I don't think I had read this one before! I wonder if I have the rest of this mini, though.
Monday, March 24, 2025
Say what you will, Elvis there doesn't get trapped by painting double lines around it, or fooled by a Wile E. Coyote painting.
You might have seen this online last week, but Tesla's self-driving feature only uses cameras--as opposed to radar, lidar, ultrasonic, anything--and can be fooled by a Wile E. Coyote style painting on a wall. I don't know if Teslas are particularly vulnerable to this or if it's been patched, but previously you could trap an autonomous vehicle almost by painting it into a corner: if it won't cross double-lines, you can herd it. That wouldn't work on Elvis here, which both leads to a lot of deaths but is way more entertaining. From 1986, Judge Dredd: the Early Cases #6, featuring "Elvis" Written by John Wagner, art by Ian Gibson.
This was a four-part storyline, beginning in 1978's 2000 AD #53; and was set during the relatively brief tenure of Judge-Marshal Dredd, head lawman of Luna-City One! It feels apocryphal, like something that would be retconned out; but no, I think it's still in continuity! Computerized-car Elvis was like a son to its owner, until an accident damages its personality, turning it into a psychotic, murdering brat. When the Judges have him cornered in a parking garage, Elvis was also clever enough to reprogram a bunch of other cars, making them maniacs like him and giving him the chance to escape. He then rampages through a department store and helps himself to a bunch of toys, so it can't be all bad--okay, yeah, it can.
Elvis hides out in a poor couple's apartment, then is incensed when Dredd calls him out on the news. Like, really calls him out; like a wrestling promo, he lays it pretty thick. Dredd may have outsmarted himself there, as Elvis uses tunnels to remain unseen, and surprises him in his own apartment! Walter the Wobot is tied-up, and instead of just killing him, Elvis takes Dredd as a hostage, figuring nobody would stop him if it meant killing Dredd!
Also this issue: "22nd Century Futsie" When his dad goes insane with "future-shock" on New Year's Eve, little Arthur Goodworthy Jr. goes to Dredd, to see if maybe, just maybe, his dad could be brought in alive for a change? Please? I don't think it was even future-shock that got Arthur Sr. as much as a hostile work environment and lousy co-workers, but sure. Dredd tells the kid dad'll be okay; but inwardly thinks he's never going to really recover from that; like a porcelain figure glued back together, scarred and fragile.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
3 comments:
I had to look it up, but it seems that Dredd served on Luna City-1 for 6 months & apparently what an eventful 6 months it was for him.
Even after reading how Elvis broke bad, in lieu of the whole Tesla stuff, I still find myself sympathizing for him. It’s not his fault his brain broke and made him evil. Hell I think it was funny. Definitely could’ve had a brief series devoted to his (mis)adventures if I do say so myself.
Yep, this was early on when they were still figuring out what kind of series they wanted Judge Dredd to be. There were like three huge storylines in a row (the moon stuff, a road trip across what was left of America, and a political thriller) over a year and a half. And everything in Judge Dredd is canon- even the stuff that contradicts other stories or gets ignored counts.
Robots tend to get into these sort of situations a decent amount of the time in Dredd, though in spurts. There were a bunch of them in the early days, then almost nothing for about 15 years, then a bunch, then another 15 years of almost nothing, and then another bunch.
The stories in this particular miniseries have been reprinted a lot, though I recommend just going for the Case Files 1 trade- it has the entire first year of the strip at a very good price.
I’m definitely intrigued by those early formative years of Dredd.
Post a Comment