 Dredd and Anderson used a time machine to alter the course of history. - 2120: The Dark Judges sent Judge Mortis to assassinate Deputy Chief Judge Herriman. Mortis left his body in gas form and entered a small flying device, which he flew undetected through an open window in Herriman's office. Once there he took possession of Herriman's body, killing him in the process.
- 2121: The Grand Hall was overrun at the start of the Second Robot WarThe Doomsday ScenarioThe Doomsday Scenario is the collective name of a series of Judge Dredd comic stories published in 2000 AD and the Judge Dredd Megazine in 1999...
. Cyborg mobster Nero Narcos had secretly been intercepting consignments of new Lawgiver firearms and sabotaging their self-destruct mechanisms (designed to kill or maim unauthorised users whose palm prints are not recognised by the grip sensors) so that they exploded when fired by their legitimate users, the judges. When his attack began, Narcos broadcast the destruct code so that the judges would be defenceless against his army of robots. With many judges killed or crippled by their own weapons, and the remainder realising they were mostly unarmed, the robots easily took control of the entire city, including the Grand Hall. The city was in enemy hands for a few days until Dredd was able to subvert the robots. - 2123: The Grand Hall was taken over by judges from a parallel universe in which Judge CalJudge CalChief Judge Cal is a fictional character in the Judge Dredd comic strip in 2000 AD. He was loosely based on the real life Roman emperor Caligula, who is widely considered to have been insane...
was still chief judge. They simply appeared inside the building as if by teleportation and killed everyone they found, although their task was made easier when Cal demonstrated that his brainwashing technique still worked on those judges who had been brainwashed by his deceased other self in 2101. The brainwashed judges and Chief Judge Hershey were all crucified outside the Grand Hall; only Hershey survived. Dredd retook the building almost single-handed. - 2125: Terrorists in the Undercity blasted a hole through the wall in the Grand Hall's foundations and released a swarm of vicious aliens with acid for bloodXenomorph (Alien)The Alien is a fictional endoparasitoid extraterrestrial species that is the primary antagonist of the Alien film series. The species made its debut in the 1979 film Alien, and reappeared in its sequels Aliens , Alien 3 , and Alien Resurrection , two crossovers Alien vs...
into the building. Only by activating some decommissioned robot judges to fight the aliens was the incursion quelled. - 2128: Time traveller HG Sewells was a serving prisoner in 2128. When he was eventually released he returned to 2128 to rescue his past self from custody, materialising at a parole hearing in the Grand Hall and killing some judges. But he failed to complete the rescue and was arrested himself. Moments later another incarnation of himself from the even more distant future arrived to rescue both of them, this time appearing outside the building and blasting a hole through the wall with advanced future weaponry. Dredd arrested him too.
- 2130: A suicide bomber was dropped onto the Hall from a flying vehicle, but caused no damage.
The Black Museum
The Black Museum is the setting for Tales from the Black Museum, a series of short stories in the Judge Dredd MegazineJudge 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:...
. The stories are written in the style of Tharg's Future Shocks
Future Shocks
Future Shocks is the name given to a long running series of short strips in the weekly comic 2000 AD in 1977. The name originates in a book titled Future Shock, written by Alvin Toffler, published in 1970.-Publishing history:...
and have twist endings, each based around the background to an exhibit in the collection. The Black Museum is inspired by a real Black Museum
Black Museum
The Black Museum of Scotland Yard is a famed collection of criminal memorabilia kept at the headquarters of the Metropolitan Police in London, England. The museum came into existence sometime in 1874, although unofficially. It was housed at Scotland Yard, and grew from the collection of prisoners'...
, a display of criminal
Crime
Crime is the breach of rules or laws for which some governing authority can ultimately prescribe a conviction...
memorabilia in Scotland Yard
Scotland Yard
Scotland Yard is a metonym for the headquarters of the Metropolitan Police Service of London, UK. It derives from the location of the original Metropolitan Police headquarters at 4 Whitehall Place, which had a rear entrance on a street called Great Scotland Yard. The Scotland Yard entrance became...
.