When Lionsgate revealed their plans to Dredd film.

Still, Dredd is a film adaptation and as such, it takes a few liberties in its storytelling, along with introducing characters not featured in the IPC Media series. Writer Alex Garland has already shown himself to be a huge fan of the Dredd property, but this first film needed to set up a world audiences could easily digest and characters that they could discover more about right alongside Judge Dredd.

Yes, the character of Dredd's Lena Headey), which you can read online right now.

In the comic, readers are not only given some film's trailer. The prologue comic only briefly touches on the experience of being on the drug, whereas the film revels in its time-altering affects.

In addition to the development of slo-mo, the comic briefly explains the origins of Ma-Ma's scar, which in the film is a symbol of her mercilessness. It might have been more appropriate to see the scar as it's created rather than mentioned only in a brief aside, but it's another important detail that will help inform the audience prior to sitting down for Dredd.

When the comic concludes there are still several events that need to play out before the scene is properly set for Dredd – namely Ma-Ma setting up shop in the 200-story residence featured as the film's centerpiece -- but as a prologue it sufficiently develops the character of Ma-Ma from a cowardly prostitute into the woman who will become a ruthless drug peddler.

As the film's name suggests, it's Judge Dredd that the audiences want to see, and the decision to relegate him to a secondary role in the prologue is a bold one. Yes, readers can ascertain some sense of Dredd the character, but the film might be better served if the comic also showcased his story alongside Ma-Ma's.

Curious moviegoers can find out how Ma-Ma and Judge Dredd cross paths when Dredd releases in theaters on September 21, 2012.

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Source: MTV