Nigel Farage is to make his debut in the comic strip Judge Dredd. The Ukip leader, thinly disguised as a character called Bilious Barrage, will encounter the formidable law enforcer, Judge Dredd, in his dystopian home town of Mega-City One where a series of terrorist attacks will fuel anti-immigrant tensions.
With just weeks to go before the General Election – and Farage's pledge to reduce immigration – the decision to recast the Ukip leader as a comedy character represents a cheeky swipe at the politician.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Farage is not the first politician to feature in the 2000 AD comic. Versions of Margaret Thatcher and Tony Blair have also been given the comic-strip treatment in the past. Its editor Matt Smith said: "2000 AD has a long tradition of taking a pop at authority, stemming from its anti-establishment punk origins back in the 1970s."
Smith added: "Whether it was Margaret Thatcher being executed on the steps of St Paul's Cathedral by the Volgans in the very first issue, or Tony Blair being lampooned as the monomaniacal superhero B.L.A.I.R. 1, or Nemesis the Warlock ruthlessly satirising organised religion, 2000 AD has always taken a pop at the powerful and the pompous and no one, not even today's politicians, are safe."
Dredd was created by writer John Wagner and artist Carlos Ezquerra, and first appeared in the second issue of the weekly science-fiction anthology 2000 AD in 1977. Its most famous character, Judge Dredd, is a policeman with the power to summarily arrest, convict, sentence, and execute criminals in the dystopian future city of Mega-City One. The name Judge Dredd has often been used in political debates to evoke authoritarian governments and police states.
The comic's story lines maintain an ironic and jaded view of the political process. The official Twitter account for Judge Dredd recently tweeted: "Elections? Grud, the citizens once elected an orangutan to be Mega-City One's mayor. Tells you everything you need to know."
It also asks the question: "When some creep's holding a knife to your throat who do you want to see riding up? Me? Or your 'elected representative'? Think about it."
-
5 loony toons about the Warner Bros. buyoutCartoons Artists take on movie theaters, high quality cinema, and more
-
Political cartoons for December 13Cartoons Saturday's political cartoons include saving healthcare, the affordability crisis, and more
-
Farage’s £9m windfall: will it smooth his path to power?In Depth The record donation has come amidst rumours of collaboration with the Conservatives and allegations of racism in Farage's school days
-
Nigel Farage’s £9m windfall: will it smooth his path to power?
In Depth The record donation has come amidst rumours of collaboration with the Conservatives and allegations of racism in Farage's school days
-
Is a Reform-Tory pact becoming more likely?Today’s Big Question Nigel Farage’s party is ahead in the polls but still falls well short of a Commons majority, while Conservatives are still losing MPs to Reform
-
Nigel Farage: was he a teenage racist?Talking Point Farage’s denials have been ‘slippery’, but should claims from Reform leader’s schooldays be on the news agenda?
-
Five takeaways from Plaid Cymru’s historic Caerphilly by-election winThe Explainer The ‘big beasts’ were ‘humbled’ but there was disappointment for second-placed Reform too
-
Taking the low road: why the SNP is still standing strongTalking Point Party is on track for a fifth consecutive victory in May’s Holyrood election, despite controversies and plummeting support
-
The end of ‘golden ticket’ asylum rightsThe Explainer Refugees lose automatic right to bring family over and must ‘earn’ indefinite right to remain
-
Does Reform have a Russia problem?Talking Point Nigel Farage is ‘in bed with Putin’, claims Rachel Reeves, after party’s former leader in Wales pleaded guilty to taking bribes from the Kremlin
-
The Liberal Democrats: on the march?Talking Point After winning their highest number of seats in 2024, can the Lib Dems marry ‘stunts’ with a ‘more focused electoral strategy’?
