Tweak is a major character in the Judge Dredd epic "The Cursed Earth". He was an alien slave rescued by Judge Dredd and later became one of his most important allies alongside Spikes Harvey Rotten in being able to deliver a vaccine for the killer virus 2T(FRU)T to Mega City Two.
Appearance[]
Tweak was a short furry alien with dark brown fur covering the majority of his body. He had large black eyes and a snout, he had donkey-like ears and large hands with three large claws on each hand. Despite being a member of a species, which eats only rocks and minerals, Tweak quite inconsistently has a long noodle-like tongue which sticks out from his snout. His general appearance looks to be inspired by the anteater.
Personality[]
Tweak was a noble and loyal creature, willing to save his entire planet at the cost of his enslavement. He had some kind of psychic link with his family and felt tremendous pain at their death. He was also prone to have some premonitions of the future. He befriended Dredd and even Spikes despite his cruel comments about the alien when they had first met. For most of his time on earth, he play-acted as a dumb animal in order to fool the humans into thinking that his species and planet were not worth colonising, but under the act is learned individual.
History[]
The name of Tweak's home planet nor his species is never actually learned, but it is certain that his kind were intelligent and prosperous. They were almost entirely a mining community and were only able to live off rocks. The idea of eating something that had lived was considered disgusting to Tweak. It is found out in the prog "Tweak's Story" that he was in fact the leader of his planet, and he willingly allowed himself to be taken by humans who had come to their planet looking for anything of value to mine. Using his powers of pre-cognition, he saw how violent and polluting humans may be to their planet, and he ordered all evidence of his species to be hid from the humans as they explored the planet. When his child ignored the order to stay hidden and got caught, though, him and his wife revealed themselves and made every effort to appear as dumb creatures so that the humans would not have the urge to explore the planet further, and so that they would leave his species in peace. Once on Earth, Tweak was sold to one ranch owner, and his family to another. His family were eventually put down after Tweak's child, used as a pet for a plantation owner's daughter, accidentally hurt the girl. Tweak broke out of his bondage to bury them in a rocky grave, the stone providing food for the afterlife, when he was rounded up, beaten, and returned to his servitude. At the time of being discovered by Dredd, Tweak is living as a slave in the Cursed Earth, where any escape attempts are quelled by Slay-Riders, mercenaries who round up and return runaway slaves.
After a run-in with Dredd, who abhors slavery, the Riders are defeated, and Tweak makes his way to the grave of his family. Dredd, suspicious that this might be a crime scene, orders the bodies exhumed, and when satisfied of Tweak's innocence, aids the creature in burying his family in only the most delicious rocks. Tweak soon becomes a part of Dredd's entourage for many chapters, slowly teaching himself to speak English, displaying advanced maths skills, and using his strong claws to fight off the horrors of the Cursed Earth. After bonding with Dredd and Spikes, he strikes a deal with Spikes to sell half of his planet to him for colonisation, as it would make his new friend happy. That is however, with the caveat that he knew via precognition that Spikes would be killed before being able to use those mining rights for himself. After Spike's death, Tweak soldiers on helping Dredd to deliver vaccines to Mega-city 2, bringing 1/3 of the supply there on foot. Once Dredd is back in the city and everyone is safe, Dredd offers Tweak a reward for a job well done. As Tweak has no interest in recognition for his actions, Dredd arranges for him to be shipped back to his home planet on a shuttle and admonishes the crew of the ship who initially mistreat him. The last Panel is Tweak bidding goodbye to Judge Dredd, wondering if they'll ever meet again.
References[]
- 2000 AD Prog 69 - Judge Dredd: The Cursed Earth Part 9 of 25 The Slay Riders
- 2000 AD Prog 85 - Judge Dredd: The Cursed Earth Part 25 of 25
