Let me start off by writing that I love me some cosplay. It means different things to different people but for me, cosplay allows me to travel into different worlds and landscapes. Basically it is a tool that makes that escape that much easier. And when you put a bunch of cosplayers together, you can enter that world of play. It is a beautiful thing. But sometimes a cosplay can go just a tad bit too far, as is the case with Judge Quiver over here.
2000ad is a terrific magazine. Can you call it a comic book? It is a weekly anthology magazine that incorporates five stories, one of which is the constant Judge Dredd. I always have found the debate fascinating. When people read Judge Dredd for the first time they automatically think he is a hero, or through the American eyes, a super-hero. But he is hardly that. He is a bad guy and he has his own title. It can be confusing. But it is not.
We can have hours of discussion on Judge Dredd. But what I do find fascinating about him is that he is a lot like Batman. You can use him in different ways. He can be campy, dark, or a lot of inbetween and he is always thought provoking. It is no wonder then that Alan Grant and John Wagner did a lot of Batman who had their humble beginnings in 2000ad and Judge Dredd.
If you are interested in exploring what 2000ad is all about, then I can point you no further than the weekly podcast, or should I say Thrill-Cast, that the company puts out. It is incredibly entertaining that dives deep not only to the stories it produces but also has some very though provoking interviews as well with its artists, writers, etc. Give it a go.