Posted in: Comics, Comics Publishers, Current News, Rebellion / 2000AD | Tagged: arthur ranson, button man

Arthur Ranson's Button Man Gets A Massive Original Art Apex Edition

Arthur Ranson's Button Man Gets A Massive Original Art Apex Edition, An almost 200-page reproduction of the original artwork.

Published Wed, 21 Aug 2024 13:47:08 -0500

by Rich Johnston

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Last year, Arthur Ranson told The Comics Journal "There is a Google Alert thing I use which gives me all the latest comic news from the Internet. I get regular mail from the website Bleeding Cool, which talks comics." Hi Arthur! I love your work, and I am so looking forward to buying the Apex Edition of your Button Man book from Rebellion Publishing. An almost 200-page reproduction of Arthur Ranson's original artwork from the series, in the fashion of the Artist's Edition volumes pioneered by Scott Dunbier at IDW and now at Act 4.

"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."