Digital I AM THE LAW

I AM THE LAW

Writer: Michael Molcher

Winner of 'Best Comics-Related Book', Eisner Awards 2024

Winner of 'Best Book on Comics', Broken Frontier Awards 2023

He is the law - and you better believe it!

Judge, jury and executioner, Judge Dredd is the brutal comic book cop policing the chaotic future urban jungle of Mega-City One, created by John Wagner and Carlos Ezquerra and launching in the pages of 2000 AD in 1977.

But what began as a sci-fi action comic quickly evolved into a searing satire on hardline, militarised policing and ‘law and order’ politics, its endless inventiveness and ironic humour acting as a prophetic warning about our world today - and with important lessons for our future.

Blending comic book history with contemporary radical theories on policing, I Am The Law takes key Dredd stories from the last 45 years and demonstrates how they provide a unique wake up call about our gradual, and not so gradual, slide towards authoritarian policing.

From the politicisation of policing to ‘zero tolerance’, from violent suppression of protest to the rise of the surveillance state, I Am The Law examines how a comic book warned us about the chilling endgame of today's 'law and order' politics.

Praise for I Am The Law:

“Thorough and intelligent” — John Wagner, co-creator of Judge Dredd

“I cannot recall a more timely book … not just a celebration of a future fictional character: it is a thoughtful, and often alarming examination of the state of law enforcement in a liberal, or neo-liberal, society” — Nick Lezard, The Spectator

“The product of intricate research and clear vision … a serious work for serious times …an essential read for art historians and actual historians alike.” ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ — SFX

“With I Am The Law, [Molcher] has achieved a rare thing, and written a book that deals with a complex and often controversial subject in a nuanced and highly readable way” ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ — Fortean Times

“The in-depth analysis the strip has long deserved” — Garth Ennis, writer of The Boys, Preacher and Judge Dredd

“Stunning … An absolutely phenomenal piece of comics scholarship” — El Sandifer, author and critic

“Radical, daring, hyper-intelligent and utterly vital” — Ian Dunt, author of How To Be A Liberal

“An absolute ripper of a book, equally deft with Judge Dredd comics, Giorgio Agamben and Dardot & Laval” — Spencer Ackerman, author Reign of Terror

“A terrifying vision of the future as present. Molcher shows us in graphic detail how the politics of “law and order,” rooted in never ending fear and ever increasing police power, is leading us towards the dystopian hellscape that is Mega-City One.” — Alex S. Vitale, author The End of Policing

“May be one of the most important books about science fiction published this decade” — Hugo Book Club Blog

“Excellent work of pop culture scholarship & sociology as well” — Matt Zoller Seitz, film and television critic

“A book equally satisfying for a law geek and a comics geek” – David Allen Green, legal commentator