As a vegan, Orlok knows the wholesale murder of furry faced creatures is wrong, but what if you can live forever by killing just a few? In the grand scheme of things you can do lots of good, spreading the ethical and moral messages over the decades just so long as you don’t mind greasing the wheels with a little blood. Luckily he’s got zero access to the Stookies so we’re all safe.
DATELINE:
July 2103 (Progs 220-221).
WHO’S RESPONSIBLE?:
John Wagner and Alan Grant ponder some ethics while Ian Gibson goes all furry on us.
WHAT’S IT ALL ABOUT (IN ONE SENTENCE)?:
A Stookie reveals the location of a brutal flesh farm in the Cursed Earth.
WHO’S THAT IN THE HELMET?:
Burt and Spot are on duty at the West Wall when a Stookie breaks free from a transport.
Judge Forth shaves a dead Stookie, leading to the wider investigation.
Judges Fett and Barka storm the Stookie farm with Dredd, with the latter being old enough to remember busting some of them when they were younger- no wait, older
ANY LAW LORE?:
In 2059, Stookies became a protected species under Mega City Law.
Consumption of Adifax is made illegal in 2060 with possession carrying a mandatory sentence of not less than one year.
WHAT THE DROKK?:
The Stookies are able to tattoo one of their own and are alive long enough for the fur to grow back. So, how long are they kept there and how do they get access to the required tools?
Alone with a dead Stookie, Judge Forth suddenly decides to shave it. I’d say that is worthy of an SJS investigation. Five will get you ten that’s he a member of the Ross clone stock.
Even though he was the inside man, it is a truly massive coincidence that Councillor Rudd happened to be able to gain access to the Grand Hall at very short notice let alone be right outside the Decontam room just as the Stookie was being processed.
Why would the Stookie be transported across the city for decontamination? Shouldn’t this be done at the West Gate where such facilities are known to exist?
Councillor Rudd is 80 but looks 40 so you would think someone would have spotted that before now, especially in a city where people are watched 24/7 an he is such a high profile person.
WHAT’S THE ART LIKE?:
Great in all the right ways. The design work is superb on the cute Stookies but also on the juxtaposition between the tech and the barbaric slaughterhouse is something Gibson excels at.
HOW MANY LINKS?:
The Stookies are utterly pathetic but at least they provide a focus for Dredd to ruthlessly fuck up the operation. This story needs a follow up tale involving Stookie prison gang tattoos, though. Until then, it gets five links.
Everything Comes Back To 2000AD 