Re:Read - Judge Dredd: America
Instead of the usual high-energy ultra-violence that makes
up a lot of Judge Dredd strips. America tells a tale of love and loss in Mega-City 1. America depicts what life is like, within the Meg, it studies the concept of democracy and also tackles the question of whether Judge Dredd is truly a "hero". While Dredd features in the story this isn't his story. The main viewpoint is of
Bennett Beeny and the woman he loved and lost. A woman called America.
As a child, Beeny is bullied by the other children. When a
Judge decides to intimidate him and tries to arrest Beeny for being a troublemaker, one child stands up to the Judge, and that’s his friend America Jarra. Yet as they grow older it becomes clear that
both Beeny and America are on very different life paths. Whilst Beeny becomes a
musician and chooses to challenge the system through satirical songs, America joins
protest parties and becomes more militant to the point of becoming a freedom
fighter...or terrorist – who has the Justice Department in their
sight!
That’s the beauty of this tale. It's all a matter of perspective. The first image in the book is one of Dredd standing tall stamping his boot down on the American flag. This then pans to the second image of Dredd standing in front of the Statue of Liberty. What makes this image more striking is that behind is an even more imposing statue of a Judge. The law is order in Mega-City 1 and the price to maintain justice is freedom itself.
The whole story is told in a way that oppressively depicts the entire Justice system. A somewhat faceless organisation that stamps down on anyone who opposes their rules. As we follow both Beeny and America we see the duo's brushes with the law. Where Beeny's discern for the Judge borders on hushed mutterings, America crosses that line and gets in with the pro-democracy crowd. As such it isn't long before the impressionable young woman has caught the Justice Departments' steely gaze and she's carted off to a Juve Cube. Time then flashes forward as Beeny recalls the death of his mother and the onset of the Apocalypse War. We also learn more about his life and it turns out that while he lacks female company, Beeny is quite wealthy. It's this wealth that by chance brings him back into contact with America Jara.
A routine trip into the sector's red-light district sees Beeney caught up in one of America's terror attacks. Her group's target is a couple of Judges and while Beeny attempts to reason with his long lost love disaster strikes. It's here where Beeny gets another taste of the harsh reality of his "law" filled world. Due to him being able to identify who shot Judges Cruz and Oliver, Beeny is shot and left for dead. However, it's this moment that not only leads to America's downfall but also pulls the notorious Judge Dredd into the game.
What then follows is a game of cat and mouse as America and Judge Dredd utilise Beeny's love for America to fund their own goals. For America, this is to get Beeny to fund Total Wars attacks in the name of democracy. However, for Dredd, it's the total opposite. Leaving Total War unchecked not only endangers both the Judges and innocent Cits but could also inspire others to take up the pro-democracy stance yet again. Naturally, this would in turn see the potential end of the Justice Department's hold - not just in Mega-City One, but across the globe.
This tense tug-of-war battle comes to a head in the shadow of the once-proud Statue of Liberty. Once the crown jewel in the heart of the United States' essence of freedom, it was soon to be its downfall. Not wanting America to be harmed, Beeny has secretly aligned himself with the Judges. Whilst America has been attempting to groom Beeny to her terrorist/democracy views - he's already been turned by Judge Dredd. Now his hubris has unknowingly set up a climactic battle between Total War and the Judges. Where only one side naturally comes out on top.
We then see a barbaric show of force as Dredd and his group of faceless Judges lay waste to the would-be bombers. As the last person standing, a critically injured America attempts to blow up Lady Liberty only to see herself gunned down in front of the one thing she held dear - not Beeny, but democracy and freedom itself. This is further enforced as Colin MacNeil's art pans out to show every stoic Judge Dredd standing tall in front of the shattered remains of that symbol of freedom.
For Dredd, it's just another day in the office but for Bennett Beeny the notion that he got the only person who's ever loved him (this is debatable) killed, truly breaks his heart. As a form of penance, he then gets his brain transplanted into America's body as he attempts to keep her dream alive through his own. Of course, fans will already know that things don't end well for Bennett Beeny and while he does eventually die, his and America's legacy lives on through their daughter - who happens to become a Judge.
When it comes to writing this epic, John Wagner has played a blinder. The script maintains a level of intensity throughout as we're introduced to these "outcast" characters to then show how different the two are. America is also quite removed from the other Judge Dredd strips of its era. Aside from not featuring Dredd, there's not a lot of that sly comedic aspect either. Instead, John Wagner gives us a mature, hard-hitting tale that certainly remains long in the memory of anyone who reads it - especially when our world is heading down that very same road.
It's tough to find anyone to root for as America, Beeney, and Dredd each has their pros and cons. None of them is painted as the hero, with each having their reasons behind the facade. If anything, America is a tale of loss, not only for the characters involved - but the wider Mega-City One landscape. Aside from this, Wagner also uses this story to tie up threads within the long-running democracy storyline while also setting up Dredd and Mega-City One's future. The likes of Bennett Beeny and Total War do eventually crop up in the future, but right now the notion of a free world is well and truly dead. Wagner perfectly portrays this in the stories closing scene as Beeny monologues his dreams for freedom, while Dredd - almost as if he's answering Beeny - tells him to wake up to the real world "America is dead, this is the real world"
Colin MacNeil's artwork is just as powerful as Wagner's script. MacNeil fills each page with plenty of gorgeous hand-painted imagery that oozes a degree of beauty within its powerful message. As mentioned above, there are plenty of iconic scenes within America. The ending monologues from Beeny and Dredd, the faceless Dredd standing tall in front of the Statue of Liberty, and that opening panel. It all works to highlight just how much power the Judges have over ordinary citizens. Its very nature is oppressive - yet Colin MacNeil gives it a resounding beauty.
All in all, Judge Dredd: America deserves its place up there with the best of what Mega-City One has to offer. It's a dark, mature story that shows Dredd and his fellow Judges as the oppressive force that they are. There are no heroic moments here as John Wagner and Colin MacNeil give us a singular tale of loss that was felt between two completely new characters. For any fan that's new to reading either 2000 AD or Judge Dredd - America is an essential read.
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