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Dredd: Year 1, Part 2
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2nd
June 04 |
It's the next
episode of Year One from regular 2000AD Review contributor, Sprout. Don't forget
to read the first episode.
Series title: Judge Dredd: Year One
Episode 2: Eyes Open
Author: Sprout
20040515
Page 1 – three panels
1. This is a large panel, taking up most of the page.
Ext. Mega-City One, outdoor market, early afternoon. We're looking
down on the market place. There are stalls – some covered – selling
assorted goods (CDs, household goods, strings of beads, odd-looking thingies that
just might be alien in origin, t-shirts with unfathomable logos or slogan; “Entropy
Forever!”, “This Shirt is Pants”, etc.). A couple of the stalls
have been knocked over.
The marketplace is almost deserted: we can see a few scared
citizens scarpering out of the area like their bums are on fire. They are running
from the two very dangerous men...
JOHN KORD – a huge, battle-scarred war veteran –
stands in the centre of the market. Kord is about fifty years old; crew cut, heavy
beard stubble, wearing old but functional body armour. In his right hand he holds
a chunky, snub-nosed pistol, the barrel pressed against the temple of the one-year-old
child he’s holding in his mechanical left hand (he has the baby up in front
of his face). Kord stands in front of a stall that sells steel pots and pans,
some of which hang from the awning.
Facing Kord, perhaps four metres away, is JUDGE DREDD. He has
his lawgiver aimed at the soldier.
DREDD: PUT DOWN THE KID! NOW!
KORD: SCREW YOU, JUDGE! I GOT A RIGHT TO BE HEARD!
2. Close on Dredd. He’s young; not yet in his twenties. He looks stern.
Confident.
DREDD: PUT DOWN THE KID AND I PROMISE YOUR CASE WILL BE REVIEWED!
3. Two-shot, low angle. Dredd is on the left of the frame, Kord on the right.
They are framed by the legs – in silhouette – of approaching citizens.
CITIZEN (off): STOP! WAIT!
Page 2 – six panels
1. Over Kord’s shoulder, we can see that a large number
of citizens have approached behind Dredd. They all sport black armbands. Some
of them are carrying banners; “Equal Rights for Equal Fights!”, “NO
to Article 9492773!”, “Fair Deal for War Heroes!”
The group’s leader – a thin young man called ROSS
– is talking to Dredd (who is still focussing on Kord).
ROSS: JUDGE – I KNOW THAT MAN! THAT’S JOHN KORD!
HE’S A WAR VETERAN!
DREDD: SHUT UP AND GET YOUR PEOPLE OUT OF HERE, ROSS!
CITIZEN: TREAT OUR VETS LIKE THEY’RE PETS!
CITIZEN: YEAH! THEY NEED HUGS, NOT SLUGS!
2. Close on Ross. He looks indignant, almost sneering. We can see the black armband
more clearly now: it features a white circle with a flower over a set of sergeant’s
stripes. Behind Ross, his followers are chanting slogans.
ROSS: SO THIS IS HOW YOU REPAY MEN LIKE JOHN KORD WHO
PUT THEIR LIVES ON THE LINE FOR OUR COUNTRY?
CITIZEN: GIVE THEM HOPE, NOT THE ROPE!
3. Dredd, still facing Kord.
DREDD: NO, THIS IS HOW I REPAY THEM FOR THREATENING AN INNOCENT
CHILD.
DREDD (cont., shouting): DROP IT, KORD! NOW!
CITIZEN: BE THEIR FRIEND, NOT THEIR END!
4. High angle, looking down: The crowd has parted to allow another JUDGE on a
lawmaster to approach.
CITIZEN: TREAT THEM NICE, NOT LIKE LICE! GIVE
THEM... oh crap.
5. Close on the judges as the second judge pulls to a stop next to Dredd. This
is RICO. His badge – in blatant defiance of Logan's Law – displays
his surname.
RICO: WHAT'S THIS, JOE?
DREDD: DISGRUNTLED VET. SAYS HE CAN’T LIVE ON HIS PENSION.
WANTS HIS CASE TO BE REOPENED.
6. Angle from behind the judges as they look towards Kord.
RICO: YOU OKAY TO HANDLE IT YOURSELF?
DREDD: YEAH. JUST GET THESE DAMN DO-GOODERS OFF MY BACK,
RICO.
Page 3 – six panels
1. Rico turns to face the crowd.
RICO: ALL RIGHT, YOU PEOPLE! YOU’RE INTERFERING
WITH THE JUDICIAL PROCESS! YOU WANT ME TO RUN YOU ALL IN FOR OBSTRUCTION?
2. Two-shot of Ross facing Rico.
ROSS: JUDGE, WE HAVE A RIGHT TO BE HEARD! MISTER KORD
IS ONLY GUILTY OF SERVING HIS COUNTRY TO THE BEST OF HIS ABILITY!
3. Wide panel, whole width of page. Ross is to the right of the panel, in the
foreground. Focus on Rico, medium ground. He’s still astride his lawmaster.
He’s not paying attention to Ross’s argument; he’s looking in
Kord’s direction.
ROSS: AND FURTHERMORE, WE WANT IT TO BE PUBLICALLY KNOWN
THAT WE, THE CITIZENS OF MEGA-CITY ONE, ARE VEHEMENTLY OPPOSED TO
THE JUDGES’ HEAVY-HANDED TAC --
4. Small panel, inset into panel 3: Rico’s POV: Close on Kord and the baby.
Kord is holding the screaming baby in front of his face, the barrel of his gun
still pressed against the baby’s head. But there’s a gap: between
the baby and the gun, we can see Kord’s mouth.
No dialogue.
5. Same angle / width as panel 3. Rico has whipped out his lawgiver and fired
towards Kord.
ROSS: -- TICS...
6. Inset: Rico’s POV (as panel 4). Rico’s bullet has passed between
the baby and the gun, through Kord’s mouth, and blown out the back of his
head.
No dialogue.
Page 4 – four panels
1. Large panel, similar angle to page 1, panel 1; looking down
on the marketplace. Kord is now dead, having crashed backwards into the pots’n’pans
stall. The baby is safe, resting on Kord’s armoured chest, still cradled
in his mechanical hand. There’s a lot of blood splattered everywhere.
Ross and his colleagues look on, stunned.
Dredd has lowered his gun, and is looking over at Rico.
Rico is still sitting on his bike, his gun still aimed at where
Kord had been, though now he’s turned to face Ross.
RICO: GO ON, CITIZEN... YOU WERE SAYING SOMETHING ABOUT “HEAVY-HANDED
TACTICS”?
2. Later. Dredd and Rico (arms folded, leaning back against his lawmaster) look
on as – in the background – a med-team are zipping Kord into a body-bag.
A crying, relieved young man is carrying the baby in his arms. He’s being
comforted by a helmetless female judge. This is JUDGE CONNITH; she’s in
her early twenties, slim and attractive, rather severe crew-cut (we’ll be
seeing her again in a later episode!).
DREDD: I COULD HAVE TAKEN HIM, RICO.
RICO: THEN WHY DIDN’T YOU?
3. Reverse angle. Dredd does not look too happy with himself.
DREDD: I WAS WAITING FOR THE SHOT.
RICO: YEAH? AND WHAT WAS BEHIND HIM?
4. Close on Rico.
RICO: STEEL POTS AND PANS, JOE.
RICO (cont.): YOU’RE TELLING ME THERE WASN’T A RICOCHET
ANGLE IN THERE SOMEWHERE?
Page 5 – six panels
1. Two-shot. Rico gets back onto his bike.
RICO: YOU’VE GOT TO KEEP YOUR EYES OPEN, JOE.
2. Same angle. Rico begins to ride away, calling back to Dredd over his shoulder.
In the background, Ross approaches Dredd.
RICO: OTHERWISE, YOU’RE GONNA MISS SOMETHING REALLY
IMPORTANT.
3. Medium-close-up, from behind Dredd as he watches Rico ride off. Ross stands
next to Dredd, the thin man barely coming up to the judge’s shoulder.
ROSS: JUDGE... ER... DREDD?
DREDD: WHAT IS IT, CITIZEN?
ROSS: I JUST... I JUST WANT TO SAY THAT WE APPRECIATE WHAT YOU
TRIED TO DO.
4. Same angle as panel 3, but we’ve pulled a little further back. Dredd
has turned to face Ross.
DREDD: YEAH? WHAT’S THAT?
ROSS: THE OTHER JUDGE DREDD... HE JUST SHOT KORD DOWN
IN COLD BLOOD! AT LEAST YOU TRIED TO TALK TO HIM.
5. Same angle, back further still. Passing behind Dredd are a trio of unhappy-looking
citizens. They’re accompanied by a robot, and they’re carrying mops
and buckets, and wearing uniforms with the phrase “SLOP MOPPERS” across
the chest.
DREDD: YOUR APPRECIATION IS NOTED. NINETY DAYS IN THE CUBES,
MISTER ROSS. OBSTRUCTION.
ROSS: WHAT!? NO WAY!
DREDD: ANOTHER NINETY DAYS – RESISTING.
ROSS: BUT... THAT’S CRAZY!
6. Same angle, further back. Dredd has slapped cuffs on Ross’s hands. The
clean-up crew have begun work mopping up the blood stains.
DREDD: QUESTIONING THE LAW. A FURTHER THIRTY DAYS.
DREDD (cont.): THAT’S THREE STRIKES, ROSS. THAT
MAKES YOU A HABITUAL OFFENDER.
DREDD (cont.): AUTOMATIC TWO-YEAR ADDITIONAL CUBE-TIME. MOVE!
END.
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