Cursed Earth - Definition and Overview

The Cursed Earth is a part of the fictional universe recounted in the Judge Dredd series that appears in the UK comic book 2000 AD.

Following the Atomic Wars of 2070 most of the U.S.A. became a radioactive wasteland. With only the three Mega-Cities surviving, 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 there. 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.