Sector 102 // Character Fact File: Rico Dredd

Rico was one of the first Judge clones spawned from Fargo himself. At the Academy of Law, Rico consistently demonstrated higher levels of skill than Joe, and he graduated at the top of their class in 2079, with Joe coming second. Rico helped "Little Joe" through classes. As clones, they were extremely close (and had to fight off other cadets who tried to bully them for 'thinking they were exceptional).

During his time as a cadet, he requested to join the older cadets in restoring order to the streets of Mega-City One in the immediate aftermath of the Atomic Wars of 2070. Rico and Joe served with distinction and were personally chosen to take part in the raid on the White House to depose President Booth (who had usurped his office and had started the War).

However, following an injury during a training mission in the Cursed Earth, Rico became more aggressive, underhanded, and determined to prove himself better than Joe. After graduation, Rico began engaging in criminal activities, including extortion, assault and racketeering. Joe suspected that this resulted from radiation exposure when Rico was injured on a training mission in the Cursed Earth. Rico himself had considered this in his early years but discounted it. In his opinion, the Justice Department was a corrupt, absurd agency, which meant it didn't matter if he lined his pockets. He considered it a farce that the 'good' judges like Joe used just as much brutality as he did.

Eventually, Rico allowed his brother to find out about his racketeering. When Joe witnessed Rico murder an innocent cafe owner who had refused to pay him protection money, Joe arrested him. Rico resisted arrest by opening fire, but the shots went wide. Given Rico's skill with a firearm, Joe would later posit the theory that Rico was trying to commit suicide by cop out of a deep disgust at what he had become rather than trying to kill him. In The Third Law, Rico reveals the shop owner was a chocolate smuggler he was shaking down and claims he had only meant to wound the owner to throw a scare into him. Rather than suicide by cop, Rico claims he just couldn't shoot his brother.

Whatever his motive, Rico was sentenced to twenty years of hard labour on the Titan penal colony, where he grew to hate his brother. He was furious that Joe didn't testify in his favour.

After serving his time on Titan, Rico returned to Mega-City One, seeking revenge on Joe. Confronting him at his home, Rico challenged him to a duel to settle their differences, knowing that with his superior skills, he could always outdraw his brother. However, he had grown used to the weaker gravity of Titan after his twenty years there. This slowed him down by a split second and allowed Joe to shoot him dead. Carrying his brother's lifeless body out into the street, Joe declined a paramedic's offer of assistance, allowing the writer, Pat Mills, to conclude the story with a line from the Hollies song, "He ain't heavy - he's my brother!"

Video: Adventures with Peps YouTube