Thursday, August 11, 2016

Judge Dredd: The League of Fatties

Judge Dredd: The League of Fatties
by T. B. Grover (story) and Ron Smith (art)
from 2000 AD Progs 273 - 274 (July 17 - 24, 1982)
reprinted in Judge Dredd: Fatties (2000 AD / Rebellion, July 2013)


From its early days, the editors and writers at 2000 AD comics had a politically incorrect stance on any number of social issues, and took special pleasure is producing satirical treatments of these topics.

Starting in the early 80s, obesity was one topic that got satirized in selected episodes of Judge Dredd. These stories are not only hysterically funny, but a sly dig at Americans; at that time, British popular culture portrayed the USA as being the Wonderland of the Overweight.

'The League of Fatties', a two-part storyline that appeared on consecutive issues of 2000 AD, showed no mercy towards its hapless victims. 


It's hard to imagine any modern comic daring to satirize the obese in the way that this comic does, with its use of the Belliwheel (to support enormous paunches), fatties diving headfirst into garbage cans for scraps of discarded food, 'kamikaze' fatties launching themselves from clifftops onto the beds of trucks carrying provisions, and the Fatties' slogan: 'Gluttony Will Prevail !'   





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