Hero Complex:
This March marks the 35th anniversary of Judge Dredd but, more importantly, this may be the year that Hollywood finally does justice to the hard-hearted lawman of Mega-City One. The character is one of the signature creations on the British comics scene (Empire Magazine ranked him the seventh greatest character in all comics, in fact, one spot ahead of the Joker and just two behind Spider-Man) and a clear influence on the dystopian mayhem of both “Robocop” and Frank Miller’s “The Dark Knight Returns.” But, today, for most Americans, the name Judge Dredd draws a blank look or, worse, a groan thanks to the shiny, torpid 1995 Sylvester Stallone film. (Cinema, Dredd, John Wagner)