Publication date May – October 1978 Originally published 1982 | Letterer(s) Tom Frame Publisher Time Inc. UK | |
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Writer(s) Pat MillsJohn WagnerJack Adrian Artists Mike McMahon, Brian Bolland Similar John Wagner books, Judge books | ||
"The Cursed Earth" is the second extended storyline of the British science fictional comics character Judge Dredd. It appeared in 2000 AD, and was the first to exceed twenty episodes. Written mostly by Pat Mills, the story arc added many core elements to the backstory of the world of Mega-City One, Judge Dredd's city.
Contents
Publication history
The storyline ran from 2000 AD #61 to 85 (May to October 1978).
Kevin O'Neill said that the story was inspired by Roger Zelazny's novel Damnation Alley.
Plot
In 2100 Mega-City Two, on the West coast of North America, becomes infected with a virus called 2 T (fru) T (a wordplay on tutti frutti) that makes its victims into a violent mob. Scientists in Mega-City One on the East coast have been able to make an antidote, but it is impossible to safely land at the airports in Mega-City Two. The only option is to send a land expedition of Judges in a tank across the Cursed Earth, a radioactive wasteland that covers most of the former US. Judge Dredd is assigned to lead the mission and en route they encounter many perils including a cloned tyrannosaurus called Satanus, and President Robert L. Booth, the last president of the United States.
Controversy
The Cursed Earth caused a lawsuit involving the publishers of 2000 AD, McDonald's, Burger King, and the Jolly Green Giant. Four episodes in the series, written by John Wagner and Jack Adrian, featured trade marked characters used without permission. One storyline depicted wars between rival gangs, headed by the Burger King and Ronald McDonald – including scenes of Ronald executing a gang member who spilled a milkshake. The owners of these characters objected to the use of their trademarks and sued. Publishers IPC settled out of court, publishing a half-page retraction and agreeing never to reprint the offending episodes.
In 2014 the law was changed to implement a European directive on copyright law allowing the use of copyright-protected characters for parody. As a result, Rebellion Developments announced in 2015 that it would re-publish the suppressed episodes for the first time in a book to be published in July 2016.
Collected editions
The series has been reprinted in many trade paperbacks. However, due to the lawsuit, these omitted the "Burger Wars" (episodes 11-12) and "Soul Food" (episodes 17-18) from the full 25-episode run until 2016. In 2016, the complete version with the reinstated episodes was published by Rebellion as "The Cursed Earth Uncensored".
Reprints include:
A paperback edition of The Cursed Earth Uncensored has been announced for December 2016.
Toys
The K2001 Landraider and Killdozer two part vehicle used by Judge Dredd and his team was based on the K-2001 Raider Command Matchbox toy from the Adventure 2000 range. When the Cursed Earth story began, the Matchbox toy was offered as a competition prize in the comic.
Other story
Another Judge Dredd story also called The Cursed Earth appeared in The Daily Star between 4 February and 4 May 1988. It had an entirely different plot, and featured the return of Henry Ford, a supporting character who had first appeared in The Black Plague in 2000 AD issues 140–143 (1979).