2000 AD #63
☆ Be the first to review + Add to your collection — Join free2000 AD Prog 63 carries the third chapter of 'The Cursed Earth,' the first Judge Dredd storyline to exceed twenty episodes and the one that established the template for the long-form Dredd epic — a sustained, post-apocalyptic road narrative with rotating threats and a deepening cast. The 'Devil's Lapdogs' chapter is historically notable for being the first point in the saga to depict organised, non-mutant society surviving in the wasteland, introducing the town of Deliverance and its deranged 'Lawgiver' — a dark-mirror inversion of Dredd himself — which gives the arc its first genuine piece of world-building beyond pure action. Prog 63 also marks the issue in which both Spikes Harvey Rotten and Judge Jack travel together as active members of Dredd's convoy, cementing the ensemble dynamic that would define the rest of the epic and give Spikes the room to grow from punk antagonist to tragic hero.
In "Nightmare Planet, Part 3," Judge Dredd finds himself trapped in the lawless town of Deliverance, where mob justice looms and a swarm of mutated flying rats threatens the townsfolk. With his partner Rotten mysteriously vanished, Dredd must survive the chaos alone as the creatures descend upon the town. Written by Pat Mills and illustrated with gritty precision by Mike McMahon—whose art defines the issue’s dark, relentless tone—this installment delivers a tense, claustrophobic descent into terror. The cover by Mike McMahon captures the dread with a striking, foreboding image of the town under siege.
In "The Final Encounter, Part 3," Sharpe sets a trap for the aliens, using the unsuspecting Fred as bait while Stroud is imprisoned to keep him from interfering. Just as the plan unfolds, Stroud breaks free and races toward the landing site, where the tension reaches a breaking point.
In "The Cursed Earth, Part 3: The Devil's Lapdogs," Judge Dredd finds himself trapped in the eerie town of Deliverance, where the locals are about to mete out their own brand of justice—only to be overwhelmed by a terrifying swarm of mutated flying rats. With his partner Rotten vanished and the sky darkening with the creatures, Dredd must survive the chaos and uncover what’s truly behind the town’s curse.
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We Buy Collections ▸History
The Cursed Earth was written predominantly by Pat Mills, with editor Kelvin Gosnell overseeing production, and the strip for prog 63 specifically was drawn by Mike McMahon with lettering by the otherwise-obscure R. O. Bott — apparently one of the rarest credited contributions in the whole run, with no other verified McMahon/Bott collaborations recorded. Mills conceived the epic as 2000 AD's first true serialised Dredd saga, running continuously from prog 61 to 85 across the May–October 1978 publishing period; Kevin O'Neill has stated the story was directly inspired by Roger Zelazny's 1969 novel Damnation Alley. The ambitious scope of The Cursed Earth — far exceeding anything Dredd had attempted before — was itself a statement of editorial confidence in the character's growing dominance of the weekly comic.
Trivia · 8 facts
- Published 6 May 1978 by IPC Magazines as part of the weekly British anthology 2000 AD (prog 63).
- Contains 'The Cursed Earth, Chapter 3 – The Devil's Lapdogs,' the third instalment of the 25-part Cursed Earth saga (progs 61–85).
- Script by Pat Mills; art by Mike McMahon; lettering by R. O. Bott; edited by Kelvin Gosnell.
- Spikes Harvey Rotten appears as a supporting character in this chapter — his original first appearance was in 'Mega-City 5000' back in prog 40 (November 1977), not this issue; prog 63 is his first appearance within the Cursed Earth storyline.
- Judge Jack appears as a supporting character alongside Dredd and Spikes — Jack is a member of Dredd's convoy throughout The Cursed Earth and is eventually killed by rogue war-droids in Death Valley later in the epic.
- The chapter introduces Deliverance, a Cursed Earth settlement run by a self-appointed 'Lawgiver,' marking the first depiction of organised non-mutant society existing outside the Mega-Cities in the story arc.
- The Cursed Earth is noted as the first Dredd storyline to exceed twenty episodes and is often referred to as 'the first Dredd epic'; it was inspired by Roger Zelazny's novel Damnation Alley according to Kevin O'Neill.
- This chapter and the broader Cursed Earth saga have been reprinted multiple times, including in The Complete Judge Dredd #6, Judge Dredd Epics: The Cursed Earth, and Judge Dredd: The Complete Case Files Vol. 02 (Rebellion).
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Reprinted in Super Force #10 (1981), Antarès #35 (1981), Sunny Sun #39 (1983), Judge Dredd #5 (1984), 2000 A. D. Presents #16 (1987), 2000 A. D. Showcase #46 (1990), Dare the Impossible #3 (1992), The Complete Judge Dredd #6 (1992), 2000 AD Extreme Edition #9 (2005), Judge Dredd: The Complete Case Files #2 (2006), Death Planet #[nn] (2012), Judge Dredd: The Mega Collection #32 (2015), Judge Dredd: The Cursed Earth Uncensored #[nn] (2016), Planet of the Damned & Death Planet #[nn] (2016), Dan Dare The 2000 AD Years #2 (2016)
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