Judge Dredd The Cursed Earth Uncensored Hardcover (2016, UK, Rebellion)

cursed earth uncensored HC ©Rebellion A/S

Series: Judge Dredd

Publisher: Rebellion

Published: July 2016 (first edition)

ISBN/print: 978-1-78108-444-1

Size/binding: HC (28.5 x 21.5 cm)

Cover: Brian Bolland

Title: Judge Dredd The Cursed Earth Uncensored

Artists: Brian Bolland, Mike McMahon

Content:

• The Cursed Earth part 1 (2000 AD #61, April 22 1978)
• The Cursed Earth part 2 (2000 AD #62, April 29 1978)
• The Cursed Earth part 3 (2000 AD #63, May 6 1978)
• The Cursed Earth part 4 (2000 AD #64, May 13 1978)
• The Cursed Earth part 5 (2000 AD #65, May 20 1978)
• The Cursed Earth part 6 (2000 AD #66, May 27 1978)
• The Cursed Earth part 7 (2000 AD #67, June 3rd 1978)
• The Cursed Earth part 8 (2000 AD #68, June 10 1978)
• The Cursed Earth part 9 (2000 AD #69, June 17 1978)
• The Cursed Earth part 10 (2000 AD #70, June 24 1978)
• The Cursed Earth part 11* (scripted by John Wagner 2000 AD #71, July 1st 1978)
• The Cursed Earth part 12* (scripted by John Wagner 2000 AD #72, July 8 1978)
• The Cursed Earth part 13 (2000 AD #73, July 15 1978)
• The Cursed Earth part 14 (2000 AD #74, July 22 1978)
• The Cursed Earth part 15 (2000 AD #75, July 29 1978)
• The Cursed Earth part 16 (2000 AD #76, August 5 1978)
• The Cursed Earth part 17* (scripted by Jack Adrian 2000 AD #77, August 12 1978)
• The Cursed Earth part 18* (scripted by Jack Adrian 2000 AD #78, August 19 1978)
• The Cursed Earth part 19 (scripted by John Wagner 2000 AD #79, August 26 1978)
• The Cursed Earth part 20 (scripted by John Wagner 2000 AD #80, September 2nd 1978)
• The Cursed Earth part 21 (2000 AD #81, September 9 1978)
• The Cursed Earth part 22 (2000 AD #82, September 16 1978)
• The Cursed Earth part 23 (2000 AD #83, September 23 1978)
• The Cursed Earth part 24 (2000 AD #84, September 30 1978)
• The Cursed Earth part 25 (2000 AD #85, October 7 1978)

*Banned issues that had never been reprinted until this 2016 edition

Comments:

This reprint is the first to feature the so called banned episodes, Burger Wars written by john Wagner, and Soul Food written by Chris Lowder (aka Jack Adrian). This is how this deluxe edition was advertised by Rebellion:

For the very first time, 2000 AD is to reprint the ‘banned’ episodes of Judge Dreddfrom the late 1970s, which parodied the great corporate powers of then – and now.

Published in 1978, The Cursed Earth was the first great Judge Dredd epic, but the story ran into trouble when two episodes – ‘Burger Wars’ and ‘Soul Food’ – featured parodies of Burger King, Ronald McDonald, the Jolly Green Giant, the Michelin Man, and a number of other prominent corporate characters in a raucous and shameless satire of American consumer culture.

After concerns of legal action at the time the then publisher IPC decided all subsequent collections of this classic strip would omit the satirical stories.

But, following recent changes in UK law governing parody, this July Judge Dredd: The Cursed Earth Uncensored will reprint the story in its entirety for the very first time in a glorious hardcover edition, available in the UK/Ireland AND North America!

The droids have been hard at work putting the collection together, including using their sleuthing skills to find some of the original artwork from the series by Mick McMahon and Brian Bolland. Old and sometimes damaged archive films have been replaced by fresh scans of original pages by reprographics droid Kat-Scan, who has also painstakingly restored the colour pages and centre spreads to the story.

So we are indebted to Earthlet Mark Perry, who possesses several pages - including two centre-spreads from ‘Burger Wars’ - and allowed us to bring them to the 2000 AD Nerve Centre to have them scanned at high resolution, meaning you’ll be able to see this classic story in all its glory in July.

This collected edition have also been published several months later in paperback form with another cover.

This hardcover reprint also contains the following extra (in bold I have highlighted the differences with the paperback edition):

• Two new chapter breaks design (Pye Parr?, see below for one of them)
• Two new introductions by John Wagner and Chris Lowder dated May 2016
• Colored prog covers from 2000 AD #61, 63, 66, 69, 72, 75, 77, 79, 83, 85
• A B&W illustration from Brian Bolland uses as opening page for the 1994 Titan reprint, and three B&W poster illustrations (see below)
• Colored Tweak Star-scan from  2000 AD #83 by Brian Bolland
• Virgin cover illustration for this reprint by Brian Bolland
• IPC retractation strip illustrated by Brett ewins, published in 2000 AD #84
• A two pages Cursed Earth B&W map (see below)
• Colored covers of 1982 Titan reprints (part 1 by Brian Bolland and part 2 by Mike McMahon) used as second and third of cover  

one of two new chapter breaks

Cursed Earth map

Oddly, original prog covers from 2000 Ad #74 and 82 are missing from the cover gallery, they have been reintroduced in the December 2016 paperback edition (that do not features the map):

Also, both editions feature exclusive covers.

Notice that the following illustration was used earlier to advertised the book:

A limited edition (250 numbered copies), now sold out, was proposed directly through 2000 AD webshop. This is Rebellion description of this edition:

This special edition will include a numbered bookplate, affixed inside the book, signed by Chris Lowder (aka 'Soul Food’ writer Jack Adrian) plus other creators to be confirmed.

Also, supplied separately with each order will be one of 250 limited edition A3 posters of the 'Burger Wars’ double page spread by artist Mike McMahon. This high resolution scan of the original black-and-white artwork will be delivered rolled, rather than folded, and is exclusive to the 2000 AD webshop!

I have copy #173, and eventually the bookplate (a sticker glued on the second of cover) have been also signed by John Wagner. The A3 art print is not numbered nor signed (but is splendid anyway).

the bookplate

Mike McMahon A3 print

More pictures on this limited edition can be found here.