{"id":1749,"date":"2026-10-25T12:04:12","date_gmt":"2026-10-25T12:04:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/babydollliz.com\/?p=1749"},"modified":"2026-10-25T12:04:12","modified_gmt":"2026-10-25T12:04:12","slug":"thrash-metal-meets-mega-city-one-anthrax-members-scott-ian-and-charlie-benante-create-judge-anthrax-for-judge-dredd-megazine-500","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/babydollliz.com\/?p=1749","title":{"rendered":"Thrash Metal Meets Mega-City One: Anthrax Members Scott Ian and Charlie Benante Create ‘Judge Anthrax’ for Judge Dredd Megazine #500"},"content":{"rendered":"

Heavy metal icons Scott Ian and Charlie Benante are taking their lifelong passion for British sci-fi comics to the next level by officially contributing a brand-new character to the world of 2000 AD<\/em>. The Anthrax guitarist and drummer have teamed up to create "Judge Anthrax," a terrifying new Dark Judge who will make their explosive debut in the upcoming milestone issue, Judge Dredd Megazine<\/em> #500. Published by Rebellion, the landmark issue arrives in early 2027 as part of the publisher’s extensive celebrations for 2000 AD<\/em> and Judge Dredd<\/em>‘s fiftieth anniversary year. <\/p>\n

According to Rebellion’s early solicitations, the heavy-hitting musical duo co-created the character for a special double-length story in the anniversary megazine. Teaming up with writer John Reppion and artist Kieran McKeown, Ian and Benante are injecting a dose of thrash metal terror straight into the heart of Mega-City One. Promotional details released for the issue pose a tantalizing question for fans of the brutal lawman: "A new Dark Judge arrives with a bang, and Judge Dredd is right in their crosshairs! Who is the mysterious and powerful Judge Anthrax \u2014 and what are their intentions for Dredd’s home of Mega-City One?"<\/p>\n

\"Scott<\/figure>\n

This high-profile crossover is the latest chapter in a decades-long love affair between the thrash metal band and British comics. The connection dates back to early 1986, when guitarist Scott Ian was in the United Kingdom promoting Anthrax\u2019s second studio album, Spreading the Disease<\/em>. While browsing London’s famed Forbidden Planet comic shop, Ian stumbled upon Judge Dredd<\/em> and 2000 AD<\/em>. He has frequently recounted being immediately captivated by the character’s uncompromising, hard-edged aesthetic and the exceptional quality of the artwork. <\/p>\n

At the time, obtaining copies of 2000 AD<\/em> in the United States was a significant challenge. Determined to keep reading, Ian made a point of hunting down back issues during subsequent trips across the Atlantic and even successfully lobbied the New York branch of Forbidden Planet to start stocking the title regularly. That deep-seated fandom quickly bled over into the band’s creative output, shaping the direction of their next major musical project. <\/p>\n

"I Am the Law," the lead single from Anthrax’s seminal 1987 album Among the Living<\/em>, stands as an explicit, thunderous tribute to the comic book icon. The song’s lyrics explicitly name-check Mega-City One, the Academy of Law, the cataclysmic events of the Apocalypse War, Judge Anderson, the radioactive wastes of the Cursed Earth, and Dredd’s terrifying authority as judge, jury, and executioner. Complete with the comic’s signature expletive, "Drokk it!", the track resonated with music fans and peaked at No. 32 on the UK singles charts.<\/p>\n

\"Scott<\/figure>\n

The visual presentation of the release further solidified the partnership. The 12-inch single’s cover art prominently featured Judge Dredd’s iconic eagle badge with the Anthrax logo seamlessly incorporated into the design, all set against the backdrop of an American flag. Scott Ian has noted in the past that the character’s rights holders were remarkably accommodating during the process. Rather than demanding exorbitant licensing fees, they embraced the collaboration, genuinely pleased that an American heavy metal band wanted to champion the character in a foreign market where he was still building an audience. That spirit of cooperation has endured over the decades, allowing the band to feature Dredd-inspired artwork on various pieces of merchandise with the publisher’s blessing.<\/p>\n

The relationship reached a new milestone in 2021 when publisher Z2 Comics released the Among the Living<\/em> graphic novel to commemorate Anthrax’s 40th anniversary as a band. The deluxe anthology featured standalone stories inspired by every single track on the classic album, threaded together by a narrative framework starring a redesigned version of the band’s mascot, Not Man. For the "I Am the Law" chapter, Scott Ian stepped directly into the comic book industry by writing an original 13-page Judge Dredd story. Produced in partnership with 2000 AD<\/em> and Rebellion and illustrated by acclaimed Dredd artist Chris Weston, the narrative was officially approved as part of 2000 AD<\/em> continuity, with some fans and reviewers viewing it as a striking glimpse into a potential final fate for the stoic lawman. Drummer Charlie Benante, an accomplished artist and lifelong devotee of the strip, contributed striking cover art to the project featuring both Dredd and the skeletal fiend Judge Death.<\/p>\n

Now, that creative partnership expands even further with the publication of Judge Dredd Megazine<\/em> #500. Serving as a massive 100-page milestone issue, it functions as a spearhead for 2000 AD<\/em>‘s fifty-year anniversary celebrations, arriving in early 2027. <\/p>\n

\"Scott<\/figure>\n

Alongside the special appearance by Judge Anthrax, the milestone issue of the Megazine<\/em> packs a substantial lineup of talent, featuring new stories by Liam Johnson, Ales Kot, Michael Carroll, Rob Richardson, Paul Marshall, and Antonio Fuso, focusing on fan-favorite characters like the vampiric exorcist Devlin Waugh and psychic Judge Anderson. <\/p>\n

Concurrently, the weekly 2000 AD<\/em> anthology is rolling out major initiatives for its half-century mark. This includes Judge Dredd: The New Future<\/em>, a fresh narrative arc helmed by Rob Williams and Laurence Campbell. Rebellion is also launching the 2000 AD 50th Anniversary Special<\/em>, bringing together legendary creators such as John Wagner, Robbie Morrison, Ian Edginton, Pat Mills, Dan Cornwell, Simon Fraser, Mike Perkins, Ian Culbard, and Brian Bolland. This special edition will feature brand-new adventures starring Judge Dredd, Robo-Hunter, Nikolai Dante, and Brink, alongside the surprise return of a classic series from the vault. <\/p>\n

To honor the rich history of the publication, Rebellion’s anniversary slate also features a comprehensive hardcover release titled Visual History To 2000AD<\/em>, chronicling fifty years of landmark art and storytelling through the contributions of Scott Montgomery, Brian Bolland, Simon Bisley, Dave Gibbons, Kevin O’Neill, Carlos Ezquerra, and many others. Furthermore, the publisher is launching the Judge Dredd Compact Comics<\/em> line, designed to collect the earliest black-and-white strips that first introduced readers to Mega-City One back in 1977.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Heavy metal icons Scott Ian and Charlie Benante are taking their lifelong passion for British sci-fi comics to the next level by officially contributing a brand-new character to the world of 2000 AD. The Anthrax guitarist and drummer have teamed up to create "Judge Anthrax," a terrifying new Dark Judge who will make their explosive…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1748,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[137],"tags":[2180,2185,2184,242,1702,147,2186,149,768,2182,2183,2187,1994,1131,148,799,2181,150],"class_list":["post-1749","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-doll-collecting-and-reborn-dolls","tag-anthrax","tag-benante","tag-charlie","tag-city","tag-create","tag-doll-collecting","tag-dredd","tag-hobbies","tag-judge","tag-meets","tag-mega","tag-megazine","tag-members","tag-metal","tag-reborn-dolls","tag-scott","tag-thrash","tag-toys"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/babydollliz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1749","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/babydollliz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/babydollliz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/babydollliz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/babydollliz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1749"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/babydollliz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1749\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/babydollliz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1748"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/babydollliz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1749"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/babydollliz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1749"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/babydollliz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1749"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}