Jock: How Judge Dredd Influenced Absolute Joker

We chat with Jock about Absolute Batman #15 and how his time creating 2000 AD comics helped shape Absolute Joker.

With the release of Absolute Batman #15 and the big reveal of Absolute Joker, we’re excited to welcome artist Jock onto the show for the first time. We would consider this comic an event even without the gnarly origin story at its center. This is also a big reunion for the artist and his writer collaborator, Scott Snyder. They’ve been delivering killer Batman comics since The Black Mirror, and have already re-invented the Joker concept in The Batman Who Laughs. However, the Absolute Universe allows them to swing for the fences in a way that the main continuity never could. And, as you’ll hear, this required a little recalibration from Jock.

Thankfully, Jock grew up consuming some of the most radical comics on the planet, 2000 AD. These Mega-City One stories, often featuring the iconic Judge Dredd, shaped Jock’s imagination and taught him the unique power of a visual narrative. They also revealed why we must never be too enamored with the characters and stories we adore.

Conformity is abhorrent. Toys are meant to be broken because that’s the direct result of good, continuous, serious play. If you keep them precious on the shelf, they get dusty and stiff. To understand characters like Batman and Judge Dredd, we must constantly redefine them, whittling them down to their core characteristics.

We discuss with Jock how he had to recalibrate his idea of Batman and Joker before taking on Absolute Batman #15. We talk about his new 2000 AD release, The Art of Judge Dredd by Jock. We examine how 2000 AD continues to influence his work, including Absolute Joker, and how he crafts certain two-page spreads in this particular single issue.

Absolute Batman #15 is out now from DC Comics. It’s written by Scott Snyder, illustrated by Jock, colored by Frank Martin, and lettered by Clayton Cowles. You can continue this conversation with Jock by following him on Blue Sky and Instagram.

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Other Relevant Links to This Week's Episode:

• Subscribe to The Stacks, Comic Creators Name Their Favorite Comics

• Previously on CBCC: Daniel Warren Johnson on Absolute Batman Annual

• Previously on CBCC: Scott Snyder and Nick Dragotta on Absolute Batman

• Comic Book Film Club: 30 Days of Night at the Alamo Drafthouse Winchester on 12/14

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