Cursed Earth
Encyclopedia
The Cursed Earth is a part of the fictional universe
from the Judge Dredd
series that appears in the UK comic book 2000 AD
.
of 2070 most of the U.S.A.
became a radioactive wasteland. With only the three Mega-Cities surviving (on the East Coast, California, and Texas), the remainder of the country
became known as the "Cursed Earth". Although considered unfit for human habitation, the Cursed Earth is populated by all manner of creatures, scraping a living in a tough environment. Since the Atomic Wars, genetic mutations appeared, but mutants
are banned from living in the cities, so they are forced to make their homes in the Cursed Earth. The communities are mostly poor, rural groupings with no industry, often dominated by quasi-religious movements. In more extreme cases, these communities become cults organised well enough to threaten Mega-City One
as a revenge for the way the city has treated these outcasts.
After Dredd's mission to MC2, the Cursed Earth seems to have been opened up somewhat with settlement by MC1 colonists and some ground based shipping (at least between MC1 and Texas City).
In the North there is still areas of forest and woods (the hunting party) and, as of Origins, the Cursed Earth is notably greener than it has been in the past. Given the extended period of time since the war, the Cursed Earth is presumably in the midst of a (very) slow environmental recovery with a desert like environment.
The Atomic War was once described as the worst disaster since the death of the dinosaurs, and therefore it is likely that any proper recovery will take centuries and the return of bio-diversity, millennia if not millions of years.
In 2100, it possessed a "Death Belt" - a vast field of floating rocks and debris, inhabited by vicious flying rats. At some unknown point, the Death Belt was ended by transporting its central lodestone to Deadworld (Megazine #286). (This story was partly to explain why the Death Belt had ceased to be seen after the early Dredds, with the narrator even saying "What? You don't remember the Death Belt?")
, in annuals and in the Judge Dredd film
.
.
into the Cursed Earth, where he loses his memory due to the trauma of a massive psychic attack which almost kills him.
are sent to the Cursed Earth to investigate a Dune Shark attack on the city.
Fictional universe
A fictional universe is a self-consistent fictional setting with elements that differ from the real world. It may also be called an imagined, constructed or fictional realm ....
from the Judge Dredd
Judge Dredd
Judge Joseph Dredd is a comics character whose strip in the British science fiction anthology 2000 AD is the magazine's longest running . Dredd is an American law enforcement officer in a violent city of the future where uniformed Judges combine the powers of police, judge, jury and executioner...
series that appears in the UK comic book 2000 AD
2000 AD (comic)
2000 AD is a weekly British science fiction-oriented comic. As a comics anthology it serialises a number of separate stories each issue and was first published by IPC Magazines in 1977, the first issue dated 26 February. IPC then shifted the title to its Fleetway comics subsidiary which was sold...
.
Background
Following the Atomic WarsAtomic Wars
The Atomic Wars or Great Atom War is a fictional event in the Judge Dredd universe.In 2070, the possibly psychotic President Robert L. Booth started World War III by starting a nuclear war which dragged in all the major superpowers....
of 2070 most of the U.S.A.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
became a radioactive wasteland. With only the three Mega-Cities surviving (on the East Coast, California, and Texas), the remainder of the country
Flyover country
Flyover country and flyover states are Americanisms describing the region of the United States between the East and the West Coasts. The terms, which are often used in a pejorative sense, refer to the regions of the country passed over during transcontinental flights – e.g., flights between the...
became known as the "Cursed Earth". Although considered unfit for human habitation, the Cursed Earth is populated by all manner of creatures, scraping a living in a tough environment. Since the Atomic Wars, genetic mutations appeared, but mutants
Mutants (Judge Dredd)
Mutants are a recurring theme in the Judge Dredd science-fiction stories published in British comics 2000 AD and the Judge Dredd Megazine...
are banned from living in the cities, so they are forced to make their homes in the Cursed Earth. The communities are mostly poor, rural groupings with no industry, often dominated by quasi-religious movements. In more extreme cases, these communities become cults organised well enough to threaten Mega-City One
Mega-City One
Mega-City One is a huge fictional city-state covering much of what is now the Eastern United States in the Judge Dredd comic book series. The exact boundaries of the city depend on which artist has drawn the story...
as a revenge for the way the city has treated these outcasts.
Environment
In the immediate aftermath of the war, the Cursed Earth was best described as Hell. Little grew and radiation pits were everywhere. Much of it was lawless with tribes of mutants and renegades. As such, from the war until about 2100, no one crossed the Cursed Earth by land.After Dredd's mission to MC2, the Cursed Earth seems to have been opened up somewhat with settlement by MC1 colonists and some ground based shipping (at least between MC1 and Texas City).
In the North there is still areas of forest and woods (the hunting party) and, as of Origins, the Cursed Earth is notably greener than it has been in the past. Given the extended period of time since the war, the Cursed Earth is presumably in the midst of a (very) slow environmental recovery with a desert like environment.
The Atomic War was once described as the worst disaster since the death of the dinosaurs, and therefore it is likely that any proper recovery will take centuries and the return of bio-diversity, millennia if not millions of years.
In 2100, it possessed a "Death Belt" - a vast field of floating rocks and debris, inhabited by vicious flying rats. At some unknown point, the Death Belt was ended by transporting its central lodestone to Deadworld (Megazine #286). (This story was partly to explain why the Death Belt had ceased to be seen after the early Dredds, with the narrator even saying "What? You don't remember the Death Belt?")
Important Cursed Earth stories
The location first appeared in a one-part story during the first year of 2000 AD and has since made many appearances, in 2000 AD, in the Judge Dredd MegazineJudge Dredd Megazine
Judge Dredd: The Megazine is a monthly British comic magazine, launched in October 1990. It is a sister publication to 2000 AD. Its name is a play on words, formed from "magazine" and Dredd's locale Mega-City One.-Content:...
, in annuals and in the Judge Dredd film
Judge Dredd (film)
Judge Dredd is a 1995 American science fiction action film directed by Danny Cannon, and starring Sylvester Stallone, Diane Lane, Rob Schneider, Armand Assante, and Max von Sydow. The film is based on the strip of the same name in the British comic 2000 AD...
.
The Cursed Earth
Following quickly on from the first appearance of the Cursed Earth, was one of the earliest mega-epics where Dredd had to cross the Cursed Earth to deliver an antidote to virus-stricken Mega-City TwoMega-City Two
Mega-City Two is a huge fictional city covering five thousand square miles of the Californian West Coast in the Judge Dredd comic book series....
.
Hotdog Run
Cadets are tested by being taken on a 'hotdog run' into the Cursed Earth to make or break them. This has featured in a number of stories, most explicitly in a story of the same name, where Dredd and Giant lead the cadets themselves.The Dead Man
Judge Dredd takes the Long WalkThe Long Walk (Judge Dredd)
The Long Walk is an event occasionally depicted in the long-running British comic strip Judge Dredd, which appears in 2000 AD and the Judge Dredd Megazine. It also featured in the 1995 film starring Sylvester Stallone....
into the Cursed Earth, where he loses his memory due to the trauma of a massive psychic attack which almost kills him.
The Hunting Party
Judges Dredd and DeMarcoGalen DeMarco
Galen DeMarco is a fictional character in the world of Judge Dredd. She is a former street judge who first appeared in the Judge Dredd storyline "The Pit" in 2000 AD #970.-Biography:...
are sent to the Cursed Earth to investigate a Dune Shark attack on the city.