TALES FROM THE BLACK MUSEUM

“Mega-City One, the 21st century AD. Deep in the heart of the Grand Hall of Justice lurks the Black Museum, Justice Department’s permanent exhibition of relics from bygone crimes. Whether it’s the trophies of a notorious serial killer or the arcane weapons of the Dark Judges, the violent history of the Big Meg is laid bare. Let guide Henry Dubble show you around…”

Tales From The Black Museum is a series of one-off, self-contained stories that appear in the Judge Dredd Megazine, the monthly sister-publication of legendary British sci-fi anthology 2000 AD. The series is hosted in the style of the crypt keeper by Henry Dubble, the ghoulish curator of Mega-City One’s museum of crime. Each tale focuses on a specific object (a deck of cards, a pair of glasses, a judge’s badge, etc), each a central piece of evidence from a bizarre crime, which is gleefully narrated by Henry and often concludes with a horrific twist in the tail.

Inspired by the 1951 radio drama The Black Museum hosted by Orson Welles, the Megazine’s Tales From The Black Museum launched in 2006 with issue 244 (The Wages Of Crime, written by John Wagner with art by Shaun Thomas and letters by Ellie De Ville). Since then the series has featured regular contributions from a host of talent, including writers Al Ewing, Arthur Wyatt and Michael Carroll, and artists Jon Davis-Hunt, Nick Dyer and Tiernan Travallion.

The Black Museum. Mega-City One’s museum of murder. Here in the grim rockcrete structure within the Grand Hall of Justice lurks a warehouse of homicide where everyday objects – a teddy bear, a greetings card, a wad of munce – all are touched by murder!

Art by Graeme Neil Reid

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Slay It With Flowers

One-shot, with art by Graeme Neil Reid and letters by Ellie De Ville, in Judge Dredd Megazine #315, September 2011.

Lovelorn botanist Crayton Stump believes he's gained the key to winning the girl of his dreams when he stumbles upon the remains of the mutant cult leader Father Earth*.

*Thargnote: see Prog #122-125

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The Girl With The Gila-Munja Tattoo

One-shot, with art by David Roach and letters by Simon
Bowland, in Judge Dredd Megazine #327, August 2012.

A young woman with a peculiar talent finds herself on the run from one of the Cursed Earth’s deadliest assassins.

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Mom vs. Food

One-shot, with art by Joel Carpenter and letters by Simon Bowland, in Judge Dredd Megazine #339, September 2013.

Militant mom Lydia Skrawn dares to take on the unhealthy might of the Heep O' Burgers empire.

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Chester's Web

One-shot, with art by Paul Davidson and letters by Annie Parkhouse, in Judge Dredd Megazine #360, June 2015.

When the criminals who run Sonia Braga Block murder kindly old Chester Scrooble, they find themselves stalked by an angel of death with a familiar gleam in its eight eyes.

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The Cackle

One-shot, with art by Leigh Gallagher and letters by Simon Bowland, in Judge Dredd Magazine #422, July 2020.

A young man learns that he is suffering from a terrible supernatural affliction, but is he willing to pay the price to cure it?

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