Button Man, Write For Quantum, Battle Action & Guns of Brixton
Rebellion, Time Bomb Comics & Comix
News and previews including:
A new apex edition of Button Man.
Do you want to write for Time Bomb Comics?
A preview of the upcoming Battle Action #1.
And a new release is available from Comix.
Button Man from the pages of 2000 AD is one of my favourite series, and now Rebellion has announced an Apex Edition of this classic thriller!
As announced by Near Mint Condition today, we are delighted to announce that the next instalment of our incredible Apex line will highlight one of the most acclaimed comics in 2000 AD history: The Button Man by Arthur Ranson Apex Edition!
Button Man is an action-packed thriller, deservedly regarded as one of the greatest strips ever to be published in 2000 AD and a high point in the career of Arthur Ranson, whose photo-realistic artwork astonished readers.
The story follows military vet Harry Ex, who returns to England with no idea what to do with his new domestic life. When he gets contacted by an old comrade, however, he finds himself drawn into a vast and strange new world. He is hired to be a "Button Man": paid by unseen powerful men to engage in underground shootouts to the death with other professional killers.
After surviving his first fight and making his name in the scene, Harry finds himself dragged deeper and deeper into the world - but each shootout could be his last. How long can Harry keep this up, especially when his thirst for violence finds himself at odds with the shadowy figures who hired him in the first place?
Written by Judge Dredd co-creator John Wagner and fully-drawn by Arthur Ranson in this run, Button Man is also currently in being adapted into a TV series by The Fall Guy director David Leitch.
Arthur Ranson has long been one of 2000 AD’s most popular artists; having made his initial impact working on Judge Anderson, he teamed up with John Wagner to create the highly acclaimed Button Man series, and later worked with Alan Grant for Mazeworld. He has also co-created the character of pyrokinetic Mega-City One citizen Juliet November, and illustrated both Judge Dredd and several Future Shocks.
This Apex Edition reprints nearly 200 pages from the first three stories, newly scanned from the original art, printed at the size the pages were drawn, and without the inclusion of the dialogue balloons, to give you a real insight into Arthur Ranson's meticulous work. Each page of this book has been scanned directly from Ranson's art and presents each page as if you were looking at it in person!
Measuring a huge 19 x 14 inches, this is a landmark collection of a classic 2000 AD series, straight from the drawing board! Running 192 pages in total, this is one of the biggest Apex collections to date, and follows previous editions celebrating the artwork and legacy of revolutionary artists including Kevin O'Neill, Brian Bolland, Mick McMahon and Steve Dillon.
The Button Man by Arthur Ranson Apex edition is released on 11th December 2024, with pre-orders available now on the 2000 AD webshop for both the standard and the webshop-exclusive slipcase editions.
Time Bomb Comics has announced that you could have the chance to write for their anthology comic, Quantum - with issue #9 just around the corner!
Quantum No.9 launches comic writing competition
YOU can write for Quantum!
Quantum No.9 is due to release later this month, and brings with it the first ever Quantum writing competition, which will allow fans to see their own stories realized in an upcoming issue.
Now well into its second year of publication, the bi-monthly, physical only, Quantum anthology has been praised for its high-quality, diverse, content. Stories are wildly different from each other, spanning genres like horror, westerns and mysteries and bringing fans across the sci-fi and fantasy spheres together. With this new competition, Time Bomb hopes to reach an even broader audience, while giving the fanbase an insight into comic publishing, alongside encouraging new writers.
While full instructions for entering can be found inside the upcoming Quantum No.9, the competition’s basics invite fans to submit their own ideas for stories set in the universes of popular ongoing stories WesterNoir, Major Rakhana and The Clockwork Cavalier.
Speaking on his hopes for the competition, Time Bomb publisher Steve Tanner said:
“Everyone has a story to tell, so Dave West and I are intrigued to see what story ideas Quantum readers can come up with featuring some of their comic's most popular characters. And it's the story idea that matters, not whether you've any previous experience of writing for comics.”
Alongside the competition, Quantum No.9 will include the following stories.
Major Rakhana sees Sanjay brutally interrogated about the Major’s recent dangerous adventure on Mars (writer Steve Tanner, line art Roland Bird, colours John Charles, letters Rob Jones).
Memphis continues with the political drama intensifying as the mystery of the murdered archaeologists spinning out of control (writer and artist David Morris).
WesterNoir: Dead End with Cassidy risking her life as she tries to survive the horrors plaguing a western border town (writer Jemma West, art Gareth Sleightholme).
The Very Strange Reappearance of Peter Thomson where Peter learns too late that his abilities aren’t limited to copying humans (writer Dave West, art Gustaffo Vargas).
The Clockwork Cavalier begins a new story of 18th century crime fighting as the automated man allies with the Bow Street Runners! (writer Steve Tanner, artist Francisco Archdiacono, colours Ben Lopez, letters Bolt-01).
Alongside these exciting stories, Quantum continues to highlight the British indie comic book industry, and this month’s issue features an article on upcoming comic cons, The Lakes International Comic Art Festival and Harrogate’s Thought Bubble.
Quantum is also available directly via a Quantum Prime subscription through Time Bomb’s Patreon page. As well as the Quantum comic subscribers receive an exclusive extra with each issue, such as limited-edition releases and unique merch produced just for Quantum Prime subscribers. To avoid directly competing with newsagents, the issues of Quantum sent out as part of the Quantum Prime initiative also have special variant covers.
Quantum No.9 is available in newsagents from Friday 23rd – Saturday 24th August, priced £6.99.
Out on the 28th of August, Battle Action returns with an all-star creative lineup of Garth Ennis, Keith Burns, Brian K. Vaughan and Chris Burnham from Rebellion.
Blazing Battle Action on each page! Garth Ennis and Keith Burns reunite for a 10-issue maxi-series which tells the final story of Johnny Red, aerial ace!
Johnny Redburn's battle against the German Luftwaffe continues into the final year of the Second World War - but Johnny's long war has taken a toll on him, and his bravery now edges towards recklessness. Will he make through the last months of the war?
Then! In a guest feature, writer Brian K. Vaughan makes his Battle Action debut, joined by artist Chris Burnham for a shocking post-apocalyptic fable! In a hostile future London where Kids Rule, a young American boy runs for his life from a mob of xenophobic British Punks - but he has a secret weapon they aren't expecting...
Comix has a new digital comic available on its site. Guns Of Brixton #1 is out now, and you can read it on-site or as a PDF.
Rachael, Bella, Jessy and Sheena are Rachael & the Heads of State (RATHOS for short), a punk rock band from South London. They're selling out shows having the time of their lives until one night after a concert in Brixton, when everything changes.
Dr. Thurlow Greave has just released a weaponised contagion on London, turning everyone infected into a mindless zombie. The band are forced to fight their way out, finding themselves not only immune to this infection among their fellow revellers, but with heightened reflexes and aggression as well.
What is behind their newfound abilities? Will they be able to stop Greave before it's too late? And will they ever manage to get a good night's sleep?