America (Judge Dredd Story)

America (Judge Dredd Story)

America was a Judge Dredd story published in the Judge Dredd Megazine in 1990. Told in flashbacks, the story concerns the character America Jara, her friend Bennett Beeny and their tragic encounters with the Justice Department. As Bennett Beeny grows up to reap the benefits of Mega City One, becoming a famous singer and comedian, America becomes more and more disillusioned. She becomes a democracy activist and later a terrorist. The story is grounded in the conflict between the Democracy movement and Mega City One's fascist police state, and is one of the most political Judge Dredd stories ever told. Writer John Wagner (co-creator of Dredd) has said that America is his favourite Judge Dredd story, and editor David Bishop describes it as "the best Judge Dredd story ever written."

The story also introduced the terrorist group Total War, which became significant in later stories.