Judge Dredd: The Cursed Earth Uncensored (Comic Book)
Written by John Wagner, Pat Mills, Brian Bolland
Published by 2000 AD
Legendary British comic 2000 AD has helped launch the careers of creators like Neil Gaiman, Grant Morrison, and Alan Moore and has given the world iconic characters like Rogue Trooper, Strontium Dog, and Nemesis the Warlock. Their most enduring creation, however, is Judge Dredd, a futuristic lawman delivering bullet-ridden justice to the post-apocalyptic Mega-City One.
Dredd has gotten involved in a bewildering array of stories throughout his forty-year history, from epic action to campy horror to devastating satire. The character is a brutal fascist with a sandpaper dry sense of humor, and his face has never been shown throughout the comic’s run. Dredd has also been the subject of two movies adaptations; one of them was great, the other not so much.
One of Dredd’s most legendary adventures happened early in 2000 AD’s history, when he was tasked with crossing the “Cursed Earth” – a radioactive desert spanning most of America – to deliver a life-saving vaccine to the people of Mega-City Two. It’s a tough ride since the desert is filled with mutants, man-eating rats, and murderous robots, to name just a few issues. Fans of the comic can now relive this journey with Judge Dredd: The Cursed Earth Uncensored, which is the first time the story has been complete since it was originally published back in 1978.
The storyline was heavily inspired by Roger Zelazny’s novel Damnation Alley, which also featured a hardboiled anti-hero traveling through a hellish landscape in a badass tank. The Cursed Earth is really a kitchen sink kind of story, where every crazy idea the writers ever dreamt up is added to the pulpy stew. One moment Dredd and his crew will be fighting some vampire robots, and the next he’ll be facing The Jolly Green Giant.
The variety and creativity are what makes it such a fun ride and make up for the occasional underwhelming episode like Dredd’s visit to Vegas. Pat Mills, John Wagner, and Jack Adrian all contributed stories; and in classic Dredd style, there are wild swings in tone from action and comedy to political satire. There’s one story involving a vicious cloned T-Rex called Satanus that feels eerily similar to Jurassic Park, and some of the artwork wouldn’t look out of place in a Mad Max movie. Of course, the issue with the episodic approach is the overarching story feels pretty choppy and random, but this is a minor gripe. It’s the journey, not the destination.
The writers at 2000 AD back in time felt free to make fun of anyone they wanted, an issue that eventually landed the story in trouble. In the original run, The Cursed Earth featured four chapters that made fun of McDonalds, Burger King, The Jolly Green Giant, KFC, and a whole host of others. The McDonalds/Burger King arc was especially cutting, depicting the two chains locked into a bitter war with each other, with Ronald McDonald being a bloodthirsty monster shown executing a lazy employee.
These corporations failed to see the funny side of it, and for nearly forty years these chapters have been left out of reprints. Thanks to a recent change in copyright law, 2000 AD was allowed to republish them, which is what makes The Cursed Earth Uncensored such a treat. They don’t add much to the plot, but the demented satire and gorgeous artwork more than make up for that. The whole saga is brought to vivid life by Brian Bolland and Mike McMahon, and it’s easy to stop and gawk at their artwork instead of continuing with the story.
2000 AD has written stories with a lot more depth and nuance than The Cursed Earth, but as a thrill ride through the manic universe of Judge Dredd, it’s hard to beat. Fans will lap up this edition, and any newcomers to Dredd or 2000 AD will get an excellent intro here.
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