Book Review: Judge Dredd: Origins by John Wagner & Carlos Ezquerra w/ Kev Walker

“Judge Dredd: Origins” presents us with a fascinating dystopian future in which trial by jury has been replaced with a system in which judges seek out perpetrators and give them whatever sentencing they see fit. Through huge expositional sequences, we are given a history of how this system came to be. 

To me, one of the more interesting aspects of this story was Chief Justice Fargo and his role in this world. The entire expedition is in search of Chief Justice Fargo, someone thought to have been long dead by everyone except Judge Dredd. Even before we know much of what Fargo even did, we understand his importance to this world. The first town they meet, his birthplace, has rebranded itself in his honor, with the citizens following a strict justice system they believe would be given his approval. With such a devoted following, I was very interested to hear Dredd recount his history. 

Chief Justice Fargo created the judge system as a response to the lack of justice being carried out in the current trial-by-jury method. It’s stressed that this change only works because there is such an intense trust for Chief Justice Fargo. It’s because of this intense public trust that when Fargo has an affair (which is apparently against the judge’s code), he is so ashamed of himself that he attempts to commit suicide. That’s where things get really interesting. Because Chief Justice Fargo is looked up to as a symbol for the judges system, it’s decided that the public can’t know that he killed himself and the public is instead told that he was shot protecting innocent people. 

This idea of a person’s memory having more worth as an infallible symbol than a true representation of that person is nothing new, but it always fascinates me. Fargo made a VERY understandable mistake but he knew it prevented him from living up to the impossible image that the public had of him. But this thinking is fundamentally flawed because it enforces a separation between the person being elevated and the common person. It instills a way of thinking that supposes that only morally-elevated incorruptible people can make a difference. Whereas, by revealing Fargo’s humanity, it can be a moment connecting him to the people, who have all made mistakes and who can relate to the concept of a person doing the best he can. At least, that’s how it should be. Truth be told, the public’s perception of Fargo would likely shift as people would have a hard time reconciling his humanity. And this certainly isn’t an issue that only occurs in fictional worlds. We elevate celebrities and politicians to these impossible standards and are then shocked and disgusted when they don’t measure up.

But, of course, Fargo doesn’t die. At least not right away. It isn’t until the end of the story that Fargo dies, his last words filled with regret. But it isn’t regret for the affair or the suicide attempt, it’s regret for having helped form a dictatorship. Of course, this isn’t broadcast to the world or even told to very many. Because it’s in the government’s best interest that it isn’t. Fargo, as a man, has outgrown his purpose. He will now live on as a symbol for something that he doesn’t believe in or approve of. His original intentions were pure, but over time, those in power took advantage of the public’s love for Fargo and warped and misused him as a symbol for their own self-interests. In the end, Fargo’s legacy isn’t one of justice so much as one of control.