Classic Judge Dredd Returns In ‘America: Lost & Found: The Rediscovered Scripts’

Judge Dredd: America is almost universally acknowledged as one of the greatest Dredd sagas, with John Wagner and Colin MacNeil‘s classic tale of freedoms and authoritarian control taking storytelling in the world of MC-1 to completely new heights. And now, Rebellion have announced an all-new edition of America, including in-depth commentary and scripts from John Wagner in America: Lost & Found – The Rediscovered Scripts.

Rebellion announced Wednesday 18 June that they’d recently rediscovered Wagner’s scripts to this classic Dredd tale and will be re-releasing the graphic novel with these rediscovered scripts, extensive commentary from Wagner, and remastered artwork from MacNeil to make this a definitive version of the tale.
The book will be released on 30 September as a deluxe hardcover and is available to pre-order exclusively from the 2000 AD web shop.
Interestingly, this will be the second re-publishing of America in a month, as the Essential Judge Dredd Volume 1, collecting not just this first America tale but the subsequent follow-up tales, is also being released in September.
As Ben Smith, head of Rebellion Publishing, said of America when talking of the Essential Judge Dredd:

Not only is America one of the most amazing Judge Dredd stories ever told, this incredibly prescient look at the demands society must make for democracy and what a state will do to protect itself couldn’t be more contemporary. This is not only the ideal first story for any reader new to Dredd, it’s something everyone should read in this year of all years. Make sure you read it before you vote, citizens!

The thing that made America so powerful, so brilliant, was that it viewed Mega-City One and the Justice Department from the perspective of the everyday citizens. Taking the lives of America Jara and Bennett Beeny from childhood friends to the time they meet once more in adult life, where Beeny is a successful singer and America has become involved with a terrorist organisation – with the Judges in its sights!
It’s an epic tale, powerful, and ultimately heartbreaking. And one you should have on your shelves, no matter what format.
Now, as I did with the announcement of the Essential Judge Dredd, here’s an extra, here’s the first instalment of Judge Dredd: America, from my old copies of Judge Dredd Megazine Volume 1, from way back in 1990, plus the stunning Colin MacNeil cover from the first collections: