Judge dredd America is probably the most famous of any and all Dredd stories
It certainly is the one everyone advises you to read if you ask for a good story to jump into the Judge Dredd comics.
And oddly enough, having finally read it, I'm not sure I agree.
Sure it was one of the most thought-provoking Dredd comics ever. But it was also alot darker than most of the Dredd stuff that I've read up until now. And I'm not sure if it's tonally indicative of the larger Judge Dredd world.
But then, I might not be the best person to give an assesment of this because the way I got into the Judge Dredd comics was not one that alot of people would follow.
Usually when I choose to go for something I tend to start from the beginning and plan for the whole way so I went and did the same thing with Judge Dredd.
I started at Complete Case Files 1 and then proceeded onwards, always sticking to the order of publication. Somewhere along the line I started using the Dredd Reckoning blog to add to my reading list. Now, almost 4 years later, after reading Complete Case Files 15, and after some stops along the way, occasionally re-reading some stuff and side-touring into Strontium Dog and a handful of Dredd crossovers, I've only just now read America.
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| My current Read-Dredd Collection. |
So, I started at the beginning where all was still fun and games. Short, darkly humorous and violent comics for kids about a lawman in a fascist society endowed with the power of instant judgment, with macho one-liners from its straight-faced protagonist at the end of every issue. I ended up having a ton of laughs. Sure it got dark occasionally, but never as pervasively hopeless as it did here.
Anyway, I loved the big and fun 'Epics', from the ones that didn't influence Dredd's world so much, to the ones that did.
From the fun romps in the 'Cursed Earth' and the fun space-quest of the 'Judge Child', the ludicrous 'The Day the Law Died' storyline and the exciting and impactful 'Apocalypse War', to the mega sports event that still manages to get to me; 'OZ'.
I always enjoyed the clean, black and white line-work, running from the very beginning until its shift into colour. Even with the more experimental art that wasn't always my cup of tea, I mostly thought the artwork was at least ok. I wasn't a fan of Necropolis' art, but its story and scope was undeniably impressive. Tying backwards and forwards several volumes, it's one of most important Mega City Epics.
But here and now we come to the greatest Mega City Epic of all, not actually an epic as we know them to be in the Dredd-verse; but it is the single most crucial storyline that has mattered and will matter the most in the future.
The seeds of its plot had already been planted in earlier stories. But this one, this one story is the beating heart that in the end will give rise to the greatest Epic of Dredd's world.
The end to the Judicial system and the death of Judge Dredd.
Presumably.
As I mentioned, other stories gave rise to this one. It's been proceeded by 'Letters from a Democrat', which was the first story that showed what it was like to actually live under Judicial rule and showed Dredd not taking down criminals, but regular people, fighting, albeit with violence, for their rights in the Mega City.
In 'Revolution' a democratic march gets undermined and ruthlessly crushed by the Judges, led by Dredd himself. This led to the incredibly good and character forming 'Letters to Judge Dredd' which served as the kick-off for the sprawling Necropolis storyline.
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| Doubt. |
And now here; is America.
It takes place after Necropolis but seemingly before the Referendum story arc, which explains Dredd's unflinching faith in the system and lets him be the avatar of unrepentant justice that, for this story to work, he needs to be.
After the calamity of Necropolis Judge Dredd's faith in the Judicial system has been revived and he is back to (for a while at least) believing that the judicial system is the best way forward for Mega City One.
Let's continue.
This volume collects three linked stories. which had all been previously published in the Megazine, the companion anthology magazine to 2000ad, which features stories outside of the main storylines but that are canonically part of Dredd's world.
The titular America was the story that at the time kicked the Megazine off, comissioned in order to add a more adult flavor to the up until now adolescent kid stuff from the pages of 2000ad.
And more mature it is most certainly, as it contributes an immediate level of grimness and a way more in-depth look at the world of the judges and how it would actually be to just live as a regular citizen in this oppressive society.
For the first one I thought that having been exposed to so much of the 'America' storyline over the years on various blogs and review sites, without having actually read it, I figured I actually knew how it would end. I figured those 2 pictures people always show, to my mind, obviously showing the end, would actually be the end.
In a way it is, of course. But the truth is that the story doesn't end there.
And it's what comes after that was the true gutpunch. It's humanity at its most perverse and dark and wholly pathetic. but it lived up to my high expectations, turned them on their head and then surpassed them.
Small note, since the Dredd world ages in real time, the characters do too. We are still in the same continuity that started 40 years ago.
The second story, Fading of the Light, was published 6 years later and thus takes place chronologically 6 years after the events of America. It nonetheless ties so closely to it that it might just as well have been just a few months, though obviously for spoilery reasons, it couldn't really. I was struck by the narrator's voice being practically the same to the narrating voice in America. You'd have thought that after 6 years they'd have mangled its tone a bit, but no, they didn't miss a beat. I appreciated that.
Fading of the Light ties off almost every dangling plot thread in a dark and subversive fashion while pointing the way to a slightly hopeful future.
The last storyline; Cadet, takes place about 10 years after Fading of the Light.
A look at the events from the first 2 stories through the lens of some if its principal characters. An involved and complex storyline with a brighter and more hopeful outlook.
So, as I said before, I was surprised at how dark the storyline got but what struck me too is how odd it was to come face to face with the fact that comics in general are just fucking weird. The Judge Dredd comics have never been anything but filled with fantasy and sci-fi and they've certainly been weird before and I really shouldn't have expected any different from America.
It's just that I thought that this tale was so well known and so popular that I expected it to be more grounded.
So, for a final verdict; I'm still not sure if it's entry level recommended. sure it's absolutely one of the best Judge Dredd comics out there. But if you start here, you start in the middle of a an ongoing storyline that has its origins built up over years and years.
A better place to start would be Complete Case Files 11, which, as it has the 2-parter; 'Revolution', is directly relevant to the events in America. It also has some silly and good stories, giving you a taster what the Judge Dredd Comic is capable of and has the added benefit of having the amazingly touching and fun 'Oz' epic.
Better still would be to read up on some of the background to the Mega City in Case Files 5 which collects the Apocalypse War and Block Mania.
Either way, the Dredd world has plenty of silly stuff to go with the darker side. Keep an open mind.
Alright, let's talk spoilers.
Spoilers for the entirety of Judge Dredd: America after the jump.
Seriously, don't read this if you even think you might pick up some Judge Dredd in the future.
Okay then, I want to talk about something problematic and then a little bit about other stuff that I noticed.
To do so, I'm going to have to basically tell the entire story of America and parts of Fading of the Light, so again; massive spoilers ahead.
I mentioned before that going into this I thought I knew how this was going to end.
Everyone that has ever done an online review or a look at America seemed to use the same few pictures. and all of those, seemingly, spoiled the ending.
They showed, what was obviously the death of our heroin America on the steps before The statue of Liberty, with the massive Judge statue towering over it, with dredd holding his gun in her general and pretty dead direction; of course the body is covered, but it's covered with the flag of the united states. It's pretty on the nose symbology ("The word you're looking for is Symbolism").
So at the time I said; "Fuck, you all spoiled it", but eventually ended up buying it anyway.
I read it and it pretty much happened the way I thought it would. Except, those 2 pages I always saw turned out to be the first two pages in the comic.
It should've been a little warning sign. things were about to get dark. I read on, a little mystified; "This better be good 'cause you've given it all away..."
And beneath the guidance of a rambling narrating voice filled with self recrimination we follow America's journey from the point of view of the man who betrayed her.
From her early days with her friend Beeny, being 'scared straight' by the judges, to her days as an active revolutionist, until her end on the steps before the statue of liberty.
The big harrowing moment came, I thought, the reason of the reverence this story's held in; when in the ambush where dredd decides to make an example of America's revolutionist group he lets the traitor watch; "He's earned it".
"Well, what a little rat. He's sold her out, he couldn't possibly think this would turn out any good, right?"
And then America dies; not on Dredd's orders, but after he'd commanded a cease-fire, a judge on the scene shoots her in the back after she, badly wounded, drags up america's literal flag in the direction of the Statue of Liberty.
The judge is disciplined but the damage is already done. Amerika is dead and the traitor is heartbroken.
They promised him that she wouldn't be harmed.
Well that was ok, I thought.
Pretty good.
And then the story went on.
And you know, that gutpunch I was talking about?
Turns out that 'to honor her memory' the traitor buys her corpse. and via comic book weirdness he transplants his brain into her body and then proceeds to stumble around on stage. A man in a dead woman's body; the corpse of Amerika struggling on beneath the opression of the judges. Delicious symbolism.
Live on stage, he sings songs in her honor.
It is a pathetic, perverse and very dark moment.
But the story is not over.
The Fading of the light compounds on this.
Taking place 6 years later we are introduced to America and Beeny's child.
It turns out that right before he transplanted his brain into America. Beeny impregnated her.
Barring the obvious moral problems here there's also the question of necrophilia.
It's left vague as to how he impregnated America. Whether he had in fact had sex with her dead corpse (there was a mention of America being only braindead but really, these are meaningless details at this point) or if he artificially inseminated her. It's a very messed-up situation.
*Cheery voice* It gets worse though.
Soon we learn that America's body is rejecting Beeny's brain and that he has a limited time left to live. He becomes subject to fits and he lapses occasionally into a state of catatonia and semi-paralysis.
In one of these periods; Beeny in America's body shambles out of a hospital, barely aware of where he/she is and gets raped in an alley by three men.
Nearby a judge watches.
The metaphorical rape of America's body by Beeny when he transplants his brain into it, his ideas and his weakness. His actual rape with the goal of engendering pregnancy whether artificially achieved or not, and the rape by the men in the alley of the male entity beeny within the female body of Amerika.
There's some obvious karmic justice there. but it's wholly uncomfortable.
Now; we can't identify the judge and your first instinct is that it's Dredd who is watching. This is his strip after all.
And with that, there is this sinking feeling; this can't be happening?
It's not Judge Dredd of course. It turns out it's another judge named Royce.
He is, I presume, afterwards sent to Titan or forced to take the long walk as punishment. Either way he gets taken out of the picture and Dredd formally apologizes to Beeny/America. But the damage is done.
As pathetic and spineless a coward as beeny is though, he's had enough and joins the revolution.
Some more plot happens and before the end he betrays America again by sending their child into the judge academy. However, in the final pages we realize that it's not to perpetuate the judge system. but to actually subvert it, from within. A slight redemption.
And then again, in Cadet, this idea seems to get blown out of the water by the revelation that it wasn't her father that had written the letter but rather his robotic manservant.
Leaving it in doubt whether he sent his daughter into the school to actually subvert it or whether he still endorsed the fascist state he was living in. Probably not, but the Cadet story does make a point of saying that the letter and its contents were not written by Beeny.
Anyway; Judge Royce shows how dangerous it is to have a society ruled by individuals with absolute power, individuals invested with the power to deliver instant judgment. individuals capable of forming their own bias and refraining from intervening in situations of their choosing, because it fits within their idea of justice.
That is why, in this society, Dredd is our hero. because to him, everyone is equal before the law. and he has in several cases held himself responsible for infractions and lapses in judgment. always adhering strictly to the rule rather than doing a little bad in service to a greater good.
Over the years, Dredd has become more and more sensitive to the plight of Mega City One's citizens plight and it's not inconceivable that he'll put an end to its oppressive regime.
On another topic; I thought it was quite interesting that just like in V for Vendetta the anti-government group tries to blow up a symbol; V has the Houses of Parliament, an obsolete tool and symbol of democracy in a fascist state. Judge Dredd: America has the Democrats trying to blow up the Statue of Liberty, denying its representation of America (the country's) freedom and free will.
Now that I think about it, I subconsciously gave America (the character) the voice that she uses to talk about her time in the pro-Democracy movement, the same tone and timbre that Natalie Portman uses in the V for Vendetta movie, when she talks about the government cracking down.
A telling voice, filled with quiet sadness.
It's also odd to see how in both of these tales, we're on the side of the terrorists. The ones fighting against the established order. trying to change the world they're living in. And for better or worse we're on their side, even if the ensuing violent change inevitably hurts people.
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