Match 16651 Judges (2000AD) vs. Gotham City

[Culwych1]

 

"I must've dreamed a thousand dreams

Been haunted by a million screams

But I can hear the marching feet

They're moving into the street."

Land of Confusion - Genesis

 

 

 

Chapter 1

 

First National Bank of Gotham

Gotham City (Population est. 10m)

1st December 2021

 

In the end, it was snowing when Gotham ended. 

 

That goddamn snow. It had started six days earlier; tumbling from the sky like an army of tiny avenging angels, covering everything in a thick blanket of ashy white. As with every winter, life continued at a slower, more cautious pace. Wives hooked their husbands by the arm as they did their best to keep their heels from skidding, and only the daredevils, the bravest, the foolhardy or the nefarious ventured out when the dusky sun set and the cold hardened the snow to ice. 

 

Currently the streets outside the First National Bank of Gotham were empty apart from a wild fox. It had been driven to desperation by the gnawing hungry in its belly and had braved the falling snow to try its luck at a few bins. Its snout raised in the air as it heard the clangs and shouts from inside the building, but had enough sense to carry on its way. As luck would have it, the fox would soon find a veritable feast outside Nora's Diner, which due to the lack of customers venturing out in the snow, had thrown out nearly a month's worth of out-of-date food. 

 

Inside the First National Bank however, luck was turning a blind eye. 

 

Knives flashed and clattered against triple-weave kevlar, and the thick thumping sound of armored fists hitting flesh tore through the air. Batman threw two men into a marble pillar adorned with the golden swirls of the Bank's logo. As they hit, their blood sprayed in an arc and they fell slowly to the floor. Before they had completed their slow decent, he had already moved on and had swept another robber off his feet and pinned another with a thrown sharp batarang. 

 

The men were obviously experienced, deadly and organised, but they still stood little chance against him. And yet, something felt off. They had been closing in on him and throwing punches and kicks, or stabbed at him with their knives, but it almost felt - halfhearted. As if they had a greater plan. As if they were... 

 

"Ahhhh, Batsy! So nice of you to come and play!" said the high pitched maniacal voice. 

 

Of course. The Joker. 

 

Batman glanced up at the figure standing on a table and peering down at the fight. He didn't have long however, as the Joker's goons once again came at him from every direction. He lashed out and felt one's head snap back, and the man went down without a sound. His other fist connected with a man's torso... and stuck there!

 

Batman glanced down at his fist sticking to the man. He pulled and the man came with him, a leering grin tinged with fear frozen on his face. Another came at Batman from the right and he rolled to the side and his leg shot out to kick the man in the knee. Again... his armored boot stuck! The man shouted in pain as the kick made his knee buckle, but he stayed with the hero, drawing closer. 

 

In the matter of a few seconds other men jumped on Batman, the sticky material seeping out of their clothing acting instantly and slowing him down. Even with four men, the Bat of Gotham was still moving, aiming for non-clothed areas and knocking men back. But then two more launched themselves at him and then finally he was still. 

 

"Ah-hahahahahahaha", the terrible, all to familiar laugh filled the air as the Joker danced towards Batman and the men sticking to him. 

 

"What do you want Joker?" growled Batman, his mind racing furiously at his options. 

 

"Why, my dearest Batman. What I've always wanted. For us to play one, last, amazing game. The game to end all games, and just for you to FINALLY have some FUN!"

 

He was close now, and Batman clicked a button in his gloves. In an instant the gloves, boots and armor fell off him and he launched himself nimbly forward to grab the Joker by the collar and haul him up. Batman was still dressed in his batsuit, but a fine mesh and dark grey one that hugged his muscular figure. 

 

"How many times Joker? How many times must we dance this dance before you finally stop?" he growled, his anger seeping through his words. And then he paused. This man looked slightly different, heavier and with a nose a fraction longer than the Joker he knew all too well - although the resemblance was uncanny. 

 

"How about..." breathed the man dressed as Joker as he grabbed Batman's arms, holding them firmly in place as the glue substance stuck them together. 

 

"...ONE MORE TIME!" shouted the maniacal voice behind Batman as the real Joker, who a moment ago had been playing one of the goons stuck to the armor, lurched forward. A long slim blade glinted in the weak light of the Bank and plunged into Batman's back. Again, and again it struck, gleaming steel now red and slick. 

 

Batman's world slowly turned dark as he heard that crazy laugh and words whispered almost tenderly, "Goodbye Batsy". 

 

Chapter 2

 

He awoke in a pool of blood and knew only pain. It screamed out from his body, and he slowly and methodically shut all that pain out of his mind. The worst part of it was the bubbling sensation as he breathed in and out, and he knew he didn't have long. 

 

He had been so focused on the hurt that he hadn't even been aware of the shouting in his ear. 

 

"Master Bruce! Master Bruce! Answer me for god's sake!"

 

"A.... Alfred" murmured Batman weakly. 

 

"Master Bruce, at last. Your vital signs sir, I'm sending help!"

 

"It's too late Alfred. He finally got me. Listen carefully..." 

 

Batman had to stop as he coughed again and again, blood spraying out in front of him.

 

"Sir, just hang on, they are nearly there."

 

"No Alfred. I need you to launch Project Justice."

 

"But Sir..."

 

"Do it Alfred, it's the only way. He'll be able to do what I cou...."

 

But Batman never finished. His heart, having held on for so much longer than it should, finally gave out and the great hero of Gotham died alone and choking on his own blood. 

 

Chapter 3

 

Alfred's tears poured down his cheeks in an uncontrollable flood and his fist pounded the table. Dammit. he couldn't. Not Project Justice, not that maniac from another world. The man had nearly killed half of Gotham last time he was here, not that that would have been such a bad thing. If he had, maybe Bruce would still be here. 

 

Alfred didn't want to do it, but he had always trusted Bruce. The man was a genius, and a beacon for hope against a world gone mad. 

 

So he entered the commands; a combination of words, numbers and equations that accessed the deepest algorithms within the AI that ran the Batcave. From there he continued typing, code after code bringing down wall after wall - only pausing to wipe away the tears that stung his eyes. 

 

He heard commotion behind him, and knew that the rest of his family was coming. Possibly to stop him. His right hand flashed to the right and entered another sequence which sealed the OMAC Computer Room with him inside. He heard Nightwing cry out as the door closed "NO ALFRED!". 

 

But it was too late. 

 

Gotham had taken Bruce from him, and now it would face justice. 

 

Alfred finished typing in the last sequence, and then sat back in his chair heavily. On the screen he could see the Lumos Engine firing up - it's combination of science, technology, magic and green lantern energy infusing into one. He closed his eyes as it exploded outwards in a raging ball of light. The light spread out from the Batcave and reached the furthest corners of Gotham. Four tendrils of energy burst north, south, east, and west, and then consolidated into a glowing dome over the whole of the city. 

 

Then, in a burst of energy that sent shockwaves through the whole world, Gotham simply disapeared. 

 

Chapter 4

 

The Grand Hall of Justice

Mega-City One (Population est. 350m)

1st December, 2130

 

Judge Dredd strode through the hallways of the Grand Hall, the usual scowl on his grim face deterring anyone from breaking his fast pace. The message notification in his visor had popped up just as he returned from bringing in a couple of perps from the usual blockwars. But it was not a message that could be real. It said it was from Batman, that lunatic from another world that he had been inadvertently transported to a few years back. Dredd thought he had been done with all that madness, and anything from another world tended to spell bad news for Mega-City One. You only had to look at the Dark Judges to see what kind of havoc another world could unleash on his city. 

 

As soon as he was back in his quarters he brought up his vidscreen and started reading the message. 

 

When he was done he slumped back in absolute amazement. For the first time in a long long time, Dredd was at a loss for what to do. But as always, that soon passed. Whenever he was in doubt, he would turn to the one thing he knew would always guide him towards the answer; the law. 

 

Then he felt the ground shake, and he knew that he didn't have much time. 

 

He looked at the thousands of files that Batman had attached to his message; the entire police database and Batman's own personal files on all the criminals in Gotham. He forwarded them quickly to the Tek Divisions supercomputers; they'd be able to run the files overnight and assign recommended engagement strategies and sentences for the Judges. 

 

Tomorrow would be a busy day. 

 

Chapter 5

 

Gotham City

Mega-City One (Population est. 360m)

2nd December, 2130

 

The sun had just begun to rise when the Judges arrived at the border of Gotham City. 

 

3000 strong, including a mix of riot squads, psi division, medics, black ops and of course the street judges, they descended on the city like the wrath of god. 

 

Large armored trucks with a stay-at-home message went on in front, informing the bewildered population of Gotham to keep out of the Judges' way. 

 

For the most part, the population of Gotham complied. But a lot refused. This was an infringement of their rights, of their liberty, and the stormtrooper style cops that were on their doorsteps didn't have any right to tell them what to do. 

 

Then the first bullets started flying.

 

It was difficult to say who fired first, but the result was the catalyst - two civilians and three Gotham PD officers dead, and one Judge injured. 

 

And that's when Gotham rose up. 

 

In the center of the city, Commissioner James Gordon and the heroes of Gotham tightened their hold on the defense. The coordinated various blockades and hit-and-run tactics to keep the Judges at bay. Citizens of Gotham joined them when they dared, bringing their own weapons to the fight, or sometimes using whatever they could lay their hands on. 

 

Elsewhere, Dr Hugo Strange saw the Judges on a path to his Asylum and, after showing the inmates the approaching army, opened every prison door. Clayface, Firefly, Black Mask, Bane, Killer Croc, Man-Bat, Mr. Freeze, The Penguin and more - all came together to face the mix of Street and Psi-Judges coming their way. 

 

From their side the Judges would not be stopped. Their life had been dedicated to bringing criminals to justice, whether a sentence to the iso-cubes or with a bullet to the head. Their lawgivers, guns that spat out numerous types of bullets and explosives, shot again and again and men and women fell dead at their feet. 

 

Gotham had been a hotbed of crime for years and finally, it was time for Judgement... 

 

[Callisto]

Learn More About
Judges (2000AD)
Read more about Judges (2000AD) at Wikipedia
Official Site: Rebellion Developments Links: Wikipedia

Gotham City
Read more about Gotham City at Wikipedia
Official Site: DC Comics Links: Wikipedia Comic Vine DC Comics Database

[RakaiThwei]

I would say that the Judges would bring the law to Gotham that the GCPD could never be able to dish out in order to truly clean up Gotham.

The Judges are called Judges for a reason. They are judge, jury and executioner. Gotham's rogues would be sentenced on the spot without any bureaucracy interfering. Many criminals would be spending years to life in an iso-cube or...  given the death sentence.

And efficiently so.

Judges win... Gotham burns. And the sun will rise in a city that's perpetually night.

[Macklemore]

Agree with the assessment, the Judges would probably find it a hard time to deal with a select few Bat-Rogues, (Clayface and Mr. Freeze come to mind specifically,) but everyone else will taste pain like they never have before. Hell, in my opinion, they'd be better at spreading fear through Gotham than Batman is.

[Venom 2009]

Nice to see Gotham City in another match. I enjoy reading the set-up. I give the match a 5.0.

[Culwych1]

14 hours ago, RakaiThwei said:

Judges win... Gotham burns. And the sun will rise in a city that's perpetually night.

A beautiful summary, and some good reasoning as well. 

[Culwych1]

13 hours ago, Macklemore said:

 Hell, in my opinion, they'd be better at spreading fear through Gotham than Batman is.

As I was writing this I thought exactly the same thing!!! If I was a perp I know who I'd rather have after me. At least with Batman they could be reasonably confident of living through the night...

[Culwych1]

12 hours ago, Venom 2009 said:

Nice to see Gotham City in another match. I enjoy reading the set-up. I give the match a 5.0.

Thanks Venom! 

[Pizzaguy2995]

Wow, a very impressive set-up Culwych1, I was on the edge of my seat reading it.

So is Joker apart of the fight too? I assume he was still in Gotham at the time it was teleported to Dredd’s dimension, so I suppose he must be. I believe that if he somehow rallies most of his fellow villains around him (which I assume he can, he’s done so before I believe) I honestly believe they could beat the Judges. The empowered ones like Bane, Clayface, Croc and Mr. Freeze could probably mow down wave after  wave of these judges by themselves, and even non-powered villains like Black Mask and Penguin would be valuable in the amount of men they could rally to their side. Most of the city is already in a frenzy against the judges already, so it probably wouldn’t take much convincing for them to rally to the villains side, as long as they believe they’re the best hope for Gotham’s sovereignty. 
 

But what really makes me bet on Gotham City for this scenario is that here Joker actually killed Batman! Like if Joker has actually become dangerous enough that he’s taken down the Dark Knight himself, then I think he has it in him to take down Dredd as well. 

[Culwych1]

4 hours ago, Pizzaguy2995 said:

Wow, a very impressive set-up Culwych1, I was on the edge of my seat reading it.

So is Joker apart of the fight too? I assume he was still in Gotham at the time it was teleported to Dredd’s dimension, so I suppose he must be. I believe that if he somehow rallies most of his fellow villains around him (which I assume he can, he’s done so before I believe) I honestly believe they could beat the Judges. The empowered ones like Bane, Clayface, Croc and Mr. Freeze could probably mow down wave after  wave of these judges by themselves, and even non-powered villains like Black Mask and Penguin would be valuable in the amount of men they could rally to their side. Most of the city is already in a frenzy against the judges already, so it probably wouldn’t take much convincing for them to rally to the villains side, as long as they believe they’re the best hope for Gotham’s sovereignty. 
 

But what really makes me bet on Gotham City for this scenario is that here Joker actually killed Batman! Like if Joker has actually become dangerous enough that he’s taken down the Dark Knight himself, then I think he has it in him to take down Dredd as well. 

Haha, thanks - and funny you ask about the Joker. 

I actually had a whole side story where Batman, just before he got a knife in the back, had hidden a tracking device on one of Joker's goons. In his message to Judge Dredd he had provided that tracking information, and whilst the battle was raging in Gotham between the city and the Judges, Dredd was tracking down the Joker. It would have either been a straight Joker vs Dredd fight, or possible a Joker & Harley Quinn vs Judge Dredd & Judge Anderson in some remote location of Gotham. 

Probably ain't going to write it as I have another idea I want to explore (and work has been nuts past few months so barely have had any time for EF)!

For a vote on this fight feel free to take your pick - those participants can all be involved or all be removed from play.  

[patrickthekid]

Wow. This will be a crazy battle. It's hard to see how Batman's rogue gallery does against the judges, so the best way to do that is see what they usually up against. The Judges have the Dark Judges such as Judge Death while Gotham has an entire lineup of superheroes to deal with occasionally.

[RakaiThwei]

50 minutes ago, patrickthekid said:

Wow. This will be a crazy battle. It's hard to see how Batman's rogue gallery does against the judges, so the best way to do that is see what they usually up against. The Judges have the Dark Judges such as Judge Death while Gotham has an entire lineup of superheroes to deal with occasionally.

Canonically speaking, the Judges have also dealt with the Xenomorph and the Yautja... So there's that too!

Yes, the crossovers with Alien and Predator are actually part of Dredd canon!! Look it up!

[Callisto]

Match Final Results

Member Ratings:
4.80 - DSkillz
5.00 - patrickthekid
5.00 - Venom 2009
4.00 - Macklemore

FPA Calculation:
4 Total Votes cast
18.80 Total Combined Score
18.80 / 4 = 4.70 Final Rating on the match

MATCH SCORE
Judges (2000AD): 2
Gotham City: 3

[DSkillz]

Gah, sorry about not commenting in time, Culwych. At least I did grade this great set-up.  

This was a great and pretty believable story. I was too torn to vote on a winner, mainly because there was another factor no one brought up: not only would the Judges be dealing Gotham's criminals and dissenting civilians, they'd also have the rest of Bat family to contend with, most of whom definitely don't agree with the Judges' methods. 

[SSJRuss]

Congrats on Gotham City getting it's first win!