Rebellion Publishing has announced The 2000 AD Art of Dave Gibbons: Apex Edition, a premium, oversized hardcover book collecting high-resolution scans of original comic art pages at their actual size.
Scheduled for publication on 11 November 2026, the 128-page book will showcase archival work from classic comic book runs including Rogue Trooper, Dan Dare, Ro-Busters, ABC Warriors, and early collaborative short stories written by Alan Moore. The release coincides with retail promotional pushes across the UK comic market, including newly announced 2000 AD creator signing sessions at the Forbidden Planet London Megastore.
The standard edition will be distributed to comic shops and specialised bookshops, while a limited slipcase version is slated for sale directly through the publisher’s webshop. The giant archival book is designed to provide an up-close look at the ink lines and production notes of Dave Gibbons, the master artist widely known for his clean art style and detailed world-building. The news highlights a busy winter release window for 2000 AD properties, anchoring both high-end luxury print collections and modern individual issue releases.
Preserving Pulp Heritage as Luxury Artefacts
The upcoming Apex Edition shifts material originally printed on cheap, weekly newsprint during the late 1970s and 1980s into an upscale format measuring 481mm × 371mm. By capturing original boards complete with correction fluid, blue pencil lines, and editorial markings, the publication treats classic commercial sequential art with the archival seriousness typically reserved for fine art gallery retrospectives.
This release features sequential pages from Harlem Heroes, Dan Dare, and Rogue Trooper. The latter is currently receiving renewed commercial attention due to a forthcoming feature film adaptation written and directed by Duncan Jones. By archiving these foundational pages, the collection charts the development of Dave Gibbons’s crisp linework before his historic industry collaboration with writer Alan Moore and colourist John Higgins on Watchmen.
Creators Convene at the Megastore
Alongside the archival retrospectives, current 2000 AD writers are sustaining active storylines in the weekly anthology. Writer Rob Williams and artist Henry Flint are launching Judge Dredd: And To The Sea Return, a standalone horror-inflected graphic novel tracking the classic futuristic lawman. Concurrently, Rob Williams is promoting Hidden Springs, a humorous, creator-owned comic book series published through independent channels.
To mark these summer releases, the Forbidden Planet London Megastore will host a specialised creator event on Saturday 18 July from 5:00pm to 6:00pm. Rob Williams and Henry Flint will be signing advanced copies of Judge Dredd: And To The Sea Return, while artist Simon Bisley will be on hand to sign copies of the Batman/Judge Dredd: Judgement On Gotham Anniversary Edition.
The store appearance strategy builds direct foot traffic for brick-and-mortar retail by utilising unique creator access. This structural pairing of legacy retrospectives with direct-to-consumer store signings forms a dual-pronged approach by UK comic publishers to navigate changing collection habits and maintain collector engagement across generations.
Quick Links
- 2000 AD: Judge Dredd Signing Event
- Dave Gibbons comic books
