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Remembering The Batman/Judge Dredd Signing At Virgin Megastore

Remembering the Batman/Judge Dredd signing at London's Virgin Megastore on Oxford Street thirty-five years ago

Published Tue, 17 Feb 2026 05:58:08 -0600

Article Summary

Reliving the legendary 1991 Batman/Judge Dredd signing at London's Virgin Megastore on Oxford Street.
Fans lined up for hours, with crowds rivaling and even exceeding those for David Bowie appearances.
Firsthand attendee stories highlight the event's scale, excitement, and unforgettable atmosphere.
Batman/Judge Dredd: Judgement on Gotham returns in a deluxe anniversary edition in May 2026.

When the Batman/Judge Dredd crossover graphic novella by Alan Grant, John Wagner and Simon Bisley was published in 1991, they did a signing at Virgin Megastore on Oxford Street. It was quite an ambitious thing to use such a venue, rather than Forbidden Planet on New Oxford Street. It may not have been ambitious enough. Igor Goldkind, then a Fleetway Publications executive, remembers, "I also organised more professional press conferences before major signings and national comic book signing tours, which hadn't really been done on a big scale in this country before. I remember the Judge Dredd vs Batman graphic novel signing launch at the Virgin Megastore at Oxford Circus in London, which amazed even the police with the numbers that lined up around the block to get their book signed by Simon Bisley, John Wagner and Alan Grant. The store manager said it was a bigger draw than when David Bowie had done a signing the month previously."

An attendee posted to Reddit, "I think I got there in good time, but the queue for the signing was absolutely massive. My memory of it was that it went all the way to Marble Arch and then a good stretch after that… No way did I have time to stay, so I went in, bought 3 copies, and went to get the tube home. Sitting on the platform at Bond Street, I had a change of heart – I was here now, I may as well stay. So to the back of the queue I went. 5/6 hours (?) passed, and I was getting to the front and within sight of the doors when a Virgin employee came out to announce that they had run out of copies and so the signing would be coming to a close … but if anyone in the queue had already purchased a copy from the store, then they could come to the front. Phew :)"

Remembering The Batman/Judge Dredd Signing At Virgin Megastore — eBay sale listing

And now it's back. The Batman/Judge Dredd: Judgement on Gotham Anniversary Edition from Rebellion for May 2026, 34 1/2 months after its first publication.

Batman Judge Dredd: Judgement on Gotham – Anniversary Edition Hardcover by John Wagner, Alan Grant, Simon Bisley,
The Ultimate Lawman versus the Dark Knight Detective, and while heroes clash…in Gotham City the psychos are running riot! The anniversary edition of the classic UK/US team up crossover comic is presented in an oversized format, with rescanned and cleaned up artwork to present Simon Bisley's influential work in a glorious new light. 7 May 2026

"The Caped Crusader meets the Lawman of the Future – in a brand new oversized edition! Rebellion is proud to announce the Batman/Judge Dredd: Judgement on Gotham Anniversary Edition. One of the bestselling Judge Dredd comics of all time, this new edition of the critically-acclaimed and award-winning Judgement on Gotham by John Wagner (A History of Violence), Alan Grant (Detective Comics) and Simon Bisley (Lobo) brings a classic back into print in a way it's never been seen before! Due for publication for the UK in May, this new edition of the original Batman/Judge Dredd crossover will not only be reprinted in a larger format than ever before, but will use brand new scans of the original printing film from 1992 – carefully restored by Rebellion's experienced reprographics teams – to present Bisley's groundbreaking fully-painted artwork in a glorious new light."

"Batman/Judge Dredd: Judgement on Gotham Anniversary Edition promises to be a stunning showcase of one of the 1990s' most iconic comics crossovers! Originally published in 1991, Judgement on Gotham pitted the Ultimate Lawman against the Dark Knight Detective, with Judge Dredd and his psychic colleague Judge Anderson forced to team up with Batman after the undead arch-fiend Judge Death escapes from Mega-City One to Gotham City and, alongside The Scarecrow, wreaks havoc – from murdering the masses to headlining a rock concert! It was not only the first time these two legendary characters had come together on the page, but was also the moment that Bisley became an international comics superstar – fresh from his work on Sláine for 2000 AD, his intense and anarchic fully-painted art fitted perfectly with Wagner and Grant's explosive story, filled with iconic moments that delighted fans of both characters and spawned a further three crossover stories. Judgement on Gotham was the winner of the Penguin Books Award for Best Graphic Novel and UK Comic Art Award for Best Original Graphic Novel, as well as a nominee for the Eisner Award for Best Graphic Album: New,and also saw Bisley win the Best Artist Eisner Award and UK Comic Art Award in 1992. Bisley went on to work on the wildly popular Lobo, while Grant wrote an acclaimed run on Batman and Wagner set about redefining his groundbreaking character, Judge Dredd, in the pages of the Judge Dredd Megazine and 2000 AD. Available only for the UK market, this brand new 64-page, over-sized edition of Judgement on Gotham will give both new readers and fans of the original the unparalleled opportunity to see Wagner, Grant and Bisley's energy and vision with fresh eyes."