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Yassa, drawn by John Ridgway

Yassa Povey is a fictional character in British comic 2000 AD. His first and main appearance was in Judge Dredd spin-off The Dead Man (1989). He later briefly appeared in the Judge Dredd series itself (1990).

Yassa was a young black teenage boy, although if still alive he would be an adult by now (since a year passes in the comic strip with each year in the real world). He lived in a small settlement called Bubbletown in the radioactive Cursed Earth desert many miles west of Mega-City One. He owned a dog (unimaginatively named simply "Dog") with abnormally high intelligence, which apparently could understand English, although lacking the ability to speak.

Yassa was instrumental in saving Mega-City One from complete destruction at the hands of the Dark Judges during Necropolis in 2112, since he saved Judge Dredd's life by finding him dying in the desert and arranging for his rescue. However he was subsequently blinded in an attack by the Sisters of Death and left with severe post-traumatic stress. (For the full story see The Dead Man.) After Dredd saved the city, he remembered his debt to Yassa and had him brought to the city for treatment. On arrival Yassa was hailed as a hero for his role in saving the city. Dr Zilton Northgate, the city's best eye surgeon, fitted him with bionic eyes, while Judge Anderson used her telepathic abilities to ease his mental trauma.

Having made a full recovery, Yassa was almost assassinated by a sniper as he boarded his flight home. He survived when Dr Northgate intercepted the bullet (which killed him). The sniper was arrested by Dredd, and died in custody during interrogation.

• The Dead Man (by John Wagner and John Ridgway, in 2000 AD #650-662, 1989-1990)

• Judge Dredd:
  • "Nightmares" (by John Wagner and Steve Dillon, in 2000 AD #702-706, 1990)
  • "Death Aid" (by Garth Ennis and Carlos Ezquerra, in 2000 AD #711-715; 719-720, 1990-1991)

• 2000 AD profile